A Discussion about the Sabbath

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 5, 2020

A Discussion about the Sabbath

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27

Read: Mark: 2: 23-28

I believe there are two important messages for us in this brief passage. By the time Jesus had begun his earthly ministry, the teachers of religious law had a well-established code regulating human behavior on the Sabbath. Regrettably, while they may have been well intentioned, they missed the point of God declaring the Sabbath, and the Jewish people needed correction. Verse 27 points them in that direction.

Secondly, Jesus used the title Son of Man for the second time in this Gospel. When taking for himself this messianic title, Jesus declares he is Lord of the Sabbath, and thus their Sabbath rules don’t apply to him. Those words, and what happens in tomorrow’s passage, pretty much cast the die for Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees; that relationship was irrevocably broken.

My Takeaway: Remember Blue Laws? By the time I started college (56 years ago), Blue Laws were fading away; however, there are still twenty-eight states with some form of Blue Laws which prohibit certain activities on Sunday. With the fading away of Blue Laws in our public life, Sabbath-keeping has pretty much faded away from church life as well. But Jesus said God made the Sabbath to meet my needs. I need some serious pondering and prayer on how I welcome God’s gift of the Sabbath to meet my needs. How about you?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Discussion about Fasting

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 4, 2020

A Discussion about Fasting

Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them.

Mark 2:19

Read: Mark 2: 18-22

John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees were keeping the religious tradition of fasting on certain days. Some busybodies asked Jesus why his disciples weren’t fasting. Jesus answered them with three illustrations showing how different is the new Kingdom of God he was announcing.

By referring to himself as a bridegroom, Jesus reveals his presence marks the marrying of the Kingdoms of Heaven and Earth and also invokes the image of the most joyous of occasions in Jewish culture – the wedding feast.

Jesus’ reference to old and new cloth and old and new wineskins illustrate that he is birthing a new community of faith where everything is new! “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

My Takeaway: Jesus’ statement that his new wine needs new wine skins is a reminder for me to listen to the Apostle Paul everyday: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12: 2a NIV). Becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus, and seeking the life in Christ as my way of life, requires unlearning the ways of the world as much as learning the ways of Christ.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 3, 2020

Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)

When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Mark 2:17

Read: Mark 2: 13-17

Matthew (Levi) invited Jesus and Jesus’ friends to dinner. Mark said Jesus’ friends included, “many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)” (verse 15)

The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

That incident reminded me of a passage in Brennan Manning’s memoir, All is Grace. Brennan is the author of books such as, The Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba’s Child, and he has had a profound influence on my understanding of God’s grace. Brennan had struggled with an addiction to alcohol most of his adult life. He was asked how it was possible that someone who has had such powerful encounters with God’s grace could relapse.

His response was simple; “These things happen.”

Brennan reminds me the most difficult part of being a follower of Jesus is remembering that God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.

My Takeaway: It is so much easier to accept grace than it is to extend grace. As for me, I am so thankful to be included among the scum dining with Jesus, and may I never forget it.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.