Category: Blog

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The gift of God’s liberator.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Story of God has always been about making promises and His ability to keep them. From the very beginning, God promised that He would personally repair and restore the breach that humans made and He has consistently done that ever since creation began.

Isaiah is filled with future-casting the Messiah, the savior, the liberator for humankind. These particular prophetic-promises come into view at two very popular holiday seasons: Christmas and Easter, winter and spring. This spring, 2024, our world is experiencing enormous chaos. We have a two global conflicts or wars simultaneously happening. One in the Ukraine, the other in Israel. Russia, wanting to reclaim Ukraine, invaded the country in February, 2022 and it continues on today. Hamas, a terrorist organization, invaded Israel in October 2023 and it also continues on today. Plus, the always struggling nation of Haiti has recently been taken over by Haitian Gangs, who closed the entire country! On top of all that, the U.S. is heading towards yet another highly divided presidential election in just a few months and we are still trying to climb out of the effects of the 2020 pandemic. Nothing is the same and no one has any idea what the future holds for our world in crisis.

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday this year in the United States, means doing so with a massive exodus of those who have left the Church because of “church hurts,” or “deconstruction” of their faith. God knew there would be cycles of darkness and deep disturbances in human affairs. When the promise of the Messiah arrived at the turn of the calendar from B.C. (Before Christ) to A.D. (Anno Domini), it was very tumultuous. And, by the time Jesus became of age to officially become a Rabbi in the Jewish faith, Rome had bullied their way into what the citizens considered to be peace (Pax Romana).

The cost for peace was enormous and the social, religious experiment of a pan-theistic belief system was constantly on the brink of revolt. The Jews were itching for a champion, a warrior like King David to reclaim their country and God-given right to their own land and way of life. Even the early church, completely believed in Jesus’ resurrection, but persecution and mayhem was so horrific they also believed He was returning soon!

Our world has gone through many cycles of desperate despair to the exhilaration of hope that the end has come! We are in another cycle right now! Yet, with each plunge into apparent chaos, there is simultaneously a search for God, for meaning, even for eternity. That time is now! The story of God’s liberation and promise-keeping ability gives us hope. We may all be in a perpetual, even cyclical Good Friday, but God always has a glorious resurrection Sunday coming. Behold God comes… always… to make all things new!

Prayer

Dad.
Our lives may be filled with trauma-troughs, ruts and pits of pain, sin and suffering, but even then You are with us. And, in each and every dark moment, or sunless season, you bring peace and comfort to our hearts. Thou art with me! Even in those down-cycles of fear and the unknown, you can lift me out of the depressions of what is seen all around me to the vistas of your view, your perspective and your plans. Thank you God, for you are my refuge and my hope.

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Change Orientation.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do? Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark records an interesting conversation with Jesus that seemed to start with an amazing spiritual discipline, like fasting and end with a couple of object lessons about change. First of all, the NLT (New Living Translation) makes it sound like the disciples of John and of the Pharisees are using the old avoidance phrase, “some people” say. The original language is not so loose. In the Greek, it’s just “they came.” Pastor’s hate these kind of scenarios when “some people” say… who is “some people” we ask?

Jesus answers the thinly veiled question, but then goes for the motivation behind the question. Who does this? How does Jesus do this? Are there always questions behind the question? Jesus then switches to two object lessons about mixing old with new. It never works!

Jesus gives a quick, two-verse illustration, about patches and wineskins. Don’t both object lessons serve the point that old and new cannot exist in the same space? And isn’t it also clear that the old will not allow the new to coexist, but in fact will destroy both? Is this about fasting at all? It seems that Jesus is having a completely different conversation with these disciples.

They aren’t really asking about fasting and Jesus doesn’t really want to talk about fasting, in this context, either. They are both talking about change. Jesus knows that massive change is coming and he also knows that “some folks” are not comfortable with it. Jesus is, in fact, introducing a whole new way of doing everything. He knows that the fulfillment of the Law and everything under the Law will look completely different under a new freedom, and a new perspective on grace and mercy. The entire Old Testament system will go through cataclysmic change now that God has become flesh and that God will fulfill his promises to redeem humanity!

