What They Don’t Understand Mark 9:30-41

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Understanding, Lack Of

Some of us are like Christopher Columbus when it comes to our understanding:

He didn’t know where he was going.

He didn’t know where he was when he got there.

He didn’t know where he had been when he returned

-Even after time with Jesus, there is much the disciples still do not understand.

I. The Way of the Cross vv. 30-32

When we pick up our passage, the disciples are travelling with Jesus through Galilee, but Jesus continues to act in ways that the disciples don’t understand

As one example, rather than announcing Himself, Jesus seems to keep Himself hidden

Rather than focusing on His public ministry, Jesus zeroes in on a hard teaching that the disciples need to get a handle on

Jesus wants them to understand that His way is the way of the Cross:

He will be betrayed, delivered into the hands of persecutors

He will be killed and experience physical death

He will rise again, three days later

We know this to be the core of the Gospel message: all of our hope is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus

The disciples, however, do not understand and are afraid to ask

The notions of persecution and death feel at odds with their understanding of the mission of the Messiah

Further, the idea that Resurrection could follow death all seems fine and dandy for a great event at the end of the Age, but they certainly never expected it in their time, nor to have to put the notion to the test.

As disciples of Jesus, we must understand that our way is His way, the way of the Cross

If we follow Him, we will carry a cross, face persecution, and eventually die

It is only on the other side of this that we will experience His Resurrection

This is true in an ultimate sense

However, this is also true in the limited senses that inform our daily lives

Our way will be a way of costly discipline, loss, and even death, all for the sake of a better resurrection

John 12:24–26

[24] 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. [25] Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. [26] If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)

II. The Way of the Child vv. 33-37

Next, we see the disciples arguing amongst themselves, an argument that Jesus confronts

We can tell by their response that they are more than a little ashamed; they know this is a foolish argument

They keep silent, so Jesus has to illustrate plainly how He views greatness

What is the measure of greatness in the Kingdom of Jesus?

It is found in the value of the last, the least, and the little

There is nothing, from a worldly perspective about any of this:

I don’t want to be last

I don’t want to serve others

I don’t want to provide care for those who cannot help me in return

Jesus, however, makes it clear that our willingness to receive “the least” is directly linked to our reception of Him and His Father

I think that this merits a lot of self-reflection:

What do my values say about my spiritual life and maturity?

Is my heart consistent with the heart of Christ?

Am I focused on the things that are self-serving or the things that are Christ-exalting?

It's something like what Coach John McKay of USC said to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre Dame. McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of beaten worn-out and thoroughly depressed young football players who were not accustomed to losing. He stood up on a bench and said, "Men, let's keep this in perspective. There are 800 million Chinese who don't even know this game was played." That's what you call perspective

III. The Way of Cooperation vv. 38-41

Finally, we see the disciples face a little scandal

John brings news to Jesus: there are others casting out demons in Jesus’ name

Not to worry! The disciples tried to stop this other one from doing the work

John expects to be commended for his faithfulness and purity, but Jesus shocks him with His response

What is Jesus committed to?

He is committed to fruit- a mighty work is taking place and is unlikely to be the work of an enemy

He is committed to cooperation- the one who is not against us, Jesus says, is for us

I think that this is critically important for us to understand

Jesus spends less time defining who He is against than in inviting people into His circles

This does not mean that “anything goes” or that there is no reasonable standard of belief or practice

It does mean that Jesus’s posture is bent towards inclusion

He is committed to blessing- even the smallest gifts done for the sake of Christ are worthy of reward

We must remember that Jesus does not value people based on how they relate to you, but on how they relate to Him

He intends for us all to be a part of the greater thing that He is doing.

Boys in the Boat is the thrilling true story of the 1936 University of Washington crew team, which went from backwater obscurity to a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Few sports carry the aristocratic pedigree of crews from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. But no one imagined that a crew from Washington, of all places, could be competitive. And yet author Daniel James Brown shows how the University of Washington built a team from kids raised on farms, in logging towns, and near shipyards. They blew away their Californian rivals and bested the cream of New England to become the American Olympic Team and won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

This ragtag team of Americans won Olympic gold by maintaining a sense of unity amidst diversity. Here's how Daniel James Brown explains how eight individuals of varying statures, physiques, and personalities capitalize on their diversity:

[Races] are won by crews, and great crews are carefully balanced blends of both physical abilities and personality types … A crew composed entirely of eight amped-up, overtly aggressive oarsmen will often degenerate into a dysfunctional brawl in a boat or exhaust itself in the first leg of a long race. Similarly, a boatload of quiet but strong introverts may never find the common core of fiery resolve that causes the boat to explode past its competitors when all seems lost. Good crews are good blends of personalities: someone to lead the charge, someone to hold something in reserve; someone to pick a fight, someone to make peace; someone to think things through, someone to charge ahead without thinking. Somehow all this must mesh. That's the steepest challenge. Even after the right mixture is found, each man or woman in the boat must recognize his or her place in the fabric of the crew, accept it, and accept the others as they are. It is an exquisite thing when it all comes together in just the right way.