Jump Start # 1054

Mark 14:5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.’ And they were scolding her.”

  I finished a class on Mark yesterday. Fascinating study filled with people who delighted in learning more about their Savior. Instead of a verse by verse study, we looked at Ten Portraits of Jesus, as Mark was showing his audience what Jesus was really like.

Our verse today, taken just a few days before the cross, illustrates the several times that the disciples were not on the same page with Jesus. Their approach to problems and their solution to difficulties was much too often rough, lacking compassion and not helpful at all. For instance, when it was getting late, and the multitude of over 5,000 was hungry, the disciples suggested sending them away that they might find something to eat. Jesus said, “Feed them.” When the Syrophoenican woman came pleading for Jesus to heal her possessed daughter, the disciples responded, send her away for she keeps screaming at us. Now, from our verse today, in a home in Bethany, Mary comes and anoints Jesus with some extremely valuable perfume. This wasn’t the cheap stuff. This was not the everyday stuff you’d splash on and head to the market place. This generally had two uses: saved for a wedding or saved for a burial. Instead of holding on to it, Mary pours this on Jesus. He had revealed numerous times before this that He was going to be killed and raised on the third day. The disciples didn’t seem to grasp that. Mary did. She came to anoint.

The disciples, led by Judas, scolded Mary. Judas especially, makes a hollow plea for a righteous use of the perfume. Instead of wasting it on Jesus, it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. John tells us that Judas kept the money box and that he kept his fingers in it. The word is “pilfer” which means steal. Judas stole from Jesus. Judas wasn’t interested in helping the poor. He was interested in helping himself. Sell the perfume. It was thought to bring about 300 denarii which is a year’s salary. A lot of money. A lot of opportunity for sticky fingers to pilfer.

A few thoughts:

1. We need to see people and problems through the eyes of Jesus. We can be harsh and even lacking compassion sometimes. It is easy to “send people away.” That never solves a problem, it just keeps us from having to get involved. Shame on us. People problems are messy, time consuming and hard. Churches are in the people business. As we bring people to Christ, not all of them will be nice and neat people. Many, if not all, will have some baggage with them. Baggage such as false and wrong ideas that have to shown the correct way. Baggage such as broken homes and the ugly consequences of sin. Some have had addictions. Some have had employment problems. Some have had relationship problems. Send them away isn’t the message that God’s people need to be sounding forth. Help them. Help them get right with the Lord. Nice, neat people who have steady jobs and are professional people are not more important than those who have returned from the pig pen. I doubt the prodigal son had time to take a bath before he returned home. He couldn’t even find someone to feed him. Dirty, smelly, messy, yet heading home. There are folks like that. The self righteous mumble, ‘we don’t want those people here.’ The self righteous ought to be careful or they may not find themselves welcome in Heaven. The great commission involved taking the Gospel to every person. That includes the bad people. The messed up people. The mean people. The people who have been in jail. The good people. The nice people. The people that seem pretty clean. It includes all.

2. Some folks will use what seems to be a very sound and righteous statement but their motives are impure, dishonest and wrong. Judas is case in point. Selling the perfume and helping the poor sounds noble on paper. He said that because he was dishonest. His intentions were not pure. The spirit of Judas is alive today. Folks will do the same.

3. Jesus defended Mary and stated that her deeds would be told where ever the Gospel was preached. And here we are doing that very thing. Jesus did not feel that she wasted the perfume. Jesus said, “she has done what she could.” She couldn’t do everything, but she did do what she could. In fact, while she was doing this, Martha was serving food, and the rest of the crowd was sitting, eating and doing nothing. How easy it is to criticize those we think are wrong, yet we ourselves do nothing. This happens often in religious circles. Some will disagree with a practice another is doing. They will point fingers, criticize yet they are doing nothing themselves. Was Judas stealing money to help the poor? The text doesn’t indicate that. It seems that he was helping himself. What were the other apostles doing to prepare Jesus for His burial? Nothing. Ridicule Mary, while feeding their faces. Sounds too much like today. We need to do things right. We need to follow God’s pattern. We need to be doing. Some are long on talk and short on the doing part. It’s easy to point out the error of others while we sit about doing little. Good lesson for us to chew on. Are we more like Mary or the apostles?

