As Christians we talk about Jesus as our Savior. We talk about his forgiveness, redemption and salvation that He has to offer to all who repent and believe in Him. There is no doubt that Jesus is our savior, He is the one who saves us from death and sin. But this is not all that he has done. Sometimes, unfortunately, people only view Jesus as fireproof insurance. Or someone who may not want to go to hell or want to ensure that they go to heaven after they die may make a surface commitment to Jesus by declaring Him as their savior and continue to live however he pleases. However the Christian life is not nor never has been intended to be fire insurance so you can move on with your life and when you die you go to a happy place called heaven. The Christian life is intended to be much deeper and Christ is intended to be much more than a “get to heaven for free” pass.
The word “Lord” is used in both the New and Old Testament. You will see it written two ways. One way is LORD in all caps. This refers to the name and identity of God…YHWH or Yahweh. Whenever you read it this way it refers to God as God. The other way it is written in lord. This refers to a position or title. The Greek word is Kurios which means master, owner, or possessor. This is the position that Jesus holds. He is the master, owner or possessor of all. Many times calling one lord can be equated to a king. What is interesting to note in the accounts we will look at is Jesus, being master or king over all, breaks many laws and traditions to show that He is in fact exempt from them because He created them and has authority to change the rules of the game and in these passages Mark shows that Jesus is Lord over all. In Mark 1:40 we see Jesus breaking laws of cleanliness as he touches and heals a leper. According to Mosaic Law one who touches an unclean person thus becomes unclean as well. In this account Jesus shows that He is not only Lord of that which is clean but he is also Lord of the unclean and untouchable. He is the Lord for all people In Mark 2: 1 we notice Jesus continue his healing ministry by healing a paralytic man but he goes one step further. He not only heals the man but he forgives him of his sins as well. This is a huge act on Jesus’ part because it was very clear the only who has the authority to forgive sins is God himself. Here Jesus states that he also has authority to show forgiveness of sins. In this we see Jesus is the Lord of mercy and forgiveness AND He is equal to God. In Mark 2:13 Jesus is accused of keeping company with sinners as he eats with them and calls them to follow him. Levi (AKA Matthew) is called to follow Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated by the Jewish people and they were considered some of the basest sinners. Thus in this account we see Jesus is the Lord over sinners. In Mark 2:18 Jesus and disciples are looked down upon because they do not fast like the Pharisees and like John the Baptist and his disciples. Jesus rebukes them because He implies that since he is present today there should be celebration. The King is present and this is cause for celebration. He uses a wedding reception as an example. Jesus states that nobody goes to a reception and just looks at the food. No, they go and celebrate because the bride and groom are present and celebration is at hand. Jesus is here to promote and declare the Kingdom of Heaven is here. This is reason to rejoice and celebrate because something new is happening. Thus Jesus shows that He is the Lord of new things and celebration. Finally in Mark 2:23 we see Jesus and disciples breaking Sabbath by going out and picking grain to eat. This was a big no, no. According the Mosaic Law, absolutely NO work was to be done on the Sabbath. One must make preparations before the Sabbath so one did not have to work. When confronted by the religious leaders Jesus used the example of how the then newly anointed King David broke the law by going into the holiest places and taking the show bread. This was a big deal and nobody faulted King David for doing this. In this act Jesus declares to be the Lord of the Sabbath. Application In these few examples we can conclude that Jesus is the Lord of all. In saying that Jesus is Lord of all t brings us to the question of what it means for Jesus to not only be Lord over all but to also be Lord over you.
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Jeff has been in full-time ministry for thirty years. He currently serves as Executive Director at Anchor House Ministry at SeaPort Manatee in Palmetto, FL and he is a part-time Campus Pastor at West Bradenton Southside in Bradenton, Florida.
Jeff Has authored A Lent Devotional (A Spiritual Journey to Lent) an Advent Devotional (The Advent of Jesus) and a devotional on the book of James (James: Where Faith and Life Meet). All three are available on Amazon. He is married to Carrie and they have four children, Micaiah, Gabe, Simon, and Berea. Preview or purchase Jeff's Books
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