Mark 6:45-52

Mark 6:49-52

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

June 21, 2012

1.      In our journey through Gospel of Mark have come to a biblical passage which has tremendous implications for and applications to our lives today.  In Mark 6:45-51 for the second time in our journey through this gospel, we find the disciples of Jesus caught in storm on Sea of Galilee.  This is not surprising since they spent a lot of time on that little lake.  One of their main means of transportation from town to town was by boat on the Sea of Galilee.  And as I've explained before, because of the unique geographical surroundings, the Sea of Galilee was often the site of sudden, vicious storms.  Look at Mark 6:14-29.

2.      Charles Kingsley, the famous 19th century English novelist, was once asked, "What is the secret of your life?"  Referring to his beloved wife, Frances Grenfell, Kingsley simply said, "I had a friend." [Brian's Lines, Vol.10, No.4, p.8]  It is difficult to over-emphasize the value of friends.  In this session I want to remind you that, as Christians, we have friend who is much greater than Frances Grenfell was to Charles Kingsley.  I want to point out from this passage the kind of friend we have in Jesus.

In Jesus we have a friend who does what is best for us

1.   Notice how this paragraph begins in v.45 - "And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat..."...the language Mark uses indicates is strong expression indicating urgency and pressure...why did He do that?...why did He make them leave?...Mark doesn't tell us, but if you read John's account of this event the reason becomes clear...Jesus had just fed the great multitude with five loaves and two fish...the crowd was so impressed by that they wanted to crown Jesus a king...of course, you can imagine the disciples of Jesus weren't discouraging such talk...after all, if He were made king, they would have powerful, influential places in the administration...

2.   But Jesus knew the crowds didn't understand His true identity ...He was well aware they didn't comprehend His real mission in coming to this world...He saw the disciples' enthusiasm about making Him king was misguided and potentially disastrous...so he made the disciples get into the boat and then He disbursed the crowds...

3.   There is something important for us learn in that...while Jesus doesn't always do what we want, He does always do what is best for us.  I remember reading an interesting story about Pete Rose the former baseball player...when he was involved in the controversy about illegal gambling which eventually led to his banishment from baseball, his daughter got caught up in the discussion...said she lived with her mother because Pete Rose was "a crummy father"...when her statement was relayed to Rose he said, "What does she mean 'a crummy father'?  I'm a great father.  Why, just last week, I bought her a brand new Mercedes."

4.   Some people think of God in same way Pete Rose, at least at that point in time, apparently thought of fatherhood...God is good if He gives us whatever we want...but Jesus demonstrates in this passage He is kind of friend who doesn't just give us what we want...He is able to see and give us what we really need...

In Jesus we have the kind of friend who is a good example

1.   V.46 tells us as disciples pushed off to sea, Jesus "departed to the mountain to pray"...they obviously knew where He was going or else Mark could not have told us about it...

2.   Many times during His three years with them they saw Jesus pull away from multitudes for time alone with the Father...they knew He began His ministry with 40 days of prayer and fasting in the wilderness...they knew near end of earthly ministry spend agonizing time of prayer in Garden of Gethsemane...and just from His example they no doubt learned the importance of prayer in their lives...

In Jesus we have the kind of friend who watches over us

1.   The first phrase of v.48 is intriguing...look at what says... "And seeing them straining at the oars..."...raises question of how He saw them...did see them physically with His eyes or was it some kind of supernatural seeing?...

2.   Certainly not impossible that he literally and physically saw them...in other places the Scripture tells us this event occurred during the Passover season...the moon would have been nearly full...all around the Sea of Galilee are hills and mountains which gives one a view of the entire body of water...possible that as Jesus was up on one of those mountains praying, He looked out over the lake illuminated by the Passover moon and saw the small boat being tossed by wind and waves...

3.   Of course, it's also possible and even probable that the "seeing" Mark refers to here goes beyond the physical act of seeing...in some supernatural way Jesus was aware of exactly what was happening to them...

