Mark 11:15-19, 22-25

Mark 11:15-19, 22-25

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

December 5, 2012

Mark 11:15-19 – The Cleansing of the Temple by Jesus

Jesus was not given to temper tantrums...He never lost His cool ...He was never out of control...and the driving of the merchants out of the temple was not a spur of the moment burst of anger, it was a deliberate, calculated act...if read this event in context of Mark 11 will see on previous day Jesus had entered Jerusalem, went to temple, looked around and then because it was late went back to Bethany about two miles outside Jerusalem...suspect all night long thought about what He had seen in the temple...the temple mount was the holiest place in all of Israel...was place where--

·         Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, at God's command took Isaac, his beloved son, and prepared to sacrifice him before the Lord intervened...

·         King Solomon built the first temple and prayed that great prayer of dedication and all the people of Israel knelt in awe as they saw the fire of the glory of the Lord fill the temple...

·         Isaiah, while mourning the death of King Uzziah, saw that wonderful vision of the sovereign Lord majestically lifted up in the temple...

Was a holy place and should have been place of great reverence and awe of God...but that's not what Jesus saw when He went to the temple...listen to how one writer described the scene--

"The noise ... was terrific.  Merchants shouted from their stalls to the customers, and noisy, haggling, pushy pilgrims jostled one another for position.  The incredible din was heightened by the constant bawling of livestock.  The aroma of the livestock, accentuated by the enclosure, made it like a county fair and the Stock Exchange all rolled into one!" [Hughes, p.87]

I can imagine Jesus thinking about that scene all during the night and the anger burning within Him...and when morning came He went to Jerusalem to do something about it...as we saw in the last session, on the way into the city, He cursed a fig tree as an object lesson of the danger of barren religion...then went to temple to deal with the corrupt practices there...

To understand significance of this event we need to understand something about the layout of the temple.

·         The heart of the temple was the holy of holies...that area could be entered only by the high priest and by him only once a year...

·         Outside the holy of holies was the sanctuary of the temple...only priests were allowed to enter the sanctuary...and they could enter only at prescribed times of service...

·         The next area of the temple was the Court of Israel...all male Israelites over a prescribed age were allowed to enter the Court of Israel to offer sacrifices...no Gentile could enter this area unless he was a full convert to Judaism...

·         And finally, outside the Court of Israel was the Court of the Gentiles...female Israelites and Gentiles were allowed to worship in this part of the temple...

Was in the Court of the Gentiles that the moneychangers and sacrificial animal sellers had been allowed to set up their booths...the place where a person seeking God would have come to worship, the place where first century Judaism had its greatest opportunity for missions had been turned into a middle eastern bazaar...and if you've ever been to a middle eastern market place, you know the atmosphere is certainly not conducive to worship...

And why had the temple authorities allowed this?...answer is simple...they cared more about money than people...for years there had been markets for selling sacrificial animals and making change for the temple tax on the Mt. of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from the temple...but the high priest wasn't getting a cut of that money...the religious leaders figured out if they allowed booths inside the temple, arbitrarily rejected sacrifices bought outside the temple, and demanded a share of the profits from the vendors, they could make a lot of money...and in about 30 A.D. that is precisely what they did...

And in allowing the Court of Gentiles to be desecrated in that way, they were saying in effect that they had no concern for the spiritual condition of Gentiles and women and others who were not allowed to enter the Court of Israel...

Notice the contrasting views of the temple held by Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders...Jesus, quoting Isaiah 56:7, said the temple should be "a house of prayer for all the nations..." ...and that phrase "for all the nations” is especially significant in light of the obvious fact the religious leaders did not care about any nations or nationalities except for Israel and Israelites...

But in contrast to making the temple a "house of prayer” they had made it a "robbers' den"...that's amazing... imagine, the temple mount, the most holy place in all the world had been turned into a place where thieves hung out... instead of encountering God there, pilgrims who came to the temple encountered dishonest merchants who were operating with the blessing and under the protection of the high priest...

Want you to hear what one person wrote about that:  "It's not difficult to see what angered Jesus.  Pilgrims journeyed days to see God, to witness the holy, to worship His majesty.  But before they were taken into the presence of God, they were taken to the cleaners.  What was promised and what was delivered was two different things.  Want to anger God?  Get in the way of people who want to see him." [Lucado, And the Angels were Silent, p.61]

Mark 11:22-25 – Lessons About Praying with Power

The heart of this passage is v.24 and want you to hear it first...Jesus said in v.24, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you." If just pull that verse out of its context and let it stand alone, can lead to all sorts of theological absurdities...the religious hucksters of our day and the "name it and claim in" crowd have reduced this statement to nothing more than a formula for getting a bigger house, new car, and host of other selfish perks...but that's not even remotely close to what Jesus is speaking of here...

 

If you'll look at this statement in its larger context, will see Jesus is talking about praying with power...this entire conversation about prayer sparked by the disciples surprise at seeing a fig tree Jesus had cursed on the previous day had withered...Jesus told them, in effect, "Don't be surprised by that.  It's possible for you to pray with similar power."...and if you'll look carefully at what Jesus said just before and just after that amazing statement about prayer in v.24, will see He points out two things that will invariably keep us from praying with power...listen to what Jesus said in Mark 11:22b-25...

I.  Being out of fellowship with God will keep us from praying with power

1.   Notice that Jesus prefaces this entire discussion with the command in v.22 "Have faith in God."...that phrase means to trust God...have confidence in God...live with an attitude of dependence upon Him...faith is the entry point of our relationship with God...apart from faith we cannot know God ...as Paul put it, "By grace are you saved through faith..." ...but not only is faith the entry point of our relationship with God, it is also what keeps the relationship going...faith is the heart, the substance of our daily walk with God...we are saved by faith and we live each day by faith...and it is very important to note that the object of faith is not faith...it is God...Jesus didn't say to have faith in faith...said to have faith in God...

2.   And that life of confidence, trust, dependence on, or faith in God is one thing which gives power to our prayers...in v.23 Jesus said those who live by faith will be able to move mountains...the statement about casting the mountain into the sea is very interesting...when Jesus spoke these words was coming from Bethany, crossing Mt. of Olives, heading toward Jerusalem...from top of Mt. of Olives can actually see the Dead Sea off to the east... it's possible as Jesus spoke, He motioned to the mountain and then to the sea as He spoke...in Jewish imagery a mountain understandably signifies something big, strong, immovable...and by using this figure of speech Jesus was saying, "To have the kind of prayer life which helps you with the really big problems, you must be right with or have faith in God."

3.   And then Jesus added a very significant qualification...notice the phrase in v.23 "and does not doubt in his heart"...the word from which English word "doubt" is translated is compound word...first part means "two" and second part means "judge"...literally means to have "two judges"...Jesus not talking about person who has an occasional doubt as we all do...talking about person with divided loyalties...a person can't decide whether live by faith in God or faith in self...one moment turns to God but next moment turns to self or others...

4.   And what Jesus saying in v.23 is if don't have right relationship with  God...if don't live daily life of trust in and dependence on Him...if have divided loyalties...not going be very effective in prayer...

5.   But there's more to it than that...not only does being out of fellowship with God keep us from praying with power but...

 

II.  Being out of fellowship with other people will keep us from praying with power

1.   Look at what Jesus said in v.25 - "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions."...

2.   That's a difficult and disturbing statement...what mean?...is saying we earn for­giveness by forgiving?...don't think so...biblical message is God's forgiveness to us is free...must not  confuse with cheap...while free to us, very costly  to God...Jesus came to our world...took on human  form...suffered and died...took upon Himself the  penalty for our sins...that great and mysterious act  makes our forgiveness possible...not forgiven because choose to forgive...forgiven because accept what Jesus  did for us...

