Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

One of my favorite passages in Mark’s gospel is the interweaved stories of a distressed father and a chronically sick woman. 

Jairus said to Jesus, “My daughter is dying. Please come to my home and save her.” In the translations I use Jairus asks Jesus to “heal her” instead of “save her”. Maybe because translators want Jesus to heal sickness and save souls. 

But the original language uses the same word for bodies and souls. Jairus asked Jesus to save his daughter from dying.   

As Jesus left for Jairus’ home, a woman was stalking him. She had suffered much under the care of many doctors, and spent all her money, but she kept getting sicker and sicker. That’s not a glowing endorsement of the medical profession that Mark gives us. 

In Luke’s gospel, the story says the woman had been sick for twelve years and no one could heal her (Luke 8:43). Dr. Luke didn’t even mention the medical profession that Mark disparaged. 

Luke says the woman needed healing, using the Greek word “therapy”. But this woman had had enough therapy from many doctors. She wanted someone to save her from–to save her from her illness and from the professionals who had taken all her money. She said, “If I touch Jesus’ clothes, I’ll be saved” (Mark 5:28). 

So she stalked Jesus in the crowd and got close enough to touch his garment. Mission accomplished. Then she disappeared. 

But not so fast . . . 

Jesus sensed he’d just healed someone and said, “Who touched me?” His disciples said, “You’re being ridiculous. In this crowd, everybody touches you.” But Jesus kept looking until the woman re-surfaced to tell her story. Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Mark 5:32-34). 

What do you think? Was she healed or saved? 

Meanwhile, what about Jairus’ daughter? Messengers arrived and reported that the girl had died. That didn’t deter Jesus. He said, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe” (Mark 5:35-36). Can Jesus save this situation? 

When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ home, mourners were already wailing outside. Jesus brushed past them, entered the house, and raised the child from the dead. “Maybe she’d like something to eat,” he suggested. 

What do you think? Did Jesus save her or heal her? 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, two people needed to be saved. Jairus wanted you to save his dying daughter. The sick woman wanted you to save her from 12 years of illness.  

We also come to be saved. To be saved from chronic medical problems doctors cannot cure. To be saved from persistent mental illness for which psychiatrists have no answer. To be saved from ourselves, from anxiety and depression and attitudes that grow hard and harder and more unwelcoming. 

Save us from ourselves, that we may find our life in you. 

O Jesus, look at us when we reach out to you, feel our hand touching your garment. Accept our meagre faith. Give us life and health and gladness. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We now come to the strangest story in Mark’s gospel. It started when Jesus and his disciples crossed a lake, to an area where Jews and Gentiles lived (Mark 5:1). 

A man with demonic superpowers met them. He lived in a graveyard, shouting,  screaming and cutting himself. The locals tried restraining him, but he broke chains and ankle-irons, and resumed his cemetery existence. 

Jesus said to the demon, “Get out of this man!” The demon replied, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Don’t torture me” (Mark 5:7).

Surprisingly, Jesus negotiated with this spiritual terrorist. “What’s your name?” he asked. 

The demon replied, “My name is Multitude, because there are many of us here. Don’t send us far away. Why don’t we go into the pigs on that hillside?” (Mark 5:9). 

“Ok,” Jesus said. “Leave the man and go into the pigs” (Mark 5:11-13). 

So the multitude of demons made the move, and 2,000 pigs raced down the hill into the lake and drowned. 
– That can’t be good for the pigs
– And it can’t be good for the lake 
– And it can’t be good for the local farming economy 
– And we can’t tell if it was good for the demons, but apparently that was what they wanted.
– We do, however, know it was good for the man Jesus delivered. 

The newly unemployed pig herders became journalists, reporting the disturbing story everywhere. People came from all over to see the man Jesus healed, now sitting quietly and acting sane. Then they asked Jesus to go away (Mark 5:14-17). 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, we don’t have your experience with demons. But we see pictures of demonic devastation–war-torn cities where cement buildings are reduced to rubble graveyards of rubble, marked by shattered metal and broken glass, where desperate searchers listen for desperate cries, where ambulances rescue the wounded and retrieve the dead. O Jesus, the demons you confronted still torment our modern graveyards. 

O Jesus, free us from demons that attack our minds and sanity. Free us from demons that drive our society. Free us from demons of war and destruction. 

Allow us, as you did the man you saved, to sit quietly at your feet, clothed and in our right minds. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In Mark 4, after a busy day of teaching, Jesus and his disciples rowed across a lake. A furious squall nearly swamped the boat, but Jesus? He wasn’t worried. He was snoozing on a cushion in the back of the boat (Mark 4:35-38). 

