This is a devotional with my thoughts added to verses from the Bible. I highly encourage you to dig into the word with your own thoughts. The Daily Devotion series is one way to do this. However, I know that sometimes we want to read other people’s ideas about Bible passages, so I am starting the Everyday series. I hope and pray that these posts will draw you nearer to Jesus.
DAY 1–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 1:40-45 A Leper Healed
Then a leper came to Jesus and began pleading with him. He fell on his knees and told him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and told him, “I do want to. Be made clean!” Instantly the leprosy left him, and he was clean. Then Jesus sternly warned him and encouraged him to go at once, saying to him, “Be sure that you don’t tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and then offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as proof to the authorities.” But when the man left, he began to proclaim it freely. He spread the news so widely that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but had to stay out in deserted places. Still, people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Jesus had previously healed people and cast out demons, so the leper had hope. He courageously approached Jesus even though the law stated that he must always keep his distance. No one stopped him. This was because lepers were kind of like skunks. You might want to shoo them away, but you are very careful about how you approach them. In some ways, there was a certain power in being a leper. If you decided you wanted to clear an area, all you would have to do is walk into it, and everyone would leave. Thus, even though the disciples would have wanted to protect Jesus from the leper’s approach, they failed because of their cultural conditioning. Even with the lack of interference from others, the desperate leper still did not touch Jesus. This leper was bold, but not that bold. Instead, he fell on his knees in front of Jesus and cried out that if Jesus chose to, He could make the leper clean.
Jesus’ compassion was not only demonstrated in cleansing the leper’s disease, but also in His willingness to touch the tainted man. Humans need touch. Babies who are not touched have a higher death rate and are more likely to have stunted growth. Adults need touch just as desperately. The leper had lived without physical human contact for a long time. When Jesus reached out and touched the leper, more healing was taking place than just the removal of leprosy. As humans, we cannot perform miraculous healings without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, but we can provide healing touch to those who are lonely, grieving, and depressed. The hug of a brother- or sister-in-Christ can communicate more love than a thousand words. It is in our power to demonstrate healing compassion through a simple touch.
After the leper was healed, Jesus told him not to tell anyone. Jesus knew that If the crowd following Him became too large, it would dilute His message. This message was of eternal importance whereas healings were temporary fixes that would only extend a physical life that was still ultimately destined for death. If the leper told of the healing, even more people would crowd around who were only interested in seeing or receiving a miracle, not in the messages from the Father that Jesus had come to deliver. Jesus understood that more is not always to be desired. The quality of an interaction is more important than the quantity.
Because the leper disobeyed Him, Jesus could no longer freely perform His ministry, but had to avoid settled areas because the crowds of people would bring disruption to any town He was preaching in. He had to be careful not to call the wrath of the priests upon Himself too soon. There was also the problem of staying away from the attention of the Romans who might view crowds in a town as revolution. However, even avoiding towns did not stop large numbers of people from surrounding Jesus. On the other hand, the people who were making the effort to find Jesus were not simply curious bystanders. They had been drawn to Him in some way. In addition, by preaching in wilderness areas, Jesus was more accessible to people from more distant areas because the towns would now be too confining for visitors to congregate.
It was God Himself who had given the rules about keeping distance from lepers and other laws of ceremonial uncleanness. The laws were given to protect the health and welfare of other people. These rules limited the spread of disease and promoted the wellbeing of society, yet Jesus freely ignored His own rules. Why? Because Jesus is not contaminated by our disease and sin. Instead, He purifies anyone and anything He touches. In this seemingly contradictory situation, we find some principles that we can follow in our own lives. When there is danger of harm by contact, we need to consider carefully and prayerfully how close we should come to the danger. For example, there is no reason that children who are growing and developing character need to encounter hurtful situations and evil people. Children need security from harm and loving attention to grow well. On the other hand, children also need to learn compassion for others, so Christian parents must find situations where their children can safely participate in helping the less fortunate in carefully supervised interactions. God wants us to touch the lonely, but He also wants us to be protected from harm. It is only through prayer and guidance from the Spirit that we will strike the right balance of compassion and safety.
DAY 2–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 2:1-12 A Hole in the Roof
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some scribes were sitting there, arguing among themselves, “Why does this man talk this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were saying to themselves. “Why are you arguing about such things among yourselves?” he asked them. “Which is easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Then he told the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!” So the man got up, immediately picked up his mat, and went out in front of all of them. As a result, all of the people were amazed and began to glorify God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
When reading narratives like this passage, it is helpful to try to picture the events in our imaginations.
