Tag: disciples

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Are you out of your mind?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Mark 3.

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:21)

Jesus couldn’t openly enter a town. He had to stay on the outskirts, because too many people were coming to be healed (Mark 1:45). He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him when the crowds were crushing in on him (3:9). Jesus and the disciples were so busy they didn’t have time to eat. Which is why his family thought he was out of his mind.

On any given day I wonder if someone is crazy or out of their mind. When the un-helmeted motorcyclist zooms past me on the highway, weaving in and out of traffic, I yell, “You guys are idiots!” I hear how much some people are asking for their houses and conclude, “You’re crazy if you think you’ll get that much.” When I caught my 80-year-old neighbor up on his roof, I asked, “Are you out of your mind?” (He had been banned from climbing ladders years ago.)

Of course, I’m sure some wonder the same thing about me. Driving youth home from a Christian rock event at 3 am, then getting up to preach the next day. Teaching middle school classes. Delivering Angel Tree presents to home in the housing projects. “Is he out of his mind?”

But Jesus? Out of his mind? I suppose one could say that. Especially when he tells us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and forgive each other. Really, Jesus? Maybe your family was right.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The Goat

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Florian van Duyn on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Matthew 18.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1)

I don’t have to look far or listen very long to find a discussion about who is the greatest. From “Who’s the greatest baseball (feel free to substitute your sport of choice here) player of all time?” to “Who was the greatest United States president?” we love to debate greatness.

The Sweet Bite is a gormet cookie shop in down town Bar Harbor, Maine. All they sell is a selection of eight large cookies for $7 or $8 a piece. As purveyors of custom iced sugar cookies, we were curious, “What’s your best selling cookie?” The owner, taking a fresh batch out of the oven told us, “By far, chocolate chip.” Interesting. While red velvet white walnut and white chocolate pistache sound fancy, I’ve never considered chocolate chip to be “gourmet.” By the same token, I’ve wondered vanilla would be the most ordered ice cream flavor, when there are so many others to choose from.

There’s nothing like a little competition among friends, right? Of course the disciples debated who was the greatest. Here they bring the matter to Jesus. He doesn’t really answer the question. (He rarely does.) Instead, he calls their attention to a child. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (18:4).

Jesus could have easily pointed them to himself. “Hey, guys, I’m sitting right here.” Instead he focuses on a child, who in the culture had little status, value, or influence. But in God’s kingdom, they are the most significant.

Unless we grasp the humility of Jesus, we’ll never understand true greatness. He was born as a child. He emptied himself of divine status to become a servant. A relationship with God begins with understanding that he is our Father and we are his children.

Rather than constantly comparing ourselves to others, hoping to move up a few spots on the greatness list, we do better to recognize the greatness of the “least.”

The apostle Paul described himself as the least of the apostles and the least of all the saints. He considered himself the chief of sinners. That was the only place he truly excelled. Someone’s got to finish at the bottom of the class, right? Imagine applying to college and having to list your class rank as 838 out of 838?

But that’s the point. In God’s eyes you are great because of his love not your performance. If he truly is the King of kings and Lord of lords, there’s no question who is the greatest. And if he’s willing to give up his life for you, there’s no question how much you mean to him.