Scripture

The herd, about 2000 in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Observation

Jesus and the disciples arrive at the region of the Gerasenes. A man immediately comes to meet Jesus. The man is demonised and lives amongst the tombs. Nothing can restrain him as he breaks the strongest chains and shackles.

When the man sees Jesus, He falls to his feet and calls to Jesus, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”

Jesus asks him what his name is, and he replies, “Legion, for we are many.”

Jesus then cast out the demons, allowing them to go to into a nearby herd of pigs, which immediately throws itself into the lake.

The formerly demonised man now asks to go with Jesus, Jesus tells him to stay and tell his story to his family.

Application

To many of us this is a perplexing story that leaves many questions unanswered.

I find it hard to imagine what this man could have done that could open him up to so many destructive demons – hundreds of them.

Pigs, in Jewish thinking, were unclean animals so nobody would have been surprised at their deaths, except for their owners who lost a lot of money that day.

The demons clearly thought that mass suicide of pigs was preferable to any other fate that Jesus, whom they recognised as the Son of the Most High God might have for them.

Even the demons recognise, that Jesus is the Son of God. They believe but do not give their loyalty to Him.

Listen.

Lord, what do you want to say to me about this passage?

Keith, I am Lord of all things and all people, whether they recognise me or not,

The wind and the waves obey me and so do the angels and demons At the end of time and the re-creation of all things every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that I am Lord.

The reign of Satan over those who do not acknowledge me will soon will soon come to an end. His power is limited. His rule over men, and demons is limited.

When I make the new heavens and the new earth, these things will be no more.

Their ability to hold people in such pitiful captivity will be ended.

Look, I am making all things new!

Scripture

The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Observation

Jesus used stories and illustrations to teach the people. He explained it all when he was alone with the disciples.

Jesus and the disciple sail across the lake on a boat, leaving the crowd behind. A fierce storm comes up. High waves begin to fill the boat with water.

Jesus sleeps through it all, until the disciples wake Him up. Jesus stands up, rebukes the wind and commands the waves to be still. Suddenly, the storm dies down.

The disciples are terrified, asking “Who is this Jesus that the wind and waves obey Him?”

Application

The storms, winds and waves that threaten our lives are inconsequential to the Lord, so our greatest fears are so easily overcome.

There are times when Jesus does sovereignly work exciting miracles for us to rescue us out of storms and other dire situations.

Other times He walks with us through the storm. He goes with us and gives us strength and resilience to cope with all things.

Why does God seem to act so capriciously giving miracles for some and peace or strength to cope to others?

This is always determined by what is good for us. If we need to go through the storm, He will take us through it. If it is better to remove the storm, He will do that.

Our God is awesome in His ability to ensure that all things work for our good.

Listening

Lord, I am intrigued that Jesus used so many parables and illustrations. Why was this?

Keith, the language of the spirit is not analytical or propositional language. It is always above all else firstly picture language.

The power of speaking through stories is that they speak to the heart. Those who are ready to receive swallow the message quickly, while the hard of heart reject it because they cannot get past the surface level.

Parables reveal the heart of the hearer and not just the truth of the message. You see the truth according to your depth of your heart.

Parables are meant to be chewed over. That is why I made them so memorable.

Read, hear, meditate. There is more depth than, you know.

Scripture

“To those who listen to my teaching more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

Observation

Jesus asks, would you light a lamp and then conceal it? Of course not, the lamp is placed so that its light can shine out. The mysteries of the Gospel are being revealed to those who seek them.

The more we pay attention to Jesus, the more understanding we will receive. Those who refuse to listen will lose even the little understanding they have.

The Kingdom of God is like seed that grows. Nobody knows how it happens, but little by little the plant grows and matures.

The kingdom of God is also like a mustard seed planted in the ground, even though it is the smallest of seeds, it grows into a great tree

Application

It has been said that faith is like a muscle. The more you exercise it the stronger it becomes. Similarly understanding of spiritual things increases as we press into Jesus and listen to Him- reading the word, praying, fellowship.

I am sometimes impressed by the depth of spiritual understanding of some people who struggle to read but have a deep comprehension of not just the written word, but how to apply it in their lives.

Understanding means that we see the spiritual powers and authorities and can discern what to pray to overcome them. Understanding means that we train ourselves to think about what Jesus would do in the challenges of life, or to ask the Holy Spirit what we should do.

