“Opening Eyes”
February 19, 2006
Mark 7:31-9:13
We have reached the middle of Mark’s action-packed introduction to Jesus. The middle of the story, so to speak. In today’s passage, Jesus is going to leave Galilee and begin to head towards Jerusalem and His fate. And the key question, so far, that has been on nearly every character’s mind throughout the whole book is “Who Is Jesus?”
And we’ve learned that Mark tells us who Jesus is by what Jesus does.
And this morning, we’re going to see that some of Jesus’ disciples begin to see it. They begin to see Who Jesus is. Imperfectly to be sure! But it’s a start.
Their eyes begin to open to see Who Jesus really is.
In this passage, Jesus is opening eyes to Who Jesus really is and what it really means to follow Him.
Let’s pray and then try to see what they began to see.
[prayer]
Our story actually begins with opening ears. Verse 31.
“Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. [Deaf and dumb. He can’t hear. He can hardly talk. V.33] After he took him aside, away from the crowd [there’s that crowd again. Jesus is getting away from the crowd to do this miracle], Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”
Now, I don’t know why Jesus dramatically stuck His fingers in the man’s ears or had him taste His spit. Perhaps it was just to communicate to the man what was going to happen and to increase his faith. Maybe it had to do with touch and Jesus’ total identification with those who are suffering. I don’t know.
But I do know that this man could now hear. This man could now talk. This man was healed by Jesus.
And it was astonishing to those who witnessed it. V.37 says they were, “overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”
People are trying to figure out Who Jesus is.
Isaiah prophesied about this very thing. Isaiah 35 says that when God comes (when God comes!) in His glory (v.5), “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”
That’s what was happening. God has come. They just can’t see it yet.
Then there was the opening of the mouths. Chapter 8, verse 1.
“During those days another large crowd gathered. [Jesus sure attracts those crowds! This crowd listens to him for three days straight!] Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.’ [Now, He’s setting them up, isn’t He? V.4] His disciples answered, ‘But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?’ [They don’t get it yet, do they?] ‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present.”
They don’t see yet, do they?
Now, one thing that might easily be missed is the geography here.
According to Mark, Jesus is in Gentile territory here. This is somewhere near the Decapolis (or the 10 Cities full of Gentiles).
And Jesus is repeating a miracle that He did among the Jews. I think that one thing Jesus is doing is sending the message (again with His actions) that He is the bread of life, the provider of sustenance and satisfaction for Gentiles, too. Not just Jews.
And that’s good news for us Gentiles here in central PA.
The main thing He’s doing is opening eyes to Who He really is.
But His disciples’ eyes aren’t very opened yet.
Neither are the Pharisees. In fact theirs are closed shut. V.10.
“And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.’”
Did these Pharisees come in good faith? No. They came with no faith. And they asked for a sign to verify that Jesus was from God.
Should they have needed a sign? As teachers of God’s Law, they should have known from the moment Jesus opened His mouth that He was the Messiah. But, no, they ask for a sign.
Jesus is exasperated with this kind of behavior and flat out refuses a sign.
What’s ironic, of course, is that there are lots of signs that come from Jesus. He just fed 4,000 men, for crying out loud! He tells everyone to keep quiet about His miracles, but no one does. There are lots of signs.
But none are given when the unbelieving Pharisees ask for them.
They won’t see. Even if someone was to rise from the dead.
They refuse to see. And that’s dangerous. It’s poison.
And Jesus warns His disciples about it. V.13
“Then he left them [the Pharisees], got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’
#1. JESUS IS OPENING EYES TO THE DANGER OF UNBELIEF.
He says, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
Yeast is something small that spreads and grows.
And it’s a good thing if it’s good yeast in good bread.
But if it’s bad yeast, it makes the whole loaf bad.
What is the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod?
Well, the Pharisees and Herod didn’t have much in common, did they?
The Pharisees were so concerned about outer purity and holiness.
And Herod was married to his stolen sister-in-law and half-niece and followed his fleshly appetites wherever they led.
What did the Pharisees and Herod have in common? Unbelief.
One was a religious unbelief. The other was an irreligious unbelief.
Both were dangerous. And Jesus was saying, “Ephphatha! Be opened! See that unbelief is so dangerous!”
