Thank you to those (few) who responded. At least some do read sometimes. Thanks.
In Genesis 40 Joseph is in jail. He interprets two dreams correctly. I wonder if this changes his perspective of dreams. If you are going to say that a dream predicts the future you can see that these dreams are fairly easy to interpret. But I would never be so bold as to tell someone their dream predicts the future, would you?
This the second set of two dreams that involve Joseph. Perhaps two dreams makes the idea of prediction more reasonable. The first pair are his own. He implies when he tells them to his family that they predict the future. He doesn't exactly say so when he tells his family. But their reaction shows that they do understand that he is telling them what he thinks will happen. He uses the dreams to make his point. Joseph is telling them what will happen or better what might happen.
These dreams are what got him into trouble. His brothers sold him into slavery. He is now in jail, a man without a country. He has no rights, no family. He is all alone. Yet God has been immensely involved in his life.
Now that he has successfully interpreted two important dreams, foretelling the future, not as some soothsayer, but as one who listens to God and gives God the glory, does he take his own dreams more seriously? At the time when he was telling the dreams to his family I wonder if he really believed that it would come true. He was really just a child when he had the dreams. I suspect he had little idea of what the dream really meant and how the family would react to it. But now he might be more encouraged that God would really arrange to have his first two dreams to come true as well. He may be more secure in God's vindication of his life.
Even though the cup-bearer forgot all about him he is more secure in God's role. God will use all his trials and finally bless him mightily.
As we have trials and set backs let us pray that we will be like Joseph. We pray that our setbacks will turn out to finally work out in our favor. We must be positive and patient and let our setbacks be excuses to enter into sin.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
weekend
I am so remiss about this blog. I figure no one reads it so who cares?
Yet this is great for me. I am doing talks at Brighton once a month and other times I am doing short inspirational talks. So this exercise is great for me.
Saturday I got to see Rice football. Rice won!! It was great to see.
Sunday I had three services. Well 2 1/2. I went and helped lead at Brighton. I help the music leader since he used the piano and you really cannot lead singing at play unless you have a microphone, which we don't. Then a lady named Dee did the message. I ended up helping her with the message. We started late because DW and I were late. We ended early too. I felt a little like we cheated them. But we stayed and greeted and prayed for them. Some are in poor health. And we had a lower attendance. I wondered if the flu was going around. Four of us took the place of the Jones. Also the piano player Hugh brought his wife and three small children. The women at the old folks home turned into grandmothers for a while. Most of them liked the energetic little ones.
Then I went to half a service at Vineyard. I got them for the announcements and the wonderfully practical sermon by Harry. This the third and last sermon on finances. Today it was about saving and spending. He had some wonderful examples. He have a funny anecdote about he and his wife arguing about buying makeup when they first got married. I can relate.
No local football Sunday. I missed that.
Evening service was good too. We did "Redeemer music" out of the C-Book. JB came with me and was out third bass singer. Then I dropped him off at work. He had a 9:30 PM staff meeting. Can you believe that? I read the lectionary. Today is what is called Christ the King Sunday. I love the concept. But I was not terribly excited about the scripture. JB commented that he could understand the passage well from the way I read. That is what I am going for, story telling if you will, so I felt satisfied that I am doing what I mean too. I do not want to be the message. I want the story to be the message.
Our anthem was Jesus We Crown You with Praise (lyrics) by Lanny Wolfe (vocal on Utube).
I did not feel tired when I was done. But I had a good time and felt joyful about it all.
Yet this is great for me. I am doing talks at Brighton once a month and other times I am doing short inspirational talks. So this exercise is great for me.
Saturday I got to see Rice football. Rice won!! It was great to see.
Sunday I had three services. Well 2 1/2. I went and helped lead at Brighton. I help the music leader since he used the piano and you really cannot lead singing at play unless you have a microphone, which we don't. Then a lady named Dee did the message. I ended up helping her with the message. We started late because DW and I were late. We ended early too. I felt a little like we cheated them. But we stayed and greeted and prayed for them. Some are in poor health. And we had a lower attendance. I wondered if the flu was going around. Four of us took the place of the Jones. Also the piano player Hugh brought his wife and three small children. The women at the old folks home turned into grandmothers for a while. Most of them liked the energetic little ones.