She did what she could. Great statement. If that’s all you do, you have done well. Do what you can. Do it for the glory of God. Do it, even when others aren’t. Do it, even with some ridicule you. Mary did. Mary was right. Mary was honored by the Lord. Ours is a “doing” religion. At the end of the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus said, “Go and DO thou likewise.” Paul told the Galatians, “as we have opportunity, let us DO good to all people, especially those of the household of faith.” DOING. We need to be about the DOING part. Mary did.

Good thoughts for us to consider.

Roger

Jump Start # 1051

Mark 3:5 “After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”

  Our passage today comes from the healing of the withered hand. This took place in a synagogue. It was on a Sabbath day. The place was a buzzing with the thought of whether or not Jesus would dare heal this man on the Sabbath. Some were ready to pounce on Jesus. We wonder if the man was planted there as a trap. It seems that the Pharisees didn’t have any problem using people to get to Jesus. This would not be the only time they did something like that. The man with the withered hand is called forward by Jesus. Everyone is watching. Instead of immediately healing him, Jesus asked a question, not to the man, but to the crowd bent on accusing Him. The question was about the Sabbath. He asked if it was lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill? It was a loaded question. Jesus knew. He was ready to save a life and do good, even on the Sabbath. The twisted Pharisees were set to do harm and even kill on the Sabbath. The question revealed the polar opposites between Jesus and these Pharisees.

The crowd didn’t answer Jesus. They kept silent. Their hearts were made up. There was no turning them. Jesus healed the crippled hand and the Pharisees left plotting how they could destroy Jesus.

Our verse shows Jesus’ reaction to their stubborn hearts. He looked around at them with ANGER. Jesus mad? You don’t hear many talking about that these days. The impression some leave us with is that Jesus was always smiling, even at disrespect and sin. Jesus was always handing out flowers. They forget about the two times he flipped tables over and drove some out of the temple who were taking advantage of people. An angry Jesus doesn’t fit into the theology of many moderns. They ignore passages like this, hoping that no one will notice. The Jesus of many people, didn’t care what people thought, did or said. He just loved everything and everybody. This modern version of Jesus stands for nothing, has no backbone and is without conviction. Mostly, it is not supported by Scripture and not the impression one has from reading the Bible. Modern books have reshaped Jesus into an image that offends no one. That’s not the Jesus of the Bible.

Jesus was angry. Some thoughts:

1. Verses are intended to connect together. Jesus was angry, yet Jesus never sinned. The conclusion is that anger itself is not a sin, but it can lead to sin. This is why Paul said, “Be angry; and yet do not sin.” He did not say, “Do not be angry.” Sin invites the Devil. Anger can and often leads to angry words, angry thoughts, angry actions. Violence comes from angry hearts. Vengeance is fueled by anger. In anger, we often say things that we regret later. Not Jesus. He never sinned even though He was angry.

2. The things that angered Jesus were faith based. Our story shows the closed minded Pharisees using a crippled man to get to Jesus. They didn’t care about him. They motive was to destroy Jesus. They did not have an open mind. They were not willing to look at what Jesus was doing and definitely were not willing to listen to what He was saying. Sometimes, often times, we get angry at shallow and superficial things that do not matter in the big picture of things. Our team loses a ball game and we get so mad. We get angry at politicians. The way people drive angers us. Our favorite TV show gets canceled and we get angry. There is a long line at the check out and we get angry. Our food is slow getting to our table or it’s cold and we get angry. We get mad at prices. We get mad at flights delayed. We get angry at the weather. We get angry at the weather man. Some get angry at church. If the preacher says something just a bit too close for comfort, they leave in a huff. Have you noticed how angry so many people are? A lot of music today is angry. The movies are angry. The things that really matter, seem to go unnoticed. No one seems angry about abortion. Redefining marriage seems to be ok with far too many people.  Jesus was angry. He was angry because the crowd was missing the point. He was angry because people were being misled by the Pharisees. He was angry because they refused to believe in Him. What more could He do? He told them. He showed them. He proved it. He connected the dots from the O.T. to Him. Evidence upon evidence showed that He was God’s chosen Messiah. He was God on earth. They, like a three year old, with his hands over his ears, refused to listen. This angered Jesus. His anger did not cause Him to strike the Pharisees. He did not open up the earth and swallow them, though He could have. He did not sit them on Pluto for a couple of hours, though He could have. He was angry, but He didn’t do anything mean, wrong or ugly to them.