Christianity is not a patchwork, nor an old-wine way of life. Christ did not come to patch up the Law to keep it limping along, forever failing to change our hearts. He also did not come to allow a flat, fervent-less wine to try to express the exuberant joy of walking with God. The Law was a temporary stop-gap, a burden! When we grab the ethos, thinking or application of the Old Testament Law into the new and better experience of Christ’s efficacy and efficiency for our salvation, we are trying to patch God’s plan. When we keep trying to introduce the effervescent, actively expanding grace and joy of new life into the forms and confines of the Old Covenant, it will blow up!

Jesus couldn’t wait to introduce the fresh air of living by the Spirit but folks wanted to keep living in the caves of the law, breathing staleness of dead air! No wonder people would give up everything to follow Him! Jesus brings life to the fullest, no longer dimmed or dinged by our sin! Who doesn’t want that? I’ll tell you who. Folks who desire the guardrails of the Law, because a life in the Spirit feels like a lack of control. And it is. It’s a surrendering of faith to the control of the Spirit. I’ll take the new clothes of Christ and the bubbly joy of the new wine thank you!

Prayer

Dad,
I love your Law as instruction and to know you better. But I also love living by Your Spirit! The fresh, exhilarating wind of hope, mercy and grace is intoxicating. I will gladly give up control of my will to accomplish Yours. I will gladly walk in the Spirit, rather than my own flesh. Getting my way not only brings death it means crushing disappointment! It’s Your way now. Thank you for freedom to do what is right, and not just anything I want to do.

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Access to the Bible grew, but did we grow?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s been quite a phenomena over the past five hundred years since Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and then began printing it. Imagine that. For centuries, people had no real access to read the Bible for themselves, in their own language. Yes, illiteracy was extremely high, so even if the Bible were available, only the educated could read it.

Today, the Bible has been at least partially translated into 3,658 languages, giving over 90 million people access to God’s word. In the U.S. we have about 900 English translations or paraphrases of the Bible! That’s come a long way since the 1611 publication of the King James Bible. The point is this. With the explosion of printed, and now digital versions of the Bible, has it permeated the lives of Jesus followers exponentially? Has our reading (or hearing) of God’s Word increased at the same rate as the Bible’s availability? It’s still the number one book sold! Has everyone who declares Jesus as their Lord and Savior spent a significant amount of time – daily – in the Book of all books?

The Psalmist cries out to God, that the Lord would teach His decrees, His regulations. Now that we also know that God has gone beyond writing His laws on stone, but now has written them on our hearts. Has our delight for the Bible increased with the overwhelming availability and access to it? Robin and I watched an old movie where Catholic Missionaries went to Japan to share the gospel. There, they found hundreds of believers (Catholics) with no Bibles, no church, no mass, no confession, no priests! And they were still willing to die for their faith when faced with torture and death. The Japanese leaders just wanted them to recant their faith, deny Christ and live, but they refused. This was also true in the early Church. Their only shred of belief is that Christ lived, died for their sins and came back to life. They had no Bible, they only had their faith!

It’s embarrassing and intimidating to think of millions of people who have been saved by faith alone and never even had access to the Word of God. We have an abundance of the Bible in every form and fashion of our wishes. We even have favorites translations (some great, some awful) of the Bible and we struggle to do what the Psalmist did – study, reflect and delight in God’s Word. There may come a day when the written, digital or audio Bible could be declared illegal or culturally cancelled, what would we do then? Have we been in God’s Word, or memorized enough of God’s Word to help us continue to obey and delight in it? Rather than guilt us, shame us or scare us into reading more of the Bible, it would be so much better to remind ourselves of the invitation to KNOW God through His Word! God already knows us, but how well do we know Him?

Prayer

Dad,
I would be lost without you! I would also wander away without regularly spending time with you in Your Word. It is my light, lamp and salvation! Your Word is the only anchor that holds me, secures me to peace and to do what is right. I love Your Word. It reveals so much about you and so much of the mysteries that I would never understand on my own. I do not ever want to take Your Word for granted, nor let my heart grow cold away from its power to keep me.

