Pharisees

“Questions” Mark 12:13-34

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

“Questions”

Mark 12:13-34

Introduction

I want us to begin our study of Mark 12:13-34 by jumping to v. 30-31, we will look at the heart of this body of Mark’s gospel because it will help us better understand it, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In whatever theological, political, historical, or personal opinion you or I may have – everything that we are and do, should come from a complete love of God, and for our fellow man (regardless of color, nation of origin, level of income, or beliefs).

Prayer

Are You a Republican or a Democrat? (vv. 13-17)

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

With this first group (there are three separate encounters that Mark gives us), we see that they are sent (from a larger group), with the specific task of trapping Jesus “in his talk.” They are trying to get Jesus to make an unguarded statement, to slip up, that they could use against Him. They want a sound bite that they can replay again, and again, to destroy Jesus’ credibility.

Luke calls this group, “spies who feigned themselves to be righteous,” and their plot was to deliver Jesus into the hands of the governor. The Herodians were strangers to Jesus, and would have served as witnesses whose word would have gone further than any of the Pharisees with the governor. They are pretending to have this argument between their groups, and want Jesus to help them settle the dispute.[1] They are trying to camouflage their true intent.

“The land of Palestine was under the rule of the Romans, and the Jews were essentially captives under the rule of the Romans. Some Jews went along with this quite willingly, and as a consequence were able to profit considerably (tax gatherers, etc.).”[2] Other Jews resisted and fought against the Romans. This was a question about a poll tax imposed on the Jewish people by the Roman government.

By the time of Jesus, the poll had been in place beginning around 6AD. It led to a revolt in Jerusalem in 66AD, revolutionaries found a following, and eventually was one of the major factors leading to the destruction of the temple in 70AD. It also, led to a group called the Zealots – which was a political patriotic Jewish group.

The Zealots refused to pay the tax because it acknowledged Caesar’s domination over them. They would not even look upon a coin which bore an image.[3] A Jewish person had to pay the annual tribute in the emperor’s silver coins.[4] “This question was therefore an essentially political one, aimed to elicit Jesus’ stance with regard to the ‘Zealot’ ideology.[5]

We have seen a hint of this ideology in Mark 6:42 ff. as the feeding of the feeding of the five thousand miracle was drawing to a close, “And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”

Why did Jesus push the disciples to leave? Because there were a group there that were trying to force Jesus to start a revolution (according to their ideology), so Jesus stopped that group, but He didn’t want the disciples, at that point, to get caught up in the politics.

As a Galilean Jesus would not have been required to pay the poll tax, which applied only to those residing in areas under direct Roman authority (like Judea). But they want to use his answer against Him. This could have been his out to this question – it doesn’t affect me, so I’m not going to answer.

Judas of Galilee (not Jesus’ disciple) had led a revolt in 6AD and for him the issue had been as much theological as political. “The historian Josephus described his [Judas] calling to revolt in these terms: ‘He called his fellow countrymen cowards for being willing to pay tribute to the Romans and for putting up with mortal masters in place of God. The theology underlying such language is that allegiance to God and Rome as a pagan occupying power are fundamentally incompatible.”[6]

There is no answer that Jesus could give that would make everyone happy. If Jesus said ‘yes’ then he would alienate the Jewish patriots. If Jesus said ‘no’ then he could be reported to the authorities as a rebel.

(v. 15) “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one.” The coin had a stamped faced of Tiberius, and said, “Son of the divine Augustus.” For a Jewish person, it would have been religiously and politically offensive – it was carrying around a ‘graven image’ and that a man was claiming to be God. The Jewish people avoided this by carrying another copper currency – but the Pharisees and Herodians have no problem getting their hands on a denarius. Jesus wasn’t carrying this idolatrous coin, but one them had one very handy.

But Jesus is actually making an even deeper statement, than just catching them in their hypocrisy, by requesting the coin. (v. 17) “Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Jesus is saying that there can be obligations to the state (honor to those who hold positions, paying required taxes, following the law), and to God, and both can be maintained at the same time.[7]

To be loyal to God, does not necessarily mean civil disobedience (because the government is not theocracy). The coin bears the image of Caesar, what image does your heart bear? The Zealots would only be happy when the kingdom returns to a theocracy run by a king (either what we want, exactly how we feel it should be, or nothing).

Who are the Zealots of today? These are those that claim to be Christian, but cannot even look at, interact with, a society they feel has compromised their interpretation of Scripture. They do not completely love God, and they do not love their neighbor as much as they love themselves.

(v. 17) “And they marveled at him,” is their response to Jesus’ ability to escape their trap. This issue is much more important that Jesus doing verbal judo. How we deal with the issue of politics shows the world our heart towards God, and towards our fellow man. Bellevue Baptist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and we must be careful that in our disciple making process ends where our personal opinions, emotions, feelings, begin. Our means of shaping the world is the gospel, when we get the voting booth and the baptistry mixed up – we are headed toward decline.

What Are Your Pronouns? (vv. 18-27)

18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died.[8] 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

First off, the Sadducees did not even believe in an afterlife, nor a resurrection. So, the fact that they design their question around the resurrection, “who say that there is no resurrection” Mark is showing us their hypocrisy and warns us that they are trying to trap Jesus. But instead of it being a political trap, this question is a theological trap.

