Mark 6 & 7

We read Mark 6 and 7 today and I thought I would write my notes with Katie's perspective.  Katie doesn't always comment when we read the Bible.  I always ask her if she understands and sometimes she questions it and sometimes she seems to "get it".  Tonight was one of those nights that she seemed to be "on".  Maybe it had something to do with having just finished our homework for our Mountain Mover's class on Tuesday, maybe she was still in "the zone".

The first time that her voice piped up while I was reading was when during Mark 6:14-29.  This is one of the Bible stories that touches me because the death of John the Baptist seems so wrong.  Not just that he was killed but that he was killed over something as trivial as a reward for a well performed dance.  Apparently my daughter agrees with me.  She was upset with Herodias...I believe indignant would be a better word for the look on her face and the attitude with which she stated, "That girl is NOT nice."   I do find it interesting that "Herod respected John and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him.  Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him."  Mark 6:20    How many times are we disturbed when we talk to God - feeling convicted by our own actions/thoughts - and yet we like to listen to Him.   I believe that what Herod was feeling may have been the conviction that we feel at times.

The other thing that Katie picked up on was the same topic that I've been considering.  She commented at the end of Chapter 7  that the people were not listening to Jesus when they spread the word of what he was doing after He told them not to.  I thought it was interesting that she noticed this...although not listening is a regular topic of conversation in our house, so maybe she recognized it purely as something she'd been hearing about herself. :)   It is human nature, I think, that when you are told not to say anything, one of the first things you want to do is go out and say something.  But I'm not sure that I can blame these people, they were hearing amazing things, seeing miracles...it would have been extremely hard not to tell people.

"They were completely amazed and said again and again, 'Everything he does is wonderful.  He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.'" Mark 7:37    Yes, I think that would have been hard to keep to myself.