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The crowd’s response.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel… ‭‭Acts ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke, recording the Day of Pentecost activities, writes that the crowd didn’t know what was happening with the people that gathered. They assumed the group displayed drunk and disorderly conduct! There was a lot of supernatural activity happening – whirlwind, some semblance of fire resting on individuals, and the loud speaking in other languages. Those are signs of drunkenness? Wow. When God does a miraculous thing among us, that’s when we assume the worst?

Have you ever witnessed a mob, mosh-pit, brawl, rave, or riot? Sadly, these are common images on the news or during spring break and we think nothing of it. And, although they are overwhelming to experience, these public displays are somehow normalized, captured and celebrated. But oh, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with supernatural phenomenon – that’s weird?

Someone needs to speak up when bad human behaviors are normalized, expected and sometimes celebrated compared to a God moment that is dismissed or scrutinized. Peter did so, he spoke up saying, “these people are not drunk,” as they were assuming. What they were witnessing was yet another promise that God had predicted would happen! Joel 2:28-32 records what WILL happen and DID happen, in the last days. And the morning of the Pentecost Sunday – it did happen! Peter brilliantly uses the moment to share the gospel. Basically telling the crowd, they got it wrong. Seeing the supposed mayhem they assumed the WORST in human behavior, yet they were actually witnesses to another one of God’s fulfillment of His promises.

We get it so wrong when we dismiss miracles as drunkenness. I’ll admit, being in the room when something supernatural happens is a little disconcerting, but believe me, it is far better than being in the middle of a drunken brawl between family or friends. I’ve been in both and prefer God’s revival over human revelry.

Prayer

Dad,
Far too often I have seen people dismiss your miraculous moving among us and readily accept a drunken display of stupidity. It’s frustrating to explain that one is real and life changing, the other is destructive, especially in our relationships with each other. I get upset when folks confusingly trade out truth when one is rejected and the other is accepted. How in the world can we be so drawn to the supernatural when it comes to things of darkness and be repelled by Your Spirit doing a miraculous work among us? We’ve got some serious misconceptions of how the spiritual realm works. Yet you still desire to do the miraculous in us! Thank you for your grace even when we’ve mistakenly misplaced our faith in the wrong place.

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The search for answers.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Which can predict what will happen tomorrow? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth? Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

People search with eyes that do not see and listen with ears that do not hear. Sounds like a riddle, right? When it comes to looking for answers though, it’s not a joke.

Is Isaiah’s point that we, as human beings, have physical eyes and ears, but what we lack is a solid spiritual perception? God confidently puts out the universal challenge. Get the world together and ask them about their “gods!” Which one predicts the future? Which one sticks around long enough to witness their future, let alone verify that they are true and came to pass? Lies get buried in a myriad of time. The more time, the less likely anyone was around or will be around to prove their “truth.”

Take the fake-god/religion of evolution. The lies just keep adding a few million or billion of years hoping that our limited understanding just believes that anything might be possible given enough time. Time doesn’t verify truth! There were no single cell organisms proclaiming truth or making promises of the future of humankind. Who was there? Were there witnesses to this impossible unscientific “fact?” Even with eyes to see and ears to hear, we are blind and deaf to truth.

What about all the other fake-gods peddling their “truth.” They demand obedience, sacrifices of time, money and belief. What do they promise? What do they really know or give back – NOTHING. Their hucksters promise knowledge, enlightenment and strange glories of an afterlife, but who can verify that it’s true? None of them can fulfill on their fake promises, because it’s all based on lie. Name one prophecy, one prediction that has come true. And, who was there to record such promises? And who will be the one to validate that those promises have come true?

God speaks to Isaiah who captures and records God’s words. The promises from the beginning of the earth and creation of human beings are well known. And the fulfillment of those promises have been verified to be true. The promises God had John write down and recorded in Revelation will be the same – it will all happen just as God said it would.

In all the searching for answers, I pray that people take a hard look at what God has promised. A hard look at what has already come true. And, a really hard look at how it all ends. God has and always will be trustworthy and true.

