Mark 7:24-30  This scene is set in Tyre.. a city near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  Jesus went to a house there, Mark tells us. "He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice."   

We know that Jesus went where the Father sent Him and spoke what the Father told Him.  He traveled this distance for the Father's purposes....

We see Jesus in a Gentile region, entering a  ( probably?) Gentile house.. and encountering a Gentile woman.  The woman cried out to Jesus to cast the demon out of her young daughter.  Matthew tells us that the woman continued to shout, even when Jesus would not answer her. Even the disciples were stirred up by the woman's shouting and told Jesus to send her away.  But, Jesus spoke to her words that might have discouraged anyone.. "Let the children be satisfied first, for is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 

This woman continued to place her faith in Jesus, answering, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs."  A crumb.. just a morsel.. was enough for this desperate woman.  Jesus told her, " Because of this answer go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 

"And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having departed."

With faith.. in humility.. and perseverance.. this woman received the answer to her greatest need.. deliverance for her young daughter.  She asked for a crumb.. and received so much more. Perhaps someday in heaven we will meet this Syrophoenician woman.. and her daughter and hear  the rest of the story!  

But.. meanwhile.. let us see Jesus.. and learn more of Him through this snapshot. Traveling far away from His home and family.. going to a Gentile area.. meeting the need of one desperate mother.. finding her to have faith that would not let go of the Him.. until He answered.  Is this what we do? Do we come to Him with our needs and not give up?  Do we trust Him with our children? Do we have enough faith to ask for a crumb and believe it is enough?  

Our Father.. You reign over all of heaven and earth and there is none like You. Thank You for this Savior of mercy and love.. willing to go where You send Him.. willing to meet the needs of those who will humble themselves before Him.. and willing to deliver those who cannot even ask for themselves.  How great and good You are. Lord Jesus, come and fill us with Your Spirit and lead us to know You more.. to trust You more.. to believe that You will not withhold mercy for the least of us. We need You now, Lord. May our eyes be opened to see You and our hearts receive all that You have for us Father.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

 Mark 7:1-23  This scene brings the Pharisees and scribes out of Jerusalem to observe Jesus and His disciples. They must have been watching for something to accuse Jesus of.. and chose to pick on the disciples for not observing the Jewish tradition of washing their hands before eating.  The Jews were very strict about the way things should be done.. they had to cleanse themselves, their cups, their pitchers, and their copper pots in a specific way.  It was not according to the Law, but according to the "tradition of the elders". 

Jesus did not address the disciples but judged the Pharisees and scribes: " Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.'  But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrine the precepts of men, Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

Jesus gives them an example to point out their sinfulness.. They knew the commandment to "honor your father and your mother..."  But, they ignored it by devising a way to keep what should have helped their parents.. saying it belonged to God.  Jesus said that they were "invalidating the word of God" by their manmade traditions.  This was just one example. 

Jesus did not want the people to be led into traditions .. but into Truth. "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand.." He explained that it is not what we eat or don't eat that makes us impure. We eat.. the food travels through our digestive systems and the waste is eliminated. Period,

"That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man."  The heart is the problem within mankind. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." 

Instead of examining the outside of a man.. whether he washed his hands or cleansed his cup to your liking.. Jesus says.. take a look at your own heart.  Is your heart far from God? Is your worship of God only lip-service?  Are you holding on to traditions or to the Word of God? Have you taken inventory of what is in your heart and what is coming out of you?

Father, Holy God and Lord, with trembling we come before You and ask.. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." (Psalm 139:23-24)  Cleanse my heart so that I can live in purity and truth and meaningful worship.. to honor Your Name.  I ask this in the Name of Jesus, who has washed me by His blood..so that I can draw near to Your Heart. Amen. 

 Mark 6:53-56  "And when they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, .. and when they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him... " 

Once again, Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee, and the people "ran about the whole country and began to carry about on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was.." 

Jesus entered villages.. cities.. and the countryside.. and everywhere He went they came to Him bringing those who were sick.. to just touch "the fringe of His cloak;".  Just like the woman who had been healed from 12 years of bleeding.. they were healed. 

Faith.. was spreading.. those who brought the needy to Jesus had faith that He would heal their loved ones.. and those who needed His healing had faith that if they could just touch His garment.. He would heal them. 

