Sunday School: Synoptic Gospels Section 254 continued

For Sunday and I was just like that's not right. That's that's. Oh it certainly would but we've been breaking a number of them recently. So yeah. Well remember it's been it's been 100 well into the end of October.

So finally yeah that's what. That's what forced me out of the valley yesterday morning left at 510 drove up to Flagstaff and parked my car and started riding. Look cooler it was still. I got up to almost 80 is in the shade.

So in the Sun it was about 90. So yeah I just I just rode Lake Mary Road and it's it's interesting between 6 ,800 and 7 ,000 255 feet altitude when you're climbing. Well I climbed almost 3 ,600 feet and rode 130 miles.

Yeah that was that was that was an effort. And then you get back in the car and drive all the way back home again. So when I laid down last night I figured out every single muscle. My body tried to cramp all at once but we survived it.

So all right. We are in the blue book. If anyone would like to grab the text we will finish this someday. We were in section 254 so I'd like to sort of pass out the few that we have left there and this these sections are sort of important to have them because we are definitely in synoptic material here.

Last week we looked at the rich young ruler we started to. We didn't really interpret the text. We were just dealing with the common usage of this text as an attack upon the validity of the New Testament as a whole.

I'm not going to go back over that today. If you want to review that we now hopefully everybody in the congregation realizes that all of our materials are being placed on sermon audio comm. We should put up in the bulletin a few times but we switched over to sermon audio comm a couple months ago and so the Sunday school lessons and the sermons are available there.

And in fact I could just fire up my droid here hit an app and play for you. What I said last week mr. Callahan is is shaking in the front row. But the neat thing is that means anybody across the United States or the world could do the exact same thing.

Listen to. I think what mr. Callahan shaking about is that we do his that way too. I don't think he likes the idea of someone in Botswana you know running across the Serengeti Plains listening to his Sunday school lesson on his droid.

You know it's a different world. You know it's things things have changed. There's no two ways about it. Remember remember cassette tapes. That's how I got here was a cassette tape display over at Berean Christian Bookstore back by the where you where you had the Bibles stamped there was this display that we had and Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church free tape and it was on election and predestination like hey who are these weird people.

And I remember I had to go to there used to be what was it called. It was called the Christian Christian discount or Christian Emporium. It was not not far from your house is over here on 7th Street and was Osborne or something like that something.

Yeah there was. There was a Christian bookstore but I think it's a beer store or something now. I don't know but but I went in there. Hispanic tax service. Okay. Well great. All. Right. So anyway I went in there and I picked up the handbook on denominations and looked up Reformed Baptist.

What's that. And that's that's what eventually led to our my visiting in July of 1988. I think it was anyway Roxy could tell you and she remembers what I was wearing where I sat. You know the whole nine yards.

It's frightening. But how do we get on that from this. I have no early idea. Oh I was saying if you want to if you want to catch up you can either do it the old-fashioned way and put your name on the list back there and get a CD.

You know if you're still sort of back in that age but if you're if you're an iPod totem mp3 listening geek then you can get everything on sermon audio. You can download them to your computer listen live on your phone however you want to do that.

The Rich Young Ruler and the Call to Discipleship

So we are looking at the rich young ruler. We've looked at the at the key issues in regards to the beginning but we didn't really look at the whole text as a whole. Let's look at Mark's version of Mark chapter 10 and as he was the section 254 in the blue synoptic Gospels for those who are visiting we've been studying the synoptic Gospels seven eight years something like that.

I don't know. All I know is some of your synoptic Gospels books. Are they're supposed to be this dark blue. And they're. They're now like white. I think I know that's one of the the flocks versions. So that's not the Gospels.

It's like pretty much white now I believe so good timing. Right. It's right as she walks in it. Don't. Isn't one of you guys is copies of this like white now. Pretty much. Yeah. That's what I thought.

So it's sort of like the rest of us aged a little bit along those lines. So we've been saying this is not the Gospels. And we're we're getting toward the end. Believe it or not the farther we go here the more we're gonna run into stuff we've already covered before and so all sudden we're gonna accelerate to the end of the end of the book here because there we only have a few chapters left before we get into passion week.

