My mom sent me a letter that she'd typed up, originally written from the hand of my great-grandmother to my grandmother.

My grandma was 3 at the time it was written.  My great-grandmother was dying at the time she wrote it, and knowing her daughter would be taken care of by relatives, gave instructions for the letter to be given to her when she reached the age of 12.

This is the letter my great-grandmother wrote to my grandmother, which my grandmother read 9 years after the death of her mother:

"For Louise when she is 12 years old. From Mamma"

Written May 10, 1916.

"My dear little lamb - left alone to the temptations of the sinful world.  I want you to have this on your 12th birthday.  Now you are not quite 3, and I am lying here in bed and can't get well.  You never can know how I have suffered at the thought of leaving my children and my dear little baby especially.

The boys are older and are better used to the world, but I love them just as much as you.

Darling, you are now at a very foolish age, and you will think you know more than Aunt Carrie, or whoever has the care of you.  Maybe if it's a cruel stepmother, you are not wrong, but go ask Aunt Carrie or Aunt Blanche or somebody and do what they tell you.

Aunt Carrie knows what is best, she wants you do do right, I know.

Don't ever be foolish about the boys, dear.  Use them like a lady by being friendly to all of them, speak to them, but don't be intimate.  I know this is right, for I was foolish myself, and now I know how I have suffered for it.

If I had waited until I was 30 or 35 to marry and not had any beaus, I might have been strong today.  Don't have beaus 'til you are 20 or more.  You think you need them, but you don't.  Go to school.  You need an education and you can't get it and let the boys take up your thot's.  Get an education and be independent.  If you have your own money, youi can spend it as you like.

Have a good name, above all else.  Be pure and good.  Love the Lord Jesus.  Ask Him to help you be good.  You say your prayers now, and then after you get through you say 'Jesus loves me now don't He.'  I always told you He would love you when you are 3, and He will love you at 12 and forever if you keep Him as your friend and ask Him about everything.

Don't let one lead you to be bad.  When someone wants you to be bad or do something wrong, stop and think and ask yourself this question: 'Would I want Mamma to see me do that?'  If I couldn't see it, then don't do it.

I must quit, darling.  I am so tired.  It's 3 months since I got sick, so this has taken me a long time, as I am weak.  But there is love for you and the boys and Papa in ti all ___ (unreadable word?) and I want it to help you all.  So God bless you all and may you still be one family as I longed to see.

Your loving Mamma.

May God keep you always.  All of you."

Mark 8:1-10

During those days (while still in Decapolis), another large crowd gathered.  They'd had nothing to eat, so Jesus called His disciples to Him: "I have compassion for these people. They've already been with me 3 days and have no food.  If I send them home hungry, they'll no doubt collapse on the way, for some have come from far away."

But the disciples replied, "Where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"

Jesus asked, "How many loaves do you have?"

"7, and a few small fish."

So Jesus told the crowd of 4000+ to sit down on the ground.  He then took the loaves, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people.  Jesus gave thanks for the fish as well, then told the disciples to distribute them, also.  The people ate and were satisfied, and afterwards, the disciples picked up 7 basketfuls of leftover pieces.  Now no longer hungry, Jesus sent them away, then got into the boat with His disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

I find it interesting that, though they were in this same situation just a few weeks back, the response of Jesus' Apostles was the same, basically, 'we don't have enough to give to them if we're to eat also.'

The first time Jesus showed them, their hearts were hardened.  This time, they may've been hungry from their lack of food, but that's no excuse to show a lack of compassion.

(I'll say it again.  "Lack of food is no excuse to show a lack of compassion.")

Jesus first said, "I have compassion for these people."

In the Greek: the word for "compassion" is splagcnizomai (Nominative, 1st person, singular, Masculine), which means "To have or to be moved with pity or compassion."

(ton) oclon(os) (Accusative, Masculine/Neuter, singular) which means "crowd, multitude."

So literally, Jesus said, "I have compassion for the crowd."  Jesus was making the point that as ones who not only follow Him, but who will also continue His ministry to the multitudes, they too must have such compassion for others.  Then Jesus shows them what it means to have compassion.  Look at the dialog:

JESUS: 'I have compassion for this crowd.  I don't want to send them away, for some may not make it home.  So out of my compassion and concern for them, what do y'all suggest I do?'

DISCIPLES: 'Well, there are no places around here for them to get food...maybe sending them home would be best?'

JESUS: 'How many loaves do y'all have on you?'

In other words, share what you have with them.  I'm sure the words Jesus was hoping to hear were, "Well, I have a loaf." "Yeah, so do I!"  "Me too!"  "We have 7 loaves and a few fish that we can share with them!"

But those weren't the words He heard.

Instead, they didn't want to share.  They had enough for themselves, but not for everyone else, so they put themselves first above those in need.  Jesus showed them though to put others' needs above their own (in this case, anyway), and also to have faith and trust in Him.

Remember, their time with Jesus was boot camp.  He was leaving in 3 years and needed them to be ready to continue where He'd be leaving off...Intensive Jesus Course 101.

"I have compassion for them.  I'm also concerned for their well beings.  So what do y'all suppose I do?"

The early church

(Acts 4:32 - 37): There was no needy person among them, everybody shared their possessions, etc...

(Acts 2:42 - 47): They sold their possessions to give to anyone in need...

Jesus' lessons with the feedings of the multitudes prepared His disciples for these events in Acts:

• They broke bread and gave thanks
• They shared all their possessions with those in need
• God's grace was so powerful that no needy person was among them.

It's like Jesus was saying, "If y'all had the same compassion and concern for them, you'd do what you could to make sure they have enough energy to return home, and that they get home safely.  Don't you remember what I did the last time? And there were more people then!  If you bless others with their needs, God will bless you with what you need.

