Drew Boswell

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Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “Miracles Part 1: Power Over Nature and Demons” Mark 4:35-5:20

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

Miracles Part 1: Power Over Nature and Demons

Mark 4:35-5:20

Introduction

An Indian fable talks about a mouse that was constantly in fear of cat. So one day, a magician changed the mouse into a cat. But then the cat was afraid of a dog. So the magician changed the cat into a dog. But the dog was afraid of a tiger. So the magician changed the dog into a tiger. But then the tiger was afraid of a hunter. Finally, in exasperation, the magician said, “Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse and I cannot help you.”

Prayer

“Even the Wind and Sea Obey Him” (4:35-41)

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.[1] 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

“It had been a very busy day. The blasphemous accusation, the visit to the mother and brothers and possibly sisters, to take him home, leaving the crowded house for the sea, the first parables by the sea, then more in the house, and now out of the house and over the sea, “Let us go across to the other side.” It was the only way to escape from the crowds, but even there, “And other boats were with him,” So that there was a crowd even on the lake.[2]

Jesus says, “Let us go” and they went, “just as he was” – Jesus was exhausted, the disciples were untrained and naive, the crowd was pressing and encroaching. Jesus never says, wait until the time is perfect and then we will go, Jesus was going and the disciples were going just as they were.

If Jesus is with you, the time is always perfect (His timing is perfect), and you have all you need to complete the task (because He is all sufficient). So when Jesus says, Let us go, you go. There will be times when Jesus says, “let us go” and you will say to yourself, I am not ready, but he wants you to go with him, “just as you are.”

“And a great windstorm arose” – “The word occurs in the LXX of the whirlwind out of which God answered Job (Job 38:1) and in Jonah 1:4, “and the waves were breaking into the boat” The waves were rolling across the boat and filling it with water.

(v. 38) “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” – Jesus was in the back of the boat, he found a cushion (because they left “just as he was”) and was asleep.

The disciples rebuked Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” They are not expecting Jesus to stop the storm, but just to show some concern for the fact that they thought they were about to die. “Moffatt’s rendering, ‘Teacher, are we to drown, for all you care?’

The verse contains the first of twelve times Jesus is addressed or described as Teacher.”[3] But the disciples, even though they are calling Him Teacher, are not following His example. “We do ill to try to communicate our panic to him, we should allow him to communicate his calm to us.”[4]

Jesus then rebuked the storm, and then turns and rebukes the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Jesus expected them to have more faith in His saving ability. He also asks the question before he calms the tempest. Even then, Jesus is teaching them.

(v. 41) The disciples dropped their nets to follow this man they believed to be the Messiah, they have seen him perform countless miracles, cast out demons, have heard him teach powerfully and in parables, and felt the crush of the crowds. But here as they stand in this boat, probably up to their waste in water, there was a great calm, then “they were filled with great”

The disciples were fearful of the storm – now they are fearful of the one who was over the storm. The growth we experience as believers is where we exchange one fear for another. All the things in this life that cause us to fear, should be exchanged for the fear of the Lord. Jesus is the one we should fear the most, and He is above everything else.

“They were growing in their apprehension and comprehension of Jesus Christ. They still had much to learn,”[5] but it starting to sink in that this is no ordinary man. They ask “one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

“He is the Christ, the Son of God.”

Jesus is not just demonstrating power, “it is an epiphany through which Jesus was unveiled to his disciples as the Savior in the midst of intense peril.”[6]

Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” The Creator-Lord controls what he has created.[7]

Even though there was fear amongst the disciples, they continued with Jesus. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

One other thing before we move to the next miracles, remember in verse 36, “And other boats were with him.” Where are they at the end of the storm? Who knows, but the boat that had Jesus in it is still around to make the next adventure, the boats without Jesus in them are gone. Make sure you are in the right boat. Following close to Jesus is not good enough, you have to be in the boat.

 “He lived Among the Tombs” (5:1-20)

5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

Immediately, as Jesus gets out of the boat he is greeted by a man “with an unclean spirit.” Mark tells us that he was incredibly strong, that no one could hold him, and if chained he would break any chain that tried to hold him. He was known for screaming (night and day) and “cutting himself with stones.” “It means to cut down, we say cut up, gash, hack to pieces.” He would have been scarred all over with such recent and old gashes.”[8]

“Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones” – There is no sleep for this man, screaming and running around, night and day. His time was spent in constant crying out in pain and suffering, and hurting himself. There two tired men meet eachother – one from saving and healing and teaching, and one from self-harm, isolation, screaming, and possession.

“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God” – “This name for God is very ancient (Gen.14:18), . . . it appears in connection with Mechizedek, with Balaam (Num. 24:16), and in the song of Moses (Duet. 32:8).”[9]

“I adjure you by God, do not torment” – “The word of adjuration (orkizo) is the word from which our word “exorcise” is derived. The evil spirit, in its fear is trying to match the command of Jesus by a counter-command in the name that it dreads.”[10]

Torment – The word means to test metals and then to test by torture (cf. our “third degree”).[11] The demons did not want to return to the place of torment, the abyss[12], their real home. The ones who tormented, did not want to be in torment.

(v. 9) “My name is Legion” – A full Roman legion had between 4 and 6 thousand men. We are told the demons name, but we are never given the man’s name. Revelation 2:17 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’” We don’t need to know the man’s name, He knows the Lord and that man has been given a new name. What do you think Jesus calls him?

Characteristics of what Satan desires to do with humans:

    • Bondage/Chained
    • Surrounded by Death and Darkness
    • Control – No Decisions
    • Not take care of yourself
    • Madness/chaos
    • Self-harm
    • No Sleep/Rest
    • Pain and suffering
    • Isolation
    • Shame – nakedness

Demon possession and Jesus casting out the demons has been mentioned before, but this account in Mark gives us some insight into why demons even want to possess humans. “The function of demonic possession is to distort and destroy the image of God in man.”[13]

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Satan wants to rob us, corrupt us, and crush as much as possible the image of God in all people.

