Well, thought it might be time to write about this…might say the truth is I need to get it off my chest. Many times in the past I have alluded to the fact that it might be best for the old dogs to stay on the porch and let the young dogs run the rabbits. I have suddenly come to the realization that as Pogo once said “we have found the enemy…and it is us.” …that the term old dogs applies to me now. I am in the process of rearranging my daily routines to accommodate my growing lack of mobility. My favorite stops for coffee and pondering and writing are becoming fewer by the day. My Mac Air is no longer light as air and there is no lightness to my step…matter of fact I don’t step much anymore…just kinda stumble along as best as I can and if I may, I prefer to call it a Southern Shuffle, meaning with a style all of its own. Look at the picture to the left…three things to take note of. The cane is always in the way and reduces me to the use of only one hand, the hat I always forget and have to go back and get  most of the time. The bench well, it is symbolic of the fact that I can’t stand for long periods of time. Oh yes, that look of despair is my concern about the location of a bathroom…distance and accessibility. I am very fortunate that I have been blessed with the ability to provide myself with a number of ways to get around. I have three walkers, all with wheels that I can use for different terrain. A cane If it is for short distances or balance and one of those GoGo Elite three wheel scooters when the event allows for such. May I insert here a word of wisdom for our current leadership. The scooter is of course battery powered…it is in fact what you may call an EV. Limited in distance and lacking in power. Now all this is great but the fact is the porch works best for old dogs. When I do get off the porch I get in the way. People are nice enough but the fact is in crowds, canes, walkers and even scooters are objects that get in the way of the flow. I was at a sporting event the other night with my daughter…used my scooter to get to the ADA seating and I found myself trying to stay out of the way of people the whole way. Remember on my scooter I am only about knee high and hard to see in a crowd. I have been told to run over them but they are all bigger than me and I can’t walk away or run for that matter. So where is all this taking us?

Lot of discussion these day about age concerning our governmental leadership. I will go out on the limb here and beg to differ with some of the assessments about this age issue. First of all stupidity has no specific age levels. Wisdom is not an attribute of age and is not a product of longevity. Our Congress and other government positions are an example of that. It is not so much about being in the way as it is about clutter. You can figure that out on your own. Sitting on the porch is not all that great but I would like to think that I left the ground the young dogs are running in better shape than I found it.

jk

 

This week we add to our journey through Psalms Book 3. As I have shared with you when we started the Book of Psalms, for study purposes it is broken down is to 5 sections. Today we read Psalm 73…28 verses and it is the first in this section which includes 73-89. Open your bibles and let’s go… I will be reading from the NLT version. I am using for my research material The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 4 and Clarke’s Commentary.

When we start this Psalm 73 it travels back to the very start of the psalter, Psalm 1 & 2 which we read in our first unit of this study. We see here in psalm 73 that the primary characters are the wicked and the conclusion of psalm 73 goes back to that of psalm 1 vv. 5-6. 

5 

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment

    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous,

6 

for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

    but the way of the wicked will perish.

It recalls Psalm 2:12 usage of refuge 

12

with trembling kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.

We read that sameness inPsalm 73:28

28 

he let them fall within their camp,

    all around their dwellings.

 

Here is an interesting note… Moving through the songs and prayers of  Psalms 3-72 we note that our happiness and prosperity has everything to do with God’s presence in our life and all  the threats and sufferings of this life. It could be easily argued that in some aspects this could be a profession of faith and be a part of religious instruction or as liturgy. Now as we take a look at the structure of Psalm 73 we will break it down into 3 sections of verses and also by verses.

Section 1

vv. 1-12 are the problem (12 Lines) 

vv. 1-3 the plight of the psalmist (3 lines)

vv.  4-12 the prosperity of the wicked (nine lines)

Section 2 

vv. 13-17 turning point

Section 3  

vv. 18-28 the solution (12 lines)

vv.  18-20 the plight of the wicked (3 lines) 

vv.   21-28 the prosperity of the psalmist (9 lines) 

Short note before we move on from Clarke’s Commentary.

“A Psalm of Asaph:” and it is likely that this Asaph was the composer of it; that he lived under the Babylonish captivity; and that he published this Psalm to console the Israelites under bondage, who were greatly tried to find themselves in such outward distress and misery, while a people much more wicked and corrupt than they, were in great prosperity, and held them in bondage.