The issue that the Sadducees bring up is “what happens with relationships, specifically marriage bonds, in the afterlife?” If a person marries, and then remarries, etc. who will be their spouse in eternity? They remove the question of whether the marriages are legitimate by crafting a scenario based on a passage of Scripture.

It is a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 25:5-6, “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” There was the cultural belief that the man lives on through the continuation of the family line.

Jesus suggests that the earthly perspective is not an appropriate view in eternity. Individuals will not be bonded together, but will be individuals, like angels (Luke tells us that the Sadducees don’t believe in angels). Earthly life is temporary; therefore, children need to be brought into this world for repopulation. God has established marriage as the context, between a man and woman, to raise that child. But in heaven, this will not be the case.

This question focuses on a current controversy on which the dominant groups in Jerusalem were sharply divided. So, again if he chooses one side over the other, then Jesus becomes alienated from the opposing side of the argument.

But, Jesus seeks to respond not only to the surface level question, but also to the foundational belief underneath. He says they are wrong for a couple of reasons, “because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God

(v. 26) “‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” – Jesus is referencing the scene of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:6. God has been the guide, the protector, the sustainer, helper, etc. of the fathers, and God promises salvation and deliverance to His people. “If God has assumed the task of protecting the patriarchs from misfortune during the course of their life, but fails to deliver them from the supreme misfortune which marks the definitive and absolute check upon their hopes, his protection is of little value.”[9]

If the death of these men (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) is the last word of their history, there has been a serious breach of the promises God guaranteed by the covenant.

(v. 27) “He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” – If a person thinks that this is all that there is, there is nothing waiting for them but for them to cease to exist, then Jesus says, “you are quite wrong.” If you believe that your decisions and actions on this earth, mean noting after you draw your last breath, then “you are quite wrong.”

Jesus has told the disciples that He will die, but will be raised again three days later, and if you think that his death burial and resurrection mean nothing to you, except how you live now, “you are quite wrong.” God is the God of the living, Jesus is alive, everyone who has every been born in this world is alive – if you know Christ, you have life (eternal), and if you are not saved, then you still have life eternal, but you are eternally separated from God, which is what the Bible calls hell.

Jesus is not cute in his response to the Sadducees, he says, (v. 25) “For when they rise from the dead” – where we spend eternity is not a question of if, but when. We are not talking about how many angels can fit on the head of a needle (who cares), but where you spend eternity is incredibly important to know and understand. God keeps His promises in this life, and in the life to come.

Who Are the Sadducees of Today? They brought certain presuppositions to the Scripture (anti-supernatural, no afterlife, no angels, etc.) so that when they opened up the Scriptures, they ignored what was right in front of them, because of the false beliefs they brought with them.

They deceive themselves by drawing a false conclusion from Duet. 25:5, and Jesus replies, “because you did not know the Scriptures.” When one does not believe the Word of God, or so mishandles it, one will not have “the power of God.”

Remember Satan appealed the Scriptures when he tempted Jesus – “the Saduccees are appealing to the Scriptures falsely; Jesus crushed their argument by appealing to the Scriptures truly.”[10]

Where Should I Focus My Life? (vv. 28-34)

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices[11].” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark now gives us, yet another religious leader (a scribe) but their interaction is quite different from the previous two. The scribe is moved by Jesus’ previous responses, which leads him to ask his own question, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” The Jewish law included 613 commandments, so it is understandable that someone may want to group them and organize them in some way, and “He seems to be asking Jesus what he understood to be the fundamental purpose and character of the law.”[12]

The rabbis often discussed which commandments were “heavy” and which ones were “lite,” and sometimes ranked certain categories of the law as more essential than others.[13]

(v. 33) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” – all is repeated four times, we are to be completely, wholly devoted to God. Everything that makes a person is to be fully devoted to the relationship with God. “The four following phrases are not condensed: ‘out of thy whole heart, soul, mind, and strength,’ but are spread out so as to put emphasis on each one.”[14] Also, heart is first, then soul, then mind, and last strength.

The scribe, in spite of all the plotting and scheming to trap with words, and seeking to kill Jesus (that he is more than likely aware of) – this scribe is able to see past all out that hear Jesus’ words, see his reaction to the hate, and begins to open his heart to the Savior. The scribe is able to cut through the politics, the doctrinal differences, the hateful statements – all of it. Jesus’ response to this man is not the same as the others – He does not lump all religious leaders together. He is gentle, conversational, and complementary.

(v. 34) “when Jesus saw that he answered wisely” – the original language uses the word “nounechos, from nous (intellect) and echo (to have). Using the mind to good effect is what the adverb means.”[15] “When Jesus saw that he had used his brain . . .”

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”— The scribe is so close, what is his next step? He needed to realize that he had not loved God nor his neighbor in the way God commands, he would realize that he has sinned against God. He needed a Savior – he was there right in front of him, “not far.”

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[1] R. C. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1964) 517.

[2] Larry W. Hurtado, New International Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 192.

[3] William L. Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993) 423.

[4] Hurtado, 192.

[5] R.T. France, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002) 465.

[6] France, 465.

[7] Romans 13:1-17; 1 Peter 2:13-17; 1 Tim. 2:1-6; Titus 3:1f.