Reflection / Discussion Questions:

1) How is your time with Jesus often like Boot Camp? 

2) I think it's interesting to note Jesus' boundaries.  He fed them, were with them, then sent them home.  He didn't walk them home, He just gave them the energy for their trip, then they all parted ways.  I wonder if we sometimes think that if we want to show that we care, we have to attend to all their needs, and maybe that's why so many of us are so hesitant to help?  Jesus needed to get going, but couldn't send them away hungry, so He fed them.  He prepared them for their journeys, but didn't take them on them. So what are some boundaries you can think of in expressing compassion towards others?  What are some boundaries you've used in the past?

3) What are some ways that you can show compassion to people in your community?

---Pastor Andy G.

Mark 7:24-30
Matthew 15:21-28

Here we have 2 accounts of the event.  Matthew gives a little more information, but either way, they both hit the same point.  
But notice first that before Jesus went to Tyre, first He went to his hometown, and nobody believed Him.  Then they went to the other side of the lake and His disciples tried to tell Him what to do (as if they were above Him). Then they freak out when they see Jesus walking on the water, and upon their arrival, Jesus and His disciples are accused of uncleanliness because they're eating with dirty hands, which leads into a heated discussion with the Pharisees and Teachers of religious Law, based on their focus of the old traditions, many of which had NOTHING to do with God, worshiping God, or holiness on their part.

So you have rejection and disbelief by God's own people, little faith of His disciples, and now accusations by people who should know better.
So in response to their accusations, Jesus turned them around and pointed out that they were putting their God-less traditions before God's commandments (a problem still today among the Jews, as well as many Christian churches).

The topic of their argument and accusations was cleanliness and uncleanliness.  Jesus explained that not washing one's hands is not what makes them unclean, nor does washing them make one clean.  In fact, it's not so much what you do on the outside and put into yourself (food, dirt from dirty hands) that makes you unclean, but what comes out your mouth (words) that deems you unclean, for what comes out of your mouth originates in your heart.  And it's the heart that (all too often) guides the decisions that one makes, and that one makes about others.  And the hearts of the Pharisees and Teachers of religious Law were hardened and unclean, and ultimately told them to reject Jesus for who He is.

So Jesus takes His own advice to His Disciples, and withdraws from a pointless conversation.  But of all places, He goes to the vicinity of Tyre.

Some background about Tyre:
In Old Testament times, the ancient King Hiram had good relations with King David and his son Solomon.  In fact, the cedars and pine used for building the original Temple came from Tyre.  But as time went on, as with other Canaanites in the area, things turned for the worse.  The takeover and Hellenization of Alexander the Great turned Tyre into a Gentile territory, mixed with many national origins, including the Jews. Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived during the New Testament times, wrote once that the residents of Tyre were "notoriously our bitterest enemies."  (source)
Jesus also reinforces this earlier in Matthew 11:21-24 where Tyre and Sidon were used as an example of what destruction would come to the Galilean towns, who were less open to repentance than Tyre and Sidon (like when cities are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah, 2 cities well known for being evil and under God's harsh judgment).
Basically, Tyre was hardly an area for God's Messiah, who had come to call the Jews to Himself, to withdraw to.  But it was, and He did.  And when He got there, He tried to enter a house inconspicuously, hoping He wouldn't be recognized.  But that didn't happen, for His fame and reputation had followed him even into the Gentile regions.  So people recognized Him right away, and such a commotion was made that it caught the attention of a woman who was in a desperate situation and in dire need of Him.

A little background about the woman:
"Mark makes it clear that she was as Gentile as they come.  She was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia – in other words, born in this very area.  She wasn’t a Jewish transplant, but a native daughter.  A Jewish reader would see this in Mark’s gospel and know right away what this says...that she was 'unclean'." (source)
"Matthew (15:22) specifies exactly what Mark's Hellenistic Syro-Phoenician woman (Mk 7:26) means. She is a descendant of the ancient Canaanites, the bitter biblical enemies of Israel whose paganism had often led Israel into idolatry." (source)  Notice also that in Matthew's account, the Disciples tell Jesus to send her away, giving us a clearer idea of their prejudices and conflicts with the Gentiles.

So when this woman who was recognized as unclean, evil, one who would lead God's people to idolatry, and a bitter enemy of Israel sees Jesus, she immediately falls to her knees, tells Jesus about her demon-possessed daughter (Mark's first label of it was "an unclean spirit", but later when Jesus casts it out, He calls it a demon), and begins to beg Him to heal her daughter from it.  Matthew's account says she even addressed Jesus, "Have mercy on me Lord, Son of David!"

Jesus answers in what many see as a rude comment, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."  What a way to blow somebody off!  How would you feel if Jesus (or anybody else you asked for help from) said that to you?  
But the woman recognizes that Jesus is calling Jews the “children” and that the Gentiles are the “dogs.”  She also recognized that the children get fed first, and acknowledges in her response that the Messiah came to Israel first; but though she may not be able to sit down at the Messiah’s table and eat with the “children,” she should be allowed to pick up some of the crumbs they drop." (source)

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Maybe her words were prophetic in that the Jews would reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Maybe Jesus went there to meet her in order to teach something to His disciples.  Either way, there's much more to Jesus' words and the woman's response than a simple riddle.

According to Matthew's account, the woman hailed Jesus as "Lord, Son of David".  So in his account, the woman was already acknowledging Jesus as the rightful king over a nation that had conquered her ancestors (Joshua 12:7-24, 2 Samuel 8:1-15) (source).

But, on that, I also find it interesting to note that:
A) By simply being a Gentile, the Jews automatically recognized her as "Unclean"
B) This Gentile woman recognized Jesus as "Lord", "Son of David", God's Messiah, and as one who could grant her mercy.  Yet the Jews didn't (don't).
C) Though Jesus had healed Gentiles before, it was always in Jewish territory.  But this time, Jesus did a miracle for a Canaanite woman in Gentile land.