3. Jesus was angry, yet He stayed the course. How easily He could have shot up to Heaven and declared, ‘I’m through with those people. They won’t believe in Me, I’m done.’ He didn’t. He continued to do miracles demonstrating who He was. He continued to teach. He continued on to the Cross. Jesus stayed the course. That’s a lesson for us. Sometimes in our anger, we quit. We quit marriages, church, work, life—because someone upset us. We declare that we can’t work with THOSE people. Jesus did. We claim how can we continue on when some have it in for us—Jesus did. We use the failures of others as a reason for us to stop what we ought to be doing. Jesus didn’t do that.

4. Jesus continued to love those who had hard hearts. Love and anger are not opposite choices. Jesus had both. His blood would cleanse the sins of those hard headed Pharisees if they believed. Jesus did not make a declaration that He would from that time forward not die for any Pharisee. No. In fact, later on, one was chosen as an apostle. His name is Paul. Jesus died for him. Jesus chose him as an apostle. Jesus included him. Parents understand this. We can be angry and at the same time, still love our child. Their rebellion angers us. However, we love them dearly and would do anything for them.

Now, the piercing thought: We know that God loves us. There are tons of verses that show that. Has God ever been angry with you? Have you thought about that? God was so angry with the people in Noah’s day, that He declared enough and ended the human existence other than Noah and his family. What about you? Has God been angry with you? Doubt you have heard a sermon on that one before. It’s a thought we don’t want to chase. Why would God be angry with you? Why was Jesus angry with the Pharisees? Lack of faith. Stubborn. Using people. Refusing to listen. Rejecting Him. Sin. Hardened heart. There’s a list. That hits most of us. Angry with us, but not giving up on us. Angry with us, and holding out for us to change and believe. Angry with us, yet keeping the door to Heaven opened for us.

Sometimes when we are angry with someone, we are through with them. They are “de-friended” on Facebook. We take their number off of our phone. We cut all contact with them. We are angry and we want nothing to do with them. Not God. In His angry, He still wants you. He still loves you. He still wants you to come home, as the prodigal did.

Jesus was angry. It makes me sorry for the times I’ve made God disappointed and angry with me. It makes me want to please Him even more. It makes me thankful for grace and forgiveness. It makes me realize what a precious gift salvation is.

How about you?

Roger

Jump Start # 1050

Mark 12:43 “Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury”

  In our Jump Start yesterday, we saw where the faith of the Syrophoencian woman impressed Jesus. She was persistent in seeking help for her demon possessed daughter. Today, we find another person, another situation, whose faith caught the eye of the Lord.

Jesus is in Jerusalem. Most believe this event happened on Tuesday of the final week. The crucifixion would take place on Friday. Jesus is in the Temple teaching. The section above, Jesus warned about the arrogance, abuse and shallow faith of the scribes. One of the things the scribes did was to “devour widows homes.” As this warning ends, Jesus, sitting at the gate between the court of the Gentiles and the Court of the women, started watching people put money into the temple treasury. Back then, everyone had coins. There were no checks that people folded in half before they gave, as we do in church. There were no dollar bills. Coins was it. There were a series of containers that people could place their coins in. Jesus watches.

The rich put in a lot. The rich, possibly some of the scribes Jesus just warned about, pour their many coins into the container. It may have been a show. Then a poor widow comes. Jesus had just warned about the scribes taking advantage of many of the widows. Jesus watches. She puts in two cooper coins, called, “Lepton,” which means “thin one.” We have the expression, “One thin dime.” This is the only Jewish coin named in the New Testament. It wasn’t worth much. Mark, writing to Roman Christians, states “a cent.” It was about 1/32 of a days wage. It would be the pay for a few minutes of work.

