Oakhaven Church Podcast Larry Mudd

As we continue our journey into the Gospel of Mark, we come upon the memorable story of a lame man lowered through the ceiling in order to be healed by Jesus. The doorway was too crowded to get through, and the man’s friends had faith that Jesus would heal their friend; and so they did what had to be done in order to get Him to Jesus. This story functions on so many levels when applied to our lives. We too face barriers to Jesus, whether put there by circumstance or actively erected by the enemy. Like the paralyzed man, we often need the influence and effort of others (buddies), and in turn can be of assistance to others in their journeys. A strong theme in Mark’s gospel is the link between belief and healing, and Jesus announces that the man’s (and his friends’) faith have brought both healing and forgiveness. Having been healed and forgiven, Jesus sends the man home, and the man obeys. Once home we can be certain the man will be as chatty as the healed leper at the end of Mark 1, and there will not be a soul in his town that doesn’t know what Jesus has done for him. We are called to do the same on every level!
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In our survey of the Gospel of Mark, we are still in Chapter 1, but Jesus has already had several opportunities in which to be identified as God's Son, the Holy One who heals diseases, teaches with authority, casts out demons...  and spends time by Himself with the Father in order to refresh and reset His Spirit.  Duey Unbehaun shares a lesson based on Mark 1:29-39. 
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In his Gospel, Mark is careful to lead us to the deep meaning of Jesus’ first spoken words in Mark: "The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." If all time has been working towards Jesus’ arrival, Jesus’ mortal life has been working towards the climax of His story and ours: the climax of His resurrection from the dead. We are in danger of treating as commonplace the most extraordinary truth of our existence, but instead Jesus calls us to revisit the empty tomb and then examine the tombs of our lives that we have not given over to His resurrection power. The enemy would have us all crawl back in the graves of anxiety and shame, and live defeated, silent lives. The Spirit that raises Jesus from the dead is poised to do the same with us and pull us up out of our graves day after day.
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As we gather together on Palm Sunday, we skip ahead in our young study of the Gospel of Mark to his account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mark’s account in chapter 11 is spare in comparison to its parallels, but there is still a clear purpose in Jesus’ decisions and the reactions that flow from them. His courage, power, authority, humility, and love shine through it all. In the end, we are asked whether He is the king in our life - if He is the one holding the reins, because something is, whether its Jesus or something far lesser. We stand beside the crowd that day and have the same choice of whether to lay things down before the King and whether to raise them up before Him in thanksgiving and praise.
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The first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” This is the theme verse of the entire gospel: all that has happened before now has been building to this moment. And how does the kingdom come near? The King brings it with Him. His first considered act upon launching his mission in Galilee is to call four fishermen to follow Him, indicating that HE would make them fishers of men. Their example of radical turning from their old way of life (aka repenting) and turning to follow Jesus is reminiscent of Abram’s call into the unknown. The same Spirit with Whom Jesus empowers and equips those disciples is ours as well, and we are ruled by the same King. So is the enemy, whose days are more than numbered.
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Mark's description of Jesus’ baptism is quick, cryptic, and powerful. The Spirit descends upon Jesus to empower the ministry He is at this instant embracing as the heavens are torn apart and the Father’s voice proclaims the most important affirming statement ever made. This statement of being beloved by the Creator, the One Who takes great pleasure in us His children, is as true for us today as it was for Jesus in the Jordan river that day. He is the pioneer going ahead of us, through baptism and affirmation, through temptation at the hands of the enemy, and ultimately through victorious, impervious resurrection when our journey does not end, but is transformed into that which all things are working toward.
To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.