Then I went to half a service at Vineyard. I got them for the announcements and the wonderfully practical sermon by Harry. This the third and last sermon on finances. Today it was about saving and spending. He had some wonderful examples. He have a funny anecdote about he and his wife arguing about buying makeup when they first got married. I can relate.
No local football Sunday. I missed that.
Evening service was good too. We did "Redeemer music" out of the C-Book. JB came with me and was out third bass singer. Then I dropped him off at work. He had a 9:30 PM staff meeting. Can you believe that? I read the lectionary. Today is what is called Christ the King Sunday. I love the concept. But I was not terribly excited about the scripture. JB commented that he could understand the passage well from the way I read. That is what I am going for, story telling if you will, so I felt satisfied that I am doing what I mean too. I do not want to be the message. I want the story to be the message.
Our anthem was Jesus We Crown You with Praise (lyrics) by Lanny Wolfe (vocal on Utube).
I did not feel tired when I was done. But I had a good time and felt joyful about it all.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Genesis 37
I am going to speak on minor details of this story that struck me. If you do not know the story well, go down to the bottom of this blog and read it.
Exodus 37: This is the beginning of the Joseph saga.
The story of Joseph's kidnapping and selling into slavery has lots of details thay become important later. It's like one of those fictional mysteries that DW and I like to read. The details can help the reader to understand the ending of the book if not actually figure out who did it before the revelation. (Most authors really are not fair in that way.) It's almost good to take notes.
The brothers are jealous and angry that he would tell them that they would bow down to him. He has these dreams you know. When it comes to getting their revenge remember they are not full brothers. They do not feel the same kinship to him that a full brother might. Most of them are children of the maids, not an actual wife. So they may fear that they will be passed over for the inheritance. Jacob, their dad, might decide to give him the portion of the first born. So what Jacob is saying rings with truth. Actually this is what does happen in the end, Joseph gets a double portion through his two sons.
How old is Joseph here anyway? Kids grow up quick in an agrarian society. From the description of his traveling to meet his brothers I'm picturing about 12. He is still a youth, not full size. He is just now beginning to leave his mother's society.
This is a society that looks out for one another and know each other's business, like some lower class neighborhoods today and like the neighborhood I grew up in the 1950's.
So when Joseph gets to Shechem and he cannot find his brothers it is not that he asks someone. He is too small and insignificant to do that. He cannot talk to adults as equals. No, a man notices he is lost and offers to help. Amazingly he actually knows where his brothers are. He may not know this boy but he does know the minor business of a family of shepherds who are from several valleys over. This is a people that takes care of one another.
Thinking of Joseph as a boy barely out of childhood makes sense of his naively sharing his dreams with his older brothers. He is still not old enough to understand how the dreams will effect them.
In his second dream he includes his mother and father with those who will bow to him. His father rebukes him and his brothers mutter angrily. But 37:11 "His father keeps this saying mind." Where do we hear this later? We are reminded of Mary, Jesus' mother, who takes the prophesies of the Wise Men, Anna, and Simeon in mind. She holds them in her heart. So does Jacob.
Exodus 37: This is the beginning of the Joseph saga.
The story of Joseph's kidnapping and selling into slavery has lots of details thay become important later. It's like one of those fictional mysteries that DW and I like to read. The details can help the reader to understand the ending of the book if not actually figure out who did it before the revelation. (Most authors really are not fair in that way.) It's almost good to take notes.
The brothers are jealous and angry that he would tell them that they would bow down to him. He has these dreams you know. When it comes to getting their revenge remember they are not full brothers. They do not feel the same kinship to him that a full brother might. Most of them are children of the maids, not an actual wife. So they may fear that they will be passed over for the inheritance. Jacob, their dad, might decide to give him the portion of the first born. So what Jacob is saying rings with truth. Actually this is what does happen in the end, Joseph gets a double portion through his two sons.
How old is Joseph here anyway? Kids grow up quick in an agrarian society. From the description of his traveling to meet his brothers I'm picturing about 12. He is still a youth, not full size. He is just now beginning to leave his mother's society.
This is a society that looks out for one another and know each other's business, like some lower class neighborhoods today and like the neighborhood I grew up in the 1950's.
