Printer Friendly VersionI am calling these sermons: True to the core: the core values
of the Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene as found in the gospel of Mark.
Notice banners. Core values. Have you ever wondered where they
come from? The Scriptures . . . specifically, from the life of Jesus! Observation:
Jesus organized his earthly life around these five activities/principles.
So should we! We are going to examine carefully the Gospel of Mark to see
how Jesus did it. For this is our goal: to become like Jesus more and more.
This is what it means to be mature in Christ. And that’s my vision: to
be able to present you mature in Christ.
Let’s go to what I believe to be the key verse in the gospel:
Mark 10:45. Mark organizes his entire gospel account around the verse and
here is how he does it, in 4 movements.
1. The Presentation of the Servant.
In Mark 1:1-2:12, Mark introduces Jesus to the world. We see
His baptism, His temptation experience in the wilderness, and we’re introduced
to His mission: to proclaim the good news of God. In Mark 1:15 we find Jesus’
words, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”
2. The Opposition to the Servant
Hey, Jesus of Nazareth was one controversial person! And in
Mark 2:13-8:26 we are introduced to that controversy: His friendship with
sinners, Sabbath-related controversy, His controversial teaching. We see growing
opposition firsthand. (Written to the church during a time of opposition.)
3. The Instruction by the Servant
Jesus was called ‘rabbi;’ He was a master teacher.
And here Jesus teaches His disciples, by both word and example, how to live
a life of servanthood.
4. The Rejection of the Servant
In this movement found in Mark 16:1-20, we will celebrate the
resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, and ascension of Jesus.
Why, Pastor Bud? Why are we doing this series? So that I will
know more about Jesus? Well, yes. But more importantly, I want to challenge
you to organize your whole life around Jesus of Nazareth, the Servant-Messiah.
Now, let’s go to the passage for this morning (Mark 10:32-45).
From this passage, we discover some very important things about Jesus and
His disciples:
I. The Destination of Jesus
A. It says in Mark 10:32-34 . . . (Read)
B. After reading the passage, there can be no doubt that Jesus
knew where He was headed and what awaited Him there. Jerusalem was His destination;
His eyes and heart were fixed on Jerusalem and the cross that awaited Him
there.
C. Everything He did and said in His earthly life, He did with
His destiny in mind. This was God’s plan . . . this was the Father’s
will for Jesus . . . the cross was His destiny . . . Jerusalem was His destination
(Isaiah 53:10: It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer).
D. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must remember to live with
our destination in mind too.
II. The Destiny of the Disciples
A. At least three times in Mark’s gospel, Jesus describes
His destiny: the cross. And all three times, the disciples miss it.
B. Example: Mark 8:31-33
C. You see, like the rest of the disciples, Peter did not understand
the concept of Messiah as suffering servant. They did not understand Jesus’
words because, at this point in their lives, words seemed powerless to rid
them of the notion that the Messiah would have earthly power and earthly glory.
They wanted Jesus to be a Messiah shaped in their image. They just didn’t
get it. That’s why, after Jesus spilled His guts about this and persecution,
trial, and crucifixion, the disciples said (and I’m quoting from The
Message, “Hey Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us! Arrange
it so that we will be awarded the highest place of honor in your glory.”
Now, these guys were dense, but not because they were stupid. They didn’t
hear Jesus’ attempts to reveal what He is really like because they didn’t
want to hear it. They wanted a different kind of Messiah. They wanted a Messiah
that would slap the Roman Empire in the face. They wanted a Messiah who would
kick butt and take names! They wanted a Messiah who would make them healthy,
wealthy, and prosperous. Deep down inside they did not want a Messiah-servant
who would die spread eagle on a Roman cross.
D. Folks, over the next year, you are going to hear about a
Messiah who emptied himself, and took on the form of a servant, and who expects
His disciples to do the same. And I think the more we study Jesus’ life,
we will realize how little we really do think and act like Him, how much room
we have for growth in Christlikeness. This leads us into the next thing we
see in this passage.
III. The Disciples’ Desperate Contest for Position
A. Imagine with me. A party of Jewish pilgrims going up to Jerusalem
for this exciting Feast of the Passover. Jesus led the way with His disciples
and a few others following him. The whole trip they’ve been jockeying
for position. As they get closer and closer to the holy city, Jesus turns
to His disciples and says, “Come here, I’ve got something to tell
you.”
B. I’m quoting The Message now: “Listen to me carefully.
We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will
be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him
to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit
on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will
rise alive.”
James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher,
we have something we want you to do for us.” “What is it? I’ll
see what I can do.” “Arrange it,” they said, “so that
we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us
at your right, the other at your left.” Jesus said, “You have no
idea what you’re asking.”
C. The fact that Mark includes this story in his gospel account
shows how honest he is. At this time in their lives, the disciples had some
ambitions that were not very Christlike. Not pleasant, but true! He describes
the disciples, warts and all.
D. Ever heard that phrase? Ever wonder where it comes from?
E. Years ago, a court painter was commissioned by Oliver Cromwell
to paint a portrait of Cromwell. Cromwell was afflicted with warts on the
face. Thinking it would please Cromwell, the painter omitted the warts in
the painting. When Cromwell saw it, he said, “Take it away! And paint
me warts and all.”
F. It’s Mark’s intention in this gospel to show us
Jesus’ disciples, warts and all. These were ordinary people like us.
But Jesus changed them and they changed the world. So can we!
IV. The Discipleship of Jesus
A. This passage makes it clear that Jesus’ mission included
making disciples out of this rag-tag little band. Discipleship—becoming
like the teacher.
B. The method He used? He surrounded himself with a small group
of people and He poured His life into them.
C. Why? Because He came to serve, not be served, and to give
His life as a ransom for many.
D. The discipleship principle Jesus used was “modeling.”
Jesus modeled what He wanted His disciples to become. He took the cup of suffering;
He entered into the baptism of death. Calvary became His classroom. He taught
us how to live and die.
Jesus’ life, as recorded in Mark, will force us to examine our own lives,
will force us to reflect on how we define greatness and power, will challenge
us to be more like Jesus: a suffering servant.
Time magazine, with George W. Bush on the cover and the headline,
“And Now the Hard Part.” Becoming President was a walk in the park;
assembling a cabinet was hard; but being president, well you know!
Theme song: Make Me A Servant
This year, we are taking a careful look at the life of Jesus
as recorded by Mark.
Mark’s gospel reads like a newspaper. It is written in simple sentences
with a lot of action. Using a rather fast-paced approach, Mark introduces
Jesus Christ as a servant, the Servant of the Lord. More than 40% of Mark’s
gospel focuses on Jesus as a suffering, sacrificing servant. I think, before
this series of sermons is completed, you will discover Mark’s theological
point in writing his gospel: mature Christianity is servanthood. To be like
Jesus is to do what He did: take on the form of a servant.
Today, we complete our study of Mark’s introduction of
Jesus to this world, the Presentation of the Servant. Already, we are seeing
some obvious patterns in Jesus’ life: private worship, public worship,
disciple making, witness and ministry. This appears to be how Jesus organized
and conducted His earthly life. Here at Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene,
we believe this is how we are to organize our lives too! For more than anything
else, we want to be like Jesus. It’s my heart’s desire to be able
to present you, every one of you, mature in Christ.
Last week, we observed Jesus after a long, demanding day, doing
something rather unusual. It may surprise you what Jesus did next: “While
it was still night, way before dawn, Jesus got up and went out to a secluded
spot and prayed” (Mark 1:35).
It is very apparent that, after this time alone with God in personal devotion,
Jesus had been renewed in spirit and had a new sense of purpose, of divine
direction in His life. Jesus had read the prophet Isaiah many times before,
and He knew Isaiah’s words are true, “They that wait upon the Lord
. . .”
After His disciples found Jesus (or after Jesus allowed himself
to be found), Mark tells us they traveled throughout Galilee preaching, driving
out demons, with a brand new, fresh anointing and energy. Jesus, who had felt
rather drained just a few hours before, felt invigorated, energized, charged
with the Spirit of God; filled, yes filled, but with what?
The next recorded event in Jesus’ life tells us what: “While
traveling along, a man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees,
‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Filled with compassion,
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’
he said. ‘Be clean.’ Immediately the leprosy left him and the leper
was cured” (Mark 1:40-41).
Observation: there was a direct correlation between Jesus’
devotional time with the Father and Jesus’ compassion for persons. In
other words, the more time Jesus spent in solitude, in private worship with
the Father, the greater was His compassion for people in need around Him.
Henri J. M. Nouwen, in his book, The Way of the Heart: Spirituality and Contemporary
Ministry, writes:
Here we reach the point where ministry and spirituality touch
each other. It is compassion. Compassion is the fruit of devotion and the
basis of all ministry. This purification and transformation that take place
in solitude manifest themselves in compassion (p.34).
For the most part, praying people are compassionate people.
They’ve learned the secret of compassionate ministry: flee, be silent,
and pray. This is just another example of how all five core values inform
and enrich one another. To neglect one is to affect negatively our journey
toward Christlikeness.
This morning, I want to explore what it means to be “filled
with compassion as Jesus was.” Some theological affirmations:
I. Christian Compassion is an Expression of God’s Love
A. Christian compassion is not just feeling sorry for someone.
It is not just a superficial, psychological phenomenon like pity. Christian
compassion is the result of God’s love in us.