Prayer

Dad,
It’s all been written and recorded. It’s all there. The answers we seek as humans are all found in You through your Word. We’ve done some amazing mental gymnastics to avoid the truth. We’ve believed in fake gods, fantasy theories of our beginning, all while seeing and hearing what we want just to get answers that will never be true. Answers that will never satisfy, never fulfill, never save us. We are such an interesting bunch! Thank you for your enduring patience and mercy for those who look, but have yet to find You. Let your undeniable love penetrate our selfish theories and moral avoidance of truth. Amen.

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Meals with Jesus.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” 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.”Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark’s gospel records these really punchy moments when Jesus just seems to casually invite people to follow him and then either gets invited or invites himself to a home cooked meal. When Levi (Matthew) throws a dinner party, who gets the invite? Yeah, a bunch of HIS friends, other tax collectors! But Mark adds some spicy flavor to the scene when he adds that Matthew also invited, “and (hamartólos) sinners.” Hmmm, what sinners do you suppose paired with wealthy, Jewish traitors? Yes! Probably those filthy lucre, money-grabbing, financial tycoons.

The religious leaders just could not understand why any self-respecting Rabbi would party with sinners. The New Living Translation takes some extreme liberties in translating the word “sinner” into “scum” when the asked, “why does he eat with sinners?” Of course, Jesus often attended religious folks dinner parties as well, so it is true, He ALWAYS ate with sinners.

Jesus gives a life-lesson still used today, “healthy people don’t need a doctor,” (ischuó), strong, powerful, healthy people have no “needs” at all! Ah, but (kakos) badly (physically or morally) evil, miserably sick people do. Pseudo “healthy” folks can only live in denial for so long.

Jesus is calling and looking for the (hamartólos) sinful person not the (dikaios) the innocent or righteous in their own eyes. Jesus eats with whom He pleases, both the sinner and the righteous. But who needs God the most? Don’t both equally need Him? Ah, but only one is willing to admit their illness.

Prayer

Dad,
These stories about Jesus eating and meeting with all kinds of people often challenge me. They not only challenge how I view myself, as a sick-sinner or a self-sufficient righteous type. These stories also challenge my thinking when it comes to who I eat with or hang out with. Meals with people are usually pretty intimate, especially in our homes. There’s a lot of trust when inviting people over to share in a meal. Do I only invite those over who look like me and believe like me? Normally, the answer is yes. But, what if I invite myself over to other’s houses as well – bringing food with me of course? What a great idea! Thank you for finding me and coming to me even while I was and still are a sinner! Thank you that my righteousness, my innocence doesn’t come from within me, but from you! Amen.

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Lord, help!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬


The psalmist bursts into a crescendo of praise in this chapter. Yet, it follows with several circumstances of how we get ourselves into deep trouble. Still, the Lord comes and rescues us. It’s a pattern of us trying to get away from him, finding ourselves broken and alone, then God comes and saves us, bringing us back to himself. Is this how we are? Is this our cyclical way of trying to have our own way, and finding out that it does not workout well? The next several paragraphs all start with this word, “some.”

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.

Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.

Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.

Each one of these scenarios are ways we try to distance ourselves from God! Some wander, some sink into despair, some rebel, some run – it all seems good until life collapses around us and we find ourselves away from God’s presence. Each one of these examples have us leaving and God pursuing. We go looking for better and find nothing but loss and misery. When will we learn?

What’s out there or over there seems so seductive, so alluring, but it’s a mirage. Even still, God comes after the wanderer, searcher, rebellious and runner. He comes for us. In every one of these attempts to get away from God, and finding pain, all it takes is this phrase that is repeated in every scene – “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

There is no wilderness where God cannot find us. No chains God cannot break. No depression God cannot lift. And, no depth at sea where God cannot rescue our soul. There is no place on earth where God will not hear our cries for help and save us from our constraints, our stress and distress. This is why we can declare, give thanks for God is good, His faithful love endures forever!

Prayer

Dad,
Why would we run? Yet, for so many reasons, we do! After we’ve wandered, explored, rebelled or sought some far off adventure, we find ourselves in trouble. It is then we discover – we’ve got ourselves LOST. My hope is that I am quick to not just realize my sin, but I am very quick to cry out to you for help! Help Lord! What a marvelous prayer. What a humble prayer. Because you are good and your mercies endure my foolishness, you will find me and rescue me. Thank you Lord! Amen.

