Beginnings in John's Gospel

Just a few simple thoughts regarding some 'Beginnings' that we have mentioned in John's Gospel.

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word..."

This takes us right back to the beginning of time itself, the dawn of creation, and how wonderful to remind ourselves that Christ was there! There was never a time when he was not, for he is the eternal Son of God. The verses also serve to remind us that not only is Christ pre-existent to his coming into the world but that he is the great Creator! Scripture bears ample testimony to his power in creation, this scripture and also Colossians 1 are just a couple of examples. How good it is to remember that the one who is our Saviour is also the one who created the heavens and the earth!

John 2:9-11 "this beginning of miracles did Jesus..."

Here we have a beginning of miracles and this  serves to remind us of the immense impact the Lord Jesus made when he came into the world! If any proof were needed that our first 'beginning' were true then surely we see it here when we read the Gospels and read of the many and innumerable miraculous works. I love how his works all brought glory to God and demonstrated his power, his compassion and his wisdom. The Lord Jesus had power to change lives then and praise God he still has life changing power today too, through his saving work on the cross.

John 15:27 & 1:37-40 "and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning"

A beginning of following is our final thought in this little series. In John 15 the Saviour is preparing his disciples for a time when he would not be there. He gives them comfort, strength and encouragement and reminds them of the time they began to follow him. What a journey was theirs! Just think of the things they had been privileged to see and hear with their own eyes and ears, and now soon they would be bearing witness for the Saviour. For each of these men there had been a time when they began to follow the Lord Jesus (we have referenced one account in our heading), and so too it is for us, thank the Lord for that! However how previous it is to reflect that from his point of view we are "chosen... in him from the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4). Let us take encouragement from this and serve him well, bearing witness to him in this world.

Yours for His glory, Mark

The healing of the man deaf and dumb

I've been really enjoying this account from Mark 7:31-37 as it is a lovely opportunity to witness the compassion and grace of the Saviour. These qualities are so rarely seen today, yet we see them in such abundance and beautiful balance in the person of the Lord Jesus! How we should also be marked by these attributes, not a cold or cruel nature, but by warmth and gentleness, kindness and compassion.

Note the helplessness of this poor man - he was deaf and dumb! Think about this, as here was one who could not have heard about the Saviour, his tremendous miracles or his authoritative words and teaching. Here was one who could not have called out or asked to meet the Saviour. Remember both of these features were present in the case of Bartimaeus the blind man! It was when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth that he cried out to the Saviour for mercy. This man could not do either of these things, yet in God's grace he meets the Saviour, who takes time to bless him and change his life forever.

The gospel writer Mark gives us the actions of the Saviour in lovely detail, as you would expect from the writer showing us the Perfect Servant and recording his actions and movements. Here are just a few simple standout thoughts that I had regarding this account:

• The Lord Jesus takes him aside from the multitude. This would be an intimate one to one experience where the man would focus upon the Saviour and the Saviour would deal with him directly and exclusively. I think this would have been unusual for this man, as the society of the day was hard and cruel. Remember that the Lord reproved the Pharisees for devouring widow's houses; the Gospel's tell us of unjust Judges; doctors who would take a woman's life savings in return for their guess-work; and tax collectors who would skim off the top from the people! I don't think this man would have known much human interaction, as a man who was deaf and dumb would not make for good company, he could not hear what people said and he could not articulate much to them (if anything) in return! Yet the Saviour lavishes this personal attention upon this man.


• Notice that in verse 33 of our account there are no words spoken, just the actions of the Lord recorded. Upon reading this I notice something lovely - the crowd plead with the Saviour to put his hand (singular) on this man, yet a careful reading of the verse tells me that it is possible that this man knew more physical contact from the Saviour than anyone else. The Saviour puts his fingers (plural) in the mans ears (plural) so I envisage the Lord using both hands and embracing this mans head with his hands and fingers. The man also had his tongue touched by the very spittle of the Lord Jesus, one of only two miracles where this was used. The Saviour always gives more! Our ways are not his ways, and he delights to show us his abundant goodness in our lives. How touching to think that soon those blessed hands that had been around this man in compassion would be taken and cruelly nailed to a rough wooden cross.


• The Saviour sighs and looks to heaven, the place from where he had come into this world that was so marred by sin. When the Lord Jesus looked to heaven I believe it was not just an upward look to the sky, but into the very portals of heaven and the presence of God the Father. The Saviour knew a better place, a better realm where there was no sin, neither could there be! A place of perfection, peace and happiness, completely free from the taint of sin and its consequences. I think this was a sign for the man, that here was something from heaven just for him. The one standing before him was from a heavenly realm, and God himself was the source and giver of this blessing.


• Straightway, or immediately the man could hear and the string (or bond) of his tongue was loosed, and he could speak plainly! No speech therapy needed here, his healing was full and complete.

I often wonder what this man said with his new-found speech? Scripture says that his tongue was 'loosed' like it had been captive, and that he had longed to talk and speak as others for some time. It could be that this man had so much to say that he had thought about for many years, so much to communicate, so much pent-up frustration! However, I think that all that he had wanted to say was forgotten as now there was a new message upon his lips, one that bore testimony to the man who had healed him, the Son of God, his healing power, grace and mercy!

Surely we would agree with the statement toward the end of our reading - "he hath done all things well..." how true of our blessed Saviour, Gods only well-beloved Son! Surely we could put this over his whole earthly life, well should we continually bear testimony of the one who has done all things well and give him thanks and praise.

Now in a song of grateful praise, to our blest Lord the voice we raise; With all His saints we join to tell - Our Saviour hath done all things well!

And since our souls have known His love, what mercies hath He made us prove! Mercies which all our praise excel - Our Saviour hath done all things well!

And when on that bright day we rise, and join the anthems of the skies, among the rest this note shall swell - Our Saviour hath done all things well!

(Samuel Medley)

The leper who said thank you...

Luke 17:12-19

If you read the passage above you will read of a lovely occasion when a leper (one of ten in the colony) returned to give thanks to the Lord Jesus as he healed them. In many ways this account is a lovely picture of the sinner being saved and born again, and responding with thanks and praise as they walk in newness of life. As an interesting side-note I believe this is the only example in scripture of an individual actually saying thank you directly to the Lord Jesus following a miracle! I find lots of other interesting points to note from this account:

• Notice that the lepers "stood afar off" forming their own colony on the outskirts of this community. Of course this was scriptural, as in Leviticus 13:46 we read; "all the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." Leprosy meant uncleanness, corruption, defilement, and meant separation for that person. Surely a perfect picture of the sinner, as we read in Ephesians 2:13 "ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ"


• On top of all this man's problems, scripture records that "he was a Samaritan" and in these times the Samaritans were looked down on by the Jew "the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritan". What a sorry condition for this man! Diseased and decaying, untouched by medicine, unclean by the law, put out from society and shunned by the Jew! But on this day he was to meet one who would deal with the Samaritan, and who was willing and able to cleanse the leper and turn this man's life around.


