A picture of last winter’s tarp-covered woodpile.
Thank You for being by my side this morning, Father. Nothing really too much out of the ordinary but Your sweet, assuring presence gives me peace and confidence like no other. All praise to You!
Mark 3:22-30 (<<click to read the passage)
As I read the open words of this passage, the word picture that came to mind was that the teachers of religious law “cast a pall over” all that Jesus was doing.
Vocabulary.com states, “A pall was originally a coffin’s cloak. Now pall usually means that an event or situation is — literally or figuratively — covered in gloom…”
Jesus has been about His Father’s business – so much so, as we read in verse 20, that “…he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat”! And in the midst of it all these “teachers” cast a pall of gloom and doubt over His work. Bleh….
In our home, our primary source of heat during these cold months is a wood burning stove. We keep our wood at the end of our driveway and it is covered by a big heavy-duty tarp. Across the road from our lot is a large open field, and believe you me, when the wind blows, we get wind!
If I just laid the tarp over the wood it would be gone in no time. Where the wind tends to hit it most directly, I have metal posts driven into the ground and bungee cords stretched taut over the width of it. I also have several chunks of wood laying on the ends. On the side facing the drive, I have a large unused riding mower deck – it is very heavy and keeps that end secured. Then on the end where I get wood out, I have three very large chunks of wood holding the tarp down.
Well, when these “teachers” cast their pall of gloom over what Jesus was doing, the mighty wind of the Spirit, flowing through Jesus, just blew that old thing right off and that pall was gone in no time!
He set them straight in short order! They accused Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons – satan. (In my book, he doesn’t even deserve real capital “s”!) “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” vs.20 NIV
And finishes them off with this proclamation, “Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” v.27NLT
Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit so as to blow away any palls the devil might cast my way! Amen!!!
Feb 19th, 2019, Tues, 9:49 am