A) Jesus just finished talking with Jews who should know better about cleanliness and uncleanliness.  The Pharisees and Teachers of Religious Law were recognized as "clean" in the eyes of Jews, if not only just for the fact that they were Jews, but because of what they were seen doing and for everything outwardly.  Yet, Jesus showed them that instead, they were in fact unclean on the inside, and their hearts were not right with God, which is where it all matters.

Then Jesus goes to a Gentile land and meets a woman who Jews recognize as unclean, simply because she is NOT a Jew, but yet in her recognition of Jesus as who and what He was/is, Jesus shows that though she may not be "perceived" as clean on the outside, she is clean on the inside.  In Matthew's account, Jesus even says, "Woman, great is your faith!"  The last words Jesus said to His disciples about their faith were "You have so little faith?" (Matthew 14:31) and "Don't you understand, either?" (Mark 7:18)

B) Though the Jews continued to reject Jesus, the Gentile woman didn't.  Here's a perfect example of the Gentiles humbling themselves before Jesus, recognizing Him as the Messiah, and crying out for His mercy.  The dogs are happy to eat even just the crumbs that fall from the table.  But when the children don't eat all their food, guess who gets the leftovers?  The dogs.  And as we read later in Acts 15, when the Gentiles were given the option to accept Christ and become part of what was originally only offered to the Jews, they welcomed it with excitement, even often more so than did the Jews. 

C) Jesus had healed a Gentile, but it was always within the boundaries of Israel.  But here, Jesus healed a woman's daughter while in Gentile territory...an unclean land, as according to the Jews (and one from which they'd often shake the dust from their feet upon returning to their homeland).  This is important because Jerusalem (or Israel), considered as the Holy land, was thought to be the only place where God was present, as well as the only place where God's presence would rest.  But Jesus leaving the Holy Land shows not only that God's boundaries are not the same as humans, but that God will go anywhere, anytime, for anybody who seeks Him. (I wonder also if Jesus' answer to the woman about the scraps was also a means of challenging His 12, not just the woman?  Almost like, 'but you're a Gentile, and I'm not here for you, but only for the Jews...or am I?')

Remember, Jesus was there for the Jews, FIRST.  As Paul said, if the Jews hadn't rejected Christ, the Gentiles would not have had a place to step in.  Only because of their rejection do the Gentiles have the chance to receive God's gift of salvation (the crumbs falling from the table). And this was all talked of in the old Prophesies.  Yes, Jesus' mission was primarily to Israel, but the mission of the Gentiles would be to go into all the world. (So if Jesus' Disciples were prejudiced against Gentiles before, then they're going to have a huge problem later, for Jesus here was setting the example of also going out also the Gentile nations).  Simon (Peter) would later learn more about this event when Jesus shows him the vision of the sheet with the many different animals and creatures (Acts 10).  The discovery of the huge acceptance of the Gospel by Gentiles would also be again revealed in Acts 15 when 2 men traveled to Antioch and shared the Gospel about Jesus Christ to the Greeks there.

So once again, the topic is what's considered as clean and unclean.  Cleanliness is not what you see on the outside, but what's in the heart. The food you eat and how you eat them is not what makes you unclean, for they don't make their way to the heart (unless of course you're talking about cholesterol, and here we're not).  But what originates from your heart will come from your mouth, and/or be recognized in your actions.  There are many people today who try to look holy and try to say the right things in order to back up their images.  But if their hearts don't match their actions and words, then they're not as clean as they look.  Remember, God knows and judges by the heart, and as He told Samuel, God also does not judge by human standards.  If your heart is not right with Him, then it won't matter what you do.  It's like the question about those people who do good in the world but aren't Christians.

It's also like the example I've always given about the egg.  You can decorate an egg all pretty on the outside, but if it's empty inside, then it'll crack once it's tested.  Likewise, you can take an egg that's not empty and decorate it on the outside, but if what's inside it is dead (or just not fertilized), then within time, it'll smell real bad and the beauty on the outside will no longer matter, for the rottenness on the inside is now being revealed.  But if what's inside the egg is live, then regardless of how it looks on the outside at first, what's inside will grow and soon reveal itself to the world when it cracks its way out (because it can no longer be held just inside...it HAS to come out and be revealed).

If your heart is not right with God, then it doesn't matter how many nice things you do for others, you're still not "clean" in God's eyes.  Your heart must be right with God first.  The Pharisees' hearts were not right with God, for they were so bent out over following their traditions.  So even though they were recognized by many (and themselves) as being clean, they really weren't in God's eyes.  The Gentiles' hearts were often not right either, for they were bent over following the culture of the land.  But then this woman who was recognized as being unclean because of her nationality and place of residence comes around and shows great faith (even greater than Jesus' own disciples in who He is and what that means), she reveals the possession of a clean heart, even more so than those of the Jews.

So you can look clean, or you can be clean.  But your cleanliness is not perceived by God on how you look, where you live, what traditions you follow, your family lineage, or your charity.  It's based on your heart for God, which can only be obtained by faith in and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

---Pastor Andy G.

Mark 7:1-13

The Pharisees and some of the Teachers of the Law (from Jerusalem) gathered around Jesus, for they saw some of Jesus' disciples eating food with unwashed hands.  See, the Pharisees and all the Jews wouldn't eat until they gave their hands a ceremonial cleaning, for it was the tradition of the elders.  They also observed many other similar traditions, such as ceremonial cleanings of cups, pitchers, and kettles.  So they asked Jesus why His disciples don't live according to the traditions of the elders, and wash their hands before eating.
Jesus replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship Me in vain; their teachigs are merely human rules.'  You've let go of God's commands, but are holding onto human traditions.  You have a fine way of putting aside God's commands in order to observe your own traditions!  (For example,) Moses said 'Honor your parents, and anyone who curses them is put to death!'  But y'all say that it's OK for people to tell their parents, 'sorry, I can't help you, for I've vowed to give to God what I could have given to you.'  You let them disregard their needy parents.  As such, they break God's Law in order to protect your own tradition.  And this is just ONE example...there are many, many more."

