Chapter 3

They Kept Silent

Mark 3:1-6

MARK 3:1-6

1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" 4 And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

MARK 3:1-2

1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

They might accuse Him

Jesus had many followers. There were those who followed in admiration, those who followed for quick-fix miracles and those who followed with cynicism in their cold hearts. The last group sought whatever means they could to undermine the ministry of Jesus. They did so when Jesus was hungry in the fields winnowing grain with his disciples [Mark 2:18-22 and the they did it again when this palsied man sought healing of his arm. It wouldn't have mattered if it was Jesus or another. They would have attacked anyone who would have made them look ineffectual.

Do you know people like that today? Jealous of other's success. The world is full of such cynicism. Wherever you go, the ineffectual will try to guard their shortcomings by undermining the competent and influential.

We must be cautious about why we follow the Lord. Do we follow for the miraculous? Hoping that somehow Jesus will do something extraordinary to change our bleak existence. Do we follow for cynicism? Looking for a way to make others more reliant on us? Or, do we follow for love? Passionate for our Lord regardless of where he leads.

I'm reminded of the women who went to balm Jesus after his death [Luke 24:1-3. They didn't go for miracles. They didn’t even go for faith. They went for love. Even after Jesus had apparently died they went to care for him like he had cared for them. The male apostles didn’t go, only these women.

Do I love others because Jesus loved me?

1 John 4:18-19

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.

Whenever I read of these religious leaders I am forced to question my own morals. Am I following Jesus for the right reasons?

MARK 3:3-6

3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began  conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

“Is it lawful…”

Jesus is the Master of the right question. Those who ask the wrong question will always get the wrong answer. The Pharisees question is, “Will he heal on the Sabbath?” The right question — the Jesus question — was “Is it right to do good or evil, to save or condemn — no matter what day it is?” That’s the right question: the compassionate or empathic question. Do I ask legal or compassionate questions? Do I seek religious righteousness or justice?

The words that Jesus uses are very important.

Is it right to do good or cause harm?

·      Good [G18 Agathos]; do kindness, be generous

·      Harm [G2554 Kakopoieo]; do evil or cause harm, to do what is wrong

Is it right to save or kill?

Save [G4982 Sozo]; to cause salvation, to make whole, to restore, to set free (as in a foal released in a new pasture)

Kill [G615 Apoktieno]; to end life

As far as Jesus was concerned to not do good was to cause harm. To not save was to kill. This reformatted the erroneous questions of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were causing harm and even contributing to injustice because they had turned their backs on people like this man with the palsied hand.

These are sins of omission instead of commission. Sins we commit when we ignore the poor or turn away from injustice. These sins are probably the most devastating in a culture because it is only by turning a blind eye to injustice that those who are powerful can extort those who are poor. In the case of the religious leaders their sin was double. Because they turned a blind eye to the poor and had the power to institutionalize poverty, their punishment would be great.

Once again the sins of the leaders force me to examine my own conscience. Jesus was not asking the Pharisees to change the world but to care for one man. Can I say that I do that? Am I a sign of hope to these who are at hand?" Or am I, like those Pharisees, so heavenly minded that I am no earthly good? Do the hidden and forgotten come from my own community to find me? What a step of faith that was for this man to enter the synagogue where he would be viewed as a sinner simply because of his disfigurement. What barriers have to be crossed in order for the poor to come to me for help?

“They kept silent”

In Mark’s version of this story we are left focusing on the conniving of the leaders. To Mark, Jesus’ healing of this man wasn’t even worth ink on the page. Of course the Messiah of the “immediate and enthusiastic” would heal the palsied man.

Luke fills out the story so we are assured of the man’s healing:

Luke 6:10

After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

The effectiveness of Jesus silences his critics. They are afraid to speak their criticisms out loud. How well does my effectiveness silence my critics? Surely they will speak, but only to their cynical and ineffectual associates (do critics ever really have friends or just fellow critics?)

Jesus could not care less about their conniving. He’s already moved on to what counts. True compassion cannot be silent in the face of injustice or pain.  Of course Jesus chooses good over harm — no matter what day it is. Of course he chooses salvation over death — no matter whose life it is. God give me the strength to make the same choice.

Mark 3:7-12

Came To Him

Mark 3:7-12

MARK 3:7-12

7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

MARK 3:7-8

7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him.

Came to him

The distances which these people were traveling is deceptive to a culture that measures travel at 35,000 feet, 500 miles per hour and by frequent flyer miles. Those people were making trips measured in days and for some, even weeks. They were not on vacation; this was not a holiday. Those sojourners were leaving kin and culture to follow someone who sounded authentic and significant.

Surely many of them weren’t leaving behind much, trading one form of poverty for another. Others left — not for the potential of food or healing — but out of a deep spiritual hunger that left them empty.