In our mind’s eye, we can watch as pieces of the ceiling begin falling onto the crowd. As dust showers down, Jesus looks up. There, a hole has appeared in the ceiling. Soon, someone is being lowered down to the floor. Imagine the crowd pushing back against each other in order to make room. Peter’s expressions change rapidly as he is caught between anger at the damage to his house and wonder at watching his Master once more demonstrating the power of being the Messiah.
Jesus looked on the vandalism committed by the paralytic’s friends as a sign of faith. If they went to that much work and destruction of property, they must totally believe that Jesus could solve their companion’s problem. These friends had been focused on one objective. If they could get to Jesus, their friend’s problem would be solved. Too often we think of faith as something that we have to build up so that we can move mountains. Instead, faith is believing and trusting that Jesus can move mountains. Jesus said that it is not the quantity of our faith that is important. He emphasized that a grain of mustard seed is enough faith. It is not how much faith we have; it is who we have faith in. Too often we put our faith in ourselves rather than relying on God. These friends knew that they could do nothing for their friend, except bring him to Jesus. That is the faith we need. Bring the problem to Jesus and trust Him to solve it.
At this point, Jesus knew that the biggest concern of the paralytic was to have his sins forgiven, so the assurance of forgiveness was provided. The paralytic believed Jesus and felt immediate relief. That was faith. The scribes, on the other hand, revealed that their true attitude was the opposite of faith. They started muttering to their neighboring scribes (like some of us do when we disagree with a point made in church). “That’s wrong. Who does He think He is? Only God can forgive sins. He’s putting Himself in God’s place. That’s blasphemy against God!” Which example do we follow? Are we like the paralytic, taking God at His word that we are forgiven? Or are we more like the Pharisees, arguing that our sins are too big to be simply wiped out by God’s mercy. Do we keep worrying over our failures like a dog chewing on a bone, or do we simply believe and relax into the assurance of God’s love?
In a short time, the mutterings of the Pharisees had probably increased in volume and attracted the attention of the crowd away from the paralytic and the roof. Jesus responded to their complaints by emphasizing that He not only had authority on earth to forgive sins, but He could prove it. Then He commanded the paralytic to rise, grab his mat, and go home. The faithful paralytic followed Jesus’ instructions instantly. Others in the crowd were moved to praise God and believe in Jesus’ authority rather than the Pharisees’ skepticism. Like the effect of the paralytic’s actions upon the crowd, our faith can be instrumental in increasing the faith of those around us. When we follow God in total trust, others who are on the fence become more settled in their own trust in God.
During this interaction between Jesus, the paralytic, and the Pharisees, the vandals who brought their friend for healing watched everything through the hole in the roof. When they saw their friend walking toward the exit carrying his mat, they raced down and met him on the outskirts of the crowd surrounding Peter’s home. Imagine the scene as they did the equivalent of high fives and pounding each other on the back. Tears of joy ran down their faces as they hugged each other. Excited voices rang down the street as they spoke of their experience. “Did you see? Can you believe it?”
However, there was still a big hole in the roof of the house. It is likely that either that evening or the next day, the paralytic and his buddies returned to the scene of their crime with tools and supplies to repair the roof. If not, Jesus’ disciples would have had a big job to do after the crowd left. Even here, there is a lesson for us. After the big celebration, how many of us stick around to help with the cleanup? Following Jesus is not only about the music and the sermon. It is also about vacuuming the floors and taking out the trash.
What is the takeaway from this story? God looks at the motives that direct our actions rather than just focusing on our behavior. When an action is based on the need to be close to God and the belief that everything will be okay if Jesus is with us, God sees our faith and smiles. He approves of us even if we do not express our desire to be with Him in socially acceptable ways. Like Jesus, we need to look beyond other people’s outward actions to the motivation inside, and if that motivation is of faith, it is important to overlook behaviors and words that might seem rude or “bad” by Christian standards. However, we cannot discern motivations by ourselves. We need God’s help to see the heart of people and to bring healing to their hearts regardless of their observable behavior.
NOTE: In my imagining of the events, I place Jesus in Peter’s house. This is the most likely location for this event. However, it is possible that (based on a detail from Matthew’s account) this event took place at another location. When using your sanctified imagination to picture the events, do not become dogmatic about details that the Bible does not clearly define. It is okay to believe that this incident took place in Peter’s house, like I do, but be open to the possibility that your belief is mistaken. Do not place such nonspecific details on the same level as the great truths that the Bible clearly explains.