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

“and they were afraid” – They had all been afraid of the demon possessed man, but there he was, “sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.” “Apparently, they feared sanity more than insanity.”[14] Was there fear of things getting better? We would rather keep the demoniac we know, then the sane healed man we don’t know. They couldn’t fix the problem (chaining the man up, he broke free), but Jesus with a conversation has completely healed him. Jesus was stronger than they were.

Giving up the substandard riches of this world, for the eternal riches of the next. Illus. of the dad asking for the plastic necklace.

These people were more concerned about their business interests than the healed demoniac sitting before them – what was the cost of one man being healed/saved from Satan’s control? Two thousand pigs. They were afraid of the future cost to their business. Their way of life was more important to them than the giver of eternal life.

If Jesus stays, there may more of these healings, and well we just can’t afford that – “they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.” In order for Jesus to be present with them, they would have to give something up. They didn’t want Him there. “Ironically they feared Jesus more than they did the demoniac and cared more for their pigs than for a fellow human being.”[15]

Jesus knows that these people need to saved, so He tells the healed man to go and tell the people what had happened. They knew this man and what he was like, now they can see with their own eyes the power of Jesus’ influence in a person’s life. What a powerful testimony, the text says, “and everyone marveled.” (kept on marveling, imperfect tense).[16]

The man, “went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. . .” – “The Decapolis was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63BC.”[17] A man who was enslaved was now free and was telling his story to a city recently freed from control.

Characteristics of What Jesus desires to do with humans:

    • Freedom
    • Surrounded by life and choices
    • Healed
    • Sound mind/Calm Spirit/Peace/Rest
    • Clothed/dignity
    • Given a calling and sent out to do good

__________________________

[1] v. 39, “observe the poetic parallelism in the verse: wind and sea separately addressed, and the corresponding effects separately specified: lullied wind, calmed sea.” W. Robertson Niccoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; W.M. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967) 370.

[2] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 291.

[3] James Brooks, The New American Commentary, Volume 23 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1991) 88.

[4] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 710.

[5] Robertson, 293.

[6] William Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; W. B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1974) 178.

[7] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 654.

[8] Robertson, 295.

[9] W. N. Clarke, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 2, Mark & Luke (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1950) 72.

[10] Clarke, 72.

[11] Robertson, 295.

[12] What they request is that they not be sent “out of the area.” In Luke (8:31) the request is that they not be sent into the Abyss (Rev. 20:1-3), the place of confinement before judgement (Gaebelein, 658).

[13] Lane, 184.

[14] Buttrick, 716.

[15] Brooks, 91.

[16] https://drewboswell.com/podcast/6-2-2022-podcast/

[17] Brooks, 91.

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “If You Have an Ear, Listen To This: Parables” Mark 4:1-34

 

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

If You Have an Ear, Listen To This: Parables

Mark 4:1-34

Introduction

Mark Batterson relates how on a January morning in 2007, a world-class violinist played six of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most stirring concertos for the solo violin, on a three-hundred-year-old Stadivarius worth $3.5 million. Two nights before, Joshua Bell had performed a sold out concert where patrons gladly paid $200 for nosebleed seats, but this time the performance was free.

Bell ditched his tux and coat tails, donned a Washington Nationals baseball cap, and played incognito outside the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station [as an experiment]. The experiment was originally conceived by the Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten and filmed by hidden cameras. Of the 1,097 people who passed by, only seven stopped to listen. The forty-five minute performance ended without applause or acknowledgement. Joshua Bell netted $32.17 in tips, which included a $20 spot from one person who recognized the Grammy Award winning musician.

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the greatest musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, on one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many similarly sublime moments do we miss out on during a normal day?[1]

Prayer

Keep Doing What God has Called You To Do (vv. 1-9)

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus has moved from his house and returned once again to teaching by the sea. He has decided to get into a boat because, “a very large crowd gathered about him” In the previous chapter Mark tells us that there was concern of being crushed by people pushing in toward Jesus to be healed (3:9).

Not only did the crowds keep him from being able to eat, rest, etc. but the pressing crowd seems to keep him from teaching as well – so he pushes out from the shore and is “teaching them many things in parables.”

Remember that Mark’s gospel is not written chronologically, but it is divided into main sections to show who Jesus was and why He appeared on the earth. There is a general introduction with John the Baptist and His temptation, then we experience what spending a day with Jesus is like, then there is a series of conflicts with the scribes and religious leaders, then a section on how he had to stay focused on His ministry, and now how Jesus taught in parables.

Parables have been defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” Jesus had many enemies and people who just didn’t get what he was saying, so “the parabolic form of teaching was “less open to attack, better as an intellectual and spiritual training for his disciples, better also as a test of character, and therefore as an education for the multitude.”[2] He could tell what kind of person you are, by what you did with the simple parable.

We already know that His teaching and preaching was very important to Him, and that he was unique, Mark 1:22 “And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” And in Mark 4 we see the word parables used for the second time (Mark 3:23, “And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”) He has also given previous smaller parables in his discussion with the religious leaders (patching a preshrunk cloth, new wine in old wineskins, fasting at a wedding).

Here in Mark’s discussion about Jesus using parables he gives four examples, Matthew gives eight, and in both gospels they say, (v. 33) “With many such parables he spoke the word to them,” meaning that this was a sampling of many that Jesus taught the crowds. So we ask, “of all the parables Jesus taught, why did Mark choose these four?”

Jesus begins in v. 3 with the word, “Listen,” and he ends the first parable with ““He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” “It is well known that the man who teaches has much responsibility, but Jesus is saying here that the man who hears also has responsibility. Hearing is a serious matter. It is not to be taken lightly. Watch out how you hear is the key-note to the parable.”[3] Jesus describes four different types of soil in which the seed fell. Each describes a different type of listener or how people receive the word (i.e. seed).

Jesus “knew the stony soil of the minds of the scribes and Pharisees; he had met the shallow and unstable enthusiasm of the crowd.”[4] He experienced the disciples readily accepting his call to “come and follow me.” Jesus gives three types of soil that are bad, and one that is good. The sower is casting seed to all of them – but only 50% seems to have a response, and only 25% have a genuine response.