The disciples woke him and said, “Teacher! Don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38).

Listen again to that question, full of panic and accusation. “Don’t you care if we down?” Always a good idea to ask your friends if they care. Perhaps they quit caring since yesterday. Do you think Jesus’ cared?  

The gospel writers Matthew and Luke don’t like the disciple’s tone, asking Jesus if he cares. So they quote the disciples as saying, “Master, save us. We’re going to drown” (Mat 8:25, Luke 8:24).

Responding to their panic, Jesus woke up and stilled the storm. 

Then he asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). 

What a great back and forth. The disciples ask, “Don’t you care?” and Jesus responds, “Don’t you have any faith?” 

This exchange is too prickly for Matthew’s gospel. He softens Jesus’ response to, “O you of little faith, why are you afraid?” And Luke changes Jesus’ reply to the more neutral, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).

I enjoy the wordplay between the disciples and Jesus. Clearly, the gospel writers struggled to put the right tone and inflection into the disciples’ panic and Jesus’ response. 

And here’s a question for you, if you care. How do you think the story would read if the disciples did have the faith Jesus was looking for? Would faith have kept them rowing helplessly while Jesus slept? Should they have stilled the storm themselves by faith?  

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, like the disciples, we row through a stormy life, feeling swamped. 

We ask, “Do you notice? Do you care? Are you sleeping?” And you reply, “O you of little faith, why are you so afraid?” 

O Jesus here is our little faith. In faith we bring our troubles to you. In faith we say that however abandoned we feel, we believe that you are with us and that you care.  

O Jesus, prince of peace, send us your peace. Still our fears, fix our creaking boat, calm our storms, and guide us to your city of light. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In the kingdom of America, Donald Trump, the king-in-waiting, is choosing staff and announcing policies. In Mark 4, Jesus, when he was the king-in-waiting of the kingdom of God,  gave hints about his policy and practices.  

Jesus asks a question:  “If you want light in your house, do you hide your lamp under a basket?” (Mark 4:21). The answer is obvious, but Jesus applied this image in a surprising way when he said, “What’s hidden will be disclosed, and what’s concealed will be seen by everyone” (Mark 4:22). Hmmm. Do you think I want my hidden stuff displayed in public? 

Then Jesus told how things are measured in the kingdom of God. He said, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Mark 4:24). I’ve seen that: stinginess begets stinginess, generosity begets generosity. But Jesus continued, “Whoever has, will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Mark 4:24). Sounds like the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Isn’t that a bad thing? 

The next story says the kingdom of God is like wheat seeds scattered on the ground. The farmer ignores the field while day and night the grain grows into a harvest (Mark 4:26-29). I wish my investments grew with that little worry or attention.

Jesus also compared the kingdom of heaven to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a plant large enough to welcome birds (Mark 4:30-32). 

Four stories and four hints about the kingdom of God. I make four observations. 

First, the kingdom of God is like a lamp. If you hide stuff, watch out. Whatever is hidden will be out in the open for all to see. 

Second, with the measure you use it will be measured to you. The kingdom of God rewards generosity. If you give Christ full access to your life, his kingdom will come in full measure. If you’re stingy about giving God access, you will lose out. 

Third, the grain grows while the farmer sleeps. You’re not in control of how God’s kingdom grows in your life. You must receive God’s word, his seed, and wait while he waters and cultivates. 

Fourth, like the tiny mustard seed, the kingdom of God in your life has way more potential than you could ever imagine. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, though we find Jesus’ stories obscure, we thank you for the hints he gives us about how your kingdom will come in our lives, in our church, and in the world. 

Help us receive the kingdom you offer.  
– We invite your light to shine, even in the dark where we hide. 
– We invite your kingdom to come in full measure.
– We invite your seed to grow without our help and supervision. 
– Though your seed is vanishingly small, we invite it to grow until it dominates our lives. 

We pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

God created the world in six days. Day 1 he said, “Let there be light.” And things lit up! Day 2 he said, “Let there be sky”, and the sky appeared. Grand new things appeared whenever he spoke.   

In Mark 4, Jesus told a different story about God’s word. 

As a farmer scattered seed, some fell on the path and birds ate it. Some fell on rocky ground where it grew quickly, then quickly withered in the sun. Some fell in a weedy patch, where thorns choked it to death. Some did what seed is supposed to do–it fell on good ground and produced a harvest (Mark 4:1-20). 

This story confused the disciples. What was Jesus getting on about? Jesus explained that the seed is the word of God. Sometimes it falls on poor soil and doesn’t grow properly. Sometimes it falls on good ground and grows into a harvest. Not like God’s word at creation, where every word God spoke produced amazing creative results.