February 19, 2006
Mark 7:31-9:13
We have reached the middle of Mark’s action-packed introduction to Jesus. The middle of the story, so to speak. In today’s passage, Jesus is going to leave Galilee and begin to head towards Jerusalem and His fate. And the key question, so far, that has been on nearly every character’s mind throughout the whole book is “Who Is Jesus?”
And we’ve learned that Mark tells us who Jesus is by what Jesus does.
And this morning, we’re going to see that some of Jesus’ disciples begin to see it. They begin to see Who Jesus is. Imperfectly to be sure! But it’s a start.
Their eyes begin to open to see Who Jesus really is.
In this passage, Jesus is opening eyes to Who Jesus really is and what it really means to follow Him.
Let’s pray and then try to see what they began to see.
[prayer]
Our story actually begins with opening ears. Verse 31.
“Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. [Deaf and dumb. He can’t hear. He can hardly talk. V.33] After he took him aside, away from the crowd [there’s that crowd again. Jesus is getting away from the crowd to do this miracle], Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”
Now, I don’t know why Jesus dramatically stuck His fingers in the man’s ears or had him taste His spit. Perhaps it was just to communicate to the man what was going to happen and to increase his faith. Maybe it had to do with touch and Jesus’ total identification with those who are suffering. I don’t know.
But I do know that this man could now hear. This man could now talk. This man was healed by Jesus.
And it was astonishing to those who witnessed it. V.37 says they were, “overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”
People are trying to figure out Who Jesus is.
Isaiah prophesied about this very thing. Isaiah 35 says that when God comes (when God comes!) in His glory (v.5), “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”
That’s what was happening. God has come. They just can’t see it yet.
Then there was the opening of the mouths. Chapter 8, verse 1.
“During those days another large crowd gathered. [Jesus sure attracts those crowds! This crowd listens to him for three days straight!] Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.’ [Now, He’s setting them up, isn’t He? V.4] His disciples answered, ‘But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?’ [They don’t get it yet, do they?] ‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present.”
They don’t see yet, do they?
Now, one thing that might easily be missed is the geography here.
According to Mark, Jesus is in Gentile territory here. This is somewhere near the Decapolis (or the 10 Cities full of Gentiles).
And Jesus is repeating a miracle that He did among the Jews. I think that one thing Jesus is doing is sending the message (again with His actions) that He is the bread of life, the provider of sustenance and satisfaction for Gentiles, too. Not just Jews.
And that’s good news for us Gentiles here in central PA.
The main thing He’s doing is opening eyes to Who He really is.
But His disciples’ eyes aren’t very opened yet.
Neither are the Pharisees. In fact theirs are closed shut. V.10.
“And having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.’”
Did these Pharisees come in good faith? No. They came with no faith. And they asked for a sign to verify that Jesus was from God.
Should they have needed a sign? As teachers of God’s Law, they should have known from the moment Jesus opened His mouth that He was the Messiah. But, no, they ask for a sign.
Jesus is exasperated with this kind of behavior and flat out refuses a sign.
What’s ironic, of course, is that there are lots of signs that come from Jesus. He just fed 4,000 men, for crying out loud! He tells everyone to keep quiet about His miracles, but no one does. There are lots of signs.
But none are given when the unbelieving Pharisees ask for them.
They won’t see. Even if someone was to rise from the dead.
They refuse to see. And that’s dangerous. It’s poison.
And Jesus warns His disciples about it. V.13
“Then he left them [the Pharisees], got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’
#1. JESUS IS OPENING EYES TO THE DANGER OF UNBELIEF.
He says, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
Yeast is something small that spreads and grows.
And it’s a good thing if it’s good yeast in good bread.
But if it’s bad yeast, it makes the whole loaf bad.
What is the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod?
Well, the Pharisees and Herod didn’t have much in common, did they?
The Pharisees were so concerned about outer purity and holiness.
And Herod was married to his stolen sister-in-law and half-niece and followed his fleshly appetites wherever they led.
What did the Pharisees and Herod have in common? Unbelief.
One was a religious unbelief. The other was an irreligious unbelief.
Both were dangerous. And Jesus was saying, “Ephphatha! Be opened! See that unbelief is so dangerous!”
But Jesus’ followers didn’t get it. They really didn’t get it.
They thought because Jesus mentioned yeast that He must be concerned that they didn’t bring enough bread on the journey! V.16
“They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’”
“Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ ‘Twelve,’ they replied. ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’”
Don’t you get it? Can’t you see?
Clearly not. They needed to have their eyes opened.