4.   Either way, the point is the same...for Jesus to see them, He had to be looking their way...and He is ever looking our way, ever watching over us as well...and that's especially true when we're in some kind of trouble...one commentary of this passage puts it this way: "The human tendency during difficulty is to imagine the face of God with blind eyes.  But our text teaches just the opposite.  Followers of Christ in the storms [of life] are special objects of his omniscient, compassionate care."

In Jesus have kind friend comes to us at time of greatest need

1.   In last part of v.48 Mark tells us "...at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea..." ...fourth watch is that period of time between 3a.m. and 6a.m. ...think about the emotional and physical condition of the disciples at that point...earlier in the day had rowed the boat across Sea of Galilee trying get away from the people...crowd went around lake on foot and met them on other side...had spent entire day helping Jesus care for and feed the multitude ...were already bone tired when got into boat about sundown make trip back to other side...

2.   Instead of short trip taking the expected hour or so, they had been fighting the wind and waves for anywhere from 8 to 12 hours...had not slept in nearly 24 hours...more than likely they had taken just about all they could stand...probably were just about ready to give up and die...and precisely at their most difficult time, the time of their greatest need, Jesus came to them...

3.   We all probably have been to a point in our lives when we said, "It is only with Lord's help we are getting through this."  And truthfully, we sometimes wonder if God is there to help us.  Even the greatest of followers of God sometimes questioned where God was in their time of distress.  The person who wrote in Psalm 13:1 “How long, O Lord?  Wilt Thou forget me forever?  How long wilt Thou hide they face from me?” is the same person who wrote in Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” 

4.   Never is God so real and never does He seem closer than in the darkest times of our lives...

In Jesus we have the kind of friend who is gentle, patient, and encouraging

1.   Notice in last part of verse 50 what Jesus said to the disciples when He came to them..."Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid."...notice how positive and how encouraging that statement is...didn't have to be that way...as matter of fact had every reason to criticize them...their faith was weak and immature...Mark tells us in verse 52 that “…they had not gained any insight…” from the feeding of the 5000 just few hours before and that “…their hearts were hardened…”

2.   But instead of chastising them for those shortcomings, Jesus offered gentle words of encouragement...what a sense of joy and relief the disciples must have felt when Jesus said to them, "Stop being afraid, I am here with you."

           

CONCLUSION

1.      What kind of friend do we have in Jesus?  He is a friend who--

·         Does what is best for us ("...He made His disciples get into the boat...")

·         Sets the right kind of example for us ("...He departed to the mountain to pray...)

·         Watches over us ("...and seeing them straining at the oars...)

·         Comes to us at time of our greatest need ("...at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them...)

·         Is gentle, encouraging, and patient ("...Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid...)

3.      And because of all that, when come to time in our lives when overwhelmed by some problem...crushed by heavy burden... devastated by some loss...saddened by some sorrow...can say in words of hymn of that great old hymn, "What a friend we have in Jesus!"

Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:14-29

A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds

June 14, 2012

In this session we will focus on two men who could not have been more different.

--born into the humble home of aging Jewish priest... --reared as a Nazirite, never taking a fermented drink, touching a dead body, or cutting his hair... --from earliest days of his life was dedicated to God and constantly grew in his knowledge of and commitment to God... --as adult lived alone in desert communing with God...as result developed keen sense of morality and righteousness... --had courage to stand by his convictions even though resulted in his death...

--born into the most powerful family of all Palestine... --grew up living life of luxury as member of royal family...no pleasure denied to him... --had no religious convictions whatsoever...what religious practices did observe were for purpose of advancing political career... --spent adult life surrounded by corrupt people...had no sense of absolute right and wrong... --didn't have courage even to stand up to his evil wife and corrupt step-daughter...

I’m referring to John the Baptist and Herod Antipas, two men who are forever bound together in history.  Mark tells their story in Mark 6:14-29.

Before we read these verses, it is important to understand to whom Mark is referring with the title “King Herod” in verse 14.  Actually, a number of different “Herods” are mentioned in the Bible.  Various members of the Herod family ruled in the area of ancient Palestine for approximately 100 years.

