Jesus and the Prince of Demons

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 10, 2020

Jesus and the Prince of Demons

“I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”

Mark 3:28-29

Read: Mark 3: 20-30

Much has been written about the present “cancel’ culture. The latest to be canceled is the Catholic author, Flannery O'Connor. Loyola University Maryland announced that it is renaming the Flannery O'Connor Residence Hall on campus primarily because of something O’Connor wrote in a letter to a friend when she was eighteen years old. O’Connor died in 1964. Some suggest this “woke / cancel” culture is a new movement. As we read today’s passage, we see the cancel culture is at least two thousand years old.

Today’s passage is a testament to the astounding ministry of Jesus. Through his teachings and miracles, crowds converged on him wherever he went. At the beginning of today’s reading, Mark said Jesus and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. How do you explain Jesus’ fame in such a short period of time? Jesus’ family still knew him as the carpenter’s son from Nazareth. They concluded he must have gone mad. The religious leaders were more devastating in their assessment. They concluded Jesus was possessed by Satan, who gave Jesus the power to cast out demons.

Jesus turned their charge against them through simple logic. But then Jesus made a very harsh judgment: “. . . anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”

My Takeaway: If all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, why can’t the sin against the Holy Spirit be forgiven? Because a person who can look at the miracles of Jesus, the wholeness of lives restored, and conclude it is the work of Satan has completely closed the door in their life to God. They can’t be forgiven because they will never ask for forgiveness.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)

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.

Crowds Follow Jesus

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 7, 2020

Crowds Follow Jesus

The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

Mark 3:8b

Read: Mark 3: 7-19

When the crowd gathered around Jesus, he healed many. His miraculous ministry had been become known far and wide. In another point of irony, the evil spirits Jesus cast out cried out “You are the Son of God!” Apparently, the evil spirits knew who Jesus was, but the Pharisees were blinded by their arrogance in seeing that truth.

Jesus next moves from the shoreline to a mountain where he calls twelve Apostles. The number, twelve, is of course symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. When Jesus called the Apostles, he had two purposes in mind. First, he wanted them to be close to him so they could learn from him. Secondly, he intended to send them out to preach and heal and to cast out evil spirits.

My Takeaway: On July 28, 2020, I wrote about hearing Jesus call us to be his disciples. I believe Jesus still has these same two purposes in mind when he calls us today. He wants us close to him so we learn from him. He wants to send us out into our communities so we can be witnesses for him. Jesus still empowers us to fulfill every mission he has for us.

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 Heals on the Sabbath

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 6, 2020

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

Mark 3:4

Read: Mark 3: 1-6

Jesus said “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people.” Some of the people listening to Jesus had their own ideas about the needs of the people, and Jesus’ ideas didn’t fit into their plan. So, they began a plot to kill Jesus.

This story is the climax of five stories, each with its own controversy. (Mark 2:1 through 3:6) The irony in this story is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Jesus performed a good deed, a restoration of wholeness on the Sabbath. The religious leaders responded, on the same Sabbath, by plotting to kill Jesus.

My Takeaway: The Sabbath was made by God to meet what God knows are my deepest needs. The more that I allow God to reveal to me my deepest needs, the more His wonderful Sabbath will be healing for my brokenness.

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.