[8] The Sadducees are attempting to use reductio ad absurdum to prove their side of the argument.

[9]

[10] Lenski, 530.

[11] 1 Sam. 15:22

[12] Larry W. Hurtado, New International Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2001) 200.

[13] France, 477. One method was to judge by the severity of the penalty attached. Thus some teachers magnified the commandments about the sacrifices, other Sabbath laws, others the law and regulations about circumcision.” (Lenski, 535).

[14] Lenski, 538.

[15] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 369.

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “Are Your Hearts Hardened?” Mark 8:1-21

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

“Are Your Hearts Hardened?”

Mark 8:1-21

Introduction

The Invisible Gorilla

Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons conducted an experiment at Harvard University more than a decade ago that became infamous in psychology circles. Their book The Invisible Gorilla popularized it.

The two researchers filmed students passing basketballs while moving in a circular fashion. In the middle of the short film, a woman dressed in a gorilla suit walks into the frame, beats her chest, and walks out of the frame. The sequence takes nine seconds in the minute-long video. Viewers are given specific instructions.:

“Count the number of passes by players wearing white shirts.” Of course, the researchers were not interested in their pass-counting ability They wanted to see if the viewers would notice something they weren’t looking for, something as obvious as a gorilla. Amazingly, half of the test group did not.

How is this possible? How do you miss the gorilla in the room? (see video below) [1]

Prayer

What Do You Mean, “How Can We Feed These People?” (vv. 1-10).

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets[2] full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

This passage, “makes it evident that Mark saw both feeding miracles as important revelations of Jesus’ significance. His devoting space to two accounts of the same sort of miracle suggests that each one had for him a special significance and that neither could be omitted without losing something important.”[3] So what do we gain from the second miracle, that we don’t see in the first?

(v. 1) “again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat ,” The accounts in chapter 6 and here is chapter 8 are so similar that some scholars believe them to be duplicates of one occasion, but “Both Mark and Matthew give both miracles, distinguish the words for baskets (kophinos, sphuris), and both make Jesus later refer to both incidents and use these two words with the same distinction (Mark 8:19f.; Matthew 16:9f.).”[4] This second feeding of Four Thousand is to a Gentile audience.

In this second miracle of feeding the great crowd there is less detail given than in the first miracle – no mention of the color of the grass, how the people were groups together and their appearance of a flower garden, just the bare basics of the miracle.[5] So the emphasis is not on the miracle itself, or Jesus’ ability to do this miracle; instead the focus seems to be on the disciples, and how they respond to the situation of needing to come up with food to feed many people.

Previously in chapter 6, when Jesus asked them to feed the people, they said, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” There suggestion was that they could go and buy bread, but for that many people it would be very expensive (Jesus do you really want to spend that much money?) In chapter 8, the disciples say, (v. 4) “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” – there is no place to go and get the bread.

The two separate feedings and the reaction by the disciples (like they don’t even recall that this exact same thing had already occurred) drives us to ask the questions, “How can the disciples miss this?”

No Sign Will Be Given to The Hard Hearted (vv. 11-13)

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

“What they asked for was something like the manna (John 6:31), or a thunderstorm from a clear sky (1 Sam. 12:18) or fire from heaven, such as came to Elijah (1 Kings 18), or the signs of Joel 2:30, 31. There was the popular impression that, although miracles upon the earth might be spurious and deceptive, signs from heaven could not be counterfeited. It was expected that they would accompany the Messiah, and therefore Jesus was repeatedly asked to fulfill this expectation.”[6]

But the request for a sign from Jesus was not genuine. Jesus refuses because of their unbelief. They are not doubting Jesus’ ability to perform miracles, they are asking for a higher miracle, one that would prove it is from God (i.e. the heavens) instead of working with Satan, as He has already been accused of.[7]

These leaders knew by now, that Jesus would not do miracles upon demand, so they repeatedly ask for a sign in the heavens. Jesus knows their hearts, Jesus himself was the true sign from heaven, the living witness to the present God. Jesus was in the Father, and the Father was in Him – if you were blind to that fact, no sign would remove that blindness.

(v. 12) “And he sighed deeply in his spirit,” – the word anastenazo, is found only here in the NT. “It describes Jesus’ grief and disappointment when faced with unbelief of those who, because of their spiritual privileges, ought to be more responsive to him.”[8] They knew the Bible backwards and forwards, and could quote whole books of the OT. “But, through their stubbornness and rebellion, they remained blind and deaf while others were healed.”[9] The problem is the will not the intellect.

How many signs did they need to show that He was who He said He was? How many miracles, casting out demons, and explanations and teachings does Jesus need to do before a person believes Him? For the Pharisees, it was just one more.

In Luke 16:31is the story of the rich man and Lazarus where they both die and the rich man goes to Hades and Lazarus goes to Paradise. The rich man wants to warn his living brothers of the torment so He asks Abraham to let him warn them, so Abraham, “said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Eventually, Jesus will rise from the dead, and this same group instead of being convinced, seek to cover it up, and pay the soldiers to lie.

We have all the miracles and teachings required for one to place their trust in Jesus in the Bible. We have the complete Word of God, and it is sufficient. Ask yourself, if I don’t believe, what do I really need to place my faith in Christ, and is it really a lack of evidence, or is your heart just refusing to repent and bow before the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.? Is it simply a love of sin, and pride?

