We all appreciate it when someone takes responsibility for what’s going on. Enough with the finger-pointed and the blame game! It’s so refreshing to hear, “We see the problem. It’s our job. We’ll take care of it.”

A former U.S. president had a plaque on his desk that read, “The buck stops here!” With that he meant to show he was taking responsibility for everything that happened during his administration. It may well be popular, and a common human trick, . . . . to dodge responsibility, but there are those who still take it on. Good parents accept that they have some responsibility for their children’s behavior. Occasionally a coach or quarterback will say, “It was my fault,” even if it mostly the fault of another player.

Where does the buck stop with all the sin in the world that has caused so much pain and suffering? It should stop with each individual who sinned. But Isaiah saw that in this case it would be different:
… by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11)
The Suffering Servant is Jesus. None of the iniquities (“sins”) he bore were his own. Not a single one. Who would take that on and pay for all the wrongdoing of all people past, present and future? Only God in human form, Jesus Christ.

There was no reason God had to see it that way, except that he loved us all. Jesus saw many who were saved through faith in his death for them, and that was enough:
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)
By that selfless act of Christ we are freed from the impossible task of trying to bear our own iniquities, and free to tell the world what he has done for us.

Tougher Than a Camel Walking Through the Eye of a Needle (Without Christ)

We can send and receive signals from Voyager 1 fifteen billion miles from earth. Our best microscopes can detect atoms, and one human hair is millions of atoms thick. But no one has ever pushed a camel through a needle’s eye. Jesus’ comparison still stands! It’s impossible, which is exactly Jesus’ point.

A man wanting to get into eternal life by what he did asked Jesus what the requirements were. Jesus told him to . . . . sell everything and come back as his disciple. The man left with a very sad face because he had great wealth, and since he did not return, we can assume he was not ready to part with it.

Jesus’ commentary to his disciples was this: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).
The message of the story shows the obstacle wealth can be in our life with God, but Jesus is most definitely not teaching us that rich people can’t go to heaven or that we have to sell everything to get into eternal glory.

If the man had actually sold everything, would that have gotten him eternal life? No. The disciples recognize that with their follow-up question, “Who then can be saved?” (v.26) If this successful and upstanding man can’t win eternity with what he does, who can?

If it’s not love of possessions, then it would be any other sin. It would be an unending statement by God that we had something we needed to change, only to return and find out there was still more sin in our lives. There would be no hope if Jesus had not come to open up eternal life through faith in him.

On the camel comment, some have tried to soften it to make it more “possible.” There are those who have tried to change the word for camel to a similar Greek word meaning “rope” instead. A rope going through the eye of a needle is maybe a little more likely, but still not really something that can happen. And the word in Scripture is “camel,” not “rope.” Others have come up with a theory about a Needle Gate into Jerusalem that was low and narrow, but that a camel could get through on its knees. However, there’s no evidence this gate ever existed.

What Jesus said is what he meant. Trying to find something we can do to get eternal life is just as impossible as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. But Jesus also meant what he said after that: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (v.27). The impossible becomes possible through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for us. It’s God’s work! For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

There was one. One that was fully loving, perfectly harmonious, one hundred percent supportive and fulfilling of the needs of the other. The one marriage that followed God’s plan to a tee. The union between Adam and Eve.

God took the rib from Adam in his sleep and created his wife Eve. This made them fit together like puzzle pieces, as is often said.

And they lived happily ever after … until the fall. In the next chapter of Genesis. We don’t know exactly how long their sinless state and idyllic marriage lasted. Adam and Eve enjoyed it for a while, but then it came to an end. The breaking of their perfect bond with . . . . God also quickly led them to tempt each other, blame each other, and into an “out-of-balance” relationship in general. So it’s been with all marriages ever since.

We don’t expect marriages to be perfect after the fall. In fact, many wedding sermons go to great lengths to point that out and dispel any illusions of it all being an easy path with no effort involved.

Apparently, the divorce rate in the U.S. recently reached a 50-year low, which is great news. However, the marriage rate also reached a new low about the same time. This probably shows a lack of confidence in marriage among some people that has been increasing for decades. Into the gap have stepped all kinds of other “new” ideas of how to have a relationship other than the marriage union between a man and woman God gave us. But as one popular commentator on marriage mentioned, no one has ever come up with a better alternative.

One of the most powerful pictures of the relationship between God and his people in the Bible is marriage. God is married to his people (Isaiah 54:5). Husband and wife are like Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Heaven is the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

As people contemplate how they will lead their lives, let’s be strong advocates for one of God’s earliest gifts to the world. Pray for, support, and live out under God’s grace Christian marriage. God’s plan from the Garden is still the best one out there!

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

Everyone wishes for peace on earth. However, if you looked through history you might have a hard time finding even one year in which there was no war at all! Maybe there are some that exist, but it would not be very common. We know that unfortunately armed conflict happens all the time.

But war in heaven? War in the presence of God?  Spiritual warfare made its way even into the gathering of God’s messengers, the angels. It appears in Revelation 12:7-12. Satan wished to reassert his right to be in heaven and accuse God’s people of sin. Even though we are not able to see this happen, the Scriptures give us at least one case . . . . where the devil accused an Old Testament priest before the Lord: Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him (Zechariah 3:1). He tries to do the same against all of us. The devil is called the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night (Revelation 7:10).

