Sunset Savior, Mark 1:32-34

 

Picture the scene.

Capernaum was about 15 acres on the northwest shore of the sea of Galilee, just a little fishing village of about 1,500 people.

It was Saturday (Sabbath). The shadows were growing, the sun was sinking, the whole city was sitting, watching the sky, waiting.

All day the whole town was talking about the Man named Jesus.

He taught in the synagogue that morning and astonished all the people. Even the scribes and pharisees were amazed when, by just a command, He delivered a man from an unclean spirit.

That’s not all.

When He left the synagogue, He went to, of all people, Peter’s house. Peter and Andrew—the fishermen!

Well, Peter’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. Whenthey told Jesus, He went at once and took her by the hand and lifted her up,and immediately, the fever left her!

Could this be the Messiah?

How could He be? Isn’t healing on the Sabbath against the law?

God made Sabbath for man as a joyful gift of rest and freedom. The religious leaders turned it into a burden with many manmade rules.

You couldn’t carry something that weighed more than a dried fig. Couldn’t carry a mat. So, that meant you couldn’t carry your sick child to see the doctor. Even if you did, the doctor was not allowed to “work” on the Sabbath.

That’s why they thought healing broke the Sabbath law.

So, on that Sabbath as the shadows were growing, the sun was sinking, the whole town gathered their sick, their oppressed, and they all sat waiting—

They knew Jesus was there. They wanted to go see Him. They knew He could help them.

But religion said “NO! Wait!”

So, instead of running to the Light of the world, you wait for darkness.

Religion is so stupid.

As you wait, you realize your body aches, you’re weary, not just body, but soul. It’s been a long day, a long life. You’re not as young as you used to be. You let out a sigh, like you do when you’re done and ready to call it a day.

Maybe I’ll just wait until tomorrow.

You wonder if it could be True. Is there really Someone near, who could deliver and heal?

The shadows grow darker. There’s a chill in the air.

Just forget about it. Why would Someone with power to deliver and heal come to a redneck fishing village like Capernaum?

Well, He’s staying with fishermen Andrew and Peter, so maybe He likes regular folks like us.

About that time, a light pierces the darkening sky, then another and another, three stars declare from the heavens, Sabbath has ended.

The next thing you know the whole city is going...

Mark 1:32-33
At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 

Sick: Kakōs (κακῶς). Literally translates to be miserably ill, consumed by suffering, wretchedness, and physical degradation.

Jesus was not simply treating mild ailments.

He was staring directly into the raw, miserable brokenness of human suffering.

Gathered together: Episynagmenē (ἐπισυνηγμένη). The Greek root is the source of our word synagogue, which means bring together, assembly, or gathering.

By adding the prefix epi, meaning, intensely, we see the crowd was densely, intensely, intentionally, gathered at the door.

They were pressing in hard to see Jesus, hear Jesus, be touched by Jesus. 

Jesus did NOT turn them away. He will not turn you away.

He did not lock the door and hang a sign saying: Come Back During Office Hours.

He met them, when they came to Him.

Notice the Lord, through Mark, divides suffering into two categories: those who were physically sick, or demon possessed.

Physical or spiritual ailment.

Jesus does not confuse the two.

We face the natural, physical wearing out of our bodies, our vehicle. We get old and break. Chronic pain, scary diagnosis, diminishing strength, all of which can tempt us to think: Has God forgotten me?

We also face invisible spiritual warfare designed to steal, kill and destroy, our joy, our peace, our faith, our soul.

Jesus discerns the difference.

Which is important for True healing.

Otherwise, we're just treating symptoms but not bringing True healing. (Which unfortunately, is what most docs do today).

Doc, my vehicle's broke, it won't start, won't run right. So, he cleans the plugs, drains the tank fills it with fresh fuel and off you go... Feeling great, jumping curbs, driving through ditches, never turning off the engine and filling the tank with sugar.

The problem wasn’t the vehicle but your driving. Sometimes the problem isn’t your physical body, but your lifestyle choices, which are directed by your soul. Your mind, will, and emotions.

Spiritual warfare isn't necessarily screaming demons, but quiet whispers that keep us feeding bad habits, stinkin' thinkin', worldly living. 

The quiet, toxic whispers of the enemy late at night. Thoughts of rejection (You are a burden to your children), regret (Look at the mistakes you made), or despair (Your best days are behind you; your life no longer has purpose).