Understanding means depending on God’s wisdom rather than our own in all of the messy times of life or in helping others to navigate their own chaotic lives.

As we listen to Jesus to find His ways, He will reveal more to us, so that we truly do grow in wisdom.

Scripture

Jesus replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but I use parables for everything I say to outsiders.”

Observation

A large crowd gathers as Jesus teaches. He tells many parables, including the familiar parable about the farmer sowing seeds. Some seed falls on paths, some on shallow soil or amongst weeds. But the yield from the seeds that fall on the good soil makes up for those losses.

Later, the disciples ask Jesus why he always uses parables in his teaching. He tells them that while they have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom, those who are on the outside continue to hear but do not understand.

Jesus then goes on to explain the parable.

Application

We always assume that God should want to make everything clear to us, like a patient teacher explaining simple ideas to a child. After all, if it is Good News, why would he not want us to know all the details?

Such thinking arises from our sense of entitlement in a consumer society. We have rights! But God is under no obligation to us. He is God.

Jesus taught in parables to make truth obvious to those who hearts are soft but conceal it from tthose who hearts are hard. He paints a picture but he does not make us look at it.

God’s grace is abundant to all people. He sows seed in the soil that he knows will be too hard and in soil that he knows will be taken over by weeds. Everybody gets a chance to repent, but not everybody will.

Listen

Lord, what do you want to say to me about this parable?

Keith, my grace is without measure. Many hearts will never respond to me, but that is not because they have never heard the gospel.

It is not how the gospel is received at first that makes the difference, but how the person matures. Some people seem to take years for the seed to germinate. Others respond quickly but then fail under pressure.

Hang in with those who struggle and encourage them to keep growing towards me. Never lose patience with them, but allow them to make progress in their own way.

Scripture

Then he appointed twelve of them and call them his apostles, They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons.

Observation

Jesus goes up to a mountain, calling the ones he wants to be with him. There are twelve Whom he calls Apostles. Their job description is to be with Jesus, to preach and cast out demons.

Mark lists the names from Simon Peter to Judas Iscariot who later betrayed him.

One time, Jesus enters a house. The crowd gathers so quickly that Jesus doesn’t have time to eat. His family thinks he is out of his mind.

Application

Jesus’s twelve apostles were especially appointed by Jesus to be with him. They were his cell group As they fellowshipped together, Jesus taught them how to preach the Good News of the Kingdom.

He also gave them authority to cast out demons. As God’s kingdom expanded, they would confront evil spirits just as Jesus did. They needed the power to overcome the opposition of satan because they would certainly encounter that.

The training and equipping process to take on Jesus’s ministry was informal in style, but also comprehensive. They saw how Jesus ministered, had opportunities to copy his ministry, and opportunities to fail. But when the time came these twelve spearheaded a movement that took over the world.

Listen

Lord, what do you want to say to me about this passage?

Keith, that was a great day! As I looked at this small group of apostles, I knew that they would truly represent me to the world. Their hearts were good, and they wanted to give not just receive. That is the difference between true disciples and the crowd of followers. True disciples allow me to transform their hearts so that they give as much as they receive.

People always ask, “Why Judas?” Judas is a warning to every follower, every disciple, every leader, pastor and apostle. His heart was right on that day. It was my Father’s pleasure to include him. The problem was that he allowed satan to enter his heart.

Every believer can come to that point. They engage in wilful sin, lose faith, get sidetracked by other things, and then satan comes in and snatches them away.

Judas is a warning for you, my son, and for everyone who claims my name. Do not try to follow me in your own strength. It will destroy you.

Scripture

At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

Observation

Jesus goes into the synagogue and notices a man with a deformed hand. Jesus’s enemies watch closely to see what Jesus will do. If he heals the man, they will accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

Jesus has the man come to the front of the meeting. He turns to His critics and asks if the Sabbath is a time to do good or to do evil.

He then heals the man’s hand. The Pharisees go away immediately to meet with Herod’s supporters to plot how to kill Jesus.

Jesus then goes to the lake where he teaches the crowds and heals the sick. People with evil spirits would shriek, but Jesus sternly commands them to not to reveal His identity.

Application.