Times were hard but even being captives they had many blessings from God…The best of which was they had promises of deliverance,  which would be fulfilled in due time. It is understood throughout scripture, Old and New that those of a pure heart would never be forsaken by God. Here we see doubt creep in as we all often wonder how the wicked always seem to prosper as we struggle with the difficulties and the afflictions of life. It is only natural for us to be irritated at our circumstances. We must remember that these wicked people have no conception of what is to come…there is a time of judgement yet to come. It is a very good possibility that if we had endless comforts we would never prepare for something better. It is really not that hard to understand…If it weren’t for our human trials and afflictions, why just the struggle of everyday life…most of us would never understand the need we have for God, for his love and protection and of course the promise of the resurrection. To go just a little further consider this. Without the cross there would have been no resurrection and we would not really be so concerned about what is next. Life would be only temporal, praise God for the promise of the resurrection, that which is to come to those who believe. The following verses in this psalm builds on that hope. Verse four is interesting. I know it is old school…so to speak but Satan will throw everything at us in this life even including for some a painful death…all this to shake our confidence in our God. The ungodly know nothing of this because Satan is sure of them and he will not come against his prey. Kinda reminds me of the story about frogs. Put some frogs in a pot of water and they are content, turn the heat up and by the time they realize they are in trouble it is to late. The ungodly are distracted by the sins of life and the flesh, by the time they realize what is happening, it will be to late. They go quietly like sheep to the slaughter. Verse 6, 7,8 are explicit, they do not not minimize the evil that is among us. I will not list all the signs of office and position of that day which were emblems of magistracy and civil power but these emblems only pointed to those who were responsible for the misery of the people. They were signs of violence, and the oppressive conduct that encompassed them. These signs of office and power were used to plunder of the poor and defenseless. They have become fat from their plunder and only wish for more. They cannot be satisfied even though they have more than they expected it still isn’t more than they wish for. Does this resonate with you? They are corrupt, they discount excessive acts and   they neither show equity, kindness, nor mercy; they are cruel, and they vindicate their proceedings. These people blaspheme God, ridicule religion, mock at Providence, and laugh at a concept of judgement for the wicked.They find fault with every thing; they speak badly of  the just in heaven, and ridicule the saints that are upon earth. They criticize every prospect of the judgement of God to come.

In verse 10 I struggle to understand even with the aid of various commentaries. I think when I read 10,11 and 12 it helped me some to understand better. We can become dismayed and confused with all the actions and words going on around us. We might even ask does God know what’s going on here? I look around me and still see all these wicked people getting richer from my misery. He is driven in verse 12 to say…it is ungodly that they still flaunt their irreligious and profane behavior before God and His people. Verse 13 leads us into a  dangerous thought. The psalmist put forth the question of have I cleansed my heart in vain? Does not God honor our efforts to worship the true God, to walk according to the law of righteousness, and keep the ordinances of the Most High? Verses 14,15 and 16 to me represents a short lament from the psalmist as to his daily encounter, from early morn on of trouble and pain. He has refrained from speaking to it least he be at odds with God’s people. It has been a difficult task for him to understand why these wicked people still prosper! We must remember and understand that this Psalm was written during the captivity, there was no sanctuary in captivity and none in Jerusalem, it had been destroyed. We need to learn that where we set apart our hearts and minds to seek our God is where he will meet us. It is a slippery path the unrighteous walk and they will eventually fall. All the riches in the world will never get you past those gates. Remember what Jesus said…  “Sell what thou hast, and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me.” Many of us remember that every action has a reaction and so naturally we as Christians recognize that sin has its consequences. Verse 19 tells us God’s reaction to sin… 

How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors! (NIV)

Without God whatever appearance they had of greatness, nobility, honor, and happiness was swept away in an instant. They knew nothing of the greatness of God, had they, surely they would have not risk such dishonor.? Yet we of The Way, are sorry for their demise under such circumstances. But at the same time it awakens in me  that myself and my people are under God’s care; that we are continually upheld by HIM; and while in His hand, we shall not be utterly cast down. Verses 24-26 lift us up and encourage us to remain on the right path. We may have full confidence that when we follow the  WORD and SPIRIT as our guide through life; those who have done thy righteous will, shall be received into thy eternal glory. There is nothing here in this life we will need in heaven… God has made known His position on both heaven and earth… but we will do well to remember we have an advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ, therefore where do you look? We all will die and it is wise to make God the rock of your heart. Look to the heavens because it is God and God alone that can tend the desires and wishes of an immortal spirit. We have the prospect of its being for ever, this eternity thing, that is the inheritance of those who believe and serve.