This is oppression from the enemy.

You don't need a physical doctor to give you a physical pill to treat a spiritual problem.

They will.

They do.

That's why folks are on a million different pills their entire life... and never get better.

Lord, help us discern the spiritual from the physical.

Hebrews 4:12. For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Isaiah 46:4 NLT: I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Jesus has Sovereign Authority Physically and Spiritually.

Physical Victory:

Various: Poikilais (ποικίλαις).

In Greek, this word means, variegated, multi-colored, or, intricately woven.

It is the exact same word used in the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe Joseph’s coat of many colors.

No matter how complex, multi-layered, complicated a person's physical or mental suffering, Jesus’ healing power perfectly matches every pain. He never misdiagnosis a problem.

Will you episynagmenē? Intensely, intentionally, gather, to Him?

To see Him, hear Him, be touched by Him, will you press in like they did?

Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

When you do, He will direct. When He does, will you obey?

Exodus 15:26. “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Mark 1:40-42. Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

Spiritual Victory:

and cast out many demons

Demons: daimonia (δαιμόνια).

Why did Jesus silence the demons?

Jesus will not allow the father of lies to have any part of His ministry of Truth. So, even if a person can quote all the right verses, if their heart is full of deceit the Lord will not use them.     

The authority of Jesus is immediate, effortless, and absolute.

He does not engage in a dramatic, drawn-out wrestling match with the demonic forces.

With total Authority (Matthew 28:18) He commands and they are forced to obey.

Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Previously (Mark 1:32), we read they brought those who were demon possessed (daimonizomenous), meaning, under the power of a demon.

The root word implies a hostile power that invades a person's life to split apart their mind and identity. That explains a LOT about today’s LGBTQrstuvwxyz culture. Romans 1:28, 2 Thes. 2:11.

When Jesus cast them out, He proved His Authority over all the works of the devil.

Matthew 28:18
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

1 John 3:8
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

In the art world, there is a traditional Japanese restoration method called Kintsugi.

When a ceramic vessel breaks, the craftsman does not throw it away, nor does he try to hide the damage.

He uses the broken places to strengthen, beautify and increase the value of the vessel.

He mends the fractures with a lacquer heavily dusted with genuine, liquid gold.

The cracks are not hidden; but highlighted.

If you will press in to Jesus, give Him your wounded, weary, broken and shattered. In His hands, your physical scars, your spiritual brokenness, are transformed into badges of honor. He fills you and His glory, and goodness, shines through the cracks.

2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

What physical infirmity do you need to give to Jesus today?

What spiritual battle do you need the Lord to silence today?

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, like the folks of Capernaum, we are miserably ill, consumed by suffering, physically and spiritually. We know You are near, able to deliver and heal. So, today, right now, we do not wait, but intensely, intentionally press in hard to You and ask You to take our broken and shattered bodies and souls, and turn our scars into badges of honor where Your love and Your light shines through.

Thank You for using us to draw all those You’ve given us, straight to You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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When God says: “You’re Next!” Ezekiel 25

In September of 2000, Reed Hastings, the co-founder of a struggling startup called Netflix, flew to Dallas, Texas, to meet with John Antioco, the CEO of Blockbuster. At the time, Blockbuster was a multibillion-dollar giant with 9,000 stores dominating home entertainment.

Netflix was on the verge of bankruptcy. So, they offered to sell 49% of Netflix to Blockbuster for $50 million, and in return, Netflix would build and run Blockbuster’s online DVD rental service.

According to those in the boardroom, the Blockbuster executives didn't just decline the offer—they mocked it. The executive team quietly snickered until the Netflix founders left, then they burst into laughter. One executive joked about how ridiculous it was for a tiny, failing dot-com company to think they could stand in the same room as the kings of home video.

As Netflix struggled to keep their head above water, Blockbuster could’ve learned from them, could’ve shown compassion, could’ve thrown a lifeline. Instead they took pleasure in Netflix’s pain. They stood on shore of Netflix's trouble and shouted: "AHA! LOSERS!"

But their joy was cut short. Blockbuster missed the digital shift and the empire crumbled into bankruptcy due to the very technology they mocked.

By 2010, Blockbuster had to liquidate, leaving thousands out of work.

Today, Netflix is worth over $200 billion, and only one single Blockbuster store remains on earth as a tourist novelty in Oregon.

Blockbuster’s boastful boardroom became a boneyard of corporate arrogance, because the Bible says, pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). And the Bible is always right.

