In our text this week, we read about a storm on the Sea of Galilee.
The setting of Mark 4 is Jesus teaching the crowds from a boat. The last two weeks we’ve seen that Jesus taught the crowds in parables and then explained the meaning of the parables to his disciples.
Sermon Text: Mark 4:35-41
35-36
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
After a long day of teaching the crowds, Jesus tells his disciples that it is time to leave. He says, “Let us go across to the other side.” As we will see next week, Jesus and the disciples went “to the country of Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1). As their short journey begins, Jesus lays down in the stern (the back of the boat) and fell fast asleep.
As a pastor, I can appreciate Jesus’ fatigue. Teaching and interacting with people all day will make you very tired.
Notice the details that Mark gives us in these verses. Remember, Mark was a companion of Peter (1 Pet 5:13) and is writing down Peter’s account of the story. Mark writes down the time of day (“evening”), the fact that other boats followed them, the “cushion” that Jesus slept on, and where Jesus slept (“in the stern”). All of these details indicate that an eyewitness (in this case, Peter) told the story.
This text gives us a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. Oftentimes, we focus on the deity of Christ so much that we can forget about his humanity. In the Gospels, we see that Jesus got hungry, he got angry, he wept, and he died. Here in Mark, we see that Jesus was tired and needed rest just like you and me. This is the only place in the Gospels that we read of Jesus sleeping.
As the disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee, they were enjoying a quiet evening. The sun was setting slowly in the sky. The water gently lapped against the boat. The disciples were talking with one another.
And suddenly, the disciples found themselves in the middle of a frightening storm. Look at the description of the storm in v. 37.
37
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
The ESV says it was a great windstorm. The NIV says that it was “a furious squall.” This was not a light drizzle. This was a bad storm. It was a great storm!
The storm was so great that waves of water were coming into the boat and it was beginning to fill up.
The wind continued to blow harder.
The waves continued to grow higher.
The water continued to fill the boat.
The Sea of Galilee is relatively small (thirteen miles long, seven miles wide) but it’s 150 feet deep and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Because it is below sea level and surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden winds. When combined with a thunderstorm, the water can turn into violent twenty-foot waves. The storm must have been especially fierce since it frightened the disciples, some of which were experienced fishermen.
You can imagine the panic of the disciples. While I’ve never been in a storm while out in a boat, I’ve certainly driven through some nasty storms. Storms obviously can be very dangerous, especially when you’re in the middle of a sea or high in the air and there is no solid ground to be found.
Before we go on, I want to point out something that is very important. Jesus led the disciples into the storm. He is the one who told them where to go. Jesus knew that the storm would come. The storm didn’t catch him off guard.
Jesus led the disciples into the storm.
Here’s my point: when storms come up in your life, God knows that they will come. These storms are divinely ordained moments for God to work in our lives. Desperate times show us who we are, who God is, and how much we need him!
Danny Akin writes, “When He brings us to the end of ourselves, we are driven to Him and Him alone as Savior and Rescuer.”
38
38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
While the disciples are in a panic, Jesus is in a state of peace. Verse 38 simply says, “He was asleep on the cushion.”
Notice what the disciples do. They realize that they cannot fix the problem. The waves are crashing into the boat faster than they can tip out the water. They wake up Jesus and ask:
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
The disciples are questioning Jesus’s love and concern for them.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever wondered if God cares about your suffering?
I think if we’re honest, most of us can identify with the disciples here. When we find ourselves in the middle of a storm, we wonder, “God, do you care about me?” Do you care that I’m in anguish about this situation?
Do you care that I have cancer?
Do you care that my spouse is hurting me?
Do you care that my kids are making bad decisions?
Do you care that I lost my job?
Do you care that a tornado just blew away my home?
Even though Jesus has proven himself faithful to us over and over, when we go through the storm, we usually choose fear over faith.
How does Jesus respond to the fearful pleas of the disciples? Look at verses 39-40.
39-40
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
The wind is still blowing fiercely. The waves continue to rise. The water continues to crash into the boat. Jesus didn’t help his disciples by pouring water out of the boat. Jesus didn’t help his disciples try to row to land. Instead, Jesus stands up and he “rebuked the win and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’”
And immediately, the wind ceased, and the sea became calm. Earlier we saw the humanity of Jesus as he slept after a long and tiring day. Here, we see the full deity of Jesus on display as he commands the wind and the sea. Only God can command the wind and the sea, and this is the lesson that Jesus has for His disciples today. Jesus wants His disciples to see that he is not just a man. He is not just a great teacher. He is God in the flesh.
Jesus is not just a man. He is not just a great teacher. He is God in the flesh.
In v. 40, Jesus asks His disciples a question: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
In the middle of the storm, the disciples accused Jesus of not caring for them.
How about you? Have you ever thought that because of what you were going through that God didn’t care for you?
God cares so much about us that he’s not willing to let us remain faithless. He allows storms to happen and sometimes sends storms so that you and I will learn to trust him. Here’s the main thing I want us to learn from our text this morning:
In the middle of the storm, trusting in Jesus will calm your fearful heart.
When you have lost your job, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
When you get that bad diagnosis, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
When you lose someone you love, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
When you don’t feel like you have any hope, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
When you have a child or grandchild that is far from God, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
When your home gets obliterated by a tornado, Jesus can calm your fearful heart.
We don’t have to fear the storm because Jesus is faithful! Trust Him.
As we conclude this morning, let’s look at v. 41.
41
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
After Jesus calms the wind and the sea, the disciples “were filled with great fear.” They said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In v. 37, there was a “great windstorm.” In v. 39, there was a “great calm.” In v. 41, the disciples were filled with “great fear.”
The disciples are starting to see that Jesus is no ordinary man. They have seen him preach and teach with authority. They have seen him cast out demons. They have seen him heal the sick. They have seen him turn water into wine. But now, they are beginning to see that Jesus is truly God in the flesh!
This morning, I want you to know that you don’t have to be tossed to and fro by the storms you encounter in this life. Jesus came and lived a perfect life and took the storm of God’s wrath on the cross for you and me. He took the punishment for our sins and he offers us his righteousness if we turn from our sin and place our faith in Christ and His finished work on our behalf.
No difficulty in life compares to the judgment seat of God. It will not matter how many storms you were able to make it through in this life. If you have not trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you will hear the words, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt 7:23).
Or, maybe you’re a Christian but you struggle with your faith. Trust Christ! He’s faithful! Welcome the storms with arms wide open as you learn to trust Him with your whole life.
How can you trust Jesus in a storm?
Pray (Phil 4:6-7).
Be encouraged by others in the church. Share your hurts. Ask for prayer and care.
This sermon was accidentally not recorded. To watch this sermon preached at another church, click here.
Last week, we studied the parable of the soils (Mark 4:1-20). In that parable, Jesus showed that when the gospel (the message of the kingdom of God) is shared, it lands on different types of soil. These different soils represent human hearts. Thus, the gospel is received or rejected by its hearers depending on the state of their hearts.
Today, Jesus continues teaching in parables.
Sermon Text: Mark 4:21-34
The first thing we see is that the message of the kingdom (the gospel) is not meant to be hidden.
The Message of the Kingdom is not Meant to Be Hidden (21-23)
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In vv. 21-22, Jesus uses the imagery of a lamp. He asks his listeners, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?” Of course, the answer is no. The purpose of a lamp is to give light and illuminate one’s environment. In biblical times, at nighttime, you needed a lamp or a fire or you would have been in the dark. Thus, a lamp was “brought in” a room to give light (v. 21).
The lamp in this text refers to the word about the kingdom – the gospel message itself.
Contextually, this passage follows the parable of the soils. In the parable of the soils, the seed is the word of the kingdom; that is, the gospel.
In verses 23 and 24, Jesus puts an emphasis on hearing. In fact, look in Mark 4 at the references to hearing and listening to the word:
3 – “Listen!”
9 – “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”
12 – they “may indeed hear but not understand”
15 – “when they hear…”
16 – “the ones who hear…”
18 – “they are those who hear the word…”
20 – “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it…”
23 – “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 – “Pay attention to what you hear…”
33 – “With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.”
In case you weren’t counting, there are 10 references in Mark 4 to hearing and listening to the word.
Thus, in verses 21-22, Jesus is saying that he has come to speak the truth of the gospel and the words about God’s kingdom. That message is not something that is to be put under a basket or put under a bed. That message is to be put on a stand and give light to all that surrounds it!
At the time Jesus taught these words, the kingdom of God consisted of a few disciples. Jesus is preparing his disciples for the day that they will replace him as heralds of the gospel message. Remember, Jesus is training them to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17). One day, it would be the responsibility of the disciples to communicate the gospel of the kingdom to the world (Acts 1:8).
