Decades ago, I was asked to teach one Sunday at a singles’ Sunday School class at a large church. The regular teacher gave me this counsel: “Bob, they’re singles, most of them divorced, they’ve had a lot of pain in their lives. You don’t need to pile on.” Then he quoted Job:

I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing? I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. (Job 16.2 – 5, NKJV)

“My mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.” It was a good word then…and now. I tried to keep it in mind when talking with a friend the other day. Stay tuned.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3.13, NIV)

We noticed yesterday one of Mark’s obvious theme: “immediately.” There’s another theme that we may tend to gloss over. See what you think:

• And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1.25, ESV)
• And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. (Mark 1.34, ESV)
• And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1.39, ESV)

He “cast out many demons.” Satan is alive and well and is our enemy:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6.11, 12, ESV)

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3.14, 15, ESV)

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12.17, ESV)

Maybe we ignore him at our peril. After all, who is the antagonist in the story of Job that we are reading?

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1.12, ESV)

When things are going badly, resisting Satan and his demons might not be a bad idea.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4.7, ESV)

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5.8, 9, ESV)

One fun aspect of the Gospel of Mark is his use of the word “immediately.” Did you see them in the last two posts?

• The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. (Mark 1.13, ESV)
• And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1.17, 18, ESV)
• And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them… (Mark 1.19, 20, ESV)

The theme continues:

• And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. (Mark 1.21, ESV)
• And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. (Mark 1.29, ESV)

There are 35 “immediately” in 16 chapters of Mark compared with 14 in 28 chapters of Matthew. Mark is clearly an action-oriented story, confirming what people who know about this sort of thing believe, that Mark got his material from Peter, an action-oriented guy.

And there’s nothing wrong with action! Life is filled with situations where immediate, decisive action is required. Firefighting comes to mind.

There are, however, other times when immediate action is inadvisable. The story of the Gibeonite deception is an example (see Joshua 9):

So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. (Joshua 9.14, ESV)

And right here in the middle of all this “immediate” action in Mark, we have this:

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1.35, ESV)

Unlike Joshua, Jesus did “ask counsel from the LORD.”

May we do the same: appropriate, immediate action AND taking time to pray.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Ephesians 6.10…18, ESV)

Jesus had a 40-day wilderness experience, summarized succinctly by Mark:

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. (Mark 1.12, 13, ESV)

And then it’s off to work:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1.14, 15, ESV)

Of course. Jesus came as a preacher, right? What else would he be doing? Mark tells us what else:

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (Mark 1.16 – 20, ESV)

Nearly the first thing Jesus does as he begins his ministry is to build a team. Not just a team, but a group of men, whom he will teach to do what he is doing: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

My Navigator hero Skip Gray pointed out that it would be a cosmic tragedy if Jesus came, had a 3-year ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, died on the cross for our sins, but didn’t leave behind anyone to carry on the work or explain what Jesus’ work was about.

We’ll remember as we follow Jesus through the gospel of Mark that he’s almost never alone. He has the men with him. Jesus describes his own ministry this way:

I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do…I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. (John 17.4 – 8, NKJV)

It’s St Patrick’s Day. The Ewellogy missed it last year because it coincided with the fifth Sunday of Lent, and we had a series going. I can’t do better than reprise what I posted in 2023.

For all the hoopla and wild parties that some practice on March 17, the real story of St. Patrick is worth remembering. A friend and Navigator colleague who is from Northern Ireland summarizes it this way:

It’s important to remember that Patrick was a great missionary. He was an apostle to the Irish in the AD 400s and was used by God to convert the Celts of Ireland to Christianity, despite opposition from those who practiced the Druid religion. – Andrew Henderson

There’s more to the story, including the fact that Patrick was taken from his home in Britain to Ireland and sold as a slave, escaping after six years. Then he returned, years later, to evangelize the people who enslaved him. A nice summary written by Chuck Colson in 2006 is worth the read.

Last year, my friend and Navigator colleague Bill Mowry wrote an extraordinary piece on how Patrick incorporated art and imagination to reach the Irish. This is also an excellent read.

I can’t add to what Chuck and Bill have said except to note that the Apostle Paul was St Patrick’s model:

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21.13, ESV)

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9.19 – 22, ESV)

June and I developed the reading program we’re using now – one chapter/day, five days/week, for five years – and this is our first year to go through the Poetry (or Wisdom) section. One chapter/day of Job can be tough going, especially if it’s dialog by one of the three “friends” espousing their Santa Claus Theology. So with the Lenten Season upon us and Job continuing through the week after Easter, I am supplementing my reading with the Gospel of Mark. Not even a chapter a day – maybe two chapters/week.

With this as the Second Sunday in Lent, Mark’s VERY succinct summary of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness seems appropriate. Coming right after “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased,” comes this:

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. (Mark 1.12, 13, ESV)

• 40 days in the wilderness (driven by the Spirit)
• Tempted by Satan
• With the wild animals
• Being ministered to by angels

Wow. Doesn’t take long to write; does take 40 days to live through…

As of today, I am just over 8 weeks (58 days!) into my prostate ordeal. It definitely feels like the wilderness. There is temptation to be discouraged. My dog isn’t a wild animal, and he has been a great comfort. My “emotional support animal.” I don’t know if Jesus’ wild animals were friends or foes. I do know that my angel June, essentially healed on January 15, two days before my stuff started, has been ministering to me.

