Seeing Clearly June 11
Mark 8:25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”
The man does not yet see clearly. The man has accepted Jesus’ hand to be led out of the village to a place he knows not. And he has allowed Jesus to put spittle in his eyes and to touch him. The partial healing is a sign of the possibility for more.
Is faith slowly taking hold? The man’s senses tell him to let go of his blindness.
Jesus places His hands upon the man again and tells him to look up. Did you get that? He tells the blind man to LOOK up! Take your eyes off of the ground and raise your sight to heaven!
The blind man’s sight is restored and he sees clearly. His faith is made as whole as his body.
How many individuals have been made whole in body by Jesus’ healing touch or even just His word? Surely these have been made whole, also, knowing the fullness of Jesus’ power as their own limited power is restored.
Jesus again chooses to put his light under a basket. He does not need the clamoring of the masses for physical healing. This type of healing of a generation will be lost with their death.
Jesus pursues His primary mission: to save all generations from bondage to lies about the character of God.
The good must not get in the way of the best.
Identity June 12
Mark 8:27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Caesarea Philippi is a city in the Gentile area east of the Jordan and north of the Sea of Galilee. It appropriately is named for the man who built it, the ruler of this tetrarch, Herod Philip.
Where they are physically is less relevant than where they – and the people - are spiritually.
The words of Malachi are probably foremost in the minds of the people:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Mal 4:5)
The idea of a literal return of Elijah is considered even more possible since Elijah did not die, but was taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).
From Jer. 23, the people expected the Messiah to be of the branch (actually, a shoot from the root beneath the ground) of David, a descendant and heir to the throne. He must come with power if He is to “execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” (23:5)
Perhaps this works well as a reminder for us that prophecy is cloaked in types and possibilities rather than specific realities. The perspective of a prophet is different from our own, and our preconceived ideas can distort his vision.
Who Is He? June 13
Mark 8:27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” This might be understood as Jesus asking, “How much of My mission has been accomplished among the people?”
The answer of the disciples is realistic. It is also the truth that Jesus knows. The people consider Jesus to be as the prophets of old, and no more than this. Have Jesus and the disciples labored for so long with only this result?
The masses have put Jesus in a box. Yes, an elevated box, but one that is too confining to hold His identity.
We who know the rest of His story are prone to put Jesus in a box, as well. We limit His identity to what is comfortable to our own nature - our habits and desires, our culture and our longings.
The limitations we put on Jesus, the restrictions that we place upon Him to avoid being subject to the truths He teaches, keep us earthbound. To experience the kingdom of heaven is impossible if we do not look up to the example and teachings of Jesus and allow Him to rule our heart.
Recognition June 14
Mark 8:29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
In his unrestrained exuberance for his master, Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the anointed One, the Messiah. As with every Jew, Peter has known the Messiah through the Scriptures. He recognizes that Jesus fulfils this promise, even though Peter is as unclear as his countrymen on exactly what the Messiah will do.
Peter continues to show us his evolving perceptions of the Messiah of past prophecy, and of the man before him who is his Teacher. Looking at the Gospels through the eyes of Peter, in particular, and of the disciples, in general, we see the slow merging of the prophetic Messiah and the present Jesus into the person of the Son of God.
While accepting Peter’s acknowledgment of His identity as the statement of all of the disciples, Jesus warns that they should not make this truth known to the public.
Timing is important. God does not reveal truths to us more quickly than we are able to assimilate them. The truth of God and heaven existing all around us is alien to a fallen world.
Like Peter, each of us is at a particular stage of growth in learning the all-encompassing Truth that resolves all mystery and answers all questions.
Hard Truths June 15
Mark 8:31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Crushing truths perish as they become acknowledged. This does not mean they are not crushing as they first are perceived.
Jesus tells the disciples of the future. He, Jesus, the Son of Man, must suffer many things. He had asked the disciples the moment before, “Who do men say that I am?” That mankind does not perceive His identity is a prelude to this suffering.
While the masses may or may not recognize Jesus’ identity and mission, the religious leaders question Jesus’ identity because they see Him as a threat to the status quo. Jesus will undermine the artificial boundaries between the secular and spiritual realms.
The uneasy coalition of Pharisaic religious control, Roman military control, and Sadducee economic control, is all built on the backs of the common people. Each of these human institutions rules through fear and intimidation with force of one kind or another as its prop.
If the people have a spiritual hope that negates the power of their human rulers, control will be lost.
The disciples hear only the words, “and be killed.” That their Teacher must die is inconceivable. How can this thing be? And if it occurs, how can this be part of a divine plan?
