Sunday School Session 6

Hey everybody, well, we're here again to look at the gospel of Mark. You should have lecture three now Which is entitled how do you respond and what do you see? covering from Mark chapter 4 verse 35 to Mark 6 29 and Then the next section Mark chapter 6 verse 30 through chapter 8 verse 26.

So.

That's where we are so let's pray shall we father help us now to understand more of your son as Mark has revealed him to us. Thank you for this book. I give us clarity of thought. We pray in Jesus name.

Amen. We're now in the in the part of the book where we see responding to the king and his kingdom which would be Mark chapter 4 Verse 35 through Mark chapter 6 verse 29. Now again, if you haven't read that section yet stop right now and Read it and then come back and we'll talk about it.

The Kingdom’s Growth and the Responses It Provokes

Now as you look at this the purpose of this section of the gospel is Mark is to show the kingdom in its king At work and the response of others as they see him. So we want he's going. Mark is going to show us the kingdom as The king works and then the different responses that there are to him.

Now remember what Jesus said about his kingdom rule. He said his kingdom will grow. He said that his kingdom is.

Unstoppable.

He says that his kingdom is universal in scope and. Yet as we now proceed through the gospel of Mark You see these differing responses to the kingdom and you see that it does grow but at other times you wonder if it will ever grow and.

So now Mark sets out for us all these different responses to the kingdom right after he's told us about all this kingdom. Growth, so when we look at it, we're not going to see as he says, it's like a mustard seed.

It's like a seed that grows on its own all these other things and so you might be tempted to think so if I go Out the kingdom man, boom, it'll explode and everything will happen, but the unstoppable self-nurturing Nature of the kingdom even with its universal scope does not advance like other conquering kingdoms.

It doesn't explode on the scene and suddenly everything starts happening. All those things that he said about it are true. But now we see the different responses to the kingdom. So we see in chapter 4 verse 35 through chapter 6 verse 13.

You see the responses of people to the kingdom that is as Jesus comes with his kingdom with his rule. How do they respond to him? Well, the first is the disciples. As you look at chapter 4 Mark chapter 4 verse 35 through chapter 4 Verse 41 you see that that very familiar story of.

The.

Disciples in the boat Jesus in the back on a cushion of sleep. They're fighting the waves. They think they're going to die. They wake up Jesus and they say don't you care that we're gonna die. And Jesus just stands up and says To the ocean to the to the to the waves peace be still and all sudden that that little sea is like a Pain of glass.

It's just as smooth just at this at Just as he speaks the word to it and you see that the disciples respond to Jesus with terror at this point. They respond to terror in terror.

Who is this?

Then that even the wind and the sea obey him. Notice it says that they had great fear. They are terrorized by this. Now when you look at this, you know, we're tempted to see. We're tempted to see. That this story is all about how Jesus can calm the storms of our life.

Many sermons are preached on that text and it's all about how Jesus can calm the storms of life. But that wasn't the purpose of that passage again. Let me emphasize that.

That.

The purpose of a passage is going to tell you why it's there. It's going to tell you what the meaning is when you can determine the purpose and when you look at this. This is all set in with these stories.

These this narrative about how people respond to the king in his kingdom you see. So it's not about Jesus calming the storms of life. What's it about? Here's what it's about. Why why are the disciples terror-stricken?

Because.

Jesus here looks like God how so when you look at the book of Genesis, what do you read. And God said let there be light and there was light by the very speaking of his word things happen. And so Jesus stands up and just says peace be still and nature obeys him just by the word of his mouth.

Nature responds. Well, what was that supposed to look like? Well, that's supposed to look like God and they realize that and they're terror-stricken. They haven't put it all together yet. They're looking at seeing this man who seems to have the power of God and the power of his word to suddenly Speak to nature and nature responds at the very sound of his voice you see and so they're terrified.

They're terrified of Jesus their master. Well, then you see the story of the demon-possessed man Who the one who who in this part of the country is can't be held by chains. He's breaking chains and shackles he's a madman and everyone's afraid of him and so this demon-possessed man Jesus approaches him and Talks to the demons who are called legion.

He's he has many demons within him and God delivers him and these demons Go into the pigs, right and the pigs run off and they kill themselves. And what do you see here? You see the demon-possessed man? responded to Jesus with love while his countrymen responded with fear.

So the demon-possessed man responds with with love. Well all his countrymen respond with fear. Okay, what is that? Well look to the man.

To the man.

Jesus rule means.

Deliverance.

But Jesus ruled to the people that countryside means cost.

You see.

For him it's deliverance. This one has delivered me. Of course. I'm going to love him. I'm going to tell everybody I can about him as Jesus tells him to do. While the people who've lost their income. Say when they look at Jesus, they don't see deliverance.

They see cost you see. People in the world are going to look differently at the kingdom. Those of us who've been delivered should respond with love. But we also know there's a cost. Which is going to predominate.

