Mark's Cameo

This week I read an article in a newspaper in which the author claimed that Mark (the writer of the Gospel that carries his name) inserted himself in two cameo appearances.  I have no problem with the first case, which can be found in Mark 14:51-51:

          A young man was following [Jesus], wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body;

          and they seized him.  But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked (NASB).

Of course, this is not the sort of thing we can say with absolute certainty.  There are some pointers that make it quite possible that this young man was Mark.  However, if it could be proven that this indeed was not Mark, no big deal.  My faith would not be altered in the slightest.  It changes no essential doctrine of the faith once and for all passed down to us.

It is the author's second example in which I have no accord with him.

          Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they

          were amazed.  And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the

          Nazarene, who has been crucified.  He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place

          where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples and Peter... (Mark 16:5-7 NASB)."

The writer of the newspaper article claims that this "young man" is also a case of Mark inserting himself into the scene.  If Mark's Gospel were all we had to go on...maybe.  However, when we compare Matthew 28, Luke 24, and John 20 with Mark 16, then it becomes evident that the "young man" that Mark mentions actually turns out to be one of the two angels at the tomb.

This brings up an important lesson for anyone who wants to teach the Bible:  DO YOUR HOMEWORK!  I am willing to allow a couple of possibilities for this article writer.  Maybe he read a dubious and questionable source without realizing it.  Maybe he had a deadline looming ominously close and quickly repeated something without checking it out.  But that still does not excuse this kind of journalism.

Now there is also a great lesson for anyone who reads an article dealing with the Bible.  Always ask the question, "IS THIS TRUE?"  Check it out for yourself.  In Acts 17:11 we are told that the Bereans "were more noble-minded than" the Thessalonians because "they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (NASB).  In other words, they didn't merely take Paul's word for it, they checked everything out to make sure it was legit.  Let us do likewise.

What Is the Latest Truth You Have Learned from God's Word?

Well, let's take this morning for example.  So many times we hear Christians and non-Christians quoting Matthew 7:1, "Judge not."  It usually comes out as, "Don't judge," or, "You can't judge me."  But is that true?
Like any Scripture, you can't isolate one verse or one part of a verse and not pay any attention to the words around it.  It's called context.  Context directs our interpretation and applications.  Let's look at what Jesus said, shall we?

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."  Matthew 7:1-5

What kind of judgment is Jesus talking about?  Well, context shows us that Jesus is condemning hypocritical judgment, not all kinds of judgment.

John 7:24 confirms this approach, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

So Jesus is not saying that we should never judge, but that we should judge rightly and not hypocritically.

Furthermore, Jesus' instruction against hypocritical judgmentalism is in no way a prohibition against using discernment, which involves making judgments.  We, as Christians, are supposed to make judgments when it comes to moral and spiritual issues, not because we are being intolerant or unfair, but because we are basing our judgments on the content of God's revelation.  We should always think and act according to what we know from God's Word.

There is more I can say about this, but I want to keep it brief.  If you have questions regarding this subject, don't hesitate to ask.

Words Don't Need Crutches

Truth is so scarce in our society that nearly everyone seems suspect, but Christians should stand out as bright lights of truth contrasted with this present darkness.  Whether you're talking about businessmen, advertisers, news commentators, salesmen, lawyers, doctors, tradesmen, mechanics, teachers, writers, politicians, or even preachers, people are skeptical.
For example, not long ago I took our SUV in to the Hyundai dealership in Texarkana because of a recall on the airbag system.  While I was waiting, the service guy brought me a vial of what he said was my transmission fluid, and then he showed me what was normal looking fluid.  He told me that I needed a transmission flush.  I was a little skeptical.  It seemed too rehearsed like a well-known presentation.  So I said okay, thanked him for his concern, and politely declined his offer to perform that service.  I thought I was done, but he returned with what he claimed was my air filter.  It was filthy to say the least.  Leaves and debris were stuck to it like gum on a tree at Six Flags.  Again the offer was made to change it out for a new one.  Now keep in mind that I was not invited back to my car to see this, but it was brought to me in the waiting room.  Again, I was skeptical.  Again, I politely declined the offer.  A little while later, I took the same vehicle to the Express Lube in New Boston.  I inquired about the fluid and the filter, and I was told that "Everything looks fine."  Later on, on a family visit to Georgia, I asked my dad, a service manager at a Nissan dealership, about the same things.  He confirmed that they were fine.  Basically, the guy in Texarkana lied.  What a racket!
No wonder our society is so skeptical!  Our whole society is built on a network of fabrication, of manufactured "truth."  The Romans in the 1st Century A.D. faced the same problem.  No wonder Pilate asked, "What is truth?"
Genuine truth is valuable, and it should be sought after.  Cicero said, "Truth is the highest thing a man may experience."  Daniel Webster claimed, "There is nothing as powerful as truth and often nothing as strange."  G. K. Chesterton asserted, "Truth is stranger than fiction."  Sir Winston Churchill said, "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
The story is told that shortly after the Communist Revolution, a spokesman for the party visited a small village in order to promote communism.  He said to those gathered, "Thanks to the party, we have increased wheat production by 100%."  On fellow stood up in the back and said, "My name is Menski, and I would like to know where all that wheat is."  The next year the same official returned to the same little village and began the same song and dance of propaganda, except in this case he said, "I want you to know by now we have increased the wheat production by 200%."  The same little fellow in the back stood up and said, "My name is Menski, and I have one question.  Where is all that wheat?"  The third year came, and the same official approached the villagers and began his same talk.  This time he said, "The Communist Party has increased the wheat production by 300%."  A man in the back got to his feet, and the official said, "I know, you're Menski, and ..."  The man responded, "No, my name is Polaski and I have a question.  Where is Menski?"
In Jesus' day, the Scribes and Pharisees lost sight of the truth in their complicated system of oaths (see Matthew 5:33-37).  They had "levels of truth."  They had expanded oaths to matters of technicalities, much like our own legal system here in America that often twists and turns the normal meanings of words.  Remember when Bill Clinton tried to justify his perjury by saying that it depended on "what the meaning of 'is' is."  Legal technicalities can devolve to the point of destroying the justice they are supposed to serve.  This is nothing new.  It was going on in the 1st Century too.  The pharisaical system of oaths was expanded to cover all kinds of promises made to one another.  It was a lot like children telling something, but all the while having their fingers crossed behind their backs.
Rather than having a complicated system of oaths which invoked God's name or something closely tied to God, Jesus said to simply tell the truth.  Let your yes be yes, and your no mean no.  If you have to swear and curse, you are rendering whatever you have to say as suspicious.  Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who suddenly says something to the effect of "I swear this is true!"?  Don't you begin to wonder if everything else that person said was true or not?
It is better just to make a promise and keep it.  Prove by your track record in dealing with people that you are indeed a promise keeper worth trusting.  The words of a Christian should be sacred and believable.  We are so careless with our words.  This must be remedied.  Listen, words don't need crutches!
We should say what we mean and do what we say.  We should be known for our integrity of speech.  Speech reveals who we really are; it reveals the soul.  A dependable heart will produce dependable words.  A person with an honest heart will speak honestly.  As Harry Ironside wisely said, "God forbid that we should traffic in unlived truth."