Mark 10:32-34 - Following Jesus leads to hope.

Big Idea:

Who do we follow in this crazy world? How can we find real hope?

Intro:

Growing up in San Diego, you drive a lot. It’s a HUGE city. A 40-60 minute commute to work is considered normal. And for most of my life, I really enjoyed driving. Then, one fine day in 2015, we drove over 3000 miles to Glastonbury, CT. And something changed that trip: I no longer enjoyed driving.

That doesn’t mean I don’t like traveling. I still enjoy THAT. We got a roadtrip to Michigan in a couple weeks I’m looking forward to. I just don’t want to drive. I like the passenger seat, so I can fall asleep. Sorry Janelle...

It may not be very manly, but I’m okay with not driving. I’ll gladly hand over the keys to Janelle and give her control of our trip. And I’m aware this may be uncommon as many spouses fight for road trip control...

I heard a story of a husband and wife (they may or may not go to our church) who were on a road trip. Though they love each other, roadtrips don’t exactly bring out the best in them. For example, the husband has confidence in the GPS, while the wife does not. And sometimes, this leads to conflict.

On one trip, the husband was driving... fully-committed to the GPS. But the wife did not share his confidence. And conflict arose. And the defining moment of this heated battle came when the wife said, “Look, I know how to get to our hotel. The question is, when we get there, do you want to sleep in bed with me or in the car with the GPS?”

Here at The River Church, we’re still traveling verse-by-verse thru the Book of Mark. And we’re currently in Mark 10. And Jesus and His disciples are on their own trip. For the last time, they’re headed to Jerusalem.

It’s time for Jesus to complete His mission.

It’s time for Him to go to the cross.

It’s time for Him to save the world.

Picking up where we left off almost a month ago, verse 32 says...

Mark 10:32–34 ESV

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Now, at the surface, this passage seems like simple narrative details. However, to me, it’s one of those sections in the Bible where you get the sense you shouldn’t just pass over it too quickly. Like the Holy Spirit is emphasizing something, but it requires us to dig a little deeper...

But, in order to do that, we need to consider some contextual ideas...

For example, in this portion of Mark, it’s almost time for Jesus to die. I mention this for two reasons:

We need to realize that the closer we get to the cross, the more critical Jesus’ communications become. Not that Jesus ever says anything unimportant, but at this point in the gospel timeline, what Jesus says to His disciples is what they really NEED to remember!

There is a charge in the air. And the closer He gets to Jerusalem, the more it’s felt. Something is about to go down and everyone can sense it. Consider Verse 32: It says Jesus was “walking ahead,” the disciples were “amazed,” and the people filled with “fear.”

When Mark writes Jesus was “walking ahead,” it paints a Superman-like picture, as if He were standing with His hands on His hips ready to fight for the world, no matter the cost.

And his disciples stand amazed, thinking, “This dude is about to pop-off.” Meaning, “It’s about to get crazy in here.”

And the rest of the people are completely overwhelmed with anticipation.

All that to say… that even this one verse is loaded with meaning. And to remind you… John-Mark is writing on behalf of Peter who was physically present at this moment. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Peter told him, “Yo… when I looked at Jesus ahead of me, it was a crazy moment. You could sense God was going to do something!”

Furthermore, remember that John-Mark is not simply a historian, but also has a purpose for retelling the story of Jesus. And that purpose was connected to the current events of when he wrote. It’s likely the Book of Mark was written between 60-70AD. And at the time, Christians were facing massive persecutions. Some were arrested. Some thrown to wild animals to be eaten. Some lit on fire and used as torches to light the streets of Rome.

And because of this, Mark includes details and stories with the intention of encouraging his audience to remain faithful, despite severe hardships. And I believe this is one of those dual-purpose passages. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mark accurately retells the life of Jesus but also encourages the church his day in this passage.

Additionally… 1 Peter 1:25 says, “the word of the Lord remains forever.” Which means God’s word written thousands of years ago is still powerful and relevant to us today. Because like the church Mark originally wrote to… we too are facing crazy times.

Although the COVID experience seems to have calmed down, the world has not. And while I could discuss the craziness of global or cultural wars, I want to point to something else causing destroying our world: the mental health crisis - specifically in Gen Z.

A lot of you know I recently came back from a week of Summer Camp with our Youth Group at Camp Berea in NH. While there, the speaker set aside time for over 200 campers to lament - to passionately and publicly express grief or sorrow. And one purpose behind this activity was to let these teenagers know they weren’t alone in their struggles. The assumption was they’d find an entire camp facing the same generational pains. And they were right...

As I sat there and listened, my heart began to break… I heard a gym filled with youth lamenting the same struggles...

Anxiety

Depression

“I’m so lonely.”

Sacred

Confused

…and all I can say is, regardless if you’re a teenager or not… if you’re battling mental, physical, or spiritual health… this important passage is for you because God’s word stands forever. These 3 powerful verses can radically impact your life by the hope they offer - so listen carefully!

And today, I’m going to process our passage thru 3 questions that I believe can help us find our way thru these crazy times. So, my first question is...

Who are you following?

Verse 32 says, “And [the disciples] were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them.”

Can I just say… this simple sentence is profoundly instructive! In life…You will do well if Jesus is walking ahead of you and you are following Him. And honestly, you don’t even need to know where you are going. The disciples certainly didn’t. In fact, Luke’s version of the same story adds… “[The disciples] didn’t understand any of this.” (Luke 18:34 NLT). But they followed by faith anyways.

And their example helped the church of Mark’s day. As they experienced persecution following Jesus, it was overwhelming. It was scary. They didn’t fully understand. But it was stories like this that gave them confidence to continue following Jesus. The disciples’ faith became their faith.

I wonder if it could become our faith too? Do we have the confidence to follow Jesus today? As He walks ahead of us, do we believe He knows where He is going?

One factor that dramatically influences our answer is our emotions because we are a very emotion-driven culture. In our generation: Feelings are king. Personal emotions are absolute truths. We believe - and build our lives upon - our feelings. The problem with that s our feelings constantly change - they are like shifting sand. And it may not be the wisest choice to live this way... Instead, Jesus teaches...

Matthew 7:24–27 NLT

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

What priority do feelings have in your decision to follow Jesus?

That being said… let me tell you… Feelings aren’t bad. God created feelings. Jesus had, used, and expressed feelings. More than that, God can more than handle the wide range of our emotions. We see a wide range of emotions in this passage. The next part of verse 32 says, “[The disciples] were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.”

Now, it’s a little unclear whose emotions are being described here. Some Bible scholars believe there are two groups present...

The 12 disciples - who are amazed as they follow Jesus.

The crowd of people who held a mixed view on Jesus. It’s this group that was “afraid” because they had no idea what was going on.

However, other Bible teachers say both feelings (amazement and fear) belong to the 12. That the group held a variety of emotions in response to the present and future.

I believe both interpretations are possible and helpful. Either interpretation can speak to us today… because....

I believe there are followers of Jesus listening in this room who stand amazed as Jesus walks before them.

I also believe there are followers of Jesus who are scared and overwhelmed because they aren’t sure what’s going on or what the future holds.

I believe there are followers of Jesus who don’t really know what to believe about Him or anything else. Or if they should keep following Him - maybe I just described you. But you keep showing up to church because something is telling you Jesus has answers. Even though you’re overwhelmed with fear… for some reason you don’t fully understand yet… you believe He knows where He is going.

So, let me ask this second question...

How do you feel?

Additionally, are you currently the kind of person who follows their feelings or their faith (meaning… Jesus)?

And if you are someone who allows feelings to determine your direction in life, does that sound wise? Does it make sense to give control over to something that consistently changes and gets lost?

If you were in a car with me and I kept making wrong turns or changing the destination, would you stay in the car? No. You’d be like, “Bro, you don’t know where you are going. Pull over. I’m getting out!”

Umm… so why do we habitually our feelings?

Maybe you’re thinking, “I totally want to follow Jesus instead, but my feelings are so overwhelming. It’s like I can’t help but give in to them. It’s like they hijack my life!”

After this past Summer Camp, I believe you. I believe the mental health is real and a huge problem that can’t be dismissed or ignored. But I also believe that Jesus is bigger than our mental health problems.

He’s not surprised or intimidated by them.

He can heal them.

And He doesn’t see them as a disqualification from following Him.

Rather, He says, “Just follow Me. Bring your emotions with you. I’ll take care of them on they way.”

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

God will take care of your emotions. You just keep following Him.

Verse 32 continues with, “Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe EVERYTHING (say EVERYTHING) that was about to happen to him.” Then in the next two verse, he goes onto to explain the future in great detail.

Ultimately, He’s telling the disciples, “You can follow Me… because I have a plan.” Again, “I know what I’m doing and I know where I’m going.”

When we go on a trip, one reason we trust the GPS is because we know it has all the details and directions to get to where we are going. There’s even an option to click our phone and see the turn-by-turn directions… just to make sure.

Jesus does too. He’s gone a plan to make everything right at the Cross. He’s got every detail planned out. He knows how to lead us home to heaven. But I want to focus on one specific detail: The resurrection.

Speaking of Himself at the end of verse 34, Jesus says, “And after three days He will rise.” I love this. In the Greek (the original language), this sentence is written in the “future middle.” Let me explain what that means and why it’s important...

