Jesus the Demon's Fear

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” (Mark 3.11)

Can we imagine what it must have been like for the demons? They had spent years tormenting, undisturbed by the weak faith of the masses, twisting the bodies and abusing the souls of men and women. And then one day in the midst of all their mischief who should appear, not a mere Jewish exorcist but Jesus, the Son of God!

Before their fall they had worshiped at His throne. Before they had followed Lucifer in his vain folly they had seen Jesus in His eternal glory, enthroned at the right hand of the Father. And here they found themselves, face to face with divinity! What horror! Read the gospel account of Mark we need not read a malicious intent into their proclamation, as if the demons are trying to expose Jesus' true identity. I see shock, unadulterated terror, as they recognize Jesus: the source of all the demons' fear. They are hopeless at the hand of God Himself.

And this gives us a beautiful moment of pause. That same authority, that same unparalleled power has seen fit to dwell in us, frail jars of clay. Jesus, the demons' fear and the angels' rejoicing has poured out His Spirit on us. We have no need to tremble as we walk in righteousness at the appearance of the enemy because Christ Himself stands with us. He places His arm around us, empowers us with His Holy Spirit, and drives out demons.

Jesus, you are the demons' fear, the One true God who is supreme over the visible and invisible. Thank you for delivering me from sin and delivering others through our Spirit-empowered prayer.

Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath

And [Jesus] looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3.5)

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. In the beginning, within His triunity, He modeled for us a time of rest and reflection after He completed the work of creation. In the law, spoken by His Spirit, He set down a day to be kept holy, set apart, honored by humanity as a day to rest. Over time though the people of God warped their blessed time of rest and reflection into a mandate of boredom and rigid displeasure; for what is more pleasing to God: to see His people fed in their hunger and freed from paralysis or seeing them needlessly starved and crippled?

And so Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath speaks to us as He did on that Sabbath day in the synagogue. He asks us not only what is lawful, but what is best. Whether we cast ourselves as the man with the withered hand, one of Jesus’ disciples or a hardhearted Pharisee, we must answer His question: How are we acknowledging His Lordship in our rest and reflection? As He surveys us, will He be grieved with what He finds? We see in the Lordship of Jesus His supremacy in our repose. We find in the meditation of our life, our brokenness and our need for a willing and gracious Savior. Jesus is ready to stretch His hand out and heal us. We will find restoration on the horizon when we honor Him for who He is: Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus, thank you for healing me and setting times to rejoice, days to rest and refresh myself in your presence. It is not the day for itself, but the day for you!

Jesus the Appointer of Apostles

And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. (Mark 3.14-15)

What a commission! Jesus appointed twelve men, made in His image, to carry divine purpose. Like Jesus they were born, raised in homes, trained in trades and entered into the society of their day. Diverse and contradictory backgrounds. One was a tax collector, a stooge for an oppressive Roman emperor. Another was a zealot, a man hungry for blood and revolution. Some were educated and titled, while others were tradesmen. He invited them from across their cultural contexts and called them to be with Him.

How incredible to be personally called by Jesus. To hear our names on His lips. To feel His arm on our shoulder as we journey down the road. To feel His divine gaze as He watches us searching for the meaning of His words; and yes, even the heavy stare when, like the Pharisees, we can’t quite grasp His meaning.

Today, like the twelve, long before we would ever consider ourselves ready, are we willing to hear Him naming us apostles; to be His messengers sent out with purpose? We would much rather stay near Him, enjoying the wine of His nearness and eating the bread of His presence, but into the thirsty and hungry world, Jesus is sending us. He imbued His disciples with power to cast out demons and authority to proclaim His good news! Is Jesus’ missionary love enough to drive us out into a dying world, trusting His indwelling Spirit will goes with us? Today, let us rejoice that someone felt appointed and carried the good news to us.

Jesus, thank you for calling your Apostles. Show me how you would have me carry your message as I am sent out by your Holy Spirit into the nations.

Jesus the Caller of Disciples

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him (Mark 3.13)

Connecting words are fascinating. Every minor variation speaks nuance. Humanity was made on purpose. The men, women and children who populate this spinning sphere were made on purpose. Not accident or happenstance but creative power exerted for a reason. Now change one word: Humanity was made with purpose. We move beyond an act of Divine creation to a driving holy intention. All nations and languages have been imbued with a shared reason for existence. Our lives are more than just a meaningless moment between cradle and grave. We are more than just transients between womb and tomb.

Humanity was made for a purpose. Into the chaos and crumbling of our failed systems, God calls to us. He calls us back to Himself for a purpose. To know Him. To experience His presence and call others to enjoy His love.

But how often and how quickly we forget. We become so overwhelmed with the mundane we fail to breathe in God’s presence. And when we do happen to remember our purpose, the world explodes in politics and wars and furies. We can hardly see purpose through the clouds of debris and smoke, or hear His calling through our ringing ears.

So Jesus stands above them all. The mundane and the incomprehensible. He stands on the mountain and He calls us. He repeats the call He’s been making from the very beginning. He calls us to discipleship: to be near Him, to walk with Him and rejoice in His nearness; to carry His love and gospel to the world around us who have forgotten or never heard His name. Jesus, the caller of disciples is still calling.

Jesus, I hear you calling. Help us draw near and create space for others to experience your love.

Jesus the Brother and Son

And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! (Mark 3.33-34)

As Christians we can readily anticipate opposition and conflict from those outside of our fellowship. We expect persecution to our witness. We know that there are men and women hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ and our relationship to Jesus is despised and dangerous. But it is more difficult and more surprising when we encounter conflict inside the fellowship of believers. How can it be that we, the people of God, His sons and daughters who have each personally experienced absolute forgiveness, can be so unforgiving, so vengeful, so “family”?

Why do we struggle with those within the family of God who try to mother us? Men and women within the fellowship of God who see their role in our lives as stewards and mentors without our assent. We face conflict with our brothers and sisters because each of us has a dream and vision of a more Christ-centered future and we are unable to share our aspirations together. Sadly and too often, our sibling rivalries cast our God-callings against each other.

Jesus struggled with this too. Jesus our Lord and Sovereign is also Jesus the brother and son. He was misunderstood by his mother—his mother who loved him dearly and raised him—and he experienced a conflict of vision with his brothers—who saw the dangerous path their older brother was taking—and came to “rescue” him from himself.

Conflict within the body of Christ is inevitable as long as we stand on this side of eternity, but we can rest assured that our Divine Lord understands our struggles because He is Jesus the brother and son.

Jesus, help me live within Your family in a way that brings You glory and strengthens the calling You’ve given me.