Jesus was the Breadmaker! Jesus is the Provider. Jesus can satisfy the needs and desires of Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus is God! But they couldn’t see it yet.
And they couldn’t see how dangerous unbelief is.
This week, Jeff Schiefer and I had a couple of conversations about an interaction he was having with an anonymous unbeliever on the internet.
Mr (or Mrs) Anonymous (I assume Mr.) was full of venom about Christianity.
He said that the Bible was full of contradictions, Christianity is no different from militant Islam, and Christians are idiots. I read it myself online.
And Jeff did an excellent job of answering Mr. Anonymous’ objections with love and concern for his soul.
Because his soul is in jeopardy.
He is in danger. Because he is in unbelief. And he’s trying to spread it.
“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
Do you have any of that yeast in you?
We all do. We all struggle with unbelief in some way or another.
We all need our eyes opened to danger of unbelief.
In verse 22, Jesus literally opens a man’s eyes. V.22
“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don't go into the village.’”
Again, a dramatic healing. Again, the mysterious touch and spittle. Again, a sign that Jesus is the promised Messiah and God in the flesh.
And opened eyes.
But something different this time. Jesus opens this man’s eyes in two steps. Jesus takes two turns to heal this man. Why?
I’m not exactly sure. It’s certainly not because He was running on low batteries at the time! This is the Jesus who stops storms, walks on water, and orders around a Legion of demons with a word.
But here, he takes two turns to heal this man.
I’m not sure why Jesus did it that way, but I think that Mark may include it here because he’s talking about opening eyes and that it takes time and multiple touches of Jesus’ hand for people to truly see.
It’s like the man who says, “I believe. Help my unbelief.” I can see, but not clearly. Help me to see.
And the next story, which is the turning point of Mark’s whole gospel is another illustration of that truth. I can see but not clearly, help me to see. V.27
“Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’”
This is the BIG QUESTION. And now, Jesus quizzes the disciples on it.
“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist [back from the dead, that was Herod’s answer]; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’”
Okay, that’s what the world says. At least, people are getting the point that Jesus is in line with those Old Testament, Old Covenant greats. Jesus is sent from God.
But they can’t see, can they? V.29
“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ [That’s the question we all have to answer.] Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ.’”
A++! Way to go, Peter!
He can see.
He gets it. Right answer!
But Jesus knows that as right as that answer is. Peter doesn’t really see it yet. V.30
“Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.”
Not yet. Everyone who is looking for a Christ, a messiah, is looking for the wrong kind of Christ. Wait until you understand what it means to be Christ, and then you can tell people. V.31
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
They thought because Jesus mentioned yeast that He must be concerned that they didn’t bring enough bread on the journey! V.16
“They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’”
“Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ ‘Twelve,’ they replied. ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’”
Don’t you get it? Can’t you see?
Clearly not. They needed to have their eyes opened.
Jesus was the Breadmaker! Jesus is the Provider. Jesus can satisfy the needs and desires of Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus is God! But they couldn’t see it yet.
And they couldn’t see how dangerous unbelief is.
This week, Jeff Schiefer and I had a couple of conversations about an interaction he was having with an anonymous unbeliever on the internet.
Mr (or Mrs) Anonymous (I assume Mr.) was full of venom about Christianity.
He said that the Bible was full of contradictions, Christianity is no different from militant Islam, and Christians are idiots. I read it myself online.
And Jeff did an excellent job of answering Mr. Anonymous’ objections with love and concern for his soul.
Because his soul is in jeopardy.
He is in danger. Because he is in unbelief. And he’s trying to spread it.
“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
Do you have any of that yeast in you?
We all do. We all struggle with unbelief in some way or another.
We all need our eyes opened to danger of unbelief.
In verse 22, Jesus literally opens a man’s eyes. V.22
“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don't go into the village.’”
Again, a dramatic healing. Again, the mysterious touch and spittle. Again, a sign that Jesus is the promised Messiah and God in the flesh.
And opened eyes.
But something different this time. Jesus opens this man’s eyes in two steps. Jesus takes two turns to heal this man. Why?
I’m not exactly sure. It’s certainly not because He was running on low batteries at the time! This is the Jesus who stops storms, walks on water, and orders around a Legion of demons with a word.
But here, he takes two turns to heal this man.
I’m not sure why Jesus did it that way, but I think that Mark may include it here because he’s talking about opening eyes and that it takes time and multiple touches of Jesus’ hand for people to truly see.