B. When Jesus looked on a person with compassion, He was looking
in love. Compassion is love’s emotional response to someone else’s
pain.
C. A study of the word we translate ‘compassion,’
in both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and Greek of the New Testament may
be helpful:
1. In the Old Testament, we find the word rhm, which we translate
into English ‘compassion.’ Interestingly, it is also the word the
Hebrews used for ‘womb’ and used to describe a mother’s love
for her child. This rhm, this compassion, this love comes from the womb of
God and can be compared to the love/emotional response a mother has for her
own child.
2. In the New Testament, in the Greek we find the word splanchnizomai
which literally means ‘bowels/inward parts: the heart, lungs, liver,
and kidneys.’ The King James Version translates the word ‘bowels
of mercy.’ This love, this compassion is so deep that it causes a “gut
reaction” when someone else is suffering. It is so real and so intense
that it produces physical effects; in other words, when Jesus saw the suffering
person, it got Him right here . . . love’s emotional response.
D. Have you ever had such a relation to someone in need? This
is God’s love at work in you.
II. Christian Compassion is Non-Judgmental and Never Condemns.
A. Folks, please allow me a moment to talk about the disease
known as leprosy. In his devotional book, Moments With the Savior, Ken Gire
describes the life of a person with leprosy in Jesus’ day (warning—not
pretty):
It’s a horrible disease, leprosy. It begins with little
specks on the eyelids and on the palms of the hand. Then it spreads over the
body. It bleaches the hair white. It casts a cadaverous pallor over the skin,
crusting it with scales and erupting over it with oozing sores.
But that’s just what happens on the surface. Penetrating
the skin the disease, like a moth, eats its way through the network of nerves
woven throughout the body’s tissues. Soon the body becomes numb to the
point of sensory deprivation, numbed to both pleasure and pain. A toe can
break, and it will register no pain. And sensing no pain, the leper will continue
walking, only to worsen the break and hasten the infection. One by one the
appendages of the leper suffer their fate against the hard edges of life.
And if the physical stigma of the diseased isn’t enough,
the rabbis attach a moral stigma to it as well. They believe it to be a direct
blow by God on the backs of the sinful. And with that belief comes a rigid
catechism of cause-and-effect platitudes—“No death without sin,
no pain without transgression.” For them, leprosy is a visual symbol
of moral decay.
Levitical regulations require the leper’s outer garments
to be torn, the hair unkempt, and the face partially covered. He dresses as
a mourner going to a burial service—his burial service. And he must call
out to those he passes on the way, “Unclean! Unclean!” An announcement
both of his physical and moral death.
He must keep at least six feet away when he passes. And as he passes, he is
shunned. Little children run from him. Older ones shoo him with stones and
sharp-cornered remarks. Adults walk on the other side of the street, mutter
a prayer for him under their breath, shake their heads in disgust, or simply
look the other way. He lives not only with the horror of the disease but also
with its shame.
There is no cure for the man. He is forced to live outside the
walls of the city, shuffled off to a leper colony. There, on the far horizons
of humanity, he is sentenced to live out his days. Again, another symbol.
This time of his separation from God.
B. Most people, when seeing a leper, were not only repulsed
by their appearance, but in a spirit of judgment and condemnation, were assured
they had committed some sin for which God had punished them. In other words,
they deserved it.
C. O Pastor Bud, that’s terrible. We would never do that!
O yeah? The fact is, the Church of Jesus Christ, the Body that bears Jesus’
name, has a history of judgment, condemnation, stigmatizing, and ostracizing
the lepers of our day. God forgive us!
D. Nouwen: Compassion can never coexist with judgment because
it creates distance and keeps us from really being with the others.
E. That’s not Jesus’ style. Jesus is the model for
the church’s ministry. He never condemns the afflicted. We see, instead,
one who is confident in the power of God, who touches the unclean, restores
the marginalized to the center of His community, and restores the sick to
a place of meaningful service. They became wounded-healers; that’s Jesus’
style.
F. Jesus Christ came into the world not to condemn the world
but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). Who said that?
Jesus did!
III. Christian Compassion is Difficult
A. What was Jesus’ response to the leper? “Jesus reached
out his hand and touched him.”
B. Seldom has a touch meant so much.
C. Jesus put himself at great personal risk by touching this
man. His own physical health; His behavior had to be viewed by some as a form
of social protest (He was breaking the Law!) And this touch was probably viewed
as immoral (there He goes again, hanging out with sinners!). That touch, and
others like it, nailed Him to a tree.
D. Folks, Christian compassion is hard. It is hard because it
requires the inner disposition (the guts!) to go with others to the place
where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken.
E. But compassion, as hard as it is, must continue to be the
basis/foundation of our ministry in and for a broken world. It is the one
thing that will validate our witness!
F. Let us pray, for compassion.
