And Then What Happened

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. “He said to them, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16 NIV

For the past 10 months I have had the privilege of caring for my granddaughter during the work week. I have had a daily reminder that babies and young children are dependent on the caring, loving adults in their lives to provide for all of their needs. Young children are trusting, they are curious to learn, and open to exploring their world. Babies and young children flourish, grow and mature in a caring, loving environment with clear boundaries.

In Jesus’ day, children did not have much value in society. Several times the disciples rebuke people for “interrupting” Jesus by bringing little children to him. However, Jesus does not get annoyed or treat children as interruptions. Instead he hugs them, holds them, blesses them, values them and encourages them to come to him. In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus uses small children as illustrations in his explanations of how his kingdom works. He is again turning the disciples’ expectations upside down.

Jesus tells us in the parallel passage in Matthew 18:3-4, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Status was important in this society as it seems to be in all societies. But Mark tells us that in Jesus’ kingdom, “‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’ He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me,’” Mark 9:35b-37.

Jesus calls us to become like children if we want to be a part of God’s kingdom. I need to be dependent on God, looking to him to provide all my needs, just as a baby depends on his or her parents. I need to trust God works all things out for good in my life, regardless of how it might look today. I need to be curious, ask questions, search God’s word for answers and talk to God regularly so I can learn about myself, about his kingdom and how to relate with others, just as a young child does. How about you?

By Grace Hunter

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. Mark 9:30-35

Even after finding out Jesus’ way is the way down – the way of voluntarily suffering in surrender to God’s will, the disciples still think a kingdom is coming where they will be placed in close ranks with Jesus himself. And they continue to speculate with one another about who will be greatest in the kingdom – who will sit at the right and the left of Jesus when he reigns in glory.

When Jesus asks them what they’ve been talking about, they feel somewhat ashamed. Deep down in their spirits they intuitively know Jesus would not approve of this conversation. And sure enough, Jesus uses this as a teachable moment. He reminds his disciples the first in earthly eyes will not be first in his kingdom. But the least of these will have the same unlimited access to his kingdom and therefore be considered great among all the people of God.

God’s kingdom is not one of power-filled hierarchy but one of self-forgetful love for all people. Jesus gave us the best picture of his self-sacrificing character as he gave up his divine position to incarnate among us to endure what we experience and live through it to rescue victory for us.

Still, it’s hard to remove our well worn thought patterns and social structures to imagine a kingdom where all people – all races, all ages, all social ranks, all personalities – have a place. Each person will be seen, known, and loved from a place of self-giving honor. Jesus challenges us to dream beyond our earthly frameworks to realize following him is humbling ourselves for others. Today, shake yourself out of your current frameworks and put someone else first (look for someone who is different than you or from earthly frameworks, “below” you). Reminding yourself this is the way of Jesus’ Kingdom

By Yvonne Biel

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

Imagine hearing the cry of this father for his son, “I believe; help my unbelief!” We can feel the anguish as he cries out these words! His only desire at that moment is for his son to be cured. He’s so troubled by his son’s suffering, he asks Jesus to ‘fill in the gaps’ in his belief. What a prayer that is! There’s a distant echo of the Shema for me (Deut. 6:4-9), where the Israelites were told to love God with all their heart, soul and might. My Hebrew professor in school said the word for ‘might’ could very well be translated ‘everything else.’ That sounds like what this dad is saying: my belief and everything else. Jesus tells the father his belief in the cure is all he needs.

The simple belief of this father leads to the healing of his son. Our simple belief leads to a relationship with God. Simple is the appropriate word because it really is a simple thing. The hard part is accepting it as simple. It seems in our culture, we believe everything has a cost. There’s got to be something we have to do, pay, or give for this to be palatable. The thing is, the price was already paid! This story happens while Jesus is journeying back to Jerusalem to pay that cost with his own life.

Just like this dad asking Jesus to bolster his unbelief, we have gaps, too. There are areas where our belief is either weak or non-existing. An example might be that pesky warning light on your car’s dash. What’s your first inclination? Perhaps as you go through the day, bumping into things like this, lift them to Jesus, asking him to help you believe more fully. You might be surprised at the increase of fullness in your belief!

