Jesus' Mission Expands

All good businesses have a “mission”.

Apple's mission is "to bring the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through our innovative hardware, software and internet offerings."

Amazon's mission is to be Earth's most customer-centric company, Earth's best employer, and Earth's safest place to work

To be the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, inspiring and nurturing the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

You can agree or disagree with them being able to do that. But that mission is what pushes everything forward.

The Character of a Disciple

Carry the message of Jesus at all costs

Jesus sent out the 12 and gave them “authority over unclean spirits”, they “went out and preached that people should repent”, and healed sick people. The disciples were sent out to expand the mission of Jesus, to go out into the world and courageously show others who Jesus was.

Jesus told them to go out and to not bringing anything that would weigh them down or be a distraction for them.

-This isn’t a rule for everyone to follow, but it reminds us that oftentimes we can let possessions get in the way of what God wants us to do.

But we also see what happens to those who carry the message.

Many will reject the message of Jesus

But we see the challenging part in carrying this message. Many will hear it and reject it rather than choose to listen to it.

If you are a salesperson, you will have people who reject you. What matters is how many people you can get to believe your message about the product you are selling. If you believe in the product, than you will be even better at selling your product! But some products sell themselves! If you have done Sunset Slush in the summer, do you need to sell it? No! You just bring it and people will come to you! But you do have a big umbrella, you have the cart, you have to move around in order for people to get the message that you are there!

But in this rejection we get a foretaste of what will happen with Jesus. Herod hears about the ministry of Jesus’ and his first reaction is that John had been raised from the dead!

We see that Herod is distraught it the predicament he finds himself in. But this was of his own doing, not of anyone else.

After this, the apostles come back to Jesus and they are excited to tell him all that they had done to further the mission of Jesus. Jesus even brings them to a remote place so that they can disciple what they had done and be discipled.

Have courage in the work in Jesus

Jesus connects how they didn’t understand the loves and fish with them being fearful when they see Jesus walking on the water.

Both times they are afraid. They are afraid because they don’t know who Jesus will provide for the crowds, and when Jesus tells them they should give them something to eat they are even more confused. But then when they see Jesus walk on water they are astounded.

So what is the issue?

Even though Jesus has sent them out with the authority the Father has given them they don’t have the courage to believe they truly have this authority living in them.

We often see things from a human calculations but fail to account for what Jesus can do.

Notice later, in chapter 8, that again they will be faced with the same challenge but they don’t consider that they could do what Jesus did in multiplying the loaves and fishes.

Jesus is pointing them to a greater miracle connected to food in the last supper.

They continue to see people healed by Jesus, but they don’t have the courage to believe they can do the same.

Obey the commands of Jesus

Jesus explains to the religious leaders the hypocrisy of their hearts. But then when he goes to the disciples they are confused about what Jesus was saying to the disciples.

The Witness of a Disciple

I laugh at commercials when they are supposed to be selling something but then they end with “these are paid actors, not actual customers.” What that means is, these aren’t people who have actually been changed by the product, but they have been given a reward in order to sell the product. The Gospel is news you should believe. But Jesus shows us two important things about this news.

The Gospel is to All People

The Gospel Opens Eyes - Mark 7:31-8:26