Monday 13 Feb 2023

February 13: Mark 8:11-13

Key Verse: Mark 8:13
Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

Devotion:
One of the things we don’t get to hear much about is Jesus’s anger. Each time we are told about a situation where we would have probably “flow off the handle,” Jesus would calm the situation down after telling people the truth. Here the Pharisees came to question Jesus because it seemed like He was not following the laws they were giving out. They had a very strict sense of the law and they would make sure people knew all about the law. This would give them a position of importance and would make sure everyone else would be in a position of being guilty!

What better way to placate people than to blame them for things so they are forced to back down because of some feeling of guilt! They came to Jesus and demanded He show them some sort of sign to prove He was the Messiah – what better way to corner an imposter than to force them to back down… at least that is what they were probably thinking!

Instead, Jesus kept the peace by simply saying He would not give them a sign and walking away from them. Sometimes the best way to win an argument is to walk away from it… Jesus was not about to give in to the Pharisees and He certainly did not want them to be in any position of power over His actions – how could they be!

When we are faced with any situation we think puts us in a difficult position, we should be trying to move forward with the truth and without aggravating other people. Much easier said than done because we will always take offence when faced with a truth we do not like… So next time you are cornered, think about the truth and not just your feelings...

Points to Ponder:
Do you retaliate when faced with the truth?

Will you allow God to show you the whole truth?