During Jesus’s time, children were “considered to have low social status and were often overlooked.” They represented “innocence, humility, and the least in society.” (Bible Hub)
The disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest. So in order to teach them a lesson, Jesus took a child in His arms while talking to them. He told 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 9:37 NIV
Jesus taught them that when they humbly receive with gladness the lowly and the needy, it is as if they were humbly receiving Jesus Himself. If they received, or welcomed Jesus they welcomed their Heavenly Father as well.
Our lives are not to be spent working to achieve a position. God values the one who, in humility, serves not expecting anything in return. It’s the little acts of kindness, giving “a cup of water” (verse 41) that God rewards.
“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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”” Mark 8:33 NIV
Today is Mark 8:22-38.
The Disciples didn’t get who Jesus was. They didn’t understand God’s plan. The Jewish people of Jesus’s time were looking for the Messiah, the one who would deliver them from their oppression. They had suffered greatly under the Roman Empire. Jesus steps onto the scene and does things that no one had ever seen, including healing the blind man at Bethsaida. (verse 25)
So Jesus asks His disciples as they are walking “on the way”, “who do people say that I am?” Peter answered correctly…”the Messiah”. But when Jesus tries to teach them about what is to come — His death. Peter rebuked Him.
Peter didn’t have in his mind “the concerns of God.” He didn’t see God’s bigger plan. His thoughts on the Messiah was that Jesus would be a conquering King… not death at the hands of the Romans. But God’s concerns weren’t an earthly kingdom. His concerns were His Heavenly Kingdom that is eternal, unchanging, and free of all the hardship and sadness we see in our world.
God’s ways are not our ways. His concerns are not ours. We cannot with our human minds truly understand the depths of love, joy, and peace our Heavenly Father has for us.
So the words of verses 34 – 36 seem odd to our own fleshly hearts and minds.
“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. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:34-36 NIV
Deny ourselves…take up our cross…lose my life…
These are the very things of the “concerns of God.” They are very important to Him.
As long as we are trying to live our best lives our way… after self and selfishness, we will not know Him. As long as we insist on our way instead of letting our old ways die daily on our own personal cross (a spiritual one), we will not experience His resurrected life living inside of us. As long as we insist on pursuing our life instead of losing it, we will never gain His life and live connected to Him.
Our mere “human concerns” will always lead us to having our way instead of Gods. God’s “concerns” — the things that are the most important to Him — are that we would know Him intimately. In order for that to happen, our concerns — the things that are the most important to us — must become His!
The religious leaders of Jesus’s time were all hung up on a rule based religion. They believed if they did x,y, and z they would be doing the will of God. But Jesus pointed out the sad state of their spiritual hearts. Their hearts were far from God:
“He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” Mark 7:6-7 NIV
Their lives gave evidence of what was inside of their hearts — “sexual immorality, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.” (Verse 20) What was coming out of them by what they said and how they lived (what they did) displayed what was in their spiritual hearts.
It wasn’t breaking all their manmade traditions that kept them from being close to God. It was their hard spiritual hearts that were full of sin. What was coming from inside their hearts was defiling them. (Verse 23)
The religious leaders thought that God, the Heavenly Father, wanted them to “jump through hoops” to be accepted by Him and earn His favor. But Jesus told them, their issue was “a heart condition.”
Once Jesus was asked what the Greatest Commandment was. He told the religious leaders plainly:
““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38 NIV
Our Heavenly Father desires for us to LOVE Him with all that we are and all that we have! He desires for our hearts to be His!
Jesus displayed to us how much the Heavenly Father loves us when He gave Himself — entirely, totally, and completely — on the cross. Jesus shows us a Heavenly Father that desires all of our spiritual heart — entirely, totally, and completely in return. He wants to take that heart and transform it to reflect Himself — His love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, self control.
Is my heart completely His? Or Is my heart far from Him?
“With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.” Mark 4:33 NIV
Jesus came to communicate to us what His Father was like and how to live our lives in relationship with Him as a part of His Kingdom.
Jesus told those who were listening to:
““Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.” Mark 4:24 NIV
He desired for the crowds who listened to Him to pay attention to what He was saying so that they would know and understand His message and His mission.
He desires for us to be intentional in our listening to what He is saying to us in His Word as well. If we approach God’s Word half heartedly, we won’t realize the desire our Heavenly Father has for us, which is to be faithful servants in His Kingdom — under His rule and authority.
Jesus referred to the Word of God as a seed. The more we allow His Word to grow inside of us, the more it will influence us in our daily actions. His Word is much like the “mustard seed” in verse 31. When we read His Word, or listen to it —internalize, it will grow in us and it will influence others around us. People will want to know, or experience, the life giving transformation that we are experiencing. They will want to be a part of God’s Kingdom!
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV
When I was in college, I was with a group of friends waiting to be seated at the Olive Garden. We were laughing and talking when a woman that I did not know came up to me and asked me, “Are you Jim Bergman’s daughter? You have to be. You look and act just like him.” It turns out she was my dad’s first cousin and knew him quite well. God created us in His image. His desire is for us to reflect Him, as I reflected my earthly dad at that restaurant. When people look at us, do they ask, “Are you God’s daughter? You have to be. You look and act just like Him?”
God is a triune God. He is three distinct persons, but all completely one — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are also have three distinct parts— spirit, soul, and body. Each of these parts have a distinct function. Yet we are completely one. God’s intention for us was that all of us our whole being would be sanctified or “kept blameless” — reflect His character. Or in simple terms, we are to “look like our Heavenly Daddy.”
How is this even possible? It is God’s plan. It is God’s work He does in us. It is accomplished through our deep and intimate relationship with Him. (More on this later.)
For now, I want to leave you with this question:
Do I desire to be God’s girl reflecting my Heavenly Father to those I am around? If so, ask Him to change you more and more into what you were meant to be all along, a reflection of Him — His image bearer.
Your Love 