That is exactly the heart attitude God addresses in Ezekiel 25.

Israel was broken, bleeding, and being disciplined by God. Instead of learning from the trouble, showing compassion, or throwing a lifeline, the neighbors arrogantly laughed and mocked and stood on the shore of Judah’s trouble and screamed: AHA! LOSERS!

But Ezekiel 25 warns that as God disciplines one, He watches the hearts of the others.

And to those who gloat, (take pleasure in another person’s pain) He turns and says: “You’re Next!”

OUTLINE:

1. Don’t Gloat, 1–7

2. Beware of Blasphemy, 8–11

3. Hatfields and McCoys, 12–14

4. Vengeance is Mine, 15–17

The year is roughly 586 B.C.

Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army have just burned Jerusalem to the ground, destroyed the Temple, and dragged the survivors away in chains.

To the ancient world, Israel’s defeat meant their God, Yahweh, was weak. Israel's neighbors assumed they could plunder the land with impunity.

For twenty-four chapters, the prophet Ezekiel delivered message after message about the coming judgment against his own people.

But in Ezekiel 25 everything changes

Revealing, God disciplines those He loves. He doesn’t abandon them. Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 3:11-12.

 

1. Don’t Gloat, Ezekiel 25:1–7

Proclamation Against Ammon

Ammonites: Descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot and his younger daughter. Gen. 19:36-38.

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. ³ Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, ⁴ indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. ⁵ And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁶ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, ⁷ indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

The word translated “Aha” means, satisfaction over the misfortune of an enemy or rival. Pleasure over someone else’s pain. Gloating over another’s misery.

Like Blockbusters, the Ammonites shouted “AHA! LOSERS!” to: “My sanctuary, the land of Israel, the house of Judah.”

God’s house. God’s land. God’s people.

The same spiritual battle rages today against, God’s house (the Church), God’s land (Israel), God’s people (the Jews).

Proverbs 24:17–18 warns, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the Lord see it and it displease Him."

Obadiah 12: "You should not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune."

Don’t gloat over another’s fall; friend or foe.

Proverbs 25:21-22
 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²² For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.

Heaping coals of fire on his head is an ancient saying. It means, if your enemy is in need, help him, generously. Give him plenty to fill his hunger, quench his thirst, and if his fire has gone out, give him heaping coals, so he can make it back home and easily get a fire going.

In so doing the Lord will reward you... and you’ll probably lose an enemy and gain a friend.  

HIStory fulfilled, Ammonites:

God promised to turn the gloaters over to the men of the East, who would eat their food, drink their milk, turn their beautiful capital city of Rabbah into a barnyard. He said He would stretch out His hand against them and give them as plunder to the nations, cut them off, cause them to perish, and destroy them.

In 582 BC, about five years after Jerusalem fell, it happened.

King Nebuchadnezzar turned to them and said, “You’re Next!”  

Babylon demolished the Ammonite kingdom. Later, Arab nomadic tribes invaded and overran the region.

Today the capital city is called, Amman, Jordan, however, it’s in name only because the Ammonite people have vanished from the planet, exactly as the Lord had said.

The same spiritual battle rages today in the USA.

The process is invasion by immigration.

The consequences are destruction by corruption.

The symptoms are easily manipulated masses, homeless encampments, “learing centers”, housing projects, welfare programs, and the like, all of which are fodder for fraudsters (another word for corrupt politicians) to steal, kill and destroy, the very nation God blessed them with the honor of living in.  

 

2. Beware of Blasphemy, Ezekiel 25:8–11

Proclamation Against Moab

Moabites: Abraham’s nephew Lot and his older daughter. Gen. 19:36-38.

⁸ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ ⁹ therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. ¹⁰ To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹ And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Blasphemy, is showing deep disrespect, contempt, or speaking maliciously against God, His character, His name, or His sacred work.

Sacred, means set apart from the common or secular for a Divine calling or work.

Israel, and specifically Judah was set apart for the Divine work and calling of delivering the Messiah to the world.

Moab saying “Judah is like all the nations” was blaspheming God’s Divine setting apart of Judah.

They willingly rejected the undeniable proofs of HIStory.

The devil loves to rewrite HIStory, because it tells HIS Story.

And His story shows that:

God sovereignly delivered Israel from Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness for forty years. Then, He conquered the giants of the Promise Land and raised Israel up as a mighty, powerful, prosperous nation.

