FAITH

Don’t be caught napping

by

“No one knows, so Watch!” Mark 13:28-37

When will these things happen? Not sure we can say for certain. All we know is that any one who thus far has proposed a specific timetable has been wrong. But Jesus gives us a general idea.


He uses the illustration of a fruit tree awakening from its winter sleep. As the sun returns with its light and warmth, the tree (identified as a fig) begins to leaf out. What does this signify? That summer is near.

In the same way, he says, when the things he has been talking about begin to happen, we can know that the time is near, very near, even knocking at our door. He narrows it down to a generation which will live to see the end. Of this he is certain, as certain as the word of the Son of God can be.


But the exact time and date? No one knows. Not any man. Not any angel in heaven. Not even Christ himself. Only God the Father knows. We are to take heed and pay attention. We are to watch and pray because we do not know when the time is.

Jesus compares himself to a man taking a long trip far away. While he is gone, he expects his people to be diligent about his business, to do the work he has given them to do, and to keep in touch so they will be aware of his arrival. So are we to be watchful. We are not sure when he will arrive. His plane might be delayed or traffic is a mess. He could come at any hour of the day. Just don’t be caught sleeping when he’s expecting to be met at the gate.


Third time is a charm. Jesus cannot stress this enough:

  • v.33 Take heed, watch and pray
  • v.35 Watch therefore
  • v.37 I say to all: Watch!

Copyright 2023 David J. Cooley

Coming soon

by

October 12, 2023

“…with great power and glory.” Mark 13:24-27

Tough times are coming. The terrible events that Jesus speaks of were given as prophecy but sound a lot like the news headlines of our present day. I suppose all generations faced with such terror and destruction have seen their day in the same way. They wonder with us, Is this it, Lord?

But there is more to come. Things not related to “man’s inhumanity to man” but to natural events that are beyond any storm, earthquake or volcanic inferno anyone has ever witnessed. Things that are not confined to our puny planet. Jesus outlines four cataclysmic events:

  • The sun shall be darkened
  • The moon shall not give her light
  • The stars of heaven shall fall
  • The powers that are in heaven shall be shaken

The first three might be explained in terms of rare but not uncommon astronomical events, such as solar and lunar eclipses or meteor showers. But Jesus gives these as a signal that something else is about to occur. They must be significant enough events that will attract attention. Ones that astronomers will not be able to comprehend.


Science has recognized the clockwork precision by which the universe runs (but, alas, not the Source of that mechanism). What if that clock suddenly burst into a mass of flying gears, axles and springs?

As we develop telescopes that peer deeper and deeper into space, we uncover more questions than answers. Assumptions on how the universe began and continues are being shaken. We are now encountering light rays from the beginning of the universe. We know less than we thought and what we thought we knew is being tossed into the nearest black hole. Is the universe as stable as we hope it to be?


These events that Jesus describes may not last long enough for any explanations to be attempted. Their only purpose is to herald the next big event: Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.


No one will have a chance to ask: What caused this? How did this happen? Why didn’t we see it coming? The coming of Jesus in the clouds will be absolutely overwhelming. It will push out all other thoughts and concerns. This is it. It has finally happened!


The angels will come and swiftly gather up those who have kept their faith, those who have held true to the Lord. None will be missed or lost in the ruins. God will be faithful as he always has been. It will be time for eternity to begin as those former things pass away.

Copyright 2023 David J. Cooley

Merry Christmas

by

Every year we do this
Do you remember why?

Christ’s beloved friend John says,
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, 
and without him was not any thing made that was made.

So what’s he doing here,
In a small town, in a manger,
Unknown, all but forgotten
With no earthly hope of importance?

In him was life
and the life was the light of men
The light shines in the darkness, 
and the darkness has not overcome it.

Darkness does not get along with light.
It flees any light, and does not desire it.
Somehow darkness invaded the soul of men,
Nay, it was invited by man to live within him.

Why?
When the light is so beautiful and full of life?
Man thought he knew better
and sought knowledge
Knowledge of good and evil,
but not wisdom to know the difference
Knowledge without
guidance and discipline.

And isn’t that the rub?
No one likes being told
What to do,
what to believe,
what to think,
how to act
(unless he is the one telling, of course).

He was in the world
and the world was made through him
yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own, 
and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, 
who believed in his name, 
he gave the right to become children of God.

And the Word became flesh 
and dwelt among us, 
and we have seen his glory, 
glory as of the only Son from the Father, 
full of grace and truth.

This is Jesus!
the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world! 