Studies indicate that people are leaving churches today in a similar quest. Some become unaffiliated, a few switch denominations, but the majority just leave and don’t come back. Of those who leave, they still say spirituality is important to them but they aren’t being fed by religion.

When asked what would bring them back, they list: Relationships, significance and family (they would return if their families would go with them).

Truly, we aren’t through our deserts yet. Like those people from Judea, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, people are still looking for meaning and relationship. Will they get it from us?

People ask so little of the church today and we’re not even giving that to them in so many cases. They are not seeking a cognitive faith nor even a faith based on emotions. They seek a meaningful faith with ties to friends and a pathway to family. Instead we make the ritual increasingly complex and the theology increasingly intellectual.

If we but focused on the simplicity of Jesus. Love the lonely, welcome the loss. “They” would still come. In short, if it ain’t simple; it ain’t Jesus. “Love others like I loved you [John 13:34.”

MARK 3:9-12

9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

In order to touch him

Jesus was a masterful teacher. A boat sitting a few meters off the shoreline would create the perfect amphitheater from which Jesus could be both seen and heard. The sound would bounce off the surface of the water like a natural amplification system.

Masterful presenters are ever-aware of the participants needs. They don’t force their audience to strain to either hear them or understand them. Jesus set a perfect stage but he also used a commoners language. He told stories relevant to the lives of the commoner. They weren’t laced with Talmudic references, they weren’t gilded with insider’s language. Why do some people focus on the King’s English as if Jesus spoke it? Why return to Latin rites as if that is what a single mom hopes will bring her teens back to church or as if it would make the homeless feel more welcome?

Jesus, whose first miracle was to save a party [John 1:1-13] and who was accused of being “a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Can you imagine him boring a temple to tears? Sharing an irrelevant sermon?

Our services are the first place most newcomers or “come-backers” interact with our church. Will they find meaning and relationship there? Will they be strengthened, comforted and challenged by what they hear as surely as those throngs that crowded Jesus? Do they run back to Tyre and Sidon, the distant lands of their living rooms or school hallways, and eagerly bring more?

If that is not the case we have to quit blaming and start changing. In the book, From Good to Great, author, Jim Collins, tells us that great leaders have one thing common. When things go wrong they look in the mirror to see what they did wrong. When things go right they look out the window and give credit to their people. Lousy leaders do the opposite: Things go wrong — blame the people. Things go right — take the credit. (From Good to Great; Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, Jim Collins, © 2001, HarperCollins books)

Which kind of leader am I? A great leader constantly looking to empower my people? A Jesus leader constantly looking to engage my people, to be understood, to comfort and challenge?

"You are the Son of God"

Remember that when Jesus arrived on the scene demons were speaking freely in the places of worship [Mark 1:23-27. Demons recognized the Messiah even when the religious did not. In this reading the term “unclean spirit” is used. Unclean [G163 Akathartos] means to pull someone down as in “into the dirt.” Demons [G1142 Daimon] was one who would distribute or manipulate destinies. Who in your community pulls others into the dirt? Who manipulates destinies? The poor are rarely without afflicters and oppressors are not always the criminals, dealers, and abusers who prey upon them. Unclean demons can also be found in corporations, broken legal systems, close-minded churches and unfunded education mandates. Jesus flabbergasted the Pharisees in Mark 3:4 when he revealed that we’re either doing good by liberating the poor or we are doing harm by allowing them to be manipulated or dragged into the dirt.

How de we know when we are doing good? Because those who manipulate and degrade the “least of these” recognize our presence and our works silence them.

Do “they” — the masses of the forgotten come to us? Does evil recognize us and slink away — silenced by our work? That’s how we tell when we are close to Jesus.

Mark 3:13-19

He Could Send Them

Mark 3:13-19

MARK 3:13-19

13 And He *went up on the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, "Sons of Thunder"); 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

MARK 3:13

13 And He *went up on the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.

He went up to the mountain...

Prayer was an essential part of our Lord's life and a habit he modeled to his disciples. Mark tells us about three specific times Jesus went up to the mountain for solitude.

1.        Mark 3:13, to choose his disciples.

2.        Mark 6:46, after feeding the thousands.

3.        Mark 9:2 For the transfiguration and before heading to Jerusalem for the final time.

Our Lord prays to God for guidance and for strength. In so doing he sets the tone for us and shows us how important a life of prayer is to the children of God.

Prayer, to Jesus, was straightforward:

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."

Prayer [G4336 Proseuchomai] means “forward wishing,” or forward “hoping.” However, it is the context of prayer that is impressive:

Mark 11:25-26

25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

What do we forward hope? Only when our hearts are freed by forgiveness, liberated of anger — and in particular self-righteous anger — are we ready for hope. Is my heart in forward gear? Am I ready for hope because I am unencumbered by self-righteous motivations? Then I am ready to be called to become a disciple of the Lord.