So when Joseph gets to Shechem and he cannot find his brothers it is not that he asks someone. He is too small and insignificant to do that. He cannot talk to adults as equals. No, a man notices he is lost and offers to help. Amazingly he actually knows where his brothers are. He may not know this boy but he does know the minor business of a family of shepherds who are from several valleys over. This is a people that takes care of one another.
Thinking of Joseph as a boy barely out of childhood makes sense of his naively sharing his dreams with his older brothers. He is still not old enough to understand how the dreams will effect them.
In his second dream he includes his mother and father with those who will bow to him. His father rebukes him and his brothers mutter angrily. But 37:11 "His father keeps this saying mind." Where do we hear this later? We are reminded of Mary, Jesus' mother, who takes the prophesies of the Wise Men, Anna, and Simeon in mind. She holds them in her heart. So does Jacob.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Mark 10:32-34
Jesus is now heading to Jerusalem. The disciples are astonished, it says. They are lagging behind. Have you ever been part of a group when your leader started to take you in a direction that you thought foolhardy?
But these disciples know they are heading straight into danger. Yet they go anyway. They love and respect this man very much. Their minds tell them this is crazy. Yet they do it. Is it courage? Is it faith?
Jesus tells his disciples the unvarnished truth. We see this in verse 10:32 - "Jesus takes his disciples aside." Remember they are walking. Jesus separates himself a little from the larger group, with his disciples, to tell them something private.
They are perhaps walking on one of those great Roman roads that will still have remains of today. Many highways in Europe still follow those Roman ways.
The disciples know the danger in Jerusalem. That is where the leaders of his opposition live. They are powerful. They mean to kill him.
So Jesus takes them aside openly and tells them again that they are going to Jerusalem. And he is telling them what will happen there. He will be delivered over to thes priests and scribes, condemned and turned over to the gentiles (for execution). Only the Romans can administer crucifixion. And before they do it they will mock and scourge. Jesus tells them this because, awful as it sounds, he is in control of these events. He knows what will happen and he enters into it willingly. How can anyone understand this? Can we imagine doing this for the whole world? The disciples cannot understand. It makes no sense at all.
But Jesus adds, after he is dead, in three days he will rise again. There is nothing recorded about the response of the disciples. Surely there was at least a time silence before anything else. Probably the disciples discussed this amongst themselves as they continued the journey. It gave them a lot to think about.
Here in Mark this is the third time Jesus has told them what will happen to them. So by now they have had time to work on their reaction. Their reaction has been wrung out of them by now.
Jesus leads them resolutely to his death. He knows who he is, the power of God, and what he is called to do. He is obedient to his father in heaven.
The disciples are scared, probably mostly for themselves, and hang back. They wish somehow they can stop all this. But they are not in control, Jesus is. Yet they choose to be with Jesus and take what happens.
This is a great example for us. We do not know what the future will bring. Yet we follow Jesus because this is better than anything else.
But these disciples know they are heading straight into danger. Yet they go anyway. They love and respect this man very much. Their minds tell them this is crazy. Yet they do it. Is it courage? Is it faith?
Jesus tells his disciples the unvarnished truth. We see this in verse 10:32 - "Jesus takes his disciples aside." Remember they are walking. Jesus separates himself a little from the larger group, with his disciples, to tell them something private.
They are perhaps walking on one of those great Roman roads that will still have remains of today. Many highways in Europe still follow those Roman ways.
The disciples know the danger in Jerusalem. That is where the leaders of his opposition live. They are powerful. They mean to kill him.
So Jesus takes them aside openly and tells them again that they are going to Jerusalem. And he is telling them what will happen there. He will be delivered over to thes priests and scribes, condemned and turned over to the gentiles (for execution). Only the Romans can administer crucifixion. And before they do it they will mock and scourge. Jesus tells them this because, awful as it sounds, he is in control of these events. He knows what will happen and he enters into it willingly. How can anyone understand this? Can we imagine doing this for the whole world? The disciples cannot understand. It makes no sense at all.
But Jesus adds, after he is dead, in three days he will rise again. There is nothing recorded about the response of the disciples. Surely there was at least a time silence before anything else. Probably the disciples discussed this amongst themselves as they continued the journey. It gave them a lot to think about.
