Listening to the Word

Job 25: Mark 13-14   “’Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’” Mark 13:2 These words of Jesus were repeated later at his trial and crucifixion. They were used as proof that he had spoken against the temple. Yet, what he was speaking against was the pride of temple worshippers who found their salvation, identity, and security in a building and system of worship.   Before we pass judgment, don’t we do the same thing with our church buildings, committee structure, worship style, and order, and all the other conventions which give us stability, security, and even identity? The Messiah was in the temple and they ignored him for the sake of the building! Are we doing the same? Jesus promised persecution, betrayal, rejection, and deception, not nice buildings. His warning was that we would be spiritually asleep at his return. What are we paying attention to: our buildings, attendance, budget, ...

Job 23-24; Mark 11-12   “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:10-12 The book of Job is about more than suffering. It’s about challenging the notion that good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. As Job testified, God tests the righteous like gold is tested or refined. Walking in God’s way and listening to his Word does not exempt us from being tested. Job treasured the words of God’s mouth more than his daily bread. Yet, in the test, God was silent. It wasn’t because Job had sinned; rather, it was because God was receiving glory through Job’s faithfulness and perseverance in the test. How are we responding to the tests that come our way in relationships, finances, health, and even persecution for t...

Psalms 121; Mark 9-10   “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’” Mark 9:7 Jesus knew his Father’s love; do we? Even as a boy, Jesus valued his heavenly Father’s Word to him. He knew the security of his Father’s love. It was the Father who called Jesus into public ministry with the public affirmation of these words, “This is my Son, whom I love.” Jesus ministered to others out of this primary relationship with his Father. He taught us to pray, “Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name….” It was this knowledge of our Father that Jesus wanted to pass on to us. These disciples argued about who among them was the greatest, because they did not yet know the love of their Father. We, too, will be motivated by status, approval, popularity, and success until we experience the love of our Father. When the Father, in his love, calls us into ministry, we love others rather than using them for our own needs or...

Job 22; Mark 7-8   “…’You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’…Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.’” Mark 7:9, 10, 13 In what ways do our church traditions or practices set aside the commands of God? We have elevated the teaching ministry of the Word and commoditized it through podcasts and web access so that the ministry of the Body of Christ has been replaced by a single voice. Our covenant- community has been replaced by a privatized religious consumer. Church can be reduced to a sermon. Even Jesus’ example of family is relevant in an age where we ‘warehouse’ the elderly in lonely and forgotten homes. Jesus invites us, as the Church, to listen to the Word and obey. As the Body of Christ, we all function together, using our gifts on his mission, responding to his authority. When we together listen and ...

Job 2l; Mark 5-6 “…’Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed…’Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’” Mark 5:19, 20; 6:4 While Jesus sent the man freed from a legion of demons back to his own home, community, and people, to testify to the power of God to heal and deliver, Jesus knew this would be a challenging assignment. Our testimony seems to be appreciated more by those who don’t know us, than by those who knew us from before we met Christ. In particular, the first and essential place of witness is in our own homes, families, and communities. This is also the first place of accountability that our words and actions are congruent. While prophets might not be honored in their own home, they need the humility of being known as ordinary people, rat...

Job 20; Mark 3-4   “Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger, and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand!’ He stretched it out and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” Mark 3:1-6 At first glance, the urge to kill someone because they healed a person on the Sabbath seems absurd until we understand the importance of the Sabbath in Mosaic law and the cruelty of religious spirits. The Pharisees were the rule-keepers, representing a revival...