This first parable is for those that teach a sow God’s Word. Even though much seed lands on the types of soil that ultimately do not lead to a harvest – there will be some seed that falls on good ground. 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Don’t Put off What Needs to Be Taken Care of Today (vv. 10-20)

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

 “By this method of teaching in parables Jesus not only invited audiences to penetrate below the surface and find the real meaning; at the same time he allowed them the opportunity – which many of them took – of turning a blind eye to the real point at issue”

(v. 12) When Jesus pulls the disciples close, He quotes Isaiah 6:9, and “what is certain is that the use of parables on this occasion was a penalty for judicial blindness on those who will not see.”[5]

Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9, “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand,” In Isaiah’s day he was to preach the Word of God, and to faithfully teach them. But they would not take what was given to them, in fact they would show up to hear what was said, but there would be no change in their hearts and no actions. Every time they would hear a message from Isaiah and then go home and do nothing with that message their hearts would grow harder.

God warns Isaiah “that there will be no positive results in the hearts of many who listen to what he says. Instead of bringing conviction, humility, and confession of sins, Isaiah’s divine message will have the primary effect of hardening people or confirming their hardened unwillingness to respond positively to God.”[6]

 For those that have hardened hearts, listen – The day of salvation is today, it may be your unwillingness to change that God will use this message to seal your ears, and harden your heart so that you will never make a decision for Christ.

 Those in Jesus’ audience are being condemned for their willful blindness and rejection such as the Pharisees and their blasphemous accusation against Jesus (that he casts out demons by the power of Satan).

 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Do Something With What You Have Already Received (VV. 21-25)

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

(v. 21) is directed to the disciples, not to the crowds. They have received the truth of various parables, but it is not Jesus’ intention that they keep the secret of the kingdom of God to themselves, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? No, the lamp is meant to be held high, the Word of God is meant to shine forth to the lost world.

(v. 24) “The disciple grows in understanding and knowledge only as he attends carefully and responsively to what he has already received.”[7] As a student of God’s Word take what you have received and apply it, use it, be changed by it – but never ignore it, do nothing with it, or say, “I already know what this means.”

“and parables are a means at once of revealing and of concealing truth – of revealing it to those who ‘have ears to hear,’ and of concealing it from those who have not . . . This separation was not an accidental but a necessary, and therefore an intended, result of his ministry and the choice of the parabolic form was one of the steps by which the inevitable separation must be accomplished.”

All the students in the classroom hear the same teacher and the same lesson. Some will ask questions, clarify, review at home, search for more information in books or the internet, and some students will be distracted during class, not take notes, forget the lesson, and when they leave the classroom – one is not smarter than the other, it is just what you do with the information.

One of my biggest frustrations with math has always been that one principle builds upon the next. If you have A and then B and then C – but you don’t get B, you will never understand C. Spiritual growth and concepts can be like this – people want to lead the church, but they have missed lessons on submission, humbleness, compassion, loving my fellow brother in Christ.

Know How The Kingdom Works (vv. 26-32)

26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come[8].”

In the first parable Mark highlights the Word of God, and in this parable we are told what Jesus is talking about, “The kingdom of God is . . .” at hand (Mark 1:15).

Man has the responsibility to scatter the seed (the word of God). He does not have to understand how spiritual things work, any more than the farmer has to understand how a seed works. He has a role to play in the planting process, believers have a role to play in the harvesting of souls. Also, the farmer sleeps, and goes about his day – and the seed keeps on growing, keeps on maturing. The believer does not have to make the gospel work, it does the work on its’ own.

(v. 28) It works automatically. “The secret of growth is in the seed, not in the soil nor in the weather nor in the cultivating. These all help, but the seed spontaneously works according to its own nature.”[9]

(v. 29) When the harvest is ripe, the reaper comes to gather the harvest. Mark says the farmer, “he puts in (apostellei) the sickle” – this is where we get the word apostle John 4:38 says, “I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

So from these verses we learn several principles about the Kingdom of God:

  1. The growth of the kingdom is gradual, “first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” – Christian growth is gradual. We want to make giant leaps, but we forget nature’s lesson, the necessity of gradual growth. No musician is made in a day, there are thousands of hours of practicing. No scientist is made over night, there are hundreds of hours of classwork. Men must be taught the way of Christ, and no one is a mature Christian after one sermon. Mature congregations of the church of the Lord likewise do not spring up overnight. They must be planted, nurtured, and developed.

But also, the disciples wanted the kingdom to grow their work to be finished quickly – little did they know that they would begin a work that still continues to this day. We are still to be about kingdom work.

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and he said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus knows He has to endure the cross and the judgement of the Father, and He is saying, “is there is any other way?” In ministry there will always be the temptation to take a short cut, or the easy way out. Rarely is there an easy way, a quick way, or a way that doesn’t cost us something.

  1. The growth of the kingdom is orderly, The growth of the plant is marked by an orderly development. It is the way of the tree: first the bud, then the blossom, and finally the fruit. It’s hard to mark when one stage ends and another begins, yet different stages of growth can be clearly recognized.
  2. The growth of the kingdom is from God. The farmer can plow the ground, put out fertilizer, plant the seed under the soil, and water – but he cannot make the seed grow. The seed grows on its own. There are some things that God alone can do. 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” This parable helps us to realize that as Christ followers there are some things that we can do, but it is God who has to move in order for anything to really happen.

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

(v. 30) Again, Jesus clues us in to what He is talking about, “compare the kingdom of God,” and in Palestinian culture the mustard seed was used proverbially to stand for anything infinitesimally small.[10] But because of the eventual size of the plant was not planted in the garden but out in a field. It was not unusual for it to grow as high as ten or twelve feet. Such a shrub would attract many birds.

  1. The growth of the kingdom usually starts small. Jesus is emphasizing the importance of little things. The little mustard seed by itself does not look very important, but experience tells us that it will grow to play a very important role. Jesus is saying that we must pay attention to the little things in life – a cup of water, a visit with the sick, welcoming a stranger, etc.
  2. Small beginnings are important. A thing may begin very small, almost without hope, and still in the end succeed because God is behind it.

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

_______________________

[1] Mark Batterson, The Grave Robber (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books, 2014) 15.

[2] W. N. Clarke, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 2, of the Gospel of Mark and Luke  (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1950) 57.