Mark gives us a picture of Jesus.. the Healer.  This time He is not reaching out to touch them.. but they are reaching out to touch Him.  These people knew their great need.. they came willingly to the One who offered hope and healing.  They came with faith and went away cured.  How simple and how beautiful!

Do we know Jesus like this?  Do we bring our loved ones to Him that they might reach out to touch Him? Do we admit that we need Jesus.. knowing we have no other hope.. no other Name by which we can be saved? Do we recognize Him?  I pray so!

Father in heaven, thank You for giving us a Mighty Savior who came to give us hope. May we know that Jesus came to save us.. to heal us.. to make us whole! Fill us Spirit of God with this kind of faith.. to reach out.. to touch Him.. and to bring others to Him too.  What a privilege to walk with Jesus.. to know Him.. to love Him.. and to obey His Word.  Help us, Father, to glorify Your Name and the Name of Jesus in all we do and say today.  It is in His wonderful Name that we pray. Amen.

 Mark 6:45-52  This scenario is really marvelous and fascinating.. and amazing.  Jesus had just fed a huge crowd of people from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.. and then He sent His disciples away.  He alone faced the crowd of people and sent them away... and they went. 

Alone, Jesus climbed a mountain to pray.  

From the "evening" until early in the morning.. "the fourth watch".. the disciples struggled with the wind in the middle of the sea. Their boat was going nowhere.. but.. Jesus saw them.  "He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them." That opens a lot of questions for me!  Why did He intend to pass them by? Why did He not speak to the wind and waves as He had before? Why did they not have enough faith to ask for help their own selves?  Was Jesus waiting for them to pray?  Was this a test of their faith?

"But  when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw Him and were frightened."   They weren't looking for Him... they didn't recognize Him.. and they didn't trust Him to be there for them.. ..  verse 52 says, "for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened."  

It took the Lord's voice to calm them.. " Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid."  It only took His Presence in the boat for the wind to stop.  

Matthew tells us more.. that Peter asked Jesus to call him to walk on the water.. and He did. But, Peter's faith was not enough yet.. the wind and waves frightened him and he began to sink. Yet, when he cried out to Jesus, he was immediately rescued. 

Jesus told His disciples to "take courage".  We need to heed this command too..  When we are in the middle of storms and trials.. we need to remember this picture.. Jesus is walking alongside us.. His Word will calm us and His Presence can give us courage to face our fears. What we need to do is recognize Him.. trust Him.. and rest in His power over the wind and the waves. 

Father in heaven, help us to remember.. help us to trust.. help us to acknowledge You and not trust in our own understanding... but in all our ways.. even in the storms of life.. . we can KNOW that You are with us and You will direct our paths.  You see us in the storms.. You see us when we are getting nowhere on our own.  Jesus is still praying for us.. He is still walking beside us.. His Word is still able to give us courage so  that we can put aside our fears.  And if we need to walk on the water with Him.. help us to know that He will not let us sink.  Come and fill us with faith and hope and love.. and courage..  for our Savior is altogether wonderful and worthy of all our praise.  We can  put our trust in Him.. Thank You for such a wonderful Savior... . Amen. 

 Mark 6:33-44  Jesus desired to take His disciples away.. to a "lonely place" to rest.  They all needed this time away from the crowds.. away from the demands.. the pain.. the sorrow.. and the stresses.  Yet, as they went.. the people followed... "and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd;.. " 

These people had no other hope.. not from the Jewish leaders, priests, or scribes.  No hope from the Roman governors.  No hope from any other nation.  We find that we are in the same state.. if we will just admit it.  It is easy to slip into the despondency of the world.. even as the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote, "Vanity of vanities.. all is vanity" (1:2)  In a world that has slipped into darkness in so many ways.. there is only one hope.. and that Light draws us..even as the people were drawn to Jesus in this picture that Mark draws for us. 

Jesus "began to teach them many things.."   Their greatest need was the Word of God.. and Jesus fed them the Living Word.  But.. as the day began to pass and it was getting late.. the disciples were ready to send the crowd away.  Jesus had a different plan.  "You give them something to eat!" He said to them. 

They couldn't do it!  They didn't have enough food or enough money to buy food.. but Jesus was not finished with His lesson.  "How many loaves do you have? Go look!"  They did and found five loaves and two fish.  And, for Jesus, that was enough.  He took what they had, blessed it, and "broke the loaves and .. kept giving them to the disciples.. and they all ate and were satisfied..."  Not only that but the left-overs filled 12 baskets full. " And there were about five thousand men who ate the loaves." 