Here in Mark this is the third time Jesus has told them what will happen to them. So by now they have had time to work on their reaction. Their reaction has been wrung out of them by now.
Jesus leads them resolutely to his death. He knows who he is, the power of God, and what he is called to do. He is obedient to his father in heaven.
The disciples are scared, probably mostly for themselves, and hang back. They wish somehow they can stop all this. But they are not in control, Jesus is. Yet they choose to be with Jesus and take what happens.
This is a great example for us. We do not know what the future will bring. Yet we follow Jesus because this is better than anything else.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Mark 9:14-29
This is a long story of Jesus casting out a demon. We see demon possession and casting out a lot in scripture. It's not like the movies, usually, but here it sort of is. This comes right after the transfiguration. Four of them have been on a mountaintop. Physically high and spiritually high for those four that went up. They had to come back to reality. They went from faith to unbelief.
This demon possessed boy exhibits lots of symptoms. But he does not hurt anyone, like in a lot of movies. The explanation of his symptoms sound a lot of like an epileptic.
Let me backtrack and add that not all epileptics are demon possessed. But what the father describes in 9:18 sounds like a grand mal seizure. They did not have medicines to control seizures like they do now. So prayer is the only way this boy can be helped.
Also most demon possessed people do not exhibit such obvious symptoms. It is a bad idea to quickly decide someone is possessed. One must tread very carefully and cautiously, not particularly from danger but from the social stigma associated with such a diagnosis.
But in this era when more people dabble with the occult, spiritual healers, curanderos, seances, and the like more people are like to become associated with demons. A couple of weeks ago and friend and I did gingerly cast out a demon. We were not sure and did not make a big deal about it. But we advised the people to stay away from such spiritual healers. It is nothing to be scared of.
Jesus always controlled the demon and did not let it show off by acting weird or violent. Yet we read in more than one instance that the demon did manifest itself before leaving the person. I think her we are getting an extreme example.
Why did Mark write about this casting out? I think the key reason is what Jesus explains in 9:19 - "Oh, unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Jesus is again speaking of hard hearted unbelief.
But then Jesus takes care of the boy and his father patiently and compassionately. The one who has the unbelief problem is the father. I think the father has something to do with the possession. He has done something to bring demons around him, I think. Jesus is carefully working on this man's faith. After Jesus does heal the son it will be up to the father to keep the demons from coming back.
The father knows he needs help and he cries out for it. This is just the response that Jesus is calling for. Jesus calls it out of him. The father knows he is lacking in faith. I believe he has been seeking in all the wrong places - oracles and diviners, other religions, etc. He needs help and now he is asking the only one who can truly help him. Jesus has carefully led him to the right choice.
This is the choice that we also should make too when we know our need. We admit our need and ask for God to make up what what we lack. He wants to do it.
This demon possessed boy exhibits lots of symptoms. But he does not hurt anyone, like in a lot of movies. The explanation of his symptoms sound a lot of like an epileptic.
Let me backtrack and add that not all epileptics are demon possessed. But what the father describes in 9:18 sounds like a grand mal seizure. They did not have medicines to control seizures like they do now. So prayer is the only way this boy can be helped.
Also most demon possessed people do not exhibit such obvious symptoms. It is a bad idea to quickly decide someone is possessed. One must tread very carefully and cautiously, not particularly from danger but from the social stigma associated with such a diagnosis.
But in this era when more people dabble with the occult, spiritual healers, curanderos, seances, and the like more people are like to become associated with demons. A couple of weeks ago and friend and I did gingerly cast out a demon. We were not sure and did not make a big deal about it. But we advised the people to stay away from such spiritual healers. It is nothing to be scared of.
Jesus always controlled the demon and did not let it show off by acting weird or violent. Yet we read in more than one instance that the demon did manifest itself before leaving the person. I think her we are getting an extreme example.
Why did Mark write about this casting out? I think the key reason is what Jesus explains in 9:19 - "Oh, unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Jesus is again speaking of hard hearted unbelief.
But then Jesus takes care of the boy and his father patiently and compassionately. The one who has the unbelief problem is the father. I think the father has something to do with the possession. He has done something to bring demons around him, I think. Jesus is carefully working on this man's faith. After Jesus does heal the son it will be up to the father to keep the demons from coming back.