Notice verse 22. The truth of Jesus’ message will come to light. After Jesus’ resurrection, it became known that he was no ordinary man. Many who were skeptics of Jesus before his resurrection became his followers. Christianity went on to explode after Jesus’ resurrection, most prominently on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
The gospel of the kingdom that the disciples had is the same message that we have — that God has sent his son Jesus into the world and that all who turn from their sin and place their faith in Jesus and his life, death, burial and resurrection can have peace with God.
Rather than experiencing God’s just wrath for our sin in hell, we can have forgiveness through Christ. Paul said in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The light of the gospel message is not to be hidden, but it is meant to “come to light” in our hearts and in the hearts of those that we share it with.
This morning, I want to ask you, who are you praying would come to faith in Christ?
Who are you trying to share the gospel with?
We have the greatest message of all time. Let’s share the light of the gospel with others.
We have the greatest message of all time. Let’s share the light of the gospel with others.
In vv. 21-23, we see that the message of the kingdom is not meant to be hidden. In the next section, we see that the message of the kingdom will be revealed to those who listen.
The Message of the Kingdom Will Be Revealed to Those Who Listen (24-25, 33-34)
24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
In these verses, Jesus teaches us how God reacts towards one’s response to the word. The measure one gives to hearing will be the measure one receives. Thus, if someone has ears to hear and receives the word joyfully, they will be given more of the word and more truth will be revealed to them.
Whoever seeks to understand the message of the kingdom will receive more, but those who are not good soil and don’t respond to the word in obedience, Jesus says, “even what he has will be taken away.”
I have found this to be true. Those who are humble and teachable are given more truth. Those who are apathetic or hard-hearted will have what truth they do know taken away. In other words, if you do not respond in obedience to the spiritual truths you learn, then you will not be fruitful. And remember, true disciples bear fruit (Mark 4:20).
Mark’s comments in vv. 33-34 give a glimpse of the measure described in vv. 24-25.
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear, but he explained everything to his disciples.
You’ve heard it said that the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. This is exactly what Jesus is saying about spiritual truth. Those who do not have ears to hear will become mired in a pit of ignorance and indifference. Brothers and sisters, we in America have much access to biblical truth. We must be careful to have ears to hear!
Do you have ears to hear?
Are you the good soil that was mentioned last week (Mark 4:20)? Remember, those will hearts of good soil hear the gospel, accept, and bear fruit.
How do you react to God’s Word?
Are you reading it?
Are you learning from it?
Are you applying it?
Are you bored by the preaching of God’s Word?
Do you seek to learn from the preached word? Do you take notes?
My caution to you this morning is that if you’re not seeking to understand and apply God’s Word that your heart will grow indifferent and even what you know will be taken away. Those are Jesus’ words, not mine!
The message of the kingdom is not meant to be hidden. The message of the kingdom will be revealed to those who listen. In the rest of our passage, Jesus promises hope regarding the kingdom of God!
First, Jesus teaches that God brings about the growth of his kingdom.
God Brings About the Growth of His Kingdom (26-29)
In vv. 26-29, Jesus uses a parable about the sowing, growing, and harvesting of a seed to describe the kingdom of God.
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Notice in the parable that the sower plays a minimal role. The seed grows without his effort. He sows the seed and “the seed sprouts and grows.” In fact, the text says, “He knows not how.”
Jesus wants to encourage his disciples that as the seed of the kingdom is sown, that eventually there will be a harvest. Just as “the earth produces by itself,” God is at work to bring about the growth of His kingdom.
Jesus says the kingdom of God is like this. As Christians scatter the seed of God’s Word, it will succeed because God is active. There is no amount of human effort that can bring about a harvest in God’s kingdom. We are dependent on his power for there to be a harvest.
John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
1 Cor 3:6-7
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
Rom 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
This parable should do two things.
First, the parable should remove a burden from us. We learn that as we share the gospel, we don’t have the power to save anyone. These verses show that ultimately the result is not up to us. I’ve heard it said that “Evangelism is sharing the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.” Notice what the sower does in the parable. He sleeps and rises. He sows the seed and leaves it be. We are not ashamed of the gospel! God is at work and he will give the growth and build his church (Matt 16:18)!
Second, the parable should drive us to our knees in prayer. Because God is the one that brings about the harvest, we must pray to him as we share the gospel with others. We pray that the Father would draw, the Holy Spirit would convict of sin, and that people would come to faith in Christ. Sometimes we see a blade, sometimes an ear, and sometimes the grain!
R.C. Sproul:
“That’s the way the kingdom is. We often do not know what God does with our service. We plant the seed, go to bed, and, while we sleep, God germinates the seed so that life grows and eventually produces a full harvest. Then God Himself reaps for His own glory. We simply need to forget about trying to see the fruit of our service immediately. It does not matter if we ever see it. We are called to take the light and let it shine, then let God do with it whatever He pleases.”[1]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 76.
As a church, we must learn the lesson from this parable and the parable of the soils. As we sow the seed of the gospel, will fall on different kinds of hearts. But as we sow broadly and pray earnestly, then inevitably, we will see a harvest. It may be slow, but we will see one!
Jesus assures us in verse 29 that there will indeed be a harvest.
God’s Kingdom Will Grow Large (30-32)
In vv. 30-32, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to the growth of a mustard seed. Though the mustard seed is very small, eventually it grows much larger!
Read 30-32
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
A mustard seed’s diameter is only about 1/10 of an inch, but the plant itself grows into a very large shrub (about 10-12 feet tall). When Jesus first called his disciples, the kingdom of God looked insignificant. Jesus was teaching them that eventually the kingdom of God would be much larger than they could have imagined.
Jesus is telling his disciples that the kingdom of God is going to be massive. It will be proportionately much larger than its humble beginnings. Jesus started with 12 disciples and today there are millions of people who are followers of Jesus.
There will come a day when the kingdom of God will surpass every kingdom that has ever existed on earth. We know from the previous parable that even though we don’t see all of it now, one day we will.
There will come a day when the kingdom of God will surpass every kingdom that has ever existed on earth.
Notice the reference to the birds making nests in the shade of the mustard plant in v. 32.
In biblical times, the image of great trees symbolizing great kingdoms was common. We see this in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 17, Ezekiel 31, and Daniel 4. Specifically, in Ezekiel 17:22-24, there is a messianic prophecy that says that under the rule of the Messiah, nations will come to salvation, and the Gentile nations are pictured as birds coming to lodge in the tree of blessing. It is almost certain that Jesus is borrowing from this imagery and thus, in our text, the birds represent the Gentile nations.
Again, though the kingdom of God has been inaugurated with the coming of Jesus, one day, Jesus tells his disciples, that the kingdom of God is going to be much larger than they could’ve ever imagined.
Revelation 7:9-10
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Conclusion
These last two parables show us that even at times when the kingdom of God may seem hidden, God is at work to produce a harvest that is bigger than we can imagine. We must be faithful to the commission of our Lord Jesus to sow the seed of the gospel!
Results may vary. You see it on commercials for drugs. But have you noticed that results vary when someone shares the gospel?
On one end of the spectrum, people reject it outright. On the other end of the spectrum, people receive it with joy and follow Christ. In between those extremes, there are people who seem to receive the gospel. They make a profession of faith but over time, they fall away due to various factors.
In our text today, Jesus helps us to understand why people respond differently to the gospel.
Sermon text: Mark 4:1-20
This parable is usually called the parable of the sower, but I call it the parable of the soils. As we study the parable, you’ll see that there is no emphasis on the sower at all. Rather, the emphasis is on the condition of the soil that received the seed.
The text breaks down into three sections:
Jesus speaks the parable of the soils/sower (1-9)
Jesus explains his purpose for using parables (10-13)
Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the sower to his disciples (14-20)
Jesus speaks the parable of the soils (1-9)
Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus was teaching by the sea and a great crowd of people gathered around him. So, Jesus gets into a boat and proceeds to teach from the boat while the people line the seashore. The waves and wind would’ve amplified Jesus’ voice for his many listeners.
Verse 2 says that he was teaching them many things using parables.
What are parables?
A parable uses a word picture to make a comparison between two things in order to teach a spiritual truth, usually with a twist.
Parables are not allegories in which everything in the parable stands for something.
Most parables have one main point, though this particular parable is a more complex one.