The Pharisees were waiting to be offended by Jesus. Their double standards or inconsistencies were breathtaking.

Previously, they had rebuked Jesus for allowing His disciples to pick heads of wheat to eat as they walked through the field. This was on the Sabbath, and according to the Pharisees’ standards, they were working.

Later, on another Sabbath, they criticise Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus asks if the Sabbath is about doing good or evil, or bringing life or death.

According to the Pharisees, healing and eating on the Sabbath are really bad, but having a meeting on the Sabbath to plot how to kill someone is perfectly fine.

When we are motivated by law rather than by grace, we give the rules a status that is above the needs of people. But we can also develop a way of justifying evil behaviour for “the greater good.”

We must learn to walk In the way of love and not be seduced by the apparent clarity of law.

Listen

Lord, what would you say to me about this issue of legalism?

Keith, one of the problems with legalism is that it makes it very easy to divide people into “Saints” and “Sinners.”

It invites people to judge by the outward appearance. It completely misses the point that is is your heart that I want.

Don’t judge, let me judge.

Don’t set rules. I am the rule giver.

Scripture

“The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Observation

One Sabbath day Jesus and his disciples are walking through some fields The disciples break off heads of grain to eat.

Some Pharisees rebuke them for working on the Sabbath.

Jesus points out that there were times when King David broke the law by eating the sacred bread that only priests were allowed to eat.

The Sabbath was made for the sake of people, and not the other way around. The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath

Application.

The Sabbath is God’s gift to humanity and gives everyone the opportunity to rest at least one day of the week.

In capitalist countries where worshipping money is more prevalent than worshipping the Lord, there is an expectation that shops and services be open seven days a week and preferably 24 hours per day.

Many people have been forced to give up a regular Sabbath day, whether it is Saturday or Sunday in order to comply comply with this demand.

I can remember a time when just about everything except essential services shut down on Sundays, even more so for Christmas Day and Good Friday. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

Perhaps lack of a Sabbath rest is partly responsible for the epidemic of chronic illnesses and mental health issues today.

While the Sabbath is a gift from the Lord, we must beware of the tendency to legalism here. Some Christians in the past tended to be critical of those who worked on Sunday. Let us rejoice in God’s gift without being churlish to those unwilling or unable to embrace it.

Listen

Lord, what do you want to say to me about Sabbath and legalism?

Keith, the abandonment of Sabbath observation is a sad indictment of greed.

When people ignore me, they will worship something, and in modern societies, the pursuit of possessions is a form of worship.

When you take the day off to rest and focus on me, this is a radical confrontation with the powers of darkness.

Sabbath rest means that you trust me to provide all that you need. It is related to tithing in that sense, and to generosity in general. Your focus is on something greater than on creature comforts.

Scripture

When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Observation

Jesus goes to the lake to teach the crowds who come to him, he comes across the booth of Levi, that is Matthew, the tax collector and he instructs him to come and be his disciple. Levi gets up and follows him.

Levi invites Jesus and the disciples to his home, along with tax collectors and other so-called sinners The Pharisees see Jesus eating with these people, and they ask, “Why does Jesus eat with such scum?”

Jesus replies that it’s not the healthy people who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Likewise, Jesus did not come for those wo think they are righteous but for those who know they need a saviour.

Application

Jesus did not come for the self-righteous people who think they are right with God. He came for people who know they are sinners and that they need a saviour.

The problem in Western culture is that so many people are convinced that they are righteous. They are not sinners because they’ve never killed anyone or robbed a bank. They fail to see That we are all sinners because we are all self-centred.

A religious system based on laws and regulations cannot help because such a system leads either to despair or to self-righteousness. It deals with the outward behaviour, not with the heart.

Jesus is the only one who can set us free and restore us to the Father.

Listening

Lord, I’m always shocked by the attitude of the Pharisees towards those they call scum. What do you want to say to me about this?

Keith, those who think they acceptable to me will always find a reason to look down on those that they think are not good enough.

When I sent my Son into the world it was to those the system declared were broken beyond help or just plain sinful.

Christians can be guilty of this kind of self-righteousness. They forget that they were once the ones needing salvation, that they were once the people He used bad language or was sexually immoral, or abused drugs.

Stay humble before me. Don’t judge others for the sins that once held you in bondage.