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

In Mark 12, Jesus tells a story about a man who plants a vineyard, rents it to farmers, and goes on a trip. When he sends a servant to collect rent, the farmers beat him up and send him away. The owner sends another servant who is also abused. A third servant, the farmers kill.  

Finally the owner sends his son. The merciless farmers kill the son, dispose of the body, and say, “The vineyard is ours!” 

Jesus said, “What do you think the owner will do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others” (Mark 12:9).

Some comments. 

Jesus was building on a story the Old Testament prophet Isaiah told about a man who planted a vineyard. When it produced only bad fruit, the owner gave up his plans and destroyed the vineyard. Isaiah concludes,
    God’s vineyard is the nation of Israel. 
    He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; 
         for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. 
             (Isa 5:7) 

In Jesus’ version of the story, it’s not just the vineyard-nation that’s a problem. Jesus points to the tenants, those occupying and managing the vineyard. The religious leaders, in charge of the Jewish religion, were deeply offended. 

But were they so deeply offended that they might kill the son who was trying to collect rent? Jesus thought so. He was the son. 

A second comment. Why wasn’t Jesus more friendly to the Jewish religion? After all, it’s the religion God gave Moses. It’s based on the Jewish scriptures. It’s the religion the Pharisees studied and followed. Sure, they made mistakes, but doesn’t everyone? 

Jesus’ complaint? The Pharisees did religion without growing in their understanding of God. They were trying to own the vineyard rather than see themselves as renters and stewards of God’s property. 

Now let me look in a mirror: I understand their problem. Me? I want to own the scriptures. I want to interpret them and tell everybody exactly what they mean. I want an organized, well-funded church. I don’t need Jesus telling me I’m wrong. I just need him as a saviour. In short, my approach to religion is uncomfortably close to that of the Pharisees. 

Let’s pray. 

O Father, you gave us scripture and commentaries and preachers and churches that create the religion we follow, and tell us what you want us to do. 

But where are you in our religion? Are you in the songs we sing, the sermons we preach,  the sacrifices we ask of ourselves and others? Are you chairman of the board? Are you chief financial officer?  

Help us find you as we practice religion. Help us recognize your presence. Teach us to know you and love you. 

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 11, after Jesus drove foreign-exchange merchants and livestock dealers out of the temple, the leaders asked him, “Who gave you authority to do that?” (Mark 11:28). 

Jesus knew they wouldn’t believe his answer, so he replied with a question, “Was John the Baptist’s baptism from heaven? Or did humans invent it?” (Mark 11:29-30). 

The temple leaders said to each other, “Careful, this is a trick question. If we say John’s message was from heaven, he’ll say, ‘So, why didn’t you believe it?’ But if we say John’s message was human, we’ll get stoned because everyone thinks John was a prophet” (Mark 11:31-32). 

So they answered, “We don’t know where John’s message was from.” 

Jesus replied, “Then neither will I tell you where my authority is from” (Mark 11:33).

Some comments on this curious turn of events. 

First, it’s not obvious to everyone when God is at work. The temple leaders had spent a lifetime studying their scriptures and practicing their religion. There’s no way they wanted questions from  a rude 33-year-old newbie who had zero training and no credentials. They didn’t appreciate Jesus trespassing on their turf and criticizing the way they ran the temple.

I wonder, are we aware and receptive when God is on the move? Or like the temple leaders, do we want to practice our religion undisturbed by hard questions?

Second, Jesus didn’t give a straight answer to a simple question. He could have said his authority came from God. Instead, he responded to a question with another question. 

Many of my questions Jesus doesn’t answer either. Why does God permit so much evil? Why doesn’t he answer more prayers? Why is the church so weak and ineffective? Maybe, like the temple leaders, I’m too foolish or ignorant or unbelieving to receive the real answers to my questions.

My third comment is that Jesus wanted the temple leaders to focus on something other than their sly questions. He showed them God was at work outside the confines of their temple religion. God was at work in Jesus’ miracles. He was at work in Jesus’ outraged response to temple abusers. God was at work in John the Baptist’s preaching and baptizing. But the temple leaders? They just couldn’t see God working in unexpected ways and through unconventional people like Jesus and John. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, we have endless questions. But our duty is simple and clear. To believe in Jesus. To love others. To pray.

So we set our questions aside. We invite you to overturn the tables of our comfortable religion. As Jesus cast out the abusers in the temple, cast out our sins. Quash our self-serving, self-preserving instincts, and let us lose our lives and find them in the cross. 