(v. 13) “And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side” – Jesus doesn’t give them a sign, he doesn’t continue the conversation with them, He just gets in the boat and leaves. Sometimes there is nothing more to say or do – He left them in their unbelief and blindness.

Taking Responsibility for One’s Own Spiritual Journey (vv.14-21)

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

After the conflict with the Pharisees, the disciples realize that of the seven (giant) baskets full of bread, they only have one single loaf (to feed all of them). So they are all in a boat, Jesus is reviewing in his mind the conflict with the Pharisees (where He sighed deeply), and is wanting to discuss this in their ministry going forward, Jesus says, (v. 15) “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The leaven that Jesus is referring to is their influence – the beliefs and teachings of the Pharisees could grow and influence them (the disciples). Therefore, you have to watch out, be on guard. It is something that corrupts.

So what is the influence of the Pharisees? Seeking a Sign, while being hard hearted. Jesus wants them to understand that the authority that he possesses cannot be proved by a sign. Only by faith can they recognize him as the bringer of God’s salvation.[10] In light of all the miracles Jesus has done, and in light of all His teaching they cannot see Him for who He truly is because of their pride. Their influence was just being hard-hearted.

Watch Out So that You Do Not Become Hard Hearted!

What is the influence of Herod? We only see Herod mentioned in Mark 6:14-29. When he discovers that he made a vow to give a girl anything, and she asks for John the Baptist’s head on a platter – he gives in instead of breaking his vow and being embarrassed in front of the leaders present at the banquet. Herod is unwilling to do what is right if it meant looking bad before the crowd because of pride.

Watch Out So That Pride Does Not Keep You From Doing What Is Right!

It is hard heartedness and pride that is keeping other leaders from understanding who Jesus really is. Here the disciples are in danger of not understanding who Jesus really is.

(v. 16) “And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.” – The disciples have completely missed what Jesus was saying and trying to teach them. So Jesus rebukes them, and “This rebuke is the harshest comment on the dullness of the disciples thus far in Mark and describes them in language borrowed from the OT where rebellious Israel is condemned for disobedience to God and an unwillingness to hear his prophetic word (eg. Ps. 95:8; Isa. 63:17 “hardness” of heart).”[11]

In response to their dullness to the spiritual events surrounding them, and the conversations that Jesus is having with others (and even them) Jesus asks them a series of questions;

1. “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Jesus has asked them this question already in Mark 4:13 when discussing a parable, “And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”

Here the questions are more intense’; they have been with Jesus too long for them not to be able to perceive spiritually what is going on around them. This is the third and final trip across the sea and the disciples are in the same state of failure to understand as did the first two trips (4:40-41; 6:51-52, 8:21).

Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.” We are responsible for our own spiritual journey – take whatever steps you need to take to grow in your relationship with Christ. Coasting, just going along is not acceptable – you are responsible for your own faith journey. Maturity carries with it responsibility.

2. (v.17) “Are your hearts hardened?” – They are acting like those on the outside, even though they have had an insiders view of His ministry. Mark 4:11-12 “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.’” Have you heard the gospel so many times that it no longer moves you – have you heard the stories of Jesus’ miracles that they no longer astound you!

3. (v. 18) Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? This is the scripture Jesus quoted earlier in the book of Mark 4 when teaching parables to the crowd.[12] The disciples (those on the inside) were told what the parable of the soils meant, but the crowd (those outside) was left not fully understanding the various soils, and seed, etc.

Now, the disciples are placing themselves in the place of those outside by not perceiving the spiritual implications of what is going on. It is moving beyond just not getting it, to being obstinate and hard headed. It’s like they are not even trying to grasp Jesus’ teachings and what He is trying to do among the people.

The words also echo the prophet Jeremiah’s description of “foolish and senseless people” who are stubborn (Jer. 5:21, 23), and Ezekiel’s description of “rebellious people.”[13]

4. And do you not remember? Jesus then walks them back through the two miracles, and the disciples know the facts (twelve baskets, seven baskets, etc). But they aren’t putting in the effort to put the facts together into a bigger picture.

(v. 21) “And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” The disciples are suffering from the same spiritual blindness that the Pharisees have. They can’t see how the feeding of the five thousand and here the feeding of the four thousand are the same. They still don’t see Jesus as the answer to the need they have (bread, hunger).

A shallow perception of Jesus is very dangerous. “Jesus was not just a prophet or wonder-worker but the Son of God, whose ministry not only brought fulfillment to the prophetic hope of Israel but also was the basis for the preaching of salvation to the whole world.”[14]

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[1] Mark Batterson, The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible, Baker Books .

[2] The word used for basket (spyris) is the same type of basket mentioned where Paul was lowered from the wall of Damascus in Acts 9:25. “Whereas a kophinos is a wicker basket in which Jews ordinarily carried their food when journeying.” Frank E. Geabelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 687. Also, they are in a desolate place, where do they get 7 baskets large enough to put men into? Where did they get these large baskets and what were they used for in such a desolate place?

[3] Larry W. Hurtado, New International Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 1989) 121.

[4] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 329.

[5] W. N. Clarke, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 3 (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1950) 111.

[6] Clarke, 112.

[7] Geabelein, 688. Mark 3:22 “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.”