So that'll be a challenge anyhow. Mark chapter 10. And as he was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus asked him why do you call me good.

No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments. Do not kill killed us. Can adultery not steal. Do not bear false witness do not defraud honor your father and mother. And he said to him teacher all these I observed for my youth.

And she is looking upon him loved him and said to him you lack one thing. Go sell what you have and give the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. And come follow me. And at the saying his countenance fell as he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions.

Problem of course is that this particular incident it's its meaning is is crystal clear in in all three Gospels there really isn't any question about what is what is going on here. Especially recognize the background we talked last week about what Jesus is doing.

He's not denying his own goodness or his own deity. He's trying to get the young man to recognize that he's probably been going around. I would imagine I mean I can't. I can't prove this. But why would this man run up and kneel before him and ask him this question.

There are there are Jewish teachers on every other corner. Are we really to imagine this is the first time this young man has has asked this question. It seems like we have a young man he is described as being rich.

She has many possessions and he recognizes those many possessions are not providing him with what every generation thinks having many possessions will provide you with. And so is he on a great search.

Or is he one of those many many people that having great possessions loves those possessions realizes that that's wrong and is fine trying to find some mechanism to in essence excuse he's shopping opinions.

Yeah. I was reading an article this morning about James Cameron. And what was the name of that big movie. Just did. I did. I refused to see it for numerous reasons. The primary reason I will never see a James Cameron film again is that he hates the nation that has made him a filthy rich man.

And the glowing hypocrite. He was just up in Canada lecturing Canadians about how they need to live with less. Of course he flew up there in his own private jet. He lives in 8 ,000 foot square foot home with a 6 ,000 square foot home for his servants next door will himself make 350 million dollars off of avatar alone.

And yet he's running around telling everybody else how they they need to live with less. I'm sorry but the man is a buffoon. He makes interesting movies but he's a buffoon. And but I was I was thinking about the the rich and how riches can so often twist and contort the thinking of individuals.

Now here is a man who clearly is religious because Jesus' response to him is you know the commandments. And certainly one would question what the young man says to Jesus teacher all these I've observed my youth all these I have observed in Matthew.

He says what do I still lack now. Jesus doesn't say you glowing hypocrite. How dare you even say that you have kept all these commandments from your youth. You have not. He could have gone through all the times that he had adultery in his heart and he had been dishonest and lied and everything else.

But it seems like the young man really thought he had. And we have to recognize that we encounter people on a fairly regular basis that that think they're pretty good people. Give me a good example. Just just struck me.

I did a debate Friday night sort of a debate Friday night. I was via Skype and it went all right. But the callers the fellow the callers just ruined it. It was it was amazing. But it was on assurance of salvation in Islam and Christianity.

And the fellow that I was debating is a young medical student at the University of Sydney. Well I debate him at the University of Sydney. I'm not sure the school he goes to is associated with the University of Sydney or just what.

But I debated him last year down there in Sydney Australia. And we he's still there. And we were doing this via Skype on the Aramaic broadcasting network. And it became very very clear to me during the course of the discussion that he really does believe that he has done sufficient righteous deeds to be right with God.

He has no sense of really a debt before God in regards to his own sin. And you will encounter people who will just look at you with honesty. I've kept all those things since my youth up now you and I are constantly speaking about how often you know unclean thoughts and things like that.

And yet there are people don't. I've kept all these things from you thought how can that be. Well you may know that the commandments that Jesus mentions is the the second half of the deck log. It's the you and me stuff.

It's not the you shall have no other God but God stuff. It's not the stuff about purity of worship. It's not the stuff about the centrality of God. And it's interesting that the way Mark puts it the way that Matthew puts it what do I still like he he senses this.

Jesus simply says there's one thing you still lack. In Matthew's version you lack one thing. You lack one thing. And then he puts his finger directly on this man's real problem if he had done it in a different way you have to wonder what the young man's response would have been.

Because if the man had come up and said oh I've kept all these things. And Jesus me responses. Yeah. But you're an idolater. I don't know that he would have understood that he was an idolater. But the way he does it exposes what he really loves.