• I think on the subject of medicine, Luke the physician would have been particularly impressed by these events as they were relayed to him! Leprosy was not a condition that was treatable in those days, in fact leprosy has only been treated successfully in the 20th century. Lepers would almost certainly face a miserable existence where their condition would deteriorate as the decay would further disfigure and debilitate the poor person. Remember that leprosy was a matter for the priest not a doctor, as lepers were pronounced so by the priest (Lev 13) so it was unlikely that a leper had ever seen the inside of a doctors treatment room! Medicine had no answer for the condition, but the Son of God has all the answers, and he loves to show compassion and mercy just as he does when he saves the sinner!

I love to think about the reaction of the priests when this man (and presumably the others) arrived to be examined and pronounced clean. Would a priest ever have been faced with a cured leper? I doubt it! Just think of what the scriptures say about those who were lepers: 

• Gehazi (2 Kings 5) he was told that the leprosy would cleave unto him, there would be no respite or abatement!


• Jereboam (2 Kings 15) he was a leper until the day of his death


• Remember the words of the Lord concerning lepers - "many lepers were in Israel... none of them were cleansed... save Naaman the Syrian". On the subject of Naaman the Syrian, he would not have presented himself to the priest, this man was a Syrian and had no regard for Jewish law!

So perhaps we now find ourselves asking the question, why would the Word of God give us Leviticus chapter 14 then? Here it clearly talks about "the day of his cleansing"  and what the priestly procedure should be. Well my thought is simple - I believe that God in his infinite wisdom, his grace and mercy made provision for the leper knowing that there would come a day when a Samaritan man would come before a priest and say "I've been made clean, and it was Jesus of Nazareth who healed me!" You see the day was coming when God's Son would walk this earth and even the leper in his hopeless condition would be cleansed, such was the power and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cold-hearted Jew would need clear instruction from the law of Moses to know what to do and to re-integrate these individuals into society. Remember the Lord Jesus told them that some of the law was written for "the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept". 

Is there any wonder then that this man turns to give thanks and worship the one who had transformed his existence? Before he met Christ he had no life, no hope, no prospects, no joy! He now begins his life anew, one with happiness and a whole new outlook, because of the Saviour. Surely this should speak to our hearts as we apply this to ourselves, as sinners saved by grace we should turn and give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and mercy in saving us!

Yours in Christ, Mark

Some morning meditations...

I have enjoyed some recent thoughts from some 'morning scenes' in the gospels, and they have been very enjoyable for me at least anyway, so I share them here so that others too may be encouraged. We will look at the morning scenes one by one, starting today with a morning at the temple.

A morning at the temple (John 8:1-5)

We read that the Lord Jesus went "early in the morning he came again into the temple..." and it seems that shortly after he arrived they brought him an adulterous woman. Of course they were looking to present a situation to the Lord that they hoped would cause him to fail and then they could capitalise on this.

Here we have a perfect demonstration of that poignant truth illustrated in Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD" as this sinful woman is brought to the Lord he chooses to act in grace and mercy, rather than to judge or condemn her to death. It is important to note that the woman was guilty, there was no doubt about that! Although her male counterpart is suspiciously absent, they were both under the death penalty according to the law of Moses. The law said that she should be stoned (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:32) but what we see instead I believe is a practical demonstration of what John speaks of in his gospel - "for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:7). Aren't we ever thankful for the grace of God in our lives? For the fact that it was "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". I always find it lovely to see that the only one who was qualified to cast a stone chose to graciously spare the woman rather than move in righteous judgement against sin. He had said that only those without sin should pick up stones to stone her, and so of course, they were not qualified - but he was! He was the sinless, spotless Son of God. Praise God for the words of that hymn - "who is a pardoning God like thee, or who has grace so rich and free?!"

There is another item of interest in this account that I found quite humbling, and that is that the Saviour stoops and writes in the dust of the ground. Although dust is not mentioned in the King James version it is mentioned specifically in other renderings of the verse. Firstly I am always amazed at the lowliness and humility of the Lord Jesus! Not only in his condescension in coming into this world, but here we see him stooping further still and writing in the very dust of the earth he had created. How incredible to think that the very Son of God, the one who is God manifest in flesh stooped and his finger inscribed a message in the dust of the ground for those witnessing to see and read! The message has long been erased and forgotten, we can only speculate as to what he wrote.

I find dust a fitting medium for the Lord's message. Here he is faced once again by the sin of mankind, both from the guilty woman and the wicked hearts of the men who sought to test the Lord. How it must have grieved the heart of the Saviour to see this behaviour from the creatures of his hand. But a message is wrote in the dust of the ground, dust from which man had been created in the beginning! Remember the indictment of man in response to the fall and the entrance of sin - "for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return" - sobering words indeed, as the mortality of man is described vividly by God. As sinful and mortal men they should have fixed their focus on things spiritual, of getting right with God through repentance and faith in the Saviour but sadly this was not the case.

Let us be ever mindful of the priorities in our lives, and perhaps show more of the grace and compassion that the Saviour demonstrated so fully and freely in his earthly ministry!

Yours in Christ, Mark

The people at the cross of Calvary

Have you ever thought about the different groups of people there at the cross of Calvary? There are many ways you could look at this subject but it occurred to me the other day that there were 3 groups of people who were described in relation to their position. There were those that STOOD, those that SAT and those that PASSED BY. I enjoyed this short study and we will share some simple thoughts here.

Those that STOOD

There were many people standing in the vicinity of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ that day 2000 years ago, but I wanted to just focus this study upon the women that came from Galilee to be at the cross. Luke says;
"and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things." Luke 23:49 ESV

I don't know if you have ever thought much about this, I know I hadn't until I looked at this properly! Why should these women follow him from Galilee? Why would it specifically be recorded that women followed him from Galilee?
Remember that this was a day when women were treated unequally, and were seen as second-class citizens. The Lord himself rebuked the Pharisees for their harsh treatment of women and widows in particular.