The future tense refers to something in the… guess what… future. But biblically, it’s more a command than a prediction - like in the future, this WILL (say will) happen. It’s like my son saying, “Mom said to clean my room today. I might do it.” And I reply, “Oh no… you WILL clean your room.” It hasn’t happened yet. The action is still future. But if my son wants to live, He will obey my future-tensed command.

Now, the middle voice refers to someone taking action for themselves or on their own behalf.

And in this context, when Jesus is saying, “after three days I will rise,” in the future-middle, He’s saying, “I promise my plan will work because I have the power (as God) to make it happen all by Myself. I know what I’m doing. I have all the power. And I promise victory over sin and death. I guarantee My resurrection.

It’s very similar to what Jesus says in...

John 10:18 ESV

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

And the resurrection gave the disciples incredible hope - even when they didn’t understand or experienced horrific tragedy. They could still follow Jesus by faith because the resurrection was proof that the One they were following wins!

So, my final question is...

Where is your hope?

And if your hope is not in Jesus, can it guarantee victory?

Is your hope in yourself? Do you have a fool-proof plan to navigate this crazy world? Can you promise yourself a good outcome?

Can your friends or culture or politics do that?

Can other religions or spiritualities do that? No they can’t. Because here’s the truth… all the spiritual gurus or prophets are dead. Only Jesus is alive!

That’s the hope of the resurrection! The power of its promise keeps people going in crazy times. It’s the hope that helps the persecuted church remain faithful to Jesus. And it’s the hope that can help live faithfully for Jesus today!

When sin has destroyed your life and there seems like you have no future other than death - There is still hope that Jesus can resurrect your life.

When your marriage seems dead - maybe it’s already dead - Jesus can resurrect that too!

When your faith is dead… Jesus can bring it back to life!

Remember: Mark is telling Peter’s account of Jesus’ life. And Peter denied Jesus. The man was literally there when verse 34 was spoken in real time. His physical ears heard Jesus say, “And after three days I WILL rise.” And still Peter’s faith failed him. But as he retells these stories to Mark, he communicates the hope of the resurrection. He says, “Even though I denied Him, by His grace, He resurrected my faith.”

And this resurrection of faith meant something to the church Mark originally wrote because some of those people likely recanted their faith when faced with persecution. In the face of hardship, their faith died too. But the hope of the resurrection was, “Jesus can bring my dead faith alive! If I’m physically alive, I still have a chance to resurrect my faith.”

And today, I think some of you need to hear this. Maybe you’ve been unwilling to follow Jesus. And you feel like your faith is dead. You come to church but you don’t feel or hear God. Today - that can change. Jesus can give life to your faith in this moment. All you got to do is turn from your sin and call out to Him. Say, “Jesus, I’m sorry. Please forgive Me. Today, I put my trust in You. I give You control of my life. I put my hope in you. Resurrect my faith!”

And in that moment, not only will your faith come alive, but you’ll also get the hope of the actually resurrection!

Because one day, we’ll all face physical death. But even when that happens... guess what.. we still have unshakeable hope. Those of us in Christ do not fear death because what awaits us is infinitely better - we enter heaven, the place of eternal perfection.

That’s real hope!

Church, we need to stop pretending that the resurrection isn’t the greatest hope in all the world. Rather… we need to stop being afraid to proclaim the resurrection is our hope! Because it works like this:

If Jesus rose victoriously over death. And if we are in Him, then we too will rise (future tense) victoriously over death. Jesus’ message to us is: I lead the way. You follow. You get the same result! Guaranteed .

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything! And because of it, we can confidently follow Jesus.

Response:

Today as we close, know the point of this passage is simple: Your hope is Jesus’ resurrection. Therefore, let me encourage you… if you’re wondering how to navigate this crazy world… where to go… or, how to get out of the mess you’re in… do this:

Put your faith in Jesus. Follow Him. Let Him drive. And you can rest. He will get you home.

Let the resurrection of Jesus Christ be your absolute hope. It is truly enough. It’s God’s solution to fix the world.

Let’s pray...

Father, if we’re honest, we have no idea what’s going on in our lives or our world. Everything seems so broken. Everything seems so unpredictable. There are a million voices saying different things and no one seems to know the way… that is, except You. So, first off, I want to say I’m sorry for the times I listen to everyone except You! Today, that changes. I’m ready to follow You. I’m ready to put my faith in You. I’m ready to let the resurrection be my living hope! I’m ready for my heart to change. I’m ready to cast my cares upon you. I’m ready for you to make these dead bones alive, in Jesus name! Amen

1 Corinthians 15:53–57 (ESV)

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Communion: