Mark 2:18-22

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

-Mark 2:18-22

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This passage is about following the rules verses a transformation of the heart.  You can be a rule follower and not really be a Christian in your heart.  It’s possible to do the right behaviors and still not be in a relationship with God.

In this passage some of the people were wondering why Jesus wasn’t following a certain man-made rule—fasting (not eating food).  In the Bible, there was only one place where God commanded people to fast and that’s for Yom Kippur also known as the Day of Atonement.  It’s when we get a day off school and our Jewish friends stop eating for an entire day.  Aside from Yom Kippur, all other examples of fasting in the Bible were rules made by people, not God.

During this passage, it wasn’t Yom Kippur, so these people were accusing Jesus of not encouraging his followers to fast according to these man-made rules about fasting.

So Jesus hits them with these two allegories for those of you in AP Lit.  The first is easy.  In the first, Jesus is predicting his death.  Jesus is the bridegroom and he won’t be with them much longer because he will be eventually crucified for the sins of the world.

The second allegory about wineskins is a bit tougher to figure out.  Just following the rules as per Jewish tradition represents the old wineskin.  This is people doing things thinking their good deeds will save them spiritually.  It’s a works-based mentality on religion.  Essentially it’s “I need to do this to save myself.”

Jesus represents the new wineskin—the new way God was going to bring about change in people.  Through the Cross, God forgives our sins and transforms our hearts.  It’s a new way of thinking.  It’s saying, “I have no power to save myself.  No action I can do will earn me favor with God.  Only God can save me.”

Are you saving yourself by trying to behave like a “good” Christian?  Or, has Jesus saved you and so you desire to live a godly life?  The first makes you god.  The second makes Jesus, God.

Who is God in your life?  You or Jesus?

Mark 2:13-17

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

-Mark 2:13-17

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Do you find yourself judging others’ sin?  Maybe you’ve looked at the behavior of some Christians and you thought, “Why would they do this?”  Maybe there’s someone at church that you feel don’t belong there.  Maybe there’s people at Harvesters that you wonder, “Why do they even come to Harvesters?  The way they live their lifestyle is so far from God!”

That’s what the Pharisees—the religious leaders of the day—were doing to others.  Levi and his tax collector friends were considered to be traitors to the Jewish people because they were working for the oppressive Roman government collecting taxes on their behalf.  People judged them for their messed up lifestyle.

But in this passage, which contains one of my favorite lines in the Bible, Jesus says that he’s come not for the healthy but the sick.  He wasn’t just talking about physical healing, he meant spiritual healing.

See at the end of the day, we’re ALL spiritually sick.  All of us have turned away from God.  It’s not just people who party and get drunk all the time, but it’s also people who lead Bible studies and are leaders at church or in AYL or at Harvesters.  ALL of us have done something or thought something today that goes against God.  That’s sin!  That’s enough.  We’re all sinking in the same spiritual boat so we shouldn’t compare who’s sinking faster!

My mom’s cancer diagnosis is currently considered to be “favorable” since her cancer is not that aggressive and fairly treatable.  If someone else has a more serious cancer problem, we don’t look down at them and say,  “Why is your cancer so messed up?”  No, instead we often have compassion to those who are sick.  We pray for them.  We hope that doctors can eventually heal them.

That’s the same way we need to look at sin which is really just spiritual cancer.  If someone’s spiritual cancer is worse than yours, you don’t bash on them.  No, instead you show compassion.  You pray for them.  You help them to find the only doctor who can heal them of their spiritual cancer—Jesus.

Are you bashing people for their spiritual cancer or are you helping people with their spiritual cancer?  As you pray and read the Scriptures, may God heal you of YOUR spiritual cancer.  May He take away your judgmental attitude toward other sinners and replace it with compassion.

Mark 2:1-12

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

-Mark 2:1-12

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Your spiritual life, that is your relationship with God, is far more important than your physical earthly life.  Notice that Jesus heals the spiritual condition of the paralytic first and then he heals him physically.  He does this to remind everyone that the spiritual condition is far more important than the physical.  Think of this way, ultimately this paralyzed man did die from a physical death due to old age or otherwise.  He’s definitely not physically alive today in 2020.   But if he has a relationship with Jesus, his spirit lives on forever.

