Mark 9 is the reading for today in the Tattoo Church Reading Plan. Let’s look at a couple things from this chapter:
- We cannot ignore that Mark records a crazy event involving Jesus and two other guys. I mean it’s really pulling off some serious Hollywood special effects. Jesus, Peter, James and John go up on a mountain and then Jesus transformed into the poster child for Tide with bleach. The three disciples had to be freaking out. Then Elijah and Moses show up. Both were very important figures in the Jewish faith that had been dead for a long time. Elijah was a prophet from a long time ago. A prophet was someone who, before Jesus came, God would speak to and that person would then go speak to other people on behalf of God. Moses was the guy God used to bring the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. This event happened so that Peter, James and John would know that Jesus was God in flesh.
- Next we see Jesus healing a boy who was possessed by an evil spirit. Again this is something that is far fetched for some of us but the Bible teaches us that there are also unseen spiritual beings in the world. Some are good and they’re called angels and some are evil and they’re called demons. This boy was being oppressed by an evil spirit and Jesus frees him.
- In verses 33-37 Jesus tells his disciples that if someone wishes to be great they should be a servant to all. God’s definition of greatness stands in stark contrasts to what so many people think being great is all about.
- Mark 9 also talks about not intentionally causing someone to sin starting in verse 42. Jesus gives some heavy illustrations to support his statement. The important thing to take away from this is that God does not want people who understand what is right to intentionally lead people to do what is wrong.
Admittedly there are quite a few things in the Bible that seem weird and sometimes far fetched, like people appearing on a mountain top and unseen spiritual beings and we can’t simply ignore them. However, instead of focusing a lot of time on how these things could be possible let’s just accept that if there is a God then there are things about God we cannot fully grasp and that’s ok. That’s what makes God different from us. Yet, understanding being a servant is something we all understand but often don’t care to do. Jesus teaches us that being a follower of his our lives should be characterized by serving others.
Do you have an internal opposition to serving others? If so why? Who have you served lately? Are there other opportunities in your life where you could serve other people? How does serving make you feel? Has there ever been a time when you served someone and it changed your life, that relationship or that person’s life? If you’re involved in the tattoo community what have you given back to tattooing? Have you tried to help other tattooers who are in need? That’s actually one of the things Tattoo Church loves to do. Which is why we sell t-shirts on our website TattooChurch.com and partner with other legit organizations to do the same. If you’ve given your life to tattooing then it’s up to us to make the world tattoo community the best it can be. If you have ideas or want to help too then please email me at Tommy@tattoochurch.com
No comments:
Post a Comment