Dealing with Doubts

Evangelical Free Church of Chico
February 28th, 2010:
Mark 9

Dealing with Doubts
Pastor Lou Diaz
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9.14-32 OIA

Observations

• Who: Jesus, Peter, James, John; disciples, scribed, great crowd, man and possessed son; spirit
• When: immediately after the transfiguration, and Jesus’ teaching on Elijah, and resurrection
• Where: down from the mountain
• What: argument with the scribes; crowd’s amazement; man’s crisis with son; disciples failure to cast our demon; Jesus’ exasperation with the ‘faithless generation’; conversation with the man as the boy is in torment; Man’s confession of belief/unbelief; Jesus’ comments on faith to the man; Jesus’ comments about prayer to the disciples
• Connections: people’s amazement; conflict with scribes; possessed child, without hope, like the demoniac or Jairus’ daughter or the woman; Again like Jairus and the woman, Jesus recognized, responded to, and strengthened faith; Jesus rebukes spirit; Jesus raises the boy by the hand, like Jairus’ daughter; privately teaching disciples
• Contrasts: mountaintop transfiguration/troubled real life; belief/unbelief; spiritual inability/prayer; boy’s hopeless situation/lifted up; crowd/privately;
• Responses to Jesus:
• Amazement
• Simultaneous belief/unbelief
• Spirit obeys after a struggle
• Boy is healed
• Disciples ask about their failure, and learn about prayer

Interpretation

• This story is reminiscent of Exodus 32 and 34 where Moses comes down from Mt Sanai; the disarray of the crowds and disciples may refer to the scene in Ex 32; the amazement may refer to Moses’ glowing face and the Israelites’ amazement.
• Faithless generation: the only other reference to generation is when Jesus says that some in this generation will not taste death…. Difficult to make sense of this saying: is Jesus referring to the disciples’ failure to deal with the demon? Or with the crowd? Or both? In part I think this comment continues Jesus’ teaching about his imminent death, emphasizing to the disciples that soon he will be gone, and then what will they do when faced with an impossible ministry situation?
• Why this conversation with the father while the boy rolls about on the ground? It seems that Jesus, while intending to heal the boy, is at the same time working on the father’s faith. As in the narratives about the sick woman and Jairus, Jesus uses a crisis to develop faith. Again Jesus acts to heal even though faith is not complete or perfect, responding to and strengthing faith simultaneously.
• In a few pages Jesus will again refer to God’s ability to do the impossible: when the disciples are amazed at the difficulty of the rich entering heaven; and in the reference to even a mustard seed of faith can move mountains.
• The coming stories refer to children several times: here, recivieng like a child, reference to the disciples as children…worth watching this theme develop!
• Why Jesus’ comments on prayer, that some demons come out only after prayer? I think that here Jesus is preparing the disciples for many ministry situations they will face after Jesus leaves, situations that are beyond their ability, that are impossible for them, where they try and fail: how should they deal with this? By prayer.
• So it is worth meditation on what Jesus means by prayer. In this case it seems to be more that reciting the Lord’s prayer; it seems to refer to a lifestyle of dependence, of realizing that only God can do the impossible, and that we must rely on him in our confrontation with ministry needs beyond our abilities or experience. We, like the father, can identify: we believe; help our unbelief. 

Application

• Jesus has authority to deal with the most hopeless of human suffering.
• Jesus can use crisis to act on minimal faith, and build that faith at the same time.
• God can do the impossible; we enter into the miraculous by prayer.

9.14-32 Discussion Prompts

Introduction

• Was there a time this past week when you felt the God say to you – listen to me about…?

 The Text: Mark 9.14-32, Page 21.1-29

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• What are all the things we can learn about Jesus from this story: What was it like to come from the mountaintop experience of the transfiguration to this situation? Why the comment about the faithless generation? Why this conversation with the man while the boy suffers? Why take the boy by the hand?
• What is this event like for the father? What do you think life has been like for this man, his son, his wife, his other children? How does this man demonstrate faith? How lack of faith?
• Look at this story from the perspective of the disciples, the three who were on the mountain, and those waiting below. What do they learn about themselves? What do they learn about faith? What do they learn about prayer?

 Application reflections

• Are we facing any impossible situations where we are beyond our capabilities? How do we apply Jesus’ words about prayer in these situations?
• Have you had an experience like this father’s: a crisis where your faith has been stretched to the max? What did you learn about faith, and prayer in that experience?
• Is there a sense in which we share Jesus’ exasperation of pursuing God’s purposes in the midst of significant resistance?

Pray

 

 

Seeing Jesus in a New Light

Evangelical Free Church of Chico
February 21st, 2010:
Mark 9:1-13

Seeing Jesus in a New Light
Pastor Lou Diaz
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OIA 9.2-13

Observations

• Who: Jesus, Peter, James, John; Moses and Elijah; voice from the cloud
• When: six days after Jesus’ teaching on coming after him
• Where: on a high mountain
• What: Jesus is transfigured and meets with Moses and Elijah; a voice speaks about Jesus identity and the proper response to Jesus’ teaching; the three are terrified, and question in their hearts about the resurrection, and about scribal scriptural interpretation; Jesus reveals the meaning of OT scripture about Elijah, and the suffering of the Son of Man.
• Connections: Jesus intentionally reveals more of himself to Peter, James and John; Moses and Elijah, mentioned before, appear personally; a voice speaks confirming Jesus identity and purpose, cf chapter 1; disciples fearful and confused; more discussion about the resurrection; command to silence
• Contrasts: people’s understanding of Christ/disciple’s view; Peter’s revelation/Jesus’ rebuke; disciples/crowds; save/lose; profit/forfeit; life/death; death/power.
• Responses to Jesus:
• Terror
• Voice expresses love, confirms Jesus’ words
• Disciples’ question Jesus about how to interpret OT prophesy 

Interpretation

• Six days: compare Exodus 24.15-16: Moses and Joshua were on Mt Sinai for six days while the glory of the Lord covered the mountain like a cloud.
• Moses and Elijah are arguably the two most significant figures in Israel’s history: Moses, leader of the exodus, Israel’s redeemer, met God face to face, received the Law, interceded between Israel and God in the wilderness, offered his own life for Israel’s guilt…; Elijah of multiple miracles, conquered Ahab and Jezebel’s pagan idolatrous priests, never died…
• After his unexpected announcement of Messiah’s suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection, Jesus invites the Three to witness a conference with Moses and Elijah; Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to accomplish what Israel has failed to accomplish: initiate the Kingdom of God, the rule and reign of God for all peoples.
• After this gathering between Jesus and two men who have been ‘dead’ for thousands of years, a voice speaks: this is my beloved son: listen to him!; and when the cloud clears, only Jesus is present. God has spoken: Listen to Jesus! He has my love, and is accomplishing my purposes, purposes which began with Moses and Elijah, and are now being fulfilled: LISTEN TO HIM!
• Kernaghan writes: “Jesus words take to new formulation of relationship between God and human: lose life for my sake…is covenant language… transfiguration subordinates the Mosaic covenant to the judgments and promises of the Son of God’ 172
• Elijah has come: Mark seems to think that John the Baptist has fulfilled the role of Elijah: in chapter 1 John appeared in clothes like Elijah’s, a prophet in the wilderness; John was abused by Herod and Herodias: Herod a double minded man like Ahab; Herodias a evil manipulator like Jezebel: they did to John whatever they wished.
• Mark makes a point about Jesus’ authority over prophetic interpretation: Jesus claims the authority to identify John with Elijah; he also claims the authority to re-interpret Messiah’s role: the suffering Son of Man.
• How is it written about the Son of Man? Jesus’ interpretation of prophesy here is something new, something un-anticipated by the scribes, as well as by the disciples: Jesus’ messiah is not the victorious restored of Israel’s political glory; instead he has come as one who suffers.
• This story clearly emphasizes Jesus’ authority to define his messianic intentions: he will suffer, die, and be raised. It emphasizes Jesus’ authority to define what discipleship looks like: if anyone would come after me they must participate with me in suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection.
• The point of this story: LISTEN TO HIM

Application

• God confirms Jesus’ understanding of his mission: to suffer, be rejected, be killed, and be raised.
• God confirms Jesus’ call to discipleship.
• Jesus’ authority supercedes that of Moses and Elijah: Jesus has authority to interpret the Old Testament Law in terms of a suffering messiah, a redeemed who is victorious over enemies by overcoming evil with good, a messiah who couquers death now with the sword, but by himself submitting to the sword.
• Who could have predicted God’s unbelievable plan for redemption: to give his own beloved Son!