During my time with the Capernaum ministry, I met a guy named Mark who has spina bifida, a deliberating condition that confines him in a wheelchair and causes a lot of medical complications.  He’s always going in and out of the hospital.  A few years ago at Capernaum camp, Mark gave his testimony—his story of what God has done in his life.  He said he would rather have spina bifida and know Jesus than to have a normal body and not know Jesus at all.  People were brought to tears.  My friend Mark understood the truth behind this passage—knowing Jesus if far better than anything this world can offer, even a normal healthy body.  We all need to more like Mark.

Are you so worried about earthly things like grades, relationships, friendships, where you’re going for college, and whatever else that your relationship with Jesus takes a back seat?  Take some time today to meditate on this passage.  Ask God to help you love Him more than you love anything else in your life.  Only then will you begin to enjoy the sweetness and joy of being in a relationship with Jesus.

Mark 1:40-43

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

-Mark 1:40-43

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Have you ever asked God for something and He gave it to you, but then you just forgot about Him?  You got what you wanted and so you didn’t need to kiss up to God anymore.

That’s what’s happening in this passage.  This man with a contagious skin disease comes to beg Jesus to heal him and what’s weird was Jesus’ response was anger.  Notice how in verse 41 it says that Jesus was indignant—that means angry for those of you studying for the SATs.

Why would Jesus get angry at someone asking to be healed?  Maybe because Jesus being God, could see into the future and see how despite being healed, this man still had a heart of disobedience.  After he was healed, Jesus told the man to do something, but that man didn’t do it.  In fact, he did the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Jesus told him to do.

What this reveals is the man’s heart.  He didn’t really want Jesus, he only wanted what Jesus could do for him.  And this, my friends, is how we often treat and view God.  We see God only as a magical genie who does stuff for us.  Our relationship with God is still unhealthy in the sense that it’s still about us and not about Him.

Try something different today when you pray.  Instead of giving God your laundry list of prayer requests, today, try asking God what He wants you to do.  Take some time to listen to His Spirit.  It might surprise you where God wants to lead you.

Mark 1:35-39

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

-Mark 1:35-39

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Jesus started his day spending time with God the Father.  The first thing he did was to go and pray and connect with the Father.  That time with God the Father, gave Jesus the strength and the encouragement to continue his task to save humanity.  Right before Jesus died for us, he had an intense time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane which gave him the encouragement to die on the Cross for us.

If Jesus need to the pray, we definitely absolutely need to pray!  It shouldn’t be an afterthought to our day, but it needs to be the center-piece that all our other activities—school work, entertainment, socializing—branches out from.  All other things need to orbit prayer.  Notice how Jesus spends time with the Father first BEFORE he does any type of ministry.  Even our service to God must grow out of our time with God.

As you’re living out your daily schedule during this quarantine, is prayer the center-piece of your day or an after thought to your day?  Or maybe prayer is non-existent to your day.

At Harvesters we’re going to try to be creative to help you to spend time with God and make time with Him the centerpiece of your day.  We’re thinking about having a daily communal devotional time through Zoom where people can show up to do devotions individually, but together in the senes that everyone is doing their own devos at the same time.  Sometimes it’s easier to do something when you know others are doing it, too.  Check in our Facebook group and our Instagram account for more info.

During this quarantine, may you learn to make time with God the center of all of your days.

Mark 1:29-32

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

-Mark 1:29-32

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Yesterday, in one of my Messenger groups, some of the high school guys asked some pretty deep questions about God and the existence of evil.  Essentially, they asked why God would allow the coronavirus to exist.  They were deeply bothered by how this pandemic is hurting people physically, socially, financially, etc.

A long time ago, a Christian thinker named Augustine asked the same questions about God and the existence of evil.  His conclusion was that a crucial ingredient to love is choice or free will.  When God created humanity he wanted to have the capability to love and thus He gave us the ability to choose.  Inherent in that ability to choose opens up the possibility of sin, that is to choose something that is not God.  That’s what Adam and Eve did in the beginning of the Bible.  They had a choice to trust God or not trust God and unfortunately they choose the latter and brought sin into the world.  And today, many of us continue to be like Adam and Eve choosing to trust other things rather than God.

Oftentimes we think of “sin” as just us doing “bad things.”  We think sin is like us talking back to our parents, or gossiping about someone, or not reading the Bible.  That’s actually missing the full picture of what sin is.  It’s like saying that Covid 19 is just allergies.  It’s obviously much more dangerous.

Sin is not just the breakdown of our moral behavior, it is the breakdown of all reality.  Sin breaks our moral reality, it breaks our physical reality, it breaks down our social reality.  Every aspect of our life is in deterioration because of sin.

But God loves us so much and that He wanted to stop the unraveling and the brokenness by our sin and disobedience.  In this passage we see God healing people.  God healing people in this passage is but a sign of God’s greater desire to heal all of reality.

As we’re living through this pandemic right now, we may complain that God’s plan of restoration is going too slowly, or we may wonder if it’s even happening at all.  We can’t see the whole picture of what God sees, but He does tell us the ending.  If you want a peek of where God is heading with His plan, go and read Revelation 21:1-8.  Here’s a part of it:

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” -Revelation 21:4-5

During these difficult times, may God’s ultimate plan to restore all things give you peace and hope.

Mark 1:21-28

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

-Mark 1:21-28

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Let’s talk about evil spirits.  Most of the time when we talk about evil spirits or demons in the modern world, it’s from a fictional perspective.  We watch fictional horror movies who use the ideas of evil or demonic forces to scare the audience.  Because our thoughts of evil spirits are often connected to these fictional movies, it’s easy to believe that REAL evil spirits don’t exist.  Oh, but they do!  They’re just smarter in real life than in movies.

What I mean by that is that in the Western world, the strategy that Satan (the devil) has been using is to convince people he’s not real and that he doesn’t exist.  In the award winning movie The Usual Suspect, there’s a great quote at the end of the movie that says, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn’t exist.”

So when we try to follow God, not only do we have our own sinful nature to contend with, but there are evil forces at work that seeks to stop us from connecting with Jesus.  They are not trying to scare us like in the movies, they are trying to do something much, much worse—they are trying to destroy our connection with Christ.

So if you find it hard to connect with God, it’s for good reason.  Both your sinful nature and evil forces are at work to try to stop you from doing so.

BUT, as we can see in this passage, God is bigger and more powerful than our sinful nature.  God is bigger and more powerful than these evil forces.  He is still able to draw close to us despite all these obstacles.  The fact that you’re reading this devotional is proof of that. 

When you pray to God today, add this into your prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  It’s part of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6—a template Jesus gave us to teach us how we should pray.  If Jesus taught it, we should probably do it.  Remember, He is bigger and powerful than our mess and He’s bigger and powerful than any evil forces out there.

Mark 1:16-20

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
 

-Mark 1:16-20

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Do you ever sit there or lay in bed wondering what’s the purpose and meaning of life?  In the Christian worldview of reality, we are created to be in a relationship with God.  Our purpose and our destiny are fulfilled when we become friends with God and live our lives with Him and for Him.

When Jesus asked Andrew, Simon (whose other name is Peter), James, and John, to follow him, it wasn’t just a simple invitation to go geographically to where Jesus was going.  It was an invitation to a loving relationship that would transform them and the world for all eternity.  These disciples didn’t live an easy life following Jesus, but they lived a totally complete and satisfying life dedicated to pursuing God and God’s plan for each of them.

One of the hard things about this coronavirus quarantine is that it forces us to take a break from our regular schedules and allows us to take a step back to think about what’s really important in life.  And what’s hard is that for many of us, we don’t like where our life is headed.  We feel empty, without purpose, and just wandering aimlessly in life.

I believe this is the real reason why so many of us escape into video games, or K-dramas, or whatever else that can distract us from facing the question—“What’s my purpose here on earth?”  It’s a scary question.

But Jesus has the answer.  He would say the same thing to us as he said to his friends 2,000 years ago—“Come, follow me.”

I love how Jesus invites us and never forces us to follow.  The ball is in your court.  What will you do?