Jesus called the disciples over. He wanted them to see something. Our verse is what Jesus said to the disciples. She put in more than the contributors, Jesus said. The rich gave out of their surplus, the poor widow gave out of her poverty, all that she owned, all that she had to live on.  That’s the end of Jesus’ statement. He didn’t add any more thoughts to that. He didn’t say, I wish you would do the same. He didn’t say that this is the model for giving.

There are a few things we learn here:

First, Jesus saw things that others could not. He knew the financial condition of the rich. He knew that they were giving out of the surplus, and the widow gave all that she had. No one would know that other than God. He knows our situation when we give. He knows how much we have stock piled, saved, invested, stored away, spent and wasted. He knows. No one else does, but Jesus does.

Second, this widow, without saying any words, was demonstrating great faith and trust in God. If she gave all that she had to live on, how was she going to survive? How would she buy food? How would she make it? Trust in God. Her presence in the temple, and her giving all that she had to the temple treasury, demonstrated a great love and belief in God. She put her life in the hands of God. She didn’t toot her trumpet, make a scene or brag about how much she gave. She simply did it in silence. This was a true act of worship and sacrifice. What she gave wouldn’t pay the light bill, but her faith is what would keep the temple going. That touched Jesus. It made Him point this out to the disciples. Don’t be impressed with numbers, be impressed with faith.

We do well to be impressed by that ourselves. Like the scribes, like the disciples, we can get caught up in numbers. Every time I go out of town to preach, one of the first things I’m asked is, “How large is the church where you preach?” Why does that matter? No one ever asks, “How strong is the church?” or, “How faithful is the church?” We like numbers. How many came? How much was contributed? How many saved? It’s like we are gathering stats as we do for a ballgame. The higher the numbers, the better, is how we think. More people, more leaders, more deacons, more money, typically means you are doing well. More is better. We’re stuck on those things. We like those things. Until we face this poor, pitiful widow who put in a penny. One penny. Anymore, I don’t even stop and pick up a penny on the street. Most convenience stores have a few pennies that they allow you to use for free to even out what you owe. A penny tip is an insult. Having a net worth in the pennies, will give a person a terrible credit rating. Years ago, some wore penny loafers. I knew a kid that put dimes in his penny loafers. Back then, a person could make a phone call for a dime. Couldn’t do much with a penny. She was worth a penny and that is what she gave.

I’m impressed that she was at the temple and she gave. The flow of the context makes it seem that she followed the rich in giving. Maybe she stood in line behind them. She could have felt inferior. She could have given up on God. She could have thought her poverty was His fault or His punishment. But there she is. In the temple, behind the rich, giving what she could. Jesus loved her for that. Jesus was impressed.

He didn’t marvel at the huge amounts that the rich were giving. They could have gave more. They weren’t even bothered by what they gave. They had a ton more. It’s the widow, giving in her poverty that showed true faith in God.

God notices what we give. God knows what we own. God knows what owns us. God is more aware of our faith. When a person gives, whether it’s to church, the cancer society, the humane society, a political party, they are saying:

1. I believe in you. We tend to put our money behind what we believe in. There is the old story of a family driving home after church services. The mom and dad were complaining about this and that. The little boy in the back seat, hearing all this, and realizing that his dad only put a dollar in the collection plate, blurted out, “I thought it was all pretty good for just a buck.”

2. I want this to continue. Everything takes money. It did back then, it does today. The generous contribution of the members where I attend help make it possible for us to send out these Jump Starts and to produce the Jump Start books. When you give, you are saying, ‘Keep it going.’

3. I want this to grow. Expansion involves money. Whether it’s building a facility, sending preachers, printing materials—to get the word out into new areas involves money. Our giving allows the congregation to do just that. The amount of money available determines whether or not a church can do things.

Have you taken a serious look at your giving? How do you determine what to contribute? Is this faith based? Can this widow teach you a few things?

This widow in Mark 12 gave. Jesus noticed. He was impressed.

Faith always impresses Jesus.

Roger