The father knows he needs help and he cries out for it. This is just the response that Jesus is calling for. Jesus calls it out of him. The father knows he is lacking in faith. I believe he has been seeking in all the wrong places - oracles and diviners, other religions, etc. He needs help and now he is asking the only one who can truly help him. Jesus has carefully led him to the right choice.
This is the choice that we also should make too when we know our need. We admit our need and ask for God to make up what what we lack. He wants to do it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Mark 8:27 - 9:1 second time around
I thought this passage deserved two passes.
Jesus has been traveling in the area north of Galilee. This area is mixed, in both religious practices and in ethnic makeup. Locations mentioned are Tyre and Sidon, his home town of Nazareth, and the Decapolis region. After 9:1 Jesus is transfigured on the mountain and sees Moses and Elijah. After this he mostly stays in the area surrounding Jerusalem.
The area of the north is probably not even primarily Jewish. Jesus seems to walk to areas of Jewish settlement. Narareth was a small Jewish village. Tyre and Sidon we larger and probably had Jewish areas near non-Jewish or Gentile area. Many villages were not Jewish at all but these villages are never mentioned. They would be like Boston or Philadephia, divided int ethnic enclaves, Jews, Greeks, Asians, Africans, etc.
This present story occurs while Jesus and his disciples are walking between towns in the area of Caesarea Phillipi. There were towns in this area. Jesus seems to have been traveling to the Jewish towns and preaching in their synagogues.
In the Old Testament this region is called Dan, after the tribes that received it as an inheritance. This area is not dry like the south. It is hilly but full of streams, forests and vegetation. In Jesus' day it was famous for its magnificent temple cut out of the mountain known as Banias. Here sacrifice was made to the god Pan. But there were probably other gods sacrificed to and a cult of the emperor. This was likely a popular destination for pilgrims. The Bible never mentions this. Jesus and other God-fearing Jews probably tried to ignore it as best they could.
Mark leads off this passage by mentioning that they are walking through the area. This conversation like took a while. As they walked Jesus asked them who people say he is. They give his three answers. Jesus continues to question them. There is probably lots of discussion. There may be quite a few people on the road, loud distractions. Others might be passing them. Some are walking alongside them. Jesus then changes the question slightly. He asks them "Who do you say that I am?" I imagine this question was not directly answered right away. Taking to twelve (or more) moving people is not easy. They might get separated for a moment. I imagine there was some discussion amongst the disciples for how to answer this question. It may have taken a while, perhaps a mile or two before Peter got bold enough to say that they thought he was the Christ.
Jesus must have been excited, encouraged by this answer. They got it right. Jesus remarks that only by divine revelation could they have understood this. So I think it is with this encouragement that Jesus goes on to plainly explain what it means for him to be the Savior, the Messiah. However this goes awry. The disciples cannot handle the truth. I imagine if we knew all the things that would happen in our life beforehand we would not be able to handle it either.
Peter, again likely after some reaction and discussion amongst the disciples speaks up for the group. Remember they are walking down the road. Peter takes Jesus of to the other side of the road and rebukes him. Peter tries to correct him. Perhaps this is Peter's misconception of what it means to be Messiah that gets in the way. The Messiah is to be a victorious warrior, saving God's people from their oppressors. Peter tries to do this privately, without anyone else hearing.
But Jesus takes charge of the situation. He turns and makes sure they all hear his response. This makes me think they are all in on it. He corrects Peter. "Get behind me Satan, for you are not setting your mind on God' interests but man's."
Jesus then explains himself. This is climactic. This, with the following transfiguration, ends the first half of the book of Mark. For then on things are different.
Jesus has God's interests, not man's. He knows it will be hard. But this is what he was called for. Do we have God's interests or man's? I think I can only handle this is small bits, small time elements. I can seek to do God's will as I understand it. But in between it seems to me I seek after my own needs and pleasures. This is not to say that God is not happy with our having fun and so on. But overall we are to seek, and be ready to do God's will at all times.
This teaching, a follow up to Peter's rebuke is a call to be wholly given to God. "Take up your cross and follow me." "Whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory."
Our generation is do different than the one it which he lived. It sets it in stark contrast. Sometime the question is posed to make God the guilty one who has to explain why the world is bad. No it is we who are guilty and must explain our behavior. We are a part of this sinful adulterous generation. God is so good and loving and perfect. How can we not identify with him over and above the imperfect pleasures of this world?