Discussion Questions 9.2-13

Introduction

• Have you had any further thoughts this past week about what it means to follow Jesus in his suffering, death and resurrection?
• This next section serves to further emphasize Jesus’ authority to define both the role of the Christ, the Messiah, as well as to define the terms of discipleship.

The Text: Mark 9.2-13, Page 17.26-19.13

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• What is the significance of Jesus having this conference with Moses and Elijah just after Jesus announces his immanent future: suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection? How might the appearance of Moses and Elijah, both ‘dead’ for centuries, impact the disciples understanding of the resurrection?
• Discuss all the reasons you can think of for Peter, James and John’s terror.
• Talk about the voice: When was the last time in Mark a voice spoke about Jesus, and what did it say then? What does it say now? How do we know who the voice is talking about? What might these words mean to Jesus? To the three disciples?
• Discuss the three disciples’ question about Elijah and Jesus answer to them. Apparently the scribes have a different understanding about Elijah’s return than does Jesus. What does Jesus say about Elijah’s return? How does this comment relate to Jesus’ comments about the Son of Man? 

Application reflections

• If Jesus is God’s beloved Son, why is God sending Jesus to suffering, rejection, death and resurrection? Why has God chosen to overcome evil and death by Jesus’ death and resurrection and not by reestablishing David’s kingdom on earth to overcome Roman and restore the Law?
• What does it mean to us to ‘listen to him’? Is there something that the Lord is saying to us that we would rather ignore?
• Do we, like the scribes and possible the disciples, have any understandings about Old Testament prophecy that we need to submit to Jesus’ authority?

Pray

The Best of Mark 7 & 8

Evangelical Free Church of Chico
February 14th, 2010:
Mark 7 & 8

The Best of Mark 7 & 8
Pastor Lou Diaz
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Discussion Questions Mark 8.27-9.1

Introduction

• This section is the turning point of Mark’s narrative. Jesus’ identity is proclaimed by Peter. But Jesus’ understanding of the Christ, the Messiah, is a shocking surprise to his disciples. The rest of Mark’s narrative unfolds the implications of following Jesus: suffering, rejection, death and resurrection. Jesus’ words should shock us just as much as they did the disciples, and the crowds.

The Text: Mark 8.1-26, Page 17.26-19.13

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• Why does Jesus chose this time and place to discuss the disciples’ understanding of his identity?
• What do you think Peter meant by naming Jesus as the Christ?
• How did Jesus’ teaching about the Son of Man conflict with Peter’s, and other 1st century Jews’, understanding of the Messiah?
• Compare the role of Satan in the parable of the sower to Peter’s role here. Why does Jesus call Peter Satan?
• Why does Jesus address his comments about coming after him not only to the disciples, but to the crowds?
• How would you sum up Jesus’ comments about coming after him?
• Why might Jesus’ words here be considered something to be ashamed of?

Application reflections

• Who do people today say Jesus is? Who do we say Jesus is?
• Can we relate to Peter’s objection – that suffering, rejection, death and resurrection are central to the Christ’s purpose?
• Compare the idea that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our life with Jesus’ description of discipleship. Are they the same? Is the message today different than the message then?
• How did Jesus model losing his life? What does it mean for us to lose our lives for his sake and the gospel?
• Can we follow Jesus without experiencing suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection ourselves?
• What is there to be ashamed of in Jesus’ model and description of discipleship? Are we expressing shame about Jesus’ lifestyle and description of discipleship?

