Mark 3:20-35: The Family of God

Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps of The Salvation Army on February 17, 2008; Swift Current Corps on February 22, 2015; 614 Warehouse Mission on 06 May 2018; Alberni Valley Ministries on 21 April 2024 by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

To view the 2008 Nipawin and Tisdale version, click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/02/mark-320-35-family-of-god.html

To view the 2015 Swift Current version, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2015/02/mark-320-35-family-of-god.html

To view the Toronto 2018 version click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2018/05/mark-320-35-family-of-god.html

 

Today’s passage is about family. I have been thinking about family lately. Move announcements were this week and each year there is the potential that we can be moved. We were told that we are able to stay here for one more year. This is the longest our family has stayed in one town and even the longest that we have stayed in one province since Heather was born. And whenever we do move – especially if we have to move provinces again – this time will be different; we won’t be taking our who family with us. It is challenging enough with children in Chilliwack and part-time in Victoria as well as parents we don’t seen nearly enough on this Island here. I can’t imagine what it will be like when we move again, this time away from and not with family.

 

Mark 3 is about family – Jesus’ family. 3:20: “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.” Verse 21, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” (Sometimes family thinks that about us.)

 

Jesus is portrayed here as almost a workaholic.  He is working late and he takes his work home with him and his work right now is casting out demons and he has a lot of work to do.

 

Can you imagine the scene? It is dinnertime. He comes to a home to eat with his closest disciples. There is so much going on. There are so many people crowding into the house that they aren’t even able to take time to eat. There must be people everywhere and Jesus is working away: he and his disciples are ploughing through people healing them, casting out demons and doing what needs to be done.

 

His family no doubt is worried about his health. They are no doubt worried because he’s not eating anything. They are no doubt worried because he is not taking enough time for himself. He is just working, working, working – without a break – this can’t possibly be healthy, can it? Is it any wonder that his mother and brothers, throw up their hands when they hear all of this and say, Verse 21, “He is out of his mind” – “he’s crazy” – “he’s nuts.”[ 1]

 

Jesus’ family decided that it is time to go and take charge of him. They are going to make him rest and take care of himself. (Now this is interesting because the Greek word KRATESAI is actually the same word that is used when the police go to ARREST someone; so, this is serious.) They are concerned about him and if Jesus won’t take care of himself, they will take matters into their own hands; they will take charge of him because, as they understand it, “he is out of his mind.”

 

“He is demon possessed,” the teachers of the Law say. “He is [even] possessed by Beelzebub…the prince of demons,”[2] Verse 22 records the learned, esteemed, intelligent, and respected teachers as saying – “[It is] by the prince of demons [that] he is driving out demons.”

 

So this is interesting. Both Jesus’ family and the religious experts agree that Jesus is not acting normally here. He is out of his mind; he is demon-possessed. And again, in this crazy scene, we can probably understand what they are saying to some degree, can’t we?

 

Jesus understands and he answers the teachers who –unlike his biological family (cf. 3:31-32)[3] - are right there, near, or even in the house with him and his disciples. Jesus understands what they are saying.

 

Now what the Pharisees might actually be doing here –unlike his family- is probably more than just looking out for his well-being. What they might be doing is probably more than just mocking him or writing him off. What they might be actually doing is gathering evidence or at least inspiration to formulate an official charge against him.

 

In our society today we think nothing of people using the language of demon-possession and witchcraft: we hear it everyday on social media, TV, radio, in pop culture and in casual colloquial language. There are witch stores on the corner here and regular witchy or psychic fairs in town. It is so common that many times we don’t even twig when we hear about witchcraft but it was different in Jesus’ day (cf. Dt. 18:10; 1 Sam 28:9; 2 Ki 19:22; 2 Chr 33:6; Micah 5:12; Na 3:4; Gal 5:20).

 

Witchcraft is a serious crime. It is a sin punishable by death (cf. 1 Sam 28:9).[4] These religious teachers cannot be left to make these remarks unchallenged. It must be addressed. They are in essence accusing Jesus of divination, of witchcraft, of sorcery, and in those days people won’t let that go unchecked. And Jesus won’t let these accusations go unchecked; he speaks to them in a couple of very short parables or metaphors.

 

Vs 23ff: “So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: ‘How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.”

 

Think about it in terms of our world today…Think of Libya, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ethiopia. There is also Ukraine: Hundreds of thousands are dead and still dying and millions fled and still fleeing after our allies toppled their elected government in a coup and now it has escalated beyond what anyone could ever have imagined. The country is divided. It is broke, fighting at first civil war, and now a proxy war between Russia and the US. Divided countries cannot stand: this is what Jesus is saying in this parable. A divided house cannot stand.

 

And this is the kind of thing that is playing out in our very houses here today. If husband and wife aren’t on the same page, how can their children grow up in the strength of a solid family? If mom won’t stop yelling at dad and dad does stop coming home altogether, how can their daughter learn to be kind to her future husband and how can their son learn to stick it out when life gets difficult? If the house is divided, how can it stand?[6] Between 1965 and 1988, Canada's divorce rate went from being one of the lowest among industrialized nations to being one of the highest.”[7] Divided houses do not stand.

 

This is what Jesus is telling his accusers. He is saying that if he is on the same side as Beelzebub, if he is on the same side as the devil, he wouldn’t attack him because then he would be destroying himself. If Jesus were working for the devil why would he cast devils out? He wouldn’t. He doesn’t.