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 11, after parading into Jerusalem, Jesus cursed a fig tree. Then he drove money-changing hucksters out of the temple. Feel the passionate anger in his words, “This is supposed to be a house of prayer. But you’ve made it a den of robbers!” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11).

William Barclay (The Gospel of Mark, The Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: St. Andrews Press, 1975), 272-275) describes the situation this way. The inner temple, the court of priests, was hidden behind three levels of access. First: the court of the Gentiles, open to anyone. Next: the court of women, open to Jewish women. Third: the court of Israelites, the place of sacrifices. 

At Passover, people came from around the world to worship, pay the temple tax, and make sacrifices. The family of Annas, an ex-high priest, saw these tourists as a business opportunity. They needed local money to pay their temple tax and a supply of doves to make sacrifices. Sweet! Where better than the outer court of the temple to charge exorbitant exchange rates and sell doves at extortionate markups to people who came to worship!

Jesus didn’t think so. He said the outer court should be a place for people to pray, not a place to take advantage of them. So he acted violently, scattering money and overturning display tables, driving out the astonished businessmen.

The common people enjoyed the show. But Jesus’ anger offended the temple leaders. Who does this guy think he is? How dare he criticize us! We’ll interpret the law and determine what is and isn’t allowed in the temple. 

After leaving the temple and finding peace and quiet overnight, the next day Jesus and the disciples saw the fig tree. It was withered from the roots up. The disciples said, “Wow!” Jesus said, “If you have faith, you can tell a mountain to throw itself into the sea. In fact, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it’s yours” (Mark 11:22-25). 

Let’s pray. 

Jesus, we understand your clearing of the temple, but not your immense anger. Our society is full of Christian commercialism–religious books and art and magazines and music and posters and souvenirs. It can’t all be wrong, can it?

Jesus, were you angry at the commercialism, or at its location? Do you see in us some money-grubbing, grasping, and commercial part of our hearts that offends you? 

Our faith does not wither trees or move mountains. Our faith does not receive whatever we ask in prayer. 

O Jesus, change our hearts, move the mountains within us, change our plodding performance to vibrant faith. Teach us to live in the power of your kingdom. Teach us to ask and believe and receive. 

Amen. 

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

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep414. Mark 10. The Blind and the Seeing.

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

At the end of Mark 10, blind Bartimaeus received his sight, but the disciples continued in their spiritual blindness. 

Here’s the story. 

For the third time in Mark’s gospel, Jesus told the disciples he would be mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed (Mark 10:33-34). 

The disciples’ response? James and John said, “When you come into your glory, we want the best seats of honor beside you” (v. 37). Weren’t they listening to what Jesus said? Was he talking about glory or about being tortured and killed?

Jesus replied to the disciples, “You have no clue about what you’re asking. Are you prepared to be baptized with the baptism I will soon experience?” (v. 38).

“Sure,” they replied. “No problem. Bring it on!” (v. 38). 

Jesus said, “OK. Count on it.” They didn’t understand that Jesus was walking into a baptism of torture and death. 

Then Jesus continued, ”But it’s not me who assigns seating in God’s kingdom. So don’t count on the seating arrangements you want” (v. 40-41). 

When the disciples heard James and John asking for favors they got angry. So Jesus played the peacemaker, saying, “In the Gentile world, the game is control. Lords lord it over people and officials officiate and Trumps trump everybody. But in God’s world, leaders serve, and slaves are first in line. Look at me,” he said. “I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom” (Mark 10:45). 

The disciples were blind to Jesus’ meaning; they couldn’t grasp the vision of him dying. They saw him as king, not a king’s ransom. 

Mark’s gospel moves to the story of blind Bartimaeus, who called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). People told him to be quiet, but he shouted more loudly, until Jesus asked, “What do you want?”

“I want to see,” he replied. Jesus gave him sight, saying, “Your faith has saved you” (Mark 10:52). 

Two comments. 

The disciples won’t see clearly until after the crucifixion and resurrection. The crisis of Jesus’ death will lead them to a place where God’s spirit can bless them with the words Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Your faith has saved you.” 

Second, like so many of those Jesus healed and saved, we never hear of Bartimaeus again. Was it just his eyes that Jesus saved, or was it his whole person? 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, when you restored Bartimaeus’ sight, you said his faith saved him.

His simple faith contrasts with the disciples’ politicking.
– They argued about getting places of honor
– They didn’t understand that your kingdom privileges those of low status–servants and slaves, the disabled, blind, lame, and deaf. 

O Jesus, our wealth and technology does not buy us privilege in your kingdom. We invite you to baptize us into your family, to give us servant robes in your kingdom, to teach us to take your name into a world that despises you. 

Amen. 

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

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube