BREAD & WINE

BREAD & WINE is a monthly publication by Bethel Community Church of Sarasota, Florida, USA.

Address: 5632 Gantt Road
Sarasota, FL 34233

Tel: 941 922 6007
Email: bw@bethelcomchurch.org

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Bread & Wine is available free of charge at the church.

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Address all correspondence to the Editor, Bread & Wine, 5632 Gantt Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232.

Editor: Russ Atmore
Associate Editor - Web: Jim White
Editorial Assistant: Kaitlin Atmore

The Editor welcomes any submitted articles for publication subject to editorial approval.

Additional Resources:
Website: http://bethelcomchurch.org
Pastoral Blog: http://bethelcomchurch.org/blog/

Cover Picture: Martin & Katharina Luther in the first year of their marriage. An oil on wood by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1525. The originals are in the Wartburg Collection, Eisenach.
 
Copyright © 2006 by Bethel Community Church.
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October 2006          ●          Vol. 1   No. 8

Editorial                                                                                         4

Russ Atmore

Walking with God                                                                    6

Russ Atmore

Justification                                                                                8

Martin Luther

Everlasting Righteousness (1)                                       11

Horatius Bonar

The Day of Salvation                                                            16

Russ Atmore          

The Change of Seasons                                                       18

Russ Atmore

The Healing Ministry of Jesus                                       21

(Mark 1:29 – 34)                                                                                                 

Russ Atmore

Bible Quiz                                                                                   24

Kaitlin Atmore

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Editorial

As we face life these days, we must confess that there are many things to trouble us. We face all kinds of trouble from outside of ourselves, don’t we? We grieve over the condition of our country, the family, and unsaved loved ones. These troubles alone are distressing and at times debilitating. Then, we face suffering for our faith, afflictions and tribulations of various kinds. And by no means least, we face ourselves. At times we find ourselves walking confidently with God, and then at other times it seems as if God has pulled a curtain of clouds down over us.

Every Christian has to learn to walk with God. The Apostle Paul seemed to be able to blend these things into one approach to life, yet we know he experienced great sorrow and conflict. The Bible points us to a life with God that is to be lived amid the various vicissitudes of life, and from Genesis to Revelation we are urged to walk with God. This month’s Bread and Wine carries some articles that point us to God as we walk with him.

The month of October is the month when we face the onslaught of Halloween, yet it is also the month when the Protestant Reformation began when on the same day as pagans celebrate Halloween, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle door at Wittenberg in Germany (Oct. 31, 1517), protesting over the Popes use of indulgences as a means of setting souls free from purgatory, and as a means of accumulating great wealth for the Roman Catholic Church. Luther would grow in antagonism over these issues, and as the Gospel began to penetrate his own soul, so to, he began to define again for the Christian Church that to be right with God is by faith alone.

No good works appease the wrath of God. No indulgences paid can ever set one free from God’s holy Law and subsequent judgment. Penance would give way to repentance. Works would give way to faith. We have included two works, one by Luther on justification, and the other by Horatius Bonar (brother to Andrew). Christians should be aware that October 31 is important for the Church, and we should delight in the great doctrine of justification.

We continue with our commentary on the Gospel of Mark as we examine two different settings that display the power of Jesus over sickness and spiritual oppression. What a delight Mark’s Gospel is, because Jesus is proclaimed so gloriously! Our Bible Quiz takes the form of a wordsearch this month, and should as usual disturb most minds, but I am confident that you will find it no trouble.

Soli Deo Gloria

“Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.”

                  Thomas Watson (Puritan)

Walking with God

The Bible tells us that Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24), and that he pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). It is no easy thing to walk with God. The way before us in this life is strewn with all kinds of by-path meadows that seem so attractive to us, and yet prove to be so deceptive in the end. We are sometimes like the monkey who clasps the peanuts in the jar, and then does not realize that unless he lets go, he cannot remove his hand, and so is caught. There are many things in this life that we wrap our hands around and won’t let go of, and thus we are trapped.