Grace commandment love the Lord your God by your heart soul mind and strength. He doesn't. He's an idolater. He has put something else in the place of God. And I think that explains why Jesus doesn't focus upon you haven't kept these things.

Because to a person who doesn't love God to a person who does not have as the central aspect the ordering aspect of his entire life love for God love for truth embracing my my call to be his servant. The person who's just outwardly religious thinks I've kept those commandments.

There's there's no there's no inward spiritual light to shine on the reality of one's own heart. And so there's there's a there's a there's something tragic in this in this text. Because he hears the call to discipleship.

He hears the reference to treasure in heaven. And he doesn't care about treasure. His love for his stuff is so much that the idea of treasure in heaven following Christ. So look at the look at the way that the Gospels put it.

Matthew when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful. Fred great possessions. Mark at that thing his countenance his countenance fell. That's a that's not exactly terminology we use today. I can you know I can just imagine talking to our kids today.

Wherefore has thy countenance fallen. You know I think I said that once it didn't work. Well you know. But you can tell when you know some people transparent some some kids you know they hide things pretty well some people just transparent.

They're just just tell immediately what I thought I was doing well here that that thing is countenance fell and he went away sorrowful free had great possessions. When he heard this he became sad for he was very rich.

Now this this text has been abused from for every from every which direction. It's been the foundation of asceticism and the monastic system you know vows of poverty which never ever work. You know it's funny.

Look at church history realize how many different monastic movements started and start off with. We're gonna we're gonna be different everybody else. And and then what would happen is people would die and leave things in the monastery to say prayers to them after they were dead or some some such thing.

And no matter what they keep getting reentangled with the things the world if the first few generations might do all right. But eventually you know you can't. You're in this world you can't get out of it.

You can try but you ain't gonna make it. So it's been used for that and it's been used. My Muslim friends use this text all the time. But to say see the real Jesus taught the way that you have salvation is you just keep the commandments.

You just do good works. That's what Jesus said. The young ruler the the fellow that I debated and then he backed out the second debate the next day in Detroit back in June. Shake a wall. Constant part of his presentations is that see we Muslims we follow Jesus because Jesus said just keep the commandments.

That's how you have eternal life. That's that's all there is. So he would never quote the last part of the story I got to point that out to him. I would have had more opportunity had he not bagged out a second debate.

But just very very common for people to do this. That's not what it's saying. Jesus is not saying it is sufficient that you've done these things because we've already read the Sermon on the Mount and we know that no one has done those things.

They hadn't kept them from his youth. But that was because he's idolater. And idolaters can make very good religious hypocrites because you don't know God. If there's no passion in your heart for God then you're walking in darkness.

And in the dark you can you can whistle nicely and make it sound like you're quite confident dog kept all these things. It's when the light shines if you really see yourself as you really are. I remember the first time I read Calvin's Institute's back in seminary and that section at the beginning where he's talking about what comes first.

Knowledge of ourselves or knowledge of God. Because the tendency of mankind is to keep his eyes down and to stare at the earth and and just become accustomed to what's down here. But if he will just but for a moment raised his eyes and see the glories of the heavens the Sun and the all of a sudden he sees that what he's been staring on the ground isn't much at all but we just like to look at this and compare ourselves with us down here.

He's exactly right. A person who doesn't have that kind of spiritual light can say to Jesus. I've done all that stuff since I was a child and actually think he's telling the truth. Now we don't know what happened this rich rich young ruler and Jesus is showing love to him.

Jesus looking upon him loved him and said to him it was an act of love to expose this man's idolatry. We've you've got to catch that folks because we live in a day that is absolutely putting an incredible amount of pressure upon us to not think this way.

What does it mean to be loving in our world today to just paper over people's sin and their rebellion and their lifestyle. And you know God just loves us where we are. But Jesus loved him. And because he loved him he told him the truth that was going to make his countenance fall and make him go away sorrowful true Christian love.

