Need a crumb....

Among the stories about Jesus is this story recorded in Mark 7.

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

The story is scandalous on several fronts. First, Jesus is spending time with a non-Jew. Second, the non-Jew is a woman. Anyone familiar with the story of Jesus is not surprised by how Jesus overturned the religious and social norms of his time and community by his frequent association with women. Every day a Jewish man living in the first century prayed and thanked God he was born neither a dog nor a woman. Jesus gave women a status unknown in his day.

There is a third scandalous point: this non-Jewish woman has the audacity to ask if the miracles Jesus is performing are for her daughter. What do Jews have to do with non-Jews? Jesus’ response appears to be prejudiced: “ “First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Every Jewish person in the first century knew exactly what Jesus was saying: the children are the Jews and the dogs are the non-Jews or Gentiles. Of course, God’s chosen people are the Jews and they should get first chance to experience the goodness of God.

The woman’s response is classic: “How about it, Jesus, throw me a crumb. After all, even dogs get to eat the crumbs the children drop.”

Jesus, not out of shame, but out of his own gracious character, extends healing and relief to the woman’s daughter.

There are many “Greek women” walking the world today who think they are outside of God’s goodness. You may be one of them. Here is the good news: the “crumb” of God’s grace has the power to change your life. You need only ask.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

What do you do with this Jesus?

I am reading through the Gospel of Mark. The sixth chapter of this Gospel is a collection of well-known stories: the beheading of John the Baptist, feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus walking to the water. The last two stories illustrate an interesting juxtaposition of the Jesus’ inner circle and the crowd. The disciples have a close-up view of Jesus, yet, they are described as  “cried out,” “amazed,” “terrified,” and “their hearts are hardened.” The words to collect the crowd’s reaction are “recognized,” “begged,” and “ran."

Does anyone else seeing what I am seeing? Today’s church is afraid of the real Jesus. The world outside the church would run to this Jesus except the fearful “handlers” hold him captive.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

 

Are you waiting for God?

Everybody is attracted to crowds,

especially if the attraction is a rising star

who is offering healing to anyone who shows up.

The rumor is out – get close enough

and he will touch you.

The crowd presses in. His handlers try to

control the crowd.

“Stay back!”

“Give him room to breath!”

“Stop pushing!”

A woman who has suffered

for a dozen years of an incurable bleed

joins the pressing seekers.

She brushes against the Center of attention.

In a moment she knows

her life has been changed.

“Who touched me?” asks the Man.

In fear and trembling the woman falls

in front of her Healer.

Who wouldn’t fall in adoration

to the One who has just changed

their status from unclean to clean?

Are you waiting for the Divine

to touch you? Maybe you need to

move in and touch the Divine.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

What terrifies you more?

In the ministry of Jesus there is a well-known story of a storm. Jesus and the disciples go out on the Sea of Galilee for a night of fishing. As is not uncommon on the Sea a storm comes up. Jesus has gone to sleep resting from a hard day of ministry and teaching. The disciples are terrified they will drown. They awaken Jesus and ask him if he doesn't care if they drown. After calming the storm, Jesus turns to the disciples and asks, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' The disciples response is very interesting: they turn to each other in fear and ask, "Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!"

 I suspect many of us are more afraid of Jesus than we are the storms in our lives. Our storms are comfortable to us. If we allow Jesus to calm our storms, we have to deal with who Jesus is.

Ronald Friesen (c) 2015

Are you crazy?

When you a follower of Jesus don't be surprised if some people, particularly your family, thinks you are a bit off your rocker, that you are crazy. You are in good company because Jesus had the same response from his family. In the middle of his ministry, Jesus' family came looking for him exclaiming, "He is out of his mind" (Mark 3:21). 

C.S. Lewis made this declaration about Jesus: 

" I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us." (Mere Christianity)

In the 21st Century people still have the same challenge with Jesus his family did. 

Do not be surprised if people think you are crazy for following Jesus.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

Lend me some faith.....

"I wish I had more faith."

"I wish I I had your faith."

"I am too tired to believe."

"I don't think I can even believe."

We have all expressed these sentiments.

One day a paralyzed man thought he would like to take on the stories he had heard about the Man from Nazareth. He asked four friends if they would take him to where Jesus was preaching. Arriving at the door of the home, there was no way to negotiate a path to where Jesus was standing. Upon surveying the scene, the friends decide to do a little deconstruction on the roof. Having made an entry, they lower their helpless friend in front of Jesus.

Jesus, marveling at the ingenuity of the men, acknowledged the friends' faith. Mark, the gospel writer, puts it this way, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'My son, your sins are forgiven.'"

How much in the world is begging for people of faith to exercise their faith?

Ronald Friesen (c) 2015

In the beginning ... immediately...

A door is opening.

The name of the door is
"Beginning."

Beginnings present excitement
and challenge at the same moment.

"In the beginning God!"
"In the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Beginnings demand choices.

What will we do with God?
What will we do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Andrew, Simon, John, James
walk through the door immediately.
No careers, how worthy, keep them
from entering into the Door of Life.

Others say "What do you have to do
with us, Jesus?"
Sometimes beginning is too good to be true.

Beginning keeps coming,
delays
represent reduced opportunities
for extended fullness.

In the beginning ... immediately ...

Ron Friesen (2015)

The above meditation is based on The Gospel of Mark, chapter 1.


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