Jesus' Desire - Mark 3:7-19

1 Jesus’ Desire Mark 3:7-19 20190908 No matter what your motivation might be it is ultimately his desire for you that makes all the difference. Introduction: Not too long ago I mentioned the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission which put man on the moon. I also spoke of the Apollo 13 mission which almost ended in utter disaster less than a year later. Those stories fit my personality. They go along with the unique aspects of the man God has created me to be. So, as I return to the summer of 1969 I am somewhat amused that instead of lunar missions, today I want to take us to a place where another type of trip was being experienced. It was in upstate New York that the Woodstock music festival attracted close to half a million people. It was the place where a great crowd was gathering to seek peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll. Now I draw our attention to this gathering because it has become known as the epitome of the countercultural movement of its day. By the various age groups represented here today the mention of Woodstock probably elicits a variety of thoughts: from I don’t have any idea what you are talking about (it was 50 years ago – truly ancient history), to yes I’ve seen some pictures or have heard mention of it, to maybe even some who might think it represents well the type of good time that you once desired or inwardly may still desire. No matter what your particular perspective might be, I want to share with you a little from a recent BBC news article on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock for in the article they sought to capture what some of the actual participants of Woodstock took away from their experience there. Just so you know, I looked into this historical event because I was intrigued by the thought of why people would crowd together because in our passage today, which you heard from the Scripture reading, Mark mentions the great crowds. Why did people crowd to a farm in upstate New York in the month of August in 1969? The BBC article quotes one guy as saying how he felt before the festival, "I felt like an outsider. If you were like me, people didn't like you. People didn't agree with my views on the war," Then he continues describing what it was like to join with the others at Woodstock, "I had never experienced anything like that before," he recalls. "I remember looking around at the crowds of people like me and thinking, 'Look how many of us there are'. This now 70 year old man described Woodstock as "life-affirming, rather than life-changing." So, here I am trying to understand crowds better and why a multitude would gather together and this phrase hit as I read it, hit me like a hammer when the man described Woodstock as “life-affirming, rather than life-changing.” How does that phrase sit with you? We are not a large crowd here this morning – really nothing resembling Woodstock. Would you agree or disagree with the statement “life-affirming, rather than life-changing” regarding our gathering? Our passage today is going to delve right into the thick of this question. We are going to look at great crowds who traveled large distances to be near to Jesus. We are also going to see Jesus, having compassion, but ultimately pulling away in order to develop a deeper relationship with a few. Our text today should really make us think about our relationship with Christ. Why we seek him? If we even know him? Or do we just like being with others who know him? By the time we work through these questions we should have a better idea about what to do with the quote from the Woodstock partier regarding the gatherings we find ourselves in, “life-affirming” or “life-changing?” 2 Transition: The two groups of people we find in the passage today will help us unlock the answers to these questions. The two groups are the large crowds on one hand and the relatively few disciples on the other. The Life Affirming Response to Jesus (vv7-12) 1. vv7-8. “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee...” Let me quickly remind you of what has been going on in the book so far. Jesus has been making a stir in an around the Holy Land. He has been challenging the ruling elite while at the same time healing multitudes of people. He has gathered a group of disciples who are learning from him as he goes throughout the land preaching, healing, and exorcising unclean spirits. a. So now here in these first two verses we have the two groups of people I mentioned. Large or great crowds and Jesus’ disciples. i. A distinction should be made between these groups from the words used to describe their relationship to Jesus. Jesus withdrew with his disciples – Jesus is acting. Jesus takes his disciples with him. And what does the great crowd do? The great crowd followed – the crowd is responding by following! b. Secondly, the description of these places should bring to your mind the height and width of the land. Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, etc. c. The passage plainly says the crowd followed Jesus because they heard all that he was doing. Jesus was healing people and casting out unclean spirits very good and needed actions. How many people here today are suffering from an infirmity that you would greatly like to be healed from? This is a widely answered question in the affirmative. The people of Jesus’ day wanted to be healed too. I don’t blame the crowd for following Jesus for this reason in the slightest. Just try to imagine the word of mouth stories that would have been circulating about him! In the modern sense we behave in a similar manner. Not flocking to Jesus but we rush to find a remedy for what pains us. How many of you keep some ibuprofen or Tylenol on hand? If we don’t feel right we seek a solution to our problem. Often times the difference is that we seek the solution from a pill, a specialist, or a diet change instead from the Master of All Creation. 2. vv9-10. “And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,...” a. Jesus has great compassion for these people. He knows they are hurting and recognizes that in their desperation for finding relief they will actually cause harm to perhaps him (if he would allow that) or each other. People were traveling from great distances just to be near Jesus in hope they might get near enough to be healed by the power that they heard shone forth from him like light from the sun. b. Once again, I don’t blame the great crowd in the least bit. So many of them were suffering from miserable and debilitating physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual maladies. This is part of the consequence of living in a sinful world but that doesn’t mean we don’t have hope for something better. If Jesus was their hope for being healed then he was who they were going to seek. It could be they were seeking him for they heard all he was doing in putting the Scribes and Pharisees in their place, his countercultural appeal, for we know that exists in every generation too. c. And just because Jesus uses a boat to get a little separation don’t picture him as abandoning the great crowd but presumably here withdraws a short distance off the shore so he can 3 address them. He has compassion on them and shares the message of his kingdom. He has to preach for that is why he has come (Mark 1:38-39) d. All throughout this period of Jesus’ life, as described in vv7-9, he is encountering unclean spirits. This was previously looked at in Mark 1:26 and 1:34. Here once again in vv11-12 “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.” i. Jesus is in charge. Even the demons are subject to him. Later, after his disciples spend more time with him he sends them out. In Luke’s gospel the 72 come back and proclaim how even the demons are subject to them in Jesus’ name. Jesus then tells them how he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (what a vivid picture in our minds after the thunderstorm that pounded away all around us last night with lightning streaking the sky) and that he gives authority to his disciples over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:17-19). But he tells them that power over the enemy is nothing compared to having their names written in heaven (Luke 10:20). ii. Did you catch that? Jesus told his joyful disciples. As they returned from being sent out by him that power over the enemy was nothing compared to having their names written in heaven! iii. This is now touching upon our series of questions isn’t it? Why do we seek Jesus? Do you seek him for power over the enemy? Maybe you seek him for power over your sickness? I hope as we look at these you begin to think deeply. Even pondering rather or not you even know him? I don’t ask this to question your faith in him but out of my deep and abiding God given desire to have you grow in your faith in him! iv. Compounding the confusion of all of this is the effect of the crowd mentality. Crowds are a peculiar part of the human experience. Author Charles Mackay captures this sentiment well when he said, "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one." Transition: For the crowd wanted something from Jesus, that is why they followed him. Each of us want something from Jesus too or at least we like being around others who wholly pursue him. We are each, in a way, attempting to be affirmed in our life choices and this defines our response to Jesus. This defines why we are in the crowd much like the 70 year old man who spoke of his Woodstock experience. But Jesus wants more – he desires more. What is it that he desires? How do we know so we can move out of the realm of a life-affirming response to a life-changing response to him? The Life Changing Response to Jesus (vv13-19) 1. v13, “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.” Jesus is here, in this verse, he is still sovereign and in control. Jesus moves away from the crowd because he has a desire. The text says he called to him those whom he desired! a. He still has compassion on and shows mercy to the crowd but his plan to best care for the world requires a few who will have every opportunity to draw near to him in relationship. A few who will observe his life and ministry and who will most importantly be in close relationship to him. Why go about it in this way? So they might learn to love as he loves. b. In John’s gospel Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10).” He wants more than the temporary relief from a disease or the lifting of oppression from an evil 4 and unclean spirit. In the book of James we read, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (James 4:14).” There is an eternity that Jesus has in mind a kingdom that he is on mission to establish. 2. What therefore does Jesus do? He goes up on to a mountain. He withdraws away from the crowd and he calls to those whom he desires. They responded in faith by coming to him. We infer from how the Bible describes Abraham’s response to God’s that this is faith. Consider how the author of Hebrews describes this response in Heb 11:8-10, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” a. These men, men who we are going to take a closer look at, were not moving in a large crowd just as Abraham was not going along with the flow. Just as your response to God’s call on your life has to be by your individual faith in him. No one can do that for you friend. Even the disciples didn’t have all the facts, the perfect picture of what their future looked like, not at all! They had doubts just as we do, but they responded by coming to Jesus as he called them. 3. v14a “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him…” An amazing and profound phrase is found here in the text. It says, “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him…” This made me think and ponder a great deal this week. It fits in nicely to Jason’s encouragement last week to spend time with Jesus everyday, your daily talking with Jesus time – is what I think he said. a. This is the heart of Christ. This is the will of the Father. To be in restored fellowship with us! The crowd we saw wanted to follow Jesus. They were amazed at the things that they had heard. They wanted to be healed. Often times this is a fair assessment of our motivation to be involved with things related to Christ. b. But do you desire to just be with him? Do you recognize that being close to him is the ultimate fulfillment for what you were made for? Satan lied to our father and mother in the garden and we have continued to believe the lie that we are to be like God and although we bear his image, he made us to be companions of his. We are to be with him in relationship but our sin nature has broken that relationship. Therefore, Jesus came to earth, the Son of God, and here even before he dies on the