Merry Christmas

You talkin’ to me?

by

What will the owner do? Mark 12:1-12

The discussion about the authority of Jesus has ended. Or has it? Jesus begins telling a parable about a vineyard in the hearing of the Jewish leaders. Though the disciples often sought explanations to Jesus’ parables, Mark tells us the officials did not. His meaning was plain to them.

Jesus tells of a man who planted a vineyard. He outfitted it with everything needed to protect and operate the venture. Then he rented it out to growers to run the place while he went on a long journey. At harvest time, the owner sent a slave to collect his portion of the crop. The tenants beat the slave and sent him away with nothing. The owner sent others to collect, but each time the tenants treated them shamefully, injured them or even killed them.

Finally, the man sent his beloved son, thinking, “Surely they will respect him.” But the growers figured that if the heir died, the vineyard would belong to them. When the son arrived, they killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard. What will the owner do now? He will destroy the growers and give the vineyard to others.

Jesus drives home his meaning by quoting Psalm 118:22: The stone which the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone. This, coupled with the obvious allusion to the unproductive vineyard of Isaiah 5, left no room for misinterpretation. And the Jewish leaders understood him fully. They realized that Jesus equated them with the treacherous growers. After all, their ancestors had rejected and reviled God’s prophets.

To their credit, the officials did not attempt to shift the blame to others. To their discredit, they excused themselves, rejecting Jesus’ message and that of the scriptures they knew so well. They knew what he was saying, but refused to apply his words to themselves. They could not – dared not – see themselves in that light.

So they acted in the lack of light they had and sought to seize Jesus on the spot. The only thing that prevented them was the presence of the crowds. Fear of the people outweighed any fear of the Almighty in their hearts. So they retreated.

Jesus does not have to document or certify his authority. It is obvious and effective. All pretenders to the throne have to slink away. Any attempt to deny that authority in our own hearts will ultimately fail. Is there anything you need to set right and yield to him?

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Mountain toss

by

Do you believe that what you ask will really come about? Mark 11:20-26

The next morning, Jesus and his disciples pass by the fig tree which he had cursed the day before. Peter notices that the tree is completely withered, as if it had been dead for years. Jesus says simply, “Have faith in God.”

He then refers to a popular saying at the time regarding mountains being picked up and tossed into the sea. The inference was that this was absolutely impossible. Not so, says he, if anyone just says “Be taken up and cast into the sea”, it will happen as long as there is no doubt in his heart.

Belief and prayer combined are a powerful force. Such power could accomplish much in ridding Israel of its enemies and establishing the Messiah’s kingdom. Remember, there are those among the disciples who have sought such power. So why is there no response on their part? Why aren’t they eagerly lining up, begging Jesus, “Let me try!” and “No, me first”?

First, there may have been confusion in their minds about the cursed fig tree. Was he talking about Israel? Why would it be unfruitful? This didn’t sound much like the promised messianic kingdom (there will be more concerning Israel later).

Second, those who have God’s authority and power on this earth had just been soundly rebuked the day before for their abuse of that power. What did this mean about their traditions? the Law? What about sacrifices and giving?

Finally, Jesus gives a new reason to be hesitant. They had heard the idea from him before, but now he links forgiveness to powerful prayer. Actually, he connects it to a vital relationship with God. If you expect God to forgive you, you must also forgive those in your life who have wronged you. As long as you hold anything against another, God will seem distant from you.

“Have faith in God” identifies the object of that faith. Belief is based on truth. Belief in a fantasy or wild hope will yield nothing but frustration. God is truth. To know truth, you must know God. How do you do that? By spending time with him and his people. By reading his word, the Bible. Soon you will think the way he thinks, respond the way he does and act in a way he prescribes. Praying for the things God wants to see happen will begin to seem second nature and powerful results will follow.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Anything but prayer

by

“I do believe, help my unbelief” Mark 9:14-29

Jesus, Peter, James and John come down from the mountain to find a crowd gathered and the remaining disciples arguing with some scribes. As soon as Jesus is spotted, the focus changes and the crowd moves toward him.

A man steps forward and explains that he brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus but his disciples were unable to help. Jesus berates the disciples for their unbelief, expressing frustration at their lack of growth despite his constant teaching and example among them. The scribes are fortunate that Jesus does not single them out. For all their arguments, they have done nothing to help the boy, either.

Jesus asks for the boy and when he is brought, the unclean spirit throws him to the ground in convulsions. It seems odd that Jesus’ first response is to ask the father, “How long has this been happening? as if we have suddenly tuned into a TV medical drama. But perhaps Jesus is only turning the father’s attention away from the persistent demon and is instead directing it to himself. The father must not lose sight of the fact that Jesus is his one source of hope.

