The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Mark:6:7-13

kjv@Mark:6:7 @ And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

kjv@Mark:6:8 @ And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

kjv@Mark:6:9 @ But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.

kjv@Mark:6:10 @ And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.

kjv@Mark:6:11 @ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

kjv@Mark:6:12 @ And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

kjv@Mark:6:13 @ And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Today's notes:

Context:

Before - Prophet without honour
After - Head in a charger

Key Concepts:

What is God's righteousness observed doing?:

Commissioning the original twelve to go forth with powers confirming Jesus

What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:

Where His own people would not give Jesus honour, His Father would. Not only did the Father give the disciples the power to cast out, HE also sustained them in their vow of poverty during such through adverse even hostile surrounds.

How is man reacting?:

The disciples followed through with the commission and had a enthusiastic report upon return.

Notes:

There is a testimony being laid out against the people of the towns that don't receive what Jesus is nor what He has commissioned. They are given the opportunity to receive Him or His, they are allowed the choice, they have to live/die by the choice made. Why wouldn't they choose to embrace healing, the casting out of the unclean spirits, the envoys of a master able to perform this in them, men who in similarity to Him have vowed to carry no resource of their own? Because these people will not, even when shown miraculous works, repent from their sins, the greatest of all sins.

It is one thing not to believe on the person of Jesus. The locals of this area know of Jesus and can pin Him to his human roots. It is another thing when that person commissions twelve more to do the works that He would have done Himself but for their disbelief, and yes these men do His works just the same. What argument could remain? Not only are the people un-repentant at this point they are made utterly defenseless.

It is hard for us to wrap our heads around the fact that what God's righteousness means for tremendous opportunity at the same time could mean our ultimate judgment. It does at least in the case of accepting or thereby rejecting Jesus. The thought would appear that had God not made such opportunity that we'd be better off. Not so as that judgment is bound to come anyway, the opportunity is meant as deliverance from what is bound otherwise to happen. If one does not accept the first premise (all are bound to judgment) one is unlikely to accept the second (greater judgment bound to those who having opportunity to accept God's gift of deliverance through Jesus but have rejected it).

The lack of provision is important here as it amplifies that these men are not doing this on their own. It is one thing to vow poverty in a hospitable environment, the supply line simply flows less restricted. Quite another where the supply line is purposely set out against you to force you into leaving. How God provided in this case we are not told, likely through a very few brave souls that He was also proving. Let us imagine then the valiant households that did receive these envoys and suffered in doing so. Perhaps these are the "blessed are ye when".

Key Messages:

What does this say about our present condition?

For all that Jesus has done and is doing, for all that even that He is doing through His servants, there is more being said of what holds us to our un-repentance than who He is and what He is capable of. Un-repentance is capable of holding all of this off. The harder righteousness pushes the more defensive the hardened heart becomes. The heart can come up with every reason not to believe at the time that there is every reason to believe. It does this so that it does not have to repent.
Judgment seems to us such a harsh thing. Better that we judge God than God judge us. We judge God each and everyday. We judge HIM as being silent. We judge HIM as distant. We judge HIM as being unknown, unwilling or incapable of making HIMSELF known, un-trustable. We judge that the men that follow HIM are mistaken, duplicitous, defiled, acting in their own interest, manipulative, condemning as well. We judge ourselves smart enough and open minded enough to see through all this, rejecting the many contrary evidences. Day after day we sever our connection to HIM to pursue this odd course, being just fine with the notion that this will always be the way, insistent that if HE were to do anything other than continue looking the other way that HE would be judgmental. What if HIS judgment was simply to do everything to save the savable from the very course that we ourselves have set ourselves on? knowing the eventual outcome of that course? knowing that HE would not sustain us indefinitely in this depraved state? rather desiring to save them from their mass delusion, their vain imagination, their hard hardened hardening mortifying hearts into a living and spiritual lasting holy communion? Certainly, He has not disconnected from anyone as of yet, it is we that have long disconnected ourselves in all of these ways from HIM; that we wish it to be HIS way forever. What if at some point, for eternal righteousness' sake, for the sake of those that HE has managed to save, for HIS name's sake, HE has to simply let the un-savable go to their final location? Given every evidence, it is they then that have made this judgment and not HIM. HE has merely held them to their undeliverable consequence.
The disciples went out, performing miraculous works as commanded/empowered by Jesus, preaching that men should repent. The question for us today is why? why repent? or better why not? from what? to what? Might I suggest one reason: Jesus, sent of God, affirmed by God, obedient unto God, revealing of God, Son of God, God in our midst. What better reason does one need?

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Mark:6:7-13
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:6:7-13 rwp@Mark:6:7-13 mhcc@Mark:6:7-13
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index

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