3.   But there is no surer sign that we have been forgiven than our willingness to forgive others...conversely, a harsh, unforgiving spirit toward others is a sure sign that we do not know what means to be forgiven by God...

4.   If we characterized by spirit of bitterness, resentment, anger, or criticism toward another person, that spirit in  itself is an unconfessed sin...and that unconfessed  sin separates us from fellowship with God and the  continuing forgiveness we all need...and we simply cannot pray with integrity if that kind of spirit is present in our lives...

5.   Must never forget the Christian life reaches in two directions... it brings us and God together...but it also brings us and other people together...and unless both dimensions, the vertical and the horizontal, are right, then neither of them are right... Apostle John said it very clearly...listen to his words:  "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." [I John 4:20-12]

6.   If you're not right with people that is a sure sign you're out of God's will and one consequence of that is you won't have much of a prayer life.

Basically in our world there are two prevalent life philosophies...one was expressed rather pointedly by young college student when he was asked if he was religious...his response was, "I used to be.  When I was a kid, I was taken to church.  But now that I've come to college and matured I don't feel the need for religion anymore.  The way I see it, religion is like training wheels on a kid's bike.  It's fine, until you get your bearings, can think for yourself, stand on your own two feet.  Then, you don't need religion anymore." [Brian's Lines, Jan/Feb 1996, p.21]...other view expressed by Jesus when he said in Mark 11:22, "Have faith in God."...those two competing life philosophies have been around since the beginning of time...one says life is best when we trust ourselves...the other says that life is best when we trust it to God...

 

Mark 11:1-14, 20-21

Mark 11:1-14, 20-21

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

November 29, 2012

 

Mark 11:1-11

Verse 1 – “And as they approached Jerusalem…” – Jesus and His disciples had come to the end of a long journey... approximately nine (9) months before He and the disciples had left Galilee, travelled through down the Jordan River valley, into Perea, and finally into Judea... along the way He had ministered to and taught many people...He purposefully timed the journey so He would end up in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration...was late in the day on the Sunday before Passover that Jesus finally entered Jerusalem...look at what happened...(Mark 11:1-11)

 

Normally we focus on this passage during the Easter season as we celebrate what has come to be known as “Palm Sunday.”  In this study, I want to take a little different approach to this event and to focus on the part about Jesus sending two of His disciples to get the colt on which He road into Jerusalem...

 

That particular incident raises a number of questions in my mind?

·         How did Jesus know the colt would be there?  Had He made some type of prearrangements?  Had someone told Him it was there?  Or did He know through His supernatural powers?

·         Why was the owner of the colt, which was a valuable possession, willing to let the disciples take it?  Did he know them?  Was he, himself, a believer?  Did he understand the significance of the occasion?

Not sure this side of heaven we will ever know answers to those questions, but I am sure there is something very important for us to learn from this event. 

 

Every one of us has something in our lives of which the Lord has need and as disciples of Jesus Christ we are to place all that we are and all that we have in His hands

1.   As attempted look at this event in fresh way this week, became intrigued with a little phrase in v.3...when Jesus sent the two disciples to get the colt on which He was going to ride, He told them if anyone asked why they were taking it simply to say, "The Lord has need of it."...and then v.6 says they did that and the people watching the colt allowed them to take it...

2.   "The Lord has need of it"...why?...why did Jesus need that animal?...to answer that question, need to understand what kind of animal it was...word Mark uses for colt can mean any kind of young animal...but Matthew's account of this event makes it clear the animal was a donkey...are a number of reasons Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey...

·         Over 500 years earlier the prophet Zechariah prophesied the Messiah would enter the city in that way...Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout  daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your king is comes to you,  righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."...Jesus needed the donkey to fulfill the prophecy about how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem...

·         The donkey was royal animal during the reign of David... wasn't until after David that the Hebrew kings switched to horses...through the prophet Ezekiel God had promised He would send a new David to rule over His people...Jesus needed the donkey to remind the people that He was of the royal line of David...He was the new David, the Messiah, promised by God long ago...

