The King, Despised and Rejected

Jesus, in this passages starts to ramp up his discipleship of the disciples. They will get experience in challenging issues and learn what it means to truly follow Jesus as Jesus prepares them for the responsibilities they will have when Jesus is no longer with them. We can believe following Jesus is just saying the right things or doing the right things, but Jesus will show them it is a matter of the heart.

We have this idea in our heads of what it means to “achieve” things. What we get to do, how we get to do it. Own our own company, be a huge celebrity, a professional athlete. BUT we don’t often know what goes into that. In fact, what comes with it is not what we think it is. Jesus is going to try and help His disciples what it means to be a disciple vs. what we think it means.

The joy of the Gospel is not found in seeking our own personal goals, but in giving glory to God through serving others.

Putting God first

The disciples have already shown the ability to cast out demons, but here we see they aren’t able to. Why are they unable to? Jesus says because they are “unbelieving”.

-We often think of faith as something we can have “more” or “less” of. There is some truth to that. But what Jesus shows is more about WHO they have faith in more than HOW MUCH faith they have. It isn’t about techniques, or about being more disciples. It is that we will fail on our own. It isn’t confidence in themselves that allowed them to heal.

-What do you think I mean by that? Not to have faith in themselves and their power. But that only God can do it.

-Jesus tells them “everything is possible for the one who believes”. Later he tells them this type of demon can only be driven out by prayer.

We see this later, because there is another man who was driving out demons in the name of Jesus, the disciples tried to stop him. But Jesus says anyone who performs a miracle in his name is for the Father. They were thinking it was them who had the power, it is the power God gives in Jesus.

-What John is concerned about is that this man isn’t in the “circle” of the disciples. But this misunderstands what Jesus has been trying to teach them. It isn’t about an “exclusive” club of those who agree with us, but to ask who is seeking God’s will.

Many Christian groups try to state “exclusiveness”. Mormons, Catholics, many churches, or those within a specific political party. But Jesus helps us to expand our ideas on this. Are they speaking for God’s glory and in the name of Jesus? We must be clear about the things that make us followers of Jesus, but show grace in the gray areas.

Jesus twice in our readings this week predicts his death and tells his disciples. Both times people are afraid because of what Jesus says. They don’t understand why this must happen as Jesus says. They don’t understand God’s plan in all of this. They have to say what the father said.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”

Failure is often our avenue to reliance on God. Sometimes my children want to do something on their own. I know they will not be able to do it. But in attempting it themselves they learn that they do need help. But I wait...I wait for them to say “daddy, can you help me”.

Mark The Father’s Desperation and the Need for Faith

Dwight L. Moody said there were three kinds of faith. There is struggling faith, like a man in deep water desperately swimming; clinging faith, like a man hanging to the side of a boat; and resting faith, like a man safely within the boat and able to reach out and help others get in. Many, like this father, have a struggling faith. Faith becomes a struggle because one must believe in the fantastic against all odds. Many experience all three kinds of faith and can move back and forth between them.

Putting others second

What makes someone “important?” Being in a commercial? Being the one who makes the decisions? Having accolades?

After Jesus says these things we see where the heads of the disciples are at. They start asking “who is first among us”. They are trying to figure out which one of them will have the most influence, and who will get the greatest reward from the Father. But Jesus presents a new way of looking at things to the disciples. An upside down approach. That whoever wants to be the greatest needs to be last and be a servant to others. They think to be “Great” means that others serve them, to be a person of importance is to have other people who listen to you. But Jesus says that being great is that we listen to others and serve them.

What does it mean to be a servant?

-Do you ask “what can others do for me” or “what can I do for others?”

-Do you ask “what do I deserve?” or “what can I give up?”

-Are you constantly looking for validation or do you seek to encourage others?

Jesus shows that the kingdom of God comes in defeat, not victory.

Jesus tells them that part of discipleship is not causing any stumbling blocks for others to hear and know the Gospel. Jesus says that it would be better for us to be drowned in the sea than for us to cause someone else, especially a young child, to turn away from the faith. Later Jesus will discuss allowing the children to come to him. It is easy for us to “ignore” children or their concerns. We can see them as a “bother”, as “not knowing what they are talking about”, or as preventing us from being able to do something we want to do. They were often considered as the least important group in society. The purpose in these statements is that Jesus cares for the insignificant in society. Jesus gives several other severe steps for us when we act in ways that violate others. What Jesus is evident is that our actions should put others before ourselves, that we do our best to not sin against our neighbor. We can do that with our hands with violence or we can lustfully look at others. Instead what we should do is be “seasoned with salt”.

What do we use salt for? To enhance the taste of things. To be used as a preservative, to keep bacteria away. But also to remove bacteria.

We are called to:

Enhance those around us. Be an encouragement, push them to use their gifts in godly ways, shine a light on them to others.

