I was reading through Mark 7-14 today, and I was struck by the theme of bad authority and rule. The stories in the first half of these chapters seem to address the problem of people grabbing more power, authority and rule than they should:
1) 7:1-23 :: the Pharisees complain about Jesus' disciples not washing hands & Jesus condemns their use of scripture & traditions
2) 8:11-12 :: the Pharisees won't listen to Jesus unless he proves himself to them with a sign
3) 9:2-13 :: Jesus' authority & rule is confirmed by God in his transfiguration
4) 9:14-29 :: in healing a man's possessed son, we see that the disciples were weak in their own belief and faith while Jesus' authority was solid
5) 9:33-37 :: the apostles demonstrate their confusion over authority & rule by arguing about who would be the greatest
6) 9:38-41 :: the apostles want to punish someone for working without (their perception) of Jesus' authority
The topic really continues through some more chapters, but you get the idea.
I need to be careful as a brother & teacher that I don't say (or try to say) more than I should. Relying on God's word, and its own strength, is all I should ever do.
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