·         The donkey was a symbol of gentleness and peace...unlike warrior kings who would charge into a city on proud, powerful stallions with swords raised to kill, Jesus came slowly an purposefully on a donkey bringing peace...Jesus needed a donkey to remind the people He was the prince of peace promised long ago by the prophet Isaiah...

3.   Did the owner of the colt understand all that when he allowed his donkey to be used by Jesus?....I doubt it...but because he had something the Lord needed and because he placed it in the Lord's hands, this unnamed man played important part in greatest event in the history of the world...

 

1.   There's an important lesson in that for us...may think what we have or what we can do is not very significant...it's small...unimportant...just a donkey...what good can be done with that?...but truth is we will probably never know how God can use our faithfulness in seemingly small things in very significant ways...

2.   In 19th century a Boston Sunday School teacher led a shoe clerk to Christ...wouldn't recognize the teacher's name, but the shoe clerk was Dwight L. Moody...became evangelist and had major influence on young preacher named Frederick B. Meyer...Meyer began preaching on college campuses and man named J. Wilbur Chapman was converted to Christianity under his ministry...Chapman arranged for a former baseball player named Billy Sunday to come to Charlotte, NC for a revival...a group of Charlotte community leaders were so enthusiastic after that revival they planned another and brought Mordecai Hamm to town to preach...in that revival a young man named Billy Graham gave his life to Christ...[Lucado, And the Angels Were Silent, p.56]

3.   That Boston Sunday School teacher had no idea the chain of events his simple act of faithfulness would start...but because he was faithful and did what the Lord desired, millions of people have been blessed...

 

Mark 11:12-14, 20-21

 

This rather unusual event is a reminder of the consequences of not being faithful with the opportunities God entrusts to us.  The cursing of the fig tree, on the surface at least, appears to be out of character with the nature of Jesus.  Apart from the drowning of the pigs in Mark 5, this is the only instance in Scripture where we see Jesus using His miraculous power to destroy something in nature.  The question has been raised if had power to kill tree, why didn't use power to restore tree and make it productive?  The answer is that Jesus used this tree to teach His disciples in the first century and in all the centuries that will follow some very important lessons.  In that sense, made that fig tree the most productive that has ever lived. 

 

1.   To understand this event need some understanding of the fruit-bearing cycle of the common Palestinian fig tree...green figs would ordinarily appear on the tree in early spring...the green figs were followed by leaves...then, sometime in June the fruit would ripen and be ready for harvest...this event occurred during the Passover season in April...Mark points out in v.13 "it was not the season for figs" so Jesus could not have reasonably expected to find ripened fruit on the tree...but since the tree had leaves and since leaves on a healthy fig tree come after the green figs are produced, He did expect to find some unripened figs on the tree...but Mark tells us in v.13 "He found nothing but leaves"...that is, the tree gave the outward appearance of fruit, but there was none present...

2.   The fig tree was a standard symbol for the nation Israel...it is used that way numerous times in the OT in writings of Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, and Micah...the lesson of the fig tree was directed first at Israel...a fig tree with leaves but no fruit perfect picture of what Jesus saw when He entered Jerusalem... people were everywhere...the city was crowded with pilgrims who had come to celebrate the Passover at the Temple...the Temple was beautiful and very busy...

3.   But that outward appearance was very deceptive...the size of the crowds, the beauty of the Temple, the elaborate well-planned, well executed religious ceremonies did not hide from God the fact that the people's hearts were not right...in the words of Isaiah they were people who "honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from God."...they said the right words, observed the right rituals, looked the part...but they were like a fig tree with leaves but no fruit....

4.   The next morning, when Jesus and the disciples were again entering Jerusalem, they were surprised to see the fig tree withered...Mark gives us an interesting detail about what they saw...said in v.20 "the fig tree was withered from the roots up"...points back to the prophecy of Hosea where the Scripture says in Hosea 9:16 - "Ephraim [Israel] is stricken, their root is dried up, they will bear no fruit."

5.   The withered fig tree is graphic picture, object lesson of God's judgment on people who profess one thing but do another...by taking such drastic action Jesus was saying this is the ultimate fate of all those who separate outward religious observance from inward commitment and faithfulness to God...

6.   Jesus directed his harshest words toward those who were religious hypocrites...see Matthew 23…May we never forget God looks beyond the externals to see if there is any fruit in our lives...and what is He looking for?...the Apostle Paul put it well..."...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23)

 

And so this part of Mark 11 reminds us that as followers of Christ, we are constantly faced with two choices.  We can choose to place all that we are and all that we have in the Lord’s hands for His purposes.  When we do that, others are blessed and we are blessed.  Or we can choose the way of profession without practice, the way of the fig tree.  When we do that, others miss a blessing and, in a spiritual sense, we wither and die.

Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

November 1, 2012

       

Someone once asked Helen Keller, "Isn't it terrible to be blind?"  Her response was, "Better to be blind and see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing."  In our journey through Mark’s Gospel, we have come to the story of man who was blind physically but who was certainly not a person who saw nothing. 

 

His name was Bartimaeus.  He is mentioned by name in Mark and Luke, and his story is told in Matthew as well.  His name simply means “the son of Timaeus” which Mark explains in verse 46. Bartimaeus was obviously a person of great insight and there is much we can learn from him.  Look at his story in Mark 10:46-53.

 

I want to point out to you several things we all can learn from this blind beggar in Jericho.

 

I.  Can learn from Bartimaeus the importance of taking advantage of opportunity when it comes our way

1.  Earlier in our journey through Mark we saw in chapter 8 Jesus heal another blind man in the town of Bethsaida.  In that study I mentioned that blindness was rather common in ancient Palestine.  Several theories have been suggested to explain the proliferation of blindness in that part of the world. 

·        Some historians say the proliferation of blindness was caused by people failing to protect their eyes from the intense glare of the middle-eastern sun. 

·        Others say the many cases of blindness were caused by particular strand of fruit fly which carried a germ that caused severe eye infection and because of limited knowledge of personal hygiene the infection spread rapidly from one person to another.

 

2.  For whatever reason, Bartimaeus was one of the unfortunate ones who had one of most dreaded and common diseases of the ancient world.  Blindness was particular bad because:

·        Because absolutely no provision made for care and protection of the blind.  If a blind person had no family, he or she was left alone to care for himself or herself.

·        To make matters worse, people were often openly hostile toward blind people.  That’s because it was common to view blindness as a sign of God’s judgment on the blind person. 

    Few people would have given a wretched, blind, beggar such as Bartemaeus a second thought, and if they did it would likely have been a hostile thought.

 

3.  Bartemaeus sat there in that terrible state, hearing that Jesus coming his way.  And to his credit, Bartimaeus correctly recognized His coming as the opportunity of life‑time.  It is obvious that Bartimaeus had heard stories about Jesus.  Perhaps he had heard that Jesus had miraculously fed multitudes, made the lame walk, and more importantly to him, had given sight to blind.  Bartimaeus knew that more than likely Jesus would never pass his way again.  He correctly surmised this was his great opportunity and wasn't about to miss it.

 

1.  What a wonderful example for us.  I want make two points of applications from that to our lives.

·        First, just as Bartimaeus lived in the darkness of physical blindness, many people in our world live in the darkness of spiritual blindness.  And just as Jesus was cure for the physical blindness of Bartimaeus, so He is answer for our spiritual blindness.  Until a person turns to Jesus in repentance and faith, that person we will forever grope in spiritual darkness.  And, we cannot assume we will always have opportunity of turning to Him.  Just as Jesus passed Bartimaeus' way only once, no one can know for sure how long he/she will have opportunity of turning to Jesus.  We should give lives to Him while we have the opportunity. 

·        Second, each day we are confronted with opportunities which are once in a life-time opportunities...can't go back and re-live any day, moment, even second of our lives...an opportunity to minister to someone, encourage someone, build-up someone, express love and appreciation for someone, if missed, is missed forever...that exact opportunity and that precise moment will never return...

2.  Bartimaeus should remind us of importance of living life in the present...while we should learn from the past and plan for the future, life must be lived today!...whatever opportunities God sends our way today, we should take advantage of them...

 

II. Can learn from Bartimaeus the importance of being persistent

1.     Whatever may say of Bartimaeus, obvious not easily discouraged...as Jesus approached verse 47 tells us he began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"...when did that, verse 48 says people around him told him to be quiet...didn't just politely ask him...Mark says they "were sternly telling him to be quiet"...as I read this story again this week, I could not help but wonder what motivated the people to try to silence Bartimaeus.  I came with several possibilities:

·        Maybe they considered a blind beggar too unimportant bother Jesus…

·        Maybe his cries distracted them from what Jesus was teaching.  As we have seen, it was the custom of rabbis to teach as walked. 

·        Maybe they were afraidthat the title "Son of David" which was another way  saying Messiah would offend powerful Pharisees tagging who were tagging along with them.

2.     Whatever reason, their insistence be quiet had no impact on Bartimaeus...Mark tells us in verse 48 that he "kept crying out all the more..."...Bartemaeus wasn't a man who was easily  discouraged.

 

1.  I see several important things we can learn from his example...

·        We must be careful not to put self in role of being a discourager of others.  There are enough small thinking, short sighted, negative people in world.  It is easy to tell people what not to do or what cannot be done.  We must be careful not to join that crowd.  Instead, we should go out of your way to build others up, to encourage them rather than discourage them.  As I Thessalonians 5:11 says, “…encourage one another, and build up one another…” 

·        We must be careful not to allow selves become easily discouraged...sometimes it's easy look around us and just become overwhelmed by all the needs see in people's lives and feel discouraged by what seems be small impact our efforts are making...but we must keep at it....

 

1.  There's an old story about a miner who had a knack  for finding gold...discovered several large deposits and become very wealthy...was asked the secret to his ability to find gold...said it's simple, "I just kept  digging!"

2.  Example of Bartimaeus should remind us of importance of keeping on digging...should be persistent in what God has called us to do...

 

III.    Can learn from Bartimaeus the importance of moving forward in faith even when failure is a real possibility

1.  Some people never do anything because they can't see their way clear to do everything... what mean by that is that they allow fear that they are going to fail or that they are not going to be able complete what started or that the outcome is not going be what they want it be, to keep them from ever getting started...

2.  Bartimaeus could have failed in his quest...Jesus could have chosen to walk on by and ignore him...or the Lord could have stopped but not done what Bartimaeus wanted done...but he didn't allow the possibility of failure immobilize him...he took the risk and because he did, he received the reward...

 

1.  One of my favorite quotes comes from the writings of Theodore Roosevelt...think Bartimaeus would have understood what Roosevelt saying...listen..."It is not the critic who counts;  not the [person] who points out how the strong [person] stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the [person] who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

2.  Can learn from Bartimaeus that it's not failure we should fear, but failure to try!

 

CONCLUSION

 

1.  Like way this story ends...follows familiar New Testament pattern...a person with a tremendous need comes to Jesus...the Lord meets that need and transforms the person's life...that person, out of sense of gratitude and love, follows the Lord...that's what happened here...when all was said and done, the last we see of Bartimaeus, he is following Jesus on the road to Jerusalem

2.  May we learn from the example of Bartimaeus the importance of:

·        Taking advantage of opportunities that come our way...

·        Being persistent in doing the right thing...

·        Having the courage to attempt the difficult...

Mark 10:32-45

Mark 10:32-45

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

October 18, 2012

 

 

Verses 32-34 –The fourth prediction in Mark’s Gospel of Jesus’ suffering and death (see Mark 8:31; 9:12; 9:31)

“…they…” – Probably a reference to more than just Jesus and the twelve.  The last part of this verse seems to speak of two groups—Jesus and the twelve plus some others who were following along, perhaps pilgrims going to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

 

“…on the road…” – Were traveling from Galilee to Judea…taking the normal path to the east of Samaria following the Jordan River Valley…this event occurred before they reach Jericho (see Mark 10:46)

 

“…Jesus was walking ahead…” – Typical of a 1^st century rabbi being followed by his students…

 

“going up to Jerusalem” – When we speak of going up, we generally mean going north or up on the map.  However, no matter what direction from which they may be coming, Jewish people always speak of going up to Jerusalem.  Probably two reasons—the elevation of the city is about 2500 feet above sea level and it was a holy destination so it was a spiritual high to visit there.

 

“…amazed…fearful…” – Seems rather strange when first read these words…what were they amazed about and fearful of?...Does this relate back to what Jesus said in the previous paragraph about His followers experiencing persecution?  Or does it relate to the previous statements Jesus made about His suffering and death in Jerusalem.  The latter seems more likely.

 

“…delivered to the chief priests and the scribes…condemn Him to death…deliver Him to the Gentiles…mock Him…spit upon Him…scourge Him…kill Him…three days later He will rise again…” – Most detailed description in Mark of His coming suffering…reference to the Jewish Sanhedrin…the Roman authorities…the treatment he would receive from the Roman soldiers…

 

Verses 35-37 – The request of James and John

It is not surprising that James and John asked for places of special recognition in Jesus' kingdom...that's just human nature...there's something in most of us that cries out for recognition and praise...it's not surprising that they asked, but it is surprising when they asked... Jesus had just told the disciples what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem... would be arrested, mistreated, mocked, beaten, and killed...no sooner had said that than James and John came making their selfish request...words had just come from His lips, but was as if James and John didn't even hear or at least didn't comprehend what He said...

 

Verse 38 – Jesus’ response to James and John

Basically said two things...first made a statement, then asked a question ...

·         Statement was "You do not know what you are asking for." ...(there's important lesson in that for us...sometimes we ask God for wrong things...sometimes God does not grant our request because to do so would be bad for us)...if Jesus would have done for James and John what they had asked, given them the places on His right and left in Jerusalem, they would have been hanging on the crosses on either side of Him instead of the two criminals!...

·         Question Jesus asked was, "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"...some people try to read into that statement a reference to the church ordinances -- baptism and the Lord's Supper...not what Jesus is saying...phrase "drink the cup" means to experience what I am going to experience...what Jesus was saying was, "You say you want places of honor in my kingdom.  But are you able to experience with me my sufferings, even to the point of being baptized or immersed in them?  You want to share my glory, but do you have the commitment to share my suffering as well?"

 

Verses 39-40 – James’ and John’s response to Jesus

James and John glibly and thoughtlessly answered, "Yes, Lord, we are able.  We can do it.  We'll make that kind of commitment."...but events that followed indicate that Jesus was right when He told them they didn't know what they were asking...for example when Jesus was--

·         Agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing most difficult hour of His life, what were James and John doing? ...kneeling beside Him in prayer? ...not hardly!...they were sleeping!...three times Lord had to awaken them...yet they were able to drink of His cup!

·         Being tried and falsely accused before the Jewish and Roman courts, where were James and John? ...were they demanding to be heard, to say a positive word on His behalf?...no way!...were hiding because they were afraid... yet they were able to drink of His cup!

·         Hanging on cross, giving life for sins of the world, who occupied places on His right and left? ....not James and John, but two common criminals...yet they were able to drink of His cup!

 

And while it is easy for us to be critical of James and John, truth is, more often than not we are just like they were… As one person put it, we want--

·         Throne of Christ without the thorns...

·         Crown of Christ without the cross...

·         Self-indulgence but not self-sacrifice... 

·         Benefits of being a Christian without making serious commitment to Christ...

But that's not way is in kingdom of God...to participate in His kingdom must be willing to drink of His cup....to commit ourselves wholly and completely to Jesus...

 

Enrico Caruso was one of greatest opera tenors of all time...in 1911 signed a lucrative contract with what was then known as the Victor Talking Machine company...contract was very simple...in exchange for the check, Caruso wrote this statement on a piece of his own stationery:  "For the rest of his life Caruso sings only for you."  That is precisely the kind of commitment Jesus requires of those who would follow after Him.

 

Verses 41 – The reaction of the other disciples to James’ and John’s request

When other disciples heard request of James and John, became angry...Mark says in v.41 they "began to feel indignant"... but Mark does not tell us why they felt that way...don't think was so much because of the request James and John made of Jesus...more than likely were indignant because James and John beat them to the punch and made the request before they did!...suspect James and John merely verbalized what they all were thinking...

 

Verses 42-44 – A teachable moment

Jesus called this band of angry, feuding men together and once again tried to teach them an important kingdom principle ...pointed out that in eyes of world greatness is measured in terms of authority and power, whether it be economic, military, political, or whatever...but Jesus said in realm of God's kingdom not that way...in God's kingdom greatness is measure in terms of servant-hood...

·         Verse 43 - "...whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant..."...and word for servant there is diakonos which literally means one who waits on tables...

·         Verse 44 - "...whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all..."...and word for slave there is doulos which was used to describe those on very bottom rung of social order...lowest of the slaves...

Jesus introduced this concept to them back in Mark 9:35 and on this occasion He expands on it…it is an amazing thought that the way to become great in God’s eyes is to become a servant…

 

In 1935 Albert Schweitzer, the great missionary to Africa, was addressing the graduating class of an exclusive English boys' school...Schweitzer looked out at those young men, many of whom came from the most prominent, powerful families in England and made the following statement:  "I do not know what your destiny will be.  Some of you will perhaps occupy remarkable positions...But I know one thing:  the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

 

And that principle is true for every person who ever lived... the key, secret to fulfillment in life is learning to serve...it is a basic law of life that the more we serve, the more we give ourselves to others, the more we get in return...that's what Jesus meant when He said "...whoever loses his life for My sake shall find..." (Matthew 16:25)

 

If you feel distressed or depressed or dejected, go out and find someone you can serve...give yourself away...put others first...become a diakonos (servant), a doulos (slave) and you'll be amazed at what that will do for you...as strange as it may sound to those of us who live in a culture which says the smart people are the ones who get others to serve them, Jesus was exactly right when He taught the way to true greatness and real fulfillment in life is putting ones-self last and others first...

 

Verse 45 – A perfect model

Jesus never asked His followers to do anything He did not do first...for example…

·         He asks us to love each other and He demonstrated His love by dying on the cross for our sins...("Greater love has not man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.")

·         He asks us to forgive one another and He demonstrated His willingness to forgive by saying of those who were crucifying Him "Father forgive them for that know not what they do."...

And He asks that we serve one another, and His entire life was characterized by service to others...

 

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" is an amazing statement...imagine that!...the most powerful One in all the universe laying aside that power to become a servant...and that is the kind of life to which He calls us...

“ to give His life” - This is the summary verse of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus always refers to His death as His gift or His glory. It denotes the vicarious, substitutionary atonement (i.e. sin offering, cf. II Cor. 5:21) of Christ (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 52:13–53:12).

“ransom” This is literally “to buy back” or “to pay a price” (cf. Matt. 20:28; Titus 2:14; I Pet. 1:18). It reflects the OT term used of slaves and prisoners of war being bought back, often by a near kin (go’el). Jesus unites in Himself the love and justice of God the Father. Sin costs a life—God provided one!^[1]

 

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^[1] Utley, R. J. D. (2000). Vol. Volume 2: The Gospel According to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter. Study Guide Commentary Series (122–123). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.