Twelve

Posted on Mar 9, 2014 by M Emlyn Humphries

What a glorious day today. The sun shone and all across Takeley could be heard the sound of mowers. It was also a delight to see exotic Brimstone butterflies making their spring flights.

Mark 5:21-5:23

Last week we looked at the story sandwich of Jairus’s daughter being healed, and the lady who was healed by reaching out and touching Jesus’ clothes. The lady had been bleeding and therefore unclean for twelve years. There was an expectation around Jesus that he would heal, so much so that Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, broke ranks and approached Jesus to come to his sick daughter.

As he walked to Jairus’s house, the women who was separated because of her uncleanness audaciously entered the crowd and touched Jesus. Again Jesus was not made unclean but made clean and she was healed of the bleeding. Jesus turns to her and commends her faith then sends her away in peace and commands the healing of her disease. Once more Jesus looks beyond the outward bleeding and restores the woman to whole health.

But the little girl has died in the mean time. There is a lot of noise as the mourners bewail her death and Jesus tells them to be quiet. They laugh at his naivety and he leaves them, taking his close friends, friends who trusted him. And the little girl was brought back to life and given some food. She was twelve years old.

Her whole life had spanned the uncleanness of the lady.

In Mark 5:19-20 we see how the man delivered of daemons was to proclaim the work the Lord had done for him. His Gospel to the gentiles was the good work Jesus had done for him. Jesus is the Lord is the plain message here.

In grasping Jesus’ garments the lady was proclaiming her faith that Jesus was the Lord. Her faith was that even Jesus’ garment would heal those who touched it. This was no idle idea, she risked her life going in to the crowd, who would have turned on her had they realised. But she recognised the coming of the day of the Lord in Jesus, pictured as the rising sun with healing wings…

Malachi 4
4 [a] “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

In bringing the girl to life Jesus showed that her faith was well placed.

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Chaos

Posted on Feb 18, 2014 by M Emlyn Humphries

Mark 4:35 to 5:20

Jesus himself embodies the kingdom of God: he is the revolution, the restoration and the revelation of God’s Kingdom. Jesus himself is the source of life in all creation. The disciples have heard how this Kingdom is to be revealed and how it will grow. They have heard that in its very nature it cannot be hidden. Jesus has alerted them to the possibilities in resurrection. In him and his word are the form and fruit of the kingdom, just as in a seed.

Who indeed is Jesus? The life within him commands the waves of the sea; he brings order to the chaos embodied in the monster of the storm. Yet he is a man who needs to rest and sleep. In the rage of the storm and the vulnerability of his resting, Jesus calls his disciples not to be afraid… ‘Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear…’ Continue reading →

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Small things

Posted on Feb 9, 2014 by M Emlyn Humphries

Mark 4:26-34

Having read these two parables, the one of the seed growing and then being harvested and the other of the mustard seed growing o become a great tree, we are confronted with the fact that Jesus had to explain these and other parables to the disciples,” …as they were able to hear.” This signals that we have some work to do here.

The promise is that the more we listen the deeper we will go and the more we will receive. That is what we learned last week. Continue reading →

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Go Deeper

Posted on Feb 4, 2014 by M Emlyn Humphries

And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4: 21 – 25 (ESV)

Jesus has selected his disciples and gathered them around himself. In Mark, the teaching moves on to his establishing of community of the disciples, founded on his ministry to the apostles. His choosing of twelve was a political act, a statement that something new was happening. His authority has been established and even the demons are declaring who he is.

In the parable of the sower Jesus indicates how the coming kingdom is not the kingdom anticipated. He explains why the re-sowing of Israel is not as they expected.  The reason? The pride of Israel, the old wine skin; the torn garment; could not contain the kingdom. This is only visible to those whose hearts are prepared and from whose hearts much fruit will be revealed. Continue reading →

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Inside- outside

Posted on Jan 27, 2014 by M Emlyn Humphries

A Psalm 32 Prezi to enjoy

Mark 4:1-20

We are living in a forgiven world. Last week we saw how all sin is forgiven but some are too proud to receive this forgiveness and their pride places them outside the grace that is in Jesus. (Mark 3:28-29)

This week we see this worked out in the parable of the sower. In the meeting someone shared how often truth is hard to accept but sometimes can be smuggled into our hearts through a story, giving it a chance to work. Often I wonder if the familiarity of the parable of the sower means we don’t let it work and also we forget where it appears in the story of Jesus.

Again there is a large crowd, nobody is turned away; there is abundant provision. Jesus throws his teaching out to each one. We have seen how he devotes much time to teaching those who do not want to hear him or want to see who he is; but he stills reaches out to them.

God’s blessing is to those who are willing to hear, inside or outside. Continue reading →

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