Only to discipline them and allow them to crumble because they repeatedly rejected Him and turned to the false gods of the nations around them.

The nations around them, instead of looking at the God of Israel and learning, and fearing, they looked at the people of Israel and blasphemed.

They despised, the apple of God’s eye. Zechariah 2:8.

Huge mistake. They were calling God a liar.

Because God made an everlasting covenant with Israel, and God never breaks a covenant, He restored them to the land He’d given them.

Then, in the fullness of time, (500 years later) from Israel’s tribe of Judah, came the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

He came to them, but they rejected Him and hung Him on an old rugged cross.

They didn’t know it, but that was His plan all along.

He rose from the dead and told those who believed that He’s coming back again.

Because most of them refused to recognize Him they were once again scattered in 70 A.D. by the Romans.

For centuries they wandered the wilderness of the world being chased from place to place, and almost entirely exterminated by a devil named Hitler.

But God has an everlasting covenant with Israel.

So, what the devil meant for harm God used for good and in 1948 miraculously the Good Shepherd called them home and a nation was reborn in a day. Isaiah 11:11-12, 66:7-8, Ez. 37:11-22. Jer. 31:10.

From that day to this Israel has been surrounded by enemies and has had to fight for survival every day of their lives.

But God has an everlasting covenant with Israel.

The nations around them, instead of looking at the God of Israel and learning, and fearing, they look at the people of Israel and blaspheme.

They despise, the apple of God’s eye. Zech. 2:8.

Huge mistake. They are calling God a liar.

Because God has an everlasting covenant with Israel, and God never breaks a covenant.

One day soon, after much Great Tribulation, they will see Him.

This time Israel will recognize Him as the One whom they pierced, and they will mourn for Him as for an only Son. Zech. 12:10.

Then, all Israel will be saved. Romans 11:26-27. Because God has an everlasting covenant with Israel, and God never breaks a covenant.

HIStory Fulfilled, Moab:

God promised to lay open the cities of Moab and hand them over to eastern nomads so they would "no longer be remembered among the nations."

It happened just as God said when the Babylonians wiped out Ammon, they mopped up Moab as well.

By the time the New Testament rolled around, all traces of Moab had vanished, being absorbed into the Arab invasion by migration.

 

3. Hatfields and McCoys, Ezekiel 25:12–14

Proclamation Against Edom

Edomites: Jacob’s twin brother, Esau. Gen. 36:9.

‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” ¹³ therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. ¹⁴ I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

Edom shared a bloodline with Judah; they were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. They were cousins, kind of. Yet, the rivalry that began in the womb (Genesis 25:22–23) never really ended.

When Babylon attacked Judah, Edom kicked them while they were down.

Instead of burying the hatchet, forgiving and forgetting the old family feud and helping their brother who was in trouble, they shed his blood and tried to take his land—the land God had given. Ez. 35:5-10.

They cheered the Babylonians shouting “Tear it down! Tear it down! To the ground.” Psalm 137:7.

In America, we’ve heard the same demons: “Give us what we want, or we’ll burn down the system!”.

Or, regarding Israel they spew vile venom: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Which is a call to slaughter all Jews.

Instead of helping those fleeing from Nebuchadnezzar’s siege, they caught them and killed them or handed them over to Babylon. Obadiah 13-14.

All this generational bitterness stemmed from a family feud before they were born, when Jacob tricked Esau out of the birthright.

This same demonic bitterness is what fuels prejudice and organizations like BLM.

Prejudice rots the brain and corrupts the soul.    

Edom, fueled by irrational generational bitterness, took vengeance against Judah.

So, God took vengeance against Edom.  

Deuteronomy 32:35-36
Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.

Ephesians 4:31. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice."

HIStory Fulfilled, Edom:

God declared He would lay Edom waste and execute vengeance "by the hand of My people Israel."

This was fulfilled centuries later, between the Testaments. Around 129 B.C., the Jewish high priest, John Hyrcanus, and the Maccabees conquered the Edomites (then called Idumeans). The most infamous Idumean in history was King Herod the Great—the man who tried to murder baby Jesus.

Following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Idumeans disappeared entirely from the historical record.

 

4. Vengeance is Mine, Ezekiel 25:15–17

Proclamation Against Philistia

Philistia: Noah’s son Ham, Genesis 10:6,13-14.

