The Cost of Discipleship

Mark 6:1-30

Introduction

Counting the Cost (projects, sports, life)

Recap

Over eight of the last nine weeks we have been working our way through the gospel of Mark. And since Jesus began his public ministry, so far it has all been around Galilee. Jesus has been going from town to town preaching the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. Some have believed, some have marveled, and some have rejected him. And it is no different from where we come this morning as Jesus returns home and the ministry shifts from Galilee to beyond. So, I invite you to open your copy of God’s word with me to Mark 6:1-30. Here the word of the LORD, starting in Mark 6:1 (READ).

Main Point

The call of discipleship is costly as we are called to follow Jesus. But it was Jesus, Christian, who first died in our place while we were still sinners.

Points

Point #1: The rejection at home

Point #2: The mission we are sent on

Point #3: The cost of discipleship

Point #1: The rejection at home

Jesus has been away, journeying around the sea of Galilee as he ministered to the different cities. And here in Mark 6:1, Jesus comes home. And as he returns, his disciples are in tow, following him. And of course, as is the custom of Jesus, he enters into the synagogue on the Sabbath to teach. None of this is surprising or new. This is what we have seen all through Jesus’s ministry. Jesus has made his whole ministry about going and calling the people to repent and believe in the gospel. And as Jesus has been doing his ministry, there have been different responses to him. The crowds have swarmed him and been amazed and fascinated with his teachings. Others sought Jesus in order to be healed by one of his miracles. The disciples arose and followed him as they called. Others have pursued him by faith such as the lady with the discharge of blood. And of course the pharisees and sadducees, the religious zealots of the day, strongly opposed and questioned Jesus in his teachings.

Here in his hometown, the response starts similarly to that of Jesus teaching the crowds. It says there in verse 2 that many were astonished as they heard him teach. They even began wondering where the wisdom and mighty works come from. Then, in verse 3, it says…. (READ).

Those in Jesus’ hometown take offense with Jesus now and his teaching. But what drives this seems to be that Jesus came from a lowly, simple start. They are offended not at the teaching it seems, for it was already said they were astonished and asking where the wisdom came from and these mighty works by his hands. What makes them stumble then has to be Jesus’ background, which they were calling into question. Their familiarity with Jesus and his background causes them to deny the signs and wisdom that Jesus has done, even in their sight. In the moment at least, their hearts have hardened toward Jesus.

And as Jesus is rejected in his own hometown, as he is not honored there, even among his relatives, Jesus identifies with the prophets of old. For he says here in verse 4 (READ).

Just think back to our Scripture Reading from earlier in the service from Jeremiah 25:1-14 where God was telling of judgement that was coming to the people in the fact that they had rejected God’s prophets that he had sent to them. Even Jeremiah was arrested and threatened because of what he spoke from the LORD. Jesus here in these words from verse 4 then professes solidarity with the prophets of God before him. That they too were rejected and now so is he in his own hometown and his own relatives.

Because of their rejection of him, Jesus was limited in what all that he could do there. For the hearts of the people were hardened. And Jesus there in verse 6 even marvels because of their unbelief. An unbelief that had seen the mighty works of God done in Jesus. An unbelief that had heard the wisdom of God and marveled at where it came from. An unbelief that still rejected the Son of Man in his coming. It is this hardness of heart in rejecting Jesus that was what caused Jesus to marvel at in their unbelief.

But unbelief creeps up into our hearts in a variety of other ways. While it was the familiarity with Jesus and failure to see how God would become man in a lowly form that caused unbelief in Jesus’ hometown, what unbelief creeps into our own hearts? As the text wrestled with my own heart, I had to ask myself what areas of the faith have I become desensitized too? Have I stopped marveling at elements of the gospel? Of who Jesus is? As I read the Bible over and over again, am I failing to slow down and marvel at the basic truths of who Jesus is and what he has done? In particular, where am I guilty of trying to become the hero of the story in being the one to fix things instead of pointing to the true hero of Jesus? Unbelief that the word of God is powerful even when I stumble over words at various times. There is unbelief that creeps into my heart doubting how God could work in these moments. This is a danger for the minister of the gospel in thinking they can change a few things and things will get better. God help me to not make it about my own ability to speak, but by pointing us to the power of the gospel in what Christ has already done!