As I look at this event.. with searching eyes and open ears.. my desire is to know Jesus more.  I ask Him to  help me to  see Himself  more clearly through Mark's picture.  I see a precious Shepherd Who has compassion on the sheep that have a great need.. He sees them clearly and provides what they need.. Hope.  We are not told what He was teaching them there in that "lonely place".. but, we can guess that it was the Good News that God's Kingdom had come and that they could find new life.. a life of worth.. a life of joy and love and purpose. They only needed to believe in Him. He fed their souls and then He fed their bodies. Did they all go away "satisfied"?  Not just their stomachs.. but their souls as well?

Father.. Holy and Loving God.. You have given to us the Bread of Life... the Good Shepherd.. the Living Word.. Jesus Christ the Lord. We are so thankful!  You see our greatest need today.. the need for Your Presence..will You lift up Your countenance upon us.. make Your face shine upon us.. bless us and keep us in Your mighty Hand. We ask for Your grace and peace. We come to You humbly, willingly, and seek You... for You have promised that if we seek You with all our hearts we will find You.  May it be so.. in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Mark 6:14-32   This picture.. that Mark gives us.. is more of a montage. 

First we have a picture of Herod, the king.  Herod had arrested John the baptist because John had pointed out his sin of adultery with his brother's wife.  Yet.. Herod had respect for John and "kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him." (v20).  It was only because of a rash vow to the daughter of Herodias that Herod ordered the death of John. 

We also have a brief glimpse into Herodias herself.. "And Herodias had a grudge against him (John) and wanted to put him to death and could not do so.."  Yet, when her daughter danced for Herod and pleased him so much that he offered her up to half of his kingdom.. Herodias told her to ask for John's head on a platter. 

We are not given the girl's name here.. but we learn a little about her.  She was probably beautiful and as she danced before the king and his guests.. she was probably very sensual. She was young enough that she didn't realize what was being offered to her. How foolish to ask for the thing that her mother wanted.. John's head.. when she could have gained so much more that would have been to her benefit the rest of her life. 

John is mentioned here briefly.. in prison.. unexpectedly beheaded.. buried by his disciples. This picture is blurry.. eclipsed by the drama in the palace.. but more precious to the One who knew him deeply. 

But, the main picture is always the greatest one.. Jesus.  Some people thought that Jesus was a reincarnated or resurrected  John.. or that He was a prophet like those of old.  But, here we see Jesus.. totally Himself.. a "Man of sorrows"..  needing rest.. needing solitude.   His disciples returned from their missions and reported all that they had "done and taught... And Jesus said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.' " 

Jesus, blessed Savior, you show us Your love and compassion.. You show us what grief and sorrow You endured.  You show us that even when others misunderstood who You were.. it did not change Your focus.  Help us to see You more clearly and know You more through this Word that we have read today. Father, draw us nearer and open our eyes and hearts .. filling us with deep love for our Savior and King. Amen. 

 Mark 6:7-13  Mark shifts his focus in this snapshot.. to Jesus sending out His twelve disciples.  

We see that first Jesus equips them for the job: "He was giving them authority over the unclean spirits." 

Then He instructs them to take no other equipment.. no bread, no bag, no money, and no extra clothing.  They could take a staff and sandals, and one tunic.  

Next, Jesus tells them what to do.. "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town."  If they weren't received or the people would not listen.. they were to "shake off the dust from the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." 

Verses 12-13 tell us that the disciples did what Jesus told them to do. They preached repentance and cast out demons and healed the sick. 

Jesus shows us more of Himself in this.. He shows us that He chooses individuals for the work of the Kingdom.   Jesus shows us that He will be all that we need to accomplish His work. He shows us that we may not always be received but we can still tell others about the Kingdom.  There was a simplicity in this mission.. simply go.. tell others about the Kingdom and the need for repentance.. and meet the needs that Jesus equips us to meet.  He says nothing about having money to give or special words to speak.. He sends and we go.. and His work is done and the Father's will is accomplished. 

Father in heaven, whatever work You have for us to do.. in Christ Jesus.. may You will be done. May Your Kingdom come.  May Your Name be praised. Amen.