Compassion for Others
Notes
Transcript
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Introduction
Introduction
In our passage this morning, we see three different events in the life of Jesus. Together, these show us the care that He had for others. May we learn to carry out the compassion of a transformed life in our interactions with others.
Mark was likely the first Gospel written. Under the inspiration of God, he writes with an intent to point his readers toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Those who read are faced with a question: who is this Jesus?
As we grow in our walk with God this year, we want to be Following in the Life of Faith. That means that we must begin with the correct Person to put our faith in. Mark gives us the message of Jesus to all people.
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Will you commit each day to believe God and His promises? Will you confess your sins and choose to grow in relationship to Him? If you have not yet, will you believe in Him for salvation? Let’s Follow in the Life of Faith this year and see God do what He says He will!
Jesus is fully God and fully man. Throughout the Gospels, we see evidence for both of these natures. Because He is fully God, He is able to heal and cast out demons as we saw last week.
However, Jesus is also fully man. He was tired just as we are. Several times, we see Jesus going to somewhere away from other people to receive rest and strengthening. Through all of His ministry, the Holy Spirit and God the Father worked together to bring about the eternal plan of redemption on the cross of Calvary.
As we end chapter 1 of Mark, we see the dependance that Jesus had on His relationship with God. This is shown to be a vital part of the compassion of Jesus. Let’s pay attention to what we see in these verses.
Declaration
Declaration
Jesus came not just for a few people but for all. We see here the heart of Jesus that began with prayer and ends with compassion. Today, we need to have an outward focus in our caring for the needs of others, especially the spiritual ones. Three events in the life of Jesus show us His compassion for others.
1. The Strengthening of Prayer
1. The Strengthening of Prayer
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
The first event is found in verse 35. Jesus begins this day of ministry with the Strengthening of Prayer. The relationship of the Son and the Father is seen here in the communication of Jesus in prayer.
We see first in this verse, the time of the prayer. The occasion of this prayer is very early in the morning. Mark sometimes uses redundant phrases to point to the extremeness of something. Here, he is pointing out the earliness of the prayer. One commentary (BKC) says that this was about 4 AM.
Jesus made it a priority to get up from His physical rest to bring His requests to the Father. A prayer of supplication is a bringing of our requests to God. If we cannot rely on God to take care of our needs, who can we rely on. He has created all beings and all things. The Psalmist cries,
Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
We see secondly the place of prayer. Jesus is seen here as going “into a solitary place.” This word could refer to a desert. But because there is no desert in the area around Capernaum, this most likely is pointing out that Jesus went to somewhere there was silence and separation to be able to pray to God. Jesus went to somewhere that He would be able to focus on getting alone with God. The communication with God was the focus here as He often would in the future ministry. As He taught His hearers to pray, He emphasized the secret prayer of the believer to God.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
In commenting on Zeph 3:9, Spurgeon taught the importance of getting alone with God. We must have a constant line of communication with God when we need Him. Jesus came to God as a pattern for us. Will we also go to Him when we need strength?
For then will I turn to the people a pure language, That they may all call upon the name of the Lord, To serve him with one consent.
The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon, Vol. 4: His Earliest Outlines and Sermons Between 1851 and 1854 Sermon 221: The Pure Language (Zephaniah 3:9)
Secret prayer is the test of a Christian. At all times, in all trials, for all our needs, to the throne we fly. “All.” Each for himself.
We see thirdly, the action of prayer. He prays to God. This word is used for the calling on a Deity for something. We bring our petitions to Him. He hears our requests and will answer in His time. We see this same word again in the Garden of Gethsemane when He is preparing for His sacrifice for us.
Are you praying to God each day? How is your relationship with the Creator of the Universe? He has all things in His hands and He knows your future. We must come to Him and call upon Him for help in time of need.
My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
The pattern of Jesus here is to serve and pray. He was active the previous day with what He had come to do. However, He calls on God for the strength for the day ahead. Are we looking for our strength in our relationship with Him? Are we freely calling on God for help? The strengthening of prayer leads to service.
2. The Earnestness of Preaching
2. The Earnestness of Preaching
And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
The second event in the life of Jesus is shows us the Earnestness of Preaching. Jesus is interrupted in His prayer by the disciples. They want to see more of the healing and casting out of demons that Jesus had been doing.
Verse 36 tells us that the disciples, led by Simon, have traveled into the solitary area where Jesus had gone to pray. Everyone is looking for Him because of what He had been doing. But Jesus has a lesson for His disciples. Jesus cared about more than just those who wanted to come to Him to get healing of their physical condition.
In verse 38, Jesus gives them a command to begin to carry out the missionary ministry that He has come to fulfill. Jesus did not come just for those in Capernaum. All must hear of the Gospel of the Kingdom. The reign of God is over all not just the few in Galilee.
And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Jesus gives a veiled command to these men to take the preaching of the truth to other people in the areas around Capernaum. The word “towns” is only found here in the New Testament. It seems to refer to those population centers that were without walls, unlike Jerusalem. There are always more people that need to hear the good news.
Jesus has a goal of going to other towns to preach the same gospel so that they too will have the opportunity to believe and receive the kingdom of God. This is the reason that He came to earth. In verse 39, we see that He continues His preaching and casting out of demons in these others towns.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Jesus is earnest in His desire to get the good news out. There is a command for us to carry the good news to those who have yet to hear. There are places around us that need a clear presentation of what Jesus has done for mankind.