Likewise brothers and sisters, what areas are you battling unbelief this morning? Is unbelief growing and causing you to become dull in hearing the beauty and power of the gospel? Is unbelief creeping in trying to squeeze out the hope we have in Christ? Is unbelief creeping in causing you to doubt your salvation?

Whatever unbelief is creeping into your heart, first look to Jesus and be reminded this morning of what he has done for us. That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Brothers and sisters, this is why we sing to one another through congregational singing each week. For in singing to one another if we have chosen songs wisely, it reminds us of the depth and beauty of who God is and what he has done for us in Jesus. These truths then chisel away the unbelief creeping into our hearts. In helping drive away this unbelief, this is also why church membership is so vital to our Christian discipleship. Because in being a member, that is a part of a body of believers, it links us to one another so that we can stir one another in our faith. Hebrews 10:24-25 says:

And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We need one another to stir one another. And we need to stir one another to keep unbelief from taking back our hearts. We as the church then must commit to the assembling of ourselves for the purpose of driving out unbelief in one another. For the sake of lifting up and strengthening one another as we point each other back to the truths of God almighty!

Point #2: The mission we are sent on

But, not only are we as the church called to stir and strengthen one another, we are called to go and make disciples. This is where we want to turn in our second point this morning, the mission we are sent on. For after Jesus’ hometown rejection, Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs, two by two. And there is a reason for this. For in the culture of Jewish law, witness and testimony was dependent on the evidence of 2 or 3. Therefore, in Jesus sending them in pairs, this will allow for proper evidence and witness. And while this is not a mandate to go in pairs, there is something helpful in it. In missions through the IMB, they send out teams still to do this work. In fact, I would encourage us if we are going to intentionally go out to try and do evangelism, try and pair up with someone. There is wisdom in two going together to bear witness about Christ.

But notice what Jesus does before sending the disciples by pairs out there in the 2nd half of verse 7. It says, “and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” This is the fulfillment of what Jesus appointed the apostles back in Mark 3:14 and 15 where it says, And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

The twelve are not called merely to learn from Jesus and keep it to themselves. They are called to be with Jesus and then mobilized to further the mission of Jesus. They are to go and do what he does. Drop on down with me to verses 12 and 13, it says (READ).

These twelve disciples are equipped and sent to further the ministry of Jesus, doing what they saw Jesus do. They went and proclaimed that people should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them. This is following exactly what Jesus has done in his ministry. While the disciples still had a long way to go, they were sent out to advance the mission, the kingdom of Jesus.

And this is the same task that we are called to. For this is the goal of discipleship, passing on what you have learned to others. Discipleship isn’t intended to stop with a person, it is always to be passed on. Brothers and sisters, there is no such thing as a mature disciple of Jesus who isn’t investing in others. As we come and follow Jesus, we are then called to invest in others in the same way, helping them to follow Jesus. This happens in 1 to 1 meetings, small groups, and in the daily rhythms of life. And it is this element of discipleship that advances the ministry of Jesus. This happens in the task of evangelizing the lost, discipling a new believer, to discipling a more mature believer. We need to be making disciples of Jesus.

Now, I know some are timid of the idea of evangelism and discipleship. First, here are two helpful definitions of these. “Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.” That’s the definition, this is from Mack Stiles and his book Evangelism. And the other definition is from Mark Dever in his book Discipling. Dever says, “Discipleship is helping others to follow Jesus.” This is what tasks we are being called too. But there is more good news, we aren’t left to this task in our own strength and power. Again, back in verse 7, Jesus gave them authority over the unclean spirit. Jesus doesn’t send his disciples out alone, without empowering and equipping them. And the same is true for us.

For those who have been joining us for the Great Commission on Sunday nights, we have become familiar with the Great Commission given to us in Matthew 28:16-20. For it says:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

In Jesus sending us out to go, he has empowered us through the Holy Spirit. Now, for the 12 as they were sent out in Mark, they are only temporarily empowered by the Spirit. For the Spirit or the Helper as Jesus talks about in John 14, doesn’t come until after Jesus ascended. But, for us today who are in Christ, we have this Holy Spirit dwelling in us from the moment of our faith being placed in Jesus. This Spirit empowers us and works within us to sanctify us, to strengthen us, to equip us most often through the word of God. The two work hand in hand together.