Mankind’s logic, for all of its sophistication, is the stuff of the air. Heaven’s logic, the foundation of all that exists, is solid. This is an enduring hard truth.
A Rebuke June 16
Mark 8:32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
Jesus has just told the disciples that He must die. He does not tell it as a prophecy that can be changed by obedience to God as many of the prophecies of old. Indeed, this prophecy of death will occur in obedience to God.
The disciples’ perspective is distorted by their personal needs and emotions.
If Jesus dies, what will become of them? And what of the kingdom to come without Jesus?
There is a bigger picture, but the disciples - individuals negotiating their way through an uncertain world - are trying to imagine the impact on themselves and their dreams.
And this is our own perspective, as well. We have the innate drive to remain alive and the innate capacity to love others as ourselves. We look for balance in the middle. The middle is not Jesus’ balance point.
We can be sure that all of the disciples are ready to protest, but Peter speaks his mind first among them, as he is prone to do. Peter does so with uncharacteristic tact and diplomacy. He takes his Teacher aside so as not to criticize Jesus in front of the other disciples.
Peter’s rebuke of Jesus comes from a human perspective influenced by love for his Lord and an incorrect vision of Jesus’ purpose.
Fortunately, Jesus persisted in His purpose for greater ends than Peter can imagine at this point in time.
A Rebuke Back June 17
Mark 8:33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The wording and the situation show Jesus rebuking Peter, calling the spirit of Satan out of the disciple.
This perspective is very much in line with Jesus’ rebuke of Satan during His temptation in the wilderness, “Away with you, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10)
This is harsh, and we allow it as Jesus challenges Satan. But what if we look at this passage regarding Peter a little differently….
Matthew captures the exchange in more detail: 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt. 16:22-23)
What if we understand Jesus to be speaking to Satan although He is facing Peter? Jesus places Satan behind Himself while Peter continues to stand in front of Him. Jesus is placing Himself between Peter and Satan, a barrier between Peter and Satan.
This is a visualization of Jesus delivering Peter from evil, as in the Lord’s Prayer, “…deliver us from evil.”
This is a new perspective on the scene: Jesus orders Satan to stand behind Him; now Jesus stands between Satan and Peter. Does this picture change your understanding of this story?
Next day
Mark 8:25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”
The man does not yet see clearly. The man has accepted Jesus’ hand to be led out of the village to a place he knows not. And he has allowed Jesus to put spittle in his eyes and to touch him. The partial healing is a sign of the possibility for more.
Is faith slowly taking hold? The man’s senses tell him to let go of his blindness.
Jesus places His hands upon the man again and tells him to look up. Did you get that? He tells the blind man to LOOK up! Take your eyes off of the ground and raise your sight to heaven!
The blind man’s sight is restored and he sees clearly. His faith is made as whole as his body.
How many individuals have been made whole in body by Jesus’ healing touch or even just His word? Surely these have been made whole, also, knowing the fullness of Jesus’ power as their own limited power is restored.
Jesus again chooses to put his light under a basket. He does not need the clamoring of the masses for physical healing. This type of healing of a generation will be lost with their death.
Jesus pursues His primary mission: to save all generations from bondage to lies about the character of God.
The good must not get in the way of the best.
Identity June 12
Mark 8:27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Caesarea Philippi is a city in the Gentile area east of the Jordan and north of the Sea of Galilee. It appropriately is named for the man who built it, the ruler of this tetrarch, Herod Philip.
Where they are physically is less relevant than where they – and the people - are spiritually.
The words of Malachi are probably foremost in the minds of the people:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Mal 4:5)
The idea of a literal return of Elijah is considered even more possible since Elijah did not die, but was taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).
From Jer. 23, the people expected the Messiah to be of the branch (actually, a shoot from the root beneath the ground) of David, a descendant and heir to the throne. He must come with power if He is to “execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” (23:5)
Perhaps this works well as a reminder for us that prophecy is cloaked in types and possibilities rather than specific realities. The perspective of a prophet is different from our own, and our preconceived ideas can distort his vision.
Who Is He? June 13
Mark 8:27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” This might be understood as Jesus asking, “How much of My mission has been accomplished among the people?”
The answer of the disciples is realistic. It is also the truth that Jesus knows. The people consider Jesus to be as the prophets of old, and no more than this. Have Jesus and the disciples labored for so long with only this result?
The masses have put Jesus in a box. Yes, an elevated box, but one that is too confining to hold His identity.
