9:5 - when people reject you and the message of Christ...do not dwell on it and let bitterness take control of you...shake it off and move on. Getting worked up and angry only gives the opposition power over you. (Remember this verse for later in the chapter)
9:18 - Again, after a miraculous event (feeding the 5,000) Jesus spiritually recharges through prayer...I'm starting to see a pattern!
9:26 - How do you show shame for Jesus and his message? You refuse to let it make any difference in the life you live. You refuse to talk about it to anybody. You let the things and people and obsessions of this world shape who you are and what you believe instead of the message of Jesus. Lord, I ask that you give me strength to live like I am not ashamed of the gospel...I don't want you to be ashamed of me.
9:41 - Wow...harsh words Jesus! Why so hardcore? Because the reason the disciples couldn't drive out the demon is because they feared the power of Satan and his demonic forces. They doubted the power of God in the face of such evil. Jesus rebukes the generation that believes evil has so much power...and then he shows them what true power looks like by driving out the demon. Do you live like you are on the most powerful, victorious side?
9:54 - The disciples reaction was a typical human reaction - they want to repay the disrespect to Jesus with anger. How many times have we seen Christians in our culture angrily railing against anything they think is wrong and disrespectful. Jesus instead chooses to show grace (Just like he did in verse 5 when he tells his disciples to shake the dust off their sandals). Soon he will be entering Jerusalem and weeping for the lost generation that he sees - he feels empathy for those who are apart from him and offers them a second chance to come to him. There are times that Jesus does react with righteous anger...but that is usually in the face of religious hypocrisy. Maybe we should get a little more fired up about the hypocrisy in our own lives and the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters and show a more gracious, loving face to the utterly lost and confused people of this world? Maybe.
2 comments:
Two things –
Vs 3 - He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment.
How’s that for a statement of who we are. We are the delivery system of His message to the world – no backup plan – just us. Embrace it – run with it…
Vs 25 - What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?
You are more valuable to Jesus and anything you could accumulate in this world. The more stuff you have, the more weight you have to carry when you move around – literally. Some things are necessary – others are gifts – the rest is just extra luggage. Dump it. I have – it was rather liberating – scary at first, but all of the stuff I got rid of – I still don’t miss it and don’t think I ever will.
Peace,
j
It stands out to me when Jesus tells people to "not tell anyone of what just happened." When he heals someone,he would at times tell them, "don't say anything to anyone." When the transfiguration heppened, he told the three, "don't tell anyone!" What is awesome about this is that Jesus doesn't want us to follow him because he is bigger or better than us. He only wants us to follow him when we realize that it is genuinely the best thing for us to do. Jesus is not about flexing his muscles and showing off to get people to follow him. He's about coming into the picture of our lives and helping us to realize that Jesus is really the best decision for our lives! Thank you Father for giving me free will, and not wanting to coerce me into following you, but instead doing what is necessary for me to realize that you are the best decision for me. I love you...
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