Jesus isn't saying that one shouldn't wash their hands before eating with them.  Heck, we all mostly wash our hands today, right?  Because our parents ingrained it into us, yes, but our reason is for better health, for in dirt you'll find germs and parasites.  The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, however, didn't wash their hands for the reason of hygene, but for the sake of keeping with their man-made tradition.  So understand what's going on:  They weren't just asking out of curiosity, but in an accusation-sort of way.
-'Why don't they wash their hands first?'
-'Why don't they follow the traditions of the elders?'

Keep in mind, that the Elders didn't do a very good job in devoting their lives to God.  If they had, the God wouldn't have had to send all those prophets, the Israelites wouldn't have lost so many battles, they surely would not have suffered as they did, their kings wouldn't have been so evil, they wouldn't have been conquered by Babylonians, and above all, they would've been the best example of God's people that the world had ever known.  But they weren't because they continued to go against God's Will and Law, and filled their practices instead with traditions, often not of their own making, either, but of the sinful nations around them.

Now, not ALL traditions are bad, but if you get too caught up in them, you risk losing sight of why you do them, and begin to turn the glory onto the traditions instead of onto God. 

Paul stated in his letter to the Romans that if you live to follow the Law, then you must follow ALL of it.  The Pharisees weren't.  Instead, they'd put tradition above it.

Sometimes, tradition are just what others did and passed it on to others and don't have anything to do with glorifying God.  I've served in a few churches where tradition was held so strongly that many actually declared it a sin to not follow them.  For example, the format of the services, dress-code, clapping vs. not clapping, the type of bread used for communion (bread, pitas, or wafers), certain prayers, etc.  The problem though was that if you looked real closely at some of these traditions, you'd realize that they didn't really make any difference either way, and some actually HINDERED worship and giving full glory to God.

So Jesus wasn't throwing them an "oh yeah, well YOUR disciples...", but showing them that what they were following were traditions, not God's Law, and they were following them so strictly that when faced with God's Law, they actually break it to keep with their traditions.  This needs to be prevented and avoided.

Discussion / Reflection Questions:

1. Every culture has traditions.  What are some traditions that the world, your culture, nationality, country...keeps to?  What do they resemble, and how do they do so? 
2. Look at some of the traditions you follow in your daily life.  How or why were they started?  What was the point of them, and if you still do them today, why?  Is the reason today the same as it was when you began it?  If not, how has it changed, or what is it now?  
3. Many denominations were started by somebody.  For instance, for Lutherans it was Martin Luther, Presbyterians it was Calvin, and United Methodists John Wesley.  Who's responsible for the starting up an building of traditions in your church/denomination?  What are some of these traditions? 
4. Cleaning your hands before eating is good, for it washes away the dirt and germs that could be lurking on them.  The problem with the Pharisees' question was not only that they were keeping to traditions over God's Law, but that they were using their traditions as a means of accusing Jesus and His disciples of sin, hoping to trap them.  Take a moment to pray, asking God to show you what traditions you may keep that might be hindering your worship of Him.  Also, use this moment to repent for any times that you may have held tradition above Him and His Word, and/or judged others who didn't keep to these ones that you thought were so important.

---Pastor Andy G.

In Mark 6:30-44, the 12 return from their mission of telling everybody about Jesus, casting out demons, healing, etc., and are excited to tell Jesus and each other about their experiences.  But then, as they were there, more people continued to come to them.  The problem was that since they'd been so busy on their missions, the 12 hadn't had a chance to eat.  So Jesus invited them to get into the boat and go with Him to a quiet place to get some rest.  So they got into the boat and were off.
But as they sailed along, many who saw and recognized them, ran to the destination, some even getting there before them.  When Jesus saw the great crowd, He had compassion on them, seeing them like sheep without a shepherd, so He began teaching them many things.
After some time, it was late in the day, so His disciples went to Him, and told Him to send the people away to the surrounding villages so they may get some food for themselves.  But then Jesus said, "You give them something to eat."
One of them replied, "But that would take almost a year's wages!  Are we to spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
Jesus: "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."
One of the 12: 5 loaves and 2 fish.
So Jesus had them sit down in groups of 50s and 100s, took the bread and fish, looked up to heaven and gave thanks, then broke the loaves and distributed the bread and fish.  All 5000+ people there ate and were satisfied, and there were 12 basketfulls of leftovers.

So let's look at what we have here:

• The 12 return from their mission of several months
• They're hungry and in need of some rest, so Jesus invites them to an isolated place to do so
• Once they got across the lake, they're faced with the need to work, or at least delay their meal and rest a little longer.
• It's getting late,  so they tell Jesus to send the people away to buy for themselves some food.

At first glance, it almost sounds like they're actually concerned about the people, for they're recognizing the time and that the people haven't had any food to eat, but in fact, they were actually more concerned about themselves than the others.  Understand, not only did the 12 not eat breakfast, but they rowed across a lake on an empty stomach, then they missed lunch, and now it's about time for dinner.  So by this time, they're hungry, cranky, and tired, and as a reaction, they actually TELL Jesus to send the people away in a way that makes it sound like they're concerned about the people, when in fact they're just thinking about themselves, their needs, their wants...
But Jesus, knowing this, challenges them and says, "YOU give them something to eat."