• Herod the Great ruled as King of Judea from 37 – 4 B.C.  He is the one who rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.  It was under his reign that Jesus was born.  In an attempt to destroy the newborn king, Herod ordered the slaughter of babies in Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:16-18).  He was a very ruthless man who even killed members of his own family if he thought they were his political rivals.  It was said that it was better to be Herod’s dog than his son!  When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., his kingdom was divided between three of his sons:
• Herod the Ethnarch (the word means ruler of a people) also known as Archeleus (see Matthew 2:22).  He ruled over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 4 BC – 6 AD.  He was an incompetent leader liked by virtually no-one.  The Romans replaced him with a governor.
• Herod the Tetrarch (the word means ruler of a fourth part) also known as Herod Antipas.  He was the one referred to in this passage who had John the Baptist arrested and eventually beheaded (see Mark 6:14-29).  He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC – 39 AD.  He was also the Herod before whom Jesus was taken in Jerusalem prior to the crucifixion.
• Herod Philip was tetrarch over the northern areas of Palestine.  He was the one who founded Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mt. Hermon where Jesus and the disciples spent some time (see Matthew 16:13).
• Herod the King, also known as Herod Agrippa I, is the Herod in Acts 12.  He was the grandson of Herod the Great.  His father was Aristobulus and his mother was of a royal Jewish line.  Herod the Great had Aristobulus murdered in 7 BC.  When that occurred, young Agrippa was taken to Rome to get him away from his evil grandfather.  While in Rome he became friends with Caligula who became Emperor in 37 AD.  Since Agrippa helped Caligula become Emperor, the Emperor rewarded him with the title of “king.”  Over a period of years, he become ruler over roughly the same area his grandfather, Herod the Great, had ruled.  He died in 44 AD, so we know the events in Acts 12 took place in that year.
• Herod Agrippa II was the son of Herod the King.  He was the ruler before whom the Apostle Paul appeared in Acts 25 and 26.

With that background in mind, we are going to work through Mark 6:14-29 and then make several quick points of application of this event to our lives.

Verse 14-15 – These verses tells us that the preaching and miraculous works of the disciples of Jesus (cf. vv.12-13), as well as the teaching and works of Jesus, caused Jesus to “become well known.”  His fame even caught the attention of Herod Antipas.  In an attempt to explain how this simple Galilean and His followers could be doing such amazing things, three theories were put forth:

·         Some said He was “John the Baptist" risen from the dead.  As we will see in a moment, by this time Herod Antipas had beheaded John the Baptist.

·         Others said He was “Elijah.”  Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 indicates that God would send one like Elijah to be the forerunner of the Messiah.  While it was John the Baptist who actually filled that role, but apparently some people viewed Jesus as a forerunner to another to come.

·         Others said He was “like one of the prophets of old.”  This shows the people sensed a new authority in His teaching that had not been in Israel for hundreds of years, since Malachi. It also reflects the Mosaic Messianic prophecy of Deut. 18:15ff about the coming of a prophet like Moses.^[1]

Verse 16 – Herod, who was plagued with a guilty conscience over the role he played in the death of John the Baptist, believed the theory that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead.

Verses 17-29 take us back in time to explain why Herod reacted as He did to Jesus.

      Verses 17-18 - Mark explained (gar, for) that Herod himself had ordered John to be put in prison. According to Josephus, this prison was at the fortress-palace of Machaerus near the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea (The Antiquities of the Jews 18. 5. 2). Herod did this because of Herodias, an ambitious woman who was his second wife. Herod had first married a daughter of the Arabian king, Aretas IV. Then he became enamored with his half-niece Herodias (daughter of his half-brother, Aristobulus) who was married to Herod’s half-brother (brother means half-brother) Philip (her half-uncle; cf. Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews 18. 5. 1-2). They had a daughter, Salome. Herod divorced his wife in order to marry Herodias who had divorced Philip (not the Philip of Luke 3:1). John had repeatedly denounced this marriage as unlawful (cf. Lev. 18:16; 20:21).^[2]

      Verses 19-20 - John’s bold rebuke infuriated Herodias who nursed a grudge against him (lit., “had it in for him”). Not satisfied with John’s imprisonment, she wanted to kill him, but her plans were thwarted because Herod feared John (had a superstitious dread of him), whom he knew was a righteous and holy man. So he protected John from Herodias’ murderous intentions by keeping him in prison—a shrewd compromise.^[3]  The verb tenses in this verse indicate that Herodias kept bringing up the subject of John the Baptist’s death to Herod and Herod kept resisting her by keeping John in prison.