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Warnings from ancient life lessons.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul pulls lessons from the ancient days of Israel’s sins after being freed from Egyptian slavery. He then applies those wandering-wants to similar modern day temptations.

He writes, “these things happened,” referring to God’s immediate judgment on the people for allowing themselves to be carried away with their sin. Even with the covering of Christ for our sins, there is still a serious warning of wandering off with rampant, disordered desires.

Some of the Israelites partied, celebrated and got drunk while indulging in sexual activities. The Hebrew language, in this verse just says, “they sat down to eat and drink, but rose up to (paizó) to play as a child.” But this wasn’t a “kid’s party” kind of play, it was sexual! Paul followed up with the fact that they were active in (porneuó) fornication. And that 23,000 died that day. But sexual promiscuity wasn’t the only prevalent sin then, nor today. They also (gogguzó), grumbled, mumbled or complained with a smoldering discontent.

I would have never seen the connection between sex and constant complaining, but don’t they both sound like pursing our own desires over what God wants for us? That’s chilling to think about. Paul’s admonition to a very Gentile (non Jewish) group in Corinth, is that these very old stories were captured for our benefit today or as he put it, “They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age” (‭‭1 Cor. 10‬:‭11‬). Point made Paul, Touché! They are still a warning for us today as well.

Prayer

​Dad,
I used to really judge the ways and behaviors of the Jewish people as so stubborn or unaware of what you were up to. And, constantly thinking, why don’t they just OBEY? Ah, but maturity has had the strange effect on seeing my own faults, shortcomings, weaknesses and flat out failures. Now I get it. Being human is hard and an impossible task to be perfect. But I hear the warnings of Paul and understand my own desires that try to take over my decisions and write a different story for myself. One that is not of you, and honestly one that would end very badly. My story, like my life is anchored in your story, and I’m happy about that.

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The leader dilemma.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The backdrop to this moment in the Sinai desert is a classic, repetitive cycle of leadership. God appoints Moses to meet with Pharaoh demanding the release of the nation of Israel. Moses has a speech impediment, so God allows his brother, Aaron to do the talking. The ten plagues proceed. Eventually Pharaoh concedes and 3 million people exit Egypt and head out to the desert – no man’s land.

The first barrier to escaping the Egyptian army is water, lots of water, flowing down the Red Sea inlet of the Indian Ocean. And, God specifically told Moses where to lead and where to make camp, Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues the Israelites, finding them trapped by the Red Sea with no where to run. Here’s where it gets interesting. The people are scared to death, but they’ve also lived with fear for so long, they had adjusted to a slave-fear mentality. This fear was new. It was different. This was now a free-fear experience for them. They were free, but trapped. They lashed out at their leader! They cried out to God, but held Moses responsible saying, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” God brought them out. Sure, Moses led them under God’s direction, but Moses did not have a plan on what to do or where to go! This was all on God. The Israelites cross by God’s miraculous intervention. The Red Sea opened, they got across, but the ethos of the nation had not changed. They were free, but maintained a slave mentality! The end of Exodus 14 says, “They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

That faith was very thin and it only took them three more days to run out of it. Now three days out in the Desert, they find an oasis, but the water is bitter, un-drinkable. Three days from ocean to oasis, and it feels like a cruel joke. You can’t drink salt water and you can’t drink bitter water? The circumstances caused the same fears to come up and as expected, they blame Moses. Like Moses can make water in the desert.

Moses, being a quick study, immediately called out to God. This time God gave Moses a bit part in the miracle by showing him a specific piece of wood. Moses throws the wood in the water, the water turns sweet and the people drink all they want. But Moses also caught onto these situations and figured out they were life-lessons, living object lessons. Moses takes this opportunity to lay down some ground rules that are a precursor to the law, a way to live in obedience to God. He tells them something kinda strange, He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭26‬. What? Not suffer the diseases God sent on Israel? Were they thinking that God would drag them out to the desert to punish them and pour out His judgment on them? Apparently, Moses knew this is what the people were thinking?