8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down (Revelation 7:8-9). Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and then ascension to heaven kicked Satan out of God’s presence for good, and his accusations have no power. God commissioned Michael, presented as the leader of the angelic army, and all the good angels, to carry out the expulsion of the evil ones.

For the time being Satan has only been thrown down. He has not met his final judgment. He still goes around trying to convince us all of what he was unable to convince God – that we cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Don’t believe that for a minute! Even though our sins trouble us, God does not hold them against for the sake of Christ in whom we put our trust.

What a relief when a war is over and peace reigns again! That goes for human battles, but so much more so for the war in heaven. Celebrate with the hosts of heaven: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah (Revelation 7:10).

Now that would be a statement on your gravestone! Not that anyone would want to do that if they were truly humble. In a cemetery the gravestones that are most visible are not necessarily humility-based, but more designed to stand out above the others as a testament to their greatness or accomplishments.

God had that to say about Moses in Numbers 12:3: Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.

How much do we value humility? We do value it, especially as Christians. We recognize it and appreciate it in our personal relationships. However, it can easily become overshadowed by other qualities. An article on humble leaders had this to say, among a number of other observations: “And because the overlap between confidence and competence is just 9%, when our main criterion for appointing leaders is how good they think they are, we will inevitably end up with lots of leaders who are not very good, except in their own mind” (Forbes, “Why Humble Leaders Are Rare”)

Most people are aware humility is a wonderful trait. But we can get distracted by . . . . other traits and fail to appreciate it as much as we could in practice.

For the most part Moses exemplified humility in his dealings with God and the people (within his human limitations, of course). He had to face many challenges from a group that was often not happy with wandering around in the desert for years. He also showed that humility doesn’t translate to being a push-over. Even though he hesitated at first, he did stand up to one of the most powerful figures of his time, the pharoah of Egypt, and demanded freedom for his people. Not everyone is ready to do that! He lasted 40 years as a leader. And when it came to the Word of the Lord, Moses was very bold and confident in proclaiming God’s will to the nation of Israel. Moses stood up when it mattered, and when God’s truth and the spiritual health of God’s people were at stake.

Even Moses’ legendary humility would not top that of Jesus. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8) Christ’s humble life and death for our forgiveness and eternal home lead us to value a humble attitude of service.

What Works and What Doesn’t Work Against the Forces of Evil

Over time we tend to become practical people. We start to know what works and what doesn’t in our jobs and families and personal relationships. We only have so much energy to expend, so we try to invest it where there’s a good chance of it being a worthwhile investment.

Battling the evil forces of the devil all around us is most certainly a good use of our time. What works against such powerful enemies? Jesus’ healing of a boy possessed by an impure spirit (Mark 9:14-29) gives us insight.

The father of the boy brought him to Jesus in a desperate state. Possession by an evil spirit, convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and rolling on the ground had been part of his life since childhood, and no one could do anything about it. When the man and his son arrived, Jesus was not present, so his disciples tried to take on the task. And that is where we see what works and what doesn’t work.

The father comments to Jesus on the disciples’ attempt: “I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” (9:18) With Jesus it was very different: “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (v.25) … Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. (v.26)

So what went wrong the first time? . . . . 

Jesus had given the Twelve the ability to drive out evil spirits in one of their earlier missions (Mark 6:7,13). It becomes clear that this time they did not go out with the Lord’s command, or ask for his power (see the reference to prayer in 9:29).

Even if we are believers, we need strengthening in our faith to continually realize that it is God’s power and not our own.

The Psalmist writes,

6 I put no trust in my bow,
    my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies …. (Psalm 44:6-7)

Our eternal salvation is God’s work in Christ, not ours. And so it is with everything in the spiritual struggles we face. Don’t face evil alone with only your resources and wisdom and might. Look to the Lord, ask for his strength, and trust in his victory over the devil!

He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. (Mark 7:34-35)34 

The world of Jesus’ day was multilingual, much as many of our world’s communities are. Jesus himself may well have spoken more than one language. In the healing of the deaf and mute man in Mark 7, we have one utterance of Christ in Aramaic – likely the most common spoken language in Israel at the time – and then the translation for us. “Ephphathah,” meaning “be opened.”

There are a few times when Aramaic words were recorded in the New Testament. Here it may remind us of the power of Jesus’ actual words.

I am currently reading a book in which the author points out one of the main differences between . . . . the Christian faith and general “spirituality” in this way: in our Christian faith our God speaks! Communication is always the key to any relationship, and our relationship with God is no exception. In “spirituality” there is no communication. Just some vague and changing ideas and impressions.

We note Jesus’ compassion in taking the man aside and communicating to him in a way he could understand what would soon happen. Not being able to hear, this small act of kindness would have been especially meaningful.

Although the true power came about when he spoke. “Be opened!” The man’s ears were opened and his tongue loosed. He could talk and hear.

Our God speaks, and things happen. Amazing and supernatural things.

“Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). The beginning of creation. … faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17). Faith Jesus as our Savior is created. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

All is carried out according to God’s plan.

God’s speaking is power for our good! Rejoice that God speaks to you, and listen to his words in faith.