My Online Faith Journal

Mark 2:14-28  Levi is called, questions about fasting and the Sabbath Vs.14-17 - Jesus calls Matthew or Levi to follow him. This is also in  Matthew 9:9-13  and  Luke 5:27-32 . The word "follow" is akoloutheo means to follow one who precedes or it can mean to accompany to join as a disciple. This dinner in Luke account is called a reception. The tax gatherers and sinners is denoting that these were unrepentant sinners who were invited. Jesus said in vs.17 that he came to call or invite the sinner not the healthy. The word “to call” vs.17 is kaleo or to invite, to call by name. When Matthew got up from the tax booth he left everything else behind to follow him and never looked back.  Isn't it interesting how sinners felt comfortable and even loved in the presence of Jesus.  How often is that the case in our churches today that people feel loved and accepted? Vs.18-22 - Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field and John’s disciples and the Pharisees want

     After Jesus had completed his time of temptation in the wilderness, he was ready to start his public ministry.  His preaching ministry begins with these words in Mark 1:15   'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel"     In my studies, I thought about what it meant for Jesus to say that the time is fulfilled.  The word fulfilled is pleroo or it means to make full, complete.  It carries with it that this is the time when the fulfillment of all the promises of the prophets will be completed.  Jesus was saying that in his coming he is the fulfillment of what the prophets had talked about.     So, Jesus begins to build his team of disciples that he will live with and teach closely over the next three years.  And it says that he was in Galilee sometime after John the Baptist had been taken into custody and he saw Simon and Andrew and James and John fishing.  He calls to them and tells them they will become fishers of

    When I was first married, we lived next store to a couple that had large pin oak trees in their backyard.  These trees were a hundred or more years old (not the one in the picture).  It made it so that they couldn't grow grass in their backyard because it got very little sun.  Some of those trees may have been around when Thomas Jefferson was alive.  It always amazes me when I look at a large tree and see its massive root system.     You don't really see and can't tell that a large tree is still growing.  it is growing though and continually strengthening itself over time.  The roots are slowly spreading out to support its growing size and strength.  You can tell though when a storm comes and instead of breaking the tree moves and bends and bears up under the power of a storm.  I think that is true in a christian's life as well, the best way to see the growth is that it has good roots and it has been through some storms.     Paul spoke alot about the storms o