And every time someone you know says to us well you're so unloving. We should think of this text and say what was Jesus unloving when he exposed the rich young rulers idolatry and mark. Chapter 10 it specifically says Jesus loves him and the result of his loving him was to tell him the truth.

Extremely important. You lack one thing. Not. Well in my opinion it might be better if you did this. You might give a little bit more of your income to the maintenance of the temple or whatever else it might be.

No he realized this man had an idol in his life and he had to get rid of the idol. Now was this man saved later on. Nobody knows. God knows. Maybe someday we'll know the scriptures simply don't tell us.

But what they do tell us is that love of this world and love of the things this world is nothing new you got to realize in comparison to the worldly possessions we have today. This was not a time period that the economy of the day produce real poor people.

I mean real poor people. Our economy is so robust even in a recession that if everyone wanted to work they could probably find something to do. I mean there's a lot of people that aren't working because they don't want to work.

I mean it's you know you know that a lot of studies. You know the people living on the street you know you try to get him get him a job. So yeah I don't want a job. What are you talking about. They're just people who decide I'm gonna tune out I'm done I'm gone I'm out.

That's just the way it is in this day. The economy was so bad was so weak that it could not produce enough stuff to keep people alive. And so it produced real poor people who were willing to work their fingers to the bone.

But there wasn't enough there for them. Now part of this is due to the taxation system and of course the abuse of the wealthy and and all the rest that stuff. But that's just the way that it was. And so we have so many more people that could fall into this category then could possibly have existed in that day.

We really do. And notice that this is what prompts the next section 255. When Jesus looks at disciples as a result of this you know they've heard it. And they're standing around they see the guys counting his fall.

They're probably thinking there's probably at least one or two of them. At least Judas is thinking in the back of their mind oh man you just drove away another great donor. How are we ever gonna you know afford horses for all 12 of us.

Plus Jesus. If he keeps doing this it keeps offending the very people it could support us the best. I'm sure there was probably one or two. I'm never thinking along those lines. And Jesus looked around and said to disciples how hard it will be for those who have riches and the kingdom of God.

And disciples were amazed at his words. Amazed shocked. Why. Because this was not the mindset of the day. The mindset of the day was you have riches. That's a sign of God's blessing. You don't have riches as a sign of God's curse.

And therefore to hear Jesus go 180 degrees against the prevailing concept that was being taught by the religious leaders of the day who weren't doing so bad. You know they had found ways to you know those were fine robes they were they were wearing.

To go against that in this way amazes the disciples. Now you'll notice that John doesn't record this for us. But in the text we will be looking at in the sermons today. First John chapter 2 in verse 15 as I recall we are told that we are not to love the world.

None of the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. Now this was said primarily the context of people that had gone out of the church. And certainly we think of Paul's very.

But how would you like to have it. How'd you like to have the name Demas. If you know what I'm talking about. Demas was involved in Christian work. But he's he's gone away. He's gone back because he he loved this present get a love for the stuff this world.

And and Christian ministry often means giving up a lot of the things you could have had in this world. And as John said love the Father love the world. They're they're contradictory things. And here we see it in Jesus's ministry.

He loves his stuff. And so he goes away sorrowful. And yet Jesus would not allow him to come up to him and ask him these questions without pointing out to him what his real issue was was he eventually saved.

I don't know there were a lot of people saved Pentecost. I mean how many people were saved in Pentecost. Had heard Jesus teachings before that. I don't know. I would imagine some had. Who knows. So with that we transition into Jesus's discussion with the disciples.

And as we started reading it how hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again children how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And they were exceedingly astonished. So they're amazed at first. Now they are exceedingly astonished.

And said to him then who can be saved. Jesus looked at them and said with men it is impossible but not with God for all things are possible with God. Peter began to say to him lo we have left everything to follow you.

Jesus said truly I say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and mothers houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children lands with persecutions and the age to come eternal life.

But many that are first we last and last will be first now again. Words that we all know very very well words that we have heard preached on many many times so much so that it's easy for the mind to wander.

And we go off to happy places and don't necessarily hear what is what is being said. They are astonished because of their traditions their traditions identified physical blessing riches houses help with the blessing of God.

