Band of Believers

Mark 2:1-12
One of the more poignant aspects of the healing of the paralytic is the obvious compassion for this man on the part of his friends who were willing to do whatever was necessary to get him into Jesus’ presence. “Then some people came, bringing to [Jesus] a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (Mark 2:3-5). Mark says that when Jesus “saw their faith,” he first forgave the paralyzed man and then healed him. The plural pronoun their tells us a lot. It was not simply the faith of the man in need that moved Jesus. In fact the paralyzed man’s faith may not be indicated at all. Their may refer only to the people who believed that Jesus could heal their friend.

There are times when I find myself facing fears or concerns, issues or questions that leave me, in effect, spiritually paralyzed. When that happens, when I am facing doubts or struggling with my faith, it is the love and support of the wider community that so often pulls me through. Over the years, friends, family members, congregants, even relative strangers willing to express their confidence in God, have “carried” me to Jesus and helped me learn to stand again in the faith. So often it is their actions that remind me of the forgiveness that I have received and of the healing that I need. And at other times I have been blessed to help do the “carrying,” lending my support to those in need of forgiveness and healing. This is one way that the community of faith expresses its concern for one another in times of need.

Ours is a complicated and trying world, full of darkness, rocked by injustice. But when we as God’s people are willing, not only to carry those in need, but also to dig through the obstacles they encounter, then our faith can become a source of light and life for all.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another and especially for those in need of encouragement and hope, so that together we may share the love of the gospel with a hurting world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Which Law Are We Talking About?

HK Stewart

Mark 2:23-3:6

This passage in Mark comes after Jesus has been talking about new wineskins for new wine. With old wineskins -- old ways of thinking, old ways of seeing -- the skins will fail, and the wine will be lost. In today’s passage, Jesus is showing his listeners how to think differently about the law. New wineskins for a new way of thinking and behaving. He reminds them -- and us -- that the law is a blueprint for living a blessed life. It is not a tool for one group to use to condemn another.

For Jesus, the law is a way of seeing the Divine in all creation. “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” (Mark 3:27). He understood how fruitful the law can be when it guides us deeper into God. He also understood how frightful the law can be when it drives us deeper into fear. By the end, Jesus may get credit for restoring a man’s hand, but he also feels grieved at the narrow-mindedness of those in fearful control.

How many times do we not feel grieved at our own narrow-mindedness when the law drives us deeper into fear? How many times do we not feel restored when the law guides us deeper into God?

Prayer: Lord, free us from the fear that divides and guide us toward the joy of knowing you more fully. Amen.

HK Stewart is a Presbyterian elder and member of Westover Hills Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has a BA in English and journalism and an MFA in creative writing. HK writes a daily spiritual blog entitled “Christian Taoism” and has recently begun conducting retreats on creative spirituality. You may find out more about HK and his work at:

Christian Taoism and Gift Spiritual Retreat.

Finding the Norm

Mark 2:13-22

How you ask a question can say a lot about your assumptions. For example, here is a verse from today’s reading in Mark. “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’” (Mark 1:18). People were curious about the spiritual practices of Jesus and his disciples. That’s understandable. But notice how they express their curiosity. John and the Pharisees and their disciples fast (which is obviously the way it should be done) but you, Jesus, and your disciples do not fast (which is obviously not the way it should be done). How different the question sounds if we simply turn it around: Jesus, you and your disciples don’t fast (which is obviously the way it should be done), but John, the Pharisees, and their disciples do fast (which is obviously not the way it should be done).

So much of life depends on what you consider to be normal. My cousin grew up using Miracle Whip on sandwiches, but my father hated it so we used mayonnaise on our sandwiches instead. I hate short athletic socks because when I was in school you wanted your tube socks to reach practically to your knee and to have wide stripes at the top. But my kids won’t let me out of the house in shorts and socks that go much above my shoes. It all depends on what you consider to be normal. During this ministry Jesus was offering a new way, a different approach. He didn’t fast when others fasted, he didn’t shun sinners, tax collectors, or prostitutes.

But what about today? Is Jesus’ way the norm, or is Jesus the exception. Where there is a neighbor in need whose example do we follow? If we have a choice between the golf course and an hour of our week for worship to whom do we turn for guidance? Whose understanding of sacrifice, of giving, of service, of obedience to God do we see as usual? Does Jesus represent for us the way it should be done, or what it means to get too hung up in religion?

Finding the norm in life means finding the patterns that offer the most meaning to our world and that lead us to the most faithful manner of living in the here and now. So do we start with Jesus? Or do we find Jesus to be the odd man out?

Prayer: Lord, you alone offer the path to abundant life. When we find ourselves challenged to choose you or to stray after idols, help us to remain faithful that your will might be done in our living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.