We who know the rest of His story are prone to put Jesus in a box, as well. We limit His identity to what is comfortable to our own nature - our habits and desires, our culture and our longings.
The limitations we put on Jesus, the restrictions that we place upon Him to avoid being subject to the truths He teaches, keep us earthbound. To experience the kingdom of heaven is impossible if we do not look up to the example and teachings of Jesus and allow Him to rule our heart.
Recognition June 14
Mark 8:29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
In his unrestrained exuberance for his master, Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the anointed One, the Messiah. As with every Jew, Peter has known the Messiah through the Scriptures. He recognizes that Jesus fulfils this promise, even though Peter is as unclear as his countrymen on exactly what the Messiah will do.
Peter continues to show us his evolving perceptions of the Messiah of past prophecy, and of the man before him who is his Teacher. Looking at the Gospels through the eyes of Peter, in particular, and of the disciples, in general, we see the slow merging of the prophetic Messiah and the present Jesus into the person of the Son of God.
While accepting Peter’s acknowledgment of His identity as the statement of all of the disciples, Jesus warns that they should not make this truth known to the public.
Timing is important. God does not reveal truths to us more quickly than we are able to assimilate them. The truth of God and heaven existing all around us is alien to a fallen world.
Like Peter, each of us is at a particular stage of growth in learning the all-encompassing Truth that resolves all mystery and answers all questions.
Hard Truths June 15
Mark 8:31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Crushing truths perish as they become acknowledged. This does not mean they are not crushing as they first are perceived.
Jesus tells the disciples of the future. He, Jesus, the Son of Man, must suffer many things. He had asked the disciples the moment before, “Who do men say that I am?” That mankind does not perceive His identity is a prelude to this suffering.
While the masses may or may not recognize Jesus’ identity and mission, the religious leaders question Jesus’ identity because they see Him as a threat to the status quo. Jesus will undermine the artificial boundaries between the secular and spiritual realms.
The uneasy coalition of Pharisaic religious control, Roman military control, and Sadducee economic control, is all built on the backs of the common people. Each of these human institutions rules through fear and intimidation with force of one kind or another as its prop.
If the people have a spiritual hope that negates the power of their human rulers, control will be lost.
The disciples hear only the words, “and be killed.” That their Teacher must die is inconceivable. How can this thing be? And if it occurs, how can this be part of a divine plan?
Mankind’s logic, for all of its sophistication, is the stuff of the air. Heaven’s logic, the foundation of all that exists, is solid. This is an enduring hard truth.
A Rebuke June 16
Mark 8:32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
Jesus has just told the disciples that He must die. He does not tell it as a prophecy that can be changed by obedience to God as many of the prophecies of old. Indeed, this prophecy of death will occur in obedience to God.
The disciples’ perspective is distorted by their personal needs and emotions.
If Jesus dies, what will become of them? And what of the kingdom to come without Jesus?
There is a bigger picture, but the disciples - individuals negotiating their way through an uncertain world - are trying to imagine the impact on themselves and their dreams.
And this is our own perspective, as well. We have the innate drive to remain alive and the innate capacity to love others as ourselves. We look for balance in the middle. The middle is not Jesus’ balance point.
We can be sure that all of the disciples are ready to protest, but Peter speaks his mind first among them, as he is prone to do. Peter does so with uncharacteristic tact and diplomacy. He takes his Teacher aside so as not to criticize Jesus in front of the other disciples.
Peter’s rebuke of Jesus comes from a human perspective influenced by love for his Lord and an incorrect vision of Jesus’ purpose.
Fortunately, Jesus persisted in His purpose for greater ends than Peter can imagine at this point in time.
A Rebuke Back June 17
Mark 8:33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The wording and the situation show Jesus rebuking Peter, calling the spirit of Satan out of the disciple.
This perspective is very much in line with Jesus’ rebuke of Satan during His temptation in the wilderness, “Away with you, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10)
This is harsh, and we allow it as Jesus challenges Satan. But what if we look at this passage regarding Peter a little differently….
Matthew captures the exchange in more detail: 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt. 16:22-23)
What if we understand Jesus to be speaking to Satan although He is facing Peter? Jesus places Satan behind Himself while Peter continues to stand in front of Him. Jesus is placing Himself between Peter and Satan, a barrier between Peter and Satan.
This is a visualization of Jesus delivering Peter from evil, as in the Lord’s Prayer, “…deliver us from evil.”
This is a new perspective on the scene: Jesus orders Satan to stand behind Him; now Jesus stands between Satan and Peter. Does this picture change your understanding of this story?
Next day