In a class I attended, a student asked, “When we preach the word, why don’t people’s lives change more?” He felt that the good seed he spread should produce a great harvest. 

What is the problem? Would you say, “There’s no problem with the word you preach. Blame the listeners. They are the rocky soil.” 

I think when Jesus was on earth speaking God’s word to the disciples and crowds, he was planting seeds. Small, hidden truths scattered everywhere. Small beginnings, easily lost, easily choked out, easily withered. But for people then and now who receive and live by Jesus’ words, they grow into a wonderful, life-changing harvest.  

Paul tells us that in Christ we are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). He said, “God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts” (2 Cor 4:6). 

Jesus’ stories, his words, shine in our hearts and grow in our lives, drawing us into a new creation. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, in our struggle against sin, we wish you would speak a powerful word to   cleanse our thoughts and heal our diseases and make us saints in one day. 

But your word is a seed in our lives, not a bulldozer. A grain of wheat for us to water and cultivate and protect from weeds.

The psalmist said, “Your word I have hid in my heart” (Ps 119:11). Help us cherish and cultivate what you have sown. Help us to be good soil, where your word grows and produces a harvest. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at Mark’s account of Jesus’ life. In chapter 3, people are trying to guess who Jesus is and where he gets his power. 

It started when he healed a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. The Bible scholars and religious leaders were offended. “You’re working on the Sabbath? You should be resting!” Jesus got angry with them. “Is all you see in scripture an obsession with rules? Don’t you see God’s heart for healing?” (Mar 3:1-5). 

But there was no way to heal Jesus’ rift with those religious leaders. They began plotting to kill him (Mar 3:6). 

Meanwhile, large crowds followed Jesus, asking for healings and exorcisms. The demons that possessed people were afraid of Jesus. “You are the Son of God,” they said. But Jesus told them to quit talking (Mar 3:7-12). 

Bible scholars all the way from Jerusalem trekked north to Galilee to assess this new teacher. Their conclusion? “This Jesus person is possessed by the chief devil, Beelzebub! That’s where he gets his power over demons” (Mar 3:20-22). 

Jesus’ family investigated. This radical Jesus wasn’t the carpenter they knew! Their conclusion? He’s insane! Let’s plan an intervention to save him from himself (Mar 3:31). 

What was Jesus’ problem? Insane? Possessed? Or was he the Son of God like the demons said? 

Jesus responded to the Bible scholars. “I’m not in league with the prince of demons. I’m busy driving out his servants and taking over his territory. If you think my power is demonic, you don’t understand anything at all about God! If you can’t tell the difference between what God does and what Satan does, that’s an unforgivable sin” (Mar 3:23-27). 

Jesus declined the family-organized insanity intervention and said to those he was teaching, “My mother and brothers are those who do God’s will” (Mar 3:31-35).  

So who is this man Jesus, and where is his story going, and is he really sane? 

Stay tuned. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, we so easily forget that Jesus was a human among humans. He was the biggest influencer on Galilee’s social network. His family thought he was insane and the religious leaders couldn’t figure him out. 

We are amazed at what he did–healing shriveled hands, paralytic bodies, deaf ears, and blind eyes. We are amazed at his disdain for religious leaders. Couldn’t he have reasoned with them? Or were they beyond reason? 

O father, look on us in our modern world. Send Jesus to sweep away our religious traditions, to overturn our narrow views, to do his work in our sick civilization, to bring your kingdom in our time. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at Mark’s account of Jesus’ life.  

Chapter 2 says that one Sabbath, Jesus’ disciples were snacking on ears of corn in a field. Bible scholars complained to Jesus that harvesting grain broke God’s law against working on the Sabbath. 

Jesus asked the scholars, “Haven’t you read that when David was running from King Saul, he ate consecrated bread from the tabernacle, which the law says only priests can eat?” (Mark 2:25-26)

It’s not clear exactly what point Jesus was making. Perhaps he approved of David breaking a ceremonial law when he needed food. Or perhaps he was saying to the Pharisees, “If David whom you honor ate forbidden bread, it’s hypocritical to rag on the disciples for eating a bit of corn.” 

God loved David, even when he disobeyed the laws of adultery and murder. Perhaps the lesson from David’s life is that the Bible scholars,  and we, can be patient with small sins and large. 

Next Jesus makes a very pointed comment, saying, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). God isn’t a policeman issuing tickets for every minor violation. No! He’s a father, caring for his family. It’s good for God’s family to have a Sabbath, a weekly day of rest. But don’t make picky rules about it. Let the disciples pick a few ears of corn.