[8] Geabelein, 688.

[9] Max Anders, General Editor, Holman New Testament Commentary, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2000) 133.

[10] Geabelein, 689.

[11] Max Anders, 126.

[12] Jeremiah 5:21

[13] Daryl D. Schmidt, The Scholar’s Bible, The Gospel of Mark (Sonoma, California; Polebridge Press, 1990) 94.

[14] Hurtado, 128.

“Teaching as Doctrines the Commandments of Men” Mark 7:1-23

Drew Boswell Ministries

“Teaching as Doctrines the Commandments of Men” Mark 7:1-23

00:00 / 00:49:10

1 Thessalonians Sermon Series Standing Firm: Foundational Doctrine For New Believers “Standing Firm In Service to Christ” 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

1 Thessalonians Sermon Series

Standing Firm: Foundational Doctrine For New Believers

Standing Firm In Service to Christ

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Introduction

Paul, Silas, and Timothy, having left because of persecution, have written a letter to the new church in Thessalonica where they are essentially answering the criticism of “Paul and his associates are deluded individuals who for selfish reasons and with trickery are trying to exploit the people.”[1]

I. How Far Are You Willing to Go to Share the Gospel? (vv. 1-2)

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

(v. 1) “our coming to you was not in vain” – the word vain can mean something without content, or does not have a result. Paul is expanding what he said in 1:5, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” Another way of interpreting vain is “empty-handed.”

Later in the text he defends his ministry with them and says that he was not trying to take something from them (leaving them empty-handed) instead he was bringing them something. As in the parable of the bad tenants in Mark 12:3 “And they took him [the servant of the owner sent to get the fruit] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.”[2]

No builder (as Paul was) likes to have his work torn down, or to spend his time in vain. By the way, it is very hard to build; it is very easy to tear down what someone else has built. It was not a waste of time for the missionaries to share the gospel in Thessalonica. It is not a waste of time to share the gospel, especially amongst conflict.

(v. 2) Paul had moved from Philipi (Acts 16:12-40) to Thessalonica, and it was there they faced a very similar situation, “we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi.”

“we had boldness in our God” – Paul, Silas, and Timothy are going (all by themselves) into a major trade city, standing up in the Jewish temple and preaching about Jesus. That is bold. Then as a result of that boldness of preaching and sharing who Jesus is, there erupted “much conflict.” Then, they preached all the more.

Our boldness is not in our ability, or our group size, or how much money is in the bank. Our boldness is not rooted in anything that we can do or have control over – our boldness is in our God.

Matthew 14:28-31 “And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,5 he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

We don’t have to come up with what to say, it’s God’s gospel, not ours – “to declare to you the gospel of God.”

“to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict” Conflict has its roots in agoni (agony) and was an athletic term of striving in games. It could refer to both mental and physical agony.[3] Paul was in agony, striving in battle, to declare the gospel. We don’t quit when things get hard, reaching a lost world with the gospel will always be hard.

II. What is Your Motive in Sharing the Gospel? (vv. 3-8)

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

(v. 4) “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” – We who have been saved, and especially we who have been given this great gift of freedom, must remember the supreme trust that God has given us – the trust of His Word, the gospel. Paul says, in light of this awesome trust and responsibility, “so we speak.”

Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

We must be on guard that we never lose the wonder and weight of the gospel. We must not allow our hearts to get used to the gospel – when the net is being drawn at the end of the service is not the time to gather your coat.

Paul is defending their ministry of sharing the gospel against several false accusations (he was deluded, they were just in for the money, they were just like other charlatans going around from city-to-city selling their religion). For us, Paul gives us a list of characteristics that we should not follow our attempts to exercise the trust of sharing the gospel with the world:

from error or impurity

(v. 3) Paul reminds the Thessalonians that his “appeal” to them did not involve delusion (i.e. and error on Paul’s part), “impure motives” or trickery (a word that deals with how he preached) – a trio of words that reflect traditional charges against traveling charlatans of various sorts.”[4]

or any attempt to deceive – no deceptive practices were used to catch them, like a fish on a hook. They did not seek to trick them into believing in Christ.
not to please man, but to please God
words of flattery
nor with a pretext for greed – “a cloak of covetousness” a disguise to cover up greedy desires.
seek glory from people

In contrast to these things, Paul says we should imitate him, “gentle among you, like a nursing mother” This is Paul who was once Saul of Tarsus. In his early years was brutal, and held the coat of those stoning Christians. He hunted them down like animals and put them in prison. But Christ changed this brutal man’s heart, and now he sees these new Christians as precious children. Paul is a new creature in Christ, he was experienced the effects of the gospel and wants others to experience it as well. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The second characteristic that Paul shows to be very important in their evangelism strategy is “we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves” – “With the delivery of his message he delivers his heart, for they are truly dear to him.” We must give ourselves and our words to the message of the gospel. We must be two handed in our giving; with one hand we give the gospel, and with the other we give ourselves. “They held back nothing in their ministry.”[5]

This giving of ourselves is another expense – this hear-and-soul involvement with people is costly.[6] (v. 8) “being affectionately desirous of you, . . . because you had become very dear to us.” Lost people’s lives are messy, and if we are to live out the gospel in front of them, then they become apart of our lives. Many people want to drop a tract in a public restroom, or on the table after you eat out and call that evangelism. That’s not what I see in the New Testament – true evangelism costs you something.

III. Are You Willing to Work Twice-As-Hard So Someone Else Can Hear the Gospel? (vv. 9-12)

9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

In order to not be a burden to this new church, the missionaries burdened themselves, “we worked night and day.” They may have started in the early hours, or worked late into the night, probably at tentmaking (Acts 18:3), in order to be financially independent. They would preach and teach during the day, and at other times labor at making tents (early mornings, or late at night).

Paul, Timothy, and Silas bore the weight of taking care of their expenses while doing the work of evangelism because of its’ importance (and so that no one could accuse them of wanting to profit from their message).

In verse 7 Paul describes their leadership as being “gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” and here in verse 11 “like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you” Paul is using it as a reference to how more mature believers are to treat those they are discipling.

But it also is a window into the relationship between parents and children and why two parent homes, led by a father and mother, is so important. Women tend toward nursing and care, fathers tend toward exhortation, encouragement, and charging.

Paul says that he gives not only the gospel, he also gives his life. He is compassionate and loving, while at the same time challenging, encouraging, and exhorts them in how they live their lives – all being done with boldness and in spite of much conflict. This is the example that we are to follow in our sharing of the gospel with the world. They are watching to see if being a Christian is what you say it is.

Now Paul continues to show how they were seeking to make disciples for Christ. Once a person received Christ, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, “like a father with his children” he did three things:

- “we exhorted each one of you” –
- “encouraged you”
- “and charged you”
- To “walk in a manner worthy of God” –

Paul is thankful for the church following their (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) example, but it is important to see what he is pointing them to follow. The worthy walk has nothing to do with what you eat, or what you wear, so . . .

How does Paul, Silas, and Timothy model a walk that is “worthy of God?” (4 ways)

Paul, Silas, and Timothy model a clear set of priorities. Life requires decisions and choices. These decisions are based on our goals and the priorities we have in our lives. If we are to walk in a manner worthy of God, then God, the gospel, and the things He prioritizes are clearly our priority and goals.

They model a concern for the integrity of the gospel. Paul and the missionaries worked hard against any accusations against what they did not want to be accused of being in it for the money or being greedy, or any other false accusations. While it shouldn’t be true, it is very difficult to separate the message from the messenger.

They model a clear sense of love and commitment to those to whom they ministered. “Among the more subtle hazards faced by those engaged in ministry is the temptation (often unconscious) to meet personal needs by ministering to others, or to do things for people in order to win their approval or to get them to like us. We are glad to serve or minister to others as long as we somehow benefit from it, or as long as it doesn’t cost us too much of our precious time, energy, and/or money.”[7]

They modeled a down-to-earth work ethic.[8] The goal of Paul, Silas, and Timothy was not boost their own reputations, by winning praise, and they didn’t lord their authority over people. Rather, their ministry goal was the well-being of others. They believed that when people receive the gospel their lives will be better – here and now, and for all of eternity, so they were willing to do whatever it took for that to happen.

IV. Are You Willing to Learn Something New? (vv. 13-16)

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!

(v. 13) “the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” – Work has its root in the word energy, like a battery – when Paul, Silas, and Timothy leave, the word of God is still working (keeps on working) in the believer’s lives.

(v. 14) “For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews” – The Pharisees “They kept before the nation the glowing story of past greatness, and summoned it to be faithful to the noble traditions of the fathers. They were faithful in church attendance; engaged in severe and frequent fasts; were generous, for they were meticulous tithers; had fiery patriotic fervor; and were the most popular and influential of the Jewish parties.

But they were guilty of one thing which carried with its train a succession of ugly vices – their minds were closed because patterns and preconceptions. They knew everything. They were never wrong, but everyone else was. They were the possessors, guardians, and interpreters of God’s law.”[9]

The Pharisees are not an ancient religious group long-gone, they are still among us. Every congregation has them, and we must be on guard that we do not become one.

_________________________

[1] William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Publishing, 1987) 59.

[2] Hendriksen, 60.

[3] Clifton J. Allen, General Editor, The Broadman Bible Commentary, 2 Corinthians-Philemon (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1971) 270.

[4] Michael Holmes, The NIV Application Commentary, 1&2 Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan, 1988. 61.

[5] Allen, 271.

[6] Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Commentary, Volume 9 (Kansas City, Missouri; Beacon Hill Press, 1965) 454.

[7] Holmes, 73.

[8] Ibid, 74.

[9] George Arthur Buttrick, General Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 11 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1955) 278.

The Capernaum Caper – Luke 5:17-26

The Capernaum Caper[1]

Luke 5:17-26

Introduction

When Caleb was in middle-school he not getting the best grades. We tried taking things away but that didn’t work. So I said, what do you want – if you get good grades, what would you want?” He thought about it for a couple of days, and I had even forgot about it – he came to me and said, “Dad, if I get all As for a semester I want a pig.” I said, there are some many things that need to happen for you to have a pig, (food, vet visits, a pin would need to be built, etc.) I would allow him to have a pig, with all the expenses if he went an entire year with all As. I thought for sure the odds were on my side.

When you really want something, you will do what you need to do to get it. Today we will look at a group of friends who did what it took to get their friend who needed help to Jesus. What are we willing to do to see our friends won for Christ?