 

There can be many reasons and motives for the Pharisees to accuse Jesus of working for the enemy but he lets them know that their argument doesn’t make any sense. Jesus uses the analogy now of robbing a house. Jesus says that, Verse 27, “In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.”

 

If Jesus were on the same side as the devil, why would he even want to rob the devil of his prize? He wouldn’t. If he was working for the devil, then he would not be freeing this man from Satan’s power; because by casting out the demons, he is weakening the Republic of Evil and in the process strengthening the Kingdom of God and when one is at war, one tries to kill one’s enemies and not one’s allies. Jesus is showing those present that indeed he is intentionally attacking the devil’s dominion, freeing his captives, liberating his territory and Jesus is reminding us that no one intentionally kills with ‘friendly fire.’ If Jesus were on the same side as Satan, he says in this parable, he would not rob him of his prize. Instead, as Jesus is more powerful than Satan, by freeing the demon-possessed man, he binds the metaphorical strong man and robs his house.

 

Jesus makes his point. We realise divided houses cannot stand. Houses cannot be robbed without first taking care of the security guard. But Jesus doesn’t stop at making this point. You’ll notice that this story doesn’t end here. Jesus has some strong words for the people who are accusing him of working for the Beelzebub. He says, Verses 28-30, “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”[8] He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”

 

Jesus is warning the Pharisees not to say he is demon-possessed. He is telling them point blank that all other sins will be forgiven – EXCEPT for blaspheming the Holy Spirit – He says that there is no sin as bad as this one that they may be committing here. Calling the Holy Spirit evil, rejecting God in this way. There is nothing worse.[9]

 

But what about Jesus’ family? Remember that as the Pharisees said ‘he has an evil spirit (v. 30)’, his own family said that he was ‘out of his mind (v. 21)’ and they came to take charge of, or even ‘arrest’ him; what about his flesh and blood relatives? What does Jesus say when they arrive to ‘take charge of him (v.21)?’ Verse 31. You’ll notice that they even don’t come in. It says that they are still standing outside. They don’t even come into where Jesus is working. They don’t come in to arrest him, to take him home. They, instead, want Jesus to come out to them. People who do that, they can’t be up to any good, can they?

 

Jesus’ family, vv. 31 & 32, send someone in and the crowd tells Jesus that his family- his flesh and blood – those who think he’s out of his mind for doing the will of God – those who gave birth to and those who grew up with him – Jesus’ family is here. The crowd tells Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

 

What does Jesus reply? This is important to our story. Jesus replies, verse 33ff, “‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’…Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.’”

 

Jesus denies his mother and brothers. Jesus doesn’t go out to his family in this story. He denies them. His mother and brothers are not supporting Jesus doing the work of God and he is not acknowledging them.

 

Just like Jesus told the Pharisees, that “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven” because they said he has an evil spirit. He says of his mother and brothers, who went out to take charge of him, “Who are my mother and brothers?” They are not those who are my flesh and blood if they are opposing the work and the will of God!

 

My family, Jesus says, is “whoever does God’s will.” In our passage here today, the author of Mark has revealed a great truth to us. The family of God is not necessarily the educated, the theologians, the scholars and the pastors. The family of God is not necessarily those who are born into the churches, Christian families and their loved ones.[10] The family of God is quite simply those who do the will of God, which, of course, we discern as we pray and read Scripture.

 

So today, as we have looked at divided houses –those of the parable: of the Jewish teachers,[11] of Jesus’ own biological family – as we have looked at these divided houses, I think we need to consider something ourselves. Are we really members of the family of God, or are we more like some of the others represented here?

 

Are we like the Pharisees? They knew a lot about God, probably more than anyone but they thought they knew better than Jesus. Do we think we know more than God? Do we reject, by our words and/or actions, that Jesus Christ is real? Do we treat what he says and what he does as if it is not truly of God?  This is what the Pharisees did in today’s story. Are we like them?

 

Or are we like his biological family? They grew up with him. They knew him but they wanted to ‘take charge’ of him. Do we ever want to ‘take charge’ of Jesus, like his family whom Jesus even refused to acknowledge in this story? Do we ever try to ‘take charge’ of Jesus and mold him to our idea of what Jesus and God should be rather than to let him make himself know to us? This is what his biological family was doing in this story. Are we like them?

 

Or are we like his true family, his real family, the family of God? …the disciples and others with them here who were doing what Jesus was telling them to do? Do we in our daily lives discern through prayer and Scripture the will of God, and seek to do it?  Because it is only then that we will we truly be Jesus’ brother and sister and mother. It is only then will we truly be a part of the family of God. And this is what Jesus wants. He wants us all to be members of his family and heirs in His kingdom.

 

Let us pray…

Acts 1:12-26: Show us Which You have Chosen

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 07 April 2024, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

To read a version of this sermon presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 19 May 2013 click here: Sheepspeak: sermons, articles, and papers: Acts 1:12-26: Show Us Which You Have Chosen (sheepspeaks.blogspot.com)

 

To read a version of this sermon presented to Toronto's Corps 614, 20 Sept 2015, click here:   http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2015/09/acts-112-26-who-have-you-chosen.html 

 

1) How do we choose an important employee, manager, CEO, etc.? (Resume, ability)

 

2) How do we choose the Head of State? (Heredity: intense job-training programme from the moment they are born)

 

3) How do we choose the Canadian Idol, talent show winners and politicians in this country? (Popularity contest AKA an election)

 

4) What is the traditional way that one decides whether the one they fancy truly loves them or not: ‘she loves me, she loves me not’? (Removing leaves from a flower)

 

5) How does one decide which team is going to start with the ball in Canadian football or in a soccer game? (Coin toss)

 

6) How does one decide where to transfer Salvation Army Officers? (Prayer and fasting?)