DAY 3–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 2:13-17 The Call of Levi Matthew
Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd kept coming to him, and he kept teaching them. As he was walking along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector’s desk. Jesus told him, “Follow me!” So Levi got up and followed him. Later he was having dinner at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners were also eating with Jesus and his disciples, because there were many who were following him. When the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick ones do. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”
Jesus had returned to Capernaum. There would have been a need to replenish their supplies and renew contact with loved ones. However, the crowds had arrived and filled Peter’s house so that it overflowed into the streets. When a paralyzed man and his friends could not find entrance, they tore apart the roof of the house to get in. Thus, it became necessary for Jesus to go back to staying in open areas. One location with the capacity to hold large crowds was the beach area by the sea, so Jesus taught the people there. This would have been the perfect classroom with the beauty of nature enhancing the lessons of the Creator. The sound of seabirds would have mixed with the quiet lapping of the water to form the perfect background music for Jesus’ words of wisdom.
Were crowds of people following Jesus as He walked along, or had He dismissed them for the day? Maybe, it was early in the morning before people began gathering. Where was Jesus walking when He called Matthew, also known as Levi? From Mark’s account, it is unclear if the tax collector’s location was by the sea or not, but at least one source suggests that Matthew was collecting taxes on the fishermen, so his booth would have been near the seashore. It is likely that Matthew had previously listened to Jesus’ words and seen miraculous signs. Maybe, Matthew and Jesus had even spoken before this day. Somehow, Jesus knew that Matthew was ready for a calling. The wealthy tax collector needed no second urging. Matthew did not look back at his old profitable life as he stood up, left everything behind, and followed Jesus. If only we would follow Matthew’s example, we would avoid a lot of heartbreak and temptation. Too often, Christians want to have their cake and eat it too. They try to continue working in a job that is opposed to God’s commands. They continue to participate in worldly entertainment that corrupts their minds and hardens their hearts. In the end, their walk with God seems meaningless and shallow to them. They do not understand that the problem is not with God. The problem is that they have not taken hold of God and followed Him completely.
Every day, we need to renew our commitment to being Jesus’ disciples. Every decision we make should be filtered through the love of God. Jesus said that if we do not love Him more than our own families, we are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37). How much less worthy are we if we set meaningless work and activities as a higher priority than our Savior? Jesus calls us daily to break bread with Him (Revelation 3:20). Will we rise and follow like Matthew when He calls us, or will we put Him off until the day comes when we no longer want to follow Him?
Later, Jesus and His disciples ate at Matthew’s house. The Bible does not tell us how much later. Maybe, it was the same day. Maybe, it was months after Matthew’s calling. The house would have been fancy, but few Jews would have envied the owner. As a tax collector, Matthew was viewed as a sinner and traitor to his people. That reputation may have been a blessing for Jesus though because it kept Matthew’s house from being overrun with people, unlike Peter’s house. The religious conservatives and patriots would not have been caught dead in a tax collector’s house. In addition, there may have been a walled court around the house and a locked gate to keep away unwanted guests. There may also have been servants to deal with anyone who tried to crash the party. The passage says Jesus and His disciples ate there. Since Matthew was later one of the twelve, this cannot mean all the disciples. It may have been Peter, Andrew, James, John, and maybe someone else.
One of the reasons that Jesus might have felt relief when eating with sinners is that it meant that the Pharisees and scribes would not be there to constantly attack Him. He could enjoy doing what He loved—teaching sinners how to have a relationship with His Father. That occupation was preferable to sparring with people who claimed to be loyal to His Father while rejecting everything that His Father stood for. He could rescue people from His enemy instead of fighting skirmishes with so-called friends of God who were really foes.
In our churches, we need to be careful that we are acting as God’s friends rather than His enemies. It is not enough to have smiles of joy as we sing songs of praise. We must have hearts of love as we discuss issues at board meetings or attempt to organize activities together. We must withhold judgment when dealing with the obnoxious and foolish. Can we criticize a messy situation or a wrongheaded sermon while still displaying love towards all involved? Would Jesus feel relief in our presence, or would He prefer to be in a lodge in the desert far away from us (Jeremiah 9:2)?
The religious people condemned Jesus for socializing with sinners and traitors. Jesus’ response was that He had come to heal the sick and the sinners. Righteous people refused to receive Jesus’ call. Corrupt people viewed the call as a lifesaver to rescue them from drowning in evil. Could it be that when we view ourselves as righteous, we can become deaf to hearing Jesus’ call? Could being right cause us to close our ears to the promptings of the Spirit? Self-righteous indignation can be the bane of the Christian. It is not enough to be right. We must also be loving, or we are wrong. It is when we know that our SELF is unworthy that we have the ability to hear Jesus’ call. We must pray to always be open to the Spirit’s leading and never believe that being right in the world means being right with God.