Campaigning Against Christ

class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 8-9-09…AM…SBC     2) “Campaigning Against Christ”

Mark 12:1-17

Introduction:  (from NIV Audio Bible) 

1-      The Gospel of Mark delivers the good news of Jesus like a reporter

2-      Non-Jewish readers needed to know that the facts surrounding His life, death and resurrection so Mark outlined the life events and actions

3-      Events that would’ve interested a Jewish audience are left out   Ex) no genealogies confirm right to the throne

4-      As we have seen, Mark makes it clear that Jesus entered history as a suffering servant, he didn’t come as a conquering king but as a servant to sacrifice His life.

5-      Mark’s Gospel shows Christ as the Savior of the World and as the servant model for all to follow

Transition:  As we come to the life altering teaching of our Savior let us go to Him in Prayer       

1-      Parables         v1

A-    Parables function as a means of drawing forth a response from the listeners and used language and illustrations that they would understand – this is what makes the parables difficult for us to interpret

B-    Jesus continued to respond to the hostile retaliation of the chief priests and elders, who had demanded that He tell them by what authority He carried on His ministry.[1]

C-    After they refused to answer His question regarding John’s authority, Jesus accused them in parable form of willful rejection of God in the…

The Parables of the Tenants          v1-12

1-      Jesus addressed it to them, the Sanhedrin interrogators who were plotting against Him (11:27; 12:12). It exposed their hostile intentions and warned them of the consequences.[2]

2-      This parable reflects the social situation of first-century Palestine, especially Galilee.[3]                 v1-8

a-      wealthy landlords—leased land to tenant farmers—tenants worked/cared for the land—usually a portion of the rent was paid by the farmers’ harvest—owners sent agents at harvest time to collect rent—tension arose

b-      Foreign landlord sent 3 servants to collect—2 are beaten and 1 killed—patient landowner sent others—some were beaten and some were killed

c-      Then he sent his son—he thought surely they won’t hurt my son—they saw him as a threat—they killed him

3-      v9-11 = Application of Parable

a-      (v9) The landowner will now come and ruin, destruction and death become inevitable

b-      (10-11)  Jesus sharpened the application of the parable to Himself as the Son and extended its teaching by quoting verbatim Psalm 118:22-23[4]

Ø      A cornerstone was the most basic and essential part of a building, from which the proper placement and alignment of every other part was determined. If the cornerstone was imperfectly cut or placed, the symmetry and stability of the entire building would be adversely affected. Sometimes the builders rejected a number of stones before the right one was selected. In this account, one such rejected stone eventually became the chief corner stone.[5]

Application:

1-      The message of this parable is that the cornerstone that was thought to be deficient and was cast aside was actually the right stone by which to build a life of faith after all

2-      This parable, like the central theme of Mark’s gospel is a call to an individual commitment to live for Christ 8:34

3-      Salvation Application

·         But why do we need Christ you may ask.  We need Christ because our condition is so desperate

·         Our desperate condition is because of sin – we have exchanged God’s glory for something of a lesser value

·         Like the religious leaders we have rejected the cornerstone/son and chosen another

·         The teaching of the parable is that there is only one way to heaven – by accepting the Son by faith

·         An individual moment of conversion by which one repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ

·         Conversion is repentance and faith – two sides of the same coin

-          one side is tails—turn tail and run from the fruits of unbelief (repentance)

-          one side is heads—head straight for Jesus and trust Him to save you

Ø      The religious leaders, like anyone who rejects Christ as their only road to salvation, has only one destination

Ø      Does it hit home for you?  Who or what are you trusting in?

Transition:  v12 is the firecracker that sets off the other fireworks

·         according to v12 the chief priests, scribes and elders got the message

·         they recognized that they were the wicked tenants from the parable, destined for destruction

·         Throughout the gospel God has been using these confrontations to incite the hatred of those who would be commence the murder of Jesus

·         From the parable of the tenants we find two more confrontation designed to trap Jesus w/ His words

v13-17

1-      the same group from 11:27 is identified as triggering the Pharisees and Herodians to trap Jesus in His speech

2-      instead of directly challenging Jesus’ authority, they now shift their campaign to a more subtle flattery

