Marbles and Grapes

Last night I attended a leaders meeting at New Life Family Church in Louisburg, KS.  It was a planning meeting for the move to having services at the Louisburg Middle School and one of the leaders used marbles and grapes to demonstrate what can happen when people mix together especially in a new situation.  

The marbles rubbed against each other in a rough, noisy manner but the grapes smashed together with out much noise but they also broke.  The picture we got was how we can be either like marbles or grapes when tense situations arise.  

I saw another picture as well.  If you mix the grapes with the marbles and shake them the grapes will still get broken but they will muffle the roughness and noise of the marbles. That is how followers of Jesus can be with those who are missing His peace in their life.  

Any time followers of Jesus (the grapes) get around people who do not have a relationship with Jesus (the marbles) they are bound to get bruised but because of the grace and mercy of Jesus they respond with love.  The juices of the grapes represents the Holy Spirit coat the marbles and sooths their hardness.

In "Naturally Supernatural" author Gary Best says this: page 31 "Next in Mark's account, Jesus encounters a leprous man, one of the untouchables in ancient Near Eastern society.  Yet Jesus, moved with compassion, touched him and embraced him, restoring him completely.  Further shock waves ran through the whole community - how much better could this get? This continues throughout the Gospel of Mark and all the Gospels: This is what Jesus came to do."

Isaiah 61: 1 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.  He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. (Message)

As followers of Jesus we will continue His ministry and touch the broken and free the oppressed. It will be messy and we will get bruised now and then but the Holy Spirit will heal our bruises as He heals their woundedness through our touch.

If you are reading this and you are wounded please leave a comment and if you are one anointed to reach out to the wounded please respond with words of encouragement.