Tag Archives: Mark 4

Sunday Devotional: Whom even wind and sea obey

Posted on June 20, 2021 by | 4 comments

Job 38: 1, 8-11

The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

The above passages from Job 38 and Mark 4 show a concordance between the Old Testament and the New Testament, wherein Job 38 foretold the account in Mark 4 of the Second Person of the Triune Godhead having the power to calm the wind and the sea.

There are other places in the Old Testament where the coming of the Second Person was foretold:

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Numbers 24:17

there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Micah 5:2

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Zechariah 9:9

behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Zechariah 11:12

So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

Psalm 22:1, 16, 18

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

they pierced my hands and my feet.

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Those passages in the Old Testament all pointed to Jesus of Nazareth as being the promised Messiah (Savior).

And yet, the Jewish elites of the day — the Pharisees and the Sanhedrins, the elite of elites — persisted not only in doubting Jesus, but publicly challenged, excoriated and persecuted the Son of God to the point of death. But we, the little people who are His followers, moan and groan whenever our enemies give us a hard time!

So the next time someone betrays, mistreats or abuses us, just remember that God Himself had endured far, far worse.

Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

And may the peace and love of Jesus Christ our Lord be with you,

~E

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Sunday Devotional: Be like the mustard seed

Posted on June 13, 2021 by | 5 comments

Mark 4:26-34 

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

Mustard seeds are teeny tiny seeds measuring only 0.039 to 0.079 in (1 to 2 millimetres) in diameter and are colored yellow, brown and black. The seeds are used as a spice in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh; the leaves are stir-fried and eaten as a vegetable; the oil is used for body massage during extreme winters, as it is thought to keep the body warm.  Mustard seeds are a rich source of oil and protein: the seed has oil as high as 46-48%, and 43.6% protein. Mustard seeds generally take 8 to 10 days to germinate if placed under the proper conditions, which include a cold atmosphere and relatively moist soil. Mustard grows well in temperate regions. Major producers of mustard seeds include India, Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, Hungary, Great Britain and the United States.

In Mark 4, the Parable of the Mustard Seed is said to refer to faith — that our faith may begin as a tiny spark but, like the miniscule mustard seed, can grow and flourish into “the largest of plants” with strong branches that give shade and shelter to many birds.

The Parable may also refer to the universal Church that Christ founded, with Simon Peter as head. It too began small but grew to become the world’s largest religion with about 2.4 billion followers today who identify as Christians.

The Parable may also refer to our words and actions, every one of which carries consequences. Just remember that a word of encouragement or an act of kindness can have ripple effects beyond our expectation or imagination.

So, let us be humble mustard seeds.

Spread the good word. Give comfort and encouragement. Be kind.

Be the mustard seed that grows into “the largest of trees” with branches that give shade to many birds!

And may the peace and love of Jesus Christ, Our Lord be with you,

~E

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