Mark 3:20-34 - Forget about it!

Donnie Brasco is one of my favourite mafia films and there's a great scene where Jonny Depp's character is explaining what 'forget about it' means.  It can mean almost anything but in today's passage I imagine Jesus could well have said 'forget about it' to 2 groups of people: his family and the teachers of the law.  Why 'forget about it'?  Because they were worried, concerned or annoyed when they shouldn't have been.  They needed to chill out and have faith in Jesus that he knew what he was doing.  Forget about it!

Mark 3:20-34

Jesus' family was worried and concerned about him.  Imagine the scene.  So many people crowding around Jesus that he actually had to put his knife and fork down and stop eating his meal.  It was too much.  What was Jesus thinking?  Didn't he realise this was all going too far?  His family were worried for him but they should have known better.  Their worry shows their lack of faith.  So it's getting crowded - so what?  That's what happens when the Son of God comes to dinner!  He knows what he's doing so don't worry.  Forget about it!

Jesus' family turn up and Jesus says that his real family are the ones he's hanging out with!  Bit of a shocker but Jesus is saying that his real family are the ones who have faith enough to be with him and follow him and not question or worry about what he's doing but just go with it.  That's what the crowd were doing.  Jesus' family is open to all and the crowd wanted in.  They knew they wouldn't want to be any other place in the world.  'Leave now?! - when we can meet with God?!  Forget about it!'

The teachers of the law also miss the point and more than worrying - they actually attack Jesus by saying he's evil and his power comes from Satan!  Jesus gives them a stern warning that if anyone rejects Jesus and effectively says, 'You're not the Son of God.  You're nothing and I don't need you', then they risk losing the opportunity for forgiveness forever.  What else should anyone expect when God himself has turned up and they say, 'No thanks'?  Jesus also pokes holes in their logic by making the point that Satan would have to be stupid to fight against himself (by healing the sick and casting out demons, etc) and if that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about anyway.  Forget about it!

Who are you?
  • Are you like the teachers of the law, clearly disbelieving and rejecting Jesus?
  • Are you like Jesus' earthly family, not really following what he's doing and thinking that all the fuss about him is a bit much?
  • Or are you like the crowd, maybe not having all the answers but staying close to Jesus and hanging on his every word because he's the awesome Son of God and you can't deny it?
Mark blog

    Mark 3:13-19 - Choosy!

    How do you choose your mates?  Do you pick people like you or different?  Will they be a bad influence or will they be good for you?  Will they help you or will you need to help them?

    In today's few verses, we see Jesus choosing himself a group of people who will be his closest friends and it's really interesting who he picks!

    Mark 3:13-19

    Verse 13 is interesting enough in itself.  Jesus called anyone he wanted to follow him and be his friend and they came to him.  No question.  If this Jesus has authority over evil demons (as we saw in the previous verses), then he certainly has authority over the average human being.  There's no arguments from the people he chooses to follow him and yet he's not forcing them.  They want to follow.  God's will and human will are working together in harmony as Jesus makes his friends.

    The next verse tells us the reason for Jesus choosing a close 12 as his team of friends.  So far, Jesus has been the one doing amazing miracles, healings, etc but now he's sharing the job with others.  It's a miniature picture of what he's come to do.  Jesus didn't come to show off how good God is and then leave us in our mess - he came to show us how good God is and invite us to be like him and to pay for the forgiveness we need in order to be free to change.  Jesus is about including and inviting people to be with him and to be like him.  God is not distant and high up in this passage - he's close and low!

    So here's the list again:
    1. Simon (fisherman, Peter = Rock)
    2. James (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
    3. John (son of Zebedee, 'son of thunder')
    4. Andrew (brother of Simon/Peter, fisherman, former disciple of John the Baptist)
    5. Philip
    6. Bartholemew
    7. Matthew (tax collector = hated traitor)
    8. Thomas ('doubting Thomas' later on)
    9. James (son of Alphaeus)
    10. Thaddaeus
    11. Simon the Zealot
    12. Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him)
    Quick point: So why all men?  Some would say it's a matter of the roles of men and women but my view is in this situation it's simply a matter of the culture of the time being sexist and Jesus choosing not to tackle that issue at this time but to go with guys because he wants the focus to be on God and not a battle of the sexes.

    Jesus chooses 12 guys who were a right mixed bunch of people, many of them simple fishermen but also a tax collector (Matthew was a hated traitor and probably dishonest too), a 'zealot' (Simon was at least nicknamed because of his passion and he may well have been an agitator for Roman government to be removed), two hot-tempered brothers and others we know less about.  So it's a real mixed bag and they're not all that old either.  Some are thought to have been around 14-15 when Jesus called them.  Others have gone as far as describing it as Jesus' youth group!  They're certainly not the gang you'd expect a king to choose, let alone the God of the Universe!

    So Jesus is here for people!  It's been pretty clear already but now it's about to move on to the next phase of the mission as Jesus gets his 12 close mates to do the things he's been doing.

    To think about (and act on):
    • Am I a close friends of Jesus?
    • Do I do what he does?
    Mark blog

      Mark 3:7-12 - Pulling a crowd

      I don't draw crowds.  I've been writing this blog for nearly 3 years now and I'm not even sure there's anyone who reads it.  I play in a punk band and at our last gig we had about 20 people come see us (thanks guys)!  I do assemblies at a local school and have a captive audience of hundreds but that's because the teachers make them! 

