You are the Son of God!

Mark 3:7–19 NASB95

Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was. And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

I. Introduction

a. Last weeks teaching we saw Jesus being challenged by the Pharisees. In fact they actually set up the man with the withered hand, so that when He healed the man, they would have the goods on Him.

b. But Jesus taught us that there is a higher law, when dealing with the law of God itself that mercy, life, healing, meeting of needs trumps the basic tenants of the law. Although we should keep the sabbath as a rest day for our spirits and the health of our bodies and minds, it does not give us the right to neglect the healing, and meeting needs to someone or animal when a need is to be met.

c. So we see this week that Jesus moved from the city setting to the seashore because the number of individuals coming to Him was to much to handle.

d. Now some commentators suggest that Jesus moved from the city to the rural areas because the pharisees was after Him. Which in Matthew 12:14-15, suggests, “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all.

II. Healing and Preaching at the Sea

a. Luke gives us this perspective of this same situation in Luke 6:17-19, “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

b. Idumea is a land located south of Judah, on the southwest side of the Dead Sea. Then beyond Jordan means the east side of Jordan, which is modern day country of Jordan. Tyre and Sidon which in the country of Lebanon. It is quite fascinating that a lot of these groups of people that were coming to Him was gentiles. Not only were there Jews and Samaritans of the land of Israel coming to him, but the gentiles also.

c. Matthew made note of this by quoting a fulfillment of prophecy found in Isaiah

d. Matthew 12:16-21, “and warned them not to tell who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

e. We should see here that these people were desperate people, because they pushed into just to touch Him. Due to the huge amount of people and they were pressing so hard on Him, as to crush Him, he told His disciples to have a boat ready so He could get into it and be able to teach from there. Luke 5:3, states that He actually got into Simon Peters boat, “And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.”

f. Here we also see how demon possessed individuals came up to him and they cried out, “You are the Son of God!” We see Jesus telling them not to reveal who He was. This week when I was studying this someone suggested a pretty good reason, why He instructed the demons to be quiet. Jesus at this time didn’t want people to hear about Him and just believe, but He wanted people to come see and hear Him, and make up their own minds that He was the Messiah. I found this very intriguing perspective.

III. Go up on the mountain

a. After this Jesus went up to the Mountain. Now Mark did not elaborate on the amount of time or all that He did on the mountain, but accept to ordain the 12 Apostles.

b. But Luke expounded on what the time and what all Jesus did when He was on the mountain. Luke 6:12, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.”

c. Jesus, although He is God in flesh, still went and spent time with God the Father in prayer. Now if Jesus did this, then how much more should we be spending with God in prayer. I suggest that each and every one of us, need to set aside time each day to spend time communicating and communing with God the Father.

d. During this prayer time, I sure that God the Father and God the Son discussed who would be the ones that would be designated to go out and preach the gospel.

IV. Calls and ordains the apostles

a. The word Apostle means, “to send”.

b. to send to do what? Mark 3:14-15, “And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.”

c. When putting this together, this reminded me of the parable of The Mustard Seed, Matthew 13:31-32, “He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”

d. See Jesus was that seed, like the Mustard Seed, in John 12:23-24 He stated, “And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. “

e. We are the plant that grows from the seed that was planted, the spreading branches as the Kingdom of God grows. That is why Jesus took these 12 men and ordained them to go out and preach, to plant that seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As they did this the Kingdom started to grow. We are part of this seeding and watering.

V. Summary

a. Can you imagine you are Simon, laying there on the mountain, fast asleep and had no clue that the God of the universe was up there conversing and strategizing that Simon and his colleagues were going to take a message of the gospel that would permeate the entire globe for centuries. Do you know that same Jesus Christ, our Lord that was praying on that mountain also has a mission for you to go and share Him with others. That we in the same like manner can go communicate and commune with God the Father just like He did.

Today I challenge each of us that going from here that each day we would spend time in prayer with God the Father and make ourselves available that He may use us to share the gospel with our neighbors, family and friends.