 

Near the conclusion of Acts Chapter 1, the disciples who have gathered in Jerusalem – about 120 of them – are faced with a choice that needs to be made: they decide they need to choose a successor to Judas. This raises a few questions.

 

1) The first question: Who is Judas?

2)  Why do they need a successor to Judas?

3) The most important questions inherent to the text: How should we make the important decisions that we have to make in our life?

 

We have started studying Acts in our Tuesday night Bible Study; so, in answering these questions, let's review a little bit at the context of our pericope. Acts is the second book written by the author Luke to his friend Theophilus. Can anyone tell me what is the name of the first book Luke wrote to his friend Theophilus? (Luke.) The book of Acts is a sequel to the book of Luke. It is a continuation of the story: The book of Luke tells about Jesus and his followers prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. Acts picks up the story from where Luke finishes off.

 

We read Acts 1:1-11 in the meeting today. This recaps what Luke had earlier written to Theophilus. Acts 1:1-2, ‘In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.’

 

Luke then tells Theophilus that Jesus reminded the believers to stay in Jerusalem and wait for God to fire the Holy Spirit off like a starter pistol, equipping the believers to run to the ends of the earth sharing this Gospel of Salvation with everyone they meet (Acts 1:1-11).

 

This brings us to the first of our 3 questions: who was Judas?

 

Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples. Judas was the treasurer for the group. He as placed in charge of the disciples’ money. He is remembered as Jesus’ betrayer. He led the Romans and the priests to Jesus and betrayed him with a kiss. Then Jesus was led off to be killed. Then, with the money he was paid for helping arrest Jesus –Verse 18 –bought and field and killed himself. (Acts 1:18-20; but cf. Mt 27:3-10).

 

This is sad and this brings us to our second question: Why do the disciples need a successor to Judas?

 

They don’t replace any of the other disciples when they die; so, why do they need to replace Judas when Judas dies? Jesus tells us that “at the renewal of all things,” his twelve disciples will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30). OT Scriptures, in particular the psalmist, also speak to this: Psalm 69:25, 109:8.[1] John, in the book of Revelation writes that at “the consummation of God’s redemption as a ‘Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God’, having twelve gates with ‘the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’ written on them and twelve foundations with ‘the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb’ written on them (Revelation 21:10, 12, 14).”[2] Israelite tradition, Jesus’ teaching and subsequent Christian thought and belief record that the apostles have a role still to play at the resurrection of the dead. Jesus says that it is their job to judge the tribes of Israel after the resurrection of the dead.

 

So then, it is not because Judas died that he needs to be replaced because he will be raised on the last day with all the rest of us and none of the other disciples were replaced when they died. It is because Judas abrogated his responsibility, he forfeited his position as one of the twelve judges of Israel when he betrayed Jesus - who is Israel and the world’s Messiah - and then took his own life.[3] This is why they need a twelfth apostle. As a side note, this is probably where originates the idea that we should have 12 people sitting on juries to determine innocence or guilt in court. Also some people say they chose wrong – that Paul is actually the twelfth but, of course, God doesn’t make mistakes and Paul doesn’t meet the basic criteria laid out in this chapter.

 

In our text then the disciples have before them then two viable candidates who do meet the criteria, Acts 1:23-26, “Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” Luke records that these people who are gathered together in Jesus’ name when it comes time to make a decision pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.”

 

This is important and this brings us to our third and most important question today. How do we make important decisions? 

 

When our family was called by God into full-time ministry with The Salvation Army, it was a tough decision. We were first called as urban missionaries in Vancouver’s infamous downtown eastside. Susan and I had two small children then. I had businesses both on the Island and in Greater Vancouver; but my home; Susan, the kids; and our extended families were all on the Island. I loved my businesses. I would have to give up my businesses that I founded and raised almost like a first child in order to enter the ministry and we would have to leave our long-time friends and extended family.

 

We had to make a decision. We could make an economic decision and stay on the Island with our house and our businesses or we could say, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two [options] You have chosen.” We could make a family decision and stay near the children’s grandparents and at that time great-grandparents or we could pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.” We could make a sentimental decision and stay by all that we have ever known and loved on the Island or we could pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.” As we are here today we obviously took the latter option as our way forward. Praise the Lord; we followed Him into the mission field.

 

But our reliance on God is not a one-time thing. There are still many more decisions that each and every one of us are faced with everyday in our lives. And every time that we are faced with a decision we have to decide whether we are going to try to decide on our own or whether we are going to trust God to show us the way and then follow Him.

 

Every year the Army has to declare whether we as Officers are going to stay in our communities or whether we are going to be transferred. In any of these situations any of us can just try to make up our own minds and say to the Lord that we are not going to do what you or anyone else says; we can just rely on own devices to make the decision ourselves whether to accept our orders or not; we can tell the Lord to please bless the decision that we are about to make. But really - no matter how skilled we are at making decisions - it is much better to instead pray like the disciples in Acts 1, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.” And then we need to wait to see how He actually responds.