Prayer

The Stationary Gate Keepers and the Faithful Friends (vv. 17-19)

17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.[2]

This early in Jesus’ ministry and he has not even recruited all of the disciples yet. Jesus had set up his ministry hub in Capernaum and was teaching regularly in the synagogues. Jesus would go out preaching, and then return back to his home, this hub of ministry. “Jesus had already made a tour of Galilee which stirred the Pharisees and rabbis to active opposition.”[3] The men gathered in this room are there to find something against Jesus.

There are “Pharisees and teachers of the law (or scribes) were sitting there,” These were people who had devoted their lives to memorizing, interpreting, and teaching God’s Word to others. The text tells us that they came “from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem” If anyone should have understood how important it was for people to come to God then it should have been the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. But instead of ushering people to God, then like gatekeepers are keeping people away.

Jesus has gathered to teach and preach in someone’s home. Most Palestinian homes had a flat roof that was accessed from an outside staircase[4], and we see from the gospels that there was a tiled roof which the friends dug through. But most houses were small in comparison to our homes today. Luke adds that the leaders were sitting inside, and were “from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem.”

We also know that Pharisees don’t like to be around sinners, and law breakers – to touch them would have made them unclean – so the room was packed with these religious leaders and not many other people. There is no interest in teaching people the Word of God, showing them how to have a relationship with God – They were there to be right. So when people seeking God come to where Jesus is they “find no way to bring him in, because of the crowd,”

The friends are described as “bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him” This is compared against the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were “sitting there.” There is time for sitting, studying, absorbing – but if we are to reach the world for Christ, then we must go and bring them to Christ. The religious leaders were there to find fault, pick what Jesus said apart to find error – the friends just wanted to bring their friend to Jesus (because they knew He could heal him.)

It is easy to sit and judge, but it is hard to go and bring others to Jesus. In fact, it says, “some men,” and Mark’s account says there were four men, which we assume is the corner of a tarp or pallet, and together they work, sweat, and they bring their friend.

“The typical roof of that day consisted of timbers laid parallel to each other about two feet apart. Sticks were closely laid crosswise upon the timbers, and the structure was padded with reeds, thistles, and twigs. The whole thing was overlaid with about a foot of earth, which was packed down to minimize leakage. All told, it was about two feet thick.”[5]

These friends have to cooperatively work together to reach their goal. God never sends us out alone – Jesus sent the early disciples out in groups (Luke 9:1-6), Paul went on missionary journeys with Barnabas, and John Mark. We are to accomplish the Great Commission as a church – working together to bring our community to Christ. But we don’t accomplish such a great task alone, nor do we accomplish it by sitting and waiting for Bellevue to come to us. These men don’t sit at home and wait for someone else to get their friend – they do it.

Luke (the author) being a doctor uses a more specific medical word for the man – he was “paralyzed”, The men could carry their friend, but they could not cure their friend. This necessitated a meeting with Jesus. Whoever this man was, his friends loved him. They carried him from home, they figured out a plan that involved vandalism, they endured the harsh looks of the religious leaders, they could care less about interrupting a church service – they loved their friend and would do whatever it took to get him to Jesus.

If our motivation is not love for another, then we will quit when we begin to feel the sweat of the journey, or when our plans face a seemingly impossible obstacle, or when our reputations may be endangered – love causes us to do whatever is needed to see others won for Christ.

“Spurgeon writes: ‘When four true hearts are set upon the spiritual good of a sinner, their holy hunger will break through stone walls or house roofs.’”[6]

So, do we really see the gospel as important?[7] Do we genuinely care for and love others or are we going through the evangelical motions of looking like we do? What about the Lord’s will? We like to throw that kind of spiritual language around – How would they get the man there? I guess it wasn’t the Lord’s will. How would they get through the crowd? I guess it wasn’t the Lord’s will. How would they get through the roof? I guess it wasn’t the Lord’s will. . . on and on we go.

Christ blessed the men’s faith, their determination, their endurance, and their creativity for the sake of their friend. If we really love our community, then we will stop at nothing to find a way to bring them to the love of Christ.[8]Where is our creativity, our determination, our sacrifice for the sake of the gospel?

There will be a price to pay – someone has to fix that roof, sweep up the debris in that home – but a friend was has encountered Jesus, who has experienced His healing is worth the time, the expense, the effort, and what we don’t expect it to cost us.

For the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

Kimberly went on mission trip years ago to Guatemala some years ago – where she discovered that once the children at the orphanage where her group had served would have to leave and go out into the local communities and work. While she was there she really wanted to help a particular young man, so when she came home she said “Drew, we could have him come and live with us!” I said, “there are so many things that need to be taken care of, where would he sleep, what about this education, how would we pay for the new expenses, how would we manage this new person in our home with our kids, etc. I thought for sure, with all the things that needed to happen, the odds would be in my favor.

Think of it as giving up your seat in the front row of this home, letting these men make their way to the front, and letting this man encounter Jesus. Religious people do all kinds of things to not only not pursue the lost, but to actively block them from coming in to where Jesus is. Are you a religious gatekeeper or a loving faithful friend?