Their response in verse 37 confirms their lack of compassion for the people: "WHAT?!!  That would cost almost a full year's salary!"  And here's the puncher: "Do you expect us to go and spend that much on food, and give it to THEM?"  It's like they're saying:

• 'You're crazy, man!  That's a lot of money!
• I worked hard for this cash.  I'm not going to spend it all on THESE people.
• My money is my money...for me to spend as I wish.  And I don't want to spend it on bread for a bunch of strangers.'

But Jesus felt they were important enough to put His rest-time aside in order to teach them.

I find it interesting how much Jesus really focuses on the theme of compassion in the Gospel of Mark, and this may be one of the starting points of this theme.  I believe Jesus was testing their hearts for hospitality and service, as well as showing them that this ministry is not a job with a time clock...it's not a 9-5 job.  You're never off the clock if you recognize the importance of sharing Jesus with them.
Now understand, this is not saying that Pastors should not take vacations.  In fact, not only did Jesus suggest to them the idea of taking the rest of the day off to recover and recharge from their mission, but He Himself often walked up the side of a mountain to take some time away from everybody and pray.  Plus, any Pastor or teacher of some sort knows that no breaks will learn to burnout real quick.  So Jesus isn't saying that one shouldn't take some time off, but that even as we plan our vacations, we need to remember the urgency of His message to the world, and so be ready to share Jesus with anybody at anytime.  But we're not to share because we feel we HAVE to, or are obligated to, but out of genuine compassion for the people who don't know Him, and that's the raised issue among Jesus' Disciples.

Let's look for a moment at the issues and focus of the 12:
1) They missed breakfast, lunch, and it's late now, so they're hungry (both spiritually and physically)
2) Compassion / lack of for the lost
3) They're now commanding Jesus!
4) They think they're off the clock...seeing ministry as a job
5)Their claim to cash revealed their lack of compassion for the lost
Their focus' were on themselves, not on the people and their spiritual hungers.

What was Jesus' focus on?  The lost people and His mission.  Jesus had great compassion on them, even so much to where He put their needs before His own.  Now understand also, that though we are to put others ahead of us, we do need to take care of ourselves.  A car doesn't do anybody any good if you forget to fill it up with gas, or if you don't give it a regular tune-up, OK?  You need to take care of yourself.  But if you read this passage wrong, you may come to the opposite conclusion.  Jesus is not concerned so much with their need for rest as He is for their need for compassion.

Understand also that these 12 (actually, 11) would later carry on/ continue Jesus' mission, so He needed them to understand that others' spiritual need was so much more important/urgent than their own physical needs.  They would especially need this training because in about 2 to 2.5 years, many of them would experience such physical trials, and would need to remember the focus of their mission to keep them going.  Like physical training, you're hungry, weak, tired, hurt, exhausted, etc., but you've got a mission that's so much more important...a goal.  As with today, many are driven by how they feel.  If they feel tired, weak, hurt, exhausted, hungry, etc., they'll change their focus to fulfill their desires.  But Jesus' mission will try us on those feelings, and regardless, there is a deeper need.  As with Elijah, God had a mission for him.  He was tired, depressed, hungry, and even wanted to die.  But God sent His angel to feed and care for him, and gave him a new mission (If you're into football movies, remember the motivational speeches given towards the end of the games to just finish the game victoriously, or in "Facing the Giants", when the kid's on the teen's back during practice).

Ministry's not about comfort, it's about mission, and sometimes you'll be pushed past your physical limits.  Now also, if you don't have compassion for those to whom you're sent, then no matter your abilities or skills, your ministry will never be fruitful.  Your heart must be broken for those you're sent to introduce to Jesus.  If it is, then nothing will deter you from sharing Christ with them, not even hunger, fear, fatigue, pain, etc.

It's good see that though the Apostles didn't seem to get it in the days of the Mark text, they did finally get it by the time Acts 11:27-30 was written, for this time, when faced with a similar event, instead of thinking of themselves with selfish hearts, their compassion for others kicked in and showed the selfless compassion of Christ.

Discussion / Reflection Questions:
1) Putting your own needs before others' with ministry sometimes shows that we may not recognize others' immediate need of knowing Jesus.  Do you recognize this need?  Do you respond as Jesus did, or as did His disciples?

2) Notice that when the 12 left and returned from their mission, they were called "Apostles".  But in verse 35, they're called "Disciples".  I have 4 thoughts on this:
     A) Could it be that their titles are in sync with what they're doing?  If this is the case, then what would your title be today?
     B) Maybe Mark is showing that the titles are interchangeable.  If so, then what are some of your common titles in ministry, and why?  (this helps you realize what you're doing and is meant to encourage you in your mission)
     C) Maybe Mark is reminding us that regardless of what our mission or titles are, we're always to also be Jesus' disciples?
     D) Maybe I'm just thinking too much into this?
Other thoughts?  Why do you suppose there's a change in their titles?

3)  Notice the importance of needing rest in an isolated place.  People will always need teaching/preaching to, but the workers must also take some time off.  Notice also Jesus' compassion and understanding of needing rest (by going off by Himself to a quiet place and prays).  Even with the extreme urgence of Jesus' mission, He still recognized and introduced His disciples to the need to recharge, rest up, eat, and build up strength.  Do you get enough rest in your ministry/mission?  How do you go about this?  How do you need to improve in this department?

4)  Sometimes, plans to rest are delayed by need. Just as Jesus saw them as sheep without shepherds, scattered around with no place to go, no one to lead them, and spiritually thirsty, we need to remember that saying:  Pastors will never retire, for as long as they (we) live, there will always be somebody to share Jesus with  (I've also noticed that there's really no such thing as a "vacation", but just temporary relocation of the mission).  How do you respond to people's questions about Jesus during your down time?

5) What's your focus (or what are your goals) for ministry?  Here are some possible suggestions:

• A big church, or many saved and sent out?
• Lots of money to buy lots of things, or funding many minssions and ministries?
• Popularity or fame among other churches and people, or giving glory to God alone?
• Power, or opportunities for service?
• Self, or Jesus?