3-      Matthew records (22:16) that they sent to their younger disciples to him in hopes of disguising their motives

·         Herodians were Jews of influence who were favorable to Greek customs and Roman laws – only externally

·         Pharisees were experts in the law but personally, they lacked true morality

·         Each group had its own reason for wishing to destroy him. Did not his teaching imply a denunciation of the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and of the worldlimindedness of the Herodians? Besides, the Herodians cannot have been happy with Jesus’ royal entry into Jerusalem, nor the Pharisees with his entry as “the Son of David,” the Messiah. Also, both envy Jesus because, as they see it, his influence over the people is becoming too pronounced.[6]

4-      Their attack centered on taxes – the Herodians favored the tax and the Pharisees objected the tax

5-      A yes answer would antagonize the people and discredit Him as God’s Spokesman. No messianic claimant could sanction willing submission to pagan rulers. A no answer would invite retaliation from Rome.[7]

Ø      Jesus shows His omniscience (v15) of their motivation and then acknowledged Caesar’s authority and the benefits of civil government while teaching the claim to deity by the emperor was a designation reserved only for God

v18-27

1-      Another group of religious leaders (Sadducees) came with the same motivation – to trap him in His words

2-      Their questions was over the Kinsman Redeemer policy found in Jewish customs – Explain (point to Ruth)

3-      Mockingly, they ask a question about the Resurrection in which they don’t even believe – Whose wife is she?

4-      Jesus indicts them for not grasping the whole new order of life that comes after death

5-      The Sadducees wrongly alleged that the idea of a resurrection was absent from the Pentateuch. But Jesus appealed to the Book of Moses, the Pentateuch, and spoke of the burning bush[8]

·         In this passage God identified Himself to Moses, affirming, I am the God of Abraham . . . Isaac, and . . . Jacob (Ex. 3:6). God implied that the patriarchs were still alive and that He had a continuing relationship with them as their covenant-keeping God, even though they had died long before. This demonstrates, Jesus concluded, that He is not the God of the dead, in the Sadducean understanding of death as extinction, but of the living. He is still the patriarchs’ God which would not be true had they ceased to exist at death, that is, if death ends it all. And His covenant faithfulness implicitly guarantees their bodily resurrection.[9]

Ø      Jesus’ answer clearly affirmed life after death and therefore a bodily resurrection (functioning dualism)

Conclusion:

1-      God was using this confrontation to accomplish His plan of redemption and bring salvation to man

2-      There is a response on the part of the listeners in each of these accounts – Sadducee response see 13:14ff

3-      They all reject Christ as the cornerstone and have faced destruction because of it – they campaigned against X

·         Have you been campaigning against Christ by relying on your own actions to save you?

·         Stop trying to earn grace and accept Christ by faith to save you – Christ is the only way to salvation

4-      What about you Christian?  Have you been campaigning against Christ lately?

·         Maybe you just thought, “no way, not me!”

·         Every time our thoughts and actions do not confirm the reality of Christ in our lives we campaign against Him

·         Every time we exchange glorifying God for something of lesser value we campaign against Christ

     5- The Book of Mark is about a personal commitment to follow Christ

·         Why all this talk about discipleship and commitment – I’m fine just doing my own thing

·         “prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love”

·         Where did you wander from God this week?  Are you aware of how you wandered from God this week?

·         How has your personal commitment Christ affected your relationship with others – spouse, parent, friend

·         We must constantly be remembering the desperation of our condition and the greatness of our God

6-      Don’t be discouraged with the wanderings in your striving for discipleship – Hope in God

·         know that through these wanderings God is working to teach you more about Himself and cause you to depend on Him

·         Find your joy and encouragement from the numbers individuals in the Bible who sinned against God and see how God forgave them and then used them to complete His ministry

·         Don’t give up – remember that God began this work in you and He will carry it through to completion

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[1]MacArthur, John: Matthew. Chicago : Moody Press, 1989, S. 294

[2]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:160

[3]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:160

[4]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:161

[5]MacArthur, John: Matthew. Chicago : Moody Press, 1989, S. 298

[6]Hendriksen, William ; Kistemaker, Simon J.: New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1953-2001 (New Testament Commentary 10), S. 481

[7]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:162

[8]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:163

[9]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:163