Tag: George P. Wood

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

A Prophet Without Honor (Mark 6.1–29)

georgepwood

In a perfect world, people get exactly what they deserve. Good comes to those who do good, but bad to those who do bad. A perfect world, in other words, is characterized by justice, which Aristotle defined as treating equals equally and unequals unequally. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. In our world, bad things happen to good people, while bad people enjoy good things. Injustice is all too often the rule in our world, not the exception. According to Mark 6.1–29, Jesus and his colleagues also experienced injustice. Although good people—in Jesus’ case, a perfect person—they … Continue reading A Prophet Without Honor (Mark 6.1–29)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

An Interruption to an Interruption (Mark 5:21-43)

georgepwood

Mark 5.21–43 tells the interconnected stories of two miracles: (1) the healing of a woman with a twelve-year-long hemorrhage and (2) the resurrection of Jairus’ little daughter. What do these miracles teach us about Jesus? First, and very obviously, they teach us that Jesus has the power to heal. Jesus has power over sickness and death, as the stories of the woman and the young girl make clear. Furthermore, Jesus has power over the natural and supernatural realms, as seen by his calming of the storm (Mark 4.35–41) and exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (5.1–20). Second, Jesus’ power to heal … Continue reading An Interruption to an Interruption (Mark 5:21-43)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Salvation as the Ultimate Sanity (Mark 5:1-20)

georgepwood

American culture has a longstanding interest in the occult, stretching from the Salem Witch Trials in the late seventeenth century to the remake of The Amityville Horror today. A crucial difference between then and now is that the Puritans feared witches and demons because they thought they were real. We, on the other hand derive entertainment from them because precisely we think they don’t really exist. (There’s just nothing like a good scare now and then!) I’m not sure whether being entertained by depictions of evil is an improvement over prosecuting witches, but I am sure that American interest in … Continue reading Salvation as the Ultimate Sanity (Mark 5:1-20)

Mark, The Daily Word1 Comment

True Adults in Faith (Mark 4:21-41)

georgepwood

In a sermon a few years ago, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger—now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—offered some insights about what it means to be “a true adult in the faith.” Reflecting on Ephesians 4.13–14, he said: “Being an ‘adult’ means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today’s fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature.” Today’s Scripture reading is Mark 4.21–41. In it, Jesus shows us what it means to practice a mature, adult faith in him. First, a mature Christian faith is characterized by openness. “For … Continue reading True Adults in Faith (Mark 4:21-41)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

What Kind of Dirty Are You? (Mark 4:1-20)

georgepwood

When I was growing up, my best friend was Clyde. Clyde had a vivid imagination. Whenever I went to his house to play, he dreamed up some scenario for us to act out. “Cops and Robbers” was too tame for him. Instead, we’d play “FBI Special Agents and Mafia Dons.” Invariably, he’d introduce each scenario with the word pertrank. I looked it up in a dictionary. It didn’t exist, except in Clyde’s mind. It meant something like pretend or dream up or imagine, but to an extreme degree. The value of pertranking was that for a few brief hours of … Continue reading What Kind of Dirty Are You? (Mark 4:1-20)

Mark, The Daily Word1 Comment

Was Jesus Insane? Possessed? Opposed to Family Values? (Mark 3.20–35)

georgepwood

If I were inventing a messianic religion, I would not write the kind of stories about the Messiah we find in Mark 3.20–35. According to that passage, when Jesus’ family heard about what he was doing, they formed a psychological opinion: “He is out of his mind.” Pious, well-educated religion professors made a spiritual diagnosis: “He is possessed by Beelzebub [i.e., the devil]!” When Jesus’ family arrived on the scene, no doubt to take him home and care for him, he brazenly asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” In a patriarchal society such as first-century Palestine, Jesus’ rhetorical … Continue reading Was Jesus Insane? Possessed? Opposed to Family Values? (Mark 3.20–35)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Who Speaks for Jesus? (Mark 3.7–19)

georgepwood

Who speaks for Jesus? Today, a cacophony of voices claims to speak for the “real Jesus.” The chapter titles of The Jesus Quest by Ben Witherington capture the essence of those contrary voices: Jesus the Talking Head Jesus the Itinerant Cynic Philosopher Jesus, Man of the Spirit Jesus the Eschatological Prophet Jesus the Prophet of Social Change Jesus the Sage: The Wisdom of God Jesus: Marginal Jew or Jewish Messiah? Which of these contradictory voices speaks for the real Jesus? Mark 3.7–19 offers two vignettes in answer to that question. Let’s take a close look at both. In Mark 3.7–12, … Continue reading Who Speaks for Jesus? (Mark 3.7–19)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Who Jesus Is. How We Should Respond. (Mark 2.13–3.6)

georgepwood

No one enjoys conflict, but sometimes is helpful if it clarifies choices we need to make. Mark 2.13–3.6 records four conflicts Jesus had with Pharisees. over (1) eating with sinners (2.13–17), (2) fasting (2.18–22), (3) picking grain on the Sabbath (2.23–28), and (4) healing the sick on the Sabbath (3.1–6). Each conflict clarified Jesus’ identity and mission, as well as our response to him. First, the conflict over eating with sinners (2.13–17): Jesus called Levi son of Alphaeus to follow him. Levi was a tax collector. Then as now, no one likes a tax collector. In Jesus’ day, tax collectors … Continue reading Who Jesus Is. How We Should Respond. (Mark 2.13–3.6)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Cheap Words and Hard Deeds (Mark 2.1–12)

georgepwood

Leon, Joseph, and Clyde all thought they were Jesus Christ. In reality, they were chronic mental patients at a hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They suffered from psychotic delusional disorder, grandiose type. In the 1960s, psychologist Milton Rokeach put Leon, Joseph, and Clyde together in a small group. He hoped that interacting with one another might cure them of their delusions, since—logically speaking—there could only be one Jesus Christ. John Ortberg comments on the results: “The experiment led to some interesting conversations. One of the men would claim, ‘I’m the messiah, the Son of God. I am on a mission. I … Continue reading Cheap Words and Hard Deeds (Mark 2.1–12)

Mark, The Daily WordLeave a comment

Lessons from Jesus’ Miracles (Mark 1.21–45)

georgepwood

Mark 1.21–45 describes three miracles Jesus: the exorcism of a demon-possessed man (vv. 21–28), the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (vv. 29–34), and the cleansing of a man with leprosy (vv. 40–45). What lessons about Jesus do these miracles teach us? First, Jesus was a man of word and deed. We usually—and rightly—think of Jesus as an excellent teacher. “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (v. 22). And yet, during his lifetime, Jesus was also well known as an exorcist and miracle-worker, as the … Continue reading Lessons from Jesus’ Miracles (Mark 1.21–45)