As you come to Jesus is the cost going to keep you from faith. You see and so that and so you have two different responses here love from the man who's delivered and Fear from those who see the cost of what it might mean.

To be associated with this this King. Next is the narrative of the synagogue ruler and a woman with a bleeding problem and both respond with faith and Belief. The woman has a problem that seems to be incurable some kind of a blood issue that seems to be incurable.

She spent all her money on doctors. But what does she see? She sees Jesus. He can heal me. I believe that he can heal me. Then the synagogue rulers coming in because his daughter is sick and He wants him to come and heal her.

They both they both believe in Jesus they both. They both entrust themselves completely to him. The woman touches his garment. Believing that even that could heal her. Okay, and the man believes Jesus Wholeheartedly.

Jesus says to him. Do not fear only.

Believe.

Only believe. And so he believes that Jesus can raise his daughter from the dead which he does you see. Here is faith. Here is belief. Here is the story. How do people respond? They respond in wholehearted?

Belief trust faith. Now this is not this is not an apologetic for faith healing or raising people from the dead. That's not the issue these the the central theme here is people who believe and Entrust themselves to this king and to his rule.

Offense in Nazareth and the Rejection of Jesus’ Authority

Next in chapter 6 verses 1 through 6 Jesus goes to his hometown and he begins to teach in the synagogue and there and many who heard him are astonished. Where does he get all this wisdom? Where does he get all this?

This is amazing. But isn't this Jesus. Aren't his four brothers and his mother still here? Isn't he the the son of that carpenter Joseph?

Right and.

And so they take offense at him. So here's another response to the king bringing his rule. Offense. They're offended at him. Who is this? It's Jesus who's teaching us these things. He's just the son of that carpet.

Didn't did. I remember when he was just a kid and He was working with his dad in the shop he was working with his dad out in the field and When you were when they came out to fix some some stuff for me when when I brought some things to him.

That's who this is. Who does he think he is? To do this he teaches with such authority. I'm my goodness. He's just any Joseph's boy. Who is this guy? They're offended you see. Lastly and again, unlike some of the other gospel writers Matthew for example makes a big deal out of this particular narrative this story of the disciples going out and preaching Under the authority under the power of Jesus who's conferred on them the authority to heal and to drive out demons.

For example, Matthew makes a big deal out of it and and draw some different lessons from it here. That what Mark is doing is trying to communicate to you again the different responses to the kingdom. So they go out preaching.

The kingdom and Jesus says there's going to be varying responses to the message that I'm giving you. Even with the authority to drive out demons and to heal people there's gonna be some people don't want anything to do with you and after you've told them and they Persistently refuse you shake the dust off their feet and leave right you did off of your feet and you leave.

And.

So.

He tells them not to take anything for them because when they go out and preach the message you they will find some people will Provide for their needs again. This is not this is not a. This is not a Teaching this is not intended to tell us.

Whenever you go out don't take don't take many clothes with you. Don't take money with you. I'll provide for you. It's about how people are going to respond. Will they respond and receive? Jesus and the messengers.

That's the point. All right, that's the point. I remember many years ago My boys were involved in athletics you guys know that and. The brand-new coach who was a brand-new Christian. And I'm sure today he would look back at that as a much more mature Christian say what was I thinking?

But he said yeah, my wife and I went on a trip. We got on our bikes we didn't take any money with us or anything because we figured that God's people would provide for us, right and. And you know if God did I don't think because he promises this in this passage I think it's because he wanted to take care of his you know the the newest baby members of his people.

But this isn't telling us then so when you go somewhere don't take anything with you people provide. No, this is all about what's the risk? What are the receptions going to be. People are gonna repent people are gonna reject you.

Understand that and so right following on the heels end of this part of the gospel of Mark. Where God tell where Jesus tells us about the nature of his kingdom its growth and the fact that it'll conquer that it's unstoppable.

That's universal reach. He shows us the different kinds of responses that people will have to the message and and so We've got to understand that it's gonna grow but don't expect it to suddenly be this bright boom and suddenly.

Whole cities are believing does this mean that that the gospel will go out and conquer. Sure it will. But it's not going to conquer in the way that you expect. It'll be different and then in In chapter 6 verses 14 through 29 We see this story of John the Baptist and you see here the fearful response of a king.

Now this is an interesting section because it looks like it seems like Mark interrupts this idea with response of responses to the kingdom with a historical note about the forerunner John. Okay. Now John is already dead.

John is already dead. It's almost as if Mark is telling us all these different responses and suddenly he says, oh, yeah. Look, by the way, let me tell you about John the Baptist. What happened to him?

That's not what Mark's doing here. This is still in the same context. This is still talking about different responses to the message of the kingdom the message here brought by John the Baptist. The story here is triggered by the differing responses that Jesus has already noted.

