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.

Scripture

They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head, then they lowered the man on his mat right down in front of Jesus.

Observation

Jesus returns to his home into Capernaum. Word gets around, and the house becomes packed with visitors.

While Jesus is preaching, four men arrive carrying a paralysed man on a mat. Seeing that they cannot get close to Jesus, they climb up to the roof, dig a hole and lower the man on his mat right down in front of Jesus.

Seeing their faith, Jesus says to the paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Some teachers of the law think to themselves that this is blasphemy. Jesus knows their thought processes, and He asks them if it is easier to heal a man than to forgive his sins.

Jesus then turns to the paralysed man and says to him, “Stand up, pick up your mat and go home.”

The main jumps up, grabs his mat, and leaves. Everyone is amazed at what God is doing.

Application

These men were desperate to get their friend to Jesus, so that He could heal him. They would not let the crowd of people block their way, so, they climbed onto the roof and dug a hole, and lowered the man down.

This is audacious faith, bold faith. They knew that Jesus would heal, so they took action based on their faith.

It wasn’t the paralysed man’s faith that impressed Jesus, but the four men who carried him.

When we are praying for healing or some other miracle, it doesn’t matter if the person involved has faith, as long as somebody has faith. We must believe that God will heal this person and then go before the throne of grace to intercede for them.

So listen carefully and take that audacious step of faith.

Listening

Lord, is there anything you want to say to me about this miracle?

Keith, the religious experts were too busy judging my words to experience a miracle. The young men just got on with doing what they needed to do to see their friend healed.

Never let your preconceived ideas stand in the way of a miracle. Listen to me and obey me. Give others the grace to see me in their own way and rejoice when healing and miracles happen, even when they seem strange.

You need to exercise both grace and discernment. As I move over this nation, evil spirits will arise to deceive the elect. You must be open to strange manifestations of my Spirit, but don’t let the manifestations of evil spirits lead people astray.

Scripture

But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.

Observation

Jesus heals. A man with leprosy. The leprosy disappears instantly, and the man is healed.

Jesus tells the man not to tell anybody, but instead to go to the priest with the required offering. This will be his testimony.

The man spreads the word everywhere and, as a result, large crowds surround Jesus. He cannot go anywhere publicly because there are too many people. Even when he stays in the secluded places, people come to Him.

Application

When God changes your life, you want to tell people, The leper was not only healed of a disease, he was released from poverty and social exclusion. It is not surprising that he wanted to tell people about what had happened.

For Jesus, the problem was that He now became conspicuous and would certainly come to the attention of the authorities.

Wherever He went, people would seek Him out. They were motivated by the miracles and healings. How many would be changed by his teaching?

There are people who come to church for the music, for the preaching, for the fellowship, but they never grow in the Lord. It is surface level christianity that never sinks into the soul.

We must let the Holy Spirit transform us from glory to glory.

Listening

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

Keith, I have provided many ways into the Kingdom. Salvation only comes through Jesus. But I draw people to myself in many different ways.

For some people, it is a dramatic conversion, but for others it is a gradual realisation. Some people see or hear something that starts a journey, that directs them to me.

You must pray for those who are in the crowd looking on but not really grasping the power of the Gospel. Satan has pulled the wool over many people’s eyes, but for many of them, just one glimpse of my glory is enough. Pray for the unsaved. Pray and do not give up.

Scripture

Before day break the next morning, Jesus got up and went to an isolated place to pray.

Observation

Jesus, James and John leave the synagogue and go to Simon and Andrew’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. Jesus goes to her bedside and heals her.

That evening many sick and demonised people are brought to Jesus. He heals the sick people of all kinds of diseases and casts out many demons. Before sunrise the next morning, Jesus goes to an isolated place to pray.

When Simon and the others find Him, they tell Him that everyone is looking for him. Jesus tells them that He needs to go to other places as well to preach the Good News.

Application

There are times when Jesus was so inundated by people that He had to go somewhere quiet to pray.

Even the Son of God needed to refresh Himself in the presence of God. He needed to renew His strength by waiting on the Lord, and He needed to talk with the Father about the Father’s mission for Him.

We all need to maintain that connection with God in order to be effective for Him. This takes time and commitment. We must set aside time to be with the Lord, even if it means getting up early.

We must also find a place that is free of distractions.

Connecting with the Holy Spirit is as simple as this:

1. Stop. I clear my thoughts and concentrate on listening to God.

2. Look. I visualise Jesus with me Emmanuel – God is with us.

3. Listen. I listen to the spontaneous thoughts that God is speaking to me.

4. Write. I write down the conversation to make the thoughts concrete.

Listening

Lord, what else Do you want to say to me about prayer today?

Keith, as you have experienced, fellowship with me is a journey. It takes determination and consistency. Many people give up or stay in the shallow end when things get challenging. Many people just get overwhelmed by life and busyness and so fail to grow in me.

Prayer is simply stepping out of yourself – letting go of the addictions to activity and letting go of the ways of the world.

If Jesus got up early to pray, then all of my children can find time in their day to seek me.