Mark 1:14-15

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” -Mark 1:14-15

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What is this Good News or Gospel (It’s the fancy name for “good news.”) that Christianity talks about?  In the Christian world view, we believe that sin or disobedience to God leads not only to a breakdown of morality—like people doing “bad” things—but sin leads to the breakdown of ALL things.  Yes, that means the source of our physical death is as a result of sin.  The fact that there’s coronavirus in the world is as a result of living in a sinful broken world.  Things in this world are NOT as it should be.  There is a brokenness to our bodies.  There is brokenness to our sense of self and identity.  There is a brokenness to our economic system,  There is brokenness in our relationship with others.  Everything is broken!

The Good News is that Jesus came to earth to reverse the degradation of reality.  He came not only to fix the brokenness but to restore all things as if it’s brand new.  This is why when the Bible talks about heaven, it talks about us getting new bodies, or a place with no death or pain or tears.  Heaven is what reality looks like when God has restored ALL things.

What does this mean for you?  It means that God wants to restore you.  This passage uses the word “repent” and many people interpret that word as a religious word that tells us we need to change ourselves for God.  The Good News is that God realizes that we don’t even have the strength or power to change ourselves, so He gives us the power.  Repentance isn’t us changing ourselves for God.  It’s God changing us for us—to restore us.

If you’ve read this devo to this point, you’re already allowing God to restore you with His truth.  Keep giving opportunities for God to speak truth into your life.  Those seeds of truth will begin to transform you and help you to repent.

Mark 1:9-13

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

-Mark 1:9-13

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Being a follower of Jesus means that you’re going to face temptation.  A lot of people think, I’m going to be a Christian and everything is going to be okay and I will never have to suffer or face discomfort ever again, and that’s just not true. 

Many Christians find their external circumstances to be even crazier after they follow Jesus because there is an enemy called Satan who seeks to destroy us.  But for the Christian, what is true is the internal peace that comes with our relationship with Christ.

That’s what’s happening here with Jesus.  Jesus just go baptized here which is an amazing spiritual experience.  Many of us just saw Chris Elson, Jason Ha, and Brian Lee get baptized and it was a super spiritually encouraging event.

But immediately after his baptism, Jesus faced temptation from Satan.  Our friends who just got baptized, they are going to face temptations, too, if it hasn’t already happened.  We are going to face temptations in the areas of sexual purity, academic integrity, honesty, and trusting God’s goodness to name a few.

Why would God allow us to have to face temptations?  Because when we are tempted, it is time for us to draw near to God and allow His strength and power to keep us from falling into temptation.  Times of temptation can actually help grow our relationship with Christ.

I use to be tempted by alcohol as a high school student.  Ironically, when I was underage I drank, but I’ve actually never drank alcohol as an adult.  That’s because when I became a Christian as a freshman in college I made a personal promise to God to keep away from alcohol.  It was hard at first and super duper tempting, but I learned to depend on God to help me through it.  This temptation I faced helped me to grow closer to Jesus.  He helped me to overcome it and it increased my faith.

What temptations are you facing today?  God wants to help you and grow closer to you in the process.  Will you let Him?

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 

 “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 

 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” -Mark 1:1-8

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We are all “John the Baptists.”  What I mean by that is that just like John the Baptist in this passage prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry, today as Christians we do the same for others.  Ultimately it is only by the work of the Holy Spirit that someone’s heart can be changed.  But, as Christians, we can help prepare someone to receive and to respond to the Holy Spirit.

How do we help prepare others?  The most compelling testimony of God’s work on earth is a changed life.  We prepare others for Jesus by allowing them to see Jesus in our own lives.  John the Baptist lived a radical life in the wilderness and everyone at the time recognized that John was different in a holy way.

How do you live differently from everyone else at A@E or in Tenafly High School?  You spend time with Jesus and you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.  When you do so, you’re realize that you begin to treat your friends differently, your teachers differently, and yes, even you’re “enemies” differently.  People see that and will begin to piece things together—they will begin to realize that the changes in you come from Christ.

Are preparing the way for others?  Are you living a radical life that when people see you there is no doubt that you’re in love with Jesus?