Most of us make our lives unprofitable or uncomfortable by being troubled by many things (Luke 10:40, 41). God wants us to apply ourselves to each day’s work with Christian cheerfulness, and to bear with every day’s evil with godly patience. This, of course, is easier said than done. A child just does not walk perfectly at the start of life. There is a crawling stage, as the body develops physically. This is so repetitious that we so often miss the lesson here. You have to repeat over and over again the same practices to ensure the desired end. A persistence in sin leads to sinful habits, which can be heartbreaking to overcome. Holy habits are developed over time, and the road is fraught with danger. Pride will raise its head before you can blink and tell you that you have made it – you have arrived. It is precisely here that the Bible warns us to “take heed lest we fall” because we “think we are standing” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

So, how can we learn to walk with God? Here are some directions that others have used in previous centuries behind us.

1. Walking with God is always by faith, therefore, remind yourself that you have moved from the old way of living to new life in Christ by faith. You are brought near to God by a new and living way and a new and living work, performed by the Lord and His Spirit. To believe and to continue to walk with Christ is the first principle (Colossians 2:6, 7).

2. God has shown you in His Word how to walk – this is called God’s revealed will, so walking according to God’s rule means that you will walk with God.

3.  You must depend upon the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16).

4.  You must learn to see the hand of God in your life. Nothing occurs outside the providence of God. If Christians could but grasp this one truth, their lives would be consistent. You must observe God’s presence with you always. Keep God in view at all times.

You can know that you walk with God when: (as per Henry Scudder - Puritan)

a) you go to God daily for the forgiveness of your sins, repenting of past sins, trusting Christ for pardon, and believing God’s Word for direction.

b) you walk after His will and not man’s will.

c) you walk after the Spirit and not the flesh.

d) you set God before your eyes, and walk in His sight.

These things are the start of walking with God. Let us practice them with unceasing regularity. We must do all things by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

“God’s wounds cure; sins' kisses kill.”

                         William Gurnall (Puritan)

Justification[1]

"This doctrine [justification by faith] is the head and the cornerstone. It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot exist for one hour…. For no one who does not hold this article – or, to use Paul's expression, this 'sound doctrine' (Titus 2:1) – is able to teach aright in the church or successfully to resist any adversary . . . this is the heel of the Seed that opposes the old serpent and crushes its head. That is why Satan, in turn, cannot but persecute it."

"Whoever departs from the article of justification does not know God and is an idolater . . . For when this article has been taken away, nothing remains but error, hypocrisy, godlessness, and idolatry, although it may seem to be the height of truth, worship of God, holiness, etc."

"If the article of justification is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost at the same time. And all the people in the world who do not hold to this justification are either Jews or Turks or papists or heretics; for there is no middle ground between these two righteousness: the active one of the Law and the passive one which comes from Christ. Therefore the man who strays from Christian righteousness must relapse into the active one, that is, since he has lost Christ, he must put his confidence in his own works."

"When the article of justification has fallen, everything has fallen. Therefore it is necessary constantly to inculcate and impress it, as Moses says of his Law (Deut. 6:7); for it cannot be inculcated and urged enough or too much. Indeed, even though we learn it well and hold to it, yet there is no one who apprehends it perfectly or believes it with a full affection and heart. So very trickish is our flesh, fighting as it does against the obedience of the spirit."

"The article of justification and of grace is the most delightful, and it alone makes a person a theologian and makes of a theologian a judge of the earth and of all affairs. Few there are, however, who have thought it through well and who teach it aright."

"Of this article [justification] nothing may be yielded or conceded, though heaven and earth and whatever will not abide, fall to ruin; for 'there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,' says St. Peter (Acts 4:12); 'and with His stripes we are healed' (Is. 53:5). And on this article all that we teach and practice is based, against the pope, the devil, and the world. That is why we must be very certain of this doctrine and not doubt; otherwise all is lost, and the pope and the devil and all things gain the victory over us and are adjudged right."