If you didn't have much then you're under the curse of God. Or it was due to sin. Remember John chapter 9. And the man is born blind. Who sinned this man or his parents he should be born blind. This black and white concept had really become the traditional understanding in the intertestamental period.

It's not that didn't have Job. If I didn't have lots of examples from the Old Testament this wasn't the case. But Pharisee ism which had initially started off as a healthy zeal for God's law had over time become encrusted with tradition.

And that's always a recipe for disaster. And so the disciples show their tradition and Jesus statement. You've heard it many many times is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. And for rich man in the kingdom of God.

Well the eye of the needle was this one particular gates in the wall of Jerusalem where the camel had to get down his knees and crawl through to be able to get through the eye of the needle. Maybe I don't know.

That's not really. I suppose there's got to be something to it. Or or somebody made it up one day. And it sounds good. I'm not sure which but the point is that he's he's saying something that leads to the disciples going then who can be saved.

They certainly take it to mean well then then how can anyone entered in the kingdom of God if the people we think are the most blessed people in the kingdom of God and who can be saved. And Jesus' response is of course of men.

It is impossible. But not with God. For all things are possible. God's salvation is a divine. And just as that rich young ruler walked away sorrowful. God can certainly show mercy upon such a person and change that person's heart and mind.

It's interesting that Peter's response to him is somewhat self-defensive. Catch that. Well we certainly have. We've left everything to follow you. Well in a sense he was. He was right. I mean there had been some cost involved.

I would imagine Peter's fishing business was not doing all that. Well at this point in time. And one can hypothesize that there would have been pressures especially upon the married disciples. Peter certainly was married.

He had a mother-in-law. So he better be married. I mean if you have a mother-in-law you might as well get a wife out of it. Let you think about that one for a moment. So the whole reason I mentioned that.

So you're chuckling going. Well you're getting in trouble. No one of the one of the best lines I've ever heard in the debate was when Eric Sensen was debating Jerry Matics and Jerry Matics is Roman Catholic.

And he does the Bible say that Mary had other children. You know. So you've got the brothers and sisters of Jesus. But that's not enough because we can interpret as cousins or kinspeople or something like that.

Where is the specific word that these were the sons and daughters of Mary. You've got got to have those specific words. And Eric Sensen said asked him. So Jerry let me ask you a question. You're familiar with the fact that Peter had a mother-in-law.

Right. Because remember Peter Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. Yes. Yes. Where is the Bible say that Peter had a wife. He's like what does that matter. Well if he had a mother-in-law don't you think it's a fair argument to say he had a wife.

Words have meanings. And if we're going to talk about Jesus's brothers and sisters and they're going along with Mary and Joseph. And don't you think words have meanings. And you can just tell Jerry. Never.

That is one of those things that you know where they do the funny thing where they they freeze frame a video and then they put a dummy in and have a Mack truck go through and looks like the person just got wiped out by the Mack truck.

That's that was. That was a Mack truck. Debate moment. And there is Jerry. Here comes the Mack truck. So that's why I mentioned the mother-in-law thing in case you all are wondering why I said that.

So anyways there was a rabbit. We chased just that far enough down the trail to we'll get back to the real one here in a moment. So the point is that all this you know well they have to get down their knees.

They have to be humbled thing. Yeah the point is with men it's impossible but not with God. All things are possible with God. And so Peter's response that is well we've we've lost a lot. We may have you know there may have been pressures at home to the married disciples.

I would imagine you know if Peter was it seems to be a bit of hard-working guy. He seems to be one of the older disciples which is probably why he takes prominence may even be the oldest disciple and which might mean that he sort of had a he wouldn't just be a regular fisherman.

He probably would have been out long enough that he had his own boats and nets and and I had people working for him and stuff like that. And so you know when you give up all that stuff and all sudden you're following this itinerant preacher around who loves to offend the Jewish leaders.

I would imagine there was some pressure I can see that happening. We don't told anything about that but I would think I would be a proper assumption. And so in light of that you know I can see Peter saying well you know we we've left everything and followed you and Jesus response is interesting.