By Rich Obrecht

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Mark 9:2-9

This passage is fascinating to me. The Transfiguration is a powerful moment in the Gospel of Mark. It literally is a high point. Try to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples, standing with Jesus, and witnessing this remarkable moment. I’d imagine some sort of euphoric response, and we see as much when Peter says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.” His heart was right – He wanted to honor Jesus (and Elijah and Moses as well).

In verse 9, they descend the mountain, the experience is over. People see Jesus – and they are filled with wonder. But the most interesting part is this descent from the mountaintop experience down the hill, and toward what would soon be death on a cross. Not only is that down from the mountain, it’s really down from the mountain. Perhaps you’ve had a mountaintop experience that seemed beautiful and amazing, and then a really dark time afterward.

Jesus had already “gone down from the mountain” once (from glory) to the earthiness of a sinful world, to do what He was there to do. He modeled a concept that is so counterintuitive we often miss it: The way up is the way down. Jesus allowed the disciples to see Him in all His radiant glory, and then He came off the mountain and headed towards an ugly cross. Through the glory of the cross, He ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father. The Spirit now lives within us, guiding us each step of our journey. Because He descended in order to ascend, once and for all. This is the way of Jesus.

It seems counterintuitive, and indeed, it is – but the way of Jesus means the way up (eventually) is the way down (currently). Suffering is a part of the life of an apprentice of Jesus. His disciples in the first century suffered, and his disciples today do as well. Following Jesus isn’t all “up and to the right” – it often seems like (and is) a perilous journey. But as we face our brokenness, embrace suffering, and seek to live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus, He begins to refine us, shape us, form and mold us, and slowly but surely, a masterpiece appears. It’s through the hard work of suffering that we see His glory, once and for all.

The way of the cross is earthy, rugged, and not always fun, despite what that TV preacher may say. Take a few moments and reflect on how a difficult season in life shaped you for the better. Ask yourself, “am I truly willing to embrace the way of the cross?” After all, the way up is the way down.

For further meditation, my dear friend Ben Thomas released a song called “The Way Up”: Spotify iTunes

The grey, the icy rain that wraps itself around
Our broken dreams, our whispered destinies It shrouds
When all the empty bottles up along the wall
Can capture melodic reverberating sounds
It tells that the way up is the way down
I find it difficult to execute the hours
When our entire lives are spent ascending towers
To find out the way up is the way down

By Larry Boatright

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

The following is an excerpt from “Show Me the Way” by Henry Nouwen:

Even though Jesus went directly against the human inclination to avoid suffering and death, his followers realized that it was better to live the truth with open eyes then to live their lives in illusion [of immortality].

Suffering and death belong to the narrow road of Jesus. Jesus does not glorify them, or call them beautiful, good, or something to be desired. Jesus does not call for heroism or suicidal self-sacrifice. No, Jesus invites us to look at the reality of our existence and reveals this harsh reality as the way to new life. The core message of Jesus is that real joy and peace can never be reached while bypassing suffering and death, but only by going right through them.

We could say: “We really have no choice.” Indeed, who escapes suffering and death? Yet there is still a choice. We can deny the reality of life, or we can face it. When we face it not in despair, but with the eyes of Jesus, we discover that where we least expect it, something is hidden that holds a promise stronger than death and that death, therefore, does not have the last word. He invites us to face the painful reality of our existence with the same trust. This is what Lent is all about.

We don’t have a choice to escape suffering and death, but we do have a choice to follow Jesus. We, too, can walk the narrow road with eyes wide open. We can freely undertake whatever suffering or self-sacrifice is necessary while clinging onto the hope that real joy and peace are not only on the other side but right in the midst of the pain because Jesus is there with us. How might you join Jesus with eyes wide open and offer self-sacrificing love to another person this weekend?

By Yvonne Biel

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:34-35‬ ‭

This passage is confounding. How can cross-carrying convert to life-having? What does it mean to carry my cross? We know Jesus can’t be talking about taking up a literal Roman cross. He is telling us that there is some kind of suffering that leads us to life. There may be misconceptions about what that means. Suffering itself is not the aim of this passage. Not all pain is a cross-carrying kind of suffering.