"The article of justification must be learned diligently. It alone can support us in the face of these countless offenses and can console us in all temptations and persecutions. For we see that it cannot be otherwise: the world is bound to be offended at the doctrine of godliness and to cry out constantly that nothing good comes of it, since 'the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him.' "

"In short, if this article concerning Christ — the doctrine that we are justified and saved through Him alone and consider all apart from Him damned — is not professed, all resistance and restraint are at an end. Then there is, in fact, neither measure nor limit to any heresy and error."

"There is this about the article of grace that if one diligently and sincerely remains loyal to it, it keeps one from falling into heresy and from undertaking anything against Christ or His Christendom. For with it comes the Holy Spirit, who enlightens the heart by it and keeps it in the true, certain understanding, so that it is able precisely and plainly to distinguish and judge all the other articles of faith and forcefully to sustain and defend them."

"The papacy is shaken and shattered nowadays, not through these tumults of the sectaries but through the preaching of the article of justification, which has not only weakened the kingdom of Antichrist but has also till now sustained and defended us against its power."

“It is admitted by all Christians that the standing or falling in the church is that of justification by faith”

                                        Charles Spurgeon

Everlasting Righteousness (1)[2]

Our justification is the direct result of our believing the gospel; our knowledge of our own justification comes from believing God's promise of justification to every one who believes these glad tidings. For there is not only the divine testimony, but there is the promise annexed to it, assuring eternal life to every one who receives that testimony. There is first, then, a believed gospel, and then there is a believed promise. The latter is the "appropriation," as it is called; which, after all, is nothing but the acceptance of the promise which is everywhere coupled with the gospel message. The believed gospel saves; but it is the believed promise that assures us of this salvation.

Yet, after all, faith is not our righteousness. It is accounted to us in order to (eis) righteousness (Rom 4:5), but not as righteousness; for in that case it would be a work like any other doing of man, and as such would be incompatible with the righteousness of the Son of God; the "righteousness which is by faith." Faith connects us with the righteousness, and is therefore totally distinct from it. To confound the one with the other is to subvert the whole gospel of the grace of God. Our act of faith must ever be a separate thing from that which we believe.

God reckons the believing man as having done all righteousness, though he has not done any, and though his faith is not righteousness. In this sense it is that faith is counted to us for, or in order to, righteousness,-and that we are "justified by faith." Faith does not justify as a work, or as a moral act, or a piece of goodness, nor as a gift of the Spirit, but simply because it is the bond between us and the Substitute; a very slender bond in one sense, but strong as iron in another. The work of Christ for us is the object of faith; the Spirit's work in us is that which produces this faith: it is out of the former, not of the latter, that our peace and justification come. Without the touch of the rod the water would not have gushed forth; yet it was the rock, and not the rod, that contained the water.

The bringer of the sacrifice into the tabernacle was to lay his hand upon the head of the sheep or the bullock, otherwise the offering would not have been accepted for him. But the laying on of his hand was not the same as the victim on which it was laid. The serpent-bitten Israelite was to look at the uplifted serpent of brass in order to be healed. But his looking was not the brazen serpent. We may say it was his looking that healed him, just as the Lord said, "Thy faith hath saved thee"; but this is figurative language. It was not his act of looking that healed him, but the object to which he looked. So faith is not our righteousness: it merely knits us to the righteous One, and makes us partakers of His righteousness. By a natural figure of speech, faith is often magnified into something great; whereas it is really nothing but our consenting to be saved by another: its supposed magnitude is derived from the greatness of the object which it grasps, the excellence of the righteousness which it accepts. Its preciousness is not its own, but the preciousness of Him to whom it links us.

Faith is not our physician; it only brings us to the Physician. It is not even our medicine; it only administers the medicine, divinely prepared by Him who "healeth all our diseases." In all our believing, let us remember God's word to Israel: "I am Jehovah, that healeth thee" (Exo 14:26). Our faith is but our touching Jesus; and what is even this, in reality, but His touching us?

