The Newness of the Kingdom
Mark 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Introduction
Introduction
In our passage this morning, we see the uniqueness of Christianity. Unlike other religions based on works and personal effort, ours is based on the work of Another. There is a clear newness in this passage against the supposed righteousness of the religious.
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!
There have been several common reactions by mankind to inventions throughout history: uncertainty about job loss, dread of potential harm to a user, and spoken doubt about the practicality of using the new invention.
One of the greatest inventions in the last 1000 years has been the printing press. For all of human history since the discovery of paper, there had been a special group of people who wrote books and copied manuscripts by hand. They were trained to be accurate and to preserve their books as long as possible. With the invention of the printing press, their job was going to be eliminated.
Others feared that there would be too many different views allowed to be expressed in different countries by printing books. Yet, what we now have seen is that this invention has lead to what we all have on our shelves even today, a freedom hardly imagined in the 1400s. Today, you can learn about anything.
The newness of something is often enough to bring fear and resistance in the heart of man. Jesus, however, is bringing joy instead of fear. In this passage in Mark, Jesus is going to show that the new Kingdom of God is not just a remaking of the old. Jesus has come to fulfill the Law and to bring salvation to all that will believe in Him! The new age is here and there must be a new outlook for those who hear the Gospel preached.
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Declaration
Declaration
Jesus came to call those who are unable to achieve perfection to salvation through Him. Many will not see this difference from their own "good deeds". Today, there ought to be a newness of our burden for those without the knowledge of their sins and for whom Jesus died. This morning, we see the newness in three different places.
1. A Newness of Followers
1. A Newness of Followers
And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
Verse 13 shows us the backdrop of this pericope in Mark. Mark does not always give us specific items that Jesus taught on but we know that He was proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. We see first that there is something different about those who are with Him, a Newness of Followers. In verses 14-15, there is a change in those who are near Jesus.
We have already seen in chapter 1 that Jesus had called four men to follow Him as disciples. Andrew and Peter as well as James and John left their fishing to become “fishers of men”. Their job as fishermen was common around the sea of Galilee and Israel. They could be accepted by those who they met as following a common occupation.
Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
In verse 14, we see that Jesus begins to show the newness of the kingdom. Jesus, as He is walking by the main highway near the city of Capernaum, He sees a man who is not accepted. Jesus sees Levi sitting in a toll-booth. He has chosen to reject his nationality and instead work actively to make the hated Romans more wealthy.
The tax collector in this passage was not paid by the Romans but was allowed to add any amount above the required in order to pay himself. The toll-booth was taking an amount from each person transporting goods along the main road. Levi would have been hated by the other Jewish people. What does Jesus say to this man? “Follow me.” Listen to the grace of God! Jesus commands Levi to do something that he did not deserve, follow the Messiah. Jesus was willing to call those who were more visibly rejected for their actions. But this was a fulfillment of prophecy by the Messiah,
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; And he bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Joseph Parker reminds us,
Preaching through the Bible: Mark-John Mark 2:14
Levi was called from the receipt of custom;
The word "follow" is used 3 times in verses 14-15. In verse 14, we have the command of Jesus to Levi to get up and follow Him. The response is immediate by Levi, he follows Him. Afterwards, verse 15 tells us that Levi prepares a meal for Jesus. Along with Jesus and His disciples, there are many who are less desirable who come to the meal. One description that is given of these in verse 15 show the newness of what Jesus is preaching. The Bible tells us that “they followed him.” These other tax collectors and these others who were cast off by society because of the openness of their sin had chosen to follow Jesus. He takes all those who come to Him.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Jesus attracted to Him those who were willing to go after Him. Some Jesus called as He had Levi. Others in the Gospels choose to follow Jesus because they realize the truth of what He preaches. Jesus wants us to follow Him as well. The call of discipleship is a command to commitment to Jesus in the midst of a distracting and discouraging world. From this point forward, those who followed Jesus included those who were less than accepted in society. What a picture of the mission that He came for as we see in the next few verses.
2. A Newness of Fellowship
2. A Newness of Fellowship
And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
There was a newness in the descriptions of those who were following Jesus. But, what really caused a stir, was the Newness of Fellowship. The Kingdom of God is not just a destination for any who will come by the way of Jesus. Those who come will spend eternity in fellowship with a Holy God. This truth was unbelievable to those who considered their lives “righteous”.
Verse 16 tells us that the “scribes” and the “Pharisees” had a question about the reason that Jesus spent time with those who were known for their sin. The scribes were those whose occupation was to study and repeat back the Torah and its rabbinic interpretation. Some identified with the Pharisee faction but others were associated with various other groups.
The Pharisees are first mentioned here in Mark. They were careful to add certain oral rabbinic rules to the Torah’s written laws. The purpose of these rules was to prevent violation of the Law or defilement of the body. The problem with this action was that the words of man were elevated to be equal or greater than those of God’s Word. The final standard of our beliefs and practices should always be the clear teaching of Scripture. The Pharisees also focused on the outward actions of the Law instead of the spirit of worship to God.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
These men ask Jesus’ disciples why He would want to have fellowship with those who are tax collectors and sinners. Jesus answers for the disciples. He perceives the question and His answer echos down the ages as the message of the Kingdom of God. The newness of Jesus fellowship is seen in the desire of a doctor to bring healing to those who are sick. Verse 17 is a key verse in Mark.