MARK 8:27-9:1 [27] Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] They told Him, saying, "John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets." [29] And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter *answered and *said to Him, "You are the Christ." [30] And He warned them to tell no one about Him. [31] And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. [33] But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." [34] And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. [35] For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? [37] For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [38] For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." [1] And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." NASB
Jesus has been traveling in the area north of Galilee. This area is mixed, in both religious practices and in ethnic makeup. Locations mentioned are Tyre and Sidon, his home town of Nazareth, and the Decapolis region. After 9:1 Jesus is transfigured on the mountain and sees Moses and Elijah. After this he mostly stays in the area surrounding Jerusalem.
The area of the north is probably not even primarily Jewish. Jesus seems to walk to areas of Jewish settlement. Narareth was a small Jewish village. Tyre and Sidon we larger and probably had Jewish areas near non-Jewish or Gentile area. Many villages were not Jewish at all but these villages are never mentioned. They would be like Boston or Philadephia, divided int ethnic enclaves, Jews, Greeks, Asians, Africans, etc.
This present story occurs while Jesus and his disciples are walking between towns in the area of Caesarea Phillipi. There were towns in this area. Jesus seems to have been traveling to the Jewish towns and preaching in their synagogues.
In the Old Testament this region is called Dan, after the tribes that received it as an inheritance. This area is not dry like the south. It is hilly but full of streams, forests and vegetation. In Jesus' day it was famous for its magnificent temple cut out of the mountain known as Banias. Here sacrifice was made to the god Pan. But there were probably other gods sacrificed to and a cult of the emperor. This was likely a popular destination for pilgrims. The Bible never mentions this. Jesus and other God-fearing Jews probably tried to ignore it as best they could.
Mark leads off this passage by mentioning that they are walking through the area. This conversation like took a while. As they walked Jesus asked them who people say he is. They give his three answers. Jesus continues to question them. There is probably lots of discussion. There may be quite a few people on the road, loud distractions. Others might be passing them. Some are walking alongside them. Jesus then changes the question slightly. He asks them "Who do you say that I am?" I imagine this question was not directly answered right away. Taking to twelve (or more) moving people is not easy. They might get separated for a moment. I imagine there was some discussion amongst the disciples for how to answer this question. It may have taken a while, perhaps a mile or two before Peter got bold enough to say that they thought he was the Christ.
Jesus must have been excited, encouraged by this answer. They got it right. Jesus remarks that only by divine revelation could they have understood this. So I think it is with this encouragement that Jesus goes on to plainly explain what it means for him to be the Savior, the Messiah. However this goes awry. The disciples cannot handle the truth. I imagine if we knew all the things that would happen in our life beforehand we would not be able to handle it either.
Peter, again likely after some reaction and discussion amongst the disciples speaks up for the group. Remember they are walking down the road. Peter takes Jesus of to the other side of the road and rebukes him. Peter tries to correct him. Perhaps this is Peter's misconception of what it means to be Messiah that gets in the way. The Messiah is to be a victorious warrior, saving God's people from their oppressors. Peter tries to do this privately, without anyone else hearing.
But Jesus takes charge of the situation. He turns and makes sure they all hear his response. This makes me think they are all in on it. He corrects Peter. "Get behind me Satan, for you are not setting your mind on God' interests but man's."
Jesus then explains himself. This is climactic. This, with the following transfiguration, ends the first half of the book of Mark. For then on things are different.
Jesus has God's interests, not man's. He knows it will be hard. But this is what he was called for. Do we have God's interests or man's? I think I can only handle this is small bits, small time elements. I can seek to do God's will as I understand it. But in between it seems to me I seek after my own needs and pleasures. This is not to say that God is not happy with our having fun and so on. But overall we are to seek, and be ready to do God's will at all times.
This teaching, a follow up to Peter's rebuke is a call to be wholly given to God. "Take up your cross and follow me." "Whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory."
Our generation is do different than the one it which he lived. It sets it in stark contrast. Sometime the question is posed to make God the guilty one who has to explain why the world is bad. No it is we who are guilty and must explain our behavior. We are a part of this sinful adulterous generation. God is so good and loving and perfect. How can we not identify with him over and above the imperfect pleasures of this world?