Faith is not our savior. It was not faith that was born at Bethlehem and died on Golgotha for us. It was not faith that loved us, and gave itself for us; that bore our sins in its own body on the tree; that died and rose again for our sins. Faith is one thing, the Savior is another. Faith is one thing, and the cross is another. Let us not confound them, nor ascribe to a poor, imperfect act of man, that which belongs exclusively to the Son of the Living God.

Faith is not perfection. Yet only by perfection can we be saved; either our own or another's. That which is imperfect cannot justify, and an imperfect faith could not in any sense be a righteousness. If it is to justify, it must be perfect. It must be like "the Lamb, without blemish and without spot." An imperfect faith may connect us with the perfection of another; but it cannot of itself do aught for us, either in protecting us from wrath or securing the divine acquittal. All faith here is imperfect; and our security is this, that it matters not how poor or weak our faith may be: if it touches the perfect One, all is well. The touch draws out the virtue that is in Him, and we are saved. The slightest imperfection in our faith, if faith were our righteousness, would be fatal to every hope. But the imperfection of our faith, however great, if faith be but the approximation or contact between us and the fullness of the Substitute, is no hindrance to our participation of His righteousness. God has asked and provided a perfect righteousness; He nowhere asks nor expects a perfect faith. An earthenware pitcher can convey water to a traveler's thirsty lips as well as one of gold; nay, a broken vessel, even if there be but "a shard to take water from the pit" (Isa 30:14), will suffice. So a feeble, very feeble faith, will connect us with the righteousness of the Son of God; the faith, perhaps, that can only cry, "Lord, I believe; help mine unbelief."

Faith is not satisfaction to God. In no sense and in no aspect can faith be said to satisfy God, or to satisfy the law. Yet if it is to be our righteousness, it must satisfy. Being imperfect, it cannot satisfy; being human, it cannot satisfy, even though it were perfect. That which satisfies must be capable of bearing our guilt; and that which bears our guilt must be not only perfect, but divine. It is a sin-bearer that we need, and our faith cannot be a sin-bearer. Faith can expiate no guilt; can accomplish no propitiation; can pay no penalty; can wash away no stain; can provide no righteousness. It brings us to the cross, where there is expiation, and propitiation, and payment, and cleansing, and righteousness; but in itself it has no merit and no virtue.

Faith is not Christ, nor the cross of Christ. Faith is not the blood, nor the sacrifice; it is not the altar, nor the laver, nor the mercy-seat, nor the incense. It does not work, but accepts a work done ages ago; it does not wash, but leads us to the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. It does not create; it merely links us to that new thing which was created when the "everlasting righteousness" was brought in (Dan 9:24).

And as faith goes on, so it continues; always the beggar's outstretched hand, never the rich man's gold; always the cable, never the anchor; the knocker, not the door, or the palace, or the table; the handmaid, not the mistress; the lattice which lets in the light, not the sun.

Without worthiness in itself, it knits us to the infinite worthiness of Him in whom the Father delights; and so knitting us, presents us perfect in the perfection of another. Though it is not the foundation laid in Zion, it brings us to that foundation, and keeps us there, "grounded and settled" (Col 1:23), that we may not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. Though it is not "the gospel," the "glad tidings," it receives these good news as God's eternal verities, and bids the soul rejoice in them; though it is not the burnt-offering, it stands still and gazes on the ascending flame, which assures us that the wrath which should have consumed the sinner has fallen upon the Substitute.

Though faith is not "the righteousness," it is the tie between it and us. It realizes our present standing before God in the excellency of His own Son; and it tells us that our eternal standing, in the ages to come, is in the same excellency, and depends on the perpetuity of that righteousness which can never change. For never shall we put off that Christ whom we put on when we believed (Rom 12:14; Gal 3:27). This divine raiment is "to everlasting." It waxes not old, it cannot be rent, and its beauty fadeth not away.

Nor does faith lead us away from that cross to which at first it led us. Some in our day speak as if we soon got beyond the cross, and might leave it behind; that the cross having done all it could do for us when first we came under its shadow, we may quit it and go forward; that to remain always at the cross is to be babes, not men.