cross as our sacrificial atonement, we see his heart is on display and his heart is to be with his disciples. i. Probably one of the best ways I can think to describe this is to describe a gathering of over 200 people in the town of Parkdale. In Parkdale 200 people is rightly described as a crowd. In 1998 I have first hand knowledge of such a crowd. They were assembling to celebrate a wedding. In fact, my wife Vanessa and I’s wedding. I would have no real desire to go be involved in that crowd if it were not for one person. My bride-to-be. My desire was to be with her. I knew of all the people, I helped come up with the invitation list. Many of them were dearly loved but if Vanessa wasn’t going to be there, I would have had no life-changing reason to go. To push this, picture a little further, if Vanessa had decided to climb to the top of Mt. Hood and convinced Don Gibbs to conduct our wedding ceremony there, I would have without hesitation left the crowd to go up to be with her. 5 ii. Jesus saw something in the disciples that he desired and he called them to himself. They came to him. They left the great crowd behind. These few men were then entrusted with extraordinary amounts of time with Jesus. Time to get to know him, to get to know his ways, and then to be charged to share in his ministry to preach the good news and free the oppressed. c. vv14-15 “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” i. These men were to share in the preaching mission of Jesus as well as the casting out of demons which oppressed so many. ii. What enabled them to do this? Jesus desire to be with them. They brought nothing extraordinary to the relationship. The thing that was extraordinary is that Jesus desired them while they were yet sinners. The thing that emerges as most extraordinary is the magnificent grace of God! d. vv16-19, “He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son...” i. These men whom Jesus desired to be with were ordinary and flawed. They were people who struggled with doubt, with fear, with sin, with hunger for power, and just about any other struggle you or I might have. Aren’t you glad the disciples were not perfect? ii. And it is true they were weak and flawed humans. However, their weaknesses should not be the focus of our attention, although often times that is exactly how we think. Instead realize that they are being called to Jesus, they are being appointed by him, they are being sent out to preach and cast out demons by him. Why? Because they are desirable to him. Jesus wanted to be with them by his choice. iii. You may be here today simply as part of the crowd. You may be here today because the people you are always around (namely your family) have made a point to be here. But you will receive very little in the way of real-life change in your encounter with Christ until you recognize that he desires to be with you. iv. In fact, I would submit that your walk with Jesus will be marked by all types of inconsistencies that are plain to you and to everyone else who is paying attention until this gets sorted out. Jesus Christ the Son of God desires to be with you. We know this to be true from the testimony of his life but we invariably get hung up by the role we play. We elevate our role and diminish the Almighty Power of God to choose whom he finds desirable. v. Look at how Jesus himself describes his love for his own in John 17 if you want to flip over there. We are in Mark next is Luke and then John. This passage is forward in time from where we are right now in Mark’s gospel account – but it explains so profoundly the heart of Christ that I know we will find it edifying to take a look at. John 17vv6-26 Transition: With our review of this remarkable passage we get a greater understanding of what it means that Jesus desired these named disciples to be with him. We get a greater understanding of what he has in mind for his followers. We get a greater understanding of the sovereignty of God even over the wicked intentions of some to move his kingdom purposes forward. Conclusion: God came to earth in the form of man. To wear the flesh and bone that we wear. To be tempted to sin just as we are tempted and yet he sinned not. To call to himself those who would follow him by faith, to witness his 6 life, death, burial, and resurrection. To be granted the gift of the Holy Spirit and to go throughout all of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the world proclaiming the truth about the Kingdom. Jesus came to do all these things. Yet so often, in way of confession, I know we fail to make this life-changing message known. Most acutely right now in the body we are seeing the evidence of this in our youth whom we so dearly love. Teenagers, young ladies and young men, we as professing Christian adults in your lives who are followers of Christ need to do a better job of sharing how profoundly our lives have been changed by Christ. What you have been hearing and seeing is a message too similar to the one I mentioned in the introduction of the Woodstock attender who was so wowed by finding a crowd of like-minded individuals. He even clearly articulated that Woodstock was life-affirming but not life changing. Please know that you are loved beyond our ability to articulate with words and the love with which we have for you is only a mere glimpse of the depth of love God has for you as demonstrated by the life of Christ. My words are so meager to reflect the depth of love Christ has for you. So instead consider what we have observed from God’s word: two responses to Jesus. One which is life-affirming and the other which is lifechanging. Both are significant but now that the great crowd and the few disciples have been put in such close proximity to each other let me ask you which resembles your relationship to Christ most accurately? What do you see in Jesus? Salvation. Friendship. Family. Closest of close relationship. Do you see him as the popular one whom everyone is drawn to? Do you see him as amazing because of the stories that are said of him? I think all too often we have a mix of reasons as to why we desire to be near to him. So for the youth, for the believer, for the unbeliever here with us today, the greatest truth that could be known from this passage is that no matter what your motivation might be – it is ultimately his desire for you that makes all the difference! Jesus desires you.