The man’s faith apparently extended far enough to come to Jesus, but he is otherwise empty of anything he can use to commend his case to Jesus. He has nothing with which to influence the Lord’s favor. All he can do is reveal the smallness of his cup of faith and confess his greater reservoir of unbelief. Jesus likely would have done more to strengthen and encourage him, but the crowd was pressing in, demanding a spectacle. Jesus quickly commands the spirit to leave, and it does, but only after a final defiant and violent fit that caused the onlookers to fear the boy was dead. Jesus, however, takes the boy by the hand and restores him to his father.

Later the disciples ask Jesus why they had been unable to cast out the spirit. He replies, ‘This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” Was he talking about a specific prayer to be used in a case like this or an active prayer life in general?

Prayer of course is important in maintaining our relationship with God. However, our prayers can actually reveal our own fears or pride when we use them to instruct God on how to mind his universe or to impress those around us with our spiritual prowess. We can easily fool ourselves into thinking that performing a spiritual exercise is a good substitute for a close and intimate fellowship with God.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Trees walking

by

“Do you see anything?” Mark 8:22-26

Jesus moves on to the next town and the people bring a blind man to him, asking him to touch him. That is what they expected, supposing this was part of his healing process. But then Jesus does something they may not have expected. He leads the blind man away from the crowd and out of the village and out of the public eye.

What follows may be described as Jesus coaxing the man to believe he can be healed. As we have seen from earlier healings, there is no need for Jesus to spit on the man’s eyes or lay his hands upon him (twice, in fact). Jesus could simply say the word – even from across town – and the healing would occur. It must have been, then, for the man’s benefit. It was important for him to have faith in Jesus and not just a spectacular event.

There are a couple of notable things about this account. First, it is the only time Jesus healed in baby steps. Healing did not occur in one dramatic moment. It took some intermediate steps and a progress report from the man that healing was beginning to occur.

Second, there is no commendation of faith by Jesus. In other cases Jesus made note of, if not marveled at, the person’s faith and healing occurred immediately. We may be seeing a bit of the spirit of Nazareth (where he could do no mighty works) evident here in this village.

But even though Jesus does not praise the man or the villagers for faith, he also does not berate them for the lack of it. However small this man’s faith may have been, it did not prevent Jesus from restoring his sight. The man did not settle for a partial blessing, of a miracle of seeing only unclearly, but persevered as Jesus again laid his hands upon him. When the man “looked intently,” he began to see clearly.

Jesus is always ready to bless us, no matter how we may try to limit his ability to do so. Don’t worry that you don’t have faith like the centurion or the woman with the flow of blood. Place what faith you have in Jesus and begin to trust him.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Forgotten bread

by

Why do you seek a sign? Mark 8:10-21

The Pharisees show up again, arguing with Jesus and demanding a sign from heaven to test his claims. Jesus refuses. Why not give them a sign? Wouldn’t that settle the matter once and for all? If that were true, what about everything Jesus had said and done up til now? The problem with signs and wonders lies not in who performs them, but in the hearts of those who demand them.

Such things, no matter how spectacular and amazing, are often easily discounted and forgotten. Don’t think so? What about the mighty works God performed to free Israel from Egyptian bondage? All it took were some blisters and some desert and the people promptly forgot. Oh, those signs? That was so yesterday – what can you do for me today?

The disciples forgot. They thought they had only forgotten to bring some bread with them for their trip across the lake. Just then Jesus warns them to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. Missing the point, this made the disciples even more concerned about bread.

So, what is leaven? Jesus uses the term to describe something else. Leaven is something small that gradually and persistently expands unseen until it permeates the whole. It is a state of mind that governs how we view life and the world. The Pharisees and Herod had different expressions of it relating to theology, politics and power but the underlying thought for both was unbelief. Put another way, they trusted in only what they could see and touch.

Jesus had been carefully nursing the seed of faith within his disciples and the people. He was not going to allow anyone to destroy that budding belief. He quickly administered the antidote: Haven’t you seen or heard anything that I’ve said or done? What about the 5,000 and the 4,000? How many baskets of leftovers did you have to pick up afterwards? How could you fail to understand that I can and will provide for you?

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Opening ears and mouths

by

“He has done all things well” Mark 7:31-37

Jesus is on the move again, but instead of heading back into Jewish territory he moves into Decapolis on the far side of the Sea of Galilee. This was predominately a Gentile area, with some Jewish settlements here and there. It also was where the former Gerasene demoniac was sent to proclaim what Jesus had done for him (see Mark 5).

