Reading #3: The Gospel According to Mark

I started out the day strong as far as the daily readings are concerned. I had two books knocked out before 8 AM. Then I got busy: A hike, a movie, time with the family. Now it is late and I am rushing to put the finishing touches on my daily excursion into the well of God’s Word. But you understand that the point of this adventures is more than a mere excursion. I’m not simply looking to take a side trip every day. The point of getting in every day is to get in every day. It’s about making the Word the meal, not the snack.

So today I spent considerable time, as much as it took, reading the Gospel according to Mark. Mark has been, for a long time—forever—, my favorite Gospel. I like its fast pace and his wonderful ‘sandwhich’ style. His language is rough, quick, and earthy. I like it because it resonates with a sort of blue-collar sound. Mark is down home cooking and since I am a down home sort of fellow it strikes me as personal and real. I like Mark’s Gospel for those reasons. I have preached from it more, taught it through more, and read it more than any of the other three. It was the first Gospel I formally studied when I went to college.

But when I read it today, for the umpteenth time, I noticed something that I knew what there but that I had paid little attention to in the past: there is a battle going on in the pages of Mark. We are first introduced in the Chapter 1: "and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan." From there it gets not better. One of Jesus first miracles took place in the synagogue in Capernaum: "Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out… ‘He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’"

I also get the sense that every time Jesus heals someone from leprosy, or blindness, or a mute tongue or whatever that he is also rebuking the devil’s authority on this earth and over people. In fact, it got so bad that the religious leaders once even accused Jesus of being in cahoots with devil himself. "He is possessed by Beelzebub!" Those are harsh, scathing and utterly false words. Even the scene in chapter 4 where Jesus calms the storm on the Galelle appears to be an attack from Satan and his ilk. I say this because Jesus ‘rebukes’ the wind and the waves much in the same way he ‘rebukes’ a demon in chapter 1 verse 25. Chapter 5 there is another encounter with demons—this time a lot of them. When he sends his disciples out to preach in chapter 6 he ‘gives them authority over evil spirits.’

There are a few others. For example, after coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus is met by a raucus crowd that cannot figure out why his disciples could not heal a boy with a demon. Jesus is relentless in his offensive against the forces that oppose him. He said, "In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up tehs trong man. Then he can rob his house." Jesus was intent on robbing the strong man of as much of his treasure as possible. I suspect that this battle is still going on—even though I am also certain that this strong man has been bound. Now is the time to rob the strong man’s house.

Still I wonder. I wonder if we use the power of Jesus or if we are among those disciples who rebuke others who cast out demons in Jesus’ Name? And yet Jesus said, "Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." He said this in direct response to his disciples’ efforts to keep all the demon-driving-out-power to themselves. Personally, I agree with Jesus: we need a few (or a lot) more people in the world who are willing to stand up to the forces of hell and cast the demons and devils right back to the abyss where they belong. We too often forget that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church’s offensive. And, if I may be honst and blunt, I think it is time for the church to stop sitting around and praying for the right people to be elected to high office or high court so that they will be our mouthpiece or puppet or the power behind our offensive. It is time for the church to go on the offensive against the gates of hell and start tearing down those strongholds, start robbing the strong man, and start acting like the team that has all the strength and power at their disposal that is necessary to demolish such an enemy. It is time for the church to launch an offensive with the power of Jesus and in His name.

Jerry

PS--my contacts are sticky and spell checker is not working. I am profoundly sorry for any typos or grammer errors.