            “Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man…” – Herod recognized that John was not like most other people.  His message and life-style made that abundantly clear.  Also, John had become very popular with the people.  This story reveals that Herod’s life was marked by fear.  He was afraid of John, Herodias, and His guests.  Unfortunately, Herod had no fear of God!

            “when he heard him … was very perplexed … but used to enjoy listening” – Shows the great conflict in Herod.  He was drawn to the truth but at the same time rejected the truth.

Verses 21-29 explain the events that led to the death of John the Baptist.

            Verse 21 – On his birthday, Herod gave a banquet and invited three groups of people:

·         “his lords” – Civil authorities or government officials

·         “military commanders” – The word is chiliarchs which means commander of a thousand troops

·         “leading men of Galilee” – Wealthy and influential citizens

Verses 22-23

      “daughter of Herodias” – The word indicates she was a young woman of marriageable age, probably in her mid-teens.  Josephus, the Jewish historian, says her name was Salome.

      “danced” - It was not common for woman of her social status to dance at this type of gathering. These sensual dances were usually done by prostitutes or professional dancers.^[4]

      “swore to her” – This was an oath, made in front of many witnesses, that was irrevocable.

      “up to half my kingdom” - Actually Herod had no “kingdom” to give  He used a proverbial saying for generosity which Salome knew was not to be taken literally.^[5]

Verses 24-29 – Herodias saw her opportunity and took advantage of it to extract her revenge on John.  She was incensed that John had damaged her reputation.  Ironically, her vindictiveness toward John insured that her evil deeds would be known forever!

Applications:

God's people should stand consistently and courageously against evil in all forms and all places

1.      Many Christians have bought into idea alright have ideals and standards and morals as long as don't attempt to impose our standards on someone else...you've heard that philosophy..."You do your thing and I'll do mine and everything will be fine!"... and if you challenge or question the actions of anyone else that means you're insensitive, mean-spirited, and uncaring...

2.                  Submit not a Christian philosophy...if early Christians and those who have followed through the centuries had opted be silent face obvious evil, Christianity would have had virtually impact on world history...an essential part of mission of God's people in world is speaking out for things that are right and against things that are wrong...and reason many people in world cannot accept that is because they do not want to believe that there is such a thing as absolute right and wrong...it's much more convenient to speak of right and wrong in terms of what I want and do not want instead of in terms of God's absolutes...

3.                  John the Baptist didn't buy into that kind of philosophy...he knew that some things are right and some things are wrong in eyes of God...and he wasn't afraid to say that...

There is a price to be paid for standing against evil

1.   John's outspokenness about sin Herod cost him his personal freedom and ultimately his life…

2.  Now when news John's death leaked out, no doubt some people thought, "Well that serves him right..should have known better that denounce someone as powerful as Herod"…Matthew Henry says: "Perhaps some of John's friends would blame him as indiscreet in reproving Herod, and tell him that he had better be silent than provoke Herod...But away with that kind of discretion that would hinder men from doing their duty as ministers or as friends..."

1    .For God's people to suffer for doing right and speaking out for right nothing new...pattern throughout Christian history...ask‑‑

·         Deithrich Bonhoeffer, the preacher executed in Nazi Germany because loyalty to Christ...

·         William Booth, the founder of Salvation Army, who was beaten and by street gangs in London…

·         John Knox, the Scottish preacher, who spent two years in galleys French ship for his part in Protestant Reformation…

·         Paul who suffered abuse in city after city for pro‑claiming gospel…

·         Jesus who was crucified just because told truth about God and God's plan for world…

2.   Yes, price be paid for speaking out and if God's people not willing pay price, Herod's of this world will forever go unchecked...

3.   Realize in our culture not likely suffer physical abuse as result opposing evil...probably won't get your head chopped off as did John the Baptist...but other kinds abuse probably will suffer...some label you as naive...accuse living in past claiming stuck in Victorian era...say you're anti‑intellectual or narrow minded or uncultured...call hypocrite and charlatan...

4.   But if constantly worried about pleasing or being accepted by the world, will never have anything of value to say to the world...

There is a price to be paid for failing to confront evil

1.   In Herod see price for remaining silent in face of evil...death of John Baptist not actually Herod's idea...was Herodias encouraged Salome make gruesome request of John's head on platter...Herod could have intervened, but sat by and let evil run its course...

2.   As result, paid terrible price...was plagued by guilt and fear...when Jesus came preaching in Galilee same message of repentance and Kingdom of God John preached, Herod's guilty conscience cause him conclude John had risen from dead...look at verse 16...can almost hear the panic in Herod's voice..."But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, 'John, whom I beheaded, has risen!'"...

3.   Price Herod paid for his failure confront evil was being immobilized by guilt and fear when could have been most powerful man in all Galilee...

4.   Lesson in that for God's people...surest way lose power and influence in world is compromise and/or be silent and become like world...I John 2:15 warns, "..Do not love the world or the things in the world.."..and James warns "..Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself and enemy of God."...

---

^[1] Utley, R. J. D. (2001). Vol. Volume 2: The Gospel According to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter. Study Guide Commentary Series (74). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mk 6:17–18). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[3] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mk 6:19–20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[4] Utley, R. J. D. (2001). Vol. Volume 2: The Gospel According to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter. Study Guide Commentary Series (75). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[5] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mk 6:21–23). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Mark 6:33-43

Mark 6:33-43

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds, June 7, 2012)

In journey through Mark's Gospel have come to one of most beautiful events in all the Scripture -- the account of Jesus feeding great multitude with five loaves and two fish...listen again to this wonderful event…

One of the places we visited on our trip to Israel is a church built over a rock that Christians have viewed since the mid 300’s as the place where this miracle occurred.

This is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels.  It is clear that the early Christians attached great significance to this event.  For example:

·         Clear indication Jesus was the Messiah....Jews expected Messiah to feed the people as Moses provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness...if take time to compare will find obvious parallels between actions of Jesus and actions of Moses...

·         Foreshadowing of Lord' Supper...many similarities between Jesus actions here and His actions that night in upper room when instituted the Lord's Supper...taking bread, giving thanks, breaking bread, giving to disciples...

·         Preview of great messianic banquet at end of age...some say symbolizes fellowship all God's people will have around Messiah's table in future...

·         Connection between giving people physical bread and Jesus being spiritual bread of life...in John' Gospel event followed by long discourse about Jesus being bread of life...

Any of those ideas would take hours for us to explore fully.  However, in this session I want simply to point out a couple of things this event reveals to us about what we experience in the presence of Jesus.

I.    In the presence of Jesus there is compassion

1.   When Jesus and disciples landed somewhere along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, found large multitude, perhaps as many as seven or eight thousand people, there waiting for them...interestingly, Mark does not record the disciples' response to the presence of these people... I suspect they weren't too happy to see them...after all, they were trying to get away to rest...more than likely as small boat made way toward shore and disciples saw the multitude, a groan of despair went up from lips...

2.   Mark does tell us Jesus' reaction to the people...says in v.34 "... and He felt compassion for them..."...compassion is one of those graphic words which does not translate well from Greek to English...literally, it means to feel something in your stomach or mid-section...it is a physical reaction...Jesus was so moved by the needs of the people, that He felt it physically...

3.   In biblical sense, compassion always leads to action...can't feel compassion toward a person and not do something for that person...Jesus compassion moved Him to do two things...first, He taught the people because they were lost...had no direction, no purpose, no meaning to their lives...like sheep with no shepherd....second, He fed the people because they were hungry ...in other words, His compassion moved Him to give them food for their souls and food for their bodies...

1.      Remember reading an interesting story this week from life of Abraham Lincoln ...during early days of War Between the States old man called on Lincoln in Washington...son in Union army...convicted of gross crimes and sentenced to be shot...came to plead with President for life of his only son...Lincoln had reputation for pardoning people in trouble, so much so that his generals criticized his leniency...on very day this man came to make request Lincoln had received a telegram from one of his generals which said, "Mr. President, I beg you not to interfere with the court-martials of this army.  You will destroy all discipline in the army."...showed the man the telegram and was moved to compassion with the shadow of disappointment and sorrow which came across the man's face...then, Lincoln got idea of how he could save the boy and appease his generals...on sheet of paper wrote the following order:  "Job Smith is not to be shot until further orders from me.  Abraham Lincoln." ...when father read the note said, "Why this is no pardon.  You may order him to be shot next week."...to which Lincoln replied, "Sir, evidently you do not understand my character."

1.   And if we do not know that Jesus has tender compassion toward us, then we don't understand His character...it was His compassion, His tender mercy which caused Him to--

--leave the glory of heaven, become flesh, and dwell in our world...

--to reach out to the very people the religious establishment detested and pronounced unfit, unworthy, and unclean...

--to proclaim "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

--to endure with grace the abuse of religious leaders, the mockery and torture of the Roman soldiers, and the shame of the cross...

--to pour out His precious blood as the sacrifice for our sins...

2.   When you get to feeling that no-one in the entire world cares about you, that no-one understands what you are experiencing, remember that in the presence of Jesus you can always find compassion...the kind of compassion which feels and acts...

II.  In the presence of Jesus there is satisfaction

1.   Mark's description of this event is very vivid and colorful...as I've told you before, Peter was probably the main source for Mark's Gospel...and this scene was indelibly etched into Peter's mind...of all Gospel accounts only Mark mentions the "green grass" (v.39)...then in v.40 speaks of the people reclining on the green grass in "companies"..that word literally means "garden plots"[Hughes, p.150]...Mark is painting with words a picture of clusters of people in colorful clothing sitting in orderly groups like neatly manicured flower beds in a green lawn...

2.   Then Mark tells us in v.42 that "...they all ate and were satisfied."...and as an exclamation point, Jesus made sure there were twelve baskets of food left-over, one for each of skeptical disciples...

3.   Taken all together, that is a picture of people who were peaceful, joyful, fulfilled, and content...in the presence of Jesus they found satisfaction....

1.      Jesus really is the answer to our deepest need.  That's because the thing we need more than anything else is to be rightly related to the God who made us...and reason Jesus came to our world is make it possible for us to live in right relationship with God...

2.      One of my favorite Scripture verses is Colossians 2:9-10a... "For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete..."...The Living Bible paraphrases this way:  "In Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ."...that is real satisfaction...and it cannot be found anywhere except in the presence of Jesus...

CONCLUSION

1.   I suspect if you asked the average person, "What is it that you need your life more than anything else?" would probably get two answers over and over again--

--I need someone to love me.  I need to be understood, accepted and loved others...

--I need to have a sense of fulfillment...I need this empty spot inside of me to be filled with something meaningful...

That's exactly what Jesus does for us!  When we come into His presence we find compassion and we find satisfaction.

Mark 6:6b-13, 30-32

Mark 6:6b-13, 30-32

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds – April 26, 2012)

             In our study last week we saw in Mark 6:1-6 Jesus being rejected by the people of His hometown of Nazareth.  After that rejection, He began to expand His ministry into an ever widening area of Galilee and ultimately outside of Galilee.  The events described in the paragraph beginning with Mark 6:7 give us the prelude to this expansion of Jesus’ ministry.  In this session we are going to focus the account of Jesus sending out the twelve disciples on their first preaching mission. [Show golf GPS watch … small but tremendous potential for information…]

            The Scripture makes it clear that God has built into each of us tremendous potential.  In the creation story we are told that God made us “in His own image.” [Genesis 1:27].  Psalm 8:5 tells us that we have been made “…a little lower than God…” and that God has crowned us with “…glory and majesty.”  Every person is a person a dignity and value and worth.  God has placed within each of us tremendous potential.  Nowhere can that be seen more clearly that in the lives of those twelve men Jesus chose to be His first disciples.  Earlier in this study, when we were going through Mark 3, we looked at each of their lives in some depth.  By all accounts they were just ordinary, everyday people.  There was nothing about them that would have caused them to stand out from any number of other people in their world.  But not many years later, they were accused by people in Thessalonica, nearly 1000 miles from their homeland, of turning the world upside down with their teachings about Jesus!

            And the incredible thing about that, is that we have within us that same potential for advancing the Kingdom of God!  In the account of Jesus sending out the twelve in Mark 6:7-13, 30-32, are six principles which, if we follow them, will help us loose that potential.  I want to just quickly list them for you.  Here is what we must do to unlock the Kingdom potential God has placed within each of us.

I.  Remember whose we are (Not who, but whose!)

1.   Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m trying to discover who I am?”  I suppose for someone who is 18 or 19 years old and just coming into adulthood, that’s not such a negative thing to say.  But for someone who is an adult, that is a very sad statement.  And tragically, many people go through life without ever discovering who they are.  And I think I know why.  My observation is that we will never know who we are until know whose we are.

2.   Notice what verse 7 says about identity of the disciples.  They were people who were "summoned" by Jesus and "sent out" (apostello) by Jesus.  They were called out of the world and sent back into the world...

3.   Gives strong clue about our identity as Christians.  We are called by Jesus to be His representatives in our world.  Mo matter what our vocation or what our stage in life, our primary task as a believer in Jesus Christ is to be His ambassadors in the world.  And if keep that single task before us, if make it our primary focus, we are much more likely to realize our spiritual potential.

4.   One of great heresies of modern Christianity is belief that some Christians are called to ministry and others are not.  We are all called to ministry.  That is basic task of all our lives.  We just do ministry in different settings and different ways.  Remembering to whom we belong and what He's called us to do is the starting point of unlocking the amazing potential God has placed in each of us.

II.  Treat all people with dignity and respect

1.   In the Jewish rabbinic law, it was required that person take off his shoes, money belt, and lay down his staff before entering Temple courts.  All ordinary things were to be set aside before entering Holy Place.  On the Temple Mount in Israel you will experience that firsthand if you want to enter the Dome of the Rock.  Before a person enters that building he must remove his shoes and leave all belongings outside.

2.   In telling the disciples in verse 8 to take nothing for their journey except was absolutely necessary, Jesus may have been thinking of humble homes in which disciples would stay.  He could have been saying these homes just as sacred as Temple Courts.  Don't clutter them with unnecessary items.  Treat them and their owners with the same respect you with which would treat the Temple.  Also, verse 10 has to do with the treatment of people.  Whenever the disciples entered a house as invited guests, they were to stay there making it their base of operations until they left the town. They were not to impose on the hospitality of many people or accept more attractive offers once they were settled.^[1]

3.   There is an abiding principle in that for how Christians should relate to people.  It is amazing how much more we can get accomplish for the Kingdom by treating people with kindness, compassion, patience, understanding, and gentleness.  While we are to have a clear, sharp message, we are to present it with grace.  I think that is something of what Jesus meant we He instructed us to be to be “…wise as serpents but gentle as doves…” in Matthew’s account of this event.

III.  Depend on God for provisions and strength

1.   That's probably the main idea behind the instruction to take "no bread, no bag, no money in their belt" in verse 8.  The word for "bag" in that phrase is the one used to describe the begging bag of itinerant preachers in first century world.  He was reminding them not to get bogged down worrying about money.  That would only serve to distract them from their mission.

2.   One of Satan’s most effective tactics in hindering the expansion of God’s Kingdom is to get Christians to subtly and gradually change their focus from mission to money.  In a book about the famous Catholic scholar Thomas Aquinas, C.K. Chesterton tells of conversation which took place between the Pope and a Spanish friar named Dominic Guzman in 13th century.  Pointing to gorgeous Papal Palace and referring to incident in Acts 3 where Peter told lame man "Silver and gold have I none, but what I do have I will give you, take up your bed and walk" the Pope said to Dominic Guzman, "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none." And according to the story Dominic Guzman quietly said to the Pope, "No, and neither can he now say, 'Rise and walk.'"

3.   If our focus is more on material things and our capacity provide for ourselves than it is on God's provision and strength, we will have no real spiritual power.  Instead we will end up spending an inordinate amount of time and energy absorbed by the trivial.

4.   Also, along the same lines, they were not to be overly concerned about visible results.  That’s the basic thrust of the statement in verse 10 about shaking the dust from their feet at any place that rejects their message. This Jewish custom essentially communicated that they had done their duty and the result was up to God.

IV.  Focus on the primary message God has given us

1.   There were many things the disciples could have preached about as they went on their mission...evil of 1st century slavery ...corruptness of the Roman gov't...how leaders of Israel had strayed away from foundations laid by forefathers...but notice in verse 12 what they preached..."And they went out and preached that men should repent..."

2.   What an important lesson there is in that...we have entrusted to us most important word in all the world...it is the gospel/good news...it's the message that God made us and loves us...we have strayed from God by being disobedient...God did not stop loving, but instead sent Son die on cross for our sins...if turn from sins and to Him we find life abundant and life eternal...

3.   And that is the word God has given us to proclaim with our words, our lives, and our witness to the world…instead of spending time and energy endorsing or opposing political candidates or appointees and instead of wasting precious resources fighting or supporting the passage of certain laws which will, at best, impact our land temporarily and superficially, we should be about the business of proclaiming the message God has given us --the message of repentance-- which will change people from the inside out and which will in turn change our society...

V.  Remember that we are accountable to God

1.   When disciples returned from their mission, verse 30 says "...they reported to Him all that they had done and taught." ...has tone of formal time of accounting...was time to stand before the Master and give account of what they had done...

2.   Nothing like a little accountability to keep person from getting bogged down in the trivial...when in high school worked for my dad's company...would give me task to do and then leave me alone to do it...but knew he would return and check on my work, and that knowledge was enough to keep me focused on the task, even in his absence...

3.   Way is with us and God...day will come when stand before Him and give account of our lives...not judged whether saved or lost...already settled...(just like was never question about whether still my father's son)...but will be judged according how faithful we've been with task given to us...should motivate us stay focused and fulfill the potential God has given us...

VI.  Know when to stop and rest

1.   In verse 31 Jesus advised the disciples to "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while."...one of interesting things about ministry of Jesus is that He knew when to work and He knew when to rest...after a period of intensive ministry He told the disciples the time for rest had come...and even though all the needs of the people were not met (Mark tells us in verse 31 that many people were pressing on them seeking help), they withdrew to be renewed...

2.   Some people in our world are too good at this...they stop to rest before they've worked hard enough to get tired!...but for others knowing when to stop, relax, and let our batteries recharge is one of most difficult things to learn...in the long run we will be more productive for the Kingdom as a result of such times...

CONCLUSION

As the end of his life approached, the Apostle Paul was able to look back over his life, and in spite of the terrible mistakes He had made in persecuting Christians and opposing the growth of God’s Kingdom, was able to say:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…”  And he could say that because he lived by the principles Jesus gave us in this passage.  If you want to be an effective Kingdom person then here’s what you do:

·         Remember to whom we belong; we are called and commissioned by Jesus...

·         Treat all people with dignity and respect...

·         Depend God for provision and strength...

·         Focus on the primary message God has given us...

·         Remember we are accountable to God...

·         Know when to stop and rest...

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^[1] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mk 6:10–11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.