11 . 09 . 11
Mark 8:31
In this section I can feel a great deal percolating in my spirit...
This section, it starts out with Jesus telling his apostles the story of his near future. He “spoke plainly” about what needed to happen, that he would be beaten and persecuted by the “teachers, elders, chief priests and teachers of the law”.
Hold it...
Think about this. These are the people Jesus said he “must suffer under”, so that he could then die, and rise again in three days. Giving us the Spirit upon his death...
What does this tell you about the wisdom of those ‘teachers, priests, elders...’ when it came to knowing Jesus. I’m not saying these people can’t be wise, but I read this and I see a message that ‘following jesus’ is of utmost importance... and that leaning on the power of the SPIRIT which gave Jesus his strength and wisdom, this is where I look to for guidance at my core, and in the scriptures is where we learn the dialect of the spirit, with time becoming more fluent to hear it’s voice throughout creation screaming glory to Him on the highest, guiding us with greater clarity as we learn to speak with greater afluence... Lets learn us some scripture!
Peter hears Jesus say these things, and rebukes him!
... bold peter ...
Jesus replies with “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
This will be more important in a minute...
Jesus calls a crowd, he says “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it... it continues”
I’ve always read this, and been taught this verse to be seen as a parrallel to the physical difficulties of carrying a cross...
“gosh.. can you imagine carrying a cross.. that must be terrible.. that must be what following christ is like..”
blahdadee blah blah..
If that’s how you read it, let's go a level deeper...
Read it in the context of my last two blogs... If you’ve read them, you know i dove deep into the life of Hezekiah, and his longing to be with his lord in Heaven.. and his goodness on earth. He wanted to be there, and (my interpretation) at the news of his staying on earth, he wept bitterly...
Jesus says that whoever wants to save his life here on earth, will lose it... But if we live to “lose” our life for Him and the gospel...
... we will save it. We will join Hezekiah, David and the saints, in a state of being we can’t possibly imagine on earth.. only in glimpses.
Jesus ends his words to this group by saying “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
With Jesus’ death, the Spirit was released to man... (i say it again.. so important to knooow) the same spirit Jesus was given upon his being baptized, the spirit that descended on him from heaven. The spirit that immediately sent him into the desert for forty days to experience (& overcome) every temptation and evil that would ever encounter man... that spirit, because of that experience in the desert, was ready to go out to the world, and through Jesus’ touch would heal many, and do craaaazy things like walk on water and feed thousands with just a few loaves... the spirit that would give jesus eyes to ‘see the kingdom of God coming with power”, before he tasted death.
This same spirit... we are given access to through his death.
The gift of Jesus...
The spirit that overcame all evil with Jesus, will come alongside you... in power, and in peace.
Because we’re given this spirit, we are too given eyes to ‘see the kingdom of God coming in power’... and with this knowledge, live our stay on earth mindful - like we read Hezekiah was - of the hope we have in heaven.
My grandmother and I were just talking last night about how we both felt that from just looking into a person’s eyes you can truly see the warmth they either are experiencing, or maybe longing for. They truly are the windows to the soul... If that is true, then it is pretty neat imagining that the conditions of our souls are being viewed by onlookers through the warmth in our looks.
I love walking along a street and making warm eye contact with complete strangers and giving them a little smile... it makes me feel joy to know that it’s possible i’ve warmed their day a little by lending a simple gesture.
Wow... tangent...
Okay, wrapping it up, lets go back to Peter. This guy - like i’ve often found myself - didn’t have in mind the things of God, but the things of men...
He identified Jesus as the Christ, and then right after he was called “satan” by jesus... interesting reading this and seeing it as another lovely verse which reminds us that even Satan, acknowledges the Christ...
But peter didn’t have in mind the things of God...
... so what are those things?
This is where we are gifted the scriptures to learn the spirits dialect, which in reading scripture soaked in the guidance of the spirit, we learn the “things of God..” we learn of the greats and their greatness, we learn about the not-so greats, and their mistakes... wisdom is in these pages.
So, picking up our cross? To me is identifying with Jesus, in his hope, his suffering too, but his hope in eternity and his reliance on the spirit.. the spirit which gives eyes to “see the kingdom of God” before tasting death, the spirit which overcomes every fleshly pain, temptation etc... and then to one day be raised with this spirit into eternity. It makes our earthly existence seemingly weightless... the cross a joy to bear in exchange for this gift.
Lovely...
*** check this song out... the song I looped writing today ***
Be well friends...
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