Jesus was Radical (A Reflection on Mark 1:14-20) |
- Jesus was Radical (A Reflection on Mark 1:14-20)
- Jesus Going to Start Something Big (A Reflection on Mark 1:9-13)
- There, Look at Jesus (Reflection on Mark 1:1-8)
| Jesus was Radical (A Reflection on Mark 1:14-20) Posted: 19 Mar 2014 11:45 AM PDT "'The right time has come,' Jesus said, 'and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!'" (Mark 1:15, GNB)  Jesus' message is direct and compelling. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is at the threshold of people's lives. This is God's time. It is near. With such a demanding message – "You must change your hearts and minds and believe the Good News" (J.B. Phillips' translation) – a radical response must be made. Maybe that was one of the reason why the four fishermen – Peter, Andrew, James and John – instantly "left their nets and went with Jesus" (Mark 1:18, 20). He was radical. This part is very interesting for 3 reasons. First, usually it was their custom that the pulpits who decide which rabbi or teacher that they want to follow. But here we read that Jesus was the one who called them, "Come with me" (Mark 1:17). Secondly, instead of choosing the intellectual and well-taught religious leaders, Jesus chose ordinary men. Not stupid nor special neither, just ordinary men. Thirdly, the disciples were busy doing their daily business when Jesus called them. It shows that He desire to use their fishing skills and to teach them to "become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17, KJV). He was radical. Pause… As I read Mark 1:14-19, looking for more insight and understanding, I was reminded that the Scripture is not for me to (merely) gather information but to allow it to transformed my life from the inside out. Based on all of the above, many challenging questions arise as I started to think this way: Do I really understand what did Jesus mean by the Kingdom of God? What does it have to do with me and us today? Have I turned away from my sins daily? Am I proclaiming the Kingdom of God now and asking people to repent from their sins? Have I set my personal agendas and ambitions (my 'fishing net') aside to follow Him? Have I take initiative to witness about the Good News recently? Am I being prejudice towards other people when it comes to evangelism? Have I neglect the ordinary people? Am I a fisher of men? Have I use my talents and gifts to serve others for God? [These questions and more begin to change me. Jesus is still radical] You should ask these kinds of questions too THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.   | ||
| Jesus Going to Start Something Big (A Reflection on Mark 1:9-13) Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:15 PM PDT
"Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan… At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan" (Mark 1:9-13, GNB) I remember when we celebrated The Marathon: 10th Anniversary of FES Sarawak, we use this phase for the program flow – On You Mark! Get Set! Go! Mark 1:9:13 are like the start of a race. They described Jesus' entrance into public ministry. Here I notice that Mark, the writer, briefly includes 2 steps of preparation which Jesus took before He "Go!" – Baptism and Temptation. On Your Mark! I was wondered why Jesus was baptized? Isn't baptism is the outward expression that a person has turned from sin to God? But Jesus was never sinned! John the Baptist also was puzzled when Jesus came to him for baptism (Matthew 3:14). As I studied the Scripture deeper, I understand now that the ultimate purpose of Jesus life, death and resurrection was to provide us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness. He became sin that we might become righteous. He humbled Himself even to the point of appearing (in public!) like a sinful man. Thank you Jesus. Get Set! I also was curious why Jesus needed to be tempted? Now (at least) I can be in peace with this part of the Scripture because of these 3 reasons: 1) God was not worried about losing Jesus to Satan or having His plan of redemption ruined. Satan tried to make Jesus sin, but Jesus proved that (or God proved that) He would stand. In fact, Jesus would not sin and ruined Satan's plan instead; 2) Through temptation, Jesus knows what it's like to be tempted as a human being and thus provide an encouragement and strength to resist sin and Satan 's scheme. He shows the way and gives us strength by the power of the Holy Spirit in us now to do the same; and 3) Jesus shows that He resisted temptation with the Word of God "It is written…" (Matthew 4:4, 6,10). God's Word is a primary source to resist temptation. Period. Go! In Jesus' humanity, baptism and temptation identified Him so completely with our sinful condition. In Jesus' divinity, however, baptism and temptation proved that He came from God. During His baptism a voice came from heaven said, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you" (Mark 1:11); and after His temptation "angels came and helped him" (1:13). With John the Baptist had been prisoned, and two critical steps of preparation behind Him, Jesus began His public ministry. He began preaching in Galilee. On Your Mark! Get Set! Go! World, are you ready? Or are you ready for the world? THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP. | ||
| There, Look at Jesus (Reflection on Mark 1:1-8) Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:58 AM PDT "John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. 'Turn away from your sins and be baptized,' he told the people, 'and God will forgive your sins.'" (Mark 1:4, GNB) If there was anyone in the New Testament who shouted so loud, it was John the Baptist. If there was anyone who dressed and ate weird stuffs as honey-coated grasshoppers, it was John the Baptist. If there was anyone that God want to use to prepare "a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3), then it was none other than John the Baptist. The Gospel of Mark begins the story about Jesus Christ "the Son of God" (Mark 1:1) by introducing John the Baptist – the forerunner of Christ. A forerunner is a messenger sent ahead to prepare the way for another person. Jesus' entrance into the world was so special to God that He sent John to prepare people for the Saviour's coming. And he had done a great job!
With John as a prophet in their midst and the words of repentance for the forgiveness of sins proclaimed – many Jews heard him, repented and changed their attitudes about God. Now their attention (at least most of them) was on God. Oh this is amazing: once John had turned people's attention to God; he then focused that attention on God's Son in human flesh, Jesus Christ. As people listened intently to John, he said: I understand you and I may not feel like dressing and preaching the way John does, but if we're followers of Christ, our business, like John's, is to change people's attitudes about God and focus their attention on Jesus Christ. Every time John saw Jesus coming, he said something like these: "There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29); "I tell you that he is the Son of God" (1:34); "There is the Lamb of God!" (1:36). John was basically said, "There, look at Jesus!" As we point others to Jesus – introducing Him through our actions and words – Jesus at the same time will begin to introduce Himself to them on the inside through the Holy Spirit. If God can use a single man to introduce Jesus to the people in the desert, He can certainly use you and me where we are today – universities and campuses, workplace and home, markets and on the street – to Jesus, the Saviour of the world. Amen. THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP. |
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