There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children lands with persecutions and the age to come eternal life.

Now if you've ever dropped your remote control on your phone had the knob break off while you were turning channels on the old-style televisions we used to have the believe it or not young guys used to have on televisions and the television used to well look at that look how thick that thing is.

I mean that actually is a television. Young people. I realized some of the young folks are like what is that huge thing in the corner. That's television. You real you realize in just a decade or two young people have no idea if they saw that thing there what it was.

Because televisions are now you know this this thick and that wide and that tall and and there are no knobs on it. But I I still remember I still remember being fascinated as a kid by the fact that there was a light behind the knob you could see it in the dark and it would go clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk.

And you turn it over to 12. You know ooh man technology here. But then but then then you took the rabbit ears and then there we go. Don't move. Nobody move. I got a clear signal now. Whoo. Yes indeed it's still that way even with a digital one unfortunately.

And our rabbit ears. But be it as it may. How'd I get on to turning channels. Where was I here. Oh if you happen to have you know broken off the knob right. As you got to channel. Well I never mentioned it's a channel between 20 and 22.

Okay just to give you an idea it's that broadcasting network that's out there. And you know just by accident you happen to turn it on. You may have heard this text being preached on. You may have heard this text being preached on because I've seen more than one guy stand up in a big old church with a big old Rolex on and and and gaudy rings and a and a Armani suit stand up in front of people sweating profusely.

I'm not sure why rich people can't turn the air conditioning down their churches. But he's sweating profusely and and telling folks Jesus this is promised to you right there you will receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers.

And somehow they get cars and everything else in there somehow lands they forget the persecution part. But and you need to come down here right now. And I remember once I saw some guy I think there's a guy maybe a guy and a gal may have one of them one of those married teams you know that's that's that's all the rage.

Is it. And they were saying you need to come down here right now and you need to put a check on the stage equal to your mortgage thing that way God's gonna give you ten times that amount to pay for your mortgage.

So there are people getting up and walking down there. You want to reach to the television and grab them and go. Would you wake up. Do you see this guy's doing to you. But you know what. What can I say is that what Jesus is talking about.

What's he saying to Peter. Peter dude you you think you've left something now. You are gonna be 100 times richer after the resurrection. Is that anything. Of course not. No one who has left house or brothers or sister or mother father children lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold.

What do you think Peter and others at the end of their lives. How would they have interpreted this text as Peter by tradition. We don't know this for certain. But tradition says that Peter was crucified upside down.

He did not want to be crucified in the way his Lord was. And so he's crucified upside down. Which I would imagine would hasten things just a little bit as far as the result. But we don't know that. But let's say that's what happened if you were to stop him on the way to his own execution and said Peter Jesus.

This is mark and mark most scholars feel is representing Peter's viewpoint here. Jesus said that you'd receive a hundredfold houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children lambs with persecutions.

Peter was Jesus lying to you. And I believe that Peter's response would have been. And no he did not because he could as he goes to his execution think of all the houses that had become his house all the brothers and sisters he now had that he had never had before.

Mothers in the faith fathers in the faith children in the faith. You know the biblical statement that the gospel divides families husbands and wives fathers and children brothers and sisters. And it does.

And many of us can testify to how that has happened. And yet if we are really honest ourselves we can think of the people who mean the most to us who have encouraged us the most the people we can depend upon.

And I think of people all across the land that are just so important in supporting me and what I do. And that I know we're praying when I'm going into difficult situations. Peter would say no. Jesus didn't lie to me those faithful brothers standing off over there who can't stop what's gonna happen to me.

But they're praying for me. And they were praying with me last night. And they visited me in prison before my execution. And there's there's my family and we're closer and you can have you people could ever understand.

So you would not interpret it the way that the Armani suited rich guy on TBN interprets this particular text. But please know something. And I love how this comes up many times. It came up in Mark chapter 8.

It comes up in Mark chapter 10 for my sake and for the gospel second phrase has disappeared in our day. I'm gonna be preaching both services today so I won't start preaching now. But there are so many people today who call themselves evangelicals who have come up with such a reductionistic Christianity.