[3] Neil R. Lightfoot, Lessons From The Parables (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1965) 21.

[4] George Arthur Buttrick, Commentary Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 696.

[5] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 287.

[6] Gary V. Smith, The New American Commentary, Isaiah 1-39 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 2007) 194.

[7] Buttrick, 703.

[8] This parable is only found in Mark. Lightfoot, 27.

[9] Robertson, 289.

[10] There are seeds smaller than the mustard seed, but it was common in that culture to use the mustard seed to refer to the smallest of things. Lightfoot, 33.

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “The Society for the Promotion of Madness Among the Respectable Classes” Mark 3:7-35

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

The Society for the Promotion of Madness Among the Respectable Classes[1]

Mark 3:7-35

Introduction

Anyone who goes against the grain of acceptable society has a good chance of being considered mad. Jesus was said to be crazy, Paul was called mad, Francis of Assisi, William Carey – many people who were singularly focused on Christ and His mission will always be going counter to what the culture holds as acceptable.  We as the church today are too respectable, too cautious, too normal – Jesus is considered mad, because he pushed against the accepted norm.

 Prayer

The Crowds Gather (vv. 7-12)

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

(v. 9) Mark doesn’t tell us if he uses the boat or not, but for the first time in the gospel we are getting the idea that there are so many people that it is dangerous; there is a concern of literally being crushed to death by people pushing in to touch Him.

The word for crush used here “means to press hard or to squeeze into a tight place. It was used of pressing grapes in order to extract the juice,”[2] so he wanted a boat so that they could push off from the shore and get some distance.

(v. 10) “all who had diseases” – the word that’s used for diseases is same word for plagues, meaning a widespread disease such as influenza. Many thought that by just touching him, they would be healed, so they were pressing in, pushing to touch him.

(v. 12) uses the imperfect tense four times meaning that something keeps on happening. “The unclean spirits keep on beholding,” Jesus. They kept on falling down before” him. And they kept on crying out,” You are the Son of God,” and Jesus kept on rebuking them that they should be quiet.

Jesus Selects the Twelve Disciples (vv. 13-19)

13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

This is the second time so far that have a sense of crisis in Jesus’s ministry. Luke (6:2) tells us that Jesus went up on the mountain to pray, and that this time of prayer went all night. Emerging from this time of prayer and from the group he had invited “up the mountain,” He then chose from them 12 – that he called “apostles.”

Apostle – a title denoting a commissioned messenger or ambassador. In Israelite history during the Diaspora, apostles were sent out to collect taxes. They usually traveled in pairs, these men sometimes preached or taught in synagogues, but their commission ended with their return to Jerusalem. The rabbinic term for such agents was shaliah.

In the OT, the term shaliah is used for four figures; Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel, in the sense of God’s agent by reason of power committed to them to perform miracles on God’s behalf.[3] Jesus is going to send out the apostles as His agents (Son of God), with His authority to preach His message, and to exercise power by casting out demons (overthrowing Satan) and preaching the gospel.

Mark tells us that there were three purposes given for Jesus choosing the 12, “so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons”— They would not be ready to be sent out, until they had been with Jesus for some time and had been trained by Him, (1) to be with him (2) to preach and (3) to cast out demons.

There is an order given here; the disciples/apostles are to be with Jesus, before they go out to preach and cast out demons. They needed to know Jesus, to know the truth of the gospel before they can have any meaningful ministry on His behalf. Jesus says, “Come,” and then “Go.”

“This double ministry of preaching and healing was to mark their work.”[4] Jesus is gathering the apostles and will eventually be sending them out on mission. We will also see below that Jesus’s enemies are gathering to bring Him and His ministry to an end. There are two forces with a strategy, intentionality, drive, etc.

Jesus will continue to preach and teach the multitudes, but now we see He begins to focus a lot of effort on this group of 12. Isaiah 60:22 says “The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation;” one trained and dedicated disciple becomes far mightier than a thousand casual hearers.

Attributing Good and Evil (vv. 20-27)

20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables[5], “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Jesus’s Family Attributes His Behavior (vv. 20-21)

The crowds lingered while Jesus and his select group were up on the mountain. They return to Jesus’s home and the crowd forms again. There are so many people in the house that they can’t rest, can’t sleep, they can’t even eat, and we don’t see Him preaching here (again perhaps because there are just so many people pressing in.)

Erasmus believes that the “so that they could not even eat” is a reference to the crowd – that there are so many people gathered, in such a short period of time, that food is running out for everyone.[6] It could also mean, that so many people were in the house that they could not prepare a meal (in the kitchen).

Jesus’s family are concerned about his health – he’s not eating, not sleeping, staying up all night praying, he’s physically tired and exhausted. So, they are looking for Him to physically seize him (this word also means to arrest) to take care of Him. They are saying, “all this has gone too far, we are concerned about you and your health, you need to take a break from all this. You need to stop.”

It is possible to love someone and want to see that they are healthy, happy, safe – and be working against the plan that God has for them. Here Jesus’s family don’t understand what He is called to do, so they are inadvertently working against God’s plan. Remember they have traveled from Nazareth to Capernaum to seize him.[7]

Jesus’ Enemies Attribute his Behavior (vv. 22)

(v. 22) begins with “And” – Jesus’ own family are hunting for him to seize him, to make him stop “and” now the scribes are back. They’ve been talking, and planning, and scheming, and now are seeking to discredit Jesus by making the claim that His power to heal is from Satan. Remember, Jesus had not just cast out one or two demons but many, and “they fell down before him and cried out.”

 “It is possible that they were official emissaries from the Great Sanhedrin who came to examine Jesus’ miracles and to determine whether Capernaum should be declared a “seduced city,” the prey of an apostate preacher. Such a declaration required a thorough investigation made on the spot by official envoys in order to determine the extent of the defection and to distinguish between the instigators, the apostles, and the innocent.”[8]

(v. 22) “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul” The intention of what Jesus is saying is not immediately obvious in English, but the name Beelzebul means “lord of the heavenly dwelling” or “lord of the heavenly house.”

