Trouble Maker
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRODUCTION
There are some people who always just seem to find trouble, or trouble finds them...
Can you think of someone like that? A friend, family member, movie/tv character?
Michael Scott — Scott’s Tots
Michael had promised to pay for college to a group of underprivileged students if they would graduate high school.
He is invited to the school:
They have a surpise welcome for him
perform a dance routine for him
one of the students talks about steering away from drugs because of the promise
one of the teachers compares broken promises from politicians with Michael actually bringing about change
Then Michael breaks the news.
He offers a great consolation prize… laptop batteries!
TRANSITION
Jesus was well known for getting himself into trouble with the religious leaders of His day.
Today we are going to look at a series of stories that help us to understand why the religous leaders hated Jesus.
There are 5 stories here, and they are referred to as conflict stories.
Each of the stories we are going to look at points out a conflict Jesus had with religious leaders.
Each story centers around a question.
In the first 4 stories… the question comes from the leaders, and the final question is posed by Jesus.
FIRST POINT
Why did the religious leaders hate Jesus?
Jesus Claimed His Title: God
Jesus Claimed His Title: God
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
THE QUESTION
“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The leaders were right that only God can forgive sin!
Mark wants the reader to understand that Jesus was God.
Which is easier…?
Saying your sins are forgiven, because you wouldn’t have to prove it.
Jesus heals the man to prove that He does have authority to forgive sins.
What is the point of this passage?
If Jesus has the authority to heal sins, that means He is God.
If He is God, then He must be worshipped and obeyed.
SECOND POINT
Why else did the religious leaders hate Jesus?
Jesus Claimed His People: Sinners
Jesus Claimed His People: Sinners
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.
14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus calls Levi who immediately follows Jesus.
He then invites all his friends over to meet Jesus as well.
Evangelism is an important part of being a disciple of Christ!
THE QUESTION
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
The Pharisees would have become ceremonially unclean through eating with these irreligious people.
Jesus ate with them, which was a sign of friendship.
*God eating with the Israelite leaders on Mt. Sinai*
He is the healer, and came to heal the broken… those who realize their need for healing.
A doctor can do nothing for those who do not realize their need for help.
How do we help people see their need for God?
We have to show them their sin before God. They are broken, sinful, defected, and in need of healing/forgiveness.
That is when they will understand their need to come to God.
THIRD POINT
Why else did the religious leaders hate Jesus?
Jesus Claimed His Purpose: New Covenant
Jesus Claimed His Purpose: New Covenant
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
THE QUESTION
“Why do Jesus’s disciples not fast?”
The Law required one fast per year — day of atonement.
After the Babylonian exile, the Israelites observed four yearly fasts.
In Jesus’ day, Pharisees fasted twice a week.
Fasting is not wrong… the NT church practiced fasting. Acts 13:2
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
It would not make sense to fast while a wedding is going on.
It is a time of celebration.
They shouldn’t be fasting… Jesus is with them!
They will fast when he is taken away from them suddenly.
Jesus is ushering in a new covenant.
You cannot mix the old and new covenant.
The old covenant is based on the law, the sacrifices and festivals.
Jesus is the fulfilment of all of those things.
They pointed to Him!
The religious leaders thought they were made right with God through obedience to rituals and cleansing.
Jesus was showing that you are only made right through faith.
Can you think of traditions that people tend to follow that are not based on Scripture?
Not growing beards
Not using rubber tires
FOURTH POINT
Why else did the religious leaders hate Jesus?
Jesus Claimed His Desire: Soft Hearts
Jesus Claimed His Desire: Soft Hearts
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.
24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him:
26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Question
“Why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?
In both cases, it seemed as though it was against the law, but it actually wasn’t.
It was within the spirit of the law.
The law is not intended to be a burden, but a blessing and gift.
We are to use it for good, not some false sense of piety.
1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.
2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”
4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
The Question — this time asked by Jesus
“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save or to kill?
The irony of the situation was that Jesus was trying to heal/save, while the religious were seeking to harm/kill him.
Since Jesus is God, He is Lord of the Sabbath.
As such, He has the right to determine the heart of the law… the true purpose for which it was intended.
He is saying it was never intended as a prohibition against work… but a day set aside for honouring God, which you can do through sacrificially serving and doing good to others.
Jesus laments their hard hearts...
He longs for them to have soft hearts that can be shaped and molded into the image of Christ.
CLOSING QUESTION
Take a few minutes to think about this… write something down… take it into small groups.
Is there an area of your life where your heart is hard?
You realize you need to allow it to become soft so that God can shape you into the image of Christ.