---Pastor Andy G.

I apologize for taking so long to post this.  I realize I've taken some time before posting other studies before, but this one took a while because there are a lot of misunderstandings and lots of information missing in Jesus' instruction: 

Mark 6:11 =
And if any place (vicinity, spot, location) neither receives (accepts, takes, welcomes, bears with) you,
nor do they listen to you,
When you leave from there, shake off the dust...

Matthew 10:13-14 =
If on one hand the house (home, property, family, household) happens to be worthy (deserving),
(Put) your peace upon it.
If on the other hand it (3rd person/Singular/Present/Active/Subjunctive) is not worthy,
(let) your peace return to you
And whoever neither (should anybody neither) receive(s) you nor listens to your words,
while leaving (going outside, away from) that house (home, property, family, household),
shake off the dust from your feet.
Truly I say to you,
It will be more tolerable for the land (country, region) of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than that city (town, inhabitants).

Luke 9:5 =
And whoever (Masculine, Plural, Nominative) does not receive (accept, take, welcome, bear with) you,
As you are leaving from that city (town),
(y'all must) Shake off the dust from your feet
as a testimony (witness, evidence, proof) against them (3rd person/ Masculine, Plural / Accusative)

1. So my first question was what the background is of Jews shaking off the dust from their shoes.  What's the original meaning to that?  Well, in my search, I learned that the Bible Gateway has commentaries, and theirs said that "At their final, forced withdrawal, the missionaries [shake] the dust from their feet in protest against them. Some take the action as a sign of contempt, parallel to the Jews' practice of shaking off the dust of "unclean" foreign lands as they reentered the Holy Land (Lake and Cadbury 1979:160).  Others, more correctly, see it, according to the Lord's instruction, as a sign of disassociation from a community doomed to destruction (Lk 9:5; 10:10-11; compare Acts 18:6). Such destruction will be so complete that if one is to avoid it, one must remove from oneself the very dust of the place. Because the disassociation is from the persecutors, Paul can later return to the city and work there."  Another source suggested "While Israel was a holy land, the land of the Gentiles wasn’t. This is why Jews would shake the dust off their clothes and shoes on leaving a Gentile area. It was a symbol of disregarding any connection with the pagans. "  Most other sites suggest basically what both are saying.

2.  The second difficulty of this instruction that I found is that it doesn't give any information about limits.  Should we sit and argue with them a bit, hoping they'll get it or accept Jesus?  Should we give them up to 3 strikes before shaking off the dust?  Should we run in there, share our message, and leave if rejected with a curse? In searching for help on this, one blogger suggested, "(Jesus) makes one thing sure: if they accept you, stay and be a blessing to them; if they reject you – leave and leave for good. The shaking off of dust is where the power of the message lays...So what Jesus is actually saying to the twelve is: if they welcome you, get in and do well; if they don’t – get away and make sure you let them know you’re not coming back."  So we'll look into this in a moment.

3. A third piece of information that confuses this instruction is whether the curse is upon only those who don't receive our message about Jesus, the whole town, or just the little household?  Jesus gives this direction in the first 3 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke (above).  In Mark, Jesus gives reference to a larger area, such as a town, place, vicinity, or location".  In Matthew, Jesus seems to be talking about the household that His Apostles would be staying in, and Luke appears to be talking about individuals.  So what are we to make of this?

So my next step was to see if the Bible mentioned this action anyplace else, and it does, in Acts 13.  There, Paul and Barnabas (I like to call him "Barny") were sharing their message about Jesus in their local synagogue.  Once finished, the people invited them to speak more about all that on the next Sabbath.  Also, as they left, many devout Jews and Jewish converts followed them Paul and Barny, who urged them to continue in the grace of God (to accept Jesus).
On the next Sabbath, it says that almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of God.  But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with Jealousy and began to heap abuses and contradictions on what Paul was saying.  When they realized they weren't getting anywhere with their message, Paul and Barny boldly rebuked them.
Then, throughout the rest of the week, as the Lord's Word spread, the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city, who stirred up persecution against Paul and Barny, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium.

I believe this example answers some of my questions.  You don't just go and give your message once as if to be impersonal, but share it gladly with all who will listen.  When opposition arises, rebuke it, and don't stop sharing/spreading your message about Jesus.  But when the opposition comes to where they expel you, or to where the opposition is so great that it's obvious there's nothing more you can do, THAT'S when you kick off the dust from your shoes as a testimony against them, and move on.

I've actually done this at the last 2 (almost 3) churches where I served.  They all gladly invited me in at first, many listened, many accepted and began following Jesus (some grew closer to Jesus) from my ministry (God through me), but some rejected the message and began to incite the leaders.  Persecution and conflict arose against me, and soon they "expelled" me.  So after collecting all my things, before getting into my car, I kicked the "dust" off my feet as a testimony against them.  For in each, I did everything in my ability (blood, sweat, tears, stress, fasting, prayer, etc.),  to introduce Jesus, strengthen people's faith, and incorporate Jesus into those places.  But instead, they insisted on keeping Him out.  So I left them to His judgment.

Notice that in 1 Samuel 8:5-7, when the people told Samuel that they wanted a king to rule over them instead of him, he felt rejected.  So he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me...".  So when people reject our message about Jesus, they're not so much rejecting us (or maybe they are too), but God.  You'll notice this among your friends:  If you try to talk with them about Jesus, and they don't want to hear, you'll remain friends, but they'll reject Jesus each time you'll bring Him up.  So when these churches were rejecting me and the message of Jesus Christ, they weren't only expelling and rejecting me, but also Jesus Himself, and that's why Jesus tells His Apostles to kick off the dust from their feet against them.  They insist on rejecting Him, so Jesus will not be there in the time of judgment.