¹⁵ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” ¹⁶ therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. ¹⁷ I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

For Philistia it must’ve been like David defeating Goliath over and over for centuries as the Philistines were dominated by their smaller neighbor Judah.

That developed into a deep-seated, seething hatred.

When Judah was knocked down by Babylon, Philistia did not raid for plunder, they took vengeance with a spiteful heart to destroy.

They wanted blood. They wanted Judah dead. Totally, permanently wiped off the face of the map.

That is Hamas. Gaza (the land of the Philistines). Iran. Turkey... most of the Middle East. Far too many in the US Congress and political offices in America.   

That same demonic antisemitic sin burns hot today. The flames are growing, and God is watching, and those who fall for its flickering will soon fall into the same inferno as the Philistines.

Romans 12:19-21
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” ²¹  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

HIStory Fulfilled, Philistia:

God said He would stretch out His hand against the Philistines with great vengeance and furious rebukes.

Nebuchadnezzar wiped out the Philistine pentapolis, their five major coastal cities.

Today, no one on earth can trace their lineage back to the ancient Philistines; their name was completely blotted out from history.

As Israel struggled to keep their head above water, all these nations could’ve learned from them, could’ve shown compassion, could’ve thrown a lifeline.

Instead, they took pleasure in Israel's pain. They stood on shore and shouted: Aha! Losers!

They clung to bitterness, demanded blood... and died miserable, deaths, consumed by rage.

All those nations have vanished from the earth. But they’d probably still be around today if only they would’ve chosen to overcome evil with good.

Like Abraham Lincoln.

On the night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. As Lincoln lay dying, the nation plunged into grief and fury.

When Booth was hunted down and killed a few weeks later, a wave of vindictive joy swept much of the nation. People demanded vengeance, not just against the conspirators, but against the entire devastated South.

Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, had stood by Lincoln’s deathbed—called a meeting of the leaders.

He reminded them of the words Lincoln spoke a few weeks prior in his Second Inaugural Address.

“One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war.”

We had a civil war to fight for the freedom of one eighth of our population. Yet, today, we sit silent as one fifth of our population has been slaughtered, and the slaughter continues.

Lincoln said the civil war was Divine judgment for the sin of slavery.

(They estimate 620,000 deaths in the civil war. We slaughter twice that many of our most innocent every year!!! 109 times that many (67.6 million) since 1973!!!!  Are we under Divine judgement for the sin of abortion?)

Instead of celebrating victory over the South, Lincoln urged reconciliation, humility, and healing.

He called Americans to:

“Strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds...

WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE; WITH CHARITY FOR ALL”

Instead of launching a campaign of vengeance, they chose reconciliation and reconstruction and justice.

They chose not to gloat.

Years later, a historian reviewing the private journals of the men in that room noted that the leaders who clung to bitterness and demanded blood, died miserable, isolated deaths, consumed by rage.

But those who chose to bury the hatchet, instead of vengeance, those who sought restoration and peace, found it. They lived good, fulfilled lives, restoring and reconciling and healing the wounds of a broken nation.

Let's pray.

Oh, Holy Righteous Judge, we have sinned before You, have mercy on US.

We call evil good and good evil. We reject Your Ways and welcome the wicked, the perverse, the vile. We commit suicide daily by saturating our soil with the blood of our most innocent.

You judged Israel. You judged JerUSAlem. You judged the nations around her, for how they treated her.

The blood of our land cries for vengeance.

Our sin declares we deserve death.

Only a fool would say we’ll escape judgement.

So, we beg for Your mercy.

We, appeal to Your character, which longs for Life.

We know, You’ve already provided the Answer. In the split second of a decision we all could turn, turn, from our wicked ways and Live.

Alas... most of US, won’t.

So, Lord, we plead for Your mercy to triumph over judgement on the few of us who see and agree with this prayer. Then, by Your grace dear God, cause it to flow, to all those You’ve given us. So, united as one nation under God, we overcome evil, with Good.

Thank You for the honor of loving and serving You, forever.

Amen.   

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Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law, Mark 1:29-31

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. ³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Notice the urgency: as soon as... at once... immediately.

Consider the Timing: Kairos (God’s Divine Timing).

Sunday, in our study through Ezekiel, we learned that Ezekiel had a wife.

Today, in our study through Mark, we learn Peter had a wife.

What are the odds, that type of personal info would line up in back-to-back services?

The odds would be good, IF we were studying the topic of married couples in the Bible.

