Jesus was Radical (A Reflection on Mark 1:14-20)

“’The right time has come,’ Jesus said, ‘and the Kingdom of God is near!

Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!’” (Mark 1:15, GNB)

Jesus’ message is direct and compelling. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is at the threshold of people’s lives. This is God’s time. It is near. With such a demanding message – “You must change your hearts and minds and believe the Good News” (J.B. Phillips’ translation) – a radical response must be made. Maybe that was one of the reason why the four fishermen – Peter, Andrew, James and John – instantly “left their nets and went with Jesus” (Mark 1:18, 20). He was radical.

This part is very interesting for 3 reasons. First, usually it was their custom that the pulpits who decide which rabbi or teacher that they want to follow. But here we read that Jesus was the one who called them, “Come with me” (Mark 1:17). Secondly, instead of choosing the intellectual and well-taught religious leaders, Jesus chose ordinary men. Not stupid nor special neither, just ordinary men. Thirdly, the disciples were busy doing their daily business when Jesus called them. It shows that He desire to use their fishing skills and to teach them to “become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17, KJV). He was radical.

Pause…

As I read Mark 1:14-19, looking for more insight and understanding, I was reminded that the Scripture is not for me to (merely) gather information but to allow it to transformed my life from the inside out. Based on all of the above, many challenging questions arise as I started to think this way: Do I really understand what did Jesus mean by the Kingdom of God? What does it have to do with me and us today? Have I turned away from my sins daily? Am I proclaiming the Kingdom of God now and asking people to repent from their sins?

Have I set my personal agendas and ambitions (my ‘fishing net’) aside to follow Him? Have I take initiative to witness about the Good News recently? Am I being prejudice towards other people when it comes to evangelism? Have I neglect the ordinary people?  Am I a fisher of men? Have I use my talents and gifts to serve others for God?

[These questions and more begin to change me. Jesus is still radical]

You should ask these kinds of questions too

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Going to Start Something Big (A Reflection on Mark 1:9-13)

Baptism and Temptation of Christ by Paolo Veronese

“Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee,

and was baptized by John in the Jordan…

At once the Spirit made him go into the desert,

where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:9-13, GNB)

I remember when we celebrated The Marathon: 10^th Anniversary of FES Sarawak, we use this phase for the program flow – On You Mark! Get Set! Go! Mark 1:9:13 are like the start of a race. They described Jesus’ entrance into public ministry. Here I notice that Mark, the writer, briefly includes 2 steps of preparation which Jesus took before He “Go!” – Baptism and Temptation.

On Your Mark!

I was wondered why Jesus was baptized? Isn’t baptism is the outward expression that a person has turned from sin to God? But Jesus was never sinned! John the Baptist also was puzzled when Jesus came to him for baptism (Matthew 3:14). As I studied the Scripture deeper, I understand now that the ultimate purpose of Jesus life, death and resurrection was to provide us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness. He became sin that we might become righteous. He humbled Himself even to the point of appearing (in public!) like a sinful man. Thank you Jesus.

Get Set!

I also was curious why Jesus needed to be tempted? Now (at least) I can be in peace with this part of the Scripture because of these 3 reasons: 1) God was not worried about losing Jesus to Satan or having His plan of redemption ruined. Satan tried to make Jesus sin, but Jesus proved that (or God proved that) He would stand. In fact, Jesus would not sin and ruined Satan’s plan instead; 2) Through temptation, Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted as a human being and thus provide an encouragement and strength to resist sin and Satan ‘s scheme. He shows the way and gives us strength by the power of the Holy Spirit in us now to do the same; and 3) Jesus shows that He resisted temptation with the Word of God “It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 6,10). God’s Word is a primary source to resist temptation. Period.

Go!

In Jesus’ humanity, baptism and temptation identified Him so completely with our sinful condition. In Jesus’ divinity, however, baptism and temptation proved that He came from God. During His baptism a voice came from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you” (Mark 1:11); and after His temptation “angels came and helped him” (1:13). With John the Baptist had been prisoned, and two critical steps of preparation behind Him, Jesus began His public ministry. He began preaching in Galilee. On Your Mark! Get Set! Go!

World, are you ready?

Or are you ready for the world?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

There, Look at Jesus (Reflection on Mark 1:1-8)

“John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching.

‘Turn away from your sins and be baptized,’ he told the people,

‘and God will forgive your sins.’” (Mark 1:4, GNB)

If there was anyone in the New Testament who shouted so loud, it was John the Baptist. If there was anyone who dressed and ate weird stuffs as honey-coated grasshoppers, it was John the Baptist. If there was anyone that God want to use to prepare “a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3), then it was none other than John the Baptist.

The Gospel of Mark begins the story about Jesus Christ “the Son of God” (Mark 1:1) by introducing John the Baptist – the forerunner of Christ. A forerunner is a messenger sent ahead to prepare the way for another person. Jesus’ entrance into the world was so special to God that He sent John to prepare people for the Saviour’s coming. And he had done a great job!

John the Baptist pointed the way to Christ

With John as a prophet in their midst and the words of repentance for the forgiveness of sins proclaimed – many Jews heard him, repented and changed their attitudes about God. Now their attention (at least most of them) was on God. Oh this is amazing: once John had turned people’s attention to God; he then focused that attention on God’s Son in human flesh, Jesus Christ. As people listened intently to John, he said:
“The man who will come after me is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to bend down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 7-8, GNB).