But what is the cross? It is not the mere wooden pole, or some imitation of it, such as Romanists use. These we may safely leave behind us. We need not pitch our tent upon the literal Golgotha, or in Joseph's garden. But the great truth which the cross embodies we can no more part with than we can part with life eternal. In this sense, to turn our back upon the cross is to turn our back upon Christ crucified,-to give up our connection with the Lamb that was slain. The truth is, that all that Christ did and suffered, from the manger to the tomb, forms one glorious whole, no part of which shall ever become needless or obsolete; no part of which can ever leave without forsaking the whole. I am always at the manger, and yet I know that mere incarnation cannot save; always at Gethsemane, and yet I believe that its agony was not the finished work; always at the cross, with my face toward it, and my eye on the crucified One, and yet I am persuaded that the sacrifice there was completed once for all; always looking into the grave, though I rejoice that it is empty, and that "He is not here, but is risen"; always resting (with the angel) on the stone that was rolled away, and handling the grave-clothes, and realizing a risen Christ, nay, an ascended and interceding Lord; yet on no pretext whatever leaving any part of my Lord's life or death behind me, but unceasingly keeping up my connection with Him, as born, living, dying, buried, and rising again, and drawing out from each part some new blessing every day and hour.

“Jesus refuses none who come to him for salvation, however, unworthy they may be.”

                                                     J C Ryle

The Day of Salvation

The Gospel is the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ. It is about salvation. It is about how a person can have new life – a life from above as Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:3, 5, 7). Salvation is a free gift. It is received by faith, which is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8, 9). The time to receive salvation is NOW, which stresses the urgency and the necessity to not delay in receiving God’s great salvation.

When I was 9 years old, I knelt at my bedside, and for the first time recognized that I was a wretched sinner who had offended the Eternal God. It was a Sunday evening, and I had returned from church where I had listened to an Irish medical doctor preaching on John 3. He had told me that I was a sinner in need of the forgiveness of sins. He told me that I had sinned against God (Romans 3:23). He told that I was lost. He pointed me to the Cross, and told me to believe that Jesus had died for me. It was November 15, 1970. That day is forever etched in my mind and heart. It was the day I found Him who had already found me. It was the day when I cast all my sins at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus died. It was the day I confessed that I had disobeyed a Holy and Righteous God. It was the day when I knew that I was perishing. What a day it was! I can never forget it. It is as precious to me as life would be to a dying man. I moved from darkness to light. Everything became new for me – my old life was gone. Jesus had saved me by dying for me.

That day is long gone now, approaching 37 years ago! I have known my Savior, since that marvelous day.  I have discovered that when sin threatens me, and overcomes me, that I must go back to that great day when I came to Jesus just as I was. God has never failed to hear me when I have come to him in repentance and faith. It was He who gave them to me in the first place. I learned quickly to read my Bible and pray. How grateful to God I am for those Sunday School teachers who taught me the Word of God every Sunday. I left Sunday School at the age of 16, and became a teacher. At the age of 14, I was privileged to preach the glorious Gospel for the first time, to some young people, and then at age 16, I was privileged to preach in my local church, and it has been my privilege ever since. My Bible became my workbook, and that practice is still with me today. It normally takes me a year to work through every page of my Bible. My Bible pages are full of my workings, which are precious to me. If you can, work your Bible. Make it a storehouse of information for yourself that you can use. I learned Scripture by memorizing from a little Gideon’s New Testament that I had been given. Those were great foundation days.

I write these things to encourage you all. God can do great things in each of your lives – you are precious to Him. Let Him do these things. Be hungry for God. Stop at nothing till you feed on Jesus. He is our Bread of Life. Get this new life in Christ. Never be satisfied until you know that you are Christ’s. I have good days and bad days, but one thing is sure – Jesus is still the same to me, as He was that night so long ago – He’s my Lord. Is He yours?

“That which God abundantly makes the subject of his promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers.”