It’s like the man who says, “I believe. Help my unbelief.” I can see, but not clearly. Help me to see.
And the next story, which is the turning point of Mark’s whole gospel is another illustration of that truth. I can see but not clearly, help me to see. V.27
“Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’”
This is the BIG QUESTION. And now, Jesus quizzes the disciples on it.
“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist [back from the dead, that was Herod’s answer]; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’”
Okay, that’s what the world says. At least, people are getting the point that Jesus is in line with those Old Testament, Old Covenant greats. Jesus is sent from God.
But they can’t see, can they? V.29
“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ [That’s the question we all have to answer.] Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ.’”
A++! Way to go, Peter!
He can see.
He gets it. Right answer!
But Jesus knows that as right as that answer is. Peter doesn’t really see it yet. V.30
“Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.”
Not yet. Everyone who is looking for a Christ, a messiah, is looking for the wrong kind of Christ. Wait until you understand what it means to be Christ, and then you can tell people. V.31
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
#2. JESUS IS OPENING EYES TO WHO HE REALLY IS.
This is not what everyone expected in a Messiah.
Almost no one had categories for a suffering Christ.
Most of them thought of the Christ as a holy military ruler who would overthrow their oppressors.
That’s probably a lot of what Peter was thinking when he said that Jesus was the Christ.
But Jesus here begins to open Peter’s eyes even more to who He really is. A second touch of his healing hand. V.31
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things [must. God has ordained it. It must happen. He must suffer many thing...] and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law [The Sanhedrin. The Jewish Religious Leadership], and that he must be killed [the Cross] and after three days rise again [the Resurrection].”
This is at the heart of Who Jesus Really Is.
Jesus is the Suffering, Dying/Rising, Cross-Centered Christ.
This is the first of three major predictions by Jesus of His own passion in the Gospel of Mark. We’re going to see the other two in the next few weeks.
Jesus knew what was coming. He had chosen it.
Jesus had chosen the Cross. He knew that He must go to it.
It defined Him. It was His mission.
Now, for the first time in Mark, the Cross looms large. And it will continue to loom large until it is accomplished.
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
This was too much for Peter. V.32
“He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”
Yes, you read that right! Peter (who had been doing so good!) rebukes Jesus!
Not a good idea. Never rebuke Jesus.
But you have to understand. Peter loved Jesus. And he didn’t think that Jesus could be right on this one. That’s not what happens to a Christ! No! V.33
“But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”
You’ve got it all wrong. You’re standing in the place of Satan. You’re talking devil- talk.
I must go to the Cross. And I will.
I don’t do things the way men do. I do things the way God does. Don’t try to tempt me.
This is Who I am to be.
Jesus is opening their eyes to see Who He really is.
He is the Suffering Savior.
Jesus is the Suffering, Dying/Rising, Cross-Centered Christ.
And He is Who we must believe in to be saved.
Do you believe in Jesus?
Do you believe that He had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he had to be killed and after three days rise again?
If you can see that, then your eyes are opened.
Put your trust in Him alone.
Many people, like Peter at this time, stumble over the Cross. They can’t envision why God would send Jesus to Calvary’s tortuous death.
And if you can’t see it, then you need your eyes opened to Who Jesus Really Is.
Because He’s not just a good person, a good teacher, a holy man.
Jesus is the Suffering Savior for all who believe.
He invites you to trust in Him today.
And then (#3) JESUS IS OPENING EYES TO WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO FOLLOW HIM. V.34
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.’”
Here’s what it means to follow Jesus: we have to prepare to die.
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself.
That doesn’t mean just to deny something from ourselves in self-control.
It means, we have to die to ourself. We no longer are the center of our universe.
We no longer are the most important person to ourselves. We must deny ourselves.
And take up our cross.
That means, to prepare to die.
This was a shocking thing to say. Only criminals, runaway slaves, and rebels against the government carried crosses! Only those who were destined to die carried a crossbeam.
Jesus was saying that his followers needed to prepare to perish in following Him.
That’s the way He was going to go. And His followers could expect no less.
Now, will we all be crucified for our faith? Not like this.
But we all have to choose to follow Christ NO MATTER WHAT.
Not only if He leads us into nice, friendly territory.
This world is not friendly territory. In many ways, we are on enemy ground.