Pain is a funny thing. The human body experiences pain to protect us from harm. When we touch a hot stove, we experience pain to force us to pull our hand away and avoid hot ovens in the future. Pain is a gift in that way. But not all physical pain is terrible. When you lift weights, your muscles experience pain. So which is it? Is pain good, or is it bad? The same is true about social and emotional pain. Some discomfort is formative and should be carried while other sorrows ought to be avoided.

If we reduce Jesus’ words to mean that all sadness, sorrow, and pain ought to be accepted, we risk another error. That mentality has often caused well-intentioned people to embrace small suffering to avoid the deeper, more formative, cross that they ought to be carrying. They justify their avoidance by saying, “I am carrying my cross already,” when in reality, they have chosen a less terrifying reality than the soul shaping road that God actually wants for them.

An example may help. For one person. suffering under the weight of a disliked career is preventing them from facing the fear of change yet they call it “taking up their cross.” For another person, changing jobs often prevents them from facing the fear of insignificance. The kind of cross-carrying that Jesus is talking about is a kind that is committed to seeking the fullness of life offered in knowing and following the giver of life even if it requires discomfort.

So are you carrying a cross? If so, is it the cross that God is asking you to carry, or is it something you are holding to avoid the deeper journey God wants for you? Take a few moments to ponder that and ask God, “am I avoiding something? What am I afraid of and do you want me to face it now?”

By Aaron Bjorklund

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself…” Mark 8:34a

Denying oneself is so counter-cultural today. We see advertisements all the time about all manner of possessions, food, clothing, reading materials, apps, and many more, all while being told having them will make us happy and live better. It’s really hard to push that clamor to the background when we want to focus on anything else. Is this the sort of thing we’re called to do in order to follow Jesus? Are we to give up all the comforts of life so we might live faithfully? Have you ever thought about this?

What does it mean to deny self and follow Jesus? It doesn’t necessarily mean denying physical needs. In this passage Jesus had just met a major physical need with the 4000 by feeding them. After three days of following Jesus and not eating, Jesus recognized their need for food, and met it. He’d also met the need of the blind man in restoring his sight, with the double attempts perhaps being an example to the disciples the depth of their own blindness. So then, what does it mean to deny ourselves in order to follow Jesus?

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is quoted as saying, “The line separating good and evil passes … right through every human heart…”. Good and evil resides in us all! I’m certain many of us bristle at hearing this, but this understanding is entirely scriptural (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-12). In the entire span of eternity, there’s only one human this doesn’t describe, who completely denied himself in obedience to his father, and he’s asking us to do the same for him. Like the hyperbole used by Jesus about eyes and hands causing us to sin, the evil we all carry within us limits in our being true followers of Jesus. Our evil needs to go! But how do we do that? We can’t. But Jesus can!

In this season of Lent, rather than deny something to help you lose weight or feel better about yourself, why not ask Jesus to help us with something standing in the way of our relationship with him? It wouldn’t need to be huge, but perhaps something smaller, which would give you courage to deny other, larger things, like that dark corner in your heart that you can’t or won’t surrender. In your prayer time, ask Jesus to impress you with something to deny yourself, and then lean on Jesus to do it!

By Rich Obrecht

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:29-33 NIV

Jesus asks his disciples, “‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ,’” Mark 8:29b. In Greek, “Christ” means anointed one, in Hebrew it is “Messiah.” This is the first time in the book of Mark a person, a follower of Jesus, declares Jesus is Messiah. In Mark 8:31-38, Jesus spends time defining the anointed one’s role according to God’s perspective. Jesus tells his followers clearly that he will suffer, be rejected, killed and rise again. Peter was not ready for a suffering Messiah; he expected a conquering king – so Peter rebuked Jesus because he had the wrong expectations. Jesus then rebuked Peter and said, “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men,” Mark 8:33b.

Perspective, it changes everything. In the early years of our son Joshua’s life, our expectations of what our family would be like were shattered. Life became complicated, difficult, tiring and confusing. God did make it clear to us that he had a purpose for Joshua, as a disabled child. As Joshua got older, our perspective changed and we could see how his life, his attitude, his joy, and our love for him impacted other people and changed them, helping them to glimpse God’s unconditional love for everyone. We were given a godly perspective for Joshua’s life.

