Mark 2:23-3:6

Mark Volume 2

Part 4 - Ride the Wave

Scripture Reading: Mark 2:23-3:6

Most of you know that when I moved to California, I started to learn how to surf.  I absolutely love it, and for my 50th, Rachel took me to Costa Rica to surf at a surf camp where I would get some instruction.

The camp guaranteed that I would become a better surfer after I left…jokes on them, I still just as bad.

Now, the reason I am not great at surfing is not technique.  I am pretty good with my mechanics although they can improve.  

My coaches identified two problems with my surfing…

I am not patient.

And

My timing is off

And both are connected together.  When they say I am not patient, I am the guy who will literally go for any wave.  Small wave with a little push…I will paddle and paddle and try to stand and sink because the push is not strong enough.  

Big wave…I paddle and paddle only to get flipped on my head.

Any wave, I am going after.  

But that’s not surfing.  That’s exhaustion.  Every bad wave I chase, I end up wearing myself out and end up not having the strength to catch the right wave…the perfect wave. 

So my coach told me that in order to catch the perfect wave…much of surfing for me involves long periods of time being still and letting the right wave come to me.

What I see in most people’s lives is not being still for the perfect wave, I see most people frantically chasing wave after wave exhausting themselves so much so that when the perfect wave comes, we miss it.

Understand this. We are the most connected… most productive…most technologically advanced generation in history.

And yet—

We are more anxious than ever

More distracted than ever

More exhausted than ever

A recent study found:

The average person checks their phone 96 times per day (Asurion)

That’s once every 10 minutes

Americans report feeling “too busy” 60% of the time (Pew Research)

And there are reasons why we are.  

We are more and more insecure in our jobs.

Because of AI and driving demands of corporations, we feel like we have to produce or we will be replaced.

Technology makes it easier to work anywhere so we typically are always on the job or on call.

While generations before us 21st century people found meaning in family, faith or friendships, now our identity is shaped by what we do.

We know this because we often lead with that when we meet people.

We modern 21st century people are constantly on the move, but rarely present.

And here’s the danger:

(BIG IDEA) You can be so busy…so on the move that you miss what God is doing right in front of you.

That’s exactly what happens in this text.

There are two scenes that unfold in this passage.

-Disciples picking grain on the Sabbath (Which was one of their thirty nine rules in Halaka which was their interpretation of the law.)

-Jesus healing a man with a withered hand

Both moments reveal the same issue:

The Pharisees are present physically… but absent spiritually. They are close to the action.  They have proximity without presence.  Why?

The one that they had been believing for, building their lives around, teaching their children about was right there in their midst, but because of their spiritual activity that they created in their lives, they missed it.

Remember, the law wasn’t the thing killing them and keeping themselves busy, it was the invisible fence around the law that they were most concerned about and busied their lives with.

And because they were so concerned about it, they missed the whole point…the physical embodiment of the Law and the Prophets stood right before them.  So understand what this story is trying to tell us…

1: Busyness Can Blind You to What Matters Most

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 2:23-24

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Now, I want you to think about the story for a moment.  These pharisees were following this popular new rabbi not to see if he was “THE ONE,” But to point out his “flaws.”

The Pharisees weren’t lazy.

They were:

Disciplined

Structured

Deeply committed

But they were also:

Completely missing the moment

In the grainfield:

Hungry disciples

God in flesh walking beside them

And all they see is:

“You broke the rule.”

The same is true with the second scene…

In the synagogue:

A broken man

A chance for healing

And all they see is:

“Is this allowed today?”

Not…Is this man the ONE?

They were so focused on managing the system… they missed the Savior standing in front of them.

Dallas Willard said:

“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.”

Not sin. Not atheism.

Hurry.

Because hurry keeps you:

Reactive instead of reflective

Distracted instead of discerning

Busy instead of present

Now, pastoring a church is hard.  It is not harder than a plumber digging a ditch in 100 degree weather or a nurse administering meds to someone with dementia or a police officer arriving at the scene first, but it is hard and has unique challenges.

I mean a day can go from a meeting about finances to a meeting with a grieving widow to a meeting with a new family to a staff corrective meeting…and then having to study and reflect about the direction for the church.

you get the point.  

It can be dizzying and busy.  And, if I am not careful, my busyness can lead to status quo because I am missing what God is wanting to do in me and ultimately this church.  Because here’s what I know from our story…

2: God Moves in Moments—But We Miss Them

Look what happens…Look what Jesus says?

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 3:4

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

A piercing question:

Silence.

Why?

Because they are not thinking about people… They are thinking about policies.

They were worried about their responsibilities and not their relationships.

And then it says:

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 3:5

5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…

Don’t miss that:

Jesus is not just frustrated—He is grieved.

Why?

JESUS REALIZES THERE IS SO MUCH MORE.