Pray

 

OIA Mark 8.27-91

Observations

• Who: Jesus, disciples, Peter, Satan, crowd;
• When: During travels in Gentile region; the transition between Jesus’ public teaching and his focus on final training for the 12, and the beginning of final journey to Jerusalem
• Where: the villages of Caesarea Philippi
• What: Jesus’ question about identity; Peter’s argument and rebuke; Jesus’ comments about discipleship.
• Connections: command to silence; Son of Man; speculation about Jesus’ identity; the conflict with religious leaders is further described.
• Contrasts: people’s understanding of Christ/disciple’s view; Peter’s revelation/Jesus’ rebuke; disciples/crowds; save/lose; profit/forfeit; life/death; death/power.
• Responses to Jesus:
• Speculation about Jesus’ identity continues and includes historic figures already dead
• Peter proclaims Jesus’ true identity
• Peter rejects Jesus’ teaching about the role of the Christ
• The disciples and crowds listen to Jesus’ description of discipleship

Interpretation

• 1st century, or Second Temple (the period of return from the Babylonian exile and the beginning of Rabbinic teaching) Jewish expectations of the Christ or Messiah focused on the restoration of David’s kingdom, God’s justice (which meant punishing Israel’s enemies and the restoration of a political nation), and recovering Israel’s unique role as God’s holy and chosen people. Rome was to be overthrown, Israel’s nationhood restored, and Temple worship restored.
• At least part of Peter’s and the disciples’ expectations about the Messiah would have been similar to those of their culture. So Jesus’ explanation of his anticipated future would have come as a real shock. Rather than vindication from Rome’s oppression, Jesus paints a picture of a victim. Rather than a restored Temple worship Jesus foretells religious persecution. Rather than a victorious revolutionary who restores national pride, Jesus predicts a martyr’s death. We can see why Peter takes this opportunity to correct Jesus!
• The way to new life is not at all what Jesus’ contemporaries, including his disciples, expected, or wanted. Jesus not only proclaims his own rejection, suffering, death and resurrection, but he makes it clear that the same things will happen to those who want to come after him!
• God’s strategy for overcoming evil and restoring creation is shocking and makes absolutely no sense from a human perspective. Victorious political power like Rome exercised, heroic conquerors like Caesar, Alexander, even King David: these do not represent God’s means of restoring fallen creation. Rather God intends to conquer evil by delivering His own son to an ignoble death and the hands of both the ‘chosen’ religious nation as well as the ruling Roman Empire. God overcomes the evils of political oppression and religious hypocrisy by the sacrifice and resurrection of his own son.
• In the parable of the sower Satan is the one who takes the word away as soon as it is sown. Here Peter assumes the role of the birds: he immediately tries to remove the word Jesus has just sown.
• Jesus’ definition of what it means to follow is universal, not limited to the disciples; anyone who wants to come after Jesus will share his experience of self-denial, of gaining life by giving life in cooperation with God’s design for redemption.
• What is there to be ashamed of in Jesus’ words? Humility, submission to God’s methods, religious and nationalistic pride are of no value, victory comes from suffering and not from accomplishment, and God is the author of this.
• What does it mean that some who heard will see the kingdom come with power? Some ideas include: the transfiguration; the resurrection; the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Application

• Are there ways that we share the religious and political expectations of 1st century religious thinkers? Is Jesus’ invitation to join him is his suffering and resurrection any less shocking today than it was 2000 years ago?
• Do we really believe that the hope for life, and for the world, comes through self denial, through giving our lives for Jesus sake? Both President Bush and Obama have spoken of the USA as the last, best hope for the world. Have we let this idea influence our understanding of discipleship?
• Who does the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness compare and contrast to Jesus’ description of what is means to come after him? Do Jesus’ words still apply to us today?

 

Sent

Evangelical Free Church of Chico
February 7th, 2010:
Mark 6:7-12

Sent
Special Guest Speaker: Kenny Stone
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Mark 8.1-26; Page 17.6-19.13

Introduction

• Any more thoughts on Jesus’ priority on bringing light to those culturally distant from us? Any thoughts on a group response to the Nepal trip report?

The Text: Mark 8.1-26, Page 17.26-19.13

• Read the text aloud to each other.