In Job’s time everyone’s expectations were, if one obeyed God, then blessings would follow and if a person had difficulties it was a consequence for sin. But Job was a righteous man, and his wealth, his children, and his health were taken away from him for no apparent reason. Job asked why, but God’s answer was, “God is God, and Job was not.” God addressed Job, and revealed to him God’s eternal perspective.

Read this poem by Corrie Ten Boom and reflect on God’s perspective in the weaving of your life.

My life is but a weaving,
between my God and me.
I do not choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Oftimes He weaveth sorrow,
and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent,
and the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas,
and explain the reason why.
The dark threads were as needful,
in the skillful weaver’s hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
in the pattern He has planned.

By Grace Hunter

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. Mark 8:27-30 

Jesus took his disciples to a beautiful hillside country, away from their opposition, to reflect, review and refresh. Scattered all around them in Caesarea Philippi were magnificent palaces to Roman governors, temples to Syrian gods, the supposed birthplaces of Greek gods and Jewish history from the mouth of the Jordan River. It is as if Jesus is giving his disciples a test of all he’d taught them: setting himself against a background of world religions and asking them who he is before his crucifixion. Peter responds personally, with a profound confession that has echoed down through the centuries. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus affirms that it was revealed to Peter by the Father Himself, giving divine authority (Matthew 16:16-17).

Stop and look at what the world and people around you say about Jesus. If we stood on top of Lookout Mountain, the Denver landscape would reveal the domes of world religions, Buddhist temples, Islamic mosques, Mormon spires, and centers of cultural humanism. There is a plethora of philosophies and worldviews competing for allegiance. One has to fight intentionally to hold on to a Biblical worldview in a post-modern, post-Christian, post-truth world. Everyone has an opinion, and as much as people try to ignore Jesus, push him off to the margins of life or completely out of it, he still proves himself to be God and the most central and controversial person in human history.

Test yourself. Let Jesus ask you, “Who do you say I am?” What is competing for your attention, and distracting you from encountering Jesus face to face and confessing him as Lord? Jesus asks each of us, and demands a personal verdict. As you review your daily routine, does it match up with what you believe? Does what you confess about Jesus match how you’re living? Take time now to acknowledge God’s work in you and to confess him as the reigning King and Lord of your life. Be faithful in declaring Jesus is Lord to the world. How you follow matters. They will know we are Christians by our love.

By Donna Burns

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” Mark 7:14-15

I used to believe that God could not be in the presence of sin. In fact, that was part of the way I would have described the gospel: God can’t be in the presence of sin, we are sinners, and if we want to restore relationship with God he must forgive our sin through Jesus. This may be the story of the gospel you have been taught too, but it does not reflect the scriptures. The reality is, Jesus spent the majority of his time with “sinners.” If we believe that Jesus is God, which is a key tenet of being a Christian, how can we reconcile Jesus’ ministry with the belief that he can’t be around sin? A more accurate belief is that sin cannot handle being in the presence of God. God doesn’t build the wall between us, we do.

That is part of what Jesus is getting at when he says, “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” To illustrate, Jesus then goes to the region of Tyre, the proverbial pit of dirtiness. He is not defiled by Tyre but instead he casts evil from it. This is the way of Jesus. Jesus enters into your brokenness and mine and is not defiled by it but wants to dispel it from our worlds.

If you are like me, there are areas of brokenness and sin that you long to be rid of. It’s comforting to know that Jesus is not at all threatened by our sin. This text also teaches us how to cooperate with Jesus in those dark places. Notice the way Jesus interacts with the woman from Tyre (representing the dark place). She genuinely longs for restoration, she goes to the right person with that desire, and she begs Jesus to dispel the evil spirit oppressing her daughter.

What is Tyre in your own life? Now, close your eyes and imagine that area of brokenness as a dark room in your soul. Now imagine Jesus waking into that room and turning on the lights to reveal all the filth. Imagine his posture toward that mess. He is not threatened, he is not panicked. Now ask him to help you start cleaning it up.

By Aaron Bjorklund