Jesus is asserting that by casting out demons He had entered into the strong man’s house (Beelzebul, “lord of the flies” or the “lord of the heavenly house”) and had spoiled his goods! He was able to do this because He was stronger than the “strong man” and bound him. If Satan cannot cast our Satan, then one greater and stronger than Satan must be present! The only one greater than Satan is God himself!”[9]

Jesus’s argument goes like this, “I have just cast out demons. Now if I am doing it by Satan’s power, then Satan is actually working against himself. But that would be absurd. Just as a house (v. 25) or a kingdom (v. 24) cannot stand if it is divided against itself or opposes itself, so Satan will bring about his own destruction by working against himself (v. 26). Furthermore, in order to enter the house of a strong man and plunder it, one must first tie up the strong man (v. 27).”[10]

How can Satan be overcome by the use of Satan’s methods and power? How can we accomplish good ends by evil means? Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech “A House Divided” says, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”

Their accusations now brand Jesus’ work as unlawful, and he is consigned to the category of a magician. He will continually be charged with sorcery.

Jesus’s Warning to Those That Get It Wrong (vv. 28-30)

28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

This is meant to be understood as a solemn statement, “I tell you the truth.” Forgiveness is available for all sins and blasphemies of men, except one, the “blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.” and Jesus goes on to say that it is an eternal sin – the unpardonable sin.

 “Ascribing to Satan what is perhaps the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, that of rescuing those who are in Satan’s power.” One who does this not only rejects moral values but reverses them. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit denotes the conscious and deliberate rejection of the saving power and grace of God released through Jesus’ word and actions.[11] When Jesus released a person from the stronghold of Satan it was a revelation of the Kingdom of God and this revelation called for a decision.

The scribes were so set on rejecting Jesus and his message of forgiveness or sin, and their rejecting that the miracles prove that He was the Son of God – that they lost the ability to discern good from evil. There will be people who are so set on rejecting Jesus, in favor of their own sin, that they can no longer see sin for what it is. Hobbs says, that with the Holy Spirit moved out, “No conviction, no repentance; no repentance, no faith; no faith, no salvation. Thus the unpardonable sin.”[12]

Family Tension (vv. 31-35)

31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

There are many believers who have faced this tension in their lives. Jesus said, Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus calls us to be His disciple, and in that we distance ourselves from our biological family. This not a battle with hate, but with love. Missionaries who leave their families behind for the sake of sharing the gospel to a lost people group have to have this battle.

Love for biological family can put up walls, close highways, and stop the calling of a person. “A family should be a harbor from which the ship leaves to sail the sea, and not a dock where it ties up and rots.”

Life for me has almost come full circle. I left my home at 20 to pursue a calling into ministry (which is by far easier), and now the ships are leaving our harbor to sail upon life’s sea.

“And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.” They are asking Jesus to stop his ministry, because they want what they feel is best for Him (safety, health, provision, stability, etc.) at the expense of the greater need for the salvation of others.

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[1] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 691.

[2] Herschel Hobbs, An Exposition of the Four Gospels, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1970) 57.

[3] George Arthur Buttrick, Dictionary Editor, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volume A-D (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 171.

[4] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 280.

[5] This is the first occurrence of the word parable in the book of Mark, a parable “is a unique literary device consisting of riddles, metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech, even at times allegory.

[6] Alexander Balman Bruce, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Grand Rapids Book Manufacturing, Inc. 1967) 360.

[7] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 644.

[8] William L. Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdsmans Publishing, 1974) 141.

[9] James McGowan, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series, The Gospel of Mark (Chattanooga, Tennessee; AMG Publishers, 2006) 40.

[10] Gaebelein, 645.

[11] Lane, 145.

[12] Hobbs, 65.

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “Five Characteristics of Religious People” Mark 2:1-3:6

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

Five Characteristics of Religious People

Mark 2:1-3:6

Introduction

Mark now moves from five stories about Jesus beginning his preaching ministry (calling disciples, astonishing teaching, casting out a demon, healing many, healing a leper) to now five more stories that deal with Jesus and how the religious leaders react to Him. So, Mark’s gospel is not chronological but put together in concepts. So, let’s define who Jesus is going to be arguing with.

Scribes – In pre-exile days of the nation of Israel, scribes were responsible for the care and storage of documents, and eventual copying of documents, including legal findings, laws, and deeds of purchase, etc. Over time they became known as “doctors of the law.” Because they were so familiar with the actual biblical documents and the commentaries of other teachers about the books of the Bible. By the time of Jesus, “The main business of the scribes was teaching and interpreting the law.”[1] They were essentially religious lawyers.

Spiritual Blindness (vv. 2:1-12)

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

(v. 1) “it was reported that he was at home” – word gets out that Jesus was back home, so people began to flood to see and hear Him. Many gathered so that there was a great crowd, “And he was preaching the word to them.” Jesus left the previous town because (even though there were great crowds) they would not receive his preaching – but here the focus of the evening was preaching and not healing.

The men bring their paralyzed friend but can’t get through the crowd. They go up to the roof, tear away the tiles (unroof the roof) and lower the man down in front of Jesus. “when Jesus saw their faith” – the four men showed faith in Jesus’ ability to heal their friend by going to great effort to get their friend close to Jesus. They believed that Jesus had the capability to heal their friend.

The scribes are mentioned in Mark 1:21 “And they were astonished at his [Jesus’] teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” So, word had spread of Jesus returning to Capernaum, so the scribes go and see what his teaching was like (for themselves).

Jesus is expected to heal the man, but Jesus once again focuses on teaching and preaching. He is making a point, “that all suffering is rooted in man’s separation from God. For this reason, Jesus must call attention here to man’s deepest need; otherwise the testimony of this healing would be nothing more than the story of a remarkable miracle.”[2]

(v. 7) ““Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Blasphemy is irreverent, profane, impious speech about God; and its penalty in the Old Testament was death (Lev. 24:16).

The scribes are right – Jesus was claiming to be able to forgive sin, and only God can forgive sin (Isa. 43:25); Therefore, Jesus has to be God in order to forgive sin. “Their fatal error was in not recognizing who Jesus really was – the Son of God who has the authority to forgive sons.”[3] They “were not looking with open minds and hearts at a work of amazing mercy and power. They could see nothing but a departure from their tradition.”[4]

(v. 10) “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Jesus preached and taught the Word of God, Then He presented a situation where there can be no question as to His claim to be God, and then proves His claim by healing the man.