A “sinner” was one who, according to Pharisees, did not follow the “special rules” guarding the Law. A “sinner” to Jesus is anyone who realizes that he falls short of the standard of God’s righteousness. Jesus has come to bring those who are lost to a point of fellowship with a perfect God.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Paul quotes an early church slogan in his letter to Timothy,
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Here Jesus is not focusing on the past condition of these people but their opportunity to change their future condition. He says, “They that are whole have no need of the physician.” Jesus came to be with those who were in need of Him. The sad truth is that, despite their denial and self-righteous rejection, the scribes and Pharisees were among that number as are we.
One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was a medical doctor named Benjamin Rush. He was known for his knowledge and skill in treating diseases. After the War for Independence in 1793, yellow fever broke out in the city of Philadelphia. This city was still the capital of the United States and, at the same time, one of the largest shipping ports in the country. Many fled from the city to avoid the disease. There were even many doctors who left the city. Yet, Dr. Rush and some of his students stayed behind to tend to those who were sick. One historian records the words that Rush spoke to his students when there was danger that they too would leave: “As for myself, I am determined to remain. I may fall a victim to the epidemic, and so may you, gentlemen. But I prefer, since I am placed here by Divine Providence, to fall in performing my duty, if such must be the consequence of staying upon the ground, than to secure my life by fleeing the post of duty allotted in the Providence of God. I will remain, if I remain alone.” - Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, pg. 102
This is the heart of the doctor for those who are sick. Jesus came to the sick to bring them back to health. He came to stay among those in their sin.
Jesus is here among those who are sinful to bring them to the point of salvation through Him. There must be a repentance and a turning away from the sin. Instead, we must believe the Gospel as we have seen in the preaching of Jesus. This kingdom has a newness of fellowship in that those who will admit their need of salvation may come. Jesus says in another Gospel,
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
3. A Newness of Focus
3. A Newness of Focus
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
We see a final change in verses 18-22, a Newness of Focus. The message of Jesus is that there has now come a time of joy because the kingdom has arrived. The focus is not on the hypocrisy of fasting but on joy because the time has now come.
In verse 18, those who followed John the Baptist and those who followed the Pharisees come to Jesus to ask about fasting. Fasting is the choice to withdraw from food for a period typically for a religious purpose. The Pharisees were known to fast twice a week as we see from Luke 18:12. Beyond what was required by the Old Testament, they had made fasting into a way to attract respect and honor from those who watched them. Jesus warns in the Sermon on the Mount against this.
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Jesus’ answer shows us the focus must be on something greater, the Gospel of the Kingdom. In verse 19, Jesus uses the occasion of a wedding to answer their question. This was a time when there would be great feasting and joy in a town in Israel. Sometimes this feasting would last up to a week. No one would plan to fast during this time. As Jesus points out in this verse, fasting was a sign of being in mourning for losing Someone.
We see in verse 20 that there will come a time when fasting would be appropriate. That time was after Jesus’ death. This is the first time that He has alluded to this event. “…when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them…” Jesus would die. We know from Isaiah, a passage in its Greek translation containing this same phrase, that Jesus would die for the sin of the world.
He was taken from prison and from judgment: And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
In verses 21-22, Jesus illustrates the newness of the focus with two different word pictures. The illustration of the patch and of the new wineskins show us that there must be a new change in the kingdom instead of an adjustment of the old Jewish belief. Jesus is showing that there is: the old life and the new life; the old working for salvation and the new grace for salvation; the old nature and the new repentance; the old outcast and the new fellowship; the old sickness and the new health. Jesus is fulfilling the New Covenant in Jeremiah’s prophecy.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more.
The focus in the Kingdom of God is on the new life in Jesus. No longer are we working for something we will never attain. Instead, the Great Physician has made a way for our sickness to be cured. This is the good news that we must spread to the world. The Old Covenant was focused on those descended of Abraham. The New Covenant is offered to all those who will acknowledge their sin. That includes us today!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus came to call those who are unable to achieve perfection to salvation through Him. Many will not see this difference from their own "good deeds". Today, there ought to be a newness of our burden for those without the knowledge of their sins and for whom Jesus died.
There is an application for each of us today. The people of the world are sinners in need of a Saviour. It is time we see them as such! Each person is a soul for whom Jesus died and they must hear the gospel of repentance of sin. Jesus has changed the invitation to discipleship, the people whom God can fellowship with and the focus of the relationship of worship. We must change how we live too! Get a burden for the lost around you!
There are people in our county that do not look like us. They may not sound like us or act like us. But Jesus wants us to carry the good news to them. We need to allow the medicine of Scripture do its work. Jesus came to save those that are lost and that includes all mankind. What are you going to do about it today?
Who will you take the good news to this week? Who will you introduce to the Great Physician? What a great picture of the work of salvation as the removal of the sickness of sin.
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
If you have never received this gift of salvation, the opportunity is there today. You can believe that you are a sinner, Jesus has taken your sin on the cross where He died in your place, and He promises eternal life in heaven with Him. If you will believe the Gospel, Jesus promises that you will be saved. The sickness of sin has been cured and that cure is in the Cross of Calvary. Look to the Cross!
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
