Back to Leviticus, we have the ordination of Aaron and his sons in chapters 8 and 9. It’s a lot of detail, special garments, blood sacrifices, even a 7-day quarantine, but it ends with spectacular success:

And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. (Leviticus 9.23, 24, ESV, emphasis mine)

There’s a fine line, apparently, between the spectacular and the tragic. Here are the very next verses:

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Leviticus 10.1, 2, ESV)

Same words: “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed…

• The burnt offering (Leviticus 9.24)
• Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10.2)

I don’t write this stuff…I just report it! But interestingly, even though this event occurs relatively early in the narrative, I can think of only five instances in the entire Bible of God striking someone dead suddenly:

• Nadab and Abihu: “fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them”
• The sons of Korah: “…and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up…” (Numbers 16.32)
• Uzzah: “And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there…” (2 Samuel 6.7)
• The commanders and their fifty: “Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” (2 Kings 1.10, 12)
• Ananias and Sapphira: “Ananias fell down and breathed his last.” It doesn‘t say that the Lord struck them. Nevertheless, “Great fear came over the whole church.” (Acts 5.5, 10, 11)

The fact that this sort of thing happened only five times (that I can remember) shows us that God is more grace than wrath. Even Leviticus 10 ends with grace and flexibility. There is another violation:

But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron’s remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh. Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.” But Aaron spoke to Moses, “Behold, this very day they brought near their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh. Then things like these happened to me. So if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of Yahweh?” So Moses heard this, and it was good in his sight. (Leviticus 10.16 – 20, LSB)

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3.8 – 10, ESV)

I love the story of Jesus and the demon-possessed guy in Mark 5. It opens with a hint of what I suggested yesterday – that the storm was a Satanic attack:

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. (Mark 5.1, 2, ESV)

They “came to the other side and met…a man with an unclean spirit.” Satan didn’t want Jesus messing with this man!

This time through I saw something new: four prayers! The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) I was reading uses the same English word four times: pleaded. Other translations mix “pleaded” with “begged,” but it’s all the same word in the Greek. Four times someone was pleading with Jesus for something. Here they are, all from Mark 5.1 – 20.

• verse 10, the demons: “Don’t send us out of the region.”
• verse 12, the demons: “Send us into the swine.”
• verse 17, the townspeople: “Please leave our region.”
• verse 18, the cured demon-possessed guy: “Let me go with you.”

Interestingly, the only request that was not answered positively was the last one: the cured demon-possessed guy’s request to travel with Jesus. To all the others, two from the demons and one from the townspeople, Jesus said, “OK.” To enemies and unbelievers, God sometimes lets them have what they want…to their detriment.

The demon-possessed guy, however, was now on Jesus’ side and part of Jesus’ strategic mission.

And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was pleading with Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to preach in the Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was marveling. (Mark 5.18 – 20, LSB)

Jesus put the man right to work telling his story and guess what? When Jesus came back to that area, instead of asking him to leave, they were bringing people to him:

Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. (Mark 7.31 – 32, NIV, emphasis mine)

This event contains eight of the most important words Jesus ever said:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4.35 – 41, NIV)

Did you see them? The eight important words?

Let us go over to the other side.

June and I got blindsided a few days ago by something that for the first hour or so made us feel like the disciples: about to drown in the lake. But Jesus didn’t say, “Come. Let us go to the middle of the lake and drown.” He said, “Let us go over to the other side,” and they did despite an apparently Satanic attack and their resulting fear.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you… (Isaiah 43.2, NIV)

I like to highlight excellence wherever I see it, and this photograph of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro holding the moon is spectacular.

Brazilian photographer Leonardo Sens took the photo on June 4 from Icaraí Beach in the Rio de Janeiro municipality of Niterói, which is around seven miles away. He had been consulting astronomical charts, planning this shot for several years.

It’s an inspirational lesson in creativity, art, persistence, and technical excellence. Of course, the symbolism in Jesus’ power over creation is there, too.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8.3, 4, NIV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19.1, NIV)

Let’s think about growth for one more day. Jesus was clear: the Kingdom involves growth:

How shall we explain the Kingdom of God: it grows like a mustard seed. It grows and forms large branches so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade. (Mark 4.30 – 32, LSB)

From a seed to nesting birds – that’s growth! Heather Holleman has experienced this literally:

I venture out to the garden to check on my one little growing plumcot, and I see a beautiful robin’s nest, freshly built, and ready to house those gorgeous blue eggs. I love how, after a storm, the robins build nests from the mud formed from rain.

Something struck my heart: I planted the tree from a grocery store seed I propagated. I staked, I pruned, I fertilized, I watered. Each year, it grew. I never imagined that one day, the very seed I cared for would not only grow into a tree, but it would also serve as something more. It would house bird nests. It would bring more joy than even those plums. It would serve a whole ecosystem. – Heather Holleman, A Nest in the Plum Tree, June 14, 2023

Her blog continues, reminding us that our growth is not just for us…

I think, when we allow God to plant a dream in our heart, it becomes even more. God is ever-blessing, ever-expanding our hope, and ever-growing our abundance in countless unimaginable ways. We think we’re doing a thing for one reason (plums), but it might just be to bless in another way entirely (birds). You’re growing something. It might be for someone else. – Heather Holleman

God has a lot to say about trees, reminding us that their growth is for others…

And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47.12, ESV)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22.1 – 2, ESV)

On June 19, 1865—nearly nine decades after our Nation’s founding, and more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation—enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free from bondage. As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor today. In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans. And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday. – The Official Proclamation

I confess: I almost forgot Juneteenth, and I completely forgot that June 19 is now a national holiday. As I wrote last year, some of us often forget that the God we claim to worship is on the side of the poor and oppressed. Look what Jesus said:

He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.” Luke 4.16 – 21, MSG, emphasis mine)

John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.” (Matthew 11.2 – 5, MSG, emphasis mine)

P.S. If you care about race relations, you can make a difference. My long-time friend Clarence Shuler has written a book with his lifelong mentor Gary Chapman: Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships: How You Can Help Heal Racial Divides, One Relationship at a Time. I’ve just started reading it, and it’s going to be good. You can read more about the book here. Here’s an early snippet, which might be setting the tone. Gary Chapman writes:

Sadly, such mistrust between Whites and Blacks still exists in many places, which unfortunately includes people of faith. It is only as we get to know each other that walls are torn down. We say we believe that all men are created equal, but until we get to know each other, we are not likely to treat each other as equals.

My friend, co-author Clarence Shuler

Denver Nuggets star player Nicola Jokic from Serbia is a devoted and proud father, setting a good example for all of us.

The best part of Jokic is that he really, truly does not seek attention…He isn’t holding up a trophy, he’s holding his child. – William Davis, commenting in the Wall Street Journal, June 13, 2023, emphasis mine

³  Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
⁴  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.
⁵  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127.3 – 5, ESV)

Yesterday we looked at a simple but important concept: growth over time. Growth takes time, but growth does occur over time. We need not stay at the same level of development forever. This blog is a follow-up: growth where? General growth or specific growth? Group growth or individual growth?

My friend Ray Bandi reminded me of this provocative paragraph from Ron Bennett’s Intentional Disciplemaking: Cultivating Spiritual Maturity in the Local Church (strongly recommend!):

There are many areas in the family of God that allow for blending and being interdependent, but discipleship is not one of them. We can learn in groups, we can serve in teams, we can worship as a family, but we can only be disciples individually. A ministry that seeks to make disciples must support the personal responsibility and accountability required in developing individual discipleship. It can use a variety of methods, but it must always bring discipleship to the personal level of each individual. – Ron Bennett, Intentional Disciplemaking, emphasis mine

“We can only be disciples individually.” An orchestra might make beautiful music together but only if each member masters his or her instrument. The Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship as a team, but each member had to train individually. No one can go to the weight room for you. Nikola Jokic came to this country in 2015 overweight and undisciplined. A 2021 article in the Denver Post describes Jokic’s relationship with the Nuggets’ head strength-and-conditioning coach and includes this paragraph:

Jokic’s unbending discipline has fueled his rise, from late second-round pick to three-time All-Star and, this season, to MVP candidate. It took years of dedication in the weight room, commitment to recovery and adherence to a strict diet to get to this point.

We circle back to 1 Corinthians:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (1 Corinthians 9.25, NIV, emphasis mine)

Train yourself for godliness (1 Timothy 4.7, ESV)

Right after yesterday’s seemingly disjointed sayings of Jesus is this parable, which doesn’t appear anywhere else:

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4.26 – 29, NIV)

I derive some simple but important lessons:

• A man scatters seed on the ground. Even though the next verse says “whether he sleeps or gets up…” it’s not like the farmer is doing nothing. Farmers work very hard to prepare the ground, sow the seed, etc.
• The seed sprouts and grows. This is the key lesson in the parable:
  • Growth takes time: results are not instantaneous.
  • Growth occurs over time: but there are results.
• Though he does not know how. The farmer does not have to be an agronomist to plant seeds and watch them grow. He just has to do his part.
• All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. Again, growth over time.

The discipleship lessons are obvious. I don’t expect disciples to instantly mature…but I do expect them to mature! We shouldn’t be saying about 50-year church members, “Well, old Joe is angry and cantankerous, but that’s just the way he is.” Why? Where is the growth? I don’t need a seminary degree to teach people to be in the Word every day, a daily discipline that will result in growth over time.

More about personal disciplines and growth tomorrow.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4.4, NIV)

They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. (Deuteronomy 32.47, NIV)

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2.2, NKJV)

I don’t know if there’s a worthwhile lesson here or not, and I’m aware that there are differences of various kinds among the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Still this little paragraph from Mark gave me pause:

And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And He was saying to them, “Beware what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” (Mark 4.21 – 25, LSB)

As I read it, I said to myself, wow, that’s not a very coherent paragraph. I’ve read all those things before, but not in one place! Let’s look again:

• Verse 21 And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand?”  (Compare Matthew 5.15)

• Verse 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. (Compare Matthew 10.26)

• Verse 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.  (Compare Matthew 11.15 and 13.9)

• Verse 24 By your standard of measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. (Compare Matthew 7.2)

• Verse 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” (Compare Matthew 13.12)

We know that Matthew was a tax collector, who for all his faults (“tax collectors and sinners”) was probably very organized and methodical. On the other hand, people who know about these things tell us that Mark’s Gospel reflects Peter’s perspective. And maybe this random collection of Jesus’ teachings from Mark’s Gospel illustrates how Peter and some people listen. Disjointedly. Some of us who are speakers work very hard to prepare well-organized presentations, but some people apparently hear in snippets.

As I say, I’m not sure what the lessons are. Maybe as a speaker, I should be sure not to be too subtle. Don’t assume people will hear and retain the fine points of an argument. Do make sure each sentence makes sense even if people remember some of them out of order. Like Jesus, keep saying the same things. In the language of the parable of the sower, keep sowing seed.

Is it too much to expect listeners to listen? Even this text contains a warning in verse 24, translated sometimes as “Pay attention to what you hear.”

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. (Ecclesiastes 12.9 – 10, NIV)

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5.11, ESV)