It was then that my mind turned to the frequent times when the Lord Jesus brought blessing, comfort, and protection, honour and respect to the lives of the women of his day. Here are just a few occasions, there are many more:

• He had compassion upon the woman of Canaan and her daughter


• He had time to bless the widow of Nain by restoring her son


• He protected the woman taken in adultery when the men of her day were ready to stone her


• He made a specific journey through Samaria to speak with that woman by the well


• He cast evil spirits out of many women including Mary Magdalene


• He gave special place to their children - "suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God" I think these women appreciated this and were drawn to the Saviour due to his gentle and kind nature. Well might we sing "gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child" and "there's a friend for little children..."


• He had a special address for those joyful daughters of Zion as he entered Jerusalem on that triumphant day. Interestingly He also had a specific address for those weeping women that day that he was led out of Jerusalem bearing his cross.


• Finally remember that touching moment at the cross when the Saviour made provision for his mother that day. Surely only he truly understood those words spoken of her that "a sword shall pierce through your own soul also"...

Those that SAT

"and sitting down they watched him there" Matt 27:36

Again, I don't know if you have ever thought much about this, or whether this verse had struck you at all. Upon reading this passage it struck me afresh the callousness and cruelty of men, that they should torture, abuse, humiliate and then crucify an innocent man, one who had exhibited nothing but goodness, love, compassion, kindness and grace in his life and then watch him, mocking him and deriding him as he dies. Not only this but they were not prepared to suffer an ounce of discomfort as they did so, but rather they would take their comfort and ease as the Saviour died in agony. Is it no wonder that the Word of God reminds us in Psalm 1 (words which ultimately are fulfilled in the Saviour) "blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers..." ESV

Interesting that in a future day the tables will be turned, and the Lord himself shall sit and laugh in derision at the futile rebellion of those armies of men in a future day; "he who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision" Praise God that the Lord Jesus Christ has risen and ascended to his Father's right hand and one day will be glorified and acknowledged as Lord by all, and will be victorious over all his enemies!

Those that PASSED BY

Even more so than the other 2 points, I genuinely had never thought about this one or noticed this before. Only Matthew and Mark record this (interesting as Matthew speaks primarily to the Jew and Mark to the Gentile)
"and they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads..."

Once again the heartless cruelty and casual wickedness of man's nature is shown. These people were passing by, going about their daily business as if nothing had happened! Here they pass through the scene at Calvary, not stopping to take in the significance of the event, or to show sorrow or even a modicum of compassion towards the blessed man who hung upon that cross! Think about it - what on earth could have been more pressing or more important to them at that time? But no, they put if from their minds, merely shouting their derision and scornfully mocking him as they pass by. I am reminded by the poignantly prophetic words of Lamentations 1:12 "is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger..." It was nothing to them!

Praise God the Lord Jesus was not marked by their same spirit! He would not pass the suffering one by! Think of that parable of the Good Samaritan, a picture of the Lord Jesus and the stricken, helpless and needy sinner. He would not pass us by, but saw us in our need, wounded, destitute and ready for death but he stepped in and moved in love and grace toward us, praise God for the lovely character of our Lord Jesus Christ!

May God bless these thoughts as we continue to remember and worship our Lord and Saviour.

Yours in Christ, Mark

Christ the spotless Nazarite

So this week I have been looking through Numbers chapter 6 and learning something about the vow of the Nazarite. It has been a really useful study with plenty of practical challenges about living a separated life for God and bringing him glory and pleasure through our walk and Christian life for Him.

However, from a devotional point of view I was thinking about how the Nazarite ultimately speaks of the Lord Jesus and in Him we see the perfect fulfilment of the Nazarite vow.

If we read Numbers 6 we will there realise that the ultimate purpose of the vow was to bring honour and glory to God. This was made possible by the individual following strict rules and showing tremendous discipline! It required human effort, willingness and endeavour in order to fulfil the law concerning the Nazarite.

Of course when we come to our Lord Jesus Christ we shall see that he did not need to vow the vow of the Nazarite in order to show his devotion to God. He did not need to strive from a human point of view to fulfil that Nazarite law, and there was no need for discipline or effort on his part to walk a pathway that brought pleasure and glory to God! He did this intrinsically because of who he was - the sinless, spotless Son of God. God manifest in the flesh! We love to remember that the Lord Jesus was daily his Father's delight, he did always those things that pleased the Father, and the Father was well pleased with Him. The life of the Lord Jesus brought infinite pleasure and glory to God!

However, we may remember that one of the Nazarite conditions was not to be in contact with or near any dead thing, even if it was close family that had suddenly died. This was because he would be defiled and made unclean. We recall that on several occasions the Lord Jesus was in contact with dead bodies, but praise God he could never be defiled or tainted by sin! Heb 7:26 tells us that he is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners..." 

I looked at just this one feature of the Old Testament Nazarite and found much that touched my heart concerning our Saviour. I am thinking now in particular of those 3 occasions recorded in the gospels, let's look at them briefly here now.


Remember there was Jairus' daughter (Matt 9, Mark 5, Luke 8), that 12-year-old girl tragically struck down in her young years. Here I am struck by the power and authority of the Lord Jesus. Remember that the Saviour spoke of her as being merely asleep, and the people laughed him to scorn for saying this. But to our blessed Saviour, her dead state was to him just as if she was asleep, he could easily awake her from death such was his power! It was God that breathed life into man in the first instance, now here he could restore life again just as simply! We remember the people who had once mocked the Saviour were now overcome with amazement! This same Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, he is powerful today and mighty to save and transform lives just as he did then.

Now I turn to Luke 7 and see that tragic scene at the gates of the city of Nain. Here the only son of a widow has died and is being carried out in the funeral procession. Notice how that nobody actually tells the Saviour the facts of this sad situation, he knows all things. He knew that this was the only son of this poor woman, he knew that she had also lost her husband and so would have known much sorrow, anxiety and concern for the future. He sees her, he has compassion on her, he reassures her and he touches the coffin. He restores to that woman her only son, he brings in life where death was, he gives her back her joy, comfort and support and hope for the future with just one act! Here I marvel at his wonderful grace and compassion, and surely this has been shown and bestowed upon us as sinners saved by grace!

Finally I look at John 11 and the raising of Lazarus, the dear friend of the Lord Jesus. Here I notice his deep love, for at the tomb of his friend he wept and the Jews commented "behold how tenderly he loved him!" (Amp). How this should move us and warm our hearts to see the Saviour who is all-powerful and knows all things, moved to tears as he contemplates the sadness and sorrow that sin has brought into the world. It touches the lives of everyone, and here the Saviour stands at the grave of his friend whom he loved dearly. I am reminded of such scriptures as "the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me", "he loved them unto the uttermost", "greater love hath no man than this..." and "hereby perceive we the love of God..." Surely we have known, experienced and have come to appreciate the tremendous love of the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise God that he loved us and died for us at the cross of Calvary.