The people bring to him a deaf man who also has difficulty speaking. They ask Jesus to heal the man by laying his hands on him. Jesus takes the man aside, away from the crowd. He puts his fingers into the man’s ears and mouth, then looks up into heaven, sighing. Finally he says, “Ephphatha! Be opened!” and the man both hears and speaks.

The specific details that Mark includes are interesting. Does he mean to present a sort of handbook to learn the “Jesus Method of Healing”? If so, the first thing a student would notice is that Jesus is not very consistent in his methods. He doesn’t seem to do the same thing twice in the same way. Actually, the last thing Jesus wants to teach is that he practices a superior sort of magic or wizardry. Healing has nothing to do with rituals and incantations and everything to do with the person of Jesus.

He emphasizes the need to focus on him, looking to him to provide all that is needed, from salvation to daily bread to healing. It is no different today. Divine healing certainly exists, but the divine healer is and always has been Jesus himself.

Look at how Jesus deals with this man who, remember, can neither hear nor speak. Obviously, verbal communication will not work. The crowd with their prying eyes does not help either and Jesus removes the man to a more private place.

Jesus then “speaks” to the man through his actions. He shows that he understands the man’s need by placing his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spits and places the saliva on the man’s inoperative tongue. Finally, he looks up toward heaven, prompting the man to follow his gaze. Then he sighs. So far no words have been spoken but that does not prevent God from understanding the prayer. To demonstrate the healing, Jesus proclaims “Ephphatha!” which no doubt was the first thing the man heard.

Naturally, the reaction of the crowd was pure astonishment and they excitedly began spreading the news. Jesus, however, orders them not to say anything. And the more he demanded silence, the more they talked about it. There are a few guesses as to why Jesus would do this, but Mark leaves it unexplained.

One remarkable comment from this largely heathen crowd speaks (perhaps unwittingly) to the divinity of Jesus: “He has done all things well.” The Jews and later Christians could not help but to compare this saying with the creation account in Genesis, when God declares that all he had made was good.

The elephant in the room

by

“…even the dogs…feed on the children’s crumbs.” Mark 7:24-30

Mark continues his theme of who’s in and who’s out with the story of a Syrian woman who had a demon possessed daughter. Jesus had retreated with his disciples to the region near Tyre. He desired to remain incognito and go unnoticed, something that had escaped him of late. However, the people soon became aware of his presence. One of these was the Syrian woman.

She sought Jesus out and begged him for the deliverance of her daughter. Jesus explains the nature of his mission, noting that the Jews are his initial focus. Using an illustration, he says the children must be fed first, before the dogs. She responds, “Yes, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall under the table.” Jesus is impressed with her answer and tells her that her daughter is rid of the demon.

At first glance, Jesus appears to be acting differently than we’ve come to expect. He has always been available, ready to help anyone in need. Now he seems reluctant, even prejudiced against this foreign woman. He might be taken for a Pharisee, with all their rules for maintaining their acceptability before God. First and foremost of these rules was avoiding contact with non-Jews.

It may be better to evaluate the actions and attitudes of Jesus by first looking at the end of the story. The result shows us where Jesus was headed all along. He was able and willing to perform this miracle for this Syrian woman, but then as now, answers to prayer are not automatic, nor are they guaranteed to come in the exact form we expect.

Matthew’s account of this story indicates a considerable delay in responding to this woman, something Mark only hints at. But who are we to judge Jesus by the promptness of his answer? Can we abide with him still, even though he seems to be saying “not now”? Was he testing her faith? What if she failed? We need to remember that God tests what He knows to exist. No one “earns” an answer to prayer by enduring trials and tribulation faithfully. Faith comes first and brings us through whatever circumstances come our way.

Then there is the issue of the woman’s nationality. Did Jesus really hold this against her, or was he merely calling attention to something that would have been on the minds of everyone present? In the eyes of the Jews, she would have been a “dog”, a worthless mongrel to be despised. But Jesus chooses his words carefully and softens his response by using a word meaning a household pet or even “puppy”.

The woman (and the Jews hanging around) would have noticed the difference in terms. She didn’t miss a beat and picked up on his cue: “You’re right, dogs are not allowed in the house, but puppies are.” She understood where he was headed and probably took the words right out of his mouth.

Faith can be described as seeing the world through God’s eyes, as He sees things. And the thing that delights and surprises Jesus most is the presence of faith.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley