JOY "Even Jesus..." October 23, 2013

October 23, 2013

 Even Jesus…

Mark 3:13-35

I      Was Pressured   3:7-19

II     Was Misunderstood   3:20-30

III    Had to Choose    3:31-35

…….Was Pressured    3:7-19

There was a mounting hostility toward Jesus----In Capernaum, when He forgave the paralytic’s sins, the scribes and Pharisees were furious, and they accused Jesus of blasphemy, which, according to Jewish law, was punishable by death-----then, when he called Matthew to be one of his disciples and allowed Himself to be the guest of honor, at a party, full, of tax collectors, sinners, and Gentiles---- the Pharisees were appalled.-----then, when Jesus and the disciples ignored the ceremonial laws about fasting , the Pharisees couldn’t believe it-----from their perspective, Jesus couldn’t be a teacher of the law if He didn’t follow the law----

But the most incomprehensible thing, in their minds, that Jesus and the disciples did----which escalated the hostility, to the point, of no turning back, was that they didn’t observe the rules of the Sabbath, in the way the Pharisees believed that they should----the disciples had the audacity to pick and eat some grain, and then Jesus, healed a man’s withered hand,  all on the Sabbath. So, in the Pharisees’ minds, these two things, were unforgiveable breaches of the Sabbath law-----and Jesus needed to die because of them-----so they joined with the Herodians to plot His death… 

The pressure on the Lord Jesus was immeasurable. His every move was observed by the masses. And while, there were some believers----for the most part, Jesus was hounded by people, who wanted something from Him-----and the Scribes and the Pharisees were deliberately stirring the pot, by misinterpreting everything He said and did.

Jesus was completely God, so He knew, that what was happening, was the only way, but it was still hard, and it wasn’t yet time for the Cross. 

And since He was completely human, too, He would have felt the pain of rejection and hatred, with the same kind of emotional angst, that we would have.  

So, He left Capernaum, and went out in the countryside, along the seashore, so that He would be less vulnerable to the pressure from everybody-----but it didn’t really help very much, at all, if anything, the pressure just grew more intense. 

The large crowd was composed of throngs of people----there was the Galilean multitude----made up of locals who had seen and heard about all of His miracles. 

At the time, the area of Galilee was densely populated----ancient historians, like Josephus, speculated that there were tens of thousands of Galileans present----and then, added to that, were the hundreds of people, who had traveled the 100 mile journey, up from Jerusalem in Judea, and the many more, who had come from Idumea, the Transjordan area and the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. It was a massive response----and they didn’t have phones, TV, internet, or newspapers----which makes the size of the crowd, even more remarkable. And like all large crowds of people, they were determined that they were going to get their way---even if they had to force Jesus, to give it too them. 

The crush of people was so huge, and their neediness was so great, that Jesus was in danger of getting hurt… so He told the disciples to have a boat ready for Him, with one of them manning it -----like you see the get-away car in some old movie. It’s sad, but He wound up having to put some space between Himself and His 

‘would-be” followers---- 

The Lord’s primary objective and responsibility was to preach the Good News of the Kingdom------forgiveness and eternal life, in exchange for repentance and belief.         --------------------------physical healing was a secondary blessing------------------------ 

Some people did come to Him for His teaching, but the truth is, Jesus’ words held little attraction for the multitudes------what they wanted to see and experience, were miracles of healing, that would benefit them, or someone they loved, personally. 

Jesus knew that was what they wanted, He knew that they really didn’t understand the necessity for the cross----in John 6:26 after He had fed the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, He told the crowd, “You are looking for me, not because you want the spiritual blessings I can give you, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” The Lord, was careful not to let popularity and success, as the world measures it, divert Him from His main objective. And we have to be careful that we don’t seek the Lord, just for what He can give us. 

The picture is one of wild disorder----- The sick, pushed and shoved, to get close to Jesus, so that He would see them or so that they would be able to touch Him. And the demons, who had possessed people’s bodies, already hurting them, with physical injury, psychological trauma and immense spiritual harm, were throwing them down in front of Jesus, yelling His name, in terrifying voices---Son of God, Son of God, You are the Son of God…. 

There are many schools of thought as to why the demons did this----maybe they couldn’t help themselves, in the presence of the living God, they had no choice but to acknowledge Him----maybe they were trying to escalate the problem with the Pharisees, to hasten Jesus’ death----maybe, they had the evil audacity to try to mock Him----- maybe, they were just trying to use Him, to call attention to themselves-----or maybe it was because they were trying to diffuse His power, (there was an ancient teaching, that said if you knew the name or the quality of a person, then you could have mastery or control over them.) We don’t know why they were screaming His name, but The irony here, is that the demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but the multitudes just thought He was a miracle worker, who could alleviate their physical problems. 

Jesus forbade the demons to speak, and then He cast them out-----He didn’t want evil spirits, with no love for God, to proclaim His name-----nor did He want to reinforce the popular misconception, and have people jump on the bandwagon, that He had come to be a political and military leader, who would lead the people, in freeing themselves, from Rome’s control. Jesus wanted the time, to teach people to understand, that the kingdom that He was preaching about, could only begin, with the overthrow of sin, in people’s hearts, not with the overthrow of governments. 

It was crazy----the sick, the feverish and the crippled, were pushing and grabbing at Jesus and falling all over Him; and the demon-possessed, were malevolently howling His name; and the scribes and Pharisees were watching His every move, just waiting to seize Him, if He stepped wrong----the stress on Him, from His human perspective, must have been unbearable!

How this translates to us, is,….that Jesus understands the craziness of our lives, no matter how harried and frenetic they are--- He understands the pressured treadmill, that most of us race on, as we care for our families, and handle the never-ending chores, that we wake up to, day in and day out. But more than that, He understands what it is, to try and live a life of faith, in a culture, that wants to get everything it can get, because it thinks its entitled to it. He understands what it means to live in a culture, where we have the car running and the doors wide open, in case we need a quick getaway…

And as He is, in all things-----Jesus is our example in how to deal with the pressures of life----1. He got away; 2. He prayed; 3. He shared his life and responsibility with people He trusted. 

1. He got away----Jesus withdrew from people to be alone with God---that is an   essential component, to our wholeness and well-being. There’s too much activity and noise in our world------from morning to night we are bombarded with the radio and the TV---- and our phones make all kinds of sounds, depending on the nature of the message---phone call, text, email or twitter-----and then there is traffic noise, because we are constantly on the road-----and then add to that, the numerous verbal conversations that we have during the day. 

We need to get away---we need silence-----we need quiet time with God. And it isn’t that hard----we just have to be creative and intentional----go for a walk by yourself; get up early, before the family wakes; go early to the car pool line, to the doctor’s office, to lunch with a friend----just sit for a few minutes----no matter how wonderful what ever we’re going to do is----nothing can satisfy us, or soothe us, or calm us down, or fill us with peace, the way time with our Heavenly Father can.

2. He prayed----the parallel passage to this one in Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days, Jesus went out into the hills to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” The underlying truth of this, is overwhelming to me----If Jesus, who is God, had to get away and spend time in prayer----spent the night praying----how much more, do we, mere mortals, adopted into His family, need to spend time praying…. Jesus knew this---so, He spent extended time, exposing His human heart to God’s heart. 

Prayer satisfies our greatest need----the need to be with the Lord---to have more and more of Him, to know Him better and better----communion with God is the greatest need of our souls, and prayer is how we can achieve that fellowship. 

E. Stanley Jones, describes the effect of prayer on us, like this: “Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but is the aligning of my will to the will of God. Aligned to God’s redemptive will, anything can happen in character, conduct and creativeness. The whole person is heightened by that prayer contact. In that contact, I find health for my body, illumination for my mind and moral and spiritual reinforcement for my soul. Prayer is a time-exposure to God, so I expose myself to God for an hour and a half to two hours a day, asking less and less for things and more and more of Himself. For in having Him, I have everything. He gives me what I need for character, conduct, and creativeness, so I’m rich with His riches, strong in His strength, pure in His purity, and able, in His ability.”  

          3. He shared His life and responsibility, with people that He trusted----God calls us to Him, in two ways: first, he calls us to faith in Jesus, as our Savior, and second, He calls us to service in His name…. From the 100s of people, who followed Jesus from place to place, Jesus chose 12 men to be His apostles

 (He called them for 2 purposes----1^st----He wanted them to be with Him, to be His steady and consistent companions. Others might come and go, but those 12 were called to identify their lives with His, and live with Him all the time----- and 2^nd, He wanted to give them intense training---He wanted to send them out----He wanted them to be His messengers, which is what the word “apostle” means, He wanted them to tell others about Him----the disciples had been called, so that they could and would, bring others to Him. )

Theologians believe that there were 12 because it corresponded with the 12 tribes of Israel, and showed the continuity between the old religious system and the new one, based on Jesus’ message of fulfillment. 

There was Simon Peter and his brother Andrew; there were James and John, the sons of Zebedee; and there was Philip and Bartholomew (also called Nathaniel), Matthew and Thomas; and there was James, son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus (also called Jude), and there was Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. 

Jesus didn’t choose these men because of their faith---their faith faltered all the time. He didn’t choose them, because of their talent and ability-----no one, stood out with anything, unusually wonderful…And the disciples had a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds, but they didn’t have any more leadership ability than people who weren’t chosen. 

But, there was one characteristic that they all shared-----and that was their willingness to obey Jesus, whatever the cost. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and were empowered to carry out special roles, in the growth, of the early church.

 Our lesson in this is, that we can’t disqualify ourselves from tasks, that the Lord calls us to, because we don’t think that we have the credentials, or the time, or the ability, or the desire------all we need, is a willing heart and He will equip us with everything else. 

II   …….Was Misunderstood   3:20-30

At the time that all this was happening, there were 4 opinions about who Jesus was----if you want to know the truth, though, people still have these 4 opinions:

1.Jesus was a miracle worker----They thought  that He was either an emissary from God or a tool of the devil----it didn’t matter to people---- all they cared about, was what He could do with His power.

2. Jesus was a madman----They thought that He had lost His sanity---Jesus own family thought that He had lost His mind-----they heard reports that He was so far gone, into religious fervor, that He didn’t take time to eat or to lay down and rest His body. 

They knew that He had given up His livelihood, and was going around teaching and preaching, and claiming to be God’s son------and as good as He was and as pure as He’d always been, I think the brothers were having a hard time trusting what they were hearing about Him-----

I think Mary, understood more than the others----but she must have been worried about the schedule and the pace He was keeping ----plus, I think she missed Him----once He started His ministry, their relationship had to have changed-----she didn’t see Him on a daily basis anymore; she didn’t prepare His meals or wash His clothes anymore; He didn’t have time for Her advice anymore or her admonitions----and if she was like me, she might not have been ready for the change---(I know, when Griff got married, as good as I loved Ashley, my changed role was hard to get used to----I wasn’t the only woman in His life anymore and He didn’t need me, in the same way anymore-----and I didn’t have the freedom to tell him what he should and shouldn’t do anymore----it was a major adjustment)

I can imagine, that Mary felt like her world had turned upside down------little did she know, her present concern about Jesus, was just a drop in the bucket… Jesus’ half brothers came down to Capernaum, with the sole intention of forcibly taking Him back to Nazareth and getting Him under control. They loved Him, and they didn’t want to lose Him. They thought they needed to protect Him from Himself…He wasn’t eating; the crowd was so large and so boisterous, his family must have been afraid that He would somehow be trampled  or torn apart-----and, they must have thought--who in his right mind would set himself against the religious and government authorities and challenge the very essence of who they were, with nothing but a motley crew of 12 ordinary men as your body guard? They must have  been scared for Him, and maybe for themselves, by association.

3. Jesus was demon-possessed----The scribes, who were the highly trained legal experts, voiced this opinion----they were sent out from Jerusalem, apparently with their minds made up, that He was a tool of the devil----since there is no evidence that they ever interviewed Him or the disciples.

 And not only did they accuse Him of being possessed by satan, but they said that he was driving demons out of people by satan’s power, not God’s. The Scribes wanted the crowd to believe that Jesus was Himself possessed, because it would disprove His claim of being the Messiah----it would blow His witness-----and would safeguard and strengthen the Scribes’ positions, as the continuing religious authority. This charge, reduced Jesus, to being, nothing more, than a demonized sorcerer, who was steeped in the black arts.

The Scribes couldn’t deny that Jesus was performing exorcisms----in the parallel passage of Matt. 12:22-24 it says, that Jesus had just cast out blind and dumb spirits, from a man, and it had enraged the Scribes…

The Scribes couldn’t deny what they had witnessed, but they were too hard-hearted or too scared, to accept, that it was from God, so they accused Him of utilizing satan’s power…

The truth is, satan cannot stand it, when good things are happening to, with and for God’s people----he will use any means that he can, to discredit them or to get the credit for himself------the more effective we are for the Lord, in our lives, the more extreme will be satan’s attacks against us-----we have to stand firm and know who our enemy is… we have to make sure we have on the full armor of God… and we have to trust the Lord Jesus, to keep him, from the situations, in our lives. 

It isn’t our place to talk to satan or his evil minions----only Jesus can do that and win----so we have to turn that over to Him and allow Him to make satan run…

The Scribes accusations against Jesus were ridiculous, they didn’t even make sense-----Jesus pointed out to them----why would satan work against himself---why would satan drive out satan?----it is clear, to us all, that a house divided can’t stand, nor can a kingdom-----they will destroy themselves. 

Then Jesus told them what really happened----that, no one, can carry off a strong man’s possessions unless he ties the strong man up first----the strong man is satan----his house, is this earth, where he has been allowed to dominate for a time----his possessions are the helpless victims that he holds in bondage----they are tethered to him, by their own sins. Only a person who is stronger than the strongman can free the victims----and that person is Jesus----He has entered satan’s house and He has tied his hands, and He has freed anybody who wants to be free… 

God does allow satan to work in our world, for a time, but rest assured, God is still in control, and one day, satan will be thrown, so far down in the pit, that He will be lost for all eternity---

Jesus went on to tell the Scribes that they needed to back off because they were in danger of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit-----it was a chilling warning, and one the Scribes would have understood, as the “unforgiveable, eternal sin”. 

R. Kent Hughes says “that few scripture passages are as consistently misunderstood and misapplied as this one is.” Even people who are unchurched, have heard of it, and a lot of Believers, are so afraid of it, and that they might have committed it, that they talk about it in hushed tones, if they talk about it at all. 

What is it? The best way to understand it, is to know what it isn’t…It is not cursing the Holy Spirit; it is not taking the Lord’s name in vain; it is not sexual perversion or adultery or yielding to aberrant lifestyles; it is not even outright disobedience to the Lord-----although all of those things, are vile and offensive, to the Holy Spirit----

Very simply----blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the ongoing, continual rejection , of the witness of the Holy Spirit, to the fact, that Jesus Christ is God‘s Son, and that He died on a cross and was resurrected, to be our Savior, and that He sits at the right hand of the Father, and that He will one day come back, to take His children home---

--the Scribes were on the very brink of committing this sin----they didn’t know about the cross yet---but they were saying that the Holy Spirit’s witness to the Lord Jesus, as the Messiah, through his teaching and exorcisms and miracles, were really the work of satan, not God----and they kept saying it!!!!  So, Jesus told them that  if they persisted in that attitude---then, they would cross the unforgiveable line…

Have people committed this sin, the answer is, sadly, yes…

(Several years ago, Ben Haden, converted atheist, ordained Presbyterian pastor, visited a hospital room at 3:30 am, to see a man he had known for many years. The doctor had said the man was dying and knew it, so Pastor Haden asked him how it was between him and the Lord. “OH, he said, “I’ve always believed in God, and I know everything is shipshape.” What do you believe about Jesus?’ Haden asked him. “I’ve known about God all my life,” he said, “and I’ve tried to observe godly standards. I’ve been honest in business and I’ve worked hard.”

“My friend” said Pastor Haden, “and I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t your friend, answer a straight question: How is it between you and Jesus?” To which the man replied, “I’ve never made a place in my life for Jesus. I don’t believe in Jesus. If I were to believe in Jesus, it would upset everything in my philosophy and my life and I would have to rethink everything about me.” “By the grace of God,” Pastor Haden said, “you only have a little bit of time, rethink it.” “No”, said the man. “I will die without Jesus.” “Why then do you think Jesus died?” said Pastor Haden. “Oh, I understand He died for sins,” said the man. “Your sins?” asked Haden. “ Perhaps, perhaps, but its too late in my life to rethink the place of Jesus.” And He died. This knowledgeable man died resolutely rejecting Jesus. He did not believe what we know is the truth---there are many ways to Jesus, but there is only one way to the Father----and that is through salvation, in the Lord Jesus Christ.)

To commit the unforgiveable sin, blasphemy, against the Holy Spirit, requires knowledge. The Scribes studied the scriptures every day-----they were constantly exposed to the truth and were subject to the witness of the Holy Spirit, because He had inspired the scriptures, so Jesus warned them to be careful-----in our world it is the same thing----the person who knows the scriptures and has heard the Word, and has seen the miraculous power of God, as He has used it to change lives, and still, willfully rejects it all----is in danger, of crossing the line and committing it.  

The person who is worried about whether they’ve committed it or not, hasn’t, because they care-----and if you care---there is always hope and the possibility of grace.  

People who have committed blasphemy, could care less about what they’ve done. (From ancient times, there have been legends about satan, or Lucifer, which was his name before he was thrown from heaven. 

This is one of them----one day, a priest noticed in his congregation, a magnificently handsome young man. After the service the young man stayed for confession----he confessed so many and such terrible sins that the priest’s hair stood on end. ‘You must have lived long to have done all that’ the priest said. ‘My name is Lucifer, and I fell from heaven at the beginning of time,’ said the young man. ‘Even so,” said the priest, ‘say that you are sorry, say that you repent, and even you can be forgiven.’ The young man looked at the priest for a moment, and then turned and strode away. He would not and could not say it; so therefore he had to go on still desolate and still damned.”) 

There is only one condition, that we have to meet, to be forgiven, and that is repentance. As long as people see hope in the Lord Jesus, as long as they hate their sin, even if the have a hard time leaving it, they can still be forgiven. But if people refuse the Holy Spirit’s guidance repeatedly, and they lose the ability to recognize God’s goodness when they see it, and they have their moral values backward---where to them, evil is good and good is evil-----and when Jesus confronts them and they aren’t conscious of any sin----then, they can’t repent and if they can’t repent, then they can’t be forgiven-----that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.)

 4. Jesus was the Son of God----He was exactly who He said He was----and He proved it over and over as He met the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of everybody He came in contact with, without condemnation and accusation, but always, with love and compassion and forgiveness----and as the only open way to the Father.

III.   ….Had to Choose   3:31-35

Jesus was back in Capernaum and the crowds were even greater than they had been, when He was there the first time----the multitude was a desperate mix of people--------at the center were the newly chosen 12, loyally hanging on to every word that Jesus spoke. And in contrast to their eager faces, were the arrogant faces of the Scribes, who had just accused Jesus of being in league with the devil, who were also hanging onto and scrutinizing every word that He spoke. There were people in that in crowd who were ecstatic, some who were quizzical, some who were perplexed and some who were livid and blasphemous. Every extreme were represented: from national zealots to collaborating tax collectors and from ignorant fishermen to learned theologians. 

And at the periphery of the crush of people, standing anxiously by----was Jesus’ earthly family-----they sent someone to call him outside, so that they could talk Him into coming home with them, so they could help Him, by saving Him from any more embarrassment, and possibly, even from danger. A message was passed from person to person----so that by the time it reached Jesus, many of the throng knew what was happening, and they expected Jesus to comply, and obey, especially His mother…

Nobody was ready for His refusal or His denial….

 verbally forsaking His mother and His family---in any culture, would be startling---but in the Hebrew culture, where family was and is so important, it was shocking…Mary must have been crushed and the brothers must have felt betrayed----we are on this side of the cross and we know why Jesus had to say it, and why He had to distance Himself, and it still hurts our feelings to hear it----We love our earthly families----our husbands, our children, our grandchildren, our parents, our siblings, our nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles---but our earthly relationships are just shadows of what our heavenly ones will be like-----the relationships in this world are wonderful, but they will pass away----the relationships that are rooted in Jesus, will last for all eternity.  Our earthly families were created so that we would catch just a little glimpse of what heaven will be like, in all its perfection,,,,  Right now, we can’t imagine anything being better than what we have right now-----but when we all get to heaven, and we see Jesus---- the allure of the world will disappear and we will be left, with nothing to do, but sing praises to Almighty God.

Jesus wasn’t meaning to wound His mother and His family----and He was certainly not breaking His family ties----he was just making it clear that the relationships in this world will come and go and they will eventually die----but the relationships we have with other believers will be eternal----There is a deeper kinship, there, than flesh and blood----a spiritual kinship which is characterized by obedience to the Father. Obedience is not what originates our relationship with Him, faith is what does that----but obedience to Him, is a sign of it. 

Jesus was trying to explain, that there is a new family, which is far superior to the human family. Its ties are far stronger.  It’s personality and dynamics are far more satisfying. It’s responsibilities and accountability are far more demanding. And time spent together is far more dear. (We’ve all had experiences, where we have unexpectedly come across a brother or sister in Christ----and spent a few minutes or a few hours with them, and we’ve come away, with an extraordinary feeling of kinship and belonging to each other.) 

And when the members of our earthly family are believers too---its more precious than words can express----even Mary, Jesus’ mother had to become a member of the family of God----she had to trust and accept Jesus as her Savior and Lord, in the same way we all have, through repentance and forgiveness-----we don’t know about all of His brothers, but we do know that his brother, James became a believer, and was the author of the book of James, and that he became a leader in the Jerusalem church. 

Jesus turned the rejection of His family into a compassionate invitation for them to recognize and understand who He really was----they came to claim Him as their family member, and He challenged them to become members of God’s true family. 

His family was standing outside, calling Jesus away from His work. They believed they were helping, not hindering, they didn’t realize that they were trying to block Jesus mission and the task that God had called Him to. None of us would consciously try to block His work, but we do it all the time, when we become thoughtless of Him, by pursuing our own interests and needs.

The conflict between Jesus and His family continues in our lives…Do we avoid Jesus’ claim on us, as the powerful Lord God, by reducing Him to a friendship status. Jesus is our friend and He is our brother, but He is first and foremost, our Lord. And if we treat Him in any way less than our Lord, then we are being disrespectful of His rightful place in the world and in our lives. 

We want interesting and uplifting companions, but Jesus wants us to reach out to the unfortunate, the disabled and the sick. We want to know people who can do something for us, and to help us get ahead in this world socially, financially and intellectually, but Jesus wants us to love the poor, the ostracized and the foreigner who doesn’t understand our language or our culture. We want to get to know the people we enjoy being with, on a more intimate basis and spend our time exclusively with them, but Jesus wants us to reach out to everybody we come in contact with and tell them about Him, so that they have a chance for eternity. We desire the company of our earthly families, but Jesus desires for us all to be family.

William Barclay says that our heavenly family is held together by 4 things----we have a common experience of being forgiven sinners---we have a common interest of wanting to know as much about the Lord Jesus as we can----we have a common leader, in the Lord Jesus, that we all need to obey----- and we have a common goal, which is to love Jesus more every day, and to lead people to His kingdom. These 4 things are what bind us together as believers----these 4 things are what make us a family, closer than any DNA can make us and thicker and more intimate than any flesh and blood, bond can expect. 

2000 years ago, when Jesus gave His startling answer, he shocked his mother and brothers and everybody who heard Him, with waves that have reverberated down through the centuries-----but it was a therapeutic shock, because it teaches us that when we obey the Lord, then we become members of His family------and this loving obedience to Him, is the key to loving our earthly families in the way we should-----it teaches us to get our priorities straight------love the Lord 1^st, and do what He says-----and love our husbands 2^nd,, and do what the Lord says--- and love our children 3^rd,, and do what the Lord says, in that order, and everything and everyone else, will fall into place, every time.

(Karl Stegall tells the story of his two brothers when they started the the first grade.  When the teacher asked them for their birthdates----One said he was born January 1, 1984 and the other one said that he was born April 4, 1984. “That’s impossible,” said the teacher. “No it isn’t said the first brother, “one of us is adopted.” “Which one?” asked the teacher? “We don’t know,” the other brother said, “one day we asked our dad and he just kissed us both and said “I forgot!” 

That’s the way it is with God----He adopts us as His children, and then, you can’t tell one of us from the other----we are all His family.

JOY "Jesus Defuses Confrontation" October 16, 2013

October 16, 2013

Mark 2:13-3:6

Jesus Defuses Confrontation

I.       Calling Matthew   2:13-17

II.      Right-Motive Fasting    2:18-22

III.     Sabbath Instruction   2:23-27

IV.     Sabbath Healing    3:1-6 

A man worked in the carpet cleaning business and had a lot of success selling the pet urine removal process. He carried a heavy-duty black light with him in his van. And when he smelled pet odor, he would ask the homeowner if they wanted to see the extent of the damage. Because it’s composed of proteins, urine glows under a black light. With the lights out and the shades drawn, the homeowner would follow him through the house---Usually there were far more spots of the dried urine present, than the than the owner had a clue about---on the curtains and the walls and the furniture---splattered all around. 

The reactions were always quite dramatic. One lady said----“clean it up, I don’t care what it costs and another lady said---I’ll never feel comfortable in my home again.” The black light didn’t cause the problem---it just revealed it. The problem was there all the time, and it caused a bit of an upset, when the extent of the problem could actually be seen----and most people were ready to do something about it, when given the chance. 

We live in sin to the point that we get comfortable with it, but when the black light of God’s righteous law shines on our lives, we can see the offences for what they really are and we have a choice----we either have to let the Lord clean it up, or live in squalor. It would be cruel to show homeowners their problem without being able to help them---in the same way---God shows us our violations of His holiness and then He shows us a way for them to be cleaned up----He wanted to help us, so badly, that He sent Jesus to clean up our dirty hearts with His blood------a lot of people heard Jesus and responded to Him-----but not the Pharisees----they were a blind, arrogant self-seeking, and self-serving------and they couldn’t bear to see themselves under the black light of Jesus’ words. 

1. Calling Matthew: 2:13-17

                  The collection of taxes is not a new thing-----taxes have been a sore point between every government and their citizens since time began…. And it’s especially rough when one country has been conquered by another one----In Palestine, during Jesus’ ministry, the whole country, as we know was under the dominance of Rome---and Rome collected its taxes through a system, known as “tax-farming”----basically, they assessed a district, fixed a tax figure on it, then they sold the right, to be the tax collector, to the highest bidder. The tax collector, had to hand over the assessed amount, to the government, at the end of the year, but he could keep, whatever he collected, above that. So the potential for extortion and swindling was huge!!!! A tax collector could collect whatever he decided he wanted to. There were no rules and no limits, once Rome was paid.

This system consisted of 2 categories of taxes:

1. Stated taxes-----had to be paid to Rome, no exemptions, no questions, no special considerations-----

poll tax---- all men between the ages of 14 and 65 and all women between the ages of 12 and 65 had to pay this, just because they were alive.

ground tax------which required a tax on 1/10 of all grain, and 1/5 of all wine and oil produced. In some places, the Romans had a tax levied against every fish that was caught-----this was probably true in Capernaum, where the fishing industry was so vital.

income tax-----this was 1% of every person’s annual income.

1. Arbitrary taxes----- was dictated by the tax collector----there was ample opportunity for abuse--- 

The people had to pay separate taxes for things like----using the roads and docking in the harbors----there were sales taxes on certain things and there were import and export taxes----- the ability to be able to use a cart to transport things could be taxed----even the individual spokes on the wheels of the carts could be taxed.

This system fostered the exploitation, of power, that the tax collector could wield.  They could stop anybody on the road, make them unpack their bundle, and charge them just about, anything they wanted to. And, if the person couldn’t pay, for whatever reason, then the tax collector sometimes, would offer to loan him money, at an exorbitant rate, which only pulled the people, even further into debt. 

The collectors were trained extortionists, and without question, their profession attracted a criminal, low-life element of thugs and informers…the scum of society!!!! Honesty was, and is, a-little found-commodity, in our world----(so, as believers, we need to make sure that we are honest in everything----that we let our yes’s be yes and our no’s be no, and that we say what we mean and we mean what we say-----)

The Jewish tax collectors were easily the most hated men, in their Hebrew society. They were considered to be despicable vermin-----they weren’t just hated for their extortion, but they were hated because they were the lackeys of the Romans----

(just like the French people, hated the Nazi collaborators during WWII, almost more than they did their German oppressors.) The tax collectors couldn’t serve as judges or witnesses in their legal system and they were not allowed to attend synagogue services------they were the lowest of the low!!!!!

All this, is why, Jesus’ dealing with and calling of Levi or Matthew, as his name was later changed to (gift from God), was so extraordinary-----Matthew would have been the last person that you would have expected Jesus to pick to be one of His followers, much less one of His most trusted 12-----but that is the way Jesus is, He looked beyond the circumstances and He saw Matthew’s heart----He saw the potential of what he could become----He saw the need that Matthew had, for a Savior, and He saw how Matthew, would grow to be dependent on His Savior and how he would become a blessing to his people, as he spread the gospel everywhere he went, while he was alive, and how he is still spreading the gospel through the written word, because he was willing to take up his pen and write down all that he knew about the Lord Jesus----so that every generation, from his, would know the truth of God. 

(centuries ago, a number of workman were seen dragging a huge marble block  into the city of Florence, Italy. It had come from the great marble quarries in Carrera, and it was intended to be made into a statue of some great OT prophet. But, it contained imperfections, and when the great sculptor Donatello saw it-----he refused immediately, to sculpt it. So, it just laid in the cathedral yard, a useless hunk of marble. One day, another sculptor saw the flawed marble, and stopped to examine it----and as he walked around it and touched it, an idea of what it could become, and an image of immense beauty, began to take shape in his mind’s eye, and he resolved to sculpt it. For two years the artist worked feverishly on the sculpture. Then, on January 25, 1504, all the great artists of the day, like da Vinci and Botticelli, gathered, to see what had been made of the despised and rejected block of marble----As the veil dropped to the floor, there was a collective gasp and a chorus of praise -----as Michelangelo’s David was revealed and declared to be a masterpiece------and it is still today, one of the world’s great treasures----one of the greatest work’s of art, that the world has ever seen… )

The Lord saw, in the flawed life of Levi, the hated and despised tax collector-----a Matthew, who would be a beloved evangelist and writer of the gospel------

and Matthew,  he must have heard what was being said about Jesus and he more-than-likely, had even heard him teach and his heart must have been stirred by what he heard ----so that when the Lord called his name, he didn’t hesitate to leave everything and follow Him.  

Jesus still does that----He chooses the most unlikely person or situation, and then He uses them to reveal Himself and His glory----He still sees us with His consummate artists’ eye-----and He still sees what He can create out of us----Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Jesus sees in us, what no one else can see.

Matthew’s life was revolutionized, so he threw a party!!!! He was excited and he wanted to celebrate----he wanted to introduce Jesus to his friends and he wanted to introduce his friends to Jesus-----and he wanted to do something that would honor Jesus for what He had done for him-----this should be a natural outpouring of any soul that has been touched by the Lord-----we should want to celebrate the Lord’s goodness to us every day-------but there are certain times, that we just need to have a party----because we want to share our joy in the Lord with the people that we know and love. That means births and baptisms and weddings and graduations and birthdays and anniversaries----but it also means dinner for two, and coffee with friends and play groups and long stroller walks, and bridge groups and tennis buddies and standing in the back yard visiting with a neighbor-----life is to be celebrated, because God is so good and so faithful and so present , and He so obviously loves us.

The friends at Matthew’s party were other tax collectors and sinners and even Gentiles-----in a Pharisee’s mind, a sinner was anyone who was inferior to them, because they didn’t follow their rules and regulations, to the letter…and a Gentile was especially despised, because they didn’t eat their food in a kosher manner, which made it ceremonially unclean. Matthew’s friends would have been the social outcasts of Capernaum-----and there was Jesus, sitting right in the middle of them, eating and drinking and talking and laughing----having a great time….

It was just too much for the Pharisees, who were the teachers of the Law,----to them, it was an unforgiveable disgrace for Jesus, who also claimed to be a teacher of the Law, to totally disregard their time-honored customs and traditions.  

There are Christians, today, who operate on this same kind of principle----if people aren’t like us or don’t worship like we do, or dress like we do, or look different than we do---- we don’t want to associate with them, and we have a tendency to sit in judgment of them------but it’s not our place to judge---its our place to do what Jesus did----to go into the highways and byways, and tell people, who haven’t heard, about the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ… ( a perfect place to see this at happening, and then see the Lord tear the barriers down, is at a Ladies Retreat------some of us just were at BayLeaf’s Ladies Retreat this past weekend----there were people there I knew and people I didn’t----there were people that were dressed like me and people that weren’t-----there were younger people than me and there were people older than me and there were some my age-----there were new Christians and there were people who had been Christians for 50 years-----and our speaker-----she was so talented and spot on, with what she said and taught and sang-----but she was a bigger-than-life person----she was over 6 feet tall, she was loud, with a vocabulary that matches today’s pop culture---she had her hair highlighted with many different colors and she dressed very casually.  Outwardly, she was very different than the majority of our ladies… The first night, people were friendly to each other, but they were reserved and hung out with who they knew and the didn’t really approach the speaker one on one----the next morning after the first session and the 1^st small group, people were feeling a little more comfortable and a little freer----- and after  the 3^rd meal with a speaker, who ate in the midst of us, like she was our girlfriend, and hung around to talk after each session, so that you couldn’t tell her from us -----people began to open up to her, one at a time-----by Saturday night----everybody was calling everybody by name, and by Sunday morning, we were rocking-----there was a big party going on----there was laughter and tears and a lot of hugging----and people had stopped sitting, just with whom they had come with, but were enjoying  worshiping side by side, with brand new friends or maybe even, rekindled friends-----it was a wonderful thing to watch and even more, to experience-----

We have to remember, that we’re called to be like Jesus-----He didn’t just stick with people who are just like Him-----he actually chose to associate with people who were nothing like Him----

We come to the Lord, and in our desire to be godly----we seek out people who are just like us-----most of us, for the most part, arrange our lives, so that we are with non-believers as little as possible-----not only do we spend most of our time with our church friends, but we try and choose Christian dentists and doctors and plumbers and veternarians and we want Christian coaches for our children and Christian teachers-----

I’m the same way---I found out Monday that one of the physical therapists I’m working with is a believer----I was thrilled-------but how much better would it be, if she was someone I could share the love of Jesus with------we miss so many people, and so many opportunities, where we can tell somebody about Jesus----none of us are Pharisees philosophically, but practically speaking, we may all have a little  Pharisee in us . 

(We need to reach out to people----we need to extend ourselves to people who are hurting----we need to volunteer at a pregnancy life care center, or at an alzheimer’s facility, we need to open up our homes and our guests rooms to the multiple cultures around us, we need volunteer at the prison, or teach student or adult literacy, to immigrants, we need to  serve food at the soup kitchen or help with our own Helping Hands Ministry, as they make dolls and loveys for Africa’s children-----t

There are many ways to get involved with the people in our community and in the world----even if it means giving up a church job or committee, to do it. When Jesus prayed for us in John 17:15, He told the Father, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” The great missionary, C.T. Studd loved to say---“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” That should be our philosophy too!

Jesus heard what the Pharisees were saying as they were whispering to His disciples about His dining with sinners-----He responded with 2 answers----First—“-it isn’t healthy people who need a doctor-----sick people do”-----that is common sense----

And Second----He said “He had come to call people who knew they were sinners, not people who thought they were righteous”-----The Pharisees were just as needy as the publicans and the sinners but they couldn’t see it. Jesus didn’t spend time with people who were lost, because He was a sinner at heart----He spent time with them, because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed what He had to say… He spent time with them because, they realized they had a need, and they welcomed Him and what He had to offer them…they sensed their own sin, and they knew that they weren’t good enough for God.

In order to come to God and to be received by Him, we have to repent-----but in order to repent, and renounce our sin, we have to recognize it for what it is. Sin is Sin------there is nothing that can change that and only Jesus can help us when we come to Him and admit that we are helpless without Him----only He, the Great Physician,  can heal us. 

1. Right –Motive Fasting 2:18-22

The Pharisees zealously followed the Old Testament Laws, and legalistically obeyed their own traditions ------- instead of seeking and hearing the words that Jesus was trying to touch their hearts with. 

They were highly feared, by the regular every-day Jew, and highly respected by the other religious leaders and the Roman peace-keeping troops, in the community ------ and they should have been welcoming Jesus, and accommodating Him, and pointing others to Him, and hanging on His every word, and worshiping Him------but as a whole, they weren’t, they hated him, because he challenged their proud attitudes and their dishonorable motives. 

The Pharisees, had almost constant clashes with Jesus, from this point forward,  all the way to the cross---the confrontation about fasting, was just an example of the many ways the religious leaders, tried to thwart Jesus and His authority. It was because, what Jesus was saying and doing, was challenging everything that the Pharisees thought was true, about who they were and their behavior and who God was, and what He wanted. They lived by their appearance, but Jesus questioned their heart motives; they constructed elaborate behavior patterns to indicate their holiness but Jesus taught that even good actions, done for the wrong reasons have no spiritual effect-----He wanted them to see that if you love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul and mind and you love you neighbor, as if you are loving yourself, then nothing else will matter-----everything will all fall into place-----that there’s nothing else, in this world, that matters, compared with those 2 things… 

Picking on Jesus about fasting was a ridiculous thing-----but they were trying so hard to trap Him with something-----

John the Baptist had 2 goals: to lead people to repent of their sin and to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah… John’s message was sobering, so he and his followers fasted. Fasting is both an outward sign of humility and regret for sin, and an inner discipline that clears our minds and keeps our spirits alert. Fasting empties our bodies of food, just like repentance empties our hearts of sin. 

Jesus disciples didn’t need to fast to prepare for His coming----He was with them, in the flesh. 

Fasting is not a bad thing---Jesus didn’t condemn fasting-----we know that He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights while He was being tempted in the desert. But Jesus emphasized fasting with the right motives-----not to draw attention to yourself-----it should be done very contemplatively and without fanfare------and you need to be led by the Lord to do it. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16-18,” And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth,----that, is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your father, who knows what you do in private. And your father, who sees everything, will reward you.“ 

The Pharisees fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, to show others how holy they were, even though the Law only required it one time a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. But Jesus explained, that if people fast to only impress others, then, they would be twisting the purpose of fasting. 

The Pharisees had the mindset, that true religion, was a solemn, joyless, ritualistic endeavor-----it had nothing to do with love or redemption or even God-----it was all about what the Pharisees could achieve, not what the Lord could do or who He was. They actually whitened their faces, and put ashes on their heads, wore their clothes in disarray, refused to wash and looked as forlorn as possible. They didn’t think they could be spiritual, unless they were uncomfortable. They thought to be truly religious, you had to do things you didn’t want to and not do things that you did want to do. They totally missed the truth about the difference in having faith and practicing religion----having faith is about having a relationship----practicing religion is just going through empty motions, with no substance. 

(Gladyce.. a widow, attended church faithfully, every Sunday. She would get there about 20 minutes early and sit there and pray. This was her ritual, just her and Jesus. She had been doing this for years. Then, one Sunday, a new family sat behind her. This was disturbing to her. She thought about it and said---oh well, they’re visitors and they may not be back next week anyway.” She thought she could put up with the small feet kicking at her back and the toy cars being driven on the top of the pew and loud whispers for lifesavers and trips to the bathroom that interrupted her prayer time, for one Sunday. But, much to her dismay, one week turned into 2 and 2 into a month and she realized that all those children were there to stay. She weighed her options ---she could change pews but “no, that was she and her husband had always sat together to worship. She wasn’t willing to give up her pew. She could turn around and glare at them--- She could stay home, an extra 20 minutes, and pray there----She had to think about it. The next Sunday morning was especially bad----she looked back to stay something stern to the parents of the squirming children----and she realized how tired they looked---“Perhaps I should let them be”, she thought. And instead of yelling, she managed a small smile. The next Sunday she took lifesavers and offered them----The next Sunday she asked the children their names----She found out that the oldest liked horse, the middle one liked cars and the little one liked books. The next Sunday they weren’t there, and it didn’t seem like church, without the tap of little feet at her back. The next week, she invited the family over for Sunday brunch, and from there on, a fast friendship grew!!!! ) 

Being a believer should bring us immeasurable joy-----no matter what our circumstances are----knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is provided to us by the Lord Jesus----helps us take our focus off of the circumstances and put our gaze on Jesus, where it belongs. 

Jesus compared Himself to a bridegroom, just after an ancient Jewish wedding. The happy couple didn’t go on a honeymoon----they stayed home for a week of Open House, in which there was continual feasting and celebration. It was considered to be the happiest week in their lives-----they were treated like royalty, they were attended by chosen friends, their guests were exempted from all fasting------ because by rabbinical law, they were relieved of all observances, which could lessen their joy----so the Pharisees would have understood what Jesus was saying when He declared Himself to be the bridegroom. Jesus’ coming was a time for celebrating, not mourning and fasting. 

And Jesus went on, to try and explain why the Pharisaical way of doing things was not going to work any more----He told them that He didn’t come to patch up the old religious system of Judaism with it’s rules and regulations and traditions----His purpose was to fulfill it, by starting something new-----He came to offer complete and perfect forgiveness and reconciliation with God for eternity----The new Good News didn’t fit into the old rigid legalistic system of religion. 

It needed a fresh start and it will always stay new, because it has to be accepted and applied in every generation. (I have tried to put on a new patch on an old pair of pants many times, and it never works----Lizzie is a horseback rider and her pants , which are made of cotton and a stretch lycra, wear out, over time in the area of her inner thighs, cause that’s where her legs grip the horse-------lizzie can wear them the first time I patch them, but when they are washed and then allowed to air dry-----the new patch shrinks up and pulls apart from the old pants, creating an even bigger hole…) 

The new patch is Christianity----the old garment is Judaism----and trying too sew one on the other would never work---so Jesus came to replace the old garment forever. 

And as if that wouldn’t a good enough explanation, He went on to explain even further---- that a wineskin was a goatskin, sewed together at the edges, to form a watertight bag. New wine, expanded, and as it aged and fermented, would stretch the wineskin. New wine couldn’t be put into an old wineskin, that had already been stretched, or the taunt skin would burst. The Pharisees and their legalism had become rigid like old wineskins. They could not accept the fact that faith in Jesus, would not be contained or limited, by man-made ideas or rules. The wine is the Holy Spirit, and the wineskin represents believers. 

The Lord came, to make us new and fit vessels, for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have a new life in the Lord Jesus----the Holy Spirit could not and cannot be poured into an old life----He would tear it to pieces. The Lord didn’t come to improve our old nature; He came to provide us with a new nature, capable of handling the baptism, indwelling, filling and anointing of the mighty Holy Spirit of God.  

(My friend Sally, had suffered from anorexia, as a teenager----she recovered and went on to live her life---marry, birth and raise 5 children, all the while ,serving the Lord alongside her preacher husband---but that whole time Sally suffered with guilt, over having had, what she perceived to be, a yielding, to anorexia-----she tells the story of how she begged and begged for the Lord to take that guilt from her----well 30 years went be----and a lady in her church came to her and shared with Sally her worry ,that her daughter, was suffering from anorexia, and she  begged Sally to give her the name of someone that she could talk to, who had experienced it----and Sally says, she honestly could not remember the name of a single person----until she thought  “its me, its me” and she realized the Lord had taken her guilt away.…) 

When the Lord fills the wineskins of our lives, the Holy Spirit within us, stretches us to new limits. The inner pressure swells, and expels unneeded things, and fills every aspect of our lives----the Lord fills us so fully, that every aspect of our lives, from our intellect to our emotions, is totally changed----He takes our previous experiences, our present level of growth, our intellectual formation, our cherished customs, our prejudices, the familiar and the comfortable and He tears it up and gives us a completely new heart----because it’s the only way that we are able to hold the richness and the volume of His Spirit.

III.     Sabbath Instruction    2:23-27

The reason that the Pharisees were repeatedly colliding with the Lord was because they were the old wineskins----and they couldn’t handle the richness of His teaching and the glory of His presence----they were popping all over the place. That’s what brought them to the fateful collisions over the Sabbath. 

Jesus and His disciples were not stealing when they picked the grain that Sabbath day----Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deternonmy23:25 say, “that the farmers were to leave the edges of the field unharvested, so that their crops could be picked by travelers and by the poor----just like walking on a sidewalk is not trespassing on private property, picking heads of grain, at the edge of a field was not stealing.

In Exodus 34:21, Moses said that God did not want crops to be harvested on the Sabbath-----He wanted them to refrain from working on that day so that the farmers wouldn’t become greedy and ignore God on that day------It also protected laborers from being overworked. 

The Pharisees interpreted the action of Jesus and His disciples----picking and eating the grain, as they walked by the field, as harvesting, so they judged that Jesus and the disciples were lawbreakers. But Jesus and His friends were clearly not harvesting the grain for personal gain-----they were just looking for something to eat-----they recognized it as God’s provision---the Pharisees were so focused on the letter of the law that they missed the intent of the law, they missed it’s mercy and grace. 

Jesus used the example of David and the 12 loaves of shewbread in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, to point out how ridiculous the Pharisee’s accusations were.  David and his men were hungry----David knew that the bread would be out on the table----it was offered to the Lord every Sabbath, to represent the 12 tribes of Israel----when it was changed from week to week, it was given to the priests to be used for their meals----David asked for it for his men and the priest recognized that the lives of the men were more important than the weekly ritual, so he gave the bread to David to feed them. 

But for the Pharisees, the Sabbath rules, had become more important than Sabbath rest---and they had become more important than nourishing the strength of a fellow Jew.  Both David and Jesus understood that the main intent of God’s law, is to promote love for God first, and then promote that love, for others. 

Jesus clearly says that we were not created for the Sabbath but that it was created for us----it was created for our benefit----when we take the time to focus on the Lord and to take time from our day-to-day activities to rest----then we will be restored both physically and spiritually. Christianity involves many rules that are meant to be governed by love and by grace and mercy----

Which makes love the rule above all rules----and when we allow love to be our rule of thumb---then it moves us toward personal sacrifice, discipline and responsibility. My bible commentary says that when we are confronted with rules of our own or of someone else’s making---we should ask ourselves 4 questions before we yield to them----

1. Does the rule serve God’s purposes?
2. Does the rule reveal God’s character?
3. Does the rule help people get into God’s family?
4. Does the rule line up with the scripture?

Good rules will answer all 4 questions in a positive way…we need to make sure that we don’t impose harsher restrictions on the Gospel, than the Bible requires. We have to be careful that we don’t add rules, programs or policies that make the Lord and following Him--- a burden for people. We need to make sure that we are loving people into the kingdom, not judging them there…

A wise and benevolent heavenly father, had planned for the Sabbath, to be a weekly blessing for His children. One day in 7 was to be a holiday from work----the body could rest----and the soul and the spirit could be refreshed by the worship of God. The gift of the Sabbath goes all the way back, to the creation of the world, because Almighty God, Himself, worked hard for 6 days and on the 7^th one, He rested. 

The Lord had created the Sabbath; He could do whatever He wanted to with it----it had always fallen on the 7^th day of the week----but after Calvary, things began to happen on the 1^st day of the week. Jesus rose from the dead on the 1^st day; Pentecost came on the 1^st day;  the Holy Spirit came on the 1^st day; the early Church met for worship on the 1^st day----the 1^st day abolished the Jewish Sabbath, because we don’t need in the same way any more--- because now our rest is not in a day anymore----it’s in a person----the Lord Jesus.  We still worship one day out of 7, but hopefully it is with the right mindset and motivation----to spend time with the Lord. 

1. Sabbath Healing 3:1-6

                The Pharisees and the scribes, as a whole, had turned against Jesus more and more, after each encounter with Him, and they had quickly become his enemies. They were jealous of His popularity, of His miracles, of the authority, in His teachings and His actions; they resented His ability to speak the scripture and put them in their place; they didn’t like the way they felt after their confrontations with Him---they felt convicted and guilty and scared…

They valued their status and their opportunity for personal gain too much to surrender themselves to Him----and they had lost sight of their responsibility as religious leaders, which was to point people to God----of all the people, the Pharisees, should have been able to see that Jesus was the Messiah-----but they refused to see it, because they were so afraid that they would lose their status and power----they couldn’t see that they had already lost it, and so much more----with their wrong attitudes exposed----they began to look for a way to get rid of Jesus. They were watching Him like hawks so they could catch Him in a wrong step----

In the synagogue that day was a man with a withered hand----a lot of bible scholars believe that he was a plant----and that the Pharisees were waiting for Him to lure Jesus into their trap…because, handicapped or diseased people didn’t usually go into the public places and especially they didn’t go into the house of worship---because their condition might have been caused by their own sin----they would have been ashamed---it was another Pharisaical rule----but we don’t know----but we do know that Jesus felt compassion for him and healed him….so it doesn’t matter----He changed that man’s life forever.

Jesus had a special place in His heart for the handicapped----and the Pharisees were smart----they played it cool, calm and collected and waited to see the drama unfold----they knew that Jesus wouldn’t be able to resist helping the man----they just never counted on Jesus being able to read their minds and call them out on it------

There were 3 things that set the Jews apart from the rest of the world; that helped to keep their racial purity and their religious purity, in spite of the fact that they were scattered far and wide:

1. rite of circumcision

2.) strict dietary laws

1. weekly observance of the Sabbath

The need for all 3 of these distinctions, was taken care of by the Lord----Jesus broke those barriers down, and made the way to God, accessible to everyone, through their hearts…

The Pharisees were not about to let the young prophet from Nazareth jeopardize 

their survival as a nation, by a lax attitude toward the Sabbath---especially the Sabbath-----because that was such a visible thing-----they had added countless rules and regulations to the simple instruction to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” to insure that it couldn’t be ignored without severe penalty. (a man was supposed to stand by, and watch his neighbor’s house burn down, without lifting a finger, because it was the Sabbath; a doctor was supposed to refuse to administer aid to a child who had fallen and broken his leg, because it was the Sabbath; a man was supposed to stand on the bank and let a stranger drown, because it was the Sabbath----all of that would have been work and it was forbidden.)

The Lord wasn’t intimidated----He could have told the man to come over to Peter’s house after the service and He would take care of him privately----but He didn’t----He intended to put the Pharisees in their place---not just because they needed to be rebuked, but because----the people who were watching the exchange needed to see that Jesus’ way was the right way and that to follow what He taught and did, was a new order of things----but that it was an order that they had all been looking for--- (We should always do the right thing, not just for our sakes, but for the sakes of the people, who are watching us…we want to lead them in the right way----we never want to be responsible for leading someone away from the Lord.)  

Jesus was angry about the Pharisee’s uncaring attitudes----anger itself isn’t wrong----it depends on what makes us angry and what we do with our anger----way too often we express our anger in selfish and harmful ways----in contrast Jesus expressed His anger by correcting something---He healed the man’s withered hand-----using anger to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem is what we should do---its what Jesus did----it’s what a person with a servant’s heart would do…

The Pharisees didn’t say a word-----they just sat in silence, but it was a pregnant silence ----full of anger and malice----it was a silence of rejection and unbelief, and they were each vowing in their hearts to find a way to destroy Him…so they allied themselves with the Herodians, a group, they normally wouldn’t be caught dead talking to---and began plotting the Lord’s death. 

(When Lizzie was in middle school, I was the president of the PTSA----there was a fellow officer who challenged me, at every turn, I don’t know why--- but it was even to the point, that I had to rebuke her, for being out of order at one of our school-wide meetings----it was awful----I got to where I couldn’t even speak to her hardly---until we got to high school and both of our girls played volleyball, for a man coach who was not from heaven (if you know what I mean) it wasn’t long before we saw that we had to join forces, not to destroy him, but to just help our girls survive----it was an uneasy alliance and we never became best friends, but our collusion served a purpose… )

The Herodians were a Jewish political party that hoped to restore Herod the Great’s line to the throne. They grew to hate Jesus too, because He challenged their political ambitions-----they were afraid He would gain the political power that they wanted. They were normally at odds with the Pharisees, but He had become a common enemy----so they joined forces with the Pharisees and plotted to kill Jesus, they were willing to get rid of Him, at all costs-----ironically----the Pharisees were breaking their own law, by plotting to commit murder, at all, much less on the Sabbath. When religious fanatics join forces with political extremists, there will be an explosion----and Jesus was in the very center of the controversy---and He didn’t waver---He kept walking forward---loving and teaching and healing----He never faltered, not for an instant…

JOY "Miracles" October 9, 2013

October 9, 2013

Mark 1:40-2:12

Miracles

1. Jesus and the Leper    1:40-45
2. Jesus and the Paralytic    2:1-12

Growing up, I think I was about 10, when I realized that my Granddaddy’s heart was a ticking time-bomb. And from then, until he passed away when I was 21----I never doubted, not one time that when He continued to live after, yet again, another heart attack, that it was my prayers that were being answered. As an adult, I cannot believe what a miracle it was that he survived 12 of them, But as a child, I didn’t even question it, I just trusted completely that the Lord would heal him every time. 

I understood on some level, that it would only happen if it was the Lord’s will, but in my mind----- I thought that He had done it so many times, why wouldn’t He continue to do it. 

And when he did pass away, I never questioned that either-----I was a nurse by that time, so I knew physiologically how broken his heart was, and I knew that he was so tired and weary, that the Lord had decided that it was time for them to meet face to face. He was 79 when he went to be with Jesus.

But about 8 years after that, I had a good friend that passed away, because of a very aggressive brain tumor-----her name was Mary Kathryn Talton.  And in my characteristic fashion, I believed with all my heart that the Lord would heal her---in my mind, why would He not----she was a faithful believer, she was a young wife and mother, she was a good friend to everybody and she had so much to offer, in so many ways---- and she was only 32 years old. 

And again, on some level, I knew that it would only happen if the Lord willed it------but I believed with my whole heart that He willed it. 

Until the day, Mary Kathryn told me that she was going home-----she was only a few days post-up from the surgery that removed most of the tumor and a small amt. of brain tissue-----so I thought she was just speaking out of confusion, because we had just gotten her home, in the door and settled. I quickly assured her that she was home and it would all be familiar to her again soon. 

And she said, “No, listen to me, I’m going home.” I tried to appease her and myself by saying, “no you’re not, you’re gonna have radiation and chemotherapy and you’re gonna do great , I promise.” 

She stopped my well-meaning, but way-off-base, stream of words, by saying-----“You need to listen to me and hear what I’m saying------the Lord does not heal everybody, if He did, there would be no suffering, which helps us grow and teaches us to depend just on Him. And, if He healed everybody, no one would ever die-----and you know that dying, in this world, is a reality because of the sin that Adam and Eve brought into it,  and to be absent from the body is to be present from the Lord, and that is what we should all be longing for------people pray for healing and miracles, and sometimes the Lord gives them to them , while they are still on this earth-------but very often, He gives them ultimate healing, which is taking them home-----and that is truly the most wonderful miracle of all.”

I listened to Mary Kathryn that day, but I still begged the Lord to cure her, but with a new awareness of what it means to say, “if it be your will”--------8 months later, I was at her bedside at Rex------we were alone, and it was 10:00 at night-------and I was praying for the Lord to take her home. Not just because I didn’t want her to suffer any more and not just because I knew she was tired and weary-------but because I finally understood that it was the Lord’s will (Romans 12:2 says, “ Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you is, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”)----these body’s have to be folded up somehow-----for her, cancer was the way-----but her bravery and her absolute trust in the Lord’s will and His sovereign hand, and her sweet dependence on Him, no matter what happened to her, was a testimony to so many people.

Dale’s granddaddy used to preach a sermon about why the Lord takes people home (aside from the fact, that only in eternity, will we get to live forever)----and he said that there were 4 specific reasons, or explanations, that He had surmised, biblically and experientially, in his years of ministry—and they are:

1. The person has accomplished, in his or her life, what he was sent here to do.
2. The Lord is sparing them from something that is going to happen in the future, that would be more than they could bear,
3. The person’s lifestyle and actions are bringing dishonor and shame to the Lord’s name.
4. There can be more glory and good brought to the kingdom, in the way that they die, than in the way that they live.

This is by no means a scientific formula, with hard and fast rules-------but I think it’s a very comforting way of understanding life and death, especially if you trust in the sovereignty of God, the way the Leper, in our lesson did, this week,

I,) Jesus and the Leper: 1:40-45

The word leprosy was used in biblical times to designate a wide variety of skin diseases. In Leviticus, chapter 13, seven forms of this skin disease are described. And according to their ceremonial law----- a person with leprosy had to wear distinct, torn clothing, to signify that he had the disease; he had to cover his upper lip and bare his head; and he had to shout” “unclean, unclean” as he came upon, or approached other people. Lepers had to live outside of town in a leper colony or a leper house, which made them feel even more ostracized----and they could have no  contact with their family and friends, except from a distance. A person with leprosy wasn’t allowed to touch others or be touched, for fear that he would defile them or make them unclean. A person with leprosy was considered to be a walking corpse. We cannot imagine the humiliation and the sadness, and the feelings of loss, and the hopelessness, of this leper’s life-----think about how we would feel, if we had to shout unclean, every time we went into the grocery store, or the mall, or just ran into a neighbor on the street----we would live with a pervasive sense of worthlessness and despair. 

In Jesus’ time, the teaching of the scribes and the pharisees , with all it’s absurd strictures and rules,  made the lives of lepers even worse------if a leper even stuck his head in the door of a house, the house was declared unclean-----and it was illegal to speak to a leper, or even acknowledge him. Lepers had to remain at least 100 cubits (150 ft.) away from people if they were upwind and 4 cubits  (6 ft.) away if they were downwind.  

But the leper that Mark describes in this passage, didn’t keep his distance from the Lord, as the law directed----he came directly to Jesus, fell on his knees, and cried out, for Jesus to make him well. It is obvious that this man was full of faith! He didn’t doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him---it is obvious that he knew that he could, or he wouldn’t have risked the wrath of the crowd and the punishment of the religious leaders by even coming out into the crowd, at all.  But he seems to have understood, what it took me years to understand----Jesus could heal him, but did Jesus desire to heal him---- was that part of the plan?-----he knew that Jesus had a bigger plan which, we can’t always see ----- I don’t think that he had any great theological understanding, but I think that he believed ,that if Jesus had done it for other people, then, He could do it for him. I also fully believe, that if Jesus had told him no, then the leper would have said, “yes Lord, not my will but yours be done” and then he would have gone back to end his days in isolation. I think that;s how strong his faith was, even though he didn’t understand it all.  

But the Lord was willing------the scripture says that He was filled with compassion----now I don’t know about you, but knowing that the lord’s heart is filled with compassion for me, whether my prayer is answered the way I think I want it to be, or not-----somehow makes whatever happens, be ok-----because we can rest in the knowledge that the Lord is about His Father’s business and He has everything under control. The compassion that Jesus felt for the leper, is the same compassion that took Him to the cross for us all! 

Sweet Jesus expressed his compassion for the man, by leaning forward to touch him. Most people would have healed the man first, and then touched him----but not Jesus. He knew that if the man was the advanced stage of leprosy, that he hadn’t felt somebody touch him in a long time, so He reached out and touched him first. ( I have a friend who lost her husband about 6 years ago-----and she surprised me by bursting into tears one day, when I casually rubbed her shoulder as I walked by her-----she said that what she missed the most was having someone just touch her for no reason, except affection.) By touching him, Jesus was declaring a new world order and was letting the religious leaders know exactly how he felt about the rules that they had created to control the people with-----He wanted them to understand that He placed love and compassion and the cleansing of people’s hearts, above ritual and regulation and ceremony. (We will never have any real and lasting affect on others, if we don’t reach out and touch the people who need help. Sometimes we have to show that we care, by touching people where they are, before we can tell them about Jesus-----and we shouldn’t be afraid to do this------Jesus never was-----the real value of a person is inside, not outside. Although a person’s body may be diseased or deformed, or their lifestyle may be-----they are no less valuable to God-------no person or their behavior is too disgusting for God’s touch------we are all people with leprosy because we’ve all been deformed by the ugliness of sin------but when God sent Jesus, He touched us, giving us the opportunity to be healed-------we need to remember this the next time, we are repulsed by someone and their behavior and do what Jesus would do, and reach our hand out with compassion, not with judgment)

And, as far as God’s law was concerned, Jesus did understand it---- He knew that He didn’t come to break that, He came to fulfill it-----so He sent the man away to go to the priests, so that they could attest to the fact, that he had been healed, and could go back to the land of the living. He gave the man a strong warning, just as He had with the demon-possessed man---Like we talked about last week,------He didn’t want to gain the reputation of just being a miracle worker----because it would hinder His ability to preach the Gospel and to spread the good news that the Messiah had come, offering forgiveness of sins and a pathway back to God, through acceptance of that forgiveness.  

Jesus intended for the man to go straight to the priests, because he knew that they would know, that only God, could cure leprosy. And that if having leprosy was like being a walking corpse, then the cleansing of the leprosy would be equivalent to raising people from the dead------so this would be a sign to the priests and the religious authorities and to the people, who already were believing in huge numbers, that the Messiah had come. (they should have been able to see that Jesus was truly the Son of God).

The leper was too excited though, he couldn’t keep his wonderful healing to himself----he must have shouted it all the way down the street----telling everybody he came in contact with-----but in spite of his excitement, we have to see that he was disobedient, and that disobedience always brings a consequence with it----and the disobedience of the leper cost Jesus His freedom----He couldn’t enter into a town  openly any more and He couldn’t preach in the synagogues either----so He had to resort to preaching outside and in out of the way places, but it didn’t stop the people----the people found Him wherever He was---and the blessing to us in this is that He will always make a way for us to find Him, no matter what is going on around us-----scripture says that when we seek God with all our hearts that He will be found. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13)

The Lord encourages us to seek Him with all our hearts and all our souls. If we do pursue Him with everything in us, then He promises us, we will find Him.  It reminds me of playing Hide and Seek---as a child, and then as an adult with our children-----children love to play this game----you know how to play-----the person who is It, turns toward the wall with their eyes closed and counts to ten------in the meantime-----everybody else scampers off to hide----when It gets to ten, they shriek it in delight, as loud as they can and begin their quest to find the hiders----The anticipation builds as they open every closet door and look under every bed or behind every tree and every bush----While the searching part is always fun----it’s the finding part ,that is always the climax and brings the most joy! Everybody tries to hide as best they can, but not so well , that they can’t be found----(I would even make sounds when my children were little so they would know exactly where I was), the simultaneous shouts of “I found you” and “you found me” bring hilarious laughter and a sprint toward home base.

The game wouldn’t have been fun, if our intention was to hide so we couldn’t be found----the fun is in being found-----I think it’s the same way with our relationship with the Lord-----when He calls for us to search for Him----He never hides Himself so that He can’t be found----He’s never far away and He’s always overjoyed for us to find Him.

1. Jesus and the Paralytic   2:1-12

Some days had passed and Jesus had worked His way back to Capernaum, His in base of operations in Galilee----He was preaching, either in Simon Peter’s home, or a home that He was renting for His mother Mary and Himself, to be there home  while they were away from Nazareth. 

Can’t you just imagine how hard it would have been to try and carry a grown man on a stretcher into a crush of people who didn’t want to give up their spots. It would have been like being at a concert that you had paid good money for, that was standing room only, and trying to stand your ground as people surge to get closer and closer to the action----there would have been a whole lot of shoving,  and toe-stepping on, and ugly words being muttered----so the men decided to take an unorthodox approach, to get to Jesus. The paralytic man was probably being carried around on a small pallet bed or couch, with a friend holding up each corner. 

Mark is the master of understatement in these verses----what those friends accomplished was hard!!!!! While Palestinian homes would have been accessible to someone wanting to get on the roof----it was by no means an everyday occurrence. The  houses were  built square and low, usually with an outside staircase leading to the roof. The roofs were built with parallel beams stuffed with mud and straw, some kind of tile to form a ceiling, and thatch over it all. The 4 friends had to drag the cot up the stairs, tear through the thatch, dig out the mud and debris and break apart the tiles to make a hole big enough to lower the man down through. Add to that, the annoyance of the people who were standing in the room underneath. The roof was literally falling apart on their heads as they were trying to hear what Jesus was saying-----and a further complication would have been the damage to someone else’s property-----presuming that it was Simon Peter’s or the person Jesus had rented it from----they would have been in the audience----I can imagine that they weren’t quiet about how they felt about what they saw happening----as their property was being destroyed. 

But Jesus was calm, because Jesus knew that it was a momentous occasion-----He could see the faith of the 4 friends, the faith of the man and the lack of faith of the religious leaders who were there on a scouting mission----they were trying to figure out who Jesus was----they were just waiting for Him to trip Himself up-----and Jesus did not disappoint them----or anybody---He made it clear who He was----and He even told them that He was the Son of Man-----which they would have recognized as another name for their Messiah. Their fear and pride kept them from acknowledging and receiving Him, though.

The 4 friends did not lack courage nor resourcefulness-----and their determination and resolve, is an example to us all, of true friendship------the best friend we can be and the best thing we can do for a friend, is take them to Jesus-----nothing else matters, in the end. And the paralyzed man--------it took a lot of courage and trust in His friends and belief, in their belief in Jesus’ ability and desire for Him to heal, much less, his own belief in Jesus power, to let them haul, him down the street and up those stairs and down that hole-----and we have no idea if there was any pain involved------so anyway you look at it----it required a lot of faith in Jesus. (It isn’t always easy to let people help us, in fact it is very difficult----we don’t like to admit that we need something, or are vulnerable, in some way-----but that’s just pride----the truth is, when we don’t let somebody help us we are robbing them of their joy and we’re missing out on the blessing of true friendship that the Lord desires for us to have with each other----He intends for us to help shoulder each other’s burdens------we can handle anything when we have somebody to lean on.)

Jesus claimed a special relationship with the paralytic man----in my Bible it says Son, but in the Greek---the word is child------to say ‘my child” signified a relationship of love and care----.Jesus also immediately claimed, that He had the authority and the ability to forgive the man’s sins. Whether it was the man’s individual sin, or it was the sin of all mankind----whether the man’s sin had caused his paralysis-----or he was paralyzed because of the sin that has cursed the world with disease and heartache---Jesus claimed the authority to forgive it ,and whichever it was, Jesus looked beyond the physical disability, and saw the man’s deeper need. Jesus was claiming the authority to forgive as well as heal. Jesus was establishing His identity as God. (I think sometimes we think that Jesus never told anybody, who He was, until His trial-----but we can clearly see that He said it all the time-----people just couldn’t understand. Or they didn’t want to understand-----plus ignoring who He said He was, was part of the plan, that God used, on the pathway to the cross.)

Without the authority to forgive----the miracles of healing and exorcisms wouldn’t have meant anything----they were designed to be, signs of proof to the people, that Jesus was the Messiah.----prophets had from time to time, been given the ability to heal, but all the people knew that only God could forgive them of their sins.  

Of the religious leaders, the scribes were the interpreters of the law----they were in charge of the oral tradition of what was right and what was wrong in the Jewish world------so they would have recognized the importance of Jesus’ words----they would have understood exactly what Jesus was saying-----and they were right in what they were thinking----by claiming to forgive sins----Jesus was claiming His equality with God------and unless He was speaking the truth----the scribes were right----He was speaking blasphemy.  But we know He was speaking the truth, and deep in their hearts, the scribes knew it too…

Jesus knew what the scribes were thinking----the scripture doesn’t say whether He knew, through His omniscience or through human reasoning and spiritual discernment-----but whichever it was----He knew, and He called them out on it. 

The question He posed to them about “which was easier”-----to say that sins were forgiven or to heal somebody----was a difficult one for the scribes to answer----because just saying something and then doing something, was 2 different things-----one you could see, but the other one was  hidden,  was only in the heart of a person. And to further complicate the question was the authority that Jesus claimed-----if He could perform the miracle on the man’s body----He was claiming that He could perform the spiritual one too----And if He could do one, then He could certainly, do the other, which would leave the scribes no other option, but to believe that He was God and that He was to be worshiped. 

And the scribes hated that idea----they were in no way prepared to call Him God, and worship Him. 

Then Jesus, proved the truth of His words and proved that he cared about the paralytic man, spiritually and physically, and He proved that He had already forgiven him, by speaking the words of healing to him, then telling him to pick up his mat and go home,

The man verified, that Jesus did have the authority to forgive sins, by walking out of the crowd, his mat in his hand!  Jesus’ God-given authority stood out in direct contrast to the scribe’s self-appointed authority-----Mark says that the people were amazed and the praised God. 

(What a moment that must have been-----I would have loved to have been there----the paralytic illuminated by the dusty shafts of moonlight and starlight that were peeping through the hole in the roof-----he must have been leaping and dancing and shouting for joy!!!!! His 4 friends must have been laughing and yahooing through the opening, almost pushing each other through, in their excitement-----the crowd was amazed and must have been talking in escalating whispers about what they had just seen----and the scribes and Pharisees must have been frowning with outrage, which would have been a thin cover for their fear.  (Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “I think I see him! He sets one foot down to God’s glory, he plants the other to the same note, he walks to God’s glory…--he carries his bed to God’s glory, he moves his whole body to the glory of God, he speaks, he shouts, he sings, he leaps to the glory of God.”)

What a time it must have been! For all we know, the paralytic and his four friends danced down the street, while the crowd looked on laughing, singing, clapping their hands and praising their Almighty God--------And as that paralytic man went home he was carrying something far more important than his bed-----he was carrying a clean heart, the greatest miracle of all----no guilt, no bitterness, no tensions------sins forgiven. Someday, his newly restored limbs would wither and become old and useless------but he wouldn’t have to worry----because his sins was forgiven for all eternity-----

The Lord can do whatever He wants to-----He can heal any disease that He pleases---and there are times that He does and times that He doesn’t-------but the greatest miracle, the only one that really matters, the only one that is eternal, is that He can forgive our sins and that He has forgiven them. 

The power of the Lord was present to heal the sick that night-----John MacArthur says that, “that power was unleashed by the love and the faith, of a helpless paralytic’s, 4 friends------they believed that the Lord Jesus was the only one who could heal the paralyzed------and that’s how it is unleashed today, in the same way, to a world paralyzed by sin. We have to love the world----- and it begins by our loving our family members, and our friends and our neighbors-----the people in our circle of influence-----and then we can extend that love to the people that we don’t know or we can’t see--------but we have to begin first, right where we are-----we have to take people to Jesus.”

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young boy. One day he came home and told his mother, that he’d like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, “I wish he wouldn’t do that!” because she had watched the children when the walked home from school. Chad always seem to be lagging behind all the rest of them. They hung on to each other and talked and teased laughed the whole way. But she had never seen Chad included. But, because it meant so much to him, she decided to help him, so she purchased the paper, the glue and the crayons. It took him 3 whole weeks, night after night to painstakingly make 35 valentines. 

Valentine’s Day dawned and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies, and have them ready, nice and warm with some cold milk, when he got home from school. She knew, in her heart, that he was going to be disappointed: and maybe she could ease the pain a little bit. It hurt her to think that he wouldn’t get many valentines-----maybe none at all. 

That afternoon, she had the cookies and milk out on the table. When she heard the children outside, she looked out the window. Sure enough, here they came, laughing and running and having the best time. And, like always, there was Chad, bringing up the rear, but he was walking a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears the minute he got inside the door. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she had to choke back her tears, as she welcomed him and pointed out the cookies and milk.. But he didn’t even pay any attention to her words----he just marched right by her, his face aglow and all he could say was-----not one… not a single one.

Her heart broke------

And then she heard him say----I didn’t forget one, not a single one.”  

That’s the kind of love that unleashes the power of God.