MARK 8:27-9:1 [27] Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] They told Him, saying, "John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets." [29] And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter *answered and *said to Him, "You are the Christ." [30] And He warned them to tell no one about Him. [31] And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. [33] But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." [34] And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. [35] For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? [37] For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [38] For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." [1] And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." NASB
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Mark 8:27 - 9:1
Here we are at a climax in Mark's gospel. This is the middle point.
Mark's gospel is likely a compilation of the stories that Peter went around telling people about Jesus. Think of him as a visiting evangelistic speaker. He tells great stories. The first Christians were hungry to meet people who really knew him while he was on earth.
When Peter got old or when he died these stories were very important and people did not want them to be forgotten. Mark has been helping Peter and had heard the stories many times. So he put together a book and he carefully organized it to tell the great story. So this gospel becomes not only great stories but a biography of the Messiah.
Peter does not let his pride get in the way of a good teaching point. The story is about Jesus, not about Peter after all. God gets the glory, as it should be.
Jesus response to Peter's rebuke is the climax of the first part of the book of Mark. After this comes the transfiguration and everything changes after that.
First Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the one who is predicted and hoped for throughout the Old Testament.
Jesus gets encouraged about the disciples and decides to speak very plainly about what will happen in the future. But this is just too much. The disciples just cannot handle the truth. Now Peter takes Jesus aside to rebuke him. Why? Does Peter just not want this to happen? Perhaps Peter thinks if it will happen to Jesus then it is likely to happen to them. Perhaps he is selfishly worrying about himself.
But while Peter has tried to rebuke Jesus privately, Jesus turns and rebukes Peter publicly so that all the disciples can see.
Then Jesus explains further. And this is the climax. Jesus expands on not having man's (selfish) interest but God's. Do we have God's interest as we live our life or do we just worry about ourselves? This teaching cuts me to the quick. I try to have God's interest from time to time. I think I have to take it in small bits. I then remember that God loves me and I love God.
Jesus then states "If anyone wants to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it ... Whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory."
Jesus gives reasons why we should take God's side and not the world's. And there is a battle. You will have to commit to a side. Not making a decision is making a decision.
Even if it gets hard from time to time we must take God's side. We are proud of God, not ashamed. It is not God's fault for the sin in the world. It is ours.
Mark's gospel is likely a compilation of the stories that Peter went around telling people about Jesus. Think of him as a visiting evangelistic speaker. He tells great stories. The first Christians were hungry to meet people who really knew him while he was on earth.
When Peter got old or when he died these stories were very important and people did not want them to be forgotten. Mark has been helping Peter and had heard the stories many times. So he put together a book and he carefully organized it to tell the great story. So this gospel becomes not only great stories but a biography of the Messiah.
Peter does not let his pride get in the way of a good teaching point. The story is about Jesus, not about Peter after all. God gets the glory, as it should be.
Jesus response to Peter's rebuke is the climax of the first part of the book of Mark. After this comes the transfiguration and everything changes after that.
First Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the one who is predicted and hoped for throughout the Old Testament.
Jesus gets encouraged about the disciples and decides to speak very plainly about what will happen in the future. But this is just too much. The disciples just cannot handle the truth. Now Peter takes Jesus aside to rebuke him. Why? Does Peter just not want this to happen? Perhaps Peter thinks if it will happen to Jesus then it is likely to happen to them. Perhaps he is selfishly worrying about himself.
But while Peter has tried to rebuke Jesus privately, Jesus turns and rebukes Peter publicly so that all the disciples can see.
Then Jesus explains further. And this is the climax. Jesus expands on not having man's (selfish) interest but God's. Do we have God's interest as we live our life or do we just worry about ourselves? This teaching cuts me to the quick. I try to have God's interest from time to time. I think I have to take it in small bits. I then remember that God loves me and I love God.
Jesus then states "If anyone wants to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it ... Whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory."
Jesus gives reasons why we should take God's side and not the world's. And there is a battle. You will have to commit to a side. Not making a decision is making a decision.
Even if it gets hard from time to time we must take God's side. We are proud of God, not ashamed. It is not God's fault for the sin in the world. It is ours.
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