I understand you and I may not feel like dressing and preaching the way John does, but if we’re followers of Christ, our business, like John’s, is to change people’s attitudes about God and focus their attention on Jesus Christ. Every time John saw Jesus coming, he said something like these: “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29); “I tell you that he is the Son of God” (1:34); “There is the Lamb of God!” (1:36). John was basically said, “There, look at Jesus!”

As we point others to Jesus – introducing Him through our actions and words – Jesus at the same time will begin to introduce Himself to them on the inside through the Holy Spirit. If God can use a single man to introduce Jesus to the people in the desert, He can certainly use you and me where we are today – universities and campuses, workplace and home, markets and on the street – to Jesus, the Saviour of the world. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on New Life

The butterfly is the symbol of resurrection and new life in Christ

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”

(2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV. Read chapter 5 and 6 for the text context)

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) or famously known simply as C.S. Lewis is one of my favourite writer. He was one of the intellectual giants of the 20^th century and arguably the most influential writer of his day (probably even now). Here on the subject of new life he wrote in Mere Christianity:

“In the long run God is no one but Himself and what He does is like nothing else. You could hardly expect it to be.

What, then, is the difference which He has made to the whole human mass? It is just this; that the business of becoming a son of God, of being turned from a created thing into a begotten thing, of passing over from the temporary biological life into timeless ‘spiritual’ life, has been done for us.

Humanity is already ‘saved’ in principle. We individuals have to appropriate that salvation. But the really tough work – the bit we could not have done for ourselves – has been done for us. We have not got to try to climb up into spiritual life by our own efforts; it has already come down into the human race.

If we will only lay ourselves open to the one Man (that is Jesus Christ) in whom it was fully present, and who, in spite of being God, is also a real man. He will do it in us and for us. Remember what I said about ‘good infection’. One of our own race has this new life; if we get close to Him we shall catch it from Him.

Of course, you can express this in all sorts of different ways. You can say that Christ died for our sins. You may say that the Father has forgiven us because Christ has done for us what we ought to have done. You may say that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. You may say that Christ has defeated death. They are all true.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

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Jesus as PR Man (He didn't read 'How to Win Friends & Influence People')

Why? I asked as I read the Gospel stories. In some ways Jesus made things hard for Himself. Those who had read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People would probably point our five serious mistakes He made:

First, He did not go directly and ministered to the upper-class members of Jewish society. Second, He wasted time by going to the lower-class (even the low-of-the-lowest-class) and calling on the poor, the sick, the tax collectors, shepherds, the fishermen, and the most obvious sinners in Jerusalem. Third, He didn’t try to talk people into supporting His messiahship. He didn’t use sales or insurance marketing strategy, make no glorious promises. Fourth, He almost ignored those in leadership. And to make thing worst, at times it seemed He went out His way to confront them. Lastly, He refused to compromise. He won’t give up His theology and integrity even to pull some strings in His ministry to get benefits, endorsements and political favors.

P.s: Had there been a Jerusalem Idol in the first century, trying to choose the most successful and influence preacher, not many people would vote for Jesus. In the end He didn’t have a lot of popular appeal.

Unlike Jesus, we stake so much of having a good reputation, being appreciated, gathered as many awards and best-selling lists, major in entertainment worship to win youths, misquoting and ignoring some part of the Scripture for the sake of being relevant, compromise Biblical theology in order to achieve unity over the truth, etc. In all of these, Jesus has nothing to do with it. Jesus stood alone.

Jesus didn’t come to win supports. He did the Kingdom agenda whether or not anyone supported Him. In The Book of John, Jesus spoke strongly to would-be followers and let them know what it meant to follow Him. “Because of this, many of Jesus’ followers turned back and would not go with him anymore. So he asked the twelve disciples, ‘And you – would you also like to leave?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.’” (John 6:66-69, GNB).

The diehards stayed, everyone left. The disciples stayed no one else left. But, I wonder, what if ALL of them had left? What would Jesus have done? I think, the Lord Jesus in His humanity would still obediently continue His ministry. He had come to save humankind, with or without human support. His chief ministry was to die on the cross to win God’s favor, not to win human support. He is the model of leadership, obedience and love-in-action, not as good PR Man. Follow Him and you’ll be unpopular (at least for the most part – to the world). But follow Him and you’ll have eternal life.

“Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life”
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Giving Tree

Picture title: 'The Giving Trees' by Unknown

Jesus Christ said, “Give as freely as you have received” (Matthew 10:8, NLT). Paul quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The principle of generous-giving here, as I understand it, is that we never lose by giving – we can only gain. To cynics that may sound strange, but it works. As we give of ourselves to others, we produce a giving-attitude and model for others. Giving also produce better relationships. Giving makes the Golden Rules – “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (Matthew 7:12) – a practical way of life.

I understand, by nature, however, most of us would prefer not to give. Deep inside my heart and mind, I’m reluctant and never desire to give. But the Holy Spirit that works in me gives me joy and the desire to “freely give.” That joy is the first blessing that one will receive in return. Now realize this, we usually learn generosity because someone has (first) shown us by example. Jesus Himself has shown us first what the generosity of God means is on the cross and in His divine providence. Now He asks us to do the same. It always works like this: we have been helped by a benefactor, a friend, a teacher, coworker, or boss, – and want to do likewise for another.

Do you want to be the example of giving for others to follow?

Do you want to be - for God - the giving tree?

Go for it-lah!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.