17th January: Mark 7-8

Mark 7-8

The first part of Chapter 7 deals with this issue of inner purity vs outward conformity.

The issue affects us today. Many go through the motions of looking like a Christian, behaving like a Christian, talking like a Christian, but inwardly their hearts are far from God. It’s good to take a reality check and ask the Holy Spirit to show us if there is any of that in our lives. Even singing worship songs in our Sunday gatherings while our minds are a million miles away is a sign that not all is as it could be.

Integrity means being the same on the inside as on the outside.

Jesus heals both a deaf (7:32) and a blind man (8:22); both involved spitting! After praying for the latter we have the only example of Jesus not seeing immediate healing. The man was healed fully after Jesus prayed for him a second time. This is hugely encouraging for us. We often seem to need to take several bites of the cherry before we see full healing.

How often do we give up in praying for someone who is sick just because they experience only a little (or no) healing the first time we pray for them? The more we pray the more healing we will see.

Chapter 8 concludes with Jesus starting to prepare his disciples for the time ahead in Jerusalem. He starts to spell out the cost of discipleship. Jesus’ rebuke of Peter ‘Get away from me Satan’ (8:33) may seem a little harsh. But the truth is that the more revelation we are entrusted with (‘You are the Christ’ 8:29), the more responsibility we have to get it right.

To whom much is given much will be expected
- Luke 12:48

Jesus said that if we want to be his follower we must turn away from our selfish ways, take up our cross and follow him. If we try to hang on to our life, we will lose it…what will we benefit if we gain… (insert whatever is appropriate eg qualifications, security, wealth, fame, relationships, great job) …but do so at the expense of our soul? (8:34-37)

What does it mean to give up our lives for his sake? (8:35)

Lets not be ashamed of him or his message, and risk his rejection of us when he returns in glory (8:38). “Lord, help us to be proud of being believers and the message you have entrusted to us” – Amen?

Any comments or questions?