And Jesus calls us to choose sides.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Have you heeded this call? Are you a disciple? A follower by faith in Jesus?
It is something that we must choose.
No one carries this cross by accident.
And the stakes are high. V.35
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it [if you don’t deny yourself you’ll lose everything], but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.’”
It’s either/or. It’s not both/and. It’s all or nothing.
We must choose.
This is the passage I preached to the graduates at the Baccalaureate last year.
And my title was, Don’t Waste Your Life.
You could gain the whole world–money, sex, power, popularity, family, all of your dreams–and lose your soul.
By not choosing to follow Jesus alone.
Are you a disciple?
Jesus is opening our eyes to see what it really means to follow Him.
It means everything.
Have you given Him everything?
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
And then, in this last story, the disciples’ eyes were opened to see Jesus as He really is. Chapter 9, verse 1.
“And he said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.’ [And they didn’t. V.2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [Standing for the Law and the Prophets–the Old Testamenet!] Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ [Peter puts his foot in his mouth once again.] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.”
This is an amazing story. It’s like a flash-forward into the Kingdom that Jesus inaugurates with His resurrection. It’s a taste of Who Jesus really Is in all of His glory.
We can’t really wrap our minds around what Peter, James, and John saw and heard.
Does this story remind you of anything?
I was struck this time around by how much it reminds me of Moses on Mount Sinai. A big mountain, a cloud, a voice, Moses himself is here, a little group goes up the mountain (like Moses, Aaron, and Joshua), a shining figure (like Moses’ shining face).
But it’s different, isn’t it? Here it is Jesus Himself that is shining from Himself.
And the voice says, “This is my Son whom I love. Listen to Him.”
Why did God open their eyes to see this transfiguration?
One reason was because it so hard to believe that the Christ was going to suffer and die.
God Himself has to come and say, “Listen to Him.” Peter, listen to Jesus. When He says that He has to suffer. When He says to deny yourself. When He says that you need to take up your Cross.
Listen to Him. V.9
“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. [Here the command of silence finally has a timeline to it.] They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what ‘rising from the dead’ meant. [They still don’t see it fully. They won’t until after it happens!] And they asked him, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’ [They’re grasping to understand what’s going on here and match it to biblical prophecy.] Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.’”
Jesus is still teaching them about what it means to follow Him.
It means to prepare for suffering.
If even John the Baptist (who fulfilled the role of Elijah in prophecy, if even John the Baptist) had to suffer...
If even the Christ had to suffer...
Shouldn’t we expect to have to take up our crosses, as well?
Listen to Him.
He is God’s own beloved Son.
“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” Watch out for the danger of unbelief. Believe in Jesus.
Listen to Him and Believe.
The Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and had to be must be killed and after three days rise again.
Listen to Him and Believe.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Listen to Him and Follow.
This is not what everyone expected in a Messiah.
Almost no one had categories for a suffering Christ.
Most of them thought of the Christ as a holy military ruler who would overthrow their oppressors.
That’s probably a lot of what Peter was thinking when he said that Jesus was the Christ.
But Jesus here begins to open Peter’s eyes even more to who He really is. A second touch of his healing hand. V.31
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things [must. God has ordained it. It must happen. He must suffer many thing...] and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law [The Sanhedrin. The Jewish Religious Leadership], and that he must be killed [the Cross] and after three days rise again [the Resurrection].”
This is at the heart of Who Jesus Really Is.
Jesus is the Suffering, Dying/Rising, Cross-Centered Christ.
This is the first of three major predictions by Jesus of His own passion in the Gospel of Mark. We’re going to see the other two in the next few weeks.
Jesus knew what was coming. He had chosen it.
Jesus had chosen the Cross. He knew that He must go to it.
It defined Him. It was His mission.
Now, for the first time in Mark, the Cross looms large. And it will continue to loom large until it is accomplished.
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
This was too much for Peter. V.32
“He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”
Yes, you read that right! Peter (who had been doing so good!) rebukes Jesus!
Not a good idea. Never rebuke Jesus.
But you have to understand. Peter loved Jesus. And he didn’t think that Jesus could be right on this one. That’s not what happens to a Christ! No! V.33
“But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”
You’ve got it all wrong. You’re standing in the place of Satan. You’re talking devil- talk.
I must go to the Cross. And I will.
I don’t do things the way men do. I do things the way God does. Don’t try to tempt me.
This is Who I am to be.