There at the cross we see that he "offered himself without spot to God" (Heb 9:14). The perfect example of the Nazarite - holy and sinless not only in his life, but also in his death, he offers himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin.

Let us kindle our hearts in thanks and praise for our blessed Saviour!

"A perfect path of purest grace, unblemished and complete,
was thine thou spotless Nazarite, pure even to the feet!"

Yours in Christ, Mark

The 7 Sayings on the Cross (2)

"Today thou shalt be with me in paradise"

Naturally I have paired this with that direct request of the thief on the cross to the Lord Jesus:

Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom"

This is indeed a lovely scene in the midst of all the pain and suffering there at Golgotha. It is lovely to see amidst all the mocking, scorn and the flagrant wickedness of man at the cross, that we also see a glimpse of repentance and faith from a single individual.

Here we see dialogue between a thief and the Saviour. It is interesting to note that the thief was someone who took from others that which wasn't his to take, but the Lord Jesus was one who freely gave to others that which only he could give!

The repentant thief is rewarded with the sure promise of eternal life in response to his faith. It is lovely to see the dramatic context of this conversion - that at the last opportunity that life afforded him, this man's eternal destiny was changed forever!

And so the cross changes our destiny too. It is easy to forget that we too met the Saviour at the cross and as a result of that meeting we also are bound for heaven and have eternal life in Him. Our conversions may well have been less dramatic in terms of their situations and circumstances, but the end result was the same - a sinner was saved by grace! Saved from judgement and wrath, and won for heaven!

We praise the Saviour for showing a care and interest in us, that ever he should come and give himself so that we might be saved.

Yours in Christ, Mark

The 7 Sayings on the Cross

I have been enjoying some thoughts recently on the 7 sayings of the Lord Jesus from the cross (as we like to call them). In particular I have been contrasting and comparing them with things that were said either to the Lord or about the Lord by those at the foot of the cross at that time. It is interesting when you consider this as it tells us so much about the character of our Lord Jesus, and I hope you too find them beneficial. We will look at one each day so it is in nice bite-size daily amounts!

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do"

It is true that the first and last statements from the cross both address the Father, but how interesting that this very first saying, should be in grace and mercy on behalf of those who were putting him to death and treating him so shamefully! I have 'paired' this first saying of our Lord Jesus with the mocking accusation from the foot of the cross:

"Thou that destroyest the temple and rebuildest it in 3 days, save thyself and come down from the cross"

I realise that this first saying was possibly directed at and in response to the actions of those cruel Roman soldiers, but for the purposes of this small study I have put it alongside this statement for comparative purposes. Their statement shows just how much they had misunderstood the teaching of the Lord Jesus, and in particular the temple analogy. Remember that 'threatening to destroy the temple' was one of the things they had accused him of before Pilate, in an attempt to add some sort of credence to the trial. It only showed how little they understood of him, for the scripture says "but he spake of the temple of his body". They didn't appreciate what they were doing in terms of eternity and God's plan of salvation, they thought they were putting an end to this man who said he was the Son of God, but in reality they were fulfilling God's will in relation to His Son. They were fulfilling the original meaning of his teaching regarding the temple of his body! He would die and rise again on the third day. How tremendous to remind ourselves once again that they could do nothing that had not been permitted by the Father, they would only fulfil the scriptures concerning him and his death! He would not and could not come down from the cross, for he had humbled himself in coming into the world and had become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He would complete the work that the Father had given him to do, and would not turn aside from that pathway. Remember that it was this pathway that made a way of salvation for you and me, and we praise God for that today!

Tomorrow we will look at the second saying from the cross...

Yours in Christ, Mark

"Fairer than...greater than...lower than...higher than..."

Just a few short thoughts on the subject of our Lord Jesus Christ and hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I have in recent days.

"My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever." Ps 45:2

It is always a good place to start at to consider the beauties of our Lord Jesus Christ, particular perhaps when we gather on a Lord's Day morning to remember and worship him. The verses above really capture the enthusiasm of the Psalmist as he considers his subject and tries to express his worship. His heart is overflowing, his tongue is eager to give voice to his thoughts, willingly and abundantly! Oh that we might be able to catch hold of that zeal!

Of course the Psalm is Messianic, that is a Psalm that speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ and surely as we consider him we would agree that he is fairer than all others we would care to consider. Think of the beauties of the Saviour that we see in the gospel records - his grace, compassion, holiness and purity, his wisdom and love  for those in need around him! His meekness and humility despite his rejection and sufferings... Surely his beauty surpasses all others, he is the altogether lovely one and the gospels bear record to his lovely character.

"Fairer than all the earth beside, chiefest of all unto thy bride,

Fullness divine in thee I see, beautiful man of Calvary!"

 

"...greater than the temple... than Jonas... than Solomon" Matthew 12

Our verses bring together that 3 fold cord, that wonderful trio of thoughts here in Matthew 12.

The temple - the temple system had failed at this stage, it merely represented empty ceremony, ritualism and was corrupt and ineffective and the Lord pronounced this diagnosis throughout his earthly ministry. It should be obvious to us that Christ is greater than the temple! Hebrews tells us of "a new and living way", "a better covenant" and "a greater and more perfect tabernacle". The temple was where the priests served, and Christ is indeed the greatest priest, for who better to represent man before God than a man who was God himself? This is an amazing truth, that the Son of God was also the Son of Man, God was manifest in the flesh!

Jonas - The reference to Jonah would surely remind us of a message and a messenger from God (as Jonah was a prophet) and Christ is surely greater! As we said in our previous point, who better to bring a message to men from God than God himself? Indeed the scriptures say "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us"

Solomon - The mighty and glorious king Solomon was the greatest king in Biblical history, God said there would be none like him, yet the Lord Jesus is greater than Solomon! The verses remind us of his rejection, as the Queen of the south (a gentile outsider) came to see Solomon if all that was said of him was true, and she saw and believed! The Jews of the day lived alongside the Saviour, he came unto his own, but his own received him not. They rejected him and despised him, they would not have this man to reign over them! How sad.

