I wonder if there is a correlation between my desire to keep up with this blog and whether or not anyone is reading it? Because lately I sure have been unmotivated!! Maybe a comment would help?

I'm behind about 5 nights worth of devotions. We have covered Mark 8:11 through Mark 10:16.

Mark 8:11-26
This is the only recorded case of a man being partially healed and then fully healed. We were wondering if perhaps this was more typical than we think- that healings took some time.

When Jesus asked, "Do you not perceive nor understand?" , he was not talking about bread. He might be wondering, "how could you possibly think that I was mad at you for only bringing one loaf of bread? I was referring to the Pharisees." Didn't they realize by now that Jesus would provide for them?

Mark 8:27-38
Dad shared how he distinctly remembers verse 38 from when he was in public high school, and worried that he would be ashamed of his faith in front of other kids.

Mark 9:1-13
Peter did not know what to say, but that did not prevent him from opening his mouth!!
Paul pointed out- how did they know that it was Moses and Elijah? Perhaps they heard Jesus talking to them and addressing them by name. We wondered what they may have been talking about.

Mark 9:14-50
So much demon activity- we wondered if there was an increase at the time(compared to now) because God was here.

"If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off". Dad was saying how the point of these passages is to emphasize how bad sin is, and how Jesus wants us to flee from it wholeheartedly.

Mark 10:1-16
This is a passage on the family, and how much God hates divorce. It is not in our vocabulary!! Remember that when you are married. And then Jesus is greatly displeased when the children are not treated with respect. We can each have a great testimony to the world with a happy, stable marriage and loving our kids. It's becoming more and more unusual in our culture :(

Read Mark 7-8:10

This is the passage about the Pharisees being very legalistic. One significant phrase in here is "they found fault". Dad pointed out that there is a danger for any Christian to make up their own little code system and impose it on others and become judgemental. We must all guard against this. Putting the traditions of man higher than the Word of God is what gets us into trouble. And remember- what comes out of a man's heart is what defiles the man.

Next there are 3 incidents with Jesus. We talked about whether or not Jesus was being harsh with the Greek woman. But He was sent to the give the good news to the Jews first, and then the Gentiles. Jesus healing the deaf and mute man reminded dad of the song, "Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"- the last verse, which he always liked. The city mentioned, Dalmanutha, is not known today, but was probably a port city which is now under water. And lastly, we have another episode of Jesus feeding the multitudes. Paul made an interesting observation- when the passages say how many
baskets were left over, it could have been a measurement of volume, and may not have meant that they had the actual baskets lying there to fill. Why would they have had those baskets anyway, if they didn't have any wares?
.............................

Dad's joke in response to Paul's background check for his job:

Mom: I'd think that your background is clear.
Paul: Most of my life I was a minor.
Dad: Are you sure you don't have any "cave-ins" in your background?

Oh dear...........I have 3 nights worth of devotions to catch up on! I'll blame it on our recent visitor...........she's so much trouble! Ha!

Read Mark 6:14-56

We talked about the Herods. This is Herod Antipas, nephew of Herod the Great. Dad pointed out how the Herods were a strange mixture of good and evil. Though they built great things and were probably incredible visionaries, they were capable of using people terribly. This passage says that the king was exceedingly sorry for John's death. This was a sad ending to John the Baptist. People seriously asked him if he was the Messiah. Imagine what he must have been like as a man!

The miracle of the loaves and the fishes comes next. We had a discussion on what method Jesus may have used for the multiplication process. Paul mentioned that the idea of never-ending plenty appeals to us and is found in literature. We thought of Elijah and the woman's oil and Demeter with a cornacopia that never emptied. The focus in the passage seems to indicate that the apostles were watching the miracle, but with so many people, we wondered whether or not the individuals were noticing it also.

Verse 48 says, "would have passed them by" but a better translation is, "He came along side them". Jesus wasn't intending to ignore them. Verse 50 says, "it is I" and that is the "I am" statement. Jesus is confirming that He is God.

What didn't they understand about the loaves? That Jesus had power over nature and could exercise it again? That Jesus was God? They marvelled when they made the connection that Jesus is God.

We concluded with Dad explaining two possible ways that Jesus used to walk on the water- freezing it to ice, or increasing the surface tension. Would you believe that he is a scientist? Ha.

Ps 37:3-4
"Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."