Month: February 2024

Mark 10:46 – Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. ⁴⁷ When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  ⁴⁸ “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.  But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  ⁴⁹ When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” ⁵⁰ Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.  “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”   ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (NLT)

Today we have two lessons in one from this familiar, but powerful, passage of Scripture.  First, let’s consider the crowds who came out to see Jesus.  While we are told that they followed Jesus, I believe that for many it was nothing more than curiosity.  If they really ‘followed’ Jesus, then they would have done everything they could have done to get Bartimaeus to Jesus.  In Mark, chapter two, we are told of some ‘followers’ of Jesus who were so determined to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus that they dug a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to him (Mark 2:4).  In this passage, we are told that the followers of Jesus yelled at Bartimaeus, telling him to be quiet.  In other words, they came to see Jesus, not to be bothered with someone who was in need.

I believe that when Christians refuse to be bothered by others in need, we are more blind than Bartimaeus!  When we refuse to recognize the human need that surrounds us, we are no longer ‘following’ Jesus.  When we fail to see that serving others is serving God, we have become merely a fan of Jesus, not a follower. 

The second lesson – do you find it just a bit curious that Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wanted Jesus to do for him!  I mean, come on Jesus, he’s blind!  Yet, Jesus asks for a reason.  If we would truly see as Jesus would have us see, then our lives would radically change.  Jesus does give Bartimaeus his sight, and note what Bartimaeus does: “Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.” I’ve often wondered just how far down that road Bartimaeus followed.  Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, and to the cross.  Did Bartimaeus follow him all the way to the cross?  In my mind I like to picture Bartimaeus bringing all the blind and sick people he could find to Jesus.  I like to picture him actually ‘following’ Jesus, and not behaving as the crowd in Jericho.

I don’t know how far Bartimaeus followed Jesus, but I do know how far Jesus wants us to follow.  Jesus wants us to follow all the way to the cross, the place where we crucify our worldly desires.  Jesus wants us to bring to him all who are in need.  Jesus does not want us to be a fan of his, but rather a follower.

Today, let’s follow Jesus!  Today, let’s truly see who needs to be seen.  Today, let’s bring others to Jesus. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Acts 23:1 – Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (NLT)

In today’s passage we have some tense drama! Paul had been brought before the ruling council of the Jewish faith.  Remember, Paul remained a Jew his entire life.  In the early years of Christianity, Jews and Christians had yet to become separated into two distinct groups.  Paul was a great missionary, but his mission work was primarily to the non-Jewish people.  Bringing in different cultures was bad enough for some of the rulers, but Paul was also advocating that one did not have to adhere to the Jewish dietary laws, not to mention his radical teachings on the law itself.  This did not set well with many of the Jewish leaders.

So, here is Paul before the council, and things do not look good.  Paul surveys the crowd and recognizes that it was comprised of both Sadducees and Pharisees.  Paul capitalizes on the division that he knows exists.  He knew that the two groups were divided on the subject of life after death.  He makes one statement, and with that statement disorder breaks out: “I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”  Paul did not even mention Jesus, he did not even mention anything about whether or not one had to keep the law.  He simply mentioned a hot topic amongst the Jews, and division ruled.

While this may have been was a stroke of genius for Paul (or perhaps he was led by the Holy Spirit), I believe that when it comes to various hot topics, many Christians act in the same manner as the Jewish leaders. How many Christians cannot get past one issue without disorder reigning?  Consider some of the things that Christians have allowed to divide us: baptism, communion, ordination, style of music, biblical translations, the death penalty, sexuality, and the list goes on and on.  Like the Jews that Paul stood before, chaos could reign with the mention of any one of these topics, and quite possibly no one would even mention Jesus.

We have differences, each of us, but we all have Jesus.  Our task as Christians is not to make everyone think just as we think.  When we try, nobody wins, and everybody loses.  Our task is to model Christ, for that is the definition of Christian.  That does not mean that Christians cannot discuss amongst themselves their convictions, but it does mean that we must see beyond our differences.

Today, let us show others the Christ that lives within us.  For the sake of a hurting world, let us not argue our faith, but rather live it.

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 107:33 – He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
³⁴ He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
³⁵ But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.
³⁶ He brings the hungry to settle there
and to build their cities.
³⁷ They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.
³⁸ How he blesses them!
They raise large families there,
and their herds of livestock increase.

³⁹ When they decrease in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
⁴⁰ the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
⁴¹ But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
⁴² The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.
⁴³ Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. (NLT) 

Does God bring hardships upon those who do not follow God’s ways? Do those who lead a godly life prosper?  These are questions people have wondered about since the dawn of time.  I do not believe in a prosperity Gospel.  If it were true that God blesses those who follow God’s ways in a material way, then why are there so many poor yet godly people in the world?  However, when one reads a text such as the one above, the question remains: does God allow the godly to prosper?

Yes, God does prosper the godly! We must ask ourselves, however, what do we mean by prosper?  In this psalm, as in many others, we read about the godly having bumper crops, large herds of livestock, and large families.  In light of this text, consider the words of Jesus: “God gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45).  How can we reconcile the words of Jesus with a passage such as the one above?

We need to consider the entire work of the Bible, and refrain from the temptation of pulling certain texts out context.  When I try to reconcile verses that speak of only the godly being blessed with Matthew 5:45, I consider what Jesus tells us in John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God does bless the godly, and God blesses them with life to the full! 

When we seek God in our daily lives, we find a fullness of life that the world cannot give.  When we do not live a godly life, we seek fullness of life in what the world offers, and that will always leave us frustrated and seeking even more from the world.  Jesus said: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.” (John 14:27).  When we follow God in our daily lives, we will find that what we once thought were deserts have been turned into pools of water, and the dry places of our lives into springs of water (verse 35). 

Verse forty two tells us: “The godly will see these things and be glad.” Let us walk with God in our daily lives so that we, too, will see the blessings we have been given, and be glad! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 121 – I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
² My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

³ He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever. (NLT)

Most Bibles have titles over each individual psalm.  The title of Psalm 121 is: A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.  There are a number of psalms with this title.  These psalms represent songs that were sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem.  For many of the pilgrims, this was a once in a lifetime trip.  We must note that in those ancient times, a journey to Jerusalem from even fifty to one hundred miles away was huge undertaking, and often a perilous journey.  At night the pilgrims would have to post sentries on the tops of the hills to keep watch for bands of robbers who made a living by stealing from the pilgrims.  One can imagine the pilgrims looking up to the hills, and as they noticed the sentry, they also acknowledged that there was one even greater who kept watch over them.

While this psalm was sung for a specific journey in ancient times, the spiritual application for modern day Christians is an easy one to make. Like people of any era, we look for help.  We pay money to read books or to attend seminars that teach us how to have a better marriages, raise better children, have larger bank accounts, have better bodies – we all want help!  The first place anyone needs to look for help is to the maker of heaven and earth (verse 2).  Our helper is always aware of us (verse 3 and 4), and is aware of our need.

While singing this psalm, the ancient Jewish pilgrims were on their way to worship God.  With every step along the perilous journey they were aware of God, and aware of worship.  If we truly want to receive help from the Lord, we must be aware, too!  We must strive to be aware of God in every step of our journey through life.  With each step we take, we need to be aware of our worship to God.  The Apostle Paul wrote: “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1).

Today, let us live each moment aware of our helper!  Let us worship with every step. 

Posted by Ramón Torres