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October 13, 2017

Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.

Reading along with us in Mark? Here’s today’s reading:

Mark 3 (ESV)

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him knownContinue Reading

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Next: Mark 4

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This Post Has 5 Comments
  1. Wow, Jesus literally heals someone and the Pharisees decide to conspire against Him and try to destroy him. Where did they go so wrong in their understanding of the Law that they thought this could be God’s will?

  2. Jesus was grieved by the hardness of the hearts of those who criticized Him for healing on the sabbath
    Thinking about the hubris of the creation judging the Creator yet do I do that at times

  3. Read Mark 3. “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.”
    ‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:25-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

  4. When we live the Christian life, it should be no surprise that some will be drawn to us while others oppose us. Certainly we see this here for Jesus in this chapter. Jesus does things that defy convention and preconceived notions. He heals on the Sabbath which the teachers of the law would see as a work, but the rules of the Sabbath don’t trump human need. But rather than recognizing Jesus for who He is and coming in step with Him, the Pharisees promote their position by plotting to eliminate Jesus, getting rid of the one who is leading people astray from their perspective. It is interesting that the Pharisees and Herodians are mentioned colluding together, but they were normally against each other. But because Jesus threatened both their ways of life, they found common ground to get rid of Him. As we live in grace and truth we may find the same opposition from those who promote law and those of the world who promote power and pleasure.

    And yet the crowds love Jesus, or at least they love the miracles He performs. They are drawn to Him in droves which makes Him a greater threat to those who oppose Him. Jesus also has 12 guys ready to follow Him. Another sign of those who thought Jesus was doing things right. And that will be our experience as well at times. There are people being drawn to the truth and like and understand the fruit that comes from our lives in Christ.

    But when Jesus is exhibiting the power He has, and in smaller ways when we have the Spirits power, people have to explain it in some way. For those in Jesus’ life they figure, it must be the devil. Certainly Jesus is doing supernatural things, but He can’t be from God because His opposition would then have to follow Him. Don’t miss that His own family is saying He is out of His mind, which is even harder for Him and us to hear. But that’s what causes Him and us to say. our true family are those who are pursuing God. Yes, in the midst of opposition, whatever the source, there will be those that God uses to build us up and encourage our pursuit of God. Make sure you hang out with them…..

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