In vv. 10-12, we see that Jesus taught in parables to hide the truth from the self-righteous and to reveal the truth to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Now let’s talk about the parable itself. A farmer, bag slung around his neck and shoulders, is sowing seed by throwing it into a field. The sower is trying to sow broadly and to completely cover the field. He does not want to waste seed or any part of the field.
As the sower sows, the seed falls on four different kinds of soil.
(1) The seed that fell along the path (v. 4)
In biblical times, fields were marked off and surrounded by footpaths. As he throws the seed, some of it falls onto the footpath. This soil, which would have been unplowed, when dry, would be as hard as concrete due to the hot Palestinian sun. This seed would have no chance to sprout and would be eaten by birds.
(2) The seed that fell on the rocky ground (5-6)
Jesus is not describing soil that has rocks in it but is referring to soil that has a rock bed a few inches under the surface. The underlying rock bed would be invisible to the farmer because the plowshare would’ve only penetrated 8-10 inches of soil. Because of this rock underneath the ground, the plants would not have enough moisture in the dry climate of Palestine.
In this kind of soil, the crops would germinate and look good at first, but when the sun came out and the water was gone, the crops would die as quickly as they came in the first place.
(3) The seed that fell amongst thorns (7)
The seed that fell on ground that contained thorns was okay for a while, but eventually it was choked out by thorns and thistles. These thorns and thistles soaked up water and nutrients and blocked out the sunlight that the seed needed to grow.
(4) The seed the fell on good soil (8)
This soil has been prepared and the seed is able to get down into it and take root. This soil, free from embedded rock, thorns, and thistles, produces an abundant crop. The expression of 30, 60, and 100-fold is the return on the farmer’s original investment. For instance, if the farmer had spent $1 on a seed, it had a return of $30, $60, or $100. Tenfold was considered a healthy return, so 30, 60, or 100-fold was a great profit.
Three Things to Note
Nothing is said about the sower and his skill – the same sower sowed all the seeds.
Nothing is said about the quality of the seed – the same seed is used during all the planting.
The weather was the same for all the seeds in this field.
Clearly, the lesson that Jesus is teaching is about the four different kinds of soil.
Jesus explains his purpose for using parables (10-13)
10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
10
After the crowds go home, the disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable. This shows that they want to know and understand Jesus’s teachings. They are not hardened like the Pharisees (see Mark 2-3). They want to have a fuller understanding of the kingdom of God.
11-12
Jesus responds to the request of the disciples by quoting Isaiah 6:9-10. In that passage, Isaiah was instructed to go to the to the leaders of Judah and preach to them about the hardness of their hearts towards God. God told Isaiah that people would see but not perceive and hear but not understand (Isaiah 6:9); this was the same kind of experience that Jesus had with many of the Jews.
Jesus is telling his disciples that he is using parables to hide the truth from the hardened and self-righteous and to reveal the truth to those who are ready to receive it.
See, those that cherish the seed of the word will grow in their understanding of God, but those that refuse the seed of the Word will continue to grow hardened to it.
Those that cherish the seed of the word will grow in their understanding of God, but those that refuse the seed of the Word will continue to grow hardened to it.
13
Jesus uses a rhetorical question to rebuke his disciples. He goes on to explain that if they do not understand the parable of the soils, then they will not understand other parables.
Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the soils to his disciples (14-20)
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
The parable of the sower is a parable about the kingdom of God (v. 11). Many will be exposed to the gospel but only some truly receive it and bear fruit.
BIG IDEA: A person responds to the gospel based on the condition of his heart and his response to the gospel will be truly revealed in time.
The sower is whoever disperses the gospel message and the soils represent human hearts. We see this made clear in Luke 8:15.
Luke 8:15
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
This passage teaches that the gospel and the unadulterated Word of God is to be sown broadly.
Sadly, in order to get people in the doors of the church building and increase attendance, many churches have tried other things rather than sowing the seeds of God’s Word. See, they are trying to alter the seed rather than seeing that the problem is not with the seed, but with the soil; that is the hearts of the people who reject God’s Word.
We see this in Jesus’ explanation of the four soils.
The Soil of Some People’s Hearts is Hard (14-15; cf. 4)
These people are resistant and unresponsive. They are not open to the gospel and dismiss it without giving it careful consideration. Their hearts are as hard as the footpath along the grain field.[1]Simon Kistemaker, The Parables, 38. As soon as they hear the gospel, Satan snatches it away. These are people who love their sin and do not want to have to surrender to King Jesus.
The Soil of Some People’s Hearts is Shallow (16-17; cf. 5-6)
These people hear the gospel and receive it with joy, but they are not truly rooted in their faith. They appear to be Christians and endure for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arises, they fall away. These are people who look like Christians for a time and perhaps even make a profession of faith. They are attracted to joyful Christians and the offer of salvation, but when trials arise in their lives, they fall away because they were never really born again.
My wife and I were involved in a campus ministry during college. Many appeared to be Christians, but when they got into the real world, they fell away. They endured for a while. They looked like Christians. They came to worship with others, but when trials and persecution came, they fell away.
When they got into the real world, they heard things like this:
“You’re a bigot.”
“I can’t believe you don’t think that these two people can’t be married.”
“I can’t believe you’re against abortion.”
It’s easy to follow Jesus when you’re surrounded by others and having fun. It’s not easy when you’re being persecuted for Jesus’ sake. How many people look like Christians until they leave home?
Many people think that if they are going to make it in this world then they need to turn away from Jesus. For them, their career and being liked is more important.
Others leave the church because something bad happened to them. They come and make a profession of faith. Then, they lose a job, have a divorce, or get a bad diagnosis and they are out.
Scripture teaches that faithfully following Jesus means that we endure to the end.
The Soil of Some People’s Hearts is Strangled by the World (18-19; cf. 7)
These people hear the word, but the cares of the world and the desire for riches and worldly things choke out the word, and the seed proves unfruitful. For these people, this present life is more important than the life to come, and riches are more important than the Savior. Just as thorns and weeds gradually choke out fruit bearing plants, riches and worldly things gradually choke out a person’s desire for eternal things. These people are strangled by these worldly things.
I think about young families, many of which grew up in church. They have some desire for the things of God, but their focus is mostly on their education, their careers, building a house, and eventually a family. Once they have families, they are focused on their kids’ educations, athletic events, and more. Sure, they might come to church every once and a while, but if you really look at their lives, what is the center of their lives? Instead of loving their Savior, they are in love with the world. It has strangled them with its allure of pleasures.
We will not produce spiritual fruit if our hearts are strangled by the world.
The Soil of Some People’s Hearts is Fruitful (20; cf. 8)
The people who in the parable represent good soil hear the gospel, accept it, and bear fruit. They are not deterred by trials and persecution. They are not distracted by worldly riches and worldly things. They have been truly saved by the gospel and have a new heart where God’s word takes root and then bears fruit.
The spiritual fruit in our lives should be plentiful. Remember, Jesus said that good soil will bear fruit yielding a thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or hundredfold increase. If we are truly in Christ, spiritual fruit should be evident.
If we are truly in Christ, spiritual fruit should be evident.
Salvation is more than a one-time decision in response to the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will continue in their faith and continue to grow in obedience to Jesus the rest of their lives.
John 15:5-6
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
How is the soil of your heart this morning?
Is your heart hardened like the footpath?
Is your faith superficial? You like Jesus, but not trials or persecution.
Is your heart in love with this world? Perhaps you have heard the word, but you love riches and worldly things more than Jesus.
Here is the question you need to answer:
What do you want more in life than anything?
Good health? Riches? A new house?
If your answer is something other than the advance of God’s kingdom and seeing people come to Christ, then you are likely one of the first three soils and you need to trust in Jesus today.
What do you want most for your children and grandchildren?
A big house and a successful career?
Your greatest desire for your children and grandchildren should be that they trust in Jesus and follow him no matter the cost.
Really, there are two ways to live.
If the soil of your heart is good soil, you joyfully hear the word, receive it, and obey it, producing lasting spiritual fruit for Christ (v. 20; John 15:8).
Alternatively, if you reject Christ, you will be thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:6).
This parable teaches us that as we proclaim the gospel or teach the Word of God to those around us, the results will vary. But take heart, success or failure does not depend on our skill as sowers. Rather, what is most important is the condition of the hearts of our hearers.
There is nothing wrong with the seed of the gospel! If we are faithful, eventually we will find good soil that will result in an abundant harvest.
May we pray that God would break up the soil of hardened hearts around us and that we will be faithful to the task of speaking the gospel to a lost and dying world.
Various sins have been put forward throughout the years. Three sins that people sometimes reference are adultery, murder, and suicide.
Maybe you’ve heard of the sin of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It’s sometimes called the unpardonable sin or the unforgivable sin.