Thankfully scriptures such as 1 Tim 6:15 and throughout the book of the Revelation remind us that he is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" surely he is greater than Solomon, and will be universally proclaimed as such in a coming day (Phil 2:9-11)

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Heb 2:9

It is always worth remembering that the Lord's incarnation brought him lower than the angels, what a monumental stoop that must have been for Him who is "better than the angels"... I think that sometimes we forget this immense stoop to "lower than" so easily, possibly because we cannot fully understand what it means when the scripture says that "though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor". We have mentioned Philippians 2 already and this passage would also tell us much about that humbling downward stoop he took, in fact it mentions a 7 fold humbling in verses 7 and 8.

The verses tell us why he was incarnated, it was so that he might die. What a strange yet marvellous thought, that here was one who was born so that he might die! Even stranger still when we consider that he knew nothing of death from his position with his father God in eternity past. Yet he tasted death for every man, he knows all about the suffering of death, he went through it all, the agony and shame of it! What is more he bore the judgement for sin at the hands of a holy God, and forsaken he bore it alone.

"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" Heb 7:26

Praise God we can close our thoughts by considering the Lord Jesus in this way, as higher than the heavens. He has been down to the depths for us, but how good it is to know that he has been vindicated! God raised him from the dead and has exalted him above all others at his right hand, Philippians 2 follows the same theme; "wherefore God hath highly exalted him"

Praise God that we can sing the words of a hymn that is primarily taken up with his sorrows and sufferings;

"Now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

We trust this post has been heart-warming and thought-provoking.

Yours in Christ, Mark

 

 

 

Some thoughts on "all things"

Dear fellow believers, I had been thinking a few weeks ago at the beginning of a New Year about the phrase "all things new". This phrase comes from Revelation 21 as the Lord announces the new heavens and the new earth after all prophecy has been fulfilled and the Lord brings in a new heavens and a new earth fit for the eternal state.

As we look around at the world around us, we can't help but contrast this wonderful prospect with the sin and misery that we see around us! Surely we can echo the words of the apostle: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."

This sparked my interest in a short study of other mentions of "all things" and I found it most profitable.

Where to start then? I often find myself thinking this and end up starting at the beginning, common sense I suppose!

"All things were made by him" John 1:3

There are other scriptures as well which would testify to the creatorial power of our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1 for example) and of course this would point us into the past, showing us that the Lord Jesus was there at the beginning, displaying his power and deity bringing all things into being. This would surely reinforce to us his eternal sonship, there was never a time when Christ was not there!

"They wondered every one at all things which Jesus did" Luke 9:43

This scripture would direct us not now into eternity past but to the time when he walked upon this earth and his earthly ministry. An alternative rendering would read as follows; "they were marvelling at everything he was doing" what a lovely thought this is! We remind our hearts that everything our Saviour did was incredible and amazing! He was so different to the men of the day, in fact he is unique, his actions, words and motives marked him out as special. He was the sinless, spotless Son of God, and  because this so evidently flowed out into his daily ministry, men were constantly marvelling at him. Here was God walking amongst them!

"He hath done all things well" Mark 7:37

Here is another statement regarding the Lord's earthly ministry, and really it means "commendably and nobly". How unlike men! How pure and refreshing it must have been to see the Lord at work, to witness his great love and compassion for the people of his day. As you read the gospel records you become acutely aware that the Saviour continually reached out and touched people's lives and made a life-changing impact! Of course this he still does today, through his so great salvation which is freely offered to all and has the power to change lives for all eternity.

"Behold we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished" Luke 18:31

It never ceases to amaze me when I remind myself that the Saviour knew "all things". He knew all that the prophets had written concerning his life and death, for he was the very Word that was made flesh. He knew the evil and wickedness in mens hearts and all that they were capable of and exactly their intentions toward him, and yet he came and allowed himself to be taken. Philippians 2 really brings this out:

"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

We praise God that the Saviour was willing to go to that cross and endure all things and fulfil all things, despite knowing all that this would entail and mean for him. Because he did, we are saved!

"Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" Mark 14:36

It is sobering and humbling to think again that all things were possible for God, but he spared not his own Son! That was one thing he would not do, as Romans tells us. He made the heavens and the earth, he is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present, he cannot fail, he cannot lie but he would not spare his only beloved Son who was daily his delight the shame and suffering of Calvary. He bore the judgement for our sin, in his own body on the tree:

"Death and the curse were in our cup;

O Christ 'twas full for thee!

But thou hast drained the last dark drop;

'Tis empty now for me;

That bitter cup, love drank it up - 

Now blessings draught for me"

 

"He hath given all things into his hand" John 3:35, "He hath put all things under his feet" Ephesians 1:22

I realise that these statements were ever true of the Saviour, and in particular the Lord's words from John's Gospel were before the cross, but it is refreshing and encouraging to think about these in the present and future contexts. Today he sits at his Father's right hand and he is over and above all things, and he has been given all things into his hand. He who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death is now exalted higher than the heavens and is over all things! Hebrews reminds us that at present we don't yet see all things under him, so although God has given him this position we do not yet see him fully exercising it. But one day soon he will - God has decreed it and it is as certain as if it were a present reality! We have quoted from Philippians 2 already and it is good to read on in that chapter which tell us so much about the lowly place he took:

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

"That in all things He might have the pre-eminence" Colossians 1:18

The Amplified version is good to refer to here: "so that he alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place..." What powerful and challenging words! We have learned that he is over everything in terms of creation but now we are learning that he is over all the Church, and should be at the centre of everything we do.

Of course it is very easy for Christ to fall from pre-eminence, just take a look at wider Christendom where men have replaced Christ as the focal point. How sad should that be the case for us whether in our private lives or as a collective in our local churches. On the flip side it is probably very easy to give him the pre-eminence on a Sunday morning or even throughout the whole day, but may God help us to give him that rightful place all the time! I found this very challenging and readily acknowledge my own failing and weakness in this fundamental aspect of Christian living.

May God help us to ensure he is at the centre of our lives both privately and collectively and may he be the focus of all our activities for Him. May our testimonies and service be strengthened by this resolve!

Yours in Christ, Mark

 

 

 

 

Some short but vital lessons from Mark (1)

Dear fellow believers, today we are taking a short break from Nehemiah to have another short look at some lovely pictures and lessons from Mark's Gospel. As you know we have been looking at this lovely Gospel this year and I have been enjoying studying this book, so I thought it would be nice to share some observations once again for our mutual blessing.

This is a TWO PART post looking at two incidents in Mark ch 6.