And we’ll get through it, and this time next year or five years from now, the whole trial from June’s fall on December 7 until resolution will be a couple of sentences.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 1.8 – 12, ESV)

It is tough to read Job, isn’t it? We’re allowed behind the scenes from the beginning where God himself declares this about Job:

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1.8, NKJV)

Blameless, upright, fears God, shuns evil… Impressive. Yet after Satan attacks his children, then his health, Satan, I believe, sends three “friends,” who do nothing but ask him to repent of his wickedness. What wickedness? Job has nothing to repent of, at least not the kinds of things his friends think he needs to repent of. Here’s Zophar:

For you have said, “My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in your eyes.” But oh, that God would speak, And open His lips against you, That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves. (Job 11.4 – 6, NKJV)

A little Santa Claus Theology, yes? “There’s no question you’ve sinned, and God extracts his payment, probably less than you deserve.” Very comforting.

To which Job reacts:

No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you!…But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom! (Job 12.2, 13.4, 5, NKJV)

Please. Just. Shut. Up.

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. (Proverbs 12.18, NKJV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… (Proverbs 18.21, NKJV)

It’s Pi Day, March 14, for the first digits in the decimal expansion of pi: 3.14159…

I have a t-shirt sort of like that design. It starts with the first digits of pi but it keeps going (skipping a few digits in the middle!) until it gets to my birthday: 121346, which occurs about 5.6 million digits in.

Important? Not where my birthday occurs – that’s not important. But pi is important for a variety of mathematical reasons as I have written about before.

Pi is also a reminder about truth. Some things are true, and your opinion and mine don’t matter. “I think pi should be 3.1 (or 3.2 as the state of Indiana tried to legislate in 1897).” Nope. Doesn’t work that way. Neither do boys identifying as girls. On a television talk show a few months ago, a panelist said something like, “Parents are understandably upset that their daughters are forced to compete against boys.” To which another panelist said, “They’re not boys!” Uh…yes, they are. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, not a believer as far as I know, took a lot of heat for saying something like, “You don’t get to be a woman by declaring yourself to be one.”

So enjoy a pot pie or piece of pie on Pi Day and remember, there is such a thing as truth.

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. (John 18.37, 38, NIV)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1.17, NIV)

Job 8 – 10 records the exchange with the second of Job’s friends, Bildad. Bildad opens with Santa Claus Theology:

If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place. (Job 8.6, NKJV)

But Job knows that he is as righteous as he can be, but he still recognizes that it’s not enough:

“Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? (Job 9.2, NKJV)

So Santa Claus Theology falls on its face: if you’re good, then good things happen…but no one is absolutely good:

There is none righteous; no, not one. (Romans 3.10, NKJV)

And just as Job’s three friends are often wrong, Job is wrong sometimes, also:

“For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. (Job 9.31, 32, NKKJV)

But there is a mediator:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2.5, NKJV)

But [Jesus], because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. (Hebrews 7.24 – 26, NKJV)

And that’s good news.

A favorite memory verse. Do you know it?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1.16, NKJV)

Do you believe it? Do we believe that the gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”? If you’re not sure, tune in to this story about a small Hmong village in northern Vietnam. Here are some snippets from Feast of Eden by Angela Lu Fulton, published by Christianity Today. I recommend the article in its entirety.

The Hmong village of Sin Suoi Ho, home to more than 100 families in the highlands of northern Vietnam, draws weekend shoppers from nearby Hmong and Dao villages, as well as tourists from the capital of Hanoi. Until just recently, getting here required an 8-hour, 250-mile trip past terraced rice paddies and up winding, teeth-chattering dirt roads that reach high into the mountains…

The tourists come not only for the wares but also to partake in a story of transformation—a story of economic advancement and changed hearts…Fifty-nine-year-old Chang A Hang is a witness to the change…For much of Chang’s life, Sin Suoi Ho was the poorest village in Lai Châu province. He and his family often lacked rice to eat. Residents grew opium poppy, and Chang, along with most of the village, was addicted to opium. Chang was also one of the village’s 10 shamans, responsible for curing the sick through the spirit world, yet tormented by spirits himself. 

In 1992, villagers began hearing the gospel through a Christian radio broadcast. Faith spread quickly, despite government persecution. Chang at first brushed the new religion aside. But everything changed in 1998, when he says that one night he saw a spirit float to the bed where his wife lay fast asleep. The next morning she was deathly ill. Powerless to help, Chang asked the village pastor to come and pray for his wife. She was healed immediately. 

The encounter changed Chang completely; he is now a pastor too, working in a nearby village church. Thirty years later, the majority of Hmong families in Sin Suoi Ho are Christians, save for about 20 families.

For these converts, the gospel has manifested itself not only in personal transformations but in community-wide change. Village pastor Hang A Xa, who prayed for Chang’s wife, taught villagers to apply the Bible to every aspect of their lives. They detoxed from their addiction. They gave up opium cultivation and grew orchids instead. They cleaned up their village and built a road. Because the Bible declared that men and women were equal, parents stopped the practice of demanding prohibitive bride prices, and they allowed young women to complete more schooling…

Vang A Chu, the associate pastor in the village, noted that Adam and Eve’s sin forced them out of the Garden. Yet in Sin Suoi Ho, “Jesus has come to earth and now we have freedom.” 

“Where we live is Eden,” he said. “And we have to take care of our village.” 

If that doesn’t float your boat, I don’t know what will. There is way more detail in the article. Well worth the read. And well worth reminding ourselves that God is still at work in the world, and where the gospel is believed and lived out, people are better off in this life and the one to come. The villagers are very clear about this:

When they talk about their success, A Xa and other villagers don’t withhold their strategy: “If it was only based on the work of humans, we can’t change,” Vang, the associate pastor said. “Now you can see the village looks beautiful. It’s because we use the Bible for living our life.”

 Amen.

When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32.47, NIV)