Perhaps you’ve wondered, can a Christian commit this sin? Or, more personally, maybe you’re asking, have I committed this sin?
This is one example of the importance of preaching through books of the Bible. This is a typical text a pastor would pick out and preach. However, we want to understand all of God’s Word. We need to understand the hard passages.
Some Context from Mark 2-3:
Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders is growing but the crowd loves him (Mark 2:1-3:12, 20).
Jesus has just called 12 disciples to be with him, that he might train them to be sent out for ministry (Mark 3:13-19).
Jesus’ family thinks he’s crazy and they have come to take him back to Nazareth before he shames the family name (Mark 3:20-21).
Sermon Text: Mark 3:22-30
When we read this text, the verse that probably jumps out to you is v. 29, which says, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”
So, what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and who is guilty of it? If there is a sin that cannot be forgiven, then we need to identify it and avoid it.
What is blasphemy? Blasphemy is defiant irreverence toward God. It is a desecration of God’s character. Jesus said in Matt 6:9, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Blasphemy is the opposite. Blasphemy may involve insulting God, mocking him, or dishonoring him.[1]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 62.
If this is what is meant by blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, then we are all guilty. However, the unforgivable sin is not just any kind of blasphemy, as we will see.
There are three turns in the text. In v. 22, we see the scribes’ accusation against Jesus. In vv. 23-27, we see Jesus’ answer. And finally, in vv. 28-30 we see Jesus’ warning to the scribes and others who are listening.
First, we see the scribes’ accusation against Jesus.
The scribes make an accusation against Jesus (22)
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
As we’ve seen so far in Mark, Jesus has been proclaiming the gospel, teaching with authority, healing the sick, and casting out demons. In this story, we’re not given much context. Fortunately, Matthew’s account helps us with the historical context:
Matt 12:22-23
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
So, there was a man who was oppressed. He was blind and mute. Jesus healed him, and “all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’”
The fame of Jesus has grown and people are beginning to wonder if he could be the Messiah.
So, what happens? Mark says in v. 22 that scribes came from Jerusalem to investigate Jesus. Upon arriving, they declare that Jesus “is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
Their verdict is that Jesus was demon-possessed and must be silenced.
The scribes did not deny that Jesus was able to perform miracles. They had just witnessed one. However, instead of glorifying God, they attributed his power to Satan.
This is evidence that faith and unbelief are not the result of miracles and proofs. The Pharisees had all the proof you could want and yet they did not have saving faith in Jesus.
The verb in vv. 22 and 30 translated “were saying” is in the imperfect tense. This means that the scribes were consistently trying to destroy Jesus’ reputation. This was not a one-time event.
It is one thing to turn away from Jesus. It is even worse to try to turn others away from him.
These Jewish leaders understood Beelzebul (or Beelzebub) to be the prince of the demons (v. 22). Beelzebul is another name for Satan and Jesus makes this clear in v. 23.
So, the scribes declare that Jesus is demon-possessed and that he is working by the power of the prince of demons. Of course, this was the exact opposite of reality. We know from Scripture that Jesus, rather than being demon-possessed, was Holy Spirit-empowered.
Matt 4:1 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit…
Luke 4:1 – And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit…
Luke 4:14 – And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit…
Luke 4:18 – Jesus declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me…”
In Acts 10:38, Peter said “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
The scribes had rejected Jesus as the Messiah despite his gracious and loving works that he poured out onto those who needed his healing touch.
The scribes had rejected Jesus and the works that he had accomplished.
The key takeaway for us is this – you will not be forgiven if you reject Jesus and his gracious works (v. 22).
You will not be forgiven if you reject Jesus and his gracious works.
Jesus answers the scribes (23-27)
23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
In v. 23, Jesus gathers the scribes and speaks a parable to them. He asks them a question – “How can Satan cast out Satan?”
Aside from God himself, Satan is likely the most intelligent being in the universe. Satan is too smart to allow division or civil war among his demons. Satan will not do anything that would threaten his power. Satan would never allow any demon to undermine his efforts. Quite simply, Jesus says, “Satan does not cast out Satan.”
Jesus then provides two examples to illustrate his point – a kingdom and a house.
v. 24 – a divided kingdom
We know that Satan is trying to build a kingdom. Satan was not content being an angel in God’s kingdom, so he rebelled and was cast out. Since then, Satan has been attempting to undermine God’s authority and trying to build his own kingdom. For the scribes to suggest that Jesus was fighting on the side of Satan by healing people and releasing those who were demon-possessed was beyond ridiculous. In reality, Jesus was doing just the opposite by releasing people from their demon possession.
1 John 3:8b
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus taught that a divided kingdom cannot stand.
25-27 – a divided house
Just as a divided kingdom cannot stand, a house divided against itself will not stand. Experience tells us this is true. A home where husband and wife are divided on essential issues will not stand. A country with completely opposite political views will not stand. A church that is not unified around biblical truth will not stand.
Jesus says in v. 26 that if Satan is divided, then he is coming to an end.
In v. 27, Jesus likens Satan to a strong man. In the parable, Jesus says that in order to plunder a house, you must first bind the strong man. By way of example, if you come into my house to steal from me or harm my family, you’re not going to deal with Bethany or the kids. You are going to have to go through me.
In the parable, Satan is the strong man, and Jesus is saying that in order to cast out Satan’s demons, one must be stronger than the strong man. Jesus, because he is stronger than Satan, is able to cast out demons and set people free from their possession. This is the point that Jesus is making.
The scribes have heard Jesus preach with authority, heal the sick, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons. They have seen Jesus’ miracles. Yet, they, like the people Paul talks about in Romans 1:18, “who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”. The scribes had suppressed the truth about Jesus and His works.
And if you are like these scribes, you will not be forgiven – you will not be forgiven if you willfully suppress the truth about Jesus (vv. 23-27).
You will not be forgiven if you willfully suppress the truth about Jesus.
Jesus issues a warning to those listening (28-30)
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
By using the word “Truly,” Jesus was announcing that he was about to say something very important. He was giving great emphasis to what he was about to say.[2]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 62
And notice what Jesus says in v. 28. He makes an amazing promise to those listening in v. 28. He says, “Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”
Verse 28 proves that blasphemy is not a onetime sin or a misuse of God’s name. He says that “whatever blasphemies they utter” will be forgiven.
If you want to repent, Jesus will always receive you. Whenever you turn to Christ in repentance, there is always forgiveness. There is no account in Scripture of any who repented and believed and was not forgiven. Not one.
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
John 6:37
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
Just as Satan doesn’t cast out his demons, God does not cast out his children who have come to him through Jesus and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
29-30
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
As I mentioned earlier, the scribes were accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled.
These men are in a state of willful opposition to the power of the Holy Spirit. They had seen what Jesus did and were unwilling to accept that Jesus was God’s Son and empowered and anointed by the Holy Spirit.
So, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or the unforgivable sin, in its most narrow sense, is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. We clearly see this in v. 30 – “for they [the scribes] were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” Again, when the text says, “they were saying,” this is an ongoing , persistent attitude towards Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They were so hardened that they continually associated Jesus with Satan.
Scholars are divided on whether or not someone can commit the unforgivable sin in its more narrow sense. I tend to agree that no one can commit this sin today in its more narrow sense.
However, when we examine the motivation behind the actions of the scribe, we see a remarkable display of the hardness of their hearts. They had suppressed the truth about Jesus and his works. They had refused to even consider the possibility of him being the Messiah. These men were so proud that they didn’t think that they needed the forgiveness and grace that Jesus came to offer.
Consider Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. He wanted to rule and enslave the people of Israel and hardened his heart time after time. Eventually, God brought terrible judgment on him and the Egyptians. Pharaoh witnessed God’s power time after time in plague after plague and he still would not repent. The scribes and the Pharisees are like Pharaoh. Jesus gives ample evidence of God’s work through his miracles, but they refuse to believe in and submit to Him.
This is what happens when people willfully suppress the truth about Jesus, reject Jesus, and reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Over time, they become so hardened that they can no longer repent.
When people willfully suppress the truth about Jesus, reject Jesus, and reject the work of the Holy Spirit, over a period of time, they become so hardened that they can no longer repent.
Thus, in the more broad sense, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, or unforgivable sin is having a heart that is so hard that you refuse to let God forgive you. The only unpardonable sin is that you refuse to humble yourself before God and let him pardon you.
I worry that there are many people in churches today that have been in church for years, have heard the gospel, have heard hundreds of sermons, but they continue to reject Jesus. They refuse to submit to his rule and reign in their lives. I’m not saying that these people have committed the unforgivable sin, but if they die without repenting of their sin and trusting in Christ they will not be forgiven.