And it is this Spirit that is at work in us that will empower us in the tasks of discipleship and evangelism. For the Spirit will work in and through you in these, just as it did to open our own eyes to the truths of God’s word. This is the same Spirit that strengthens us in the midst of despair. Brothers and sisters, the Spirit is present everytime we open God’s word. It should be penetrating our hearts subtly and slowly, allowing the word to go deep into us. For the Spirit and the word of God work together hand in hand to sanctify us, that is making us more like Jesus. They work hand in hand in encouraging our faint and weak hearts. They work hand and hand driving the truths of God deep into our hearts to store and treasure up.

Unfortunately though, we often mistake the empowerment of the Spirit for some emotionally high experience. This happens when we get a buzz feeling of excitement, we think that the Spirit is what is driving this. Yet, that is not what we see in the Bible. The work of the Spirit is subtle, it is about helping us to recall all that Jesus has taught us from what we see in John 14 in the promise of the coming Helper, that is the Spirit. The Spirit’s purpose is not to give us some spiritual high, but strengthen us in our faith and in the depth of who Jesus is. The Spirit strengthens us for the work of the Kingdom as it did with the apostles in Acts 4 of giving them boldness to keep preaching the gospel. And it is this same work of the Spirit that we need among us today. We need the Spirit to empower us and give us the boldness to share the gospel knowing that we are not alone, but that the Spirit is at work in us. And that the Spirit will give us the words of Scripture to recall and say in the moments of evangelism and discipleship.

And it is this dependence on this Spirit and the work of God in why the disciples are sent to take nothing with them as seen in verses 8 and 9, apart from the tunic they are wearing, their sandals, and a staff to walk with and fend off animals. The disciples of Jesus are to be dependent on the one who sent them and has empowered them. This is why it is crucial to grow in our knowledge of the Triune God and how he works within us. In understanding this, we can stop trusting in our own methods and wisdom, and start trusting in the power of the Spirit within us.

The last bit of instruction Jesus gives to the disciples before they are sent is found in verses 10 and 11, it says (READ).

As they go, they are to stay in one place verses jumping from house to house until they depart from that city. But, we also see that in what is being told to them there in verse 11, Jesus knows they are going to face rejection.

Rejection is nothing new when it comes to people refusing to hear from God’s word. Adam and Eve rejected it, David rejected it, even Moses struck a rock when he wasn’t supposed to. Isaiah and Jeremiah were rejected as they passed on what God had spoken through them. Even Jesus was just rejected in his hometown. Jesus knows his disciples too will be rejected as they are sent out. But in doing so, his call for them and us is to shake the dust that is on our feet off as a testimony against them. The shaking off of the dust from the feet is a sign of the disciples innocence, purity as they were faithful to warn as well as a sign of judgement and condemnation against those who rejected. As with the watchman in Ezekiel 3, our job is to tell what we have heard, to warn the people. However, if we do so and they reject, the guilt is not on us, but them.

There will be those as we share the gospel who will reject us. Think back to the definition of evangelism: “Teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.” We are not to go in and force the people to believe, we can’t. That is not our mission. Our mission is to make the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ known to a world that is perishing, a world that has yet to hear the name of Jesus. We are to be the light of the world in the midst of darkness as we take the gospel forth. For it is the gospel that saves and transforms people. The light is to expose what is currently covered in darkness. And as we do this, we do so in love, gentleness, and patience as we share. We must see that there still remains a harvest plentiful, but the workers are few. Central City Baptist Church, let us add to the harvest as we labor to make the gospel known in our city and to the nations.

Point #3: The Cost of discipleship

Likewise in going, we need to also count the cost of following Jesus. And that is what we look at in our final point this morning. John saw that the cost was worth it in proclaiming the word of God to the nations. The question is, do we?

Mark flashes back here in Mark 6:14-29 to John the Baptist’s arrest from Mark 1:14 and 15 and tells now of his death. Yet, this story isn’t sporadic, but intentional. For in doing so, Mark aims to show what faith is and to further show the cost of discipleship.