As we wrap this up with the last two verses 27-28 we go back to the title of this blog… It is Good to be Near God….  WE reminded they that are far from thee shall perish. To be clear, it is good to draw near to God.

From the writings of Clarke’s Commentary:

I have put my trust in the Lord God — I confide in Jehovah, my Prop and Stay. I have taken him for my portion.

That I may declare all thy works. — That I may testify to all how good it is to draw nigh to God; and what a sufficient portion he is to the soul of man.

Life is Good

jk 

Welcome back to the porch. Plenty of stuff to ponder so far this week. Evenings are a bit cooler and I do enjoy that. Don’t know why it is on my mind, except I retyped most of the first sentence more than once. It brought to mind how far we have come in the world of digital convenience. Before Bill Gates and the computer the typewriter was something I avoided at all costs. When I wrote something I always used a pencil and had those large erasers on the table or desk a short reach away. Using the computer today it is much easier to clean up a mistake or misspelling quickly and leave no sign that you might have got it wrong to start with. You can highlight, back up and erase with a few key strokes and get this in most cases, the computer will correct your spelling and grammar for you. I got to thinking that might be the reason we have become so reckless as to how we speak to and treat other people. We forget that words, actions and bad behavior is not that easy to correct. There is not enough white-out, erasers, or delete keys to correct something we say, write or do that tends to hurt other people. Information is only a google away, and we experience less think time to search out and discover the facts…Consider this…A farmer prepares the ground for planting, removes the rocks and weeds that will hinder a good crop, he knows his field…his planting ground so to speak. Computers allows us to plant the ground we have never plowed and never considering the quality of the of the seed or ground…we use another mans plow and seed. 

The whole purpose of this little discourse is to remind all of us to think about what we say and how words are a marker of time, character, and faith. We are living in a time where hate, disrespect and common civility are now the norm. What you say and do does matter and there is in real life no delete key. 

Do all the good you can, to all the people you can and stand firm in the faith. 

jk 

As we wrote last week the Psalms are divided into five groups. This week, Book 2 which consists of Psalms 42 through 72 and is our next stop. We have chosen to use the first Psalm of each book during our journey through Psalms. Because of their shared vocabulary, themes, and refrain we have decided to do 42 and 43 together as a unit. The focus here speaks in general terms of danger, threats, anxiety, trust and hope. These two Psalms adapt to a variety of situations and underscore the fundamental biblical fact that our lives depend heavily on our relationship with God. I do not want our time here in the Pew to be one of overwhelming detail. So…keeping it simple let’s start with 42: 1-5. 

Here we see the psalmist’s need for God using the image of thirst. He thirsts for God…We know that as humans we too thirst for water…without it we cannot survive. For the person here as for you and I God is a necessity of life. Communion with God is necessary, we need to see his face, feel his presence, for he is our bread of life. In His house I find hope, here I can pour out my soul and be protected my the Mighty One. There is reference in these first five verses that in my mind refers to not being in the house of God often enough…there are tears because of this absence and there are only memories, all one can do is to remember the joy of past visits. Moving on to verses 6-11 there is the echoes that continue to emphasize the writers despair. While water has been used to convey an image in verses 1-2 we read of to much water in verse 7, which is working against and threatens to overwhelm the writer. Verse 8 seems to remember a happier time. Some wonderful thoughts lie among the words of this Psalm in these last verses. God’s steadfast love is reaffirmed. The palm has hinted at hope and help and now moves toward an expression of assurance. There is for practical thinkers the fact that despair and hope can exist simultaneously. No need to dwell here long the simple fact is we need the “bread of life” which comes only through a relationship with our God.

In Psalm 43, which is only 5 verses long we read the Psalmist moving from complaint to vindication. He seeks to find justice for himself against his enemies who are deceitful and unjust. There is again a despair there but also hope. The writer seeks the light and truth of God to led him to the temple where he will worship God with great Joy. One of the themes that comes together here in these two Psalms is that usually the light is associated with God’s face. There is a Joy and I might add unspeakable, of coming to the Temple…and the words “I shall again Praise.”