In vv. 28-30, we see a third truth – You will not be forgiven if you continually reject the work of the Holy Spirit.
You will not be forgiven if you continually reject the work of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Before I conclude, I want to summarize what I’ve said today.
The unforgivable sin is not a one-time action. Paul called himself a former blasphemer (1 Tim 1:13) and clearly Paul had come to know Christ. He was not beyond Christ’s saving power.
The unforgivable sin in a narrow sense is to attribute Jesus’ work that was empowered by Holy Spirit to that of demons.
In a more general sense, the unforgivable sin is to knowingly, willingly, and persistently reject the truth about Jesus and the grace that he offers even when you are convicted by the Holy Spirit.
You will not be forgiven if you reject Jesus and his gracious works (22).
You will not be forgiven if you willfully suppress the truth about Jesus (23-27).
You will not be forgiven if you continually reject the work of the Holy Spirit (28-30).
Christians cannot commit this sin because a Christian, by definition, has come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If you are worried that you have committed the unforgivable sin, this is evidence that you have not committed it. People that have committed this sin are hardened in their unbelief.
In today’s text, we have seen Jesus give a great warning, but also a great promise.
Remember v. 28 – “Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”
Have you had your sins forgiven by Christ?
Have you repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ, or have you suppressed the truth about Jesus and who he is?
Have you suppressed the truth that you need him?
Do you realize that you are dead in your sins without Christ?
Have you resisted the work of the Holy Spirit?
Have you been convicted of sin but still refused to humble yourself before Jesus?
If you still struggle with the fear that you have committed the unforgivable sin, consider this – we should not base our assurance on how we feel. Rather, we are commanded confess our sins to God and let him cleanse us.
One commentator said it this way – “Jesus came to forgive our sins, not leave us in the fear of unforgiven sin.”[3]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark: From Text to Message, 183.
Jesus always receive those who come to him in repentance and faith.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
This morning, we’ve seen a weighty, weighty text about the unforgivable sin. We’ve also seen a beautiful promise – we can be forgiven of all of our sins if we will turn from our sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart.
Do not ignore the clear teachings of Scripture.
Do not ignore wise, godly counsel from other believers.
First, we see that there are many who want to benefit from Jesus.
There are many who want to benefit from Jesus (7-10, 20)
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
The text says, “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea.” Jesus and his disciples needed a break from the crowds and the antagonistic Pharisees.
Unfortunately, a great crowd followed them. Mark tells us that they came from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from Tyre and Sidon.
The excitement about Jesus had spread in all directions. Because of this, great crowds were coming to him from all directions of Capernaum. The crowd that gathered consisted of both Jews and Gentiles.
“When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.”
Jesus sensed that he and his disciples might actually be harmed by the crowd because of its size and the people’s desire to touch Jesus.
9
Jesus tells his disciples to have a boat ready. There were so many people trying to get to Jesus they were in danger of crushing him (v. 9).
Jesus was like a celebrity that was being interviewed and photographed on the way to get in his vehicle. The crowd would not leave him alone.
Jesus and his disciples eventually went up on the mountain (vv. 13-19). However, as soon Jesus returned home the relentless crowd once again swarmed his house (v. 20).
In vv. 7-10 and v. 20 we see the first response to Jesus. The people in the crowd wanted to benefit from Jesus, but they were not interested in following Jesus.
Many people want to benefit from Jesus but are not interested in following Jesus.
They didn’t care about Jesus, but only what they could get from him. The crowd didn’t care about his privacy or his need for food and rest. Verse 20 says that there were so many people coming to Jesus that he could not even eat.
The crowd did not understand Jesus or his mission.[1]William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 129.
You see, the crowd was more concerned with their bodies than their souls. They did not long for Jesus’ message but rather his healing touch.
It is so easy for us to be just like the crowd. Our prayer requests tend to focus on our physical problems rather than our lost family and friends. We are often more concerned with physical needs than spiritual ones. R.C. Sproul notes that clergy often barely scrape by while physicians are usually paid very well. He says that this fact is a reflection of what we value as a culture. We value our bodies highly, but we value our souls very little.[2]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 58-59.
Today, there are many people that want to benefit from Jesus:
Kenneth Copeland says that having a 75 million private jet is necessary for ministry. Joel Osteen wants you to have Your Best Life Now and to Become a Better You. Steven Furtick twists biblical texts to exalt people and preach man-centered messages.
Many want Jesus to make them rich and to give them good health. They, like the people in these verses, want Jesus to exist for them rather than them submitting to Jesus’s lordship. It’s easy to dismiss the prosperity gospel, but this is a problem in many churches.
Many want Jesus to be their Savior but will not have him as their Lord. Some people have walked an aisle and think they’ve gotten fire insurance, but they have not submitted themselves to God’s refining work in their life. They go to church on Sunday but don’t live for Christ Monday through Saturday.
Ultimately, they want to get a benefit from Jesus without the cost of discipleship. However, this is a faith that does not save. Listen to Jesus’ words on what it costs to follow him.
Mark 8:34-36
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
There are many people who want to benefit from Jesus. Second, we see those who oppose Jesus.
There are those who oppose Jesus (11-12)
11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
The demons hoped that naming Jesus and revealing his identity would somehow give them power over him. The concept of naming is very significant in the Bible. In Genesis 2-3 we see Adam naming the animals and Eve. Of course, no unclean spirit would have power over the Son of God, and thus their naming of Jesus turned out to be pointless.[3]Ibid., 60.
Jesus always rebuked demons for their testimonies about him. He did not want to be identified by the impure words of demons but wanted to be known by his teaching and actions.
Today, there are those who oppose Jesus. Our culture tolerates baby Jesus but hates the biblical Jesus. The real Jesus stands for objective truth and doesn’t tolerate sin. With Jesus, there are only two ways:
Those who are wise and those who are foolish (Matt 7:24-27)
Those who build their house on the rock and those who build it on the sand (Matt 7:24-27)
Those who enter the narrow gate that leads to life and those who enter the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matt 7:13-14)
Those who are saved and those who are lost (Mark 8:35)
Those who will have eternal life and those who will endure eternal punishment (Matt 25:46)
Sometimes opposition to Jesus comes from professing Christians. Many professing Christians and churches balk at church discipline even though it’s a clear teaching of Scripture (Matt 18:15-20; 1 Cor 5). That is only one example, though much more could be given.
The contrast Mark makes is fascinating:
The religious leaders refused to consider that Jesus was the Son of God. In contrast, the demons rightly declare that Jesus is the Son of God.
The crowd didn’t care that Jesus was the Son of God, they just wanted a miracle.
The disciples are willing to follow Jesus as the Son of God.
There are many who want to benefit from Jesus. There are those who oppose Jesus. Third, there are some who are true disciples of Jesus.
There are few who are true disciples of Jesus (13-18)
Our Lord has now reached a crisis in His ministry. Great crowds were following him, but their interest was not in spiritual things. The religious leaders wanted to destroy him (Mark 3:7). What does Jesus do? The scene shifts from the sea to a mountain. He spends an entire night in prayer (Luke 6:12) and then calls 12 disciples.
There is a lesson to be learned from Jesus here – to be effective in ministry, we must be fervent in prayer. If you are always pouring out, but never having your cup filled by time with the Father, then you will be spiritually dry and spiritually ineffective.
The multitude who wanted healing are thinned into the 12 that Jesus desired to follow him. You see, there is a difference between those who get caught up in spectacle of a crowd and those who are committed to Jesus’ mission. There are many who want to benefit from Jesus. There are few who live on mission for Jesus.
13-15
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.
As you know, significant spiritual events happen on mountains. After God led his people out of Egypt, he revealed his glory to Moses on Mt. Sinai and made a covenant with his people giving them the law and the 10 commandments (Ex 19-20). Later, Jesus will take Peter, James, and John up a mountain to reveal his glory to them (Mark 9:1-13).[4]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark, 170.
In Exodus 19:6 we read these words that God spoke to Moses:
6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
The people of Israel were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Now look at Peter’s words in First Peter.
1 Pet 2:9
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
In choosing 12 men, Jesus was establishing a new, holy nation called the church (1 Pet 2:9). This new group, as we see in Eph 2:20, constituted the foundation of His church.
Jesus appointed these disciples to fulfill the ministry of preaching the gospel because he knew that he was going to die. These men would carry on his ministry after he returned to the Father after his resurrection.
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? (13-15)
True disciples of Jesus are called by Jesus. He “called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.”
John 6:44, 65 – The Father draws people to Jesus.
