Mark 3:1-19.  In the post on Mark 1:21-39 I talked about how some Bible experts talk about the “divine secret” found in Mark; the idea that Jesus was trying to keep secret the fact that he is God. I mentioned that Jesus was all about telling the “good news” of who he is and what he is doing for us, so there really was no secret. Also we looked at the word “immediately” which occurs frequently in the book of Mark.  I mentioned how it contained the idea of doing things in a proper way, including at the right time.  I think that today’s reading is a good example of both of these ideas.

In verse one we see Jesus entering the synagogue (sort of a Jewish church).  Since he has told us that his main purpose was to teach and the synagogue was used mostly for that we can assume that that is what he went there for.  But the story twist right away, there is someone in need in the synagogue; a man with a messed up hand.  Also in the synagogue were the religious leaders looking for a reason to accuse him of doing wrong.

We saw in yesterdays reading that the rules that Moses gave to the Israelites were to for their benefit.  Paul tells us in Romans that what the Law was good for was showing us that we all rebel and disobey God (sin; see Romans 3:20).  So the way the Law is useful is that it helps us understand that we are failing in our relationship with God; we are constantly doing the wrong thing.  The Law was there for us and not the other way around, Jesus said.  But the religious leaders, mostly Pharisees (a certain very conservative group of Jewish people), were waiting for a chance to accuse him of breaking God’s rules.  Jesus doesn’t hide in the background or sneak away he gets right in their face and challenges them about the purpose of God’s rules, “Wouldn’t God want you to help someone in need even on a Saturday?”, their “Sunday” or holy (dedicated) day.  The didn’t answer because the right answer would prove that their way of doing things had been all wrong.  But the wrong answer, “No, you can’t do good on our special day.” Would be clearly wrong.  So they just kept quiet.  This made Jesus very sad because their hearts were hard.  The word translated “hard” is the word used in Greek (the language the New Testament was written in) for a callus, the thick hard skin you get on your hand from working hard with tools or from certain athletic activities.  This was a process in these men’s lives that had left them with out feeling.  But Jesus sill needed to teach, to show them the truth, even if they were not going to listen, so he healed the man’s messed up hand. More proof that he was God and had authority.  Instead of “softening up” and listening they remained hard and stubborn and looked for a way to “destroy” him.  Form this part of the story we can learn that Jesus was under a lot of pressure, there was a lot of trouble in his life.  We can also learn that he still did what was right.

On the other had Jesus was not unwise.  In Galatians 4:4 Paul tells us that Jesus was born at just the right time.  God has a whole plan worked out to save the most people possible.  Part of the plan was foretold by prophets in the Old Testament, the timing of Jesus birth, the place he would be born, certain event surrounding his birth and death, even the timing of his death.  In Romans 5:6 Paul tells us that Jesus died “at the right time” for us.  The Pharisees and Herodians (another Jewish group which was more loyal to the local Roman ruler, Herod< that to God) wanted Jesus dead “Now”, but it wasn’t the right time.  So Jesus went away from their religious center in the south back to the northern part of the country.  Jesus didn’t hide though and the crowd was right with him.  People came from all over the territory that centuries before had been the kingdom of David.  They had heard about the healings and many wanted to be healed too, which Jesus did.  They crowded closer and closer hoping that just touching him would heal them.  Some of the people had been possessed by a demon.  A demon is an angel that has rebelled against God.  They are spirit beings that can enter into a human body and influence the person’s spirit and thereby their actions.  It is believed by most Bible scholars that a demon can only enter a person if the person is willing.  The person doesn’t have to ask a demon in but just want outside influences in their inner life.  Drugs, witchcraft, spells, and other things can be the road in for a demon.  As Jesus ordered some of these demons to leave the people they would cause the person to yell out who Jesus really was.  Jesus ordered them not to tell who he was at that time.  Again it was obvious that Jesus was powerful and had authority but it wasn’t the right time for him to be “hailed” as God.  The crowd was so large and interested in getting to Jesus that he eventually got in a boat and moved a little ways off shore, probably to teach from the boat.  So Jesus kept on instructing and convincing the people but he did it in such a way that he would not be immediately “destroyed” by his enemies, he needed to die but at the “right time”.

There’s an old TV commercial for shampoo where the a girl uses the shampoo and is so impressed that she “tells two friend”. Those friend are impressed too and so they “tell two friends” who then tell two friends and so on.  Each time a new group is told the TV screen fills with more people, 1, 3, 7, 15, and so on.  The idea is multiplication and that was a part of Jesus’ plan too.  He eventually had to die for our sins and even if he lived a long time (which he didn’t) before he died he would only be able to reach so many.  So the next part of our story is Jesus beginning to multiply.  Earlier in the story he asked five people to specifically follow him.  In verses 13-19 we see that he went away for a private time and invited a few people with him.  From those that he invited he chose 12 men to be his close “inner circle”.  He gave them power to cast out demons and sent them out (this is one Greek word “Apostello” and we get the word “Apostle” from it.)  In some very old copies of Mark in verse 14 it says he even called them “apostles”.  The best evidence is that someone added this and that it is not what Mark actually wrote, but the idea is certainly there that he sent them out to tell others about him.

To those early believers in Rome there were some good lessons to be learned here.  Keep doing the right thing but do it wisely.  Also we see that Jesus give us what we will need to do the job he gives us.  If we need to do a miracle he will give it to us but we need to remember that our main job is to tell others.  The book of Acts begins with Jesus leaving earth for heaven after spending about 50 days appearing to his followers in his new “alive again” body (resurrected body).  Just before he leaves he tells his followers that very soon the Holy Spirit will come into them and give them power to show the world what Jesus has dons for them.  They will be empowered to live new more God honoring lives and that the whole world will eventually learn about him.   Each of our lives is a miracle of the forgiveness of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live for God and not self.

God thank you for saving me.  Thank you for making my life a miracle.  Help the miracle of my life shout to others how good you are.  Help my life and words lead others to you.  Help me multiply you in the world and eternity.