Come to the Temple! Praise God…Amen

Life is Good

jk

Welcome to the pondering headquarters on this end of the block. I come out here on the back porch to clear my mind, divest myself of the day’s concerns but that doesn’t always happen. Truth is the mind never takes a break…now thinking all the time can be a burden, that’s is why I am so fond of pondering. You who know me know I love to play with words…I like to ponder about things, which in reality is no more than taking time to access the the situation before acting and also delays having to make a decision or commitment. (I am thinking about it.) Another way of putting it would be to follow the Oxford Languages definition…think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion. Now after having done all this pondering you are ready for the next step. You can now announce that you have arrived at an OPINION. For those in government, positions of authority or imagined importance, this gives you another opportunity to delay somewhat any kind of commitment. By having an opinion you have expressed a feeling, an attitude, a value judgment, or a belief. It is a statement that is neither true nor false. Or it may feel true for some, but false for others. As I ponder this tonight here on the back porch I have arrived at an opinion about having an opinion! This is important…trust me. I fear the death of opinion, that’s right, the death of opinion. Now let me explain that…how would that even be possible? Having an opinion in these days is a hazardous endeavor. There will always be those of a differing opinion and that   should be expected but the difference now is the lack of civility and respect for other opinions. The daily news for which I usually require a table spoon of Malox before and after consumption proves my opinion of the state of opinion these days. Just recently a young woman’s opinion about trans-gender influence in sports was to speak at a school of higher learning. Her table display was destroyed and also turned over. There have been other cases where displays and even appearances by those of differing opinions have had to be taken  down, resulting also in the canceling of the appearance because of security concerns. Now I will not burden you with numbers, serves no purpose and that is my opinion. What was it that Rodney King said years ago? Can’t we all just get along? The answer to that Rodney is no, and that Sir is not an opinion…It is a FACT. Come back next week to the Back Porch.

jk

The Book of Psalms is one of the most diverse books of the Bible. It deals with many subjects, creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah. These Subjects are included in 150 individual psalms. One of the unusual facts about the Psalms would be that they are attributed to multiple authors. David wrote 73 of them, two of them are attributed to Solomon, David’s son and successor. Moses is credited with Psalm 90 and another group of 12 psalms (50) and (73—83) is ascribed to the family of Asaph Levites that King David assigned as worship leaders in the tabernacle choir. There were others, the sons of Korah wrote 11 psalms and all these additional authors were priests or Levites. Still more, fifty of the psalms designate no specific person as author, although two of those are designated elsewhere in the Bible as psalms of David. The Psalms have been referred to as the “songbook” of the early church.

Psalm 100 KJV … 

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

Parts of the book of Psalms were used as a a hymnal in the worship services of ancient Israel. They were sung with the accompaniment of the musical instruments of the day. God is in all of the Psalms. Our God is above all things but is close enough to call out to and to walk alongside of us in good times or in times of distress. It is wonderful that we can bring all our feelings to God…He will hear and understand…even when we cry out in pain, fear and confusion finding ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life. He will draw near and comfort us. The Psalms are divided into five groups. These brief notes below are taken from ESV.org. 

Psalms 1–41  Psalms 1–2 provide an introduction to the Psalms as a whole.    

Psalms 42–72  Book 2 introduces the first group of psalms by the “sons of Korah” (42; 44–49; 50). There are also more psalms of David (51–65; 68–69), including most of the “historical” psalms (51–52; 54; 56–57; 59–60; 63). Once again, lament and distress dominate these prayers, which now also include a communal voice.

Psalms 73–89  The brief third book contains most of the psalms of Asaph (73–83), as well as another set of Korah psalms (84–85; 87–88).

Psalms 90–106  Psalm 90 opens the fourth book of the psalms. It may be seen as the first response to the problems raised by Book 3. Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, reminds the worshiper that God was active on Israel’s behalf long before David. There is a group of psalms (93–100) characterized by the refrain “The LORD reigns.” This truth refutes the doubts of Psalm 89.

Psalms 107–150  The structure of Book 5 reflects the closing petition of Book 4 in 106:47. It declares that God does answer prayer (107) and concludes with five Hallelujah psalms (146–150). 

Today we have a brief overview of The Book of Psalms. In further visits to The Pew we will look at different ones from the five categories and explore this important book of the Bible a little closer…get beyond the words so to speak. This week we start at the very first Psalm 1.

Psalm 1 is a psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse, that we may take the right way which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. It is stated here in few words the difference in character of those who serve God and those that don’t. If we are honest with ourselves we know where we stand in our faith and with our God. We might say as children of God we understand the struggle of good and bad, sin and grace and that this battle continues as long as we live…it is an everlasting state that will last as long as heaven and hell and shall not be determined until the judgement. This psalm shows us in verses 1-6 a godly man is happy, a wicked man will endure misery from his sinful actions. We have the free will to chose the ground on which we will stand. This is a good start for this book of psalms because it shows us that we are to be of righteous behavior before our God, for he takes delight in the prayers of the righteous. There are those who are not fit to offer the prayers of the righteous because they do not walk in the good way. So what does the walk of the good way include? Well a different approach might be to read verse four. To keep it simple it is fact that the ungodly are led by the wicked in mind, into the habits of sinners. They do not delight in the law, totally scornful and contemptuous of the law of God. They do not ever think about it, they produce no fruit. Like that which has fallen from the branch, they lie on the hard ground where they rot. The righteous are like valuable fruit trees, useful and productive, while the sinners are like chaff that the wind blows away not being of use to anyone. There will be judgment coming for such people. They will be convicted as traitors, hanging their heads in shame and lost in a world of confusion held hostage in a world of sin. I find no comfort in dwelling on the fate of those who refuse the good way. It is true that some will hide among the congregations of God’s people but the day will come when judgement will separate the sheep from the goats. It is my hope that those among us that have not seen the light …so to speak… will by our example and love come before God on bended knee and repent of their sins.

It is really very simple, this first psalm makes clear that there is a difference between good and bad. They both represent a different path, one leads to God and all His glory, good life. The other leads directly to destruction. As we read these verses pray that we may become aware of that portion God has for those who sin. WE should prepare for the good, seek to live a holy life that we might find ourselves approved in God’s sight in every thing we do in this life.  

Life is Good

jk

 

Welcome to the back porch… Had it built in February this year with the expectation of that crisp fall evening sitting out here enjoying a cup of coffee. So I sit out here on the back porch in 72 degree weather, short sleeve shirt and shorts, pondering what is the difference between autumn and fall? Hadn’t really thought about that before. Actually both words are correct…get this, according to the folks at Reddit it’s a regional difference and most notably in British and American English. Americans typically call the season “fall”and Brits call it “autumn”. Also Reddit makes the point that the correct spelling is indeed “autumn”. Now that works right into a perfect segue for what’s really on my mind. As I understand it here in America we elect representatives to make known the wishes of their particular constituents. Now this can get confusing to many of us. The House represents citizens based on district populations, while the Senate represents citizens on an equal state basis, this in turn constitutes our Congress. So I must ask who is this caucus? Well the folks at Merriam-Webster define such as a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy.  There are 435 voting members proportionally representing the population of the 50 states. That brings me to the events of the past few days. Now we know that there is another divide of opinions here which are referred to as political parties. Now within these political parties, which for some reason there exists another group of people that also caucus together, we have fertile ground for differences of major proportions. If I understand this right there are at least four or five different caucuses within the House itself. So here is the question of the night here on the porch. Take this home and ponder over it. With all these units within the governmental structure and given the position we ordinary folks hold…you know, us who sent them there to do a job…who is listening to us. Get with your Caucus before next week and come back to the porch with an answer.

jk 

A simple parable, one of the favorite teaching tools of Jesus and in this case leaves those who would try to trap and discredit him the victims of their own trap. In Matthew 21:23 the chief priests confront Jesus…questioning his authority. Jesus cleverly gets by their trap by asking them to first answer a question for him. 

Matthew 21:23-25   (NLT)

23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”24 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 25 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

What about John the Baptist…did he have the authority to baptize others. This type of verbal sparing Jesus excelled at. Parables were addressed to and mainly concerned the chief priest, elders, and the Pharisee. It was these groups who had opposed Jesus, and whom He had just thwarted. They would not answer his question, knowing full well it would expose them as hypocrites or displeasing the crowd .Jesus then declined to answer their question (Matthew 21:27) before telling them two parables. He had given them the opportunity to speak their opinion, because of their refusal maybe they would give their opinion about a story…a parable. Jesus told them two parables, the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-30) Here we address the ‘do or don’t’. Neither of the son’s involved in these parables were perfect, both showed disrespect…a point to remember here is that the first son refused to do as his father asked but later repented and complied with his father’s will. The other son was deceitful when he agreed to do as his father asked and never went to work in the vineyard. The point is one son repented for his disrespect, and did the father’s will, the other lied and did not do his father’s will. Then Matthew adds Jesus’ response to the priests’ and elders…Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. What is notable here is that Matthew was a tax collector when the Lord called him. Many sinners and prostitutes upon hearing the good news repented of their sins. These religious leaders like the other son pretended to respect and promised obedience but did not go and do the will of God. Isaiah spoke to this… Isaiah 29:13…

And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

In this parable, John’s “baptism” and Jesus’s authority “to do these things” were both from God. Do we go through this life allowing old habits and distractions to be our guide? Or do we choose to seek the will of GOD, repent and do the Father’s will?

Life is Good

jk

There is an obvious cool in the early evening air here on the back porch. The few trees we have around here have an early Fall tint in their color but here we have mostly Cedar trees, well really, lots of Cedar and rocks. Where I am at if you are in the business of developing properties for a sub division or town homes the ground prep will require a time of blasting and hauling off a substantial amount of surface rock. Hope I got that right, I am not a developer so the lingo is an attempt to look like I know about such stuff. Clearing my mind tonight concerns a series of troubling increase in attitudes and behaviors that have overtaken society at large. Have you noticed lately it seems people are mad all the time. Actually it would not be over the top to say we have reached a stage of just plain angry. There are many synonyms for  the word mad and right off one of the very first is just plain angry. Now being just plain angry ain’t a good thing. I view that as and action verb because if that is where you are, a few well placed words won’t do the job. If your mad you can avoid whatever it was that you encountered, ignore the situation or just pout…don’t laugh, even men are some of the best pouters around…ever seen a Vol fan after a significant loss. Put it this way. Someone pushes you, you push back… then their push becomes a shove. When I was in high school a shove required a punch and so on. I think it kinda goes like this. Life can and usually pushes you around every day and you can go with the flow or find another way around. Now a shove interrupts forward progress, it is upfront and personal and disrupts your direction and you stumble forward into anger. Anger has no reason or judgment and often leads to violence. 

I am asking a question I have no answer for. What has brought all segments of society to this point…why are we so angry? Have the videos, movies so desensitized us to death and violence that we have lost all sense of worth as to human life. It seems as though we are oblivious to others pain and the corruption of our moral standards. I don’t believe we are going to hell in a handbag. There is not a bag big enough for all of us.    

Come back next week…in the meantime…Be nice to someone.

jk

Another book I don’t get to often enough. In these verses from Mark 10 we encounter a human trait that requires Godly guidance. Ambition that is driven by the possibility of personal gratification and reward will find no place in the Kingdom of God or in the earthly works of God’s people. We pick up here on a difference we find in Matthew’s account that tells us something about Mark.

Matthew writes that Jame’s and John’s request to sit on the left and right of Christ on his throne was not made by them. It was requested by their mother Salome. Most likely Matthew thought that such a request was inappropriate for an apostle and to save their reputations he attributed such ambition to their mother. From this story we are shown the honesty of Mark. No need to but I will point out that it did not go over well with the rest of the disciples. We sometimes forget that these were not a company of saints, they were ordinary men that had set out to do quite an unordinary thing…change the world…and they did. But we just can’t leave this hanging…they were, John and James, both ambitious.They knew well the task ahead of them and they were confidante of victory and their intentions were to be Jesus’ chief ministers of state. We have wrote these were ordinary men, so perhaps they were reading something more into what might lie ahead because it is fact that Jesus often included them in his inner circle of three. There are a couple of other reasons for their behavior but their ambitious approach to Jesus still reminds us of earthly failings we all succumb to. Now that other stumbling block. They had by now walked and been with Jesus for a bit now and they still could not completely rid their minds of the idea of a Messiah of earthly power and glory. As we read on there is still the wonder of their faith…Confused  as they might be, they still believed in Jesus. 

We should always be aware that Jesus never left any doubt in the minds of his followers. Instead of rebuking them he ask them a question…‘Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ Here it is important to realize what type of baptism Jesus is speaking of. This was not what we picture baptism to be. Jesus is saying is, ‘Can you bear to go through the terrible experience which I have to go through? Can you face being submerged in hatred and pain and death, as I have to be?’ They would in the future experience just that but at that time I don’t think they knew what they were saying yes to. So…what do we take away from these verses? All Things are of God and the final disposition of such an issue was God’s prerogative. With Jesus it was always the ‘will of my Father’. Jesus spent his earthly life in total submission to God’s will and he knew in the end that will was supreme.

Life is Good

jk