John 16:8, 13 – The Holy spirit convicts of sin and guides us into the truth about who Jesus is.
True disciples of Jesus spend time with Jesus – “that they might be with him” (v. 14).
“Discipleship is a relationship before it is a task.” [5]James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 113.
Disciples seek to know Jesus and learn from him.
True disciples speak of Jesus – “he might send them out to preach” (v. 14).
True disciples practice evangelism and tell others the truth about Jesus.
True disciples love others in the name of Jesus – “and have authority to cast out demons” (v. 15).
Preaching/speaking the message remains the church’s priority today. Driving out demons and performing other miracles is no longer required to establish authority. God’s authority is found in Scripture.
True disciples assemble in the name of Jesus. Every time Jesus saves someone, he places them into a group.
There is no such thing in the New Testament as a Christian who is not a committed member of a local church. An unchurched Christian is like Bigfoot or a UFO. There is a corporate dimension of the kingdom of God that we have lost in American Christianity. We have so emphasized a person’s personal relationship with Jesus that we have forgotten to emphasize the importance of the church.
The redeemed people of God have been called to assemble together, to learn together, to grow together, to serve together, to worship together, etc.
As disciples of Jesus, we need:
Assurance of salvation – we need to know we’ve been called and saved by Jesus.
To spend time with Jesus – we will not be effective if our souls are empty.
To speak of Jesus to others – the good news is meant to be shared.
To love others in the name of Jeus – we must spend time with the lost.
To worship Jesus with other disciples – we are to encourage one another in the faith.
Mark 1:17 – “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Jesus was multiplying himself. Ministry is to be shared. Jesus had help during his earthly ministry and Jesus was preparing these men for future ministry when he would be gone. If the Son of God had help in ministry, how much more does your pastor, who is a frail creature of dust?
I am going to keep banging this drum until we all understand it, but every Christian has been called to ministry (Eph 4:12). We have all been called to share the gospel and make disciples. As a church, we need to be discipling the next generation – not just teaching in classrooms, but life on life. Like Jesus, we are to spend time with those who need to be equipped for ministry.
It’s also worth noting that Jesus brought diverse people together and that he called everyday people to take his message to the lost.
16-19
16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
There was a remarkable diversity among Jesus’ disciples. At least four and possibly five of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. Philip and Andrew had Greek names, which may indicate that their families were heavily influenced by Greek culture. Matthew was a tax collector that worked for the Roman government, while Simon the Zealot was a Jewish nationalist. Andrew had already been a disciple of John the Baptist (cf. John 1:40). Peter had a dominant, somewhat compulsive personality while Thomas was a bit of a doubter. Matthew and Judas Iscariot both seem to have been good with money.[6]ESV Archaeology Study Bible, 1385.
There are many who want to benefit from Jesus (vv. 7-10, 20). There are those who oppose Jesus (vv. 11-12). There are few who are true disciples of Jesus (vv. 13-18). And fourth, there are some who only appear to be disciples of Jesus.
There are some people who only appear to be disciples of Jesus (19)
v. 19 – and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Judas was the treasurer of the disciples and betrayed Jesus for some silver. Jesus knew that Judas was not a true believer. This is made explicit in John 6:64-65 and John 13:21-30.
Judas had the right teacher and the right friends but he had never been born again. This is why the Bible says to examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5).
Judas had the right teacher and the right friends but he had never been born again. This is why the Bible says to examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5).
Matt 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
You can fool everyone else, but if you have not turned from your sin and placed your faith in Christ, then you are headed for an eternal hell.
There are some people who only appear to be disciples of Jesus. And finally ,there are some who misunderstand Jesus.
There are some who misunderstand Jesus (20-21)
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Again, we see the crowds in v. 20 did not care about Jesus, but only what they could get from him. The crowd didn’t care about his privacy or his need for food and rest. The text says that there were so many people coming to Jesus that he could not even eat.
But in v. 21, we see another group of people – Jesus’ family. The text says that “they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind.’” Jesus family sought to take charge of him or more literally, to “arrest him.”
From his family’s perspective, Jesus was a religious fanatic who was hurting the family name and was a danger to himself. They thought Jesus was crazy! They had come from Nazareth to Capernaum to talk to him and take him back home.
Darrel Bock, commenting on this verse, writes the following:
“This statement is so surprising that it demands to be seen as historically authentic. The church never would make up such a statement.”[7]Darrel Bock, Jesus According to Scripture, 188.
In other words, if you’re trying to prove that Jesus is the Son of God you would never mention that his own family thought he was crazy. This only proves that the Bible is reliable and honest. Remember, Peter was likely Mark’s source material and he was an eyewitness to these events.
Just as Jesus’ family thought he was crazy, when you get serious about following Jesus, some of your friends and family may not support your conversion or your commitment to following Christ.
If you have become a Christian and no one notices a change in you, then there is definitely something wrong!
There are many people today that misunderstand Jesus. They think he was good man, a good teacher, but many reject that he was the Son of God.
C.S. Lewis addresses this:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”[8]C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 56.
In other words, Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or he is Lord.
Fortunately, Jesus’ family came to believe in him. After his death and resurrection, Jesus’ family realized that only God could rise from the dead. Jesus’ brother, James, became a leader in the early church. He wrote the book of James and died as a martyr in the early church. James was convinced that Jesus was indeed the Son of God in human flesh.
Like Jesus’ family, you must repent of your sins and trust in the person and work of Jesus. Learn more here.
Conclusion
This morning, we have seen five responses to Jesus.
There are those want to benefit from Jesus (7-10, 20).
There are those who oppose Jesus (11-12).
There are true disciples of Jesus (13-18).
There are those that only appear to be disciples of Jesus (19).
There are some that misunderstand Jesus (21).
How have you responded to Jesus?
Are you a person that only wants what Jesus can give you?
Do you oppose Jesus?
Maybe you’re like Judas. You have made a profession of faith and done some religious things, but in reality your heart is cold towards the things of God. You have never truly been born again.
Have you misunderstood Jesus?
Are you a committed follower of Jesus that seeks to obey Jesus in all of life for the rest of life?
In the last three sermons, we’ve looked at three encounters Jesus had with the Pharisees and their followers.
We saw Jesus’ healing of a paralytic and forgiving his sin. We read about Jesus’ association with sinners and tax collectors and Jesus calling Levi to follow him. When challenged about fasting, Jesus said that he was coming to bring something new that wouldn’t fit into the existing structures within Judaism.
Today’s text contains two run-ins with the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath.
Sermon Text: Mark 2:23-3:6
Today’s text deals with two different episodes that happen on two different Sabbath days (Luke 6:6).
Mark 2:23-28 – Jesus and his disciples were walking through grainfields.
Mark 3:1-6 – Jesus (and likely his disciples) were in a synagogue.
Before we proceed in our text, I want to help you understand a little more about the Sabbath.
Background of the Sabbath:
The Sabbath was to be a day of rest that took place from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday.
The Sabbath was a time to enjoy God and His world.
The Sabbath was to be kept holy (Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15).
Keeping the Sabbath holy was the fourth commandment and part of the Mosaic Covenant that God made with Moses and the nation of Israel on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-24.
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Sabbath pointed back to the seventh day of creation (Gen 2:1-3) and it pointed forward to a time when God’s people would enjoy rest in the promised land, ultimately in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21:1-4).
Profaning the Sabbath was a capital offense. In Num 15:32–36, a man who was gathering sticks, presumably to start a fire, was stoned to death. Starting a fire was expressly forbidden on the Sabbath. So, keeping the Sabbath holy was a big deal.
In the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Sabbath had become the heart of the law. The keeping of the Sabbath had become a litmus test for zealous religious devotion in Judaism. The extent to which you sought to not do work on the Sabbath determined in part how religious you were.
God commands that the Sabbath be kept holy, so what was one to do and not do?
Some activities were expressly forbidden on the Sabbath:
Kindling a fire
Gathering manna
Selling goods
Bearing burdens
Every good Jew knew that on the Sabbath, you do not work! The question then becomes, what precisely is to be classified as work?
As you might guess, the Pharisees were very strict about what could be classified as work. The religious leaders had added many prohibitions, such as tying and untying a knot and how far one could walk on the Sabbath. Their prohibitions included many things found nowhere in Scripture, but their traditions were as binding as Scripture itself.[2]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 50.
The traditions of the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath had become as binding as Scripture itself.
R.C. Sproul (Paraphrase)
Sabbath observance, along with circumcision, were extremely important in Judaism and noticeable distinctions between Jews and Gentiles. Darrell Bock writes, “Failing to observe such a holy day was seen as completely disrespectful of the law because Sabbath rest was one of the 10 Commandments.”[3]Jesus According to Scripture, 116.