                               Jonathan Edwards

The Change of Seasons

It does not matter whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere, the change of seasons is always a beautiful time. In all climates (apart from the desert, yet even there, there is change) the leaves on the trees will start to bud and new growth will appear as spring ends and summer draws near. When winter approaches the leaves will change color and begin to fall. Temperatures tend to be moderate during these changes of season. It is generally never too hot or too cold, but comfortable. In the physical and natural realm this is acceptable, for this is how God displays His glory and the wonders of His creation.

However, in the spiritual life, it is completely the opposite. Jesus points out the danger of being lukewarm; of being comfortable spiritually when we are not (Rev. 3:15, 16). The Lord would prefer us to be either cold or hot for then our position would be clear. Lukewarm water, for example is never pleasant to drink. We want our water ice cold or boiling hot. In fact, lukewarm water makes us want to spit it from our mouths. Such are the words of Christ to the church at Laodicea in the first century, and we must heed them well.

The change of seasons in the Christian life can happen in an instant. We can go from hot to cold in matter of seconds. Trials, difficulties, the world, the flesh, and temptations come at the moment you least expect, and preparation is necessary to be on guard. Feeding on the Bible, spending time in prayer, attending the means of grace (the Lord’s Supper, hearing the word of God preached) are all God’s ways for handling these problems. Most Christians have some experience in these things, yet is it not amazing how often we are caught sleeping and unprepared? Jesus warns of being unprepared. He said, “you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3). Jesus wants to find us hard at work in spiritual matters when He returns. He understood even at the age of twelve that He was supposed to “be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49 KJV).

Activity also is no sure guide to success. Many are busy in the things of God, but they have forgotten God Himself. Martha was guilty of this in Luke 10:40. She was distracted by much serving, while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him. Sometime we are so busy, that we do not spend time listening to Jesus. We think we have heard Him, but it was not His voice – it was the voice of the kitchen, the business deal, the cares of life, the children, etc.

Most of us gear up our homes and gardens as we prepare for season change. Heaters come out in winter, and blankets are ready. We plant the right flowers for each season so that they will bloom when they are expected to. We think instinctively and we prepare accordingly. We can be like this in the Christian experience. It requires time in the presence of Jesus. It requires prayer and meditation. It requires a battle mentality. Many believers start out well, but soon become lethargic.

Spiritual keenness is like a knife’s blade. As long as it is sharpened it can do what it was designed to do. Being a spiritual believer requires constant sharpening. This comes from God through His Word. It comes through Christian friends and fellowship. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” You would not sharpen iron with a piece of wood – it won’t work. You cannot be sharp spiritually if you are dabbling in the world, are lukewarm towards the Lord, are overcome by bad habits, have unconfessed sin in your life, and are slipshod in your meeting with God and His people. Sharpening is a definite work, and it can be painful but it does produce the required end. Weak Christians are those who ignore all the danger signals. They are unprepared for season change in their lives.

Are the leaves falling off your tree and you don’t know it? Have the leaves of your life changed color and you are unaware of it? Have you drifted silently downwards in your spiritual life like those winter leaves as they twirl their way slowly and softly to the ground? Do you find yourself weak and feeble like a dry twig?

Awaken! The danger is all around. You will be swept away as old leaves are raked up. Don’t be among them! Keep near the Savior day by day. Learn Scripture, pray always, meditate often (day and night) and exercise yourself in spiritual life. Don’t be a season changer!

“Biblical meditation enlarges and directs the affections through the reception of the Word of God in the heart from the mind.”

                                                   Joel Beeke

The Healing Ministry of Jesus (Mark 1:29 – 34)

 Scripture  

Mark 1:29 – 34

  Key Verse 

“And he healed many…and cast out many demons.” -- Mark 1:34a

 Theme   

Jesus demonstrates the power of God over physical sickness and spiritual oppression.