But that’s not how we study. We take a Book from the Old Testament on Sundays and a Book from the New Testament on Wednesdays, and we walk through, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. So, the odds are impossible.

Unless God is leading. Then, the odds are unbeatable. Providential.

So, we ought to pay attention.

It gets even more Providential.

Sunday, in Ezekiel, his wife died.

Today, in our text in Mark, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick.

The day before this message was given, Dolly Parton, passed away.

Every day, lately, women are under attack.

We better pray.

Lord Jesus, because You Divinely brought this to our attention, we pay attention and pause and pray for all the women in our lives. There’s no need to define what “women” means to You. But many have willingly rejected Your Truth and have fallen under a strong delusion and a corrupt mind. Exactly as You said would happen in Romans 1:28 and 2 Thes. 2:11. We don’t pray for them, since Your judgement has already begun on them. We trust Your righteous judgement. We do pray for Your Protection and Peace and Justice for the ladies. Please expose this vile, demonic, perverted wickedness for what it is: an attack against our females’ identity, and their rights given by You, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Lord, according to Your Divine timing and prompting we are praying, for You to step in and stop this evil. Man can’t fix this, but You can. So, we appeal to heaven. Please have mercy, save US from this perverse sin sweeping our nation. Tell US what to do, and we’ll do it. Thank You. We trust and love and serve You, forever. Amen.      

Okay, back to our Bible Study.

For the first time in Mark, we see Jesus step out of the public spotlight, and into the private life, of a couple redneck fishermen.

The Bible is personal.

God is personal.

The Kingdom of God is personal.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is personal.

It isn’t confined to stained glass and steeples, Church bells and preaching.

It’s skipping Church to help a neighbor who’s fallen.

It’s sleepless nights in a hospital room chair, because your loved one’s there.

It’s a sore back from folding clothes to give to the mission.

It’s tears and prayers for that soul that’s lost, and that heart that’s broken.

It’s giving.

And receiving.

It’s showing up.

Being faithful.

(I've witnessed all those things lately in our beautiful little congregation). 

This awesome Gospel reaches where we’re sick and scared and weak and messy, where we don’t want anyone to see.

It raises us, to who we’re meant to be.

It enables us to fulfill our Divine Eternal Purpose, Service and Calling.

It’s not private, but it is personal.

Like a backdoor friend.  

Many of you have come through our front door.

None of you, or maybe just one or two, have come through our back door. The tool room door. More accurately the junk room. My “tool room” is like a junk drawer on steroids.

Only me and Jesus know how to find anything in there (mostly Jesus). It’s where stuff gets stored. Where broken things go to wait until someday, maybe, they’ll be fixed. It’s where tools to fix the broken stuff, gather dust.

It’s where I don’t want anybody to see—but me. It’s a mess.

But the back room, the junk room, is the favorite place Jesus likes to go.

He doesn’t just sit prim and proper on the sofa in the front room or on the front row at Church. No, He goes, without even asking, all the way to the back room. He finds the messiest place. The place where the old, broken, washed up, worn out, sick and tired goes.

He doesn’t condemn. He rolls up His sleeves, smiles, and says, “Gimme a hand, we can fix this.”

We all have a junk room, if not in our house, surely in our soul.

In our text, Mark 1:29-31, Jesus steps out of the public spotlight of the synagogue and walks straight to the back room of Peter’s place. Past the well-lit front room filled with polite smiling faces, past the amazing aroma coming from the kitchen, back to where the light is dim, where Peter’s mother-in-law is broken, sick and tired, filled with fever and pain.

He doesn’t condemn. He rolls up His sleeves, smiles, and says, “Gimme your hand, we can fix this.”   

The Kingdom of God is, Personal, Powerful and Purposeful.

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

Personal

According to archeological discoveries Simon and Andrew’s house was less than a hundred feet from the synagogue. So, literally, as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew.

Credit: Bethel Cornerstone

The house was called an insula, where multiple generations lived. It was a cluster of simple, single-story rooms built around a courtyard. The roofs were made of beams, branches, straw and packed mud. Which in the next chapter we’ll see was easy to break through and lower a paralyzed man to Jesus.  

Credit: Bethel Cornerstone

In the first century, Peter’s house was converted into a House Church.

Then, in the fifth century a Church was built over the remains of Peter’s house.

Then, in 1990 a Church with an observation deck was built on pillars over all of it.