Thus, these two Sabbath incidents were major disputes. Before going further, it may be helpful to quickly explain the main Christian view of the Sabbath.
Paul makes it clear that the Sabbath is not binding upon believers. We see that in Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5-6. Paul was not against those who observed the Sabbath as a special day, but he did have a problem with the people who required Sabbath observance for salvation or those who insisted that other believers agree with them regarding the Sabbath..
After Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday, Christians began to worship on Sunday (Acts 20:7). From the earliest days of the church, Christians gathered on Sunday and not Saturday. This is still the case today for the vast majority of Christian churches.
Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, shows us that the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing to God’s people (2:23-28)
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?”
The disciples were walking through a grain field and were plucking heads of grain and eating them. The disciples were not stealing but were picking some of the grain from the edges of the field. If you remember from our time in the book of Ruth, the edges of the field were to be left for the poor and the sojourner (those traveling through the land). You can see this in Lev 19:9-10 and Deut 23:25.
Deut 23:25
If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.
The Pharisees, with their legalist tendencies and critical attitudes were accusing Jesus’s disciples of harvesting the grain.
What is legalism?
Legalism is when we require something of someone that the Bible does not require. It is taking our traditions and preferences and imposing them on others.
I’ve heard it said that whereas a Christian want you to look more like Christ, a legalist wants you to look more like him or her.
A Christian wants you to look more like Christ; a legalist wants you to look more like him.
For the Pharisees, the enforcement of Sabbath laws had become more important than the observing of Sabbath rest. The Pharisees failed to see the difference between harvesting grain for a profit and plucking some grain for a snack, which was permitted in the law.
What’s interesting is that not many Pharisees lived in Galilee. They would not normally be in a grain field on the Sabbath. So, the Pharisees are either following Jesus around or they have put out the word to local religious teachers to keep an eye on Jesus in the same way the state police might issue a warning to the county police about a suspect in their area.
The Pharisees’ legalism had deluded them into thinking that God is satisfied when they kept religious rules, even if they showed no love to others.
The Pharisees’ legalism had deluded them into thinking that God is satisfied when they kept religious rules, even if they showed no love to others.
After the Pharisees had questioned Jesus about his disciples plucking grain, Jesus responded in vv. 25-26.
2:25-26
25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”
Jesus asks the Pharisees, “Have you not read?” The question is meant as an insult because reading, knowing, and interpreting Scripture was literally the job of the Pharisees.
Jesus presents the example of David eating the bread of the Presence while fleeing from Saul (1 Sam 21:1-6, cf. Lev 24:9).
Bread of the Presence (aka showbread)
Every Sabbath, hot bread was brought inside the tabernacle to a golden table. Twelve loaves of hot bread were placed on a golden table inside the tabernacle in the presence of God, symbolizing the need for the twelve tribes to have fellowship with God.
The following Sabbath, the bread that had sat there for a week would be removed and more hot bread would be brought in to keep that symbol fresh. Leviticus 24:5-9 calls this the bread of the presence.
The old bread on the Sabbath was only to be eaten by priests. Now that was the provision that God had made. So, David and the men that were with him ate the consecrated bread, which it is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests. See, the priest understood that no ceremony should survive while a person dies. You shouldn’t save a ceremony and lose a person. God desires that people be treated in a way that puts a premium on mercy rather than a mandated ritual.
Jesus succinctly summarizes this point in v. 27.
27
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
In v. 27, Jesus teaches that the Sabbath laws were never intended to keep a person from meeting basic needs. The Sabbath was meant to be a blessing to God’s people, not a burden for them.
The Sabbath was meant to be a blessing to God’s people, not a burden for them.
Jesus used the example of David to illustrate that love of neighbor is more important than religious rituals. It doesn’t mean that what the priest was doing wasn’t important. It means that if someone is dying, then feed them! If the disciples are hungry, then let them pick grain and eat it, even on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was instituted as a day for the Israelites to rest, but the Pharisees had turned it into a day of burdensome rule-keeping. The Jews couldn’t enjoy the Sabbath because they were afraid of breaking the Pharisees’ rules.
Now, look at v. 28.
28
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
In this verse, Jesus is asserting his authority as the Lord of the Sabbath. He makes a connection with David, who was the greatest king of Israel. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they don’t get to make the rules about the Sabbath. He does! The Sabbath rules they have put on people regarding Sabbath observance don’t carry any weight for Jesus. He is the Lord of the Sabbath and the Lord of all creation!
Here’s the main thing I want us to see from 2:23-28.
Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, shows us that the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing to God’s people.
In vv. 23-28, Jesus taught that the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing and not a burden. In 3:1-6, Jesus illustrates this principle by healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.
Jesus proves his authority as Lord of the Sabbath by healing a man on the Sabbath (3:1-6)
The first scene took place in a grain field. The scene takes place in in a synagogue.
3:1-2
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
A man with a withered hand was in the synagogue. This seems like a simple statement of fact. But, in biblical times, many assumed that when sickness happened, it must be due to sin in a person’s life. When the disciples saw the blind man, they asked him, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” (John 9:2).
So, with that in mind, let’s look at the situation in our text. As Jesus enters the synagogue, v. 2 says “And they watched Jesus to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.” The word for “watched” in Greek is in the imperfect tense, so it means that the Pharisees “were continually watching” or they “kept on watching.” The Pharisees were continually watching Jesus. It was their practice to see how Jesus was breaking the rules, as the text says, “so that they might accuse him.” They were ready to try in him court.
Remember, they watched him heal the paralytic. They watched him dine with sinners and tax collectors. They questioned why he and his disciples did not fast. They hated Jesus because Jesus’ love for others exposed their cold and calloused hearts.
Did you know that if you love people like Jesus loved people that some religious people will be critical of you?
With regard to healing, the Pharisees didn’t have a law against healing in general. They just didn’t permit it on the Sabbath. They believed that healing could only be done on the Sabbath in matters of life and death. Thus, they were mad at Jesus.
The Pharisees were so hard-hearted that they are angry that Jesus is even considering healing this man. on the Sabbath.
Let’s see what Jesus does. Look at vv. 3-5.
3-5
3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
In v. 4, Jesus is saying, if it’s okay to save life on the Sabbath (and it is, and the Pharisees agreed with that principle even though they don’t acknowledge it here), then Jesus argues that it is okay to do good, in this case, by healing the man with the withered hand.
See, the Sabbath was not just about resting from one’s work. The Sabbath was a time when you were able to love your neighbors because you were freed up from normal work responsibilities.
Jesus is essentially saying, “The Sabbath is a day to do good. God provided the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship, but that concern for rest shouldn’t keep us from lifting a finger to help others.”
Here is a man that had probably been shunned by many because of his deformity. Most, if not all the Pharisees probably thought that this man had done something to deserve it. And Jesus, with the Pharisees watching, calls the man to come here and he heals him.
Jesus’ compassion for the man is contrasted with his grief and anger toward the hard heartedness of the Pharisees.
Look at what happens in v. 6.
6
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
While this man was healed by Jesus, these men went to destroy Jesus. The Pharisees were so afraid of breaking the Sabbath that they failed to love their neighbor – this man with the withered hand!
Here’s the great irony – the Pharisees, the self-acclaimed guardians of the Sabbath, are mad at Jesus because he healed a man on the Sabbath when it was not a matter of life and death.
However, right after Jesus healed the man, these same men began to form a plan to kill Jesus with their enemies no less! You may have heard the saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Well, the Herodians and the Pharisees didn’t see eye to eye, but in this case they had one thing in common: they both saw Jesus as a threat that needed to be eliminated.
You see, the man in the synagogue had a withered hand but the Pharisees had withered souls.
The man in the synagogue had a withered hand but the Pharisees had withered souls.
Conclusion / Application
Now that I’ve explained the text, you may be asking, “So what? What does it mean for me that Jesus and the Pharisees argued about the Sabbath?”
As Christians, we do not practice the Sabbath. We worship on Sunday, in accordance with the practice of the early church (Acts 20:7).[4]For more, see Tom Schreiner, 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law.
Even though we as Christians don’t practice the Sabbath in the same way, there are at least four things I think we can learn from this text and how it relates to our worship of God and our love for others, particularly on the Lord’s Day when we gather for corporate worship.
(1) Just as the Pharisees missed the point of the Sabbath, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we are legalistic and critical (2:23-24, 3:1-2, 6)
The Pharisees were always seeking to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing. They cared less about honoring God and more about their spiritual pride and position.
