Mark: God's Servant: Confusing Teachings

August 31, 2014

Mark: God’s Servant

Confusing Teachings

Mark 10

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Introduction

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We all know Jesus as the ‘Master Teacher’ and He is.

• Our Lord used many different approaches in sharing God’s Word: symbols, miracles, parables, proverbs, and paradoxes.

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• Paradoxes are strange.
• In fact, “a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself and yet expresses a valid truth or principle.”
• “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Sometimes the best way to explain a biblical teaching is to do so by using a parabox.

• In this chapter Jesus does just this.He could have preached long sermons but instead He gives us some teachings through paradoxes.

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Text

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” Mark 10:32-34

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As Mark wrote his account of the Saviour’s journey to Calvary, he must have meditated much on the great “Servant Songs” in Isaiah 42–53.

“For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isa. 50:7).

• We cannot help but admire the courage of God’s Servant as He made His way to Calvary.
• We should adore Him all the more because He did it for us.

We must try to understand the bewilderment and fear of His followers.

• What complicated their fears was HOW and WHAT Jesus taught them in these confusing teachings.

Lesson

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Two Shall Be One - vs. 1-12

Jesus completed His ministry in Galilee, left Capernaum, and came to the Trans-Jordan area, still on His way to the city of Jerusalem

• The Pharisees came to Jesus in order to test Him.
• The verb indicates that they, “kept on asking Him.”
• This was more than a trick question, divorce was a very controversial subject among the Jewish rabbis.
• It didn’t matter what answer He gave...someone would be upset.

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Jesus ignored the politics of the day and just focused on the Word of God.

• He turned it back to the law of Moses (Deut. 24:1-4)

NOTE:

• First, it was the man who divorced the wife, not the wife who divorced the husband
• Women did not have this right in Israel. (Roman women did have the right of divorce.)
• Second, the official “bill of divorcement” was given to the wife to declare her status
• It assured any prospective husband that she was indeed free to remarry.

Jesus explained that Moses gave the divorce law because of the sinfulness of the human heart.

• God was not putting His approval on divorce or even encouraging it.
• In fact, He was making it more difficult for a husband to put away a wife.
• Furthermore, it was God who established marriage, and He has the right to make the rules.
• According to Scripture, marriage is between a man and a woman, not two men or two women, the relationship is sacred and permanent.
• Marriage is a physical union: the two become one flesh.

Mark 10:9 warns us that man cannot separate those who have been united in marriage, but God can.

• He expects married people to practice commitment and to remain true to each other.
• Too many people view divorce as “an easy way out,” and do not take seriously their vows of commitment to each other and to the Lord.

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Adults Shall Be as Children - vs. 13-16

Jews of that day looked on children as a blessing and not a burden, a rich treasure from God.

• It was not an uncommon custom for parents to take their children to a Rabbi to be blessed.
• It would make sense that they would bring children to Jesus...and Jesus welcomed them.
• It was the disciples that rebuked the parents, but why?
• Maybe they thought they were doing good and protecting Him.

Simply put...the children were not important to them.

• To me this is strange because Jesus had already taught them to “receive them in His name; don’t cause them to stumble”
• “But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant…” - vs. 14
• He openly rebuked the disciples for standing in their way!

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We tell the children to behave like adults, but Jesus tells the adults to model themselves after the children!

• We enter God’s kingdom by faith, like little children…
• Helpless, unable to save ourselves, totally dependent on the mercy and grace of God.
• What does a child do when they are hurt or needy...they run to their parent!
• God wants us to be ‘childlike’ not ‘childish’

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The First Shall Be Last - vs. 17-31

Think about this…

• Of all the people that came into contact with Jesus this is the only one that left worse then when He came.
• He had so much in his favor, but he was very superficial in his understanding of spiritual things.
• He certainly had a shallow view of salvation, he thought that he could do something to earn eternal life.

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Behind this good-works approach to salvation is a superficial view of sin.

• The fact is that sin is rebellion against the holy God.
• It is not simply an action; it is an attitude that lifts up man and dishonors God.

Jesus points the man to the law of Moses...why?

• The law could not save him (Gal. 2:16-21).
• He wanted him to see himself as a sinner before God.
• The law can bring the sinner to Christ, but the law cannot make the sinner like Christ.
• Only grace and the blood of Christ can do that.

Our Lord’s directions in Mark 10:21 are not to be applied to everyone who wants to become a disciple, because Jesus was addressing the specific needs of the rich young ruler.

• He valued his physical possession more than spiritual matters.
• The man was a ruler, so Jesus told him to take up a cross and follow Him, which would be a humbling experience.
• Jesus offered this man the gift of eternal life, but he turned it down.

Peter reminds Jesus, “We have left everythings and followed you.”

• Jesus assured His disciples that no one who follows Him will ever lose what is really important, either in this life or in the life to come.
• God will reward each one.

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Servants Will Be Rulers - vs. 32-45

His destination was still Jerusalem and He was on His way.

• With each announcement of His death the disciples seemed to become more and more confused.
• He had told them what would occur, but now He told them where - in the Holy City of Jerusalem!
• He also implicates the part that the Gentiles would play in His trial and death.
• The hope that they would have missed out on was this resurrection.

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In light of His announcement it is embarrassing to see James and John asking Jesus for a throne.

• Jesus realizes that they really do not know what they are asking.
• Jesus compares His approaching suffering and death to the drinking of a cup and the experiencing of a baptism.
• They feel as though they are willing and ready to suffer with Jesus.
• This conversation is overheard by the others and they are greatly offended.

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Jesus reminds them all those who are “great must first be a servant.”

• While there is nothing wrong with aspiring to greatness...we must be careful how we define “greatness” and why we want to achieve it.
• “For the Son of Man came not to serve but to be served…”

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The Poor Will Become Rich - vs. 46-52

As Jesus neared Jericho just 18 miles from Jerusalem.

• Amid the Passover pilgrimage crowd are two blind beggars by the side of the road.

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• As Jesus approaches they try to get Jesus’ attention yet the crowd tries to shut them down.
• Bartimaeus isn’t stopped by them
• Scripture says that he throws off his cloak and approaches Jesus calling Him, “Son of David”

Jesus has mercy on him and has the crowd bring him closer.

• “What do you want me to do?”
• “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”
• Moved by his faith Jesus told him “Go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

PRAYER

Conclusion

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This is the last healing miracle recorded in Mark, and it certainly fits into Mark’s “Servant” theme.

• We see Jesus Christ, God’s Suffering Servant, on His way to the cross.
• Despite this He stops to serve two blind beggars!
• What love, what mercy, and what grace!

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Marble crumbles, brass dulls, temples fall.

• But the teachings of Christ when etched onto the hearts of man last’s for all eternity