 

When we don’t do this we can be tricked into making the wrong choice. I remember once when I was living in a different part of the country, there was an election. I prayed. I looked at the various candidates in my riding. I checked out their resumes and past experiences and there were two of the myriad people running who seemed to have the prerequisite qualifications for the position, so I picked one and voted for him. He was elected but no sooner was he elected then he immediately betrayed those of us who voted for him by joining an opposing political party. He ran as if he belonged to one party so everyone who voted for him thought they were voting for a member of political party 'A' but as soon as he was elected, before he was ever even sworn it, he defected to political party 'B'; so in essence political party 'B' had the only two viable candidates in that riding in that election. No matter how much effort I put into casting my ballot, like everyone else who voted for this candidate, I was betrayed.

 

The disciples, in our passage today, have before them then two viable candidates to replace the one who betrayed Jesus, Acts 1:23-26, “Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” Luke records that these people who are gathered together in Jesus’ name when it comes time to make a decision pray, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.”

 

This is important. How do we make decisions that need to be made in our lives? Do we attempt to make up our own minds or do we -like the disciples here- correctly attempt to discern the will of the Lord.

 

The disciples, they don’t pray, “Lord please bless our decision making process” and then do whatever they see fit; they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have already chosen.” They don’t pray, “Lord, please help us to make the right decision” and then do whatever they see fit; they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have already chosen.” They don’t pray, “Lord, show us what we should do” and then do whatever they see fit; they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have already chosen.”

 

Do you see the difference? The disciples, they don’t call a big meeting and pray for God to bless the proceedings and then make up their own minds anyway after pouring over all of the resumes, conducting interviews, checking references; they don't make the decision all on their own and then ask God to bless it. Quite the opposite, they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have already chosen.”

 

So what about us? When we are faced with life’s choices how do we decide what to do? Do we pray and then make up our own minds or do we ask for God to show us what he has already decided and keep our eyes and ears open to see what he is showing us? This is the end to which I would encourage us today. Whenever we are faced with a critical decision let us each seek the will of God in our lives and let us each pray as the disciples prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have already chosen.” And then let us actually wait for His answer. I know that as we do, He will show us what He has already chosen for our lives.

 

Let us pray.

 

www.sheepspeak.com

---

---

[1] Cf. Robert W. Wall, ‘Acts’ The New Interpreter’s Bible 10, (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2002), 49-50.

[2] Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Acts/Exposition of Acts/Introduction: The Constitutive Events of the Christian Mission (1:1-2:41)/D. The Full Complement of Apostles (1:12-26)/2. Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1:15-26), Book Version: 4.0.2

[3] Cf. William H. William, ‘Acts’, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988), 23.

[4] I. Howard Marshall: Acts: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 5), S.71

[5] Cf. Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Acts/Exposition of Acts/Introduction: The Constitutive Events of the Christian Mission (1:1-2:41)/D. The Full Complement of Apostles (1:12-26)/2. Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1:15-26), Book Version: 4.0.2

[6] Cf. Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘Acts’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 68.

 

Deuteronomy 6:1-12: Songs of Salvation.

Presented to 614 Warehouse Mission, 30 April 2017, and Alberni Valley Ministries, 23 October 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

  

This is the 2022 Alberni Valley version. To view the original 2017 Toronto version, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2017/04/deuteronomy-61-12-childrens-songs.html

  

I understand that Terri, Rena and Tim’s daughter, just got back from seeing Elton John; friends of mine saw Gordon Lightfoot this weekend. My older daughters and I this summer went to see a number of bands from the 70s and 80s playing in Seattle (which we had been waiting to see since before Covid-19). It is a lot of fun.

            The best part of going to see bands from yester-year play is the memories attached to the old songs and the opportunity to share those and new memories with my kids. We have seen a lot of shows together: Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Def Leppard, GNR, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and more. Alice Cooper by the way is an outspoken Christian and the son of a preacher. I actually saw Alice Cooper in concert when I was 17 years-old and then 30 years later, when we lived in Toronto, I was able to see him with my then 16 and 15 year-old daughters. This sort of thing is what our text today is about: sharing our memories with our kids so they can experience all the joy we did and so we can add even more to those memories together. This may even be exactly what is happening in our text today, Moses is probably bringing the Deuteronomy generation to hear the same Ten Commandments play at Mt Sinai that the Exodus generation had heard with him, decades previous.[1]

            In our Scriptures today Moses is talking to the children of the people he received the 10 Commandments with. It is important that children are reminded of, remember and participate in their parents’ experiences. It is important to remember what the Lord has done. When we fail to remember our culture, we lose it; when we fail to remember our past, we lose our future; when we fail to remember what defines us as a people then we cease to be a nation;[3] and when we fail to remember our salvation with our children, then future generations may not experience that salvation anymore (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).[4] This may be what is happening in Canada today. This is what Moses is driving home with this next generation of Israelites. This is important. Don't just hope that our children and children’s children will learn something from a teacher, preacher, or priest. Don't just hope they'll learn life's lessons by accident. Sharing our faith history is our responsibility. Our very survival depends on what we remember from the past and how we carry that into the future.[5]