Here, Jesus interprets God’s law not as a system of arbitrary restrictions on human behavior, but as God’s invitation to a wholesome and balanced life. You work for a living? Don’t make work your life. Give it a rest. Take a Sabbath. Walk through the grainfields, eat some corn, enjoy the world God made and the life he has given you. 

Jesus made another point. “The Son of Man,” he said, “is Lord of the Sabbath.” The Son of Man doesn’t just tell the scholars they are wrong about God’s law. As Lord of the Sabbath, he stands above the law. The Sabbath is his creation and property, and laws about the Sabbath are his to make or break. 

Lord of the Sabbath? This is the first time Jesus calls himself “Lord” of anything. But isn’t God the Lord of the Sabbath and the Lord of the law? Who is this son of man, who argues with the scholars, who claims to forgive sin, who announces himself as Lord of the Sabbath? Isn’t he trespassing on territory that belongs to God? Is this man guilty of overreach? 

Stay tuned. 

Let’s pray. 

Oh Jesus, son of man, you said that healing the paralytic proved you had power to forgive sins. Now you call yourself Lord of the Sabbath, and criticize the scholars’ understanding of God and his law. 

O Jesus, help us to see God through your eyes. A God who didn’t criticize David for eating priestly bread. A God who doesn’t nitpick with the disciples for picking corn on the Sabbath. A God who gives us the world and the grainfields and a day of rest to enjoy. A God who gets frustrated with the quibbling of scholars.

O Jesus, forgive us where we have chafed under God’s authority and resented his laws. Forgive us where we have tried to please God by offering detailed obedience, instead of enjoying him as our father. 

O Christ, give us your vision of God, a generous and flexible father. And your vision of his laws, as guidelines and warnings that lead us to freedom and peace. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at Mark’s gospel, his account of Jesus’ life.  

After Jesus forgave and healed a paralytic, we find him down by the seashore, where he met a tax collector named Levi. “Follow me,” Jesus said. Levi followed and launched his new job with a  party, inviting old friends and new (Mark 3:13-15). 

This gave the Bible scholars a new reason to complain. “Jesus claims to be a righteous follower of God,” they said, “but look who he’s eating with. People who aren’t even interested in God or living a righteousness.” 

Jesus replied, “A doctor is for the sick, not the healthy. I’m not calling righteous people, I’m calling sinners.” 

Sinners? Levi the tax collector? Yes, he qualified. But the Bible scholars didn’t think they qualified. They knew they were righteous, and they wanted to teach Jesus how to be righteous. Like them, I have spent a lifetime studying how to be righteous. I wonder if Jesus is impressed.  

Back in Mark’s story, we find someone asking Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples fast? Like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do.” 

Jesus replied with picture stories. 

First he said, when the bridegroom is with the wedding guests, it’s time for feasting, not fasting. But when the bridegroom is taken away, then my disciples will fast (Mark 3:20). 

An odd picture of Jesus’ ministry. He’s like a groom at a wedding and expects to be taken away, leaving his disciples on their own? 

Second, Jesus said, Don’t patch old clothes with new cloth, because it shrinks and destroys the garment. Don’t put new wine in old wineskins, because it ferments and bursts the skins (Mark 3:21-22). 

Two comments. 

1. Jesus was an entrepreneur, starting a new religion. The Bible scholars and Pharisees objected because they liked the old religion. But the tax collector was flexible. He was ready to party with the bridegroom, to drink the wine of a new teaching, to let Jesus patch his old garment.

2. There’s a puzzle in Jesus’ vision of newness. He predicted the party would end, the bridegroom would leave, and the disciples would resume fasting. Did Jesus have a clear plan for starting a new religion, or would it eventually look like the old religion, warmed over? 

Stay tuned. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, Jesus brought new wine. He rejected the wisdom of the Bible scholars and clergy. He welcomed tax collectors and commoners. But he predicted he’d go away, and his followers would resume the old spiritual disciplines. 

O father, we have listened to Jesus’ 2,000-year-old gospel, followed his 2,000-year-old religion, and affirmed the 2,000-year-old traditions his disciples practiced and recorded in scripture. But we need new wisdom for today, and new life, and patches on our old garments, and new wine in our wineskins. 

O Jesus, call us like you called the tax collector. Do your righteous work in our unrighteous lives. Free us from our petrified opinions. Free us from the mistakes of our tradition. Invite us to a new party, a new theology, a new way of life. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at Mark’s gospel and its stories about Jesus the Messiah (Mark 1:1). To date, Jesus has become Galilee’s most famous healer and exorcist. 

In Mark 2, the story gets weird. Goes like this. Jesus was preaching to a full house and four men show up with a paralyzed friend on a stretcher. Unable to get through the crowd, they hoist the stretcher to the roof, dig an opening, and lower the man to Jesus. 