So what do we find in this historical note as as Mark looks back on John. John who's dead now? But now he's going to tell us this story. It's not just to fill in some some information gaps. That guy named John he's he's using what happened to John as an example again of how people Respond to the message of the kingdom.

And so you see that there are these different responses one of the responses with that Jesus is.

Elijah.

Another is that he's one of the prophets who's been raised from the dead and then one other common response was to say That John the Baptist had been raised from the dead that Jesus was a resurrected John the Baptist.

So there's there's three different responses that that Mark gives us here. Now why were people saying this is John the Baptist raised from the dead. Because like Jesus John Fearlessly proclaimed the kingdom of God and its righteous coming in the person of Jesus.

John and Jesus were both fearless in their proclamation of the kingdom and Both met with differing responses and one response was persecution and death. Of course, Jesus is going to experience that later.

But at this point you can see that one of the responses To the kingdom can be persecution and death. John preached Christ in his kingdom and because of that he lost his life now. Herod's Example. King.

Herod's example. Now. This is not the Herod at the time of Jesus birth. Okay this is another related Herod who is a kind of King over the area of Galilee. The Romans had given him that to rule and Here we see another example in Herod's response and it is fear.

It is fear now. Let's look at this. It's a particular kind of fear Herod responded as he did to John. Because he was afraid of men. Proverbs 29 25 says the fear of man is a snare. When you're afraid of men when you're trying to please other people and that becomes of utmost importance to you.

It can get you in a lot of trouble. And so here we see the response of fear because Herod had made a foolish oath in front of his guests. Right, he said to His wife's daughter. He had said to her boy that dancing was great.

Whatever you want up to half the kingdom. I'll give it to you. So she goes to her mother and her mother who hated John because John was preaching against the marriage of Herodias. This woman.

To Herod.

He inherited married his brother's wife. Divorced and remarried, you know, she divorced her Her original husband or the other way around and he married her and that was forbidden by the law and so John the Baptist had preached against her.

She was a bitter woman. She was angry. And so she said to her she saw an opening for her revenge. So he said to her daughter and go ask for John the Baptist's head on the platter and so. Because he made that oath.

He he killed John even though he wanted to listen to John even though he was Starting to be interested in what John was saying. He killed him. Why. Because he was afraid of.

Men.

He was afraid of what they would think of him. He was afraid of all this sort of thing. Note carefully the fear of man can damn you. It can keep you from Believing. It can keep you from believing. Some people will not embrace Christ in faith for salvation because they're afraid of what their family will think.

They're afraid of what their co-workers Will will think and so they don't take that final step of entrusting themselves to Jesus to save them. Because they're afraid of what others will do. That's what happened with Harry you see.

So there's a different response to the kingdom. I won't believe because I'm afraid of them. I Won't believe because there's these pressures.

And.

So we must consider the kingdom advance and people's response. Do these responses seem to contradict what Jesus has said? Do they contradict what Jesus has said? How does this affect your view of Christ's advancing kingdom?

You see too often we get the idea if I just give the gospel. And everybody will believe it's powerful not so not so how does that then. Make you think about your efforts in advancing Christ's kingdom in your witness.

What does it say to you about in raising your children in whatever ministry you may have in the church? Be ready for varying responses. Which doesn't mean that God is failing. Right there are different responses and the kingdom goes out in marvelous different ways.

We have to pause and wonder at the magnificent work of God. The kingdom or the rule of Jesus will advance. Even when it does not seem apparent to people's responses. He will accomplish the work of winning the allegiances of great multitudes of people.

He's it's going to be it's going to be done, but Remember there's gonna be all these kinds of different responses going on to the kingdom and yet it still advances. He will accomplish the work of winning the allegiance of many people.

And you have to stake all that you are and all that you do on that. How do you respond when people seem negative to Christ's message? How do you respond. God's kingdom advances even when the responses seem to indicate just the opposite?

I may not see the response to Jesus rule in my home. That seems adequate, but yet I must trust that the Lord Jesus is still working. My hope must rest in his word and not in my efforts. I Must rest in his work not in my efforts.

He's made that promise. Do I believe it? There's going to be faith and believe some people wholeheartedly. Some people are going to be fearful some are terrified some will love. But yet we continue with the message of the gospel.

Because it will advance. It will advance. All right. Well, we'll stop there. Next time we meet we'll be looking at seeing clearly from Mark chapter 6 verse 30 to chapter 8 verse 26 that's the next section that we need to cover again that will be in lecture 3 and That is where we.

Will have it.

By the way, if you didn't get the notes by email, you can go to the website and get the lecture notes. The website is laruebaptist .org. That's laruebaptist .org. So if you want the notes go to the website and you can get the lecture notes.

Okay. Well, that's all for today. Let's pray and. You continue to read in the gospel of Mark, but thank you father again for our time together. Use this. I pray for your glory. Well, thank you in Jesus name.

Amen.