The day with dianne Louise

Jesus went out with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Phillipines. And on the road He asked the disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They answered Him, "Hohn the Baptist; others Elijah; still others, one of the prophets." "But you," He asked them again, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered Him, "You are the Messiah!" And He strictly warned them to tell no one about Him. Mark 8:27-30 Jesus asks His disciples who do men think He is. He then asks them who do they think He is. Peter answers for them, "The Messiah!" What did all Jews think the Messiah would do? Google tells me: "Orthodox Jews have generally held that the Messiah will be descended from his father through the line of King David, and will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the third temple, father a male heir and re-institute the Sanhedrin, among other things." Well, I can see why the disciples st...

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought. A blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spat on the man's eyes. And put His hand on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I seè people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." Mark 8:22-26 Does Jesus give you unusual orders? Does He want to heal you by unusual means? How would you handle being spat upon. Being spat upon nowadays is a sign of disgust. Was this man needing a challenge that such an act would bring? At first he could only see men walking around like trees. Now that would be weird. This man knew what a tree was, perhaps he had not al ways been blind. What was his story? Why did Jesus take him outsi...

The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding of Him a sign from heaven to test Him. But sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you: no sign will be given to this generationa," then He left them, got on board the boat again, and went to the other side. Mark 8:11-13 Incredulous! Jesus is healing people left, right and centre, setting demoniacs  free, walking on water, feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Yet here were these bigoted religious leaders wanting Him to perform for them. Jesus knew that they would not believe even if He gave them what they wanted, so He gets back on the boat and leaves only to be faced by dull disciples who still do not 'get it.' When Jesus tells them, "beware of the leven of the Pharisees," they think He is talking about bread. Wrong! What was the problem? Both groups did not think spiritually minded, both were earth bound. The Phar...

In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He summoned the disciples and said to them, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already stated with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance." The disciples answered Him, "Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to fill these people?" How many loaves do you have?" He asked them. "Seven" they said. Then He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks, broke the loaves, and kept on giving them to the disciples to set before the people. So they served the loaves to the crowd. They also had a few small fish, and when he blessed them, He said these were to be served as well. They are and were filled. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. About 4,000 men were there. Mark 8:1-9 When hungr...

Again, leaving the region of a Tyre, He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee through the region of the Decapolis. They brought to Him a deaf man who also had a speech difficulty, and begged Jesus to lay hands on him. So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting his fingers in the man's ears and spitting. He touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven,  He sighed deeply and said to him, "Ephphatha! (That is, "Be opened!"). Immediately his ears were opened, his speech difficulty was removed, and he began to speak clearly. Then  He ordered them to tell no one, but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim it. They were extremely astonished and said, "He has done everything well!" He even makes deaf people hear, and people unable to speak, talk!" Mark 7:31-37 Remember the demoniac back in chapter 5? Jesus is again going through his territory, the territory that the demons wanted for themselves. Now the demoniac, or ...

He got up and departed from there to the region of  Tyre and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but He couldn't escape notice. Instead, immediately after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at His feet. Now the woman was Greek, a Syrophonecian by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Allow the children to be satisfied first, because it isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she replied to Him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then He told her, "Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter. When she went back home, she found her child lying on the bed and the demon had gone. Mark 7:26-30 What faith! Here was a woman who believed even a crumb of God's grace could heal her daughter. Notice this woman called Him 'Lord.' ...

He told them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out from a person are what defile him. (If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!") When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, "Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don't you realise that nothing going into a man from outside can defile him? For it doesn't go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated. (As a result she made all foods clean.) then He said, "Waht comes out of a person-defiles him. For from within, out of people's hearts, comes evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil action, deceit, promiscuity, stinginess, blasphemy, pride and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person." Mark 7:14-23    Jesus was successfully dealing with the issue around wh...