Discussion Questions:

• This is again a fairly long text with several stories: 4000, Jesus’ sigh in response to the Pharisees, the disciples’ confusion, the healing. Feel free to focus your group discussion; you may want to save the healing of the blind man for next week; or, if you feel able, go for an overview of the key themes of these stories.
• Look for connections and contrasts to the first feeding miracle: how do the disciples act? What is Jesus’ motivation? How are the hungry people the same/different in these stories? Why do you think Mark records two similar, yet distinctly different bread-in-the-wilderness stories? Who in the OT gave bread in the wilderness, and why refer to that in Mark, and at this time in the narrative?
• Why do the Pharisees ask for a sign from Jesus at this time? What do you learn from Jesus’ reply to them?
• What was the leaven, or spirit, or motivation of Herod? Of the Pharisees? Just what is Jesus warning the disciples about? What is the connection between Jesus and the feeding miracles that seems to be eluding the disciples?
• Why does Jesus have to heal the blind man twice? How is this story a parable of the disciples’ experience with Jesus?

Application reflections

• What does it mean to us that Jesus is the bread of life, able to supply needs in impossible situations?
• How are we doing in our participation with Jesus in his mission?
• Are we, like the Pharisees, refusing to act on what we see because it does not fit within our presuppositions about God?
• Are we like the disciples, at least asking questions, and in the boat, but still a bit foggy?
• Are we like the blind man, requiring repeated intervention from the Lord?
• Are we suffering from double-mindedness?
• From arrogant self-satisfaction?
• From this-world’s nationalistic expectations?

Describe your experience of being in the boat with Jesus, with him in spite of confusion.

 

Pray

 

OIA 8.1-26

Observations

• Who: Jesus, 4000 hungry, disciples, Pharisees, some people, a blind man
• Where: Decapolis
• When: Following Jesus return from Tyre and Sidon, and another eye/ear miracle
• What: another bread miracle; more Pharisaical resistance; confused disciples; another blind man healed
• Connections: the second feeding miracle; again an ambiguous response by the disciples who are the agents of this miracle, even though they cannot see the bakery for the bread; hardening Jewish religious conflict;
• Responses to Jesus:
• The crowd is obedient, and blessed
• The disciples ask, and receive, and are still a bit clueless
• They Pharisees resist, question,
• The man is healed

Interpretation

• This section rounds off a cycle of bread in the wilderness, Jewish conflict/Gentile acceptance, disciples confusion, and miracles to restore the ability to see and hear. Part of the significance of this section has to do with the disciples continuing inability to see and understand; only by the touch, and second touch of Jesus do the disciples finally catch a glimpse of Jesus: yes, the Christ; but still they see only dimly: Jesus is not the messiah they are looking for; and the next several chapters focus on the values of Jesus’ kingdom in contrast to the expectations of not only the disciples but the entire Jewish religious culture.
• Jesus remains in Gentile regions. Again the response here is contrasted with the leaven of Israel’s political and religious leadership. The next story, the great confession, also occurs in Gentile areas, in fact in Herod’s brother’s city.
• Sight, including spiritual sight comes only by Jesus’ direct intervention.
• Jewish inability to recognize Jesus, like Gentile blindness, moves Jesus to sighs of exasperation. The Pharisee’s request for a sign may be in response to Jesus’ Moses-like miracle given freely to a non-Jewish audience. Jesus’ sigh may be an expression of frustration at the Jewish preoccupation with themselves, and continual rejection of their role as a light to the nations, and preoccupation with their own flawed understanding of God’s stated intent in His blessing, and plan for Abraham’s descendants.
• What was Herod’s leaven? Perhaps double-mindedness, and inability to respond. Herod heard John gladly but refused to respond in repentance. Instead his fear of looking weak and diluting his temporal power led Herod to kill God’s messenger, and reject God’s invitation to repent.
• What was the leaven of the Pharisees? They had God in a box of their own theological presuppositions, and refused to adjust their ideas to God’s. Their purity was ritualistic; their religion self- and nationally exclusive.
• Both double-mindedness, and nationalistic self-righteousness are to be avoided.

Application

• Jesus is the bread of life. Like Moses, Jesus gives bread in the wilderness.
• Our religious/nationalistic presuppositions can have the same impact on us as they did on the Pharisees and the disciples: we miss Jesus’ mission to the nations, provoking exasperation on Jesus’ part. We, like the Pharisees and disciples, risk becoming marginalized for God’s kingdom if we will not let go of our flawed understanding of God’s intentions and purposes.
• Deaf ears, and dumb tongues, can only be opened by Jesus’ special touch. He may have to touch us more than once, and bathe us in his bodily fluids, before we can catch even a glimpse of who he really is.