Right on the Mark

Intro

Once apron a time there was a brilliant electrical engineer - when that was a brand new field. Maybe you are familiar with his name - Charles Steinmetz? No? Albert Einstein was. So was Nicola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. And so was Henry Ford.

Henry Ford was innovative and used electrical equipment extensively in his factories. Few questioned Ford in factories he built. But one day there was some equipment malfunctioning, and all of Ford’s best men could give him nothing but “I don’t knows”.

From Smithsonian Magazine:

Ford, whose electrical engineers couldn’t solve some problems they were having with a gigantic generator, called Steinmetz in to the plant. Upon arriving, Steinmetz rejected all assistance and asked only for a notebook, pencil and cot. According to Scott, Steinmetz listened to the generator and scribbled computations on the notepad for two straight days and nights. On the second night, he asked for a ladder, climbed up the generator and made a chalk mark on its side. Then he told Ford’s skeptical engineers to remove a plate at the mark and replace sixteen windings from the field coil. They did, and the generator performed to perfection.

Henry Ford was thrilled until he got an invoice from General Electric in the amount of $10,000. Ford acknowledged Steinmetz’ success but balked at the figure. He asked for an itemized bill.

Steinmetz responded personally to Ford’s request with the following:

Making chalk mark on generator $1.

Knowing where to make mark $9,999.

Ford paid the bill.

There are three examples in this story - Ford, Steinmetz, and the unable engineers. These three have parallels in the passage today. Our job will be to determine which we are, which we need to be, and on whom we depend.

Pray

Mark 10:1–34 ESV

1 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them. 2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” 13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. 17 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?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” 32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

3 lessons. About divorce. About the value of those like children to the Kingdom of God. And about the challenge of bringing wealth with you to follow Christ.

Those are 3 great lessons.

Don’t divorce.

Welcome the weak.

Place Jesus in higher value than what you posses.

Let’s close in prayer!

These are each valuable teaching, and we all do very well to head them. But as Mark weaves them together in this text, He tells a greater story. Lets learn the lessons in their contexts and according to their function in this greater narrative.

There are three people described in this text. These tell the story of three ways to respond to Jesus.

The ones perusing rebellion.(v. 1-12)

The usual suspects - the Pharisees

The function of the question was “in order to test him”

The feature of the question was to test the limits

Jesus’ reply reveals the heart behind the encounter

“Because of your hardness of heart...”

Application:

When God gives you extra rope, try not to tie a noose!

If your intent is to see how far from God’s plan and guides you can get, the results are going to be as poor as you could imagine!

Don’t be the one trying to engineer your way out of obeying God! When you don’t know the problem, don’t pretend to know the solution.

The ones perusing reconciliation. (v. 13-31)

Humble and unable but invited(v. 13-16)

If the Pharisees perused rebelion, Jesus gives here the best example of the way to seek reconciliation.

Jesus was establishing His kingdom on earth. Everyone knows for a new king to establish authority, He needs support.

But Jesus says here that His Kingdom belongs to little children. He says it elsewhere too. And who does He build His kingdom on? Outcast from outside Jerusalem, women, the commendations of poor, and of foreigners, and of the irreputable, and of the week.

Jesus’ Kingdom does not have it’s authority based on acceptance, or consent, or the strength of it’s constituents. It’s based on His authority, righteousness, power, and dominion.

Jesus calls all who would join Him to set aside everything they bing to Jesus. To lean and depend on only what He provides.

Can we trust Jesus for everything? Is He sufficient for ALL my troubles?

Proud and able but rejected (v. 17-31)

There was another who came to Jesus who wanted reconciliation, but he could not say no to his own abilities.

When we can’t let go of what WE BRING to Jesus as the reason He should accept us, we desire reconciliation but wont be afforded it.

This guy brought a LOT! Prestige. Financial resources. Family connections. A desire to serve. As a pastor, I’d be very tempted to elevate such a one to authority!

But Jesus brings the attention right to the issue of what he valued most.

Mark 10:21 “21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.””

But that was too much to let go for this man. He wanted reconciliation, but desired autonomy and control more. So...

Mark 10:22 “22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Don’t let what you have, or what you bring, get in the way of returning to Jesus. This is for those who have yet to accept Him as their salvation, and for those who have.

The One who is able! (V. 32-34)

If we don’t ha;ve what it take to be accepted, are we willing to trust Jesus in all things? Acts 4:12 “12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

He is able...

To:

cover the guilt of rebellion

provide a path to return

accept the rejected (v. 31, 33)

empower the unable (v. 25-27)

bring life from death (v. 34)

These are all provided in Jesus during the next few weeks. -> The Cross and Resurrection

His work, words, death, and resurrection are the perfect solution the the problem of separation from God. And they are the perfect model for those who have been saved to follow.

We can put all the effort in the world to fixing the machinery of our lives. But unless we apply the mark of Jesus crucifixion in the right spot of rebelion and pride that separates us from God, we will be broken and guilty before the one and true Holy God.

He desires our worship. He deserves our praise. He is worthy of all honor. But until you out your entire trust/confidence/hope of being right before God on the work of the One Who Is Able, all our worship/praise/honor is pointless.

Will you join me in recommitting to lean wholly on Jesus.

If you are trusting your own good works to make you acceptable to God, I invite you to realize and acknowledge that only the perfect life of Jesus is acceptable to a perfect God. I invite you to accept His free gift - Jesus taking your guilty status and paying your penalty in exchange for living under His goodness and in His Kingdom. If you’ve never committed your life to Jesus, wont you come speak to me during this song?

And maybe you have accepted Jesus as your only way to heaven, but have been bringing all your ability to Him recently. He did not save us so that He would depend on us. He saved us that we might receive life in HIM. If you’ve been acting more like the rich young ruler than the little children, wont you join me in recommitting to coming to Jesus with nothing?

As we sing this last song, I’ll be up front if you would like prayer or to talk more about what following Jesus means.

Pray