  Exposition 

In these verses Mark sets forth two different occasions when Jesus exercised his divine power over human sickness and demon possession and oppression. The first setting is in the home of Simon Peter and Andrew. Obviously implied in the passage is the wife of Peter, because verses 29 – 31 deals with Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, and we know from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that Peter’s wife was still living (1 Cor. 9:5). Whether Andrew was also married we do not know, and it is possible to interpret the passage as implying that Peter’s father-in-law had perhaps died. We do not know whether there were any children in the home either. Clement of Alexandria claims that Peter’s wife preceded him in martyrdom, (Stromata 7.11.63) and this was also corroborated by Eusebius (Church History 3.30).

These verses record the shortest miracle story in the Gospels. As a miracle story it records, the setting, the nature of the disease, the request for healing, the healing and the effect on the person who was healed. By mentioning Peter’s family, it is possible that Mark was indicating the cost of discipleship as we saw in verses 16 – 20. The request to heal Peter’s mother-in-law is made with some sort of rational. The disciples have witnessed the healing of the man with the unclean spirit in verses 21 – 26. They now have first hand experience of the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. The passage tells us in verse 20, that they “immediately” told Jesus that she was sick with a fever, as if suggesting to the Lord, that he should do something about her. Jesus immediately responds to their desires (whether vocalized or not – they would not have mentioned her illness if they did not expect the Lord to do something for her), and takes her by the hand and lifts her up, and the fever left her. The fact that she is immediately serving them (disciples included) suggests that the purpose behind the healing was that she was now able to render service to Jesus. Peter’s mother-in-law then, speaks of the model of discipleship for all believers.  Mark includes this account to point out also that Jesus did not limit his healing to men only (vss. 21- 26). The word that is used for “lifted her up” is the same as for raising someone from sleep or death, and may reflect Jesus power to raise the dead.

In verses 32 – 34, on the same day at sunset (the Sabbath – see vs. 21), many others come to be healed by Jesus. This is probably in view of verse 28, when his fame had spread everywhere because he had healed the man with the unclean spirit. Many of these people were brought by others and Mark identifies the infirm as both “sick and oppressed by demons.” These verses do not go into great detail about these various healings other than to stress the distinguishing between physical illness and demon possession (vs. 32 – 34). Since the Sabbath has ended with sunset it would be legal for the Jews to carry others various distances to help them, something they would have felt restricted to do earlier in the day. Mark uses hyperbole to indicate who was healed when he refers to “all” in verse 32 and “many” in verse 34, and we should make no attempt to define what he meant precisely.

Jesus displays his divine power in healing “various diseases”. He is not restricted to mere fevers (as in verse 30), but has power over all kinds of illness. Jesus also casts out the demons (note the plural - probably indicating more than one person being possessed rather than many demons in one person), demonstrating again his authority over evil. The demons are again forbidden to speak about Jesus through these people that they possessed, because, as Mark says, “they knew him.” What did they know? They knew his identity – who he really was, but since it was not time nor the hour of the Lord Jesus (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; also: John 12:23, 27), he forbids them from doing this.

  Application 

The miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ provide us with a  clue as to who he is, and why he came. Peter’s mother-in-law is helpless and useless until Jesus in compassion heals her. Why did he heal her? So that she could serve him and others. Why does Jesus save individuals from their sin? So that they may become fruitful servants of God. He restores us to that which God originally intended for us to be. Now the work is not complete – sanctification is continuing, but it continues because change has occurred and new life has come. Jesus exercises his kingly power and he shall return to restore his world under his divine authority. Jesus is the only source of true spiritual power. His power conquers human diseases and satanic oppression. For all of us, our Lord Jesus provides for us by sustaining us day by day in ways we are not even aware of. In fact, our very lives throughout each individual day are sustained by him.

“Trials from the Lord will reveal to believers what they love and appreciate the most.”

                                       John MacArthur

Bible Quiz

WordSearch from the Book of Joshua

 

Please find these names in the WordSearch above

RAHAB

NUN

JERICHO

GILGAL

ACHAN

MOUNT EBAL

CALEB

PROMISED LAND

COVENANT

SPIES

AI

ISRAELITES

TRUMPETS

GIBEONITE

DEFEATED KINGS

“The Christian has quiet confidence in God.”

                                   Martyn Lloyd-Jones