Because they are too locked into their system instead of responding to a human need right in front of them.

This is us

We miss:

Conversations with our kids

Opportunities to encourage someone

Moments of conviction from the Spirit

The moving of the spirit

SOMETIMES WE ARE IN THIS ROOM AND GOD IS MOVING AND WE ARE THINKING ABOUT A NEXT APPOINTMENT OR MOVING THE PROGRAM ALONG to even lunch. 

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE BUT WE ARE

Checking email

Thinking about the next thing

Living in constant mental motion

Unaware he’s in our midst.

John Ortberg once wrote:

“For many of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.”

And I truly believe that is what so many of us settle for.  

It doesn’t make us bad or evil people…it just makes us comfortable. Our busyness of life is a cozy blanket.  

Because often times if there is silence or solitude for a moment we start to recognize just how hollow and empty our life may be so we are trying to avoid that.

But…

3: Jesus Redefines What Matters

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 2:27-28

27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath

Now, these are monumental words and you cannot miss this.  Jesus is saying to all the pharisees…I AM GOD here.  It’s crystal clear.  Yet, they miss it.  They go back to the system in their head.

Think about what Jesus is saying…

In other words:

God didn’t create you to serve a system

He created rhythms to serve your soul

And then He proves it—

He heals the man.

Not later. Not when it’s convenient.

Right there. In the moment. Giving them clear proof of who he is.  He does this a couple of times in the first few chapters of Mark.  Clear and unmistakable proof of who he is.

You see Jesus is never too busy for:

People

Compassion

Presence

The Tragic Contrast

The man gets healed…

And what do the Pharisees do?

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 3:6

6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. 

The pharisees instead of seeing it for their very eyes and entering in…they go have a meeting with a group of political leaders.

Think about that:

A miracle just happened

A life was restored

God moved powerfully

And they’re already moving on to the next agenda.

{{{(MODERN EXAMPLE)- It would be like seeing people transformed, filled with spirit, and we get hung up on how they look…}}}

All because they were too wrapped up in their own life to recognize who was in their midsts.

But do you want to know the ultimate irony:

The Pharisees are working hard to honor God…

While plotting to kill Him. That’s what busyness can do.

It can:

Make you active

Make you productive

It can even make you religious

But completely disconnected from Jesus and miss the moment.

Listen, I have been doing church for a long time.  I have heard people talk about, pray about, believe for revival.  Can I tell you something?  I believe we are in it.  Do you see what happens in our altars on Sunday?  Do you realize that we have families going from no faith or nominal faith to full faith in Christ every week?

God is setting people free.  He is saving people.  He is healing people.  He is restoring people…right now.

We are in a move of God, but if we are not careful in our busyness we can miss it.  I can miss it.  

In Costa Rica, after I chased a wave, my coach would make me paddle out and wait for 10 min.  He would go, “You are in timeout for 10 minutes…just wait.”

I was getting pretty frustrated, I was only there for a few days and I wanted to surf as much as possible.

I guess he could see I was frustrated with him which might affect my tipping.  So he swims to me and says…

“Watch the waves.  Feel the ocean.” 

And so it felt a little meaningless at first.  But after sitting, looking off in the horizon, my breath calmed, my eyes cleared, and then I spotted it.

I looked at him and stated, “That one.” And he surprisingly nodded with affirmation.

Now, there were many waves that rolled past me in that moment of waiting…but that moment of calm and rest…cleared my head…focused me…I could fill the rhythm of the ocean and the strength back in my arms.  It allowed me to time up my paddle with the speed of the wave, and instantly, I knew it was the right time to pop up. It felt like standing on a 2x4…there was no bobble…but stood straight all the way to the shallows.

Here’s what I want you to know, the wave is here, but some of us are too exhausted to see or feel it.  You even doubt it, but its here.

Are you too busy to notice God?

You know you can be religious… and still be absent.

Are you missing people right in front of you to minister to?

Busyness often kills compassion.

When was the last time I slowed down enough to feel conviction?

BIBLE VERSE

Psalm 46:10-11

10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth!” 

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

So…it starts with a BE STILL and Ends with Selah which meant pause, reflect, worship?

Silence exposes the heart

Stillness creates awareness

Presence opens space for God

Listen

Be present Be attentive Be ready

This is a moment to find refreshing…

Don’t be distracted by meaningless things.

Because Jesus invites us into something better:

BIBLE VERSE

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Not:

More tasks

More pressure

More noise

Rest. Presence. Relationship.

Which is a foretaste of our ultimate reward.

You don’t need:

A new system

A better planner

More efficiency

You need:

A different pace

Because God is not found:

In the rush

In the noise

In the constant motion

He is found:

In the moment

In the stillness

In awareness of His presence

And once you still your self, you will become aware of him and his moving and you will ride that wave.

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