“Here appears for the first of fourteen times in Mark the term, “Son of Man.”[5] It was Jesus’s favorite way to refer to himself. It was ambiguous in that it could refer to a supernatural being; It could mean humanity or divinity. “By using the term, Jesus forced people to make up their minds as to what kind of person he was.”[6] The term “Son of Man” was also a reference to His destiny. The one who is truly human must suffer and die. But this same person is more than a man, and he must also be raised from the dead and return to glory.

(v. 12) ““We never saw anything like this!” – Here is a clear distinction between the Jewish religion and Christianity.

Earn Your Spot (vv. 2:13-17)

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

(v. 13) “as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” With the fishermen who were called to be disciples, there was a connection to John the Baptist, and a seeking for the Savior. Here, with Matthew, there seems to be no relationship other than Matthew hearing the Word preached “by the sea.” If you were religious, and were following Jesus’ ministry the absolute last person expected to be called a disciple by a teacher would be a hated tax collector. This was not acceptable conduct by a Jewish teacher.

“Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” – the call of Christ upon your life is one of action. Matthew got up, and began walking with Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is moving – not sitting around waiting for the world to come to him; he is moving with Jesus.

The question of the scribes of the Pharisees causes us to ask the question, “How long does it take for a person to no longer be considered a “sinner?”

Jesus is being criticized for associating with undesirable people, sinners. Mark is wanting to show how Jesus’ presence in their lives changed them. He is reenforcing the idea that Jesus can forgive sin, “for there were many who followed him,” Many who? There were people who the religious scribes saw as sinners, but as they circle around Jesus, he has forgiven their sin.

Jesus’ message begins in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” There were people who repented and believed the gospel, yet would still be called “sinners” by the scribes. Jesus is not saying remain in your sin – no He is preaching repent (turn from) of your sin.

He is not saying that robbing people, or prostituting your body, or in any way sinning is ok to continue doing – but if you desire to be forgiven of that sin, to turn from it, Jesus, as the Son of God, would forgive you – and these people were circling around Jesus. It was the scribes who continued to call them “sinners.”

This is the difference between the Jewish and Christian concept to the forgiveness of sin, “No jew would have denied that God forgave people of their sin. It was the assertion ‘that God loves and saves them as sinners without waiting for them to become righteous an deserving of salvation . . . repentance to them would have meant evidence of change and the adherence to the Law’s regulations.’”[7] Why would Jesus sit at a table and eat with people who had not shown themselves to be righteous?

(v. 17) “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – I think this is Jesus using sarcasm. “You are righteous (in your mind), you don’t want to have anything to do sinners, I’ll focus on them, and you guys do you.”

“Jesus’ call is to salvation, and in order to share it, there must be a recognition of need. A self-righteous man is incapable of recognizing that need, but a sinner can.”[8] No Jew would deny that the Messiah would save them from sin, but they would need to assert that God loves them and saves them as sinners.

The law was given by God and for mankind (before Jesus) was to be followed. But over time, religious leaders and teachers added to the law rules that they felt would keep people breaking the law – a wall in front of the law. So, between the law and the wall was a grey area. Jesus made the religious leaders angry because He kept jumping over the wall, and running around in that grey area.

Doing Things That Don’t Make Sense (vv. 2:18-22)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

In the Old Testament law the only required fast is on the Day of Atonement.[9] However, over time, more and more annual feasts were added by the religious leaders, so that by the time of Jesus, truly religious and pious people were fasting twice a week.

How do the people know that John’s disciples and the Pharisees are fasting? How do they know that Jesus’ disciples are not fasting? So the people have been observing religious people, and Jesus and His disciples are claiming to be religious (teaching and preaching in synagogues and along the sea, etc.) Because that’s what religious/pious people do.

In response to the people’s question, Jesus gives a series of three illustrations (a wedding, a piece of cloth, and wineskin). Explain. Why would you fast at a feast? Why sew unshrunk cloth to a shrunk cloth? Why put new wine in an old wineskin? Jesus says, “these things don’t make sense.”

Also, in each example that Jesus gives, there is something old being connected to something new. Singles now wedded (married people can’t act single), old cloth connected to new cloth, old leather coming into contact with new wine.

 There is a constant tension between the old and the new. Damage is done by trying to keep the two at the same time. Jesus’ new cannot be contained by the old traditions of the religious leaders. We must not try to limit what God is doing now, because it doesn’t fit into what we have experienced in the past. Remember these old practices are keeping people from the forgiveness of sin – they are keeping people away from God.

Tradition First, People Second (vv. 2:23-28)

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

“Much more significant to Judaism than fasting was the observance of the sabbath. The sacredness of the day was traced back to God’s creative work (Gen. 2:1-3), and the charge to keep the sabbath day holy is one of the ten commandments (Ex. 20:8-11).”[10]

“The main point at issue was not the act of harvesting the heads of grain (v. 23). Such activity as Jesus and his disciples were involved in was explicitly allowed in the law: “If you enter your neighbor’s grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain” (Duet. 23:25). What the Pharisees objected to (v. 24) was doing this (regarded as reaping) on the Sabbath.”[11]

Jesus responds to their accusation by asking them a question from 1 Samuel 21:1-6, where David and the men with him were hungry and they ate consecrated bread, “twelve loaves baked of fine flour, arranged in two rows or piles on the table in the Holy Place. Fresh bread was brought into the sanctuary each Sabbath to replace the old ones that were then eaten by the priests.[12]

Jesus is not saying that the Sabbath law has not been technically broken but that such violations under certain conditions are warranted. Human need is higher than religious ritualism.

Hardness of Heart (3:1-6)

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

 By the time we get to Mark’s fifth story of Jesus’ encounters with the religious leaders, we see that instead of accepting him as the Son of God, or Messiah, or Son of Man they are intentionally looking “so that they might accuse him,” and “how to destroy him.” They were there not to worship God, but to catch Jesus.