The leader dilemma is not only carrying the responsibility to take people to a destination, but it’s also to help people grow, learn and develop along the way. And, as a godly leader, an under-shepherd, it’s also important to let people know that the leader doesn’t have all the answers. It is also the responsibility of the leader to communicate, that it is up to each individual person and together, as a community, to listen to God and obey Him.

By the way, the complaining, disbelief and blame from the people eventually got under Moses’ skin, because he reverted to his old angry ways of dealing with the injustice and inadequacies of being in stressful situations. This time it wasn’t killing an Egyptian officer, he tried to kill the rock, disobeying God (Numbers 20:8-11). Wasn’t it better that he smacked a rock rather than a rabble-rouser?

Prayer

​Dad,
Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t it a tad bit more difficult to live a life of faith and obedience when one has a bunch of people following? It often feels like pastoring in a church means that we don’t have a life of our own at all. It’s always open to the public! And the questions and complaints, wow – they seem unending. Do folks realize we’re just normal people with a calling and a passion to be obedient to you just as everyone else should be in the body of Christ. It’s just an enormous weight of responsibility. Maybe there’s a specific kind of grace for those who carry others? I’d like some more of that kind of grace please. Amen.

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How did Jesus know?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark’s gospel captures the moment when Jesus heals a man who was paralyzed and was carried to Jesus breaking through the roof of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house. Jesus addressed the most critical need of this man first, saying, “your sins are forgiven.” This was shocking to everyone who was there. It is still shocking today. But some teachers of the law criticized Jesus in their own minds. Mark tells us, Jesus knew what they were thinking. Stop right there.

Jesus not only knew what the paralyzed man needed most, he also knew what the religious leaders were thinking! Was this a guess? Was Jesus just “reading the room”? Jesus answered their thoughts and verbally responded to them! This isn’t the first time this happened. It is often noted that Jesus knew the thoughts of those around him. Yet, in some cases, like the woman with a genetic blood disorder, Jesus had no idea who touched his prayer tassel? What’s going on?

Here’s the question; how did Jesus know the thoughts of those around him? If our answer is, “oh, that’s easy, Jesus is God, therefore of course he knows the thoughts of others.” But the Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus laid those abilities down as a human being, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Phil 2:6-7. Did Jesus “know” out of his divinity or his humanity? The reason I ask, “how did Jesus know”, is because I believe Jesus wanted his followers to do the same kinds of miracles he did. Jesus sent them out to heal the sick and kick out demons. Would his disciples need to know the thoughts of others too? Could they? There is very little written about this from Bible Commentaries and I get it – it feels sketchy to even think about it, like it’s extra-Biblical and should not be talked about. I do not want to theologically wander outside of scriptural lines at all. But I have always wondered if Jesus, being fully human and fully God did not humanly, lean on the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit in situations like this.

Clearly, we are told that the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus (Luke 3:22) and he was also full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). And, Jesus also his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). So it makes sense that Jesus was simply modeling something he expected his disciples to follow in, namely, to depend on both the leading and power of the Holy Spirit. Paul does write about discernment as a spiritual gift in 1 Corinthians 12:10 – a form of God’s wisdom and knowledge in distinguishing between good and evil. This is just one of my constant curiosities as we learn to be a disciple and make a disciple. Can we know? Should we know?

Prayer

Dad,
You are fully aware of those moments in my life that you have asked me to step out in faith to speak or do something specific to help someone who is hurting or in need. In those moments, I believe that I “knew” things that would be impossible to know on my own. The problem was that I had to figure out a way to say it without being religious or weird. I generally asked if what I was hearing was something they were dealing with. While my heart was pounding out of my chest, I would proceed with caution. It was terrifying to step out in faith in those moments, but I was obedient. Nowadays, there has been so much nonsense and hurt in these areas of “speaking words” over or with people, that I just have a harder time being obedient. Now, as an “older” Pastor, I want to be more “careful,” and that makes it even more difficult to discern and be obedient. Help us, God! Help us be completely dependent on your Holy Spirit and still be able to serve those who need you!