We are creatures of habit.  Patterns and predictability give us a way to understand the world around us.  But anything can become an idol.  For the religious leaders in Mark 7, their traditions became more important to them than the things near to the heart of God.  All of us are susceptible to elevating traditions beyond where they should be.  While people are often concerned with outward appearances, God cares about the heart.

We are forgetful people.  It's part of our human nature--we have trouble remembering things.  Specifically, we often remember the bad things that happen to us better than the good things.  But God has always been good, and even though our minds are often dominated by negativity, we need to be deliberate about keeping God's goodness in the front of our minds.

We’ve all experienced inadequacy in our lives.  No matter what obstacles we encounter, at some point we’re all faced with the difficult truth that we simply can’t do it on our own.  But the message of Easter is one of hope—no matter how dire circumstances may seem, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.  It’s not about our power, it’s about His!

Jesus shows his power over every conceivable force in the first five chapters of Mark - disease, dark spiritual forces, nature, even death.  But when he returns to his hometown, the people’s familiarity with Jesus limited their faith in him to the point where he didn’t have the opportunity to exercise his power.  When the congregation fails to believe, the community suffers.

Jesus interacts with two different people in this passage: a man with a twelve year-old dying daughter, and a woman who suffered bleeding for twelve years.  Neither situation seemed hopeful for them until they met Jesus.  No matter how little hope there seems to be in a situation, the touch of Jesus can change everything.  Knowing this, how much do we really trust Jesus, and what will we trust him with?

We all go through storms in life.  The question isn't "Will I go through a storm," but "Will I go through the storm with Jesus?"  Even though we don't always see him, even though we may feel like he doesn't care, Jesus promises his presence throughout all the troubles we experience in life.  No matter what you're going through, no matter how hard it seems, remember to trust Jesus in the storms.

We all have a past.  Sometimes that past can feel like a hindrance or a hurdle that makes it difficult to move forward.  But Jesus breaks down all kinds of barriers to get through to us.  He broke all kinds of rules and customs to meet the demon-possessed man in the Gerasenes.  Not only that, but this man was the first person in Mark’s gospel that Jesus empowers to be a missionary.  In Christ, your past does not paralyze you; it propels you into purpose.

People respond differently to God.  We see this all the time.  Some people are interested in God, some people aren't.  There were a variety of responses to Jesus in Mark.  Jesus describes why some people respond differently than others in Mark 4:1-20.  This is the critical question: what kind of soil are you?

The Pharisees brought many accusations against Jesus during his ministry.  Out of all those charges, only one was labeled unforgivable--blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  They essentially said Jesus was empowered by demons, rather than by the Holy Spirit.  Often we are quick to judge or condemn people, ideas, and movements that look different from ours.  But Jesus welcomes all who do the will of the Father.

The Pharisees distorted Sabbath and weaponized it.  Jesus understood God created Sabbath for the good of the people.  They didn't see the world they way Jesus did.  Eventually, their hearts grow so hard that they start to plot Jesus' death.  The hardness of their hearts determined their ability to see.