verseoftheday

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.  When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him... Mark 8:23 NIV When he had spit on the man's eyes! What is with that? Maybe he's back in Numbers 12 where spitting in someone's face sent you outside the camp for 7 days in shame. And here was Jesus outside the village, redeeming that by using his spit to heal. Maybe he's thinking if Isaiah 50 where the suffering one is spat upon and he takes that, absorbs it, because God is with him and he won't be disgraced. Looking forward to Jesus being spat upon as he is taking away the sins of the world. Maybe it's a mini version of shedding his blood to bring healing for all, that he spits on the man's eyes to bring healing. There is no shame that he cannot redeem, nothing so broken that he cannot heal, he is outside the camp making all things new. And in the process it's personal. You can't spit in someone's eyes from a dis...

Friday! Proverbs! Houses and wealth  are inherited from parents,  but a prudent wife  is from the Lord . Proverbs 19:14 NIV Sometimes we need some better English words! This Hebrew word translated as "prudent" carries these meanings: consider expert instruct prosper deal prudently give skillful have good success teach So a "wise, teacher who's sharp" may be a better description. And even the word for "wife" here is first used in Genesis to differentiate the woman from the man. So. The meaning of this becomes a bit clearer in a society where woman were treated as chattels, as less than men, where they could be used and discarded or replaced, this proverb is saying people and stuff are not the same. Women are not to be used, discarded, replaced.  They're sharp, wise, & can teach you. #metoo is not a modern thing, but it's here in this ancient proverb. The message here from God is that your girls and your women are important. Way more importan...

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Mark 8:23 NLT I wonder how far they walked? What did they talk about? And can you sense the compassion...Jesus could've said to the man's friends or family to just bring him along, but he didn't.  He could've healed him right there, but he didn't. Jesus reached out, Jesus stepped towards him & took him by the hand. Jesus reached out to him and met him in his infirmity. Took him by the hand and they walked out of town together. I wonder if he was thinking of the blind man, and just how dramatic it was going to be to be able to see, that he was taking him somewhere quieter, more private, where he could process his new sight slowly. Privately. And maybe he was sending a message to those watching...this is how you meet people where they are at and walk with them. Maybe it was something to do with the marginalised being kept outside the camp, and he was going with the man back outside the camp. Jesu...

Then they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. Mark 8:22-23 AMP No mucking around with Mark, he's straight into the next story.  Feed 4,000. Done. Next town, blind guy. I wonder who the "they" are who brought this blind person to Jesus? Being blind probably meant he had to live outside of normal society, dependent on others for support. Living on the margins. Yet "they" saw him. "They" wanted to help. "They" were on his team. Maybe someone checked in on him every day or so, made sure he had water, food, maybe someone had him stay in their house... And he had to choose to trust his team.  Trust them to lead him to Jesus. His team had not given up hope for him, and walked with him to find Jesus. Sometimes we're like the blind guy, we literally cannot see the way forward, the present and the future is dark. And we need to trust others to walk us towards Jesus. When we have lost hope, to...

Then I thought... "...I will remember the deeds of the Lord;  yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? Psalms 77:10-13 NIV In the middle of this song in the of the Bible is this pivot. Asaph is in despair.  He cannot see a way out. He's stuck. And then he changes his thinking! He deliberately turns his mind away from his own situation, his despair and discouragement and chooses in that to think about who God is. And in that choosing things shift inside. God is who He says He is. He has worked in my life in the past.  No matter what it feels like I am not abandoned, forsaken, lost. My situation doesn't change, but I do. Just a small nudge at the core, that (re)orients me back to God, gets me looking outward a little more. This Psalm doesn't end where everything is resolved or fixed, but does give us a gift that maybe you or someone you ...

The people ate and were satisfied.  Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present. Mark 8:8-9 NIV Leftovers. The feeding of the 5000 there were leftovers. Here there were leftovers. A little later in the chapter Jesus expects the disciples to see a lesson in the numbers of the leftovers. Today the lesson for me in the leftovers is this: I want to wait til I've created something, a surplus, a result, and give that to God.  To give Him the leftovers. The fruit. He's been nudging "give me what you have, no matter how small it seems, and I'll use it, I'll work the miracle, and make the leftovers." But. I'm too small. I'm incomplete I'm not good enough I'm damaged I'm bruised I'll have something better to offer later. Jesus says I see you,  I know you I love you Just bring what you have. My kingdom is the upsidedown kingdom, where the small is valued, the hurt are lo...

"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven", they replied.   ....The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Mark 8:4-5, 8 NIV Love is patient.  Love is not easily angered. Love is kind. These words are easy to say, but Jesus lives them out in real life. I'd be sarcastic, impatient, roll my eyes...here we go again... Jesus patiently asks the question "how many loves do you have?" Feeding 4,000 people is way too big a problem to solve. I go looking for the big answer, the big miracle, Jesus patiently asks "what do you have?" Let's start there. And we'll feed people one by one. How many loaves do you have? What do you and I have that speaks into whatever is in front of us? Maybe it seems small.  Too small to make a dent. How can my giving make a difference? How can my prayers change anything? All I can do is listen, visit, include, invite, ask, feed,...