            In our world today, songs are a great way to bring memories and knowledge and experiences forward to a new generation. I am going to list some songs and see if you can tell me who sang them for one generation or the next [Answers in footnote below]:[6] (1) Cats in the Cradle (2) Signs (3) You're so Vain (4) California Girls (5) Knocking on Heaven’s Door (6) Live and Let Die (7) Landslide (8) Johnny B Goode

            I remember turning on the radio a few years ago and... There is this old Irish folk song – generations old – called 'Whiskey in the Jar'. I don’t know if anyone here knows that song or not. Susan knows all kinds of old folk songs. She really likes some of those old-fashioned numbers and so as a result I was familiar with it. Well, I got in the car one day, turned on the local radio station, and - I don’t know if anyone here is familiar with Metallica, they are a near-contemporary heavy metal band - I heard them doing a heavy metal rendition of this old Irish folk song. I was sort of in shock. I began to think of all the remakes of songs that I have heard over the years. Many times the remakes were my first exposure to the song and it got me thinking: When the words of an old song are put to a new tune they become accessible to a new generation. As we continue to sing these same songs in new ways, we remain faithful to their intent, passing it onto our children and to our children’s children.  This is like our personal testimonies and conversations about the Lord. When we put the gospel message of salvation into our own words, in our own tune and share it with our own children then we are indeed passing that eternal truth of salvation down from one generation to the next.

           When we were in Toronto, our WT leader, Krys Val (Warehouse Mission Band) would write new lyrics to popular tunes from the 60s, 70s and 80s - all of us would then hear the gospel expressed in music that resonates in our hearts and souls and memories and hopefully every time we hear that familiar, sometimes timeless tune we can remember what the Lord has done for us, with us, through us and in us.

            This is what our Scripture today sees Moses doing with the Deuteronomy generation.[7] God, through Moses, says of the lyrics of the 10 Commandments (Deuteronomy 6:7-9):

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

 

            Moses wants the people to remember even more than just the words to these 10 Commands, of course. The Bible says God remembered Israel when they were in slavery. Now, will they remember Him when they are free? God remembers us when we are struggling. Do we remember Him when we are free? We may turn to God when things are bad; do we turn away from Him when we feel free to live our life for ourselves?[8] Do we remember what God has done for us as we are delivered from our problems? Do we remember how God saved those alongside us? Do we remember how God saved our family members before us? Do we remember how God saved our fore-parents in this country?  

Do we remember the things that God did for the Israelites before he brought them out of Egypt? How did God reveal himself to Pharaoh? Remember the Passover? Remember the plagues (Exodus 7-12)? When Sarah-Grace was 12 years-old, we hit the road with an excellent sermon she preached about the plagues.[9] Do we remember the plagues God used to save the children of Israel? What were they? Snakes, blood, frogs, gnats, flies, cows (dead livestock), boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of the first born. God wants Israel to remember their salvation from, in and through these plagues. God wants them to remember how they were saved as death passed them over. And God wants us to remember also how generations and a testament later, Jesus won the ultimate victory over death so that we all might live. This is what Easter and Good Friday are all about.

            We are just about to come into the Advent season. We have many traditions around Advent: scripture readings, songs (Carols), candle lighting, and more

            When we invite our children and grandchildren to participate in Advent services; when we bring friends and family to Christmas pageants, when we invite people to a church service anytime of the year with us, we are carrying on that salvation tradition and experience.

            When we bring our children and grandchildren to church we remember and experience corporate worship and salvation together as a family. When we read our Bibles with our children and grandchildren and friends, we pass along the stories of salvation from one generation to the next - we show them what is important by what we do with each other; and as we read the Bible together, as we each experience our glorious personal salvation we can see how that fits in with salvation history and how we are included in the salvation of the whole world.

 

            When we say grace with future generations before dinner - whether at home or in public - we are teaching others the importance of prayer. When we say grace, when we pray in public, we may even be unknowingly encouraging even strangers to be faithful. They might see us and then remember that indeed they prayed with their parents as a kid and then head home and pass on that marker and catalyst for that same salvation relationship with their own children; and then they may experience that same access to all the power, mercy, grace and glory of God.

So, as Hebrews 10:25 extols us, let us not stop meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. Let us not stop singing our songs of salvation with new generations. Let us always read the stories of Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus Christ with our children, our children's children, our friends, and our family. This week, let us resolve to take the Good News of Salvation and share it with everyone we meet so that they and we may experience the fullness of God's love today and forever more.                          

Let us pray.

---

[1] Cf. Thompson, J. A., Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1974 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 5), S. 128

[2]Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Deuteronomy 8: The Next Generation Thanks The Lord' (Sheepspeak.com: Swift Current, 09 October 2011). Available on-line:http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/10/deuteronomy-8-next-generation-thanks.html

[3]Cf. Thomas E. McComiskey, The Expositor's Bible Commentary,  PradisCD-ROM:Amos/Introduction to Amos/Theological Values of Amos/The doctrine of election in Amos, Book Version: 4.0.2; cf. also Willy Schottroff, “To Perceive, To Know,” in Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, Volume 3 eds. Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997),516.

[4]Deuteronomy 8:19-20: “If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.”

[5] Luciano C. Chianeque and Samuel Ngewa, '6:10-25: The Importance of Remembering', Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 222.