The Feeding of the 5000 (Mk 6:32-44)

[caption id="attachment_130" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The countryside by Galilee"][/caption]

The Setting for the Miracle:

At the outset to the miracle, it is the disciples that set the scene: "this is a desert place and the time is far passed". This is an observation which is true of our arena of service today also. This world is indeed a desert place, it can sustain no spiritual life on it's own, we must look to the Lord for our spiritual sustenance in a place such as this. The time is also far passed - how often have we commented that we are surely living in last days! The day of grace will soon draw to a close as we look at the state of the world around us, the Lord will not tarry long, so we must 'redeem the time' and seize the opportunity for service while we have it!

Two Sets of Responses:

It is interesting to once again compare the response of the disciples to the response of the Lord Jesus to this situation. In response to the multitudes lingering at the end of a long and busy day they said to the Lord "Send them away" They looked to the Saviour to send these people away! It is interesting therefore to notice the response of the Lord, as he counters this with "Give ye them to eat" He asked them to provide the solution, full knowing that they could not. He was causing them to see the reality, that they needed to look to him not to callously send them away but to supply the solution and meet the need as only he could. How true this is of ourselves sometimes, as we ask the Lord to take a certain situation away from us, yet sometimes the Lord wants us to ask him to help us and meet our need to sustain us through the situation. We can also look at it another way; they were asking the Lord to do something, whereas the Lord turned it back on themselves to do something. This also can be a lesson for us, to learn that sometimes we need to not only just pray and leave it with the Lord but that on certain matters we need to take action as well! For example when we pray that people will come into the gospel meetings, it is often the case that we ourselves never ask or bring people into the hall to hear the gospel! Let us challenge our hearts with this.

The Fragments that Remained:

The scriptures tell us that on this occasion there were 12 baskets of fragments gathered up. In Mark ch 8 we see the feeding of the 4000 where there were 7 baskets of fragments gathered. It is interesting to learn that there are 2 different Greek words used here for 'basket', and in this we see 2 different lessons regarding the wonderful provision of the Lord Jesus Christ for his people.

Mark ch 8: Here the word 'basket' implies a very large, circular/cylindrical shaped basket often made of reeds. These baskets were so large that we read of such an item being used in Acts ch 9 where the Apostle Paul is concealed in one as they lowered him down over the city wall of Damascus. As there are 7 baskets in this account, we can see something of the complete, perfect and abundant provision of the Lord Jesus. All our need can be met by him and found in him!

Mark ch 6: In our account here a different word is used for 'basket' which really means a smaller, hand-basket probably made of wicker which would contain a certain measure of capacity. As there are 12 gathered, this would work out as one for each disciple and this shows me something of the daily provision of the Lord for his people. Surely we should look to him daily to meet all our needs, spiritual or otherwise! Let us challenge ourselves - do we come to him for our daily provision from his Word?

We trust these simple lessons will be of benefit to our hearts.

Yours in Christ, Mark

Man versus God

As the title suggests, it is interesting to compare the reaction of men and the solution they offer to a situation, to the solution offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. In Mark chapter 5 we have 3 examples of this brought before us and it has been a lovely study for me and I hope you find it beneficial too!

1. The man of the Gadarenes (v1-20)

The first character that we meet in this chapter is the man of Gadara who was possessed by the demon Legion, "for we are many". Just look at the response of men to this man's problem: they had ostracised him and separated him from society, banishing him to the catacombs and graveyards (places of death) of the region. As far as they were concerned his life was indeed over and this was the best place for him where he couldn't bother them. Notice that they bound him with chains and fetters, they offered him nothing but bondage and frustration! Then we see the Lord Jesus come in and he commands the evil spirits to come out of him and they do so, obeying the authoritative voice of the Son of God. Observe the transformation in this man's life, he gained 3 things he had not had in his previous life - he is found sitting (at rest and at peace), clothed (dignity and self respect) and in his right mind (self control, his mind was his own).

[caption id="attachment_118" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A view of the hill country of Gadara, note the slopes towards the Sea of Galilee"][/caption]

What a complete change from the wild, uncontrollable man that was before! I like the parting touch of the Saviour; "go home to thy friends" I find it lovely that the Saviour knew that this man once had a life and had friends, but they had long left the scene, for this man had led such a lonely and solitary existence. His mission now however was to return to his friends and tell them all about the one who had turned his life around! Just like this man, we too have been liberated from the power and bondage of sin, taken from the place of death and given new life, new appetites and desires. Again like this man our mission field should start with our own friends and family - do they know what great things the Lord has done for us?

2. The woman with the issue of blood (v24 - 34)

The chapter moves on quickly, for this is the gospel of activity and action! We are soon introduced to a woman who has suffered with an ailment for 12 whole years. The scriptures tell us that she had "suffered many things" at the hands of many and various doctors. One can only imagine the horrendous remedies and treatments they had subjected her to, medicine back then not being what it is today! Just look at what they had taken from her, they had taken every last penny from her, and what was the return on her investment? Absolutely nothing, she was no better off than when they had started. But what a lovely comparison we have as we look at the effect that the Saviour had upon her life - a complete and perfect cure! "straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up" Nevermore would she be plagued by her ailment, the Lord confirm it to her in person. So we ask ourselves the question - what was her investment in the Lord Jesus? What was the cost to her? A simple touch of the hem of his garment! This is all the Saviour requires to transform and bless lives today, for us to reach out in faith and he will do the rest. As believers we can apply this principle to ourselves - we can invest all our time and resources into the systems of the world and we will come out of it with nothing (at least spiritually), just like this woman! Men will take and take for as long as we are willing to give whereas with Christ the opposite is true with spiritual things - he will give and give more as long as we are willing to receive in terms of spiritual wisdom and development. We can see this principle in the previous chapter: "...with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given...

3. Jairus' daughter (v35-43)

Here we have a final example of the stark difference in the response of man to the glorious response of the Lord Jesus to a certain situation. We see that a tragedy had occurred - the little girl had died and all was lost, or so the people thought! Look at their lack of faith as they break the news to Jairus: "Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?" As far as they were concerned all hope was lost, a thought further reinforced by the scene that met them at the house - the place had been invaded by mourners, wailing dramatically and bemoaning the death of the little one. How negative and unhelpful! All they could offer was misery and despair. They had no faith that there was one in their midst who was the Resurrection and the Life, the one who upholds all things by the word of his power! They further miscalculated the person of the Lord Jesus in their mocking when he said "she sleepeth" - to him raising this little girl from the dead was just like awakening her from sleep! When the world thinks our situation is lost, when they pour scorn on our beliefs and our Lord and Saviour we should remember that all things are simple and possible with God!

We can apply this to the future for the believer - even if we pass through physical death. Here is a situation that the world would could hopeless, they would say that this is the end of the story, the final destination is the grave! But praise the Lord that death is not the end for the believer, our soul is received into heaven and the Lord will one day raise the body as well! And what will be the energising catalyst for this great resurrection? The same as it was 2000 years ago - his voice!

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout... and the dead in Christ shall rise first"

Yours in Christ,

Mark

 

The Lord Jesus as the "Son of..."

Welcome fellow believers! I think it is time for a mid-week pick-me-up perhaps! Let's look at some thoughts concerning the Lord Jesus together.

As we read through the scriptures, we can see many different titles and pictures of the Lord Jesus, and in this little study we will look at those titles where he is referred to as the "Son of..." I looked at this last year and found that these titles each bring out a different facet of the Saviour's character, so I hope these simple thoughts are of benefit to us and once again cause us to glorify God for His Son.

The Son of God

What a tremendous place to start by thinking once again of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God! This truth is often refuted by the world (as it was by the Jews in His day) so we do well to remind our hearts of this and encourage ourselves in the enjoyment of this truth. The Gospel of Mark would commence with that bold proclamation - "The Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" and of course this is something that John is particularly concerned about in his Gospel, in fact it closes - "but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God". He was God manifest in flesh, he was co-equal with God, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person - he was the very Son of God. We remember that God would proclaim from heaven:

"this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased"

Here was God's estimation of his Son, despite what men would say and do to him, God was well pleased with his Son!

The Son of Man

But equally, we see the Lord referred to many times as the Son of Man. If we were to write down all the references to this title we would see that almost all of the references are in connection to one of two ideas:

• His Coming ("the Son of Man is come...")


• His Sufferings and death on the cross ("the Son of Man must suffer...")

In either case it draws attention to the meekness and humility of the manhood of the Lord Jesus and his saving work in coming into this scene to die on the cross. We should rejoice in the fact that we have a Saviour who not only is the Son of God, but was willing to humble himself and condescend to coming into this sinful world, and here to suffer and to die on the cross! We remind ourselves of the words of the apostle:

"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. " Philippians 2:7-8

The Son of David

There are fewer references to this title but they are certainly beautiful in that they are used to illustrate the grace and compassion of the Saviour in his dealings with poor and needy souls. Remember that Bartimaeus would cry out in faith  "thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" Also the Canaanite woman would appeal to him on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter using this title, and again there was another occasion with two blind men and they once again appealed to him as the Son of David. This was faith on their part for they were recognising him as the Messiah that should come from the line of David, and the Lord would take time to deal with them and bless them in such a miraculous and tender way. We love to think on the compassionate nature of the Saviour who took the time to bless those who were needy, and how he has blessed us as sinners saved by grace!

The Son of Mary

Surely this title would remind us of the rejection of the Lord Jesus, and the disgust and indignation of the Jews as they would recall that he was merely the son of Mary, the carpenters son, the man from Galilee of the Gentiles! We recall the words of Nathaniel; "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Of course the scriptures would prophesy of him that he would be "despised and rejected of men" and that he would come unto his own but his own would not receive him. How sad that here was one who came from the mansions of glory, and they were privileged to come into contact with him, and they could have known him, the very Lord of heaven! But how sad that the Lord Jesus would say "and ye will not come to me that ye might have life".

He would be rejected and crucified at the hands of wicked men, but we know that this was not defeat but victory, as he would offer himself as a willing and perfect sacrifice for our sin, and accomplish the work that God the father had given him to do.

We started our thoughts by thinking of the title "the Son of God" and we close by remembering that the scriptures would say that "he spared not his own Son..." How lovely to think that God would give his very own son to die in our stead!

As we journey through another week, let us keep these thoughts in our hearts and offer praise and worship to God for his lovely Son.

Yours in Christ - Mark

Some "great's" - a short appreciation of Christ (part 1)

As we pass through this world we can easily get discouraged as we hear the name of the Lord Jesus blasphemed and the things of God mocked and ridiculed by men and women. We do well to remind our hearts that the one they pour scorn on is actually the Great One that the Word of God speaks about! Let us recall a few scriptures together and encourage ourselves and think on the greatness of our Saviour...

"for he shall be great" Luke 1:15

This verse takes us right back to his birth and his coming into the world, and right from the outset it was foretold that the little baby born to Mary would be 'great'. Usually it would be very hard to say that with any degree of confidence about a little baby, but we remember that he was a great person (God manifest in flesh), he had come from a great place (the glory and eternal bliss of heaven) with a great purpose (to save his people from their sins). Little wonder the angel would say "for he shall be great..."

"great multitudes" Matt 4:25

Matthews gospel is the gospel of the great multitude, the phrase is used seven times in Matthew and only on two other occasions elsewhere, both in Luke's gospel. It would tell us that during the Lord's earthly ministry there was a period of great popularity when "the common people heard him gladly" and the multitudes would press upon him. This was a feature of the Lord's earthly ministry, there were multitudes of people that had a need and they saw in the Lord Jesus one who could meet that need. We remember that multitudes of sick folk would press upon him, whether he was in a house, in the streets or by the seaside - they came to him from "every quarter" and he would bless their lives in ways which had not been possible before. What a gracious and compassionate man he was, he never turned anyone away! As a practical side note, compassion and grace are surely characteristics that should mark every believer in Christ for it so marked out our Saviour.

"a great storm... a great calm" Mark 4:37, 39

What a magnificent account we have here in this portion, where the Lord Jesus demonstrated his great power as the creator God in silencing the great storm in an instant! What a comfort for us to know that the one in whom we have put faith and trust in is the one who can transform a great storm into a great calm, with just the word of his mouth. Knowing that as the storms of life come hard against our lives we have a Saviour who could stand on the deck of that ship being ravaged by the wind, with the crashing waves and the violence of the sea and surveying all this could utter "Peace, be still" and instantly the storm is silenced and a great calm replaces the chaos and violence of the storm. The Saviour offers peace with God in salvation but we can also enjoy peace as believers on a daily basis I believe, through a close walk with him and an appreciation of our position in him.

I trust that as we have reviewed these first three of six "greats" in relation to the Lord Jesus that we have been encouraged this far. Tomorrow we will look at the final three I have in mind, and I trust that this will serve as an interesting and profitable mini study.

Yours in Christ, Mark.

"full of" a short study

As we approach another weekend where are hearts and minds begin to think upon the Saviour, let's share some thoughts together concerning the Lord Jesus. Recently I have been thinking about the little phrase "full of" and it's use in relation to the Lord Jesus and there is a nice train of thought that I would encourage you to follow up on as we consider these thoughts together.

John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."

This verse takes us back to his incarnation, and does it not amaze us once again to remember that the very Son of God came down into this sinful world? But John recalls the difference and uniqueness of this One, he was 'full of grace and truth' . As we examine that life, surely we can see abundant evidence of both grace and truth in equally perfect measure in that blessed life.

Luke 4:1 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness."

When we consider this verse it reminds us that the Lord Jesus was always in the current of the Father's will as he was ever filled with and governed by the Holy Spirit. This directed his movements, actions and words. It serves as a challenge to our hearts - do we live our lives in constant reference to the Holy Spirit and seek to do God's will? We as believers should strive to live lives led by the Spirit and 'live by faith' dependant upon Him, or do we relegate God to the back of our minds usually?

Mark 8:19-20 "When I brake the 5 loaves among 5000 how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?"

[caption id="attachment_89" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The countryside by Galilee, a possible site for the feeding of the 5000?"][/caption]

The baskets were FULL OF fragments, the Saviour is most specific in his words! The provision on that occasion we recall was 'super-abundant' (enough for their needs and far more!). How wonderful to note the compassion and provision of the Saviour, he never did things partially or 'just enough', he always fully met the need and exceeded expectations! How different from the world in which we live, which always seems to disappoint on so many levels. Of course this same Lord Jesus has promised his abundant provision to his believing people: "unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think..." What a Saviour is ours!

Luke 5:12 "And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy..."

Just as the baskets were full of fragments, so was this man FULL OF leprosy, and what a wretched sight he must have been. Rejected by society, poor and destitute with a debilitating and terminal condition - until he met the Saviour that is! The question he asked was "if thou wilt" and the lovely answer was "I will, be thou clean". And the scripture records that that leper felt something that he had not felt for a very long time, the compassionate and kind touch of another human being. What a lovely touch by the Lord Jesus! Of course leprosy is a picture of sin that we use in the gospel so we can use this as a picture of ourselves, made destitute by sin with it's awful mark on our lives, destined for death and judgement - until the Saviour stepped in and saved us by grace and changed our lives forever, thanks be to God!

Mark 15:36 "and one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar... and gave him to drink..."

[caption id="attachment_92" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="An example of an ancient Roman sponge on a stick"][/caption]

Finally we close our few thoughts by coming once again to Calvary. From reviewing our other points we see a life full of love and compassion, grace and truth and obedience to God. But when we come to the cross we see the Son of God hanging on a cross in agony and shame, despised and rejected by men and forsaken of God. At the height of his suffering, just when you would think there might be someone to offer relief or to show compassion upon one who had done so much good, what do they offer the very Son of God? A sponge full of vinegar (sour wine). How ironic to see that when we look at the life of the Saviour, we see the phrase 'full of' used to describe his lovely and wonderful virtues and characteristics, but when it comes to man it is used to show his wickedness and cruelty instead. How typical of the world, and still today they offer to Christ the disdain and rejection that they offered to him then - yet to all who repent and believe he will be their Saviour.

To us as believers as well, the world will never encourage, relieve or satisfy us as Christians, it will only offer us instead the proverbial 'sponge full of vinegar'. We should turn to Christ instead "in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" who is our refuge, an ever present help in time of need.

We trust these few simple thoughts will warm our hearts to worship and encourage us at the same time.

Yours in Christ,

Mark

Jesus it speaks a life of love

The title is taken from a hymn ("Jesus! How much thy name unfolds")

These thoughts came to mind particularly last week when most of the world celebrated Valentine's Day, and it started me thinking about love and in particular in relation to the Lord Jesus. Of course as we review his life it should become abundantly apparent that it was characterised throughout by love and compassion. Let us encourage ourselves with a few devotional thoughts concerning the Saviour.

Think of his love for those who came to him looking for help and blessing, the countless miracles he would perform often on the poor and needy. Those who were among the lowest of Jewish society the Saviour would take the time to help them and transform their lives, because he loved them. On a number of occasions we see the love of the Saviour specifically mentioned towards an individual, a group or a multitude.

1. Think of his love for that man who came to him asking what he should do in order to inherit eternal life:

Mar 10:21  "Then Jesus beholding him loved him"

Here the Lord Jesus beheld that young man, so pious and eager to live a righteous life and because of this the Lord Jesus beheld him and loved him! But there was part of his heart that the Lord could see would never be his, as he loved his wealth and possessions.

2. Think of his love for the multitudes:

Mat 9:36  "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."

So often the Saviour would look out onto the multitudes and have love for them, and it was this that would motivate him to provide for them, both physically and spiritually.

3. Think of his love for his friends:

John 11:5+36  "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus"

In the town of Bethany, there was a little home that was close to the heart of the Lord Jesus. He loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus, how lovely that the scriptures record this! His love for them would cause him to teach them, have fellowship with them but also to correct and rebuke them as in the case of Martha in Luke 10. The Saviour calls us his friends (John 15:14) an so he will have fellowship with us, teach us, bless us and correct us as he will! The Saviours love was visible and tangible though, as on this occasion visible evidence of his love was demonstrated as he wept by the graveside of his dear friend Lazarus. It caused the Jews to proclaim "behold how he loved him!" Surely his love touches our hearts, and also challenges us with regard to our fellow believers; do we love our fellow believers like the Lord loves us? Do we demonstrate it as the Lord did? Is it manifested and visible to all?

4. Think of his love for his disciples:

John 13:1 "...having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

The phrase 'unto the end' does not mean as you might think 'to the end of his time here on earth', but rather the meaning is 'to the limit or to the uttermost'. The idea is that he could not have loved them more! What a lovely thought to encourage us. Are we feeling low? Discouraged? Unloved even? For the believer in the Lord Jesus we can say that we are his disciples, and he could not love us more. This would point us towards his sacrificial death at the cross, and brings us nicely to our last consideration...

5. Think of his love for us individually:

Gal 2:20 "...the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me"

We remind ourselves of his love for us, matchless, boundless, unmerited, freely demonstrated for us in that perfect and complete death at the cross of Calvary. The scriptures put it best:

John 15:13  "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Let us ever be mindful of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for us sinners saved by grace!

"It was for me, yes all for me,

The love of God, so great so free!

Of wondrous love, I'll shout and sing,

He died for me, my Lord and King!"

Yours in Christ,

Mark