Facing the Day Mark 10:1-12

Leonidas, King of Sparta, was preparing to make a stand with his Greek troops against the Persian army in 480 B.C. when a Persian envoy arrived. The man urged on Leonidas the futility of trying to resist the advance of the huge Persian army. "Our archers are so numerous," said the envoy, "that the flight of their arrows darkens the sun." "So much the better," replied Leonidas, "for we shall fight them in the shade." Leonidas made his stand, and died with his 300 troops.

-Jesus is unafraid to face hard things in His ministry

I. Jesus Faces Jerusalem v. 1

We have been out of Mark from midweek for quite a bit of time now, but when we pick up, we are at a turning point

In the first nine chapters of Mark, we have seen Jesus primarily ministering around Galilee, in His home region

Now, there is a big transition: He has set His face towards Jerusalem and the rest of the book will track His pathway towards the Cross

Jesus’s ministry stays the same, but now the end feels more defined

We can see where He is going and we know what He will be facing when He gets there

Not only do we know, but He knew!

It turns out that the Cross that waits for Him in Jerusalem was the entire point; Jesus is prepared for this hour and He faces it

I don’t want us to miss the importance of this moment: Jesus faces a hard thing

While there had to be a measure of fear, Jesus did not shy away from Jerusalem

He displays a virtue that I am afraid many of us are missing: courage

We could use more of this!

One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child's arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray's free hand felt something--possibly a rock-- protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can't swim.

II. Jesus Faces a Hard Question vv. 2-4

Next, we see Jesus face a hard question, the kind of thing that it seems He is constantly facing!

What is it that is so hard about the question?

It’s a trap! No matter how Jesus answers, someone will be angry with the answer and use it as a point of accusation

How will Jesus compare to their standard of righteousness?

Some will accuse Him of being too hard on divorce

Some will accuse Him of being too soft on divorce

Jesus answers a hard question with a question:

“What did Moses command?”

This ought to help His opponents understand the situation better:

Moses does not give any commands for divorce, only instruction for how and when it may be practiced

The command is a command for marriage and it comes from God as part of His creative intent

Jesus is going to make it clear that He is bound by a much higher responsibility

It does not matter which Pharisee disagrees with His answer

It matters most that His answer agrees with God’s answer to the question!

One day in 1943 thousands of soldiers were preparing to leave for Europe. The Army, the Navy, and the Marines were preparing to load on the ships. The General decided to have a huge parade through New York City to seek prayer and honor for the men. Many of these brave men would never return home.

A little old lady was sweeping off her sidewalk, and she heard the commotion of the crowd. She looked up to hear the cadence of the soldiers.

She stood at attention and watched as the men marched by her. She cried and put her shoulders back as she saw the red, white, and blue flag go by. After a few minutes the old lady put her broom stick on her shoulder and started marching alongside of the troops.

Someone yelled out of the crowd: OLD LADY! OLD LADY GET OUT OF THE WAY! WHAT CAN YOU DO OLD LADY?

The old lady yelled back with pride: I CAN SHOW ON WHOSE SIDE I AM! She kept on marching!

III. Jesus Faces a Fundamental Truth vv. 5-12

Jesus answers the question about divorce with a couple of hard truths:

First, every divorce represents a failure v. 5

This not assigning blame, but a recognition of reality

Divorce never comes where there is not a moral failure of some variety

Someone has a hard heart and it leads to this place!

Second, marriage springs from God’s good design vv. 6-9

It is complementary v. 6

It is a union of the flesh, where two become one v. 8

It is an act of God v. 9

Third, broken marriages have consequences

Marriage was intended to bind two people together; divorce always means that something sacred has been broken v. 9

The implications are so profound that the disciples question Jesus about the matter!

When an impermissible divorce takes place, it is like an infidelity.

Marriage is something that we must take seriously!

How do we honor marriage?

Recognize the gravity of marriage

Pursue faithfulness in marriage

Receive grace from broken marriages

An elderly woman was standing in the checkout line ready to pay for her merchandise: a quart of milk and a loaf of bread. She opened her purse. No money was there; neither was her checkbook. As she was about to ask the clerk to put her things back, suddenly a gentle voice said, “It looks like that is your lunch.” A gentleman was standing right behind her, smiling. “Don’t worry,” he continued. “Today I want to treat you. Take your things with you.” Then the man paid for her merchandise and his own. A week passed by, and the woman came back to the store. The checker knew about the incident and recognized her. She approached the woman and whispered, “Ma’am, maybe you’d be interested to know. That gentleman’s check—it bounced!”613

Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 178.

There’s good news; Jesus has a check of grace to cover your sin that won’t bounce!