True Faith

With the recounting here of John the Baptist’s death, Herod was hearing all that Jesus was doing and thought it was John the Baptist raised from the dead. John the Baptist was preparing the way in preaching a baptism of repentance, even to those of high position and authority, such as King Herod.

As we learn in our text, Herod had taken his brother, Phillip’s wife as his own. But John did not hold back from speaking the truth to Herod, in calling it sin. He tells him there in verse 18 that “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias, Herod’s wife, does not like this at all. And it was this that leads to John the Baptist being beheaded in the account given in verses 21-29 of our text. Herod arrests John on account of his wife, but Herod fears John the Baptist.

In fact, here in verse 20 it says, “for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.” Herod while he did not like John telling him that his marriage was not lawful, had great admiration for John. But, while he had this admiration it didn’t lead him to repent and turn from his ways. In fact, this admiration and fear of John the Baptist couldn’t even lead Herod to break a promise to Herodias’s daughter from the account there in verses 21-28. In the moment of being tricked as Herodias’s daughter pleased Herod and he offered her up to half his kingdom, she came, at her mother’s request, and asked for the head of John the Baptist. In fear of breaking his promise before her and his guests, Herod complies.

One can have great admiration and fear of someone and not truly hear them. One can be amazed at all that one says, but never be changed by their words and teachings. This was certainly true for John the Baptist and it was true of many who heard Jesus. What about us here this morning?

Similar to our first point this morning in looking at unbelief, we need to ask ourselves are we followers of Jesus or merely admirers? To admire Jesus means that we like his teachings. We might even agree with some of them. However, it doesn’t lead to a transformed heart and life. Admirers of Jesus merely think highly of Jesus, but the moment it becomes costly to them, they are unwilling to follow. For Herod, it was the unlawfulness of his marriage to Herodias. For many admirers of Jesus, it is impossible for them to give up similar sins in their own life. They would rather hold to those than turn to Jesus. Yet, others admire Jesus but refuse to follow Jesus because it might cost them positions of power or influence.

The cost of discipleship

To follow Jesus though is to not admire him, but to turn from that sin and take up our own crosses. For here in the recounting of the death of John the Baptist, it is a foreshadowing of Jesus’s own coming death on the cross. For just as many are continuing to reject Jesus and his teaching, so they will call for his death as Herodias called for John the Baptists. Instead of beheading Jesus, they will call for him to be crucified. Crucifixion being still considered one of the cruelest, if not the cruelest punishments of death in history. Where nails are driven through one's wrist and feet to hold them up on the cross while they suffocate to death. And it is here where Jesus would willingly go to lay down his life for his sheep. He would endure the death of the guilty, though he was innocent. He would be pierced not for his transgressions, but ours. For this was the very purpose of his coming to reveal God’s Kingdom to us and his death to be an atoning sacrifice. Atoning sacrifice means Jesus substituting, that is standing in the place of another, himself in the sinner's place to bear the penalty of sin.

John the Baptist’s story therefore is to begin telling the readers of Mark’s gospel, this is coming too for Jesus. And in reality, it is the cost for Jesus’s disciples too. In following Jesus, we are called to take up our own crosses and follow him. We are called to die to ourselves and live for the King.

So we must examine our hearts here then this morning as we close our time together. And we must ask ourselves, are we merely admirers of Jesus? Or are we followers of him? This question must be asked not to cause doubt in our hearts, but to drive us to marvel at what we have in Jesus and cause us to eagerly and wholeheartedly follow him. Christ has died to save sinners, and this is good news for us! It is this news that is to drive us to gladly take up our cross and follow him!

Whether you are here this morning and you have already placed your faith in Jesus or you are here and you have never come to faith in Jesus, I ask you to consider who Jesus is and what he has done in becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins. See that it is by faith in Jesus that the forgiveness of sins is offered. Believe this, hold to this. For this is the way of eternal life!

Conclusion

For it is this good news that we remember even now as we prepare to come to the Lord’s Table. Brothers and sisters, even as we take the Lord’s Supper this morning, remember that as we partake in the Supper together, it is a sign of our ongoing discipleship. It is a reminder that we were bought by the price of his blood. And it is this that is to drive our faith further and further to the full obedience of faith as we follow Jesus!

Let’s pray...