God in a Box

“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and by the prince of demons.” ESV Mark 3:22

As I read Mark’s gospel I get the feeling that he’s bullet pointing Jesus’ ministry in some kind of outline form. A Dragnet version if you will; “...just the facts maam.” The early chapters of the book move so quickly from one event to the next that I find myself having to stop and think about what just happened. Even the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness for forty days only comprised two verses. Yet in every story, in every bullet point, the writer of Mark strives to make one overriding point that must not be missed: “Jesus Christ, [is] the Son of God.”

So, as we read about Jesus preaching repentance, cleansing lepers, healing the paralytic, calling disciples and attracting crowds that would make the most influential politician green with envy, we must understand that these things are taking place so that people will know that Jesus is the Son of God.

By the time we get to chapter three the elite of the community, the Pharisees and the scribes, are plotting against him. And while Jesus is angry at their hypocrisy, he is also grieved at the hardness of their heart.

Mark 3:22 is one of those places where I had to stop and think about the text. I asked myself why the Pharisees and scribes couldn’t see that Jesus was the Son of God. How could they go so far as to say that his ministry was of the devil himself? And here’s the conclusion I came to. The religious folks of the day didn’t accept Jesus for who he was because he didn’t fit their image of God. They were blinded by their own hard hearts and they never came to know Jesus as the Son of God. In other words, Jesus would not fit in the neat, tidy box that they imagined.

Fast forward till today. Does God fit into your box?

Hindsight is 20/20 they say; or is it? We have the testimony of the Old Testament prophets concerning Christ that is documented and confirmed in many cases by the New Testament eyewitness accounts. The public ministry of Christ is well documented. All the Apostles, excepting perhaps John, met a martyrs death for their enduring faith and testimony. Evidence abounds that Jesus was and is the Son of God yet many still reject this truth.

Will you worship the Creator who crafted you in His image or will your craft a god that will fit into your box?

Ken Askew