 Notice that they fully believed that Jesus had the ability to heal, “And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath.” So, the issue was not could He heal, but would He heal “on the Sabbath.” Think about their reasoning; it is better for a man to suffer another 24 hours, than to be healed.

Why were they so angry with Jesus? Jesus refuses to submit to the adding on of man’s traditions. He didn’t recognize the Jewish leader’s skewed interpretation of the law (which He is the author). Even in the fact of healing proof, they held to the traditions of men.

Why is Jesus so angry with the religious leaders? Because he was “grieved at their hardness of heart.”[13] They are accusing Jesus of breaking the sabbath, while at the same time plotting to kill him. They don’t see the hypocrisy in their own hearts. It is more important for these religious leaders to hold on to an old way, even if it is keeping sinners away from God.

_________________________

[1] This consisted mainly in the transmission of traditional legal judgements, known as HALACHAH, and distinguished from HAGGADAH, or edifying religious discourse. The scribes’ real interest – and this applied especially to the Pharisaic scribes – was less in the plain meaning of the text than in the preservation of the legal system built upon it. . . . It  was to their faithful transmission of the religion of Israel in the Greek and Roman periods that we owe the preservation of our OT scriptures, together with the foundations in Judaism of the Christian religion.” George Arthur Buttrick, Dictionary Editor, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, R-Z (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1962) 248.

[2] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 632.

[3] Geabelein, 633.

[4] Buttrick, 671.

[5] James A. Brook, The New American Commentary, Volume 23, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1991) 59.

[6] Brooks, 59.

[7] Clifton Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1969) 281.

[8] Geabelein, 635.

[9] Lev. 16:29, 31; 23:27-32; Num. 29:7

[10] Allen, 284.

[11] Geabelein, 637.

[12] Exod. 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev. 24:5-9.

[13] “According to the passage in Romans 1:18-32, the wrath (or anger) of God followed this pattern: (1) men who knew God nevertheless did not honor him but followed their own willful thoughts: (2) this resulted in futile thinking: “their senseless minds were darkened” (v. 21); (3) God gave them up to themselves, their own choices, their own baseness; (4) they received in their own persons the due penalty for their error” (v. 27); and (5) they came finally, no matter what they may have understood earlier to be right, blindly approve of evil (v. 32). This description of the workings of God’s wrath is also a description of hardness of heart.” Allen, 287.

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “Remaining Focused On Your Calling In A World of Distractions” Mark 1:14-45

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

Remaining Focused On Your Calling In A World of Distractions

Mark 1:14-45

Introduction

“We say we turn to our phones when we’re “bored.” And we often find ourselves bored because we have become accustomed to a constant feed of connection, information, and entertainment. We are forever elsewhere. At class or at church or business meetings, we pay attention to what interests us and then when it doesn’t, we look to our devices to find something that does. There is now a word in the dictionary called “phubbing.” It means maintaining eye contact while texting.”[1]

Today we are going to see that Jesus is having to fight really hard to stay focused on His purpose in ministry. There are distractions that are constantly trying to derail his ministry. As a disciple of Christ, you too have a ministry that you are constantly being tempted to abandon. Let’s see how Jesus stays focused.

Prayer

Jesus Knows His Ministry (vv. 14-15)

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

We don’t know how much time has passed, but Jesus has emerged from his 40 days of being tempted in the wilderness. John’s arrest gives us a rough estimate of time, “after John was arrested.”[2] “Mark placed the beginning of Jesus’ ministry after the imprisonment of John.”[3] Jesus then goes into Galilee and is “proclaiming the gospel of God” – Here the “gospel means, for Mark, the message of Jesus himself.”[4]

Having started his ministry, Mark wants us to understand clearly that this message is about God (Jesus is the Son of God), and it is from God (the gospel of God) – it is not a manmade, human thought up myth.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” – “The time” means the time foreseen by prophets, the time fixed in God’s foreknowledge; “The hour has struck.”[5] The Jewish people had longed for God to reestablish his earthly kingdom, where they would be His chosen people amongst all the other nations. The coming king would overthrow all empires that threaten His people, and he would reign as king.

Jesus says, this reigning of God on the earth, “the kingdom of God” is here. He is taking back territory, He is building His kingdom now. So how do we make sure that we don’t miss this “kingdom of God that is at hand?” Jesus says, one must, “repent and believe in the gospel.”

They were to believe that what God had promised in the Old Testament books was now being brought forth, “The time is fulfilled.” Jesus is saying “A new order is at hand. Get a new mind that fits it.”[6]

The good news (gospel) of God’s kingdom being brought back is here – but they didn’t understand that this kingdom would be men’s souls, and their territory He would be getting back would be people not pieces of land, but men’s hearts.

Jesus Must Pass On The Ministry (vv. 16-20)

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus surrounds himself with a group or people who will be with him all the way through his ministry. They will be able to give an account of what he did, what he said, and how others reacted to him. Jesus wants the gospel to spread to “the uttermost.”

“Follow me”— is a technical term for discipleship. Jewish teachers called their disciples to follow them: one would not presume to follow without an invitation. “The call to come after someone implies discipleship because it is the disciple who breaks all other ties to follow his master as a servant.”[7]

And the phrase, “fishers of men” was an Old Testament figure of speech (Jeremiah 16:16) – where God was sending fishermen and hunters to catch/restore Israel. In the Jeremiah and other Old Testament passages – God playing the role of fisherman is ominous in tone, one of judgement.

We find ourselves surrounded by the net, and we are hunted like prey by evil – Jesus’ disciples (like in Jeremiah 16) reverse the tables and become the fisherman, seeking to catch and release men from their sin. Jesus came preaching, and the calling to His disciples is that they are be apart of restoring people back to God (away from judgment); restoring people to wholeness.

Mark emphasizes that “they left their nets” and “they left their father Zebedee” – being called by Jesus to become His disciples involves leaving something behind (break ties). Why is it important to emphasize what they left behind? Why not just say, “and they followed Jesus?”

 To follow Jesus you have to leave things behind – a sinful lifestyle, a way of thinking about God, family, your career path, what you think makes you safe, even how you think the world works – everything has to be laid down. We are going to see that the disciples constantly think they understand the world, only to have Jesus turn it upside down. The Message of the gospel has to spread – but it has to be the right version of the gospel, it has to be God’s version.