[6] Cats in the Cradle (Harry Chapin, Ugly Kid Joe), Signs (Five Man Electrical Band), You're so Vain (Carlie Simon, Faster Pussy Cat), California Girls (Beach Boys, David Lee Roth), Knocking on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan, GNR), Live and Let Die (Paul McCarthy, GNR), Landslide (Fleetwood Mac, Smashing Pumpkins), Johnny B Goode (Chuck Berry, Elvis, Judas Priest, AC DC, Motorhead, etc).

[7]Cf. Ronald E. Clements, The Book of Deuteronomy, (NIB II: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1998), 355.

[8] Cf. Luciano C. Chianeque and Samuel Ngewa, '6:10-25: The Importance of Remembering', Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 222.

[9] Sarah-Grace Ramsay, Plague Pops – Salvation only comes from God (Exodus 7-12). Presented to Maple Creek Corps of The Salvation Army, 10 August, 2014 and Swift Current, 17 August 2014, available online: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2014/08/plague-pops-salvation-only-comes-from.html

Labels:

Luke 9 and the Miracle of Salvation

Presented to Grace Point Ministries in Port Alberni, BC on 28 April 2019 by Captain Michael Ramsay of The Salvation Army[1]

Hello, I am Captain Michael Ramsay. My wife and I have 3 daughters: two are in high school and one is in Grade 3. We are blessed to be Salvation Army Officers - I am from Victoria originally and we have served in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba; Toronto Ontario. We have seen many of God’s blessings in all of those settings.

We have experienced many miracles first hand and today we are going to read about the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 as recorded in Luke 9:10-20 (NIV):

10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

In our Scripture today, I don’t think it is an accident that God and Luke put the story of Peter’s confession of faith directly after the miraculous feeding of the 5000. Luke leaves us to draw the natural conclusion from this miracle that indeed Jesus is the Christ and that God is a God of miracles.

I don't know what you know about The Salvation Army but we help out a lot of people in their time of need with food and other things. I have done a lot of work with the Salvation Army in Disaster Relief. I have helped out in Ottawa, Weyburn, High River and Calgary after floods. I have helped out after fires and explosions in Saskatchewan. I have helped out after hurricanes and other disasters all across this country and beyond. Emotional and Spiritual Care and Feeding is a big part of what The Salvation Army does to help those in disasters.

In 2008 I was privileged to contribute to the hurricane relief effort in Texas. All of the power was off when we were there – there were no open restaurants, no working stoves, no fridges -  in the area. We had around 30 food trucks from which we helped serve 75 000 hot meals every day; and many people told me that without The Salvation Army they wouldn’t have eaten at all.

I heard more than one account of a contemporary miracle paralleling that of the fish and the loaves. Our canteens (food trucks) were instructed to make sure that they gave away all of their food before they came in for the night. One canteen had some food left. It was getting late so they were seeking someone to give their last Cambro (container) of food to. They prayed. One person then saw a line of about 12-18 tired and hungry looking construction workers so they headed over to offer them their food. They were really appreciative.

As they were feeding these men, a number of school buses filled with people pulled up. It is my understanding that they served over 800 meals at that location – no one went away hungry. Feeling blessed by what the Lord had done, they started to clean up. (Now there was a non-believer, a Red Cross worker on their canteen with them today). Someone picked up the container from which they fed the 800 meals and read from the side of it, ‘serves 90 meals’. The Lord fed more than eight times that number and no one went hungry. The Red Cross worker who was helping them on the truck that day, he began to cry. He said that he had never believed in God – until now.

In our Scripture today, I don’t think it is an accident that God and Luke put the story of Peter’s confession of faith directly after the feeding of the 5000. Luke leaves us to draw the natural conclusion that God is a God of miracles and Jesus is the Christ. He performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 about two thousand years ago and he performed the miracle of the feeding of the 800 about ten years ago. He is still performing miracles today and in doing so, He is providing us opportunities to know and to help others know Jesus as Christ just like Peter, and just like the Red Cross worker.

In the Salvation Army we often serve God through feeding people in need; our challenge when doing this is to keep our eyes open to the miracles of God and to be willing to help others come to know Jesus’ love through them.

As I was thinking about the scripture this week my mind was flooded with memories of the emergency disaster work with which I have been involved. One of the first was a fire in northern Saskatchewan. When I lived and worked in Nipawin, there was an explosion right behind our building that set the downtown ablaze.

We were blessed to be able to shelter and feed displaced people; feed emergency responders, and provide emotional and spiritual care. However, lives were lost and there were injuries, lost businesses, and a lost home. Animals, our pets are often a source of comfort in difficult times. There was a couple whose home was lost; they were able to escape but their home, their belongings and their dog was not. The building came crashing down on their dog and the fires raged for as long as they did over the site. That night, in his distress, the pet owner missed the comfort of his dog and he prayed, “God, please let me see my dog one last time – if only just in Heaven.”

The next morning at just before 7AM when I was delivering coffee to the people on site, I heard it: barking. The SaskEnergy employees had heard it first. They told the firefighters. The firefighters rescued him; he was pretty much unscathed. He was saved. The dog was saved! Praise the Lord it was a miracle; it really was! God is a god of miracles. God answered prayer and provided salvation that day.

I have been meditating on Luke 9:10-20 this past little bit in the context of The Salvation Army and the Lord’s ministry through us of feeding and helping people in their time of need and how these real miracles providing real assistance often really lead to eternal life.