2. Keep others from sin. Be one who preserves the godliness of others. That doesn’t allow other believers to be corrupted by worldliness.

3. Remove sin from others. When you see others acting in sinful ways, call them to godliness. Encourage them in the truth. Be one who heals wounds from others.

We should take heed of Jesus warning. That those who call themselves Christians, if they don’t carefully examine their actions, could fine themselves separating what they say they believe from what is true in their hearts.

Jesus talks about the issue of divorce. They ask if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus gets to the heart of the issue here. They were looking at what they were “allowed” to do, but Jesus tries to get at the heart of the issue. At the time, a man could divorce his wife for a “believe” she had been unfaithful, or because they did not accept the “control” of their husband. For a husband to divorce his wife, at this time, was to remove any financial well-being and to hurt here reputations severely among others. It would be very difficult for her to become married again.

-Jesus gets to the heart that marriage is a covenant made between two people before God. It is intended to become a “union” from two people.

-Divorce is not God’s intended design for marriage, regrettably sometimes it occurs because of the sins a spouse can commit, but it is not what we desire. It isn’t the “idea”.

-In fact, what we see is that Jesus puts a standard that creates equality. To call men out for committing adultery against their wives was unheard of.

It is important I say that divorce is not any worse a sin then any other. Does it have serious consequences? Yes, but so do the sins we don’t often think about either.

When we make things about ourselves and not about others, we can ignore the pains and challenges other people deal with. I mentioned Temu to students a while back. The Chinese government enslaves an entire group of people called the Uigyr people so that they can sell it for cheap. We don’t think about it because it benefits us. We see trash on the ground and say “that’s not mine”, but then that means someone else has to pick it up who it probably isn’t theirs as well.

What Jesus shows us is that we often make things “complicated” when it comes to how we are to worship God and love others. But Jesus tells us we need to come “like a little child”. We want things to “make sense” and ask difficult questions. But its when we come to God humbly, when we trust him at His word, that we start to grow.

Putting yourself third

Last, Jesus talks about what we often put first...ourselves. Jesus challenges us on the things we find most important in life. Jesus talks to a man who expects he can get into heaven because he has kept himself from doing “Bad” things. Jesus shows him that isn’t what God desires.

-Like today, people then often saw wealth as a sign that God had “blessed” them.

-This passages makes us ask, “do I have to sell everything I have to follow Jesus?” It is an important question.

-I’ve heard it this way...that Jesus would not command all his followers to sell everything they have would only give comfort to those Jesus would ask to get rid of everything they have.

-What is clear is that money and possessions can hinder us from glorifying God. That we have to renounce old things and be satisfied with Jesus completely, rather than with things. Jesus makes this even more clear in the next section.

Jesus uses an illustration, of a camel being able to go through the eye of a needle.

-The point isn’t that it is impossible for someone with wealth to get into heaven, it is that it is a miracle that can only be done by God.

In life we can allow ourselves to slowly drift into making life about our possessions. We can make excuses about Jesus “not really meaning” what he says here. Jesus makes us ask an important question. Who do we serve?

Matthew 6:19–24 ““Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

We have to ask us what are the things we sacrifice other things for. The problem for the man is he believed he lacked “nothing” when he didn’t really he lacked God in His heart.

Mark Contemporary Significance

the ill-fated Franklin expedition to the Arctic in 1845. That odyssey was a turning point in Arctic exploration because of its well-publicized failure. The preparations made were more suitable for the Royal Navy officer’s club in England than for the frigid Arctic. The explorers made room on their ships for a large library, a hand organ, china place settings, cut-glass wine goblets, and sterling silver flatware instead of additional coal for their steam engines. The ornate silver flatware was engraved with the individual officer’s initials and family crests. Search parties found clumps of bodies of men who had set off to walk for help when their supplies ran out. One skeleton wore his fine blue cloth uniform edged with silk braid, hardly a match for the bitter arctic cold. Another apparently chose to carry with him the place setting of sterling silver flatware. What must he have been thinking to take sterling silver tableware in a search for help and food? One cannot imagine that any of these sailor adventurers would have said, as they neared death on the frozen landscape, “I wish I had brought more silver place settings.” Our hanging on to things that are ultimately useless will look no less foolish. Many cannot envision life without things they cherish. They are in danger of losing the only life that counts.

Mark Bridging Contexts

This text bridges easily into our culture because it allows us to see our own pettiness mirrored in the pettiness of these disciples. While Jesus is talking about all that he is about to give, the disciples come with a shopping list of all they want to get. The absurdity of this scene brings the judgment of the cross on our selfish ambitions and our maneuvering for position and power.

We want to dream of having our cake and eating it too. Having all the things in life but also having Jesus. But to be devoted to Jesus means we will have to let go of things. We can be like the disciples, selfish for power and asking Jesus what he is going to give us. Rather than going to him and asking what he wants from us.

“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.