The Showing of God and the Frustrated Fanatics (vv. 20-26)

20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

I find it interesting that Luke includes “And when he saw their faith” – The men played a role in the man being healed, yes – they brought him to Christ. But their bold and insistent actions is attributed as “faith.” “The faith of the believing community also has an important role to play in bringing wholeness to the afflicted.”[9] Jesus uses our faith in the healing of other people.

The friends did not bring their friend to be forgiven of his sins they wanted him to be physically healed. Is Jesus cruel of playing some kind of mind game? Jesus begins with dealing with the man’s greatest need, not what the paralyzed man perceived as his greatest need. If it were up to us we would want the temporal things fixed, that would be our primary focus – but God starts with the most important, the eternal things first.

No matter what the miracle would have been (blindness, bleeding issues, even death) Jesus wanted the person to be able to have a relationship with God, and to properly give Him glory with their whole restored being – so He heals him of his moral deformity before he heals the man of his physical maladies.

When Jesus says, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”, we need to understand that Jesus is not saying, “God has forgiven your sins”, or some generic “because of what you have done, your sins are forgiven.” The original language is clear that Jesus is saying, “I forgive your sin.”

The Pharisees can’t see that not only can they not heal this man of his physical deformity (they feel he deserves to be in such a condition), neither can they rid him of his sin problem (because he has not kept their religious rules). How do you know that the man hasn’t kept the rules? Because he is paralytic. Jesus frees the man of both.

Faith is defined in Luke 5 as “those who act decisively on the basis of the conviction that God’s help is to be found with Jesus, and gratefully receive God’s action through him.”[10]

John 4:13-14 “Jesus said to her [the woman at the well], “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.2 The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

The Pharisees are correct in their understanding that God alone can forgive sin, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Their lack of understanding was that Jesus was God whom “the power of the Lord was with him to heal” and as God had the authority to forgive sin. He has power to heal to prove that he has the power and authority to forgive sin.

To deal with their confusion Jesus asks a question, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” Jesus is claiming to be God (who can forgive sin), so how does He prove it? If he says, “your sins are forgiven” how does he prove the sin has been forgiven? So “that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Jesus heals the man to show He is God in the flesh, the Messiah.

Jesus had healed other people, people were amazed – but here for the first time he explains why he is performing miracles. “that you may know. . .”[11] Does it matter if the Bible to true or not? Jesus is drawing a line in the sand – “I am doing miracles, I am the Messiah (who has the authority to forgive sin).”

The Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders who were zealous for the Jewish faith and “were champions of the messianic hope.” They believed that if everyone would follow the law of Moses (which included the observance of their oral traditions, designed as a “fence” to protect the law) God would raise up his Messiah and deliver Israel.[12] They were actively looking and desiring the Messiah to come – but their understanding of how he would come kept them from accepting him, even when Jesus proved to them that he was God who had come to forgive mankind of its’ sin.

The Pharisees also believed that if something bad happened to you, or if you were sick – it was because you had sinned in some way. You were sick because of your sin. There was even a saying, “No-one gets up from his sick-bed until all his sins are forgiven.”[13] Jesus uses this false belief in order to create this crisis in their belief system.

Their problem with Jesus was that He didn’t follow their oral traditions – Jesus kept the Mosaic law, but he kept jumping over their religious fences. He associated with sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, he even allowed them to wash his feet with their tears, and have him over for dinner.

The friends went to the man’s home, gathered him up, and took him to Jesus because they loved the man and had faith that Jesus could help him. The religious leaders are sitting in judgement, and expecting sinners to clean themselves up, follow their manmade rules and come to God – what Jesus did threw a wrench in that whole way of thinking.

Later Jesus tells his followers, “Go therefore and make disciples. . .” (Matthew 28:19) Being faithful to what Jesus desires of His disciples is to be going out, bringing in, there is movement and intentionality. Nowhere are we to wait for the world to come to the church – the church is to go out into the world. And when we are bringing them in, we must be careful not to put religious manmade expectations in front of people that will keep them from getting to Christ.

It is pharisaical to want to clean up the outside, before God deals with the heart on the inside. Let God deal with the sin, the most important thing first, and then God can deal with the physical outside. We cannot cure, we can only come along side.

But imagine the men’s return trip home – what had been hard, grueling, frustrating, now was a time of dancing, running, and jumping. His legs would eventually give way to time and age but his restored soul would carry him into eternity. But on this return journey home he was, “glorifying God.”

___________________

[1] Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke, That You May Know the Truth (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 180.

[2] Parallel passage: Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12

[3] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. II (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 74.

[4] Acts 10:9ff; Peter having a vision.

[5] Hughes, 180.

[6] https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/healing-paralytic

[7] “Evangelical Shibboleth” from Judges 12:4-7, Hughes 181. “He may have been a governor, a head, a commander, and a leader in Israel, but he never cared about the people he governed nor about the God to whom they belong.” Daniel Block, The New American Commentary, Judges, Ruth(Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman, 2002) 386.

[8] Hughes, 182.

[9] Clifton J. Allen, Gen. Ed., The Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 9 (Nashville, TN; Broadman Press, 1970) 51.

[10] John Nollan, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 35 (Dallas, Texas; Word Books, 1989) 235.

[11] Allen, 52.

[12] Craig A. Evans, New Testament Biblical Commentary, Luke (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 1990) 91.

[13] Nolan, 236.