Mark 2:18–3:6 Religion or Relationship

2 Samuel 23:8-12 Perseverance

Perseverance- Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement;continue steadfastly. Hebrews 6:9-12 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Isaiah 46:1-13 The God who carries your burdens

The prophet spoke to the people of Judah in a time of tremendous transition. They had had to get used to the notion that their homeland was no more; Judah had been taken, Jerusalem had been destroyed, the Temple had been pulled down, and they were going to have to live in exile in Babylon. It was not a happy time. They were tempted to sit down and bathe themselves in a nostalgic frenzy – how good it was back in the day. But the prophet insisted that that was a luxury they could ill afford, and that, in fact, they were showing the symptoms of a disease called nostalgia. The Bible tells us that if we carry around our old stuff too long, it will become an idol and it will be nothing but a burden. Isaiah tells Judah that, attracted as they were to the false gods of Canaan, they are going to wear themselves out carrying around burdensome stuff they should have gotten rid of a long time ago. Stuff that makes us feel like pack animals hauling bricks up the hillside. In the ancient world, quite often people had household gods, statues and images of the gods they worshiped. And if they had go somewhere, they took their gods along with them. Earlier in the Old Testament there is that wonderful story of Rachel going off to be Jacob’s wife, and she hid the household gods under her skirts. Now these things were idols; you and I know that. You and I know, and the Bible knows, and, to tell the truth, these people knew it too – that God cannot be transported like so much luggage. God is a spirit and not a little chunk of stone or metal. You won’t get charged an overweight penalty for carrying the true God with you when you travel! The picture here is of a people who are afraid to jettison old habits and old ways. They have had to pick up and move to a new place they don’t like very much. They are not sure what the future holds. But they think they might hold on to the past. So they pick up their little statuettes and load them on their pack animals and set off on their long and lonely journey to an uncharted destination. Their idols are burdens loaded on weary animals. Is it really any different with us? We have made ourselves into tired out, weary pack animals, beasts of burden, because we carry around with us too much stuff, and it is wearing us out.

Deuteronomy 31:30–32:13 The Preparation of Disruption

Experts say that when the time has come for a young eaglet to learn to fly, the parent bird at first tries to coax the youngster into flight. If this method fails, the mother then resorts to what seems to be much harsher treatment. The mother bird will force her offspring off the nest out into the air. By this discipline of disturbance, she accomplishes her desire and design, the first flight of the eaglet. Now Moses, laying hold of this wonderful picture, shows that this is how God has acted toward His people. When they were settled down in Egypt, God stirred their nest through persecution until they were ready to leave for the Promised Land. Let’s look together at this preparation of disruption.

Mark 7:24–30 Impressive Faith

In this story Jesus left the Jewish area of Galilee for the seaport of Tyre, a pagan Gentile area. This was a very un-Jewish and un-rabbinical thing to do, but He knew there was a desperate mother there. Notice the verbs describing her: she heard about Him, came, fell at his feet, and begged His help. Yet Jesus answered her not a word. Her response to His non-response was to keep crying for mercy. Desperate people do desperate things. When you’re desperate you don’t care what people think, you don’t give up easily. Jesus finally said, in summary, “I’ve been sent to the lost sheep of Israel. My mission is the Jews. Why take the food of children and give it to dogs?” The word dog would be better translated, little dog or puppy. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their puppy.” Jesus was not being unkind, but making a theological point—His first priority was the Jewish people. “Yes, Lord,” the woman replied, “but even the puppies under the table get some crumbs.” In other words, “What you’re saying is true, but I don’t need the full meal. Just a few crumbs will be sufficient.” Can you sense this woman’s faith? Jesus did. “Woman,” He said, “you have great faith!” The Greek word is μεγας(megˊ-as), source of the English prefix mega. This woman had mega-faith! From this story, notice the characteristics of this impressive faith.

Mark 2:18–3:6 Religion or Relationship

I wonder how many people we turn off to the gospel by arguing about religious concepts rather than sharing the truth of Jesus Christ’s love and mercy to save us from the wrath we deserve. I wonder how many people got ready for church without so much as a thought of who they were coming to worship. Mark 2:18–3:6 highlights the difference between religion and a relationship in three encounters Jesus had with a group of Pharisees. There is all the difference in the world between religion and relationship.