Stark Contrast - I'm beginning at the end of chapter 1 where Jesus heals a man with leprosy. Jesus heals this guy, tells him not to tell anyone (a concept called Messianic Secret - Jesus does this several times with people He healed), and the guy can't shut up . God heals us from an eternal problem (sin), instructs us to tell everyone, and we couldn't be more quiet about the whole thing. What's the difference? What's the difference between the guy with leprosy and me? Why the different responses to healing? It has to be self-awareness: one of us appreciated how dire his situation was without Christ and one of us thinks he's an okay person who just needs a little help here and there. This is why it's good to be confronted with our sin frequently (especially against the backdrop of a God who is so holy that the Bible mentions it 3 times - Holy, Holy, Holy - because it doesn't have a word for "very"). The guy with leprosy probably couldn't go a day, much less an hour, without a reminder of his condition. We can go long stretches of time without consciously acknowledging our desperate need for God in our lives - John Ortberg in The Life You've Always Wanted calls these long stretches "Spiritual Mindlessness."
What exactly is the "Good News?" 1:14-15 problematic if you define the "good news" as "Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins." At this point in His ministry, he hadn't conquered sin and death yet. The Good News is not about the minimal entrance requirements for getting into Heaven when you die - it can't be just about that - that's too self-focused - it's about a bigger picture of God's Kingdom and how God is going to redeem everything (including redeeming us by rebirthing us and cleansing us through Jesus's payment of His life on the cross). For more discussion on why the "good news"is more about God's kingdom than me getting my sins forgiven, check out Ron Martoia's book entitled Static.
Had to be frustrating
(Part 1)- Jesus rarely gives a straight up answer to a question. For instance, when asked why His disciples weren't fasting, he answers with talk of a bride and a groom and then launches into a talk about sewing and wine storage (actually talking about the new covenant/dispensation). The guys who asked this must have looked at each other and heard the "chirp-chirp" of awkward silence. What do you say back to that? "So...yeah...uh...um...back to fasting..."
(Part 2) - this time I'm referring to Jesus. In 3:20-22, his own family accuses him of being insane and the "churchy people" accuse him of being possessed by a demon. There are tons of Christ followers today who have to put up with this in order to follow Christ - being shunned or made fun of by their own family (shouldn't you be able to count on unconditional support from family?) or having "churchy people" tell them not to "get too crazy" with their obedience. I also think of those who go to the mission field and how they probably have to put up with this opposition also. Uggggh. At least they can confide to Someone who knows exactly what they're dealing with and find refuge there.
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