And more too: Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”. I was meditating on verse quite a bit one year ago as I was trying to come to terms with a tragic bus crash in Saskatchewan – the Humbolt Broncos bus crash, #Humbolststrong. Do you remember that? It was just on the news again the other day. This bus full of teenage hockey players from Humbolt Saskatchewan were driving the highway between Nipawin and Tisdale when their bus was struck by a semi. Many people were injured. Many people died. Friends of mine lost friends and family members. My heart breaks for them. My heart breaks for the young people and their families.

I was living in Toronto at the time. As I led prayer just after this happened, I had to stop more than once to regain my composure. Songs at the Sunday service would remind me of people whom I knew would be grieving. Images would flash before my mind because I used to live in Nipawin and pastor churches in both Tisdale and Nipawin. I would drive that same highway where the accident happened every week, many times a week. If I still lived there, I would in all probability been out there helping in some way. But also a few years before, at about the same time of day, at about the same time of year, I was driving that same stretch of highway with my two young daughters in the car. Our car crashed and rolled over and we were left dangling in the air. We were okay. I, disoriented, even wandered out into the middle of the highway at one point. We were in shock but we were okay.

I can't imagine the family members, friends and others standing recently on that same stretch of road - and their loved ones aren't okay. But from a distance we can, Romans 12:15, mourn with those who mourn. More than that even we, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we can give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Also one year ago this week, I represented the Salvation Army in Toronto as the city was supporting those impacted by the terrorist bus attack that killed all those innocent people on Yonge Street at the #TorontoStrong Vigil. Do you remember that? I lived by Yonge Street. The event was hosted in collaboration with community groups Faith in the City and the Toronto Area Interfaith Council on which I was the Salvation Army’s representative. It was a real blessing to be a part of. Many people shared prayers, songs, words of encouragement and comfort.

One of the things that really resonated with me as I was standing with community members and later clergy from other denominations and faiths was a spirit of gratefulness. People were grateful for the support of others. People were grateful for their community. People were grateful for the response, the love, the giving, and the forgiving of others. We were thankful. We were grateful.

This gratefulness, this thankfulness to God is one thing we can offer as a community when our community in need. We can offer comfort and support to those who of us are healing through giving thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Yes. One may say, I can see that. We can mourn with those who mourn and we can be grateful for all the support of those as we are in difficult times and we can even learn from all of that but some even take that further to ask why, if God really is a loving God why does He send disaster and worse why does He send people to hell?

The answer to the question why does Jesus condemn people to hell is that He doesn’t. Listen carefully to what I am saying here… Jesus doesn’t condemn people to hell. Hell is real but Jesus does not send people there. Those who are going there make that decision all on their own. Those who stand condemned, condemn themselves by denying what is plainly obvious to everyone (Ro 1&2). I truly believe that God gives us all we need to know in this life from our experiences and even creation itself (cf. Ro 1:18-24) and indeed there will still be a time when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Ro 14:11, Philip 2:10) and then some, some who believe in the Lord and obey His commandments will go off to spend eternity with Him and some, some who deny Christ (Matthew 10:33) and do not obey His commandments (John14:15), some who simply refuse His love will go off to the hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mathew 25:31ff). This is sad.

This is particularly sad because we know that God loves us. John 3:16 says that He loves the entire world. He loves us so much that He laid down His life for us (John 15). God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten, his only natural, his only sired Son to die so that we may live.

I can’t imagine how much this must hurt God that some of us do actually perish. I am a parent. Many of us are parents and grandparents here. Think about this scenario for a moment. The house across the street is on fire; there are children asleep in that house. Your child is able to save them. Your son or daughter – your ONLY son or daughter can reach them so you encourage her “…Go, go, go! Save those people.”

Your daughter goes. She goes. She suffers every peril in that burning house that everyone else in there is suffering (cf. 1 Cor 10:14; Lk 4). There is the smoke – the deadly smoke, there is the fire, and there are the falling beams. She is successful. She gets to where the children are. She can see them. She is able to make an opening in the wall. She points them to the way out. She yells for them to walk through the opening in the wall. She has made a clear path so that all of the kids can be saved - and then she dies. Your daughter dies so that all these kids can be saved. Your child dies so that none of these kids need to die but – here’s the kicker: the children did not want to be saved. They die. She died so that they could be saved but – on purpose – they died. They did not need to die but they chose not to walk through the opening. They chose to die. Your daughter dies for them and they all die anyway; they refuse to be saved.

This is what it is like for God when our loved one’s reject Him. He sent His son to this earth that is perishing. He sent His Son to this house that is on fire – and His Son died so that we may live but yet some still refuse His love for us and some still reject His Salvation. He sent Jesus not to condemn us to burn in the eternal house fire but to save us but some of us refuse to walk to safety. Some of us simply refuse to walk through that opening that Jesus died to make. John 3:18: “Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already…” of their own accord because, 3:19, “people loved darkness rather than light.”

It was the same with our relief work on with The Salvation Army. When a hurricane struck Galveston Island about a decade agao, there was plenty of warning. The early warning system meant that no one needed to die. Everyone was saved who chose to leave the Island. Some, however, rejected their salvation.

There is a story of one 19 or 20 year-old who stood on the waterfront, intentionally defying the storm. He was swept away to his death. I met a man who lost his home and his business and praised the Lord for his insurance but he wondered why his brother chose to stay behind and die. How does he deal with the fact that his brother rejected salvation?