Jesus is opening their eyes to see Who He really is.
He is the Suffering Savior.
Jesus is the Suffering, Dying/Rising, Cross-Centered Christ.
And He is Who we must believe in to be saved.
Do you believe in Jesus?
Do you believe that He had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he had to be killed and after three days rise again?
If you can see that, then your eyes are opened.
Put your trust in Him alone.
Many people, like Peter at this time, stumble over the Cross. They can’t envision why God would send Jesus to Calvary’s tortuous death.
And if you can’t see it, then you need your eyes opened to Who Jesus Really Is.
Because He’s not just a good person, a good teacher, a holy man.
Jesus is the Suffering Savior for all who believe.
He invites you to trust in Him today.
And then (#3) JESUS IS OPENING EYES TO WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO FOLLOW HIM. V.34
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.’”
Here’s what it means to follow Jesus: we have to prepare to die.
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself.
That doesn’t mean just to deny something from ourselves in self-control.
It means, we have to die to ourself. We no longer are the center of our universe.
We no longer are the most important person to ourselves. We must deny ourselves.
And take up our cross.
That means, to prepare to die.
This was a shocking thing to say. Only criminals, runaway slaves, and rebels against the government carried crosses! Only those who were destined to die carried a crossbeam.
Jesus was saying that his followers needed to prepare to perish in following Him.
That’s the way He was going to go. And His followers could expect no less.
Now, will we all be crucified for our faith? Not like this.
But we all have to choose to follow Christ NO MATTER WHAT.
Not only if He leads us into nice, friendly territory.
This world is not friendly territory. In many ways, we are on enemy ground.
And Jesus calls us to choose sides.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Have you heeded this call? Are you a disciple? A follower by faith in Jesus?
It is something that we must choose.
No one carries this cross by accident.
And the stakes are high. V.35
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it [if you don’t deny yourself you’ll lose everything], but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.’”
It’s either/or. It’s not both/and. It’s all or nothing.
We must choose.
This is the passage I preached to the graduates at the Baccalaureate last year.
And my title was, Don’t Waste Your Life.
You could gain the whole world–money, sex, power, popularity, family, all of your dreams–and lose your soul.
By not choosing to follow Jesus alone.
Are you a disciple?
Jesus is opening our eyes to see what it really means to follow Him.
It means everything.
Have you given Him everything?
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
And then, in this last story, the disciples’ eyes were opened to see Jesus as He really is. Chapter 9, verse 1.
“And he said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.’ [And they didn’t. V.2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [Standing for the Law and the Prophets–the Old Testamenet!] Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ [Peter puts his foot in his mouth once again.] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.”
This is an amazing story. It’s like a flash-forward into the Kingdom that Jesus inaugurates with His resurrection. It’s a taste of Who Jesus really Is in all of His glory.
We can’t really wrap our minds around what Peter, James, and John saw and heard.
Does this story remind you of anything?
I was struck this time around by how much it reminds me of Moses on Mount Sinai. A big mountain, a cloud, a voice, Moses himself is here, a little group goes up the mountain (like Moses, Aaron, and Joshua), a shining figure (like Moses’ shining face).
But it’s different, isn’t it? Here it is Jesus Himself that is shining from Himself.
And the voice says, “This is my Son whom I love. Listen to Him.”
Why did God open their eyes to see this transfiguration?
One reason was because it so hard to believe that the Christ was going to suffer and die.
God Himself has to come and say, “Listen to Him.” Peter, listen to Jesus. When He says that He has to suffer. When He says to deny yourself. When He says that you need to take up your Cross.
Listen to Him. V.9
“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. [Here the command of silence finally has a timeline to it.] They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what ‘rising from the dead’ meant. [They still don’t see it fully. They won’t until after it happens!] And they asked him, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’ [They’re grasping to understand what’s going on here and match it to biblical prophecy.] Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.’”
Jesus is still teaching them about what it means to follow Him.
It means to prepare for suffering.
If even John the Baptist (who fulfilled the role of Elijah in prophecy, if even John the Baptist) had to suffer...
If even the Christ had to suffer...
Shouldn’t we expect to have to take up our crosses, as well?
Listen to Him.
He is God’s own beloved Son.
“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” Watch out for the danger of unbelief. Believe in Jesus.
Listen to Him and Believe.
The Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and had to be must be killed and after three days rise again.
Listen to Him and Believe.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Listen to Him and Follow.
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