Now about this judgment: Does this mean that the judgment is upon everybody in the church, town, region, house, etc.?  I think it depends on the situation, really.  Or, maybe it could be compared to the event with Sodom.  Remember in Genesis 18:32, Abram talked God down to 10 righteous people! "If there are 10 righteous people, will you still destroy the town?"  And God said, "No, if there are 10, I will not destroy it."  Turns out there were only 4: Lot, his wife, and their 2 daughters, and when the time of judgment upon Sodom came, the Lord was sure to get Lot and company out of there in order to rescue them from its destruction (Genesis 9:15-17).  So I think that when we lay such a testimony against places, though it will surely be doomed in the time of judgment, that if there are any believers there at that time (or if those who rejected Christ earlier will later accept Him), that they will be rescued from that time.

Notice also that when Paul and Barny were sharing their message about Jesus, and as the arguments began, they may have continued for some time, but when they realized that they weren't getting anywhere, they stopped, rebuked the opposers, and avoided anymore conflict with them directly.  I mention this because though I do enjoy a good theological conversation at times, I notice that many with whom I have one are basically arguing for the sake of arguing, or to try and stump me.  They have some thoughts and ideas, and regardless of the evidence put in front of them, they have no agenda of changing their stance.  Often times I'll get to the point where the questions are becoming repetitive, or irrelevant, or just moronic, and I'll stop to ask, "if I was to come up with answers to all your questions, would that bring you any closer to wanting to either accept Jesus as your Lord and God, or even giving Him a chance?"  And often, the answer is "no".  And that's where the conversation/debate ends...move on and share with others who WILL listen with the possibility of responding to it.

So summary:

1. Share the message about Jesus with all who will listen, and remain there as long as people will accept you and listen to you.  Answer questions about Jesus and your message to all who ask, so long as there's still interest.
2. When opposition arises (and it will), and you get to the point where the conversation's not going anywhere, rebuke them, and avoid any more conflict.  But keep spreading your message throughout the area/land.
3. If and when opposition should get to the point where it's either flat out rejection, or they expel you from their presence, then upon leaving, shake their "dust" off your shoes as a testimony against their rejection of the Lord and His message.  As such who have rejected the Lord, unless they should turn to Him soon, they will share a fate much more worse off than those of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Discussion / Reflection Questions:

1. How does it make you feel knowing that if somebody rejects your ministry, that it's not only you they're rejecting (or maybe not you at all), but Jesus?  Explain.
2. Does it encourage you to share the Gospel more boldly, knowing that if you're rejected flat out and persecuted or expelled, by kicking off their dust from your feet, God will back up your testimony against them on Judgment Day?  Explain.
3. What are your thoughts about having such authority?
4. Will knowing all this change your ministry or give you reason to share more?  Explain/reflect on why or why not.

---Pastor Andy G.

I was talking with somebody today, about health, food, purified water, and then it became interesting.  She began showing me this pendant that she wears that's supposed to protect her body from the EMS, or wireless communications electrodes or something, a black-polished rock she keeps in a bag in her pocket, another stone to wear around her neck that's supposed to fight depression, and writing messages pointing into her water bottles in order to make her water feel happy.  She's not crazy or anything, she just really believes this will help keep her healthy.  But yet, when I tried to explain to her how Christianity isn't a religion, or that Jesus is so much different from "other prophets", she didn't want to hear it.

Today in Mark 6, we read that after leaving Jarius' house, Jesus went with His disciples to His hometown, Nazareth.  The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”  Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.  Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”  And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Now, first, I'd like to point out that this passage is one of the many used to argue the Catholic's claim of Mary remaining a virgin after Jesus' birth.  But let me point out that it straight out mentions Jesus' siblings, both brothers and sisters, by name even.  Some could argue that they were just mentioning the names of His disciples, but 1) His disciples weren't from Nazareth, as He was; 2) there was no disciple of the 12 named Joseph.

So anyway, looking past these, it almost sounds like Jesus was either telling them things that they'd never heard before, and/or possibly filling in some details left out in the Scriptures.  But then, as everybody questioned Him, they actually led themselves to faithlessness.

Notice, that though Jesus was/is God, even His sharing of remarkable information, performing unexplainable miracles, and having more than enough witnesses to what He was claiming (Jewish Law only required 2 witnesses, Jesus had 12+), people still didn't believe Him.  And they believed Him so little that Jesus could not even perform any miracles, other than healing.

It sounds ridiculous almost, until you realize that this is still the case today.  For notice that many people today who have educational degrees, ordinations, and/or no witnesses to true miracles, even if what they say is completely non-biblical and theological heresy, people will still not only believe them, but think they're most holy servants of God, and even possess in themselves the ability to perform miracles.  For example:

1. Benny Hinn: Miracle worker?  Known as the one performing the miracles, glory goes to him instead of God, HUGE following.
2. Many Pastors: preach on their own theories that seem to make sense...until you really examine them.  But many don't examine them and just believe...big following, good pay checks, untouchable by those who know better.
3. Good talkers / motivational speakers: seen as having great knowledge and wisdom. And many attend their seminars, and buy their CDs and books and follow their advice, which often times is just advice.
4. Philosophy: Old thoughts by new people, yet often discussed by people of each generation.
5. Cult leaders: claim to understand more than us, teach their wrong understandings, millions listen and believe.
6. Health scams: They tell people to wear a rock around their necks, special pendants to block radio electrons (EMS), or to lay on stones for healing, and a LOT of people pay big dollars to carry stones in their pockets and weigh their necks down.

It's just amazing how quick people are to believe the lies, but hesitant to believe the Truth.  Yet, even for the lies, they'll give all they have to attain or be part of it, then judge the Truth as ridiculous.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. Why are people so quick to believe in the lies?
2. By what standards do we judge the messages communicated by those who claim they're telling the Truth?
3. By what standards do we judge the people communicating the message?  By what standards SHOULD we be using?
4. Discuss/reflect on the standards the Bible gives us for discerning between the Truth and lies.

---Pastor Andy

Mark 5:21-43 (part 2)

To continue with yesterday's post, so Jesus is walking back to Jarius' house, and a whole crowd is walking back with them, crushed up against Jesus.  But on the way, there was a woman who had been suffering with hemorrages for the past 12 years.  She'd endured many doctors, spent all she'd had, but wasn't getting any better, only instead grown worse.  She'd heard about Jesus, and knew that if she was just to touch His cloak, she'll be made well.  When she saw Jesus walking by with the crowd, she came up behind Him in the crowd, touched His cloak, and immediately, her hemorraging stopped.  The Bible says that she even felt in her body that she'd been healed of her disease.

Jesus, who'd felt power go forth from Him, asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

His Disciples were all like, "Huh? Everybody touched your clothes...everybody's pressed up against you."

But when Jesus looked around, the woman began to fear and tremble, and fell down before Him, telling Him the whole truth.

Jesus: "Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace."

So far, in each example, both Jarius and the woman are people who had nothing left to lose...Jesus was their last chance.
These 2 are also good examples of people with just enough faith (as opposed to Jesus' own Apostles?).  Examples of people who'd only heard of Jesus, then went to meet Him when at rock-bottom.  They sought Jesus out of desperation...and are great examples of many of us when we gave our lives to Christ.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. Why do you think Jesus was so concerned about who it was that touched His clothes?
2. In your times of desperation, where do you turn?  Why do you turn to there?

---Pastor Andy G.

In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus and the group arrived at the country of the Gerasenes.  It says that when Jesus stepped out of the boat, IMMEDIATELY, a man out of the tombs and with an unclean spirit ran and met Him.  This man lived among the tombs (among the dead), and was no longer able to be restrained with shackles or chains (he'd pull them apart and break them to pieces).  It's also said that night and day, he was always howling and bruising himself with stones.

But when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down before Jesus, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  In God's name, don't torture me!"  For Jesus had told the evil spirit to come out of the man.  After the man replied, Jesus asked, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he replied, "for we are many."  Then they begged Jesus earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Now, on the hillside, a great heard of pigs were feeding, and so the unclean spirits begged Jesus to send them into the swine.  Jesus gave them permission, so they all came out of the man, entered the 2000+ swine, then rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they all drowned.

The Swine-herders who saw this ran off and told about it in the city and country, and people rushed to see for themselves.  When they saw what had happened, they came to Jesus, saw the demonic man sitting there with clothes on and in his right mind, and thus became afraid, and they begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood.

As Jesus was getting back into the boat to leave (for He respected their wishes), the exorcised man begged to be with Him.  But Jesus refused, telling him to instead go home to his friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for him, and what mercy He's shown him.

Then, the Bible tells us that the man went away and began proclaiming in the Decapolis about how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed!

I found 3 events, or themes in this occurrence:

1. Jesus' Authority over the Legion
2. Response of the townspeople
3. Testimony of the once-possessed man

1) Jesus' Authority over the Legion:

• First, on the critical note, I thought it was interesting that Jesus didn't know that there were many demons in the guy.  I would just expect that Jesus, the Son of God, would know that already.  Also, though they recognized Jesus' authority, they didn't come out of the man until Jesus gave them permission for the destination (:18)
• I also thought it was interesting that Jesus, instead of straight out rejecting their begging and casting them out, Jesus showed the demons mercy by listening to their plea and accepting the decision of their alternative fate.
• Just the fact that they appealed by the name of God, and ran up to Him, bowing down before Him, and begged for mercy shows that they recognized Jesus' authority over them.  And notice also that when Jesus told them what to do, they did it.

2) Response of the townspeople:  Remember in Mark 1:21-28 (Linked to post), the issue was that the synagogue was a safe place for the demon possessing the man there.  It wasn't threatened by Jesus' presence, and didn't feel threatened until people began to respond to Jesus.  Here, we learn of a similar place, for not only did the demons beg Jesus to let them stay in the country/nation, but also the fact that the people herded swine (an unclean animal), and told Jesus to leave after they saw what He did (demons in swine, man clothed and quiet, etc.), confirms that this place too was a place where the demons felt comfortable and unthreatened...same situation as in 1:21-28, only this is on another side of the sea, and instead of being in the walls of a synagogue, it's in a whole neighborhood!

• So the demons recognized Jesus' authority and did what He commanded them to do.  But the townspeople, upon seeing all the good that He'd done, begged Jesus to leave (no wonder the demons felt comfortable in that town).
• These people were comparable to the seeds scattered along the path.

So, so far with the seeds, we have:

• The Apostles: seeds among the thorns
• The Townspeople: Seeds along the path

3) The Exorcised Man: Understand the situation that this man was in.  He had MANY demons possessing him.  He had become so strong and numb to pain that when people chained him up, he'd wedge apart the chains.  When they shackled him, he broke the shackles to pieces.  When people tried to subdue him, he was too strong for them.  And every night, he'd howl at the moon and bruise himself with stones.  But now, thanks to Jesus, the man was saved, clothed with new clothes, and full of the desire to follow and remain with Jesus.

But instead of allowing the man to go with Him, Jesus gave the man a mission based on his testimony.  So where did the man go?

• Not to the church/synagogue
• Not to their deity's temple
• Not to the streets...
• The man instead went to the Decapolis.

The Decapolis was a federation of about 10 cities in Palestine.  In other words, he went to the place where the largest number mass of people can be found together at one time...and "EVERYONE was AMAZED!"

This exorcised man was a seed that fell among the good soil..."and 30, 60, 100 fold fruit is bore."

---Pastor Andy G.