Credit: Early Church History

Now, let’s make it personal, put yourself in the story.

Imagine, Jesus just stepped out of the shining synagogue spotlight where the crowds were astonished at His teaching and amazed by His authority over unclean spirits. (Mark 1:21-28).

The news went viral.

He’s famous.

Now, instead of leaving with the elite, the synagogue leaders, the influential, the wealthy and powerful...

Jesus is heading to your house.

Your simple, big, noisy, messy, chaotic, always smells like fish (cuz you’re fishermen) house.

Jesus must be tired.

Hungry.

He’s coming to your house for some of the fish you’ve been bragging about. And your mother-in-law’s awesome fresh baked bread...

³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever...

But wait. What? Mom’s sick? Oh no. Now what?

Did anybody bake bread?

What about mom? We can’t take her to the physician, it’s Sabbath.

We can’t bother Jesus. He’s, our Guest.

We can’t even tell Him. If He finds out He might leave. He’s an honored, famous, Holy Man. He can’t risk being made unclean.

Why oh why did He want to come here?

Why does He want to get so personal!?

Why couldn’t we just keep our relationship within the walls of the synagogue?!?

Don’t tell Him about mom. Stick her out back. In the junk room...

Is that what happened?

Is that what they did?

Is that what you would do?

What does it say?

³⁰...and they told Him about her at once.

Oh good. Much better. They did not try to hide her, or fix her; they told Jesus about her, at once.

That’s how a disciple acts.

Peter wrote about it later in 1 Peter 5:7:

Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.

He cares. He’s a personal Savior.

He’s God. He already knows everything anyway.

Pray right away.

Philippians 4:6: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

They didn't wait or worry; they simply told Jesus.

Psalm 46:1. He is an ever-present help in time of need.

Psalm 50:15: Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

Their family was having a day of trouble, and their first instinct was to call upon Jesus.

Do we?

When we have an ache, a pain, a fever, do we first google the symptoms, first call the doctor, or first call on our Great Physician?

Jesus wants to be first in every room of your life, especially, the back room, the tool room, the junk room, the messy, painful, chaotic, sick and broken rooms.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.  

³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.

Powerful

Psalm 147:3: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 

Remember, this was Saturday—the Sabbath. Under strict Rabbinic oral traditions (the Mishnah), practicing medicine or healing on the Sabbath was forbidden unless a person's life was in danger. A fever was not considered life-or-death, so protocol demanded they wait until sundown (for them, sundown was the start of a new day).

Furthermore, it wasn’t socially acceptable for Jesus to touch a feverish woman, plus He risked being deemed ceremonially unclean.

But Jesus says in Mark 2:27: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Jesus prioritized her pain over their protocol.

He took her by the hand. Took is the powerful word, krateó. It is a strong verb meaning to firmly grasp control of.

When His Holiness touched her brokenness, she was made whole.

There’s no sickness, no fever, no disease, no unclean spirit, no power of hell, no anything, that can stand against the Power of God’s Love.  

He took her by the hand and lifted her up... Lifted her up is egeiró. The same word used for the Resurrection of Christ.

Jesus didn’t just relieve her fever; He infused her with His Resurrection Power.

Philippians 3:10. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.,

Ephesians 3:20. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

And she served them.

Purposeful

In Middle Eastern culture, hospitality was a sacred duty and a matter of intense family honor. Because of her fever, she would’ve been so ashamed for not being able to serve them. Jesus didn't just cure her physical symptoms. His amazing grace restored her honor and gave her the ability to say, “thank You for the honor of serving You.”

Serving is not a chore or an obligation, it is a joy, an honor, to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

This beautiful, precious, unnamed, mother-in-law, is the first person in Mark’s gospel, to imitate the mission of Christ.

Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." 

Galatians 5:13: "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." 

Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

We are saved, to serve.

No matter the mess, the junk, the feverish situation, Jesus in us and through us is Personal, Powerful and Purposeful.

He raises us to who we’re meant to be.

Enables us to fulfill our Divine Eternal Purpose, Service and Calling.

He doesn’t condemn. He rolls up His sleeves, smiles, and says, “Gimme your hand, we can fix this.”

John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming, without asking, into our mess. For not condemning but extending Your hands, on a cross, and thereby saying, I’ll fix this. We pray to ever show our gratitude by sharing Your Goodness, Your Love, with everyone You give us. So, they too, will know Your Personal, Powerful Purpose.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.