MARK 3:14-19

14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

Send them out...

We know that the Apostles were set aside by Jesus with a very particular purpose. There were initially twelve, representing the twelve tribes of Israel but then the disciples grew to a group of seventy-two. Finally, there were the thousands who followed Jesus wherever he went. A group that dwindled significantly when our Lord refused to keep giving them free bread and said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst [John 6:35].”

The Apostles were called less to follow Jesus — that was the short term — then to be sent out [G649 Apostello] by him.

Any great leader calls people to send them out not to follow. From the moment Jesus received these men his eye was on sending them and he trained them for the task. He modeled the behavior he wanted to see and took them into the field. Then — after inviting, modeling and teaching — then he sent them.

Does our pedagogy resemble the Lord’s? Model, invite, teach and then send or do we only prepare people for service within our own walls? Do we train them in the art of building community among the neglected or do we teach them to only be better lectors, liturgists or servants in our own church or denomination?

Jesus trained his people to go not to stay.

Who betrayed him

Mark is not so caught up in the story that he doesn’t prepare us for its ending. Jesus came not only to send but to sacrifice. Before we are even a quarter way through the Gospel, Mark reminds us that Jesus came to die for our sins. Not a task of human martyrdom but of divine intervention. We must never forget that Jesus is far more than a leader; he is God’s son sent for our salvation.

Mark 3:20-30

A House Divided Against Itself

Mark 3:20-30

MARK 3:20-30

20 And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27 “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” —  30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

MARK 3:20-21

20 And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

And He came home...

Coming home, to Jesus, was returning to Nazareth. Within that city was a church (synagogue). This church had attempted to kill Mary when her pregnancy began to show and now it was ready to kill Mary’s son. This wasn’t Roman oppression. This was oppression from the very people who should have loved Mary most and recognized Jesus first. Instead, they drive Mary from her family in the last trimester of her pregnancy and drive Jesus from their community when he could heal them most.

Think about it. Think hard. Think long. Is there anyone whom we would like to condemn? Anyone we want to watch fall on their face? Anyone who has done something wrong in our eyes that we want them to “pay for?”

My friends, that person is Mary.

Is there anyone whose love of the poor makes us jealous? Anyone whose effectiveness makes us jealous? Anyone whose sincerity we want to unmask and lay bare?

My friends, that person is Jesus.

MARK 3:22-27

22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27 “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

The scribes who came down

Isn’t that an amazing sentence? “The scribes who came down…”

When do we come down? Come down hard on a kid who is confused. Come down from an ivory tower to lecture the “ignorant.” Even look down upon the poor or incarcerated.

Jesus, on the other hand, would “get down.” Get down on the level of the rejected. Get down to the level of children. Get down and party with the sinners and tax collectors.

Do we come down on people or get down to their level?

He is possessed by Beelzebub

The scribes of Jerusalem are grasping at straws. They are like politicos who will use any scare tactics to sway people away from an opponent that might lessen the scribes power. They have no concern about what is truly best for people or the social costs incurred by subservience when a religious or political leader chooses to play off of the fears or prejudices of their constituency. They don't care if the handicapped or sick are condemned because of their fear-mongering. Later, this type of attitude would add fire to the crusades, inquisitions, witch-burning, the systematic abuse of immigrants, war and so much more. When leaders use fear to manipulate people it is like an addiction. Each time it is used it has to be injected at higher and mote potent levels. In the end, control through fear always leads to suffering. Yet — to these political opportunists — even naming Jesus the King of Demons was better than allowing his influence to continue spreading.

When are we like this? When do we choose authority over influence in our relationships or leadership roles? When do use fear to control others; children, spouses, associates? Whenever we use authoritarian techniques we steal from the trust account of our relationships. Do we ever need to do that? Perhaps in the middle of a fire or a situation involving immediate danger. But how often is that, really? A good leader knows that every time we borrow from the authoritarian tool box we have to replace the trust stolen from that relationship. Alternatively, manipulative people just keep increasing the fear.

A house divided against itself...

This is a very cultural reference by Jesus. The Jewish people were actually called the House of Israel. The divided house is obviously the House of Israel; the Old Testament church. What had divided the church so much that the very people who were supposed to devote their entire lives to preparing for the Messiah actually condemned him as Satan while demons preached in their synagogues?

Religious leaders retreated into dogma and ritual. Theology became the cognitive religion of the elite and the manipulative tool of the masses. The poor found worship too exclusive to participate in either culturally and financially. Church became a haven for the rich and powerful.

The leaders were more interested in culling political favors than being prophetic — they became an arm of the oppressive government.