This is the same for us today. We praise God that the early warning for the end of times was sounded 2 millennia ago with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We praise the Lord, that he gave his life so that everyone can be saved  - but the sad thing is that some will reject this salvation. Some ignore the early warning system. Some defy God. Some refuse to be saved. But there is the good news. Many will be saved; as we share the Gospel of salvation, many will be saved.

Jesus died and rose again, and we, as long as we are still breathing have the opportunity to be saved from the eschatological hurricane and the eternal house fire. As long as we are alive we can still walk to safety through the path Jesus made through His death and resurrection. We can walk from certain death to certain life. All we need to do is believe, obey, and walk through that wall to eternal life because “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only [begotten] Son, so that everyone who believe in Him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Salvation comes from Christ alone and we who know that have a responsibility to share that news. Just like Christ provided the food and asked the disciples to distribute it and Peter then confessed Jesus as Lord; so we are asked to point people to that salvation the Jesus provided for the whole world. And we are invited to share in that salvation. Can you imagine if Jesus made the bread for all the people and the disciples never handed it out?

Romans 1:16-17 states that I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of Salvation for all. Thinking still of our work with natural disasters; can you imagine if the news announcers were so ashamed of the fact the hurricane was coming that they didn’t share information? Can you imagine if the meteorologists were so ashamed of the fact that they did not know the exact time and hour the hurricane was going to strike that they didn’t tell anybody? Can you imagine if your neighbour knew that the hurricane was coming and she evacuated but she never told you because she was ashamed because she couldn’t explain exactly what, why, where, how, and when the hurricane was coming? Can you imagine the horror as you look up to see your life being swept away – and no one ever told you how to be saved?

Well, an eschatological hurricane is coming and it is a lot more dangerous than Hurricane Ike. There are people in this city here today who are sleeping in their beds or watching their TVs right now who have no idea that the end is coming. There are people out there who are lost and just waiting for us to point them to salvation.

So today, let us do that. Today let us point people to safety. None of us know when our lives are going to end. We may be taken tomorrow. None of us know when the Lord is returning and bringing with him the end to our world. But, like the weatherman watching the storm, we do know that the things of this earth are going to pass away (Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, Lk 21:33, Rev 21:1) and it is our job to share with everyone we meet the good news of the way to salvation so that they do not need to perish.

It is our responsibility to share the Gospel for, indeed, the Gospel is the power of God for all to be saved both now and forever. To this end then, I encourage us all to look for opportunities to share the good news of salvation in the upcoming weeks here so that we may all turn to God and experience the full power of His Salvation.

I have one more story for us from my time in Texas helping with disasters. I want to share the story of Scott and the story of Paul. Scott was a canteen worker from central Texas who had accepted the Lord not too long before coming to Galveston to help with relief work and Paul was a twelve year-old boy.

Scott was working on of one of our canteens.  Paul lived in an apartment with 10 other people and was familiar with the neighbourhood activities of gangs and drugs.  This boy saw our canteen near his home and wanted to help.  He approached Scott and volunteered to help.  Scott welcomed him with open arms and very quickly made an impression on Paul - he kept coming back. Scott even gave him T-shirt and hat.  The look on Paul’s face was worth a million dollars or more.

The evening before Scott was to return home from his deployment, I had the opportunity to give him his exit interview. During this interview we began speaking about Paul. Scott told me that he had prayed with Paul on a number of occasions and that Paul was asking about Jesus. I asked if Paul had asked the Lord into his heart. Scott said ‘not yet’ and asked me to help him do that.

The next day, Sunday; Scott, Paul, and a number of other volunteers working on the canteen eagerly awaited our arrival – Paul was ready to ask the Lord into his heart.  We arrived and I encouraged Scott to lead Paul in the ‘sinners’ prayer’.  After a simple confession of sin and profession of faith, Paul was welcomed into the family of God.  We then sang a verse of Amazing Grace and Scott presented Paul with a Bible.

While we were celebrating Paul’s proclamation of salvation, two apparent ‘good-ole boys’ rolled up in a pick-up truck with their radio blaring Hank William’s “I Saw the Light.”  They were angels. They were messengers of God who had come to celebrate with us, then they were gone.

In the midst of all the turmoil and all the suffering God was there. In the midst of all our troubles and all our sufferings today, God is here. Ten plus years ago in Texas and 2000 plus years ago in the NT, when people were without food, Jesus was there. Then and now in the midst of real troubles, Jesus offers us his real salvation; the opportunity to make the same proclamation of faith as the apostle Peter in Luke's Gospel and all those others in my testimony today.

Today we all here have a choice or two to make. For those of us who are presently experiencing eternal salvation we have the same choice as the disciples of our text, we need to choose whether to share the bread of eternal salvation with all those gathered around us.

And for those of us who have not yet taken advantage of that salvation Jesus has already provided for us, we have the same choice that faced the people of Galveston Island. We can either defy the eschatological hurricane and perish or we can heed the warning; we can see the light, choose to be saved; we all have that opportunity today to turn our eyes upon Jesus and celebrate with the Angles sent from God in Heaven.

It is my hope today that all of us will choose that salvation.

Let us pray

 www.sheepspeak.com

https://www.facebook.com/Salvogesis

---

[1] Based on the sermon of the same name Presented to The Church in the Village at Shepherd Village, Scarborough, ON, June 2017 by Captain Michael Ramsay. Available on-line at https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2017/06/luke-9-ro-1-jn-316-and-miracle-of.html