Jesus’ Presence Strikes Fear in the Heart (vv. 21-22)

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

 With several disciples, Jesus now travels about twenty miles to Capernaum, enters the synagogue there and “was teaching.” But Jesus’ teaching was distinctively different than other teachers of His day. “he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” – “The scribes were the official teachers or expounders of the Torah; as a member of a school, the scribe would teach what he learned from his master – viz., the scribal tradition.”[8]

The people reactions to Jesus’ teachings was astonishment; but this also conveys fear and alarm. Jesus taught with authority, meaning that there is no room for theological discussion, theoretical discussion, you were left with the impression that this was the Word of God. “In the presence of Jesus men are disturbed, and this disturbance is the precise act of fishing which Jesus had called the four fisherman.”[9]

Eventually, these disciples would be preaching on their own – and their preaching would also cause people to be amazed, astonished, and faced with the question of “what to do with Jesus?” Also, if we go back to (v. 15) “the kingdom of God” – as reclaiming the hearts of men, reigning in the hearts of men. Jesus is showing his disciples how to preach the truth of the gospel, and that when He is gone, will multiply to truth outward (a multiplication effect instead of one man).

 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”[10] 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

“In his excited cry three elements appear – recognition, repulsion, and dread. The repulsion is first expressed, then the dread, and then the recognition of his character, which of course, the foundation of both.”[11] The demons recognize what Jesus’ presence means, way before the people who are gathered around him understand.

Which do you think causes them more alarm, his teaching or the fact that he just cast out a demon? Look at their response, ““What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”[12]

Jesus Heals Many (vv. 29-34)

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

“And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him” – Jesus doesn’t want the demons to tell others about him. He also doesn’t want those he healed to tell others about Him. Why? This is a thread that runs through Mark, what scholars call the “Messianic Secret.” Jesus wants to reveal that He is the Messiah, but He wants to do it in such a way that the people understand.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee (vv. 35-39)

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Mark mentions Jesus going to a “desolate place” three times in his gospel (1:35; 1:45; 6:31-33), and in each reference it is after he/or the disciples have encountered large crowds of people and miracles were done. Jesus deliberately withdraws from the people to return to an area which has the characteristic of the wilderness where he encountered Satan and sustained temptation.[13]

Mark doesn’t tell us what happened when Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness but it seems to deal with the clamor of the crowds. He is turning from their praise, returning to a place which recalls his determination to fulfill the mission for which he has come into the world.

The disciples are looking around and seeing all the people, and want to continue to capitalize of Jesus’ growing popularity. “Everyone is looking for you.” Or “Why are you hiding when we have this opportunity for you to do more miracles! Look how popular you are!

In response to the crowds looking for Jesus, He says let’s go to the next town, “that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” Jesus does not want to become a miracle worker side show. He wants to preach the “good news of the gospel.” The disciples think it’s all about the popularity, the show, the numbers. Jesus does not want the people to misunderstand why He is there.

The crowds response were not appropriate because it did not involve repentance of sin, but attraction to Jesus as a performer of miracles (how Jesus made them feel).[14] Jesus could heal thousands and thousands of people, yet if they don’t repent of their sin, and place their faith in Christ, you haven’t done anything with the eternal, what ultimately really matters.

“and there he prayed” – Jesus separating himself to pray occurs three times in Mark, here at the beginning of his ministry, “in the middle after the feeding of the five thousand (6:46), and at the conclusion in the Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42)” – These are all three critical moments in His ministry.

Why is this a crisis point? Because there is the danger to fail in His mission before He even gets started. “The crisis is the shallow and superficial response of the people to Jesus.”[15] The people of Capernaum had no interest in Jesus beyond the miracles or any interest in coming under the reign of God.[16]

Jesus Cleanses a Leper (vv. 40-45)

40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

The leper did not stand at a distance nor was he yelling “unclean” as the law stated and as we see in other healings of lepers in the NT. The “leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling,” – He is showing himself to be a person who acts in his own self-interest, not thinking about how his actions affects others. “Desperation may not be the most noble motive for seeking help, but Jesus does not scorn it.” Jesus shows compassion toward his illness, but anger toward his heart.

The tone of how Jesus responds to the leper seems to be one of anger. “Moved with pity” – some translations have “moved with anger,” also, when Mark says, “sent him away,” it is the same phrase for driving out demons. Jesus shows compassion by touching him, when no one else would touch him, but it is clear that Jesus is angry about something.

He tells the man “sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone” “Don’t tell anyone, be quiet.” So does the man stay quiet? (v. 45) “But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news”

“The command was not obeyed. Now the former leper could go anywhere, in and out of the cities freely. But the one who healed him could no longer openly enter a town without the immediate crush of the crowd.”[17]

“The man had gotten his heart’s desire, but regarded not the heart’s desire of the Healer.”[18]

“Exuberant Rebellion” – the man acted out of his feelings, not according to the mission of God. This man is doing what seems right to him, in direct rebellion of clear teaching of Scripture; he is doing what feels good, despite clear instructions from the Lord. Mark ends this section with this man’s example. “I am going to use Jesus to get what I want, while at the same time ignoring what He has to say.”

__________________________

[1] Sherry Turkle, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, Penguin Publishing Group.

[2] “Mark apparently wants to show that John, the forerunner, completed his God-appointed task; and only after that had occurred did Jesus enter his ministry.” Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Press, 1984) 624.

[3] James A. Brooks, The New American Commentary, Volume 23, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1991) 46.

[4] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1951) 655.

[5] Buttrick, 657.

[6] Ibid, 656.

[7] William L. Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993) 67.

[8] Buttrick, 660.

[9] Lane, 72.

[10] “It was commonly believed that if one knew the name of the demonic power, he might exorcise it.”  Clifton Allen, General Editor, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1969) 275.  Also see, Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1984) 627.

[11] W. N. Clarke, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 2 Mark and Luke (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1950) 25.

[12] C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

[13] Lane, 81.

[14] Ibid, 82.

[15] Gaebelein. 629.

[16] Brooks, 53.

[17] Allen, Volume 8, 278

[18] Clarke, 31.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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