      Mark 3:7-12

      Jesus drew crowds.  He stood out and it wasn't because of hype or advertising and there wasn't any teachers around to make people listen either.  It was because he was doing genuinely amazing things and everyone wanted to make sure they didn't miss it.

      Jesus was healing the sick.  And not like the shady, hyped up tricks you see healers doing on Youtube but genuine healings that no-one could explain other than it was the power of God.

      The demons that Jesus cast out of people knew the truth too as Jesus commanded them and they had to obey his authority over them.  The Bible teaches that the devil is absolutely real and so are his demons and they want nothing more than to keep people from living life with God.  There are many accounts of demons influencing people's lives today (hear episode 5 of The Peggcast) but Jesus has power over them no problem.  And if Christians have Jesus living in them by the Holy Spirit (which the Bible says they do) then it shouldn't be a problem for them to get rid of demons either.

      The other thing I find interesting is that even though Jesus has massive crowds of people coming out to see him and touch him and be healed, he still wants to keep his true identity quiet.  He commands the demons not to let on that he's the Son of God.  It's clearly not time for that yet.  The main thing at this point seems to be the people and Jesus wants to meet and heal as many as he can before doing anything else.  This part of the plan is just as important as the next because Jesus cares about people's physical needs and as well as their spiritual needs and besides, when the time comes for him to start teaching, the people will listen because they know his words have the authority of God behind them.

      Some possible questions to reflect on...
      • How much does Jesus draw crowds today?
      • How is Jesus drawing me closer to him?
      • How am I drawing others to Jesus?
      Mark blog

        A quick run through Micah (chapters 5-7)

        Micah Chapter 5 -The Promised Ruler
        God now describes more about how his people will see his plan come to pass.  It won't be easy and it won't be quick but it will happen.  Much of the language used here in this passage points us to Jesus, especially in verse 2 where we see a 'ruler' coming from 'Bethlehem' who is 'from ancient times'.  This isn't a last-minute panic reaction from God to save the day.  God knew what would happen before the foundation of the world and his plan was set in his mind even then.  This is an old and ancient plan.

        The end result is described.  A remnant will be left (v7).  That means many will be destroyed by sin and it's consequences but a few will be saved and God will make sure his people are not entirely wiped out.  They will live among all sorts of people (v7) and they will be purified from their sin even further (v10-15).
        Something to consider today:
        Why all this brutal bloodshed and suffering?  It's because God has given his people freedom to choose to follow him or go their own way.  Sin (going our own way) is serious and leads ultimately to death and separation from God but there are consequences here and now too.  Have you realised the seriousness of your own sin and spoken to God about it?  Only when we've realised the seriousness of the trouble we're in can we appreciate the need we have for forgiveness from God (1 John 1:8-10).
        Micah Chapter 6 - What does God want?
        God has nothing to hide from his people.  He is innocent, even though they may blame him for their struggles with sin's consequences.  He has rescued them from slavery in Egypt (v4) and led them ever since but they still don't get what it is that God expects in return.  He's not looking for dead animal sacrifices even though he commanded them.  He's looking for obedience and he sums it up with three things in verse 8...
        • Act justly (do what is right)
        • Love mercy (when you and others get it wrong, be patient and forgive)
        • Walk humbly with your God (be with God who always acts justly and loves mercy)
        Something to consider today:
        How much do you do the three things above?  If we're honest, we fail on all three.  There are times when we do wrong (or fail to do right), we give up on people or avoid them when they let us down and we rarely feel close to God.  And yet God has given us the human instincts for these three things.  We want to do right, we want to love mercy (and we're inspired when people show true mercy and don't give up on people) and deep down we want to be in a right relationship with our maker.  What do you make of what God wants?
        God again describes the trouble coming to his people because of their unfaithfulness to him. Mercy isn't mercy unless there's any justice and God is holding his people responsible for their choices.

        Micah 7 - Hope!
        So is God enjoying watching his people struggle and face destruction?  No!  He's in agony about it (v1) but what's he going to do?  He can't just pretend everything's fine or he becomes an unjust god who turns a blind eye to rape, murder and selfishness.  But he can't completely destroy them either, even though their actions deserve it.  He loves them.  And anyway, God's plan doesn't end in destruction and failure.  Bearing in mind that God knows the end from the beginning, it would be a pretty dumb plan if it did.

        There's some incredible words at the end of this book...
            18 Who is a God like you,
               who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
               of the remnant of his inheritance?
               You do not stay angry forever
               but delight to show mercy.
            19 You will again have compassion on us;
               you will tread our sins underfoot
               and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
            20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
               and show love to Abraham,
               as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
               in days long ago.
        Something to consider today: 
        'Who is a God like you?' (v18).  If you're not always convinced about God, one thing you might do is consider the alternatives.  Where else can you take your own weakness and failures seriously and yet find forgiveness, peace and hope?  The God of Micah is the one true God who acts justly and yet loves mercy.  It's not what any of us would have imagined and that's the point.  It sounds too good to be true but that's because it's so good that it is true.  There is always hope with a God like this, especially since this God is actually real and if he's real then our hope and future with him can be just as real.