The leaders became more concerned about getting ahead and protecting their wealth and positions than about insuring no one would be left behind. By “left behind” I am certainly not referring to post-millennialist theology. I am speaking about a gross imbalance between those who have and those who don't.

How do we guard against such travesties in our own time? Their is only one way: Follow the mission statement of Jesus Christ!

Luke 4:18-19

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

Only when the poor call our churches and leaders good news are we aligned with the Gospel mission of Jesus Christ. When the least accepted and most rejected find their solace among us — we are the Good News people. But the farther we are from the most wounded, the farther we are from Jesus.

MARK 3:28-30

28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" —  30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit.”

Blasphemes against the Holy Spirit

The Greek term for Blaspheme [G987 Blasphameo] means to revile, slander, or take lightly. The Hebrew term [H5006 Naats] means to treat with contempt, or to spurn a person or position (like a King or his representative). So what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

This is the only unforgivable sin to Jesus and that is a huge statement. Jesus forgave Paul for persecuting Christians and officiating over the death of Stephen. He forgave tax collectors, adulterers and prostitutes. He forgave Peter’s denial. Yet, he never forgave Judas’ betrayal. Was it the severity of Judas’ sin that Christ rejected? Obviously not, Paul’s and Peter’s sins were equally abhorrent. Still you can’t forgive someone who doesn’t ask for forgiveness. Judas never asked.

The sin against the Holy Spirit lies in denying the Spirit’s power. It wasn’t just Judas who acted this way. Look at who Jesus was addressing in this story. The religious leaders spurned and treated Jesus with contempt. They treated God’s people with contempt. Despite all of their religious piety, they slandered God by their actions.

When do we blaspheme the Holy Spirit? When, like Judas, we refuse to believe that God is greater than our sin and when, like the religious leaders, we deceive and manipulate those who are vulnerable claiming God’s authority in the process.

God’s House was divided — but not by Jesus. It was divided by those who had set themselves in the Messiah’s place and used God’s name to abuse God’s people.

Mark 3:31-35

“Behold My Mother and My Brothers”

Mark 3:31-35

MARK 3:31-35

31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

MARK 3:31-32

31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”

“Looking for you…”

There was only one reason that Mary and the brothers of Jesus were looking for him. In fact, the word Mark uses for looking [G2210 Zetao] is a strong word. It would mean deliberately demanding an audience with Jesus. That is the context of this reading of which we must not lose sight. Without that context Jesus’ response seems harsh in comparison.

Why were Jesus’ relatives deliberately demanding a meeting? Why did they want him to come out as opposed to going into see him?

There are a couple of times in Mary’s life that she forgets that she is not just raising her son, but also God’s Messiah. Once in Jerusalem when Jesus was seated among the elders [Luke 2:41-52 and here in this story where she brings the other brothers to confront Jesus.

We often forget that Jesus is not “ours.” We like to bundle up the infant Jesus into something we can cuddle at Christmas or fit the infinite Jesus into our theological paradigm. Jesus outgrew Mary’s cradle and God would not be God if we could define him. For this reason, we need to be careful we are not using Jesus to meet our ends but that our end is to be useful to Jesus.

No doubt Mary and the brothers thought they were protecting Jesus after the religious leaders began to plot against him. Peter tried to do the same thing, attempting to deter Jesus from going to Jerusalem. Jesus is neither ours to keep nor ours to protect. We do not defend Jesus, we can only model him to others. No testimony could ever be greater than that of the Geresene demoniac. He had no theology to convert his homeland, only the statement; “You know what I was — now look who Jesus made me.”

Let’s quit defining and defending Jesus, because usually what we are doing is just defining and defending our “theology.” Rather, let’s get into the harvest and do the work of our Lord.

MARK 3:33-35

33 Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

“Whoever does the will of God”

How do we become a relative of Jesus? Do God's will.

·      To do [G4160 Poieo] means to accomplish, bring forth or bring to pass.

·      The will [G2309 Thelo] this word not only means to do the will, but also to be willing. Furthermore, it means to delight. Look at this verse from the Psalms:

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

To “give you the desires” actually means to shape or form our heart’s innermost desires. God will shape us if we delight in him. God promises to do his part but will we do ours? Will we delight today — not someday. Will we delight with what we have — not with what we wish we had? Will we delight where we are — not where we want to be? Do we pray, “God change my circumstances?” Or, “God change me.”

What is God’s will for us? What is the will of any healthy parent for their child? It is to find delight; fullness in being loved and being able to love.

We need to let God be God and not try to domesticate the eternal. We need to quit protecting our concept of Jesus and let Jesus shape our lives. We need to quit defending our theology of God and find delight in him instead. Then we will know the fullness of being a relative of Jesus and not just an expert of theology.