God loves all men. There are those who would say that God loves all men and accepts them as they are. This is not what the Bible teaches! God loves all men and made a way for each and everyone to be in fellowship with Him after the removal of their sin.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
All men are sinners. Each person has chosen to disobey the Word of God. We have a sinful nature passed down to us by our father Adam and mother Eve. Because of our sin, we cannot reach the perfect standard of God.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Sin must be paid for. We have been paid for our sin with eternal separation from God in Hell. Wages drag us down. We cannot be free of our debt on our own.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ paid for our sin. Jesus offers the gift of salvation through His perfect sacrifice for us. He died in 30 AD to pay for the sin of all mankind forever.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Accept and believe the Gospel. Salvation is not earned but given. However, the Bible is clear that “whosoever may come” must respond to the gift. Salvation is not irresistible. What will you do with the truth of God’s way of salvation?
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Jesus brings the Gospel of the Kingdom to other places. The powers of darkness are defeated and cast out. The rule of God is made clear to those who listen. This is the earnestness of His preaching. Do we also preach with the earnestness that we ought to? After the persecution of the church in Jerusalem, we see this pattern continue even until today. Where are you going with the good news?
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
3. The Power of Cleansing
3. The Power of Cleansing
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
The third event in the life of Jesus makes clear the Power of Cleansing. Jesus began the day with prayer. He continues by going with the good news to others who need victory over the enemy. Along the way, He meets another man unable to help himself.
Leprosy is a horrible condition often seen in the Bible as a punishment sent by God for a terrible sin. The priests were not given instructions to treat the disease but only to identify and pronounce the status of cleanliness from it afterwards.
And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
This is the condition of the leper: he is alone because of his condition; he is unable to worship God because of his punishment; he cannot make himself better because the disease only gets worse until he dies. In such a case, one is not surprised that this man comes to Jesus for help.
We see in verse 40 that the man comes and kneels to beg Jesus for help. His faith is in Jesus for the power to heal. He does not know if Jesus will do something but He has faith nonetheless.
What is the response of Jesus to this request? We saw in verse 35 that Jesus prays to God. Here, Jesus as God is asked for help. Verse 41 tells us that Jesus feels with the man and touches him. The word "compassion" is not see again until Mark 6:34. This is a significant care by Jesus for this needy man. One dictionary indicates that the contact with a person with the disease over a period will transfer the disease. But Jesus, with the care for the man that comes from His love for His creation, touches the man to change His condition.
Jesus touches the man. This would have been a forbidden act in that time. Yet, we see that Jesus was willing to do this so that the man would be healed. What a comfort to be touched by Jesus in the midst of our struggles and sin! Jesus then speaks directly to Him that he would be clean.
The cleansing of the man was directly connected to his ability to come into the presence of God to worship. He was “cut off” from the community of worship due to his physical ailment, an outward punishment for some sin. Jesus “cleanses” him! Only Jesus can remove the punishment of our sin.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Jesus has taken away sin if we will simply reach out and take the free gift. This man had the faith to ask and Jesus, in compassion, cleansed him of his leprosy. Leviticus was clear that any who were “cleansed” of their leprosy were to be checked by the priest. Jesus sends this man on his way there.
This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
The commands that Jesus gives to the leper were to be followed in the carrying out of the instructions from the Law. By following these commands, there would be made known to the priests that Someone with great power had come. Only twice before had leprosy been cleansed. One was in the case of Miriam. The other was the healing of Naaman. However, we don’t know if the man obeyed or not. When we receive the commands of Jesus, we must obey.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
The man told everyone what Jesus had done. The people were now too much for Him to enter into the towns. The people could not be kept back from Jesus, even when He was in the remote parts of the land. Jesus received all those who came because of His compassion.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
The passage begins with prayer, continues with the people seeking Him, and ends with a healing of a man because of His faith. This is a fitting conclusion to chapter 1 as it shows us the different actions of Jesus in His ministry. He prayed, preached, and healed, leading to the Cross. The power of cleansing is only found in Jesus. He has removed the punishment of our sin on the Cross. What a change is available to those who will come to Him in faith!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus came not just for a few people but for all. We see here the heart of Jesus that began with prayer and ends with compassion. Today, we need to have an outward focus in our caring for the needs of others, especially the spiritual ones.
How is your compassion for others? Jesus started the day in prayer to God. He continued by preaching the good news to those who needed to hear that the rule of God has now arrived? The leper was cleansed when he put his faith in Jesus. Do we have that compassion on others who are in need around us?
The greatest need of each and every person is salvation. How many do we know that have never accepted the free gift? How many do we know that we have never asked? Today, we need to follow the pattern of Jesus. Pray faithfully. Preach freely. Point to Him for the cleansing power. This is the reason that Jesus came to earth.
If you have never put your faith in Jesus for salvation, you can do that today. Believing in Jesus for the salvation that He offers is the proper response to the good news of the Gospel. The Kingdom of God is here if we will enter by the way made by Jesus.
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
How is your compassion for others today? Let’s care about the needs of others, especially the spiritual ones. The greatest need is the salvation of the lost met by the salvation of Jesus!