Jesus saw the friends’ faith and said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.”  

Question. Who said anything about sin? Why would sin be on Jesus’ mind? 

The Bible scholars in the crowd also had a question. Only God can forgive sins, they said. Who does this poser think he is? 

Jesus, sensing their displeasure, asked, “What’s easier? To say ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” 

Then Jesus said, “I am the Son of Man. I have authority to forgive sins. Watch me prove it.” He turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Get up and walk.” To the crowd’s amazement and the consternation of the scholars, that’s exactly what the man did.

Here are four comments on this story: 

1. Mark doesn’t say the paralyzed man had faith. He says Jesus saw the faith of the stretcher-bearing friends. I need friends like that if. If your faith is strong, maybe you can put in a good word for me. 

2. This is the first time in Mark’s gospel that Jesus talks about sin. John, who preceded Jesus, told people to confess their sins and be baptized. Jesus’ procedure? Different. He doesn’t ask the man to confess anything. He just forgives him.

Forgiveness created a problem for the scholars. God can forgive sins. But why does Jesus, who is obviously not God, offer forgiveness? The scholars don’t buy his line. To them, he’s overreaching. He’s a fraud. 

3. This is the first hint in Mark that Jesus’ popularity has limits. People who need healing love him. Bible scholars, not so much. 

4. This is the first of 13 times in Mark’s gospel where Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man”. In the Old Testament, God addressed the prophet Ezekiel 93 times as “son of man”. By borrowing Ezekiel’s name, Jesus positions himself as a prophet, someone who speaks God’s message to the local population. 

Let’s pray. 

O father, this passage introduces new words to us. The word faith, which we and our modern Bible scholars have complicated almost beyond belief. But in this story, faith is just four people who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. 

And the passage introduces the term Son of Man, which recalls Ezekiel’s special relationship with you, God, and which Jesus associated with his ability to forgive sins. But Jesus didn’t explain his relationship with you. He just lived it out as he traveled and preached and healed. And forgave sins.

O human Jesus, Son of Man, bring to our lives and our churches your human presence. Bring good news and healing to our friends and forgiveness for our sins. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In the last few episodes, we’ve been looking at Mark’s gospel, a good news story about Jesus the Messiah (Mark 1:1). In the story, Jesus told four fishermen to follow him. Then he traveled around Galilee preaching, healing, and exorcizing demons.   

So far, only the demons recognized Jesus as the son of God. Jesus told them to keep quiet because he didn’t want publicity from them! (Mark 1:34). This leaves us wondering when someone else, perhaps the disciples, will figure out who Jesus is. 

Early one morning, Jesus went away to pray. When the disciples woke up, they found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you” (Mark 1:37). 

Jesus replied, “Let’s go to other villages. I need to preach to more people!” (Mark 1:39). 

Along the way, a leper knelt before Jesus and said, “If you are willing, you can heal me” (Mark 1:40). Jesus said, “I am willing.”

Then, weirdly, Jesus said, “Don’t talk about your getting cured to anyone. Just go to the priests. They will give you a cleansing-from-leprosy ritual.” But this guy, running on adrenaline, had no patience to go see the priests. He’s seen Jesus, and that’s all he needs. So he tells everyone who will listen the good news about his healing.

Mark says the consequence of this man’s enthusiastic storytelling is that Jesus couldn’t enter a town openly, so he stayed outside in lonely places, far from the maddening crowds. 

I present three comments on these stories. 

1. I like it that Jesus found a solitary place to pray. Maybe we should do that too. 

2. I like the leper’s request, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” If leprosy is a metaphor for sin, then I pray the leper’s prayer every day. But I’ve not received an immediate, radical healing like the leper. Perhaps Jesus wants me to live out a process of healing.   

3. Mark mentions Jesus’ growing fame numerous times. When he cast out a demon, the news spread rapidly. After he healed Simon’s mother-in-law, the whole town gathered at the door. After the disciples found him praying, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!” 

And the leper spread his good news so enthusiastically that Mark blames him for a surge in Jesus’ popularity. 

Mark’s last comment, which closes chapter 1, says that even though Jesus looked for solitude, people still came to him from everywhere (Mark 1:45). 

I wonder. Is this much popularity a good thing? Stay tuned. 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, you brought unexpected good news to people in Galilee. You invaded the kingdom of darkness, subduing its demons, curing ills and fevers. Your presence and your words brought health and light.

O Jesus, invade our lives today. Drive out the demons that lurk in our minds. Subdue our endless temptations. Make our lives good news stories that share your endless goodness. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube