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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
Jesus Christ began this exciting world changing ministry, with a group of quite ordinary men, who soon would be leading extraordinary lives.
Now, there were deeply religious people around at that time - educated leaders in Jerusalem - and down at the Dead Sea at Qumran, there was a community of holy Jewish people - the Essenes. Jesus did not go for them. Jesus made a demand and an offer - Follow me and I will make you. You will still be fishermen, but you will catch men. A wife and home and father had to be left behind. They did not have a written contract. You can handle things. You can handle nets. I am going to help you help people, and cope with, and handle, and deal with people. To begin with Jesus went for fishermen. Verse 21 - Jesus goes to Capernaum, and Jesus began to teach, and people were amazed and astonished. Jesus did not quote so-called authorities. Jesus was the authority. Verse 23 - A man challenged Jesus in the middle of the Service, and Jesus dealt with it right away. There was further amazement. People were hearing such teaching, and witnessing such authority. Jesus then went over to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew. We see Jesus dealing here with spiritual and mental and physical. This opening chapter of Mark is packed with information and teaching and activity. Verse 35 - Jesus kept in touch with His divine partner - His heavenly Father. Jesus got into society, and out of it, at regular intervals. Jesus reveals such a balance. We can tend to go for one need but Jesus kept everything in balance. Three times in this passage Jesus told people to "Shut Up"! That is what it says. Verse 25 - Verse 34 - Verse 42 - Jesus did not want people to know who He was until the time was right. Jesus did not want to be just a healer of bodies, important though that is. Jesus deals with a spiritual problem - people clamouring for Him - and perhaps wanting to divert Him from one task - that of preaching. Verse 38 - They left that area, and they met a leper, and Jesus cured an incurable disease. Notice carefully what Jesus is saying here. I am trying to preach - do not tell anyone how you got healed - just go to Jerusalem - and get a medical certificate, indicating that your leprosy has gone. In verse 45, we learn of how this wave of popularity with people caused Jesus a problem - and it still does, and can still cause many to be sidetracked and diverted. To begin with, I thought Mark was a simple straightforward Gospel - and in some aspects it is - but in other aspects it is not!Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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