It’s easy to read this passage and think, of course the Pharisees are wrong. You may be thinking, I would never be so legalistic and critical.
I have experience with this. There have been a couple periods of time in my life where I was very critical of pastors and their leadership in the churches where I was a member. And I can tell you, I had the wrong attitude, and it affected my family’s church experience.
I want to ask you: Do you have rules outside of Scripture that you use to judge the spirituality of yourself and others?
Do you judge others for using a different Bible translation than you?
Do you judge other churches for playing a different style of music?
Do you judge others who don’t have the same conviction as you regarding alcohol?
Do you judge others who don’t dress like you at church?
Do you look down on other people whose kids aren’t as well-behaved as yours?
It’s so easy to be critical of others, especially the pastor. I’ve seen or heard of these kind of expectations people have for their pastors:
The pastor has to wear a suit and tie.
The pastor needs to be poor so he will stay humble.
The pastor’s sermons can only be 25 minutes.
The pastor can’t have facial hair or tattoos.
The pastor has to be white and cannot be married to anyone that’s not white.
The pastor has to be married.
The pastor has to preach from a pulpit.
I’ve seen churches argue about using a projector instead a hymn book, a guitar over a piano, chairs instead of pews, and the time of the service.
Here is what I want to say. We all have preferences and expectations for ourselves and others. We all have convictions of our conscience. I hope, above all that we want to please God as well.
The Pharisees were devoted to God’s Law. The problem was that they went beyond it and started adding to what God’s Word said. They had made what Jesus called in Mark 7 “the traditions of men.”
If we do not want to be legalistic and critical Pharisees, then we should seek to draw a line where the Bible draws a line. You can be convicted in your conscience of something, but if you are forcing someone else to obey a conviction of your conscience instead of the clear teachings of Scripture then you are being legalistic and perhaps critical.
Put simply, another person’s commitment to Christ should not be measured by your standards, but by those of Scripture.
We miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we are legalistic and critical.
Another person’s commitment to Christ should not be measured by your standards, but by those of Scripture.
(2) Just as the Pharisees missed the point of the Sabbath, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we don’t love our neighbors (2:25-26, 3:3-5)
The Pharisees didn’t care about the disciples’ hunger or the man’s suffering. They valued rule-keeping over the love of neighbor.
In both of these encounters with the Pharisees, Jesus never criticized the law that required the Sabbath to be treated as holy. He simply teaches us that it is always the right time to show love to your neighbor!
Jesus shows us the priority of people in ministry. Jesus does not first ask, “What are the rules and what do people think I should do?” but “Who needs to be helped?”
Jesus knew that religion and its institutions were not ends in themselves. Later in Mark 12, Jesus says that the most important command is to love God and the second is to love your neighbor. If we miss the command to love God and neighbor, then we’ve missed the point!
Do you get mad when someone takes your seat at church?
Do you refuse to sing if you don’t like the song? If so, you are not loving others. We are commanded to sing to exalt God and to encourage one another.
Positively, are you seeking to encourage others when you come to church?
Do you arrive early so you can speak with other church members and visitors?
Are you seeking to hear from God’s Word and to live it out the rest of the week?
We miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we don’t love our neighbors.
(3) Just as the Pharisees missed the point of the Sabbath, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we make it a burden instead of a blessing (2:27)
Jesus made it clear that man doesn’t exist for the Sabbath but that the Sabbath exists for man (2:27). The Pharisees and others had squeezed all the joy out of the Sabbath by adding many extrabiblical rules. So much so that Jews could not enjoy the Sabbath for fear of breaking manmade rules.
Isn’t that what Christians do when they tell people:
You can’t have instruments in church even though you listen to them on the radio.
You have to use the KJV Bible even though you can’t understand it.
You have to wear a suit or dress to church even if you can’t afford it.
You aren’t welcome at church if you have tattoos or piercings.
You can’t use any Sunday school curriculum except LifeWay.
Here’s a question we should all ask of ourselves:
Do you have more of a tendency to find faults in other people or to find ways to encourage them?
Do you have more of a tendency to find faults in other people or to find ways to encourage them?
Let’s remember this – “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
We miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we make it a burden and not a blessing.
(4) Just as the Pharisees missed the point of the Sabbath, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day if we don’t worship Jesus (2:28)
Deut 5:12-15
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
The keeping of the Sabbath was a way for the Israelites to remember that they were slaves in the land of Egypt. In Egypt, there was no scheduled day of rest and worship. They were slaves to Pharaoh and what a difficult taskmaster he was.
One of the purposes of the Sabbath was to remember how God had delivered His people from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. God was saying, “Remember how it used to be. Remember the burdens I delivered you from?”
As Christians, we gather for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day to remember God’s grace through Jesus. We remember how we were slaves to sin. We were slaves to sin, deserving of God’s wrath for our sin. But Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath came to deliver us from our sin by coming and dying on the cross on our behalf.
The Pharisees missed an opportunity to worship the Lord of the universe!
They were too busy being legalistic, too busy being critical, too busy burdening people.
If we’re not careful, we can miss the whole point of the Lord’s Day.
To the extent that we are legalistic and critical we miss the point of the Lord’s Day.
If we burden others with our own preferences and standards, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day.
If we fail to love and encourage others, we miss the point of the Lord’s Day.
Finally, if we fail to worship Jesus then we’ve missed the point of the Lord’s Day.
Our preferences and expectations need to submit to the greater priorities of:
Worshipping God
Exalting Jesus
Loving one another
Making disciples
Because Jesus came and died for us, let’s joyfully worship Him, the Lord of the Sabbath and the Lord of all creation!
Jesus’ reputation and popularity continued to grow after his time in Galilee, but since the beginning of Mark 2, there is an escalating conflict between he and the religious leaders.
In Mark 2:1-3:7 Jesus has five conflicts (four with the religious leaders).
2:1-12 – Jesus heals a paralytic and forgives his sin.
2:13-17 – Jesus calls a tax collector to follow him and then shares a meal with tax collectors and sinners. Last week, we saw that Jesus extends an invitation to sinners, but he rejects the self-righteous.
2:18-22 – In today’s text Jesus is asked about fasting.
Sermon Text: Mark 2:18-22
Jesus came to bring joy, not sorrow (18-20)
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
Jesus is asked a question, probably by those who saw or heard that Jesus had dined with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15-16): “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
The question seems to imply that to be a spiritual Jew, you need to regularly fast. To the onlookers, Jesus’ lack of concern for the practice of fasting was disturbing.
In the Old Testament, the only mandatory fast for all of Israel was one day of the year, the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). This was the day that the high priest entered the holy of holies in the temple and made sacrifices for the sins of the entire nation. The Day of Atonement was a very solemn day.
The disciples of John the Baptist were probably fasting because John the Baptist had been arrested (Mark 1:14) and possibly killed (Mark 6:14-29).[1]The time of John the Baptist’s death isn’t certain to my knowledge.
The Pharisees fasted twice a week as an expression of their religious piety. They thought that fasting was one way that they could earn God’s favor. In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, the Pharisee boasted about his fasting (Luke 18:12). In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against this kind of external self-righteousness.
Matt 6:16-18
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Verses 19-20 provide the first part of Jesus’ response. Jesus’ response probably surprised, confused, and annoyed his questioners.
Jesus likened his disciples to guests at a wedding banquet. Jewish weddings were a big-time celebration. When a man and woman got married, rather than going on a honeymoon, they had a weeklong celebration where they visited with guests and had joyous meals together. For many, this was the happiest week of their lives. For a wedding guest to fast during a wedding would have been offensive because the guest was rejecting the hospitality of the host.
Here, Jesus says that it doesn’t make any sense for his disciples to fast, because the king is with them! Remember the message of Mark 1:15 – “The kingdom of God is at hand…”. Just as one wouldn’t fast at a wedding, his disciples shouldn’t fast while the bridegroom is with them.
In the Old Testament, God is the bridegroom and Israel is the bride. Here, and throughout the rest of the New Testament, Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride (Eph 5:22-31).
Thus, Jesus is saying that the coming of the bridegroom and salvation should lead to celebration, not mourning. The kingdom of God is at hand!
The Pharisees believed that religion was a solemn and joyless practice. In their minds, Jesus and his disciples were having too much fun. Jesus and his disciples were not serious in their religious practice because they refused to fast.
There are some people who claim to be Christians who live like the Pharisees. While they may not fast twice a week, they have no joy in their lives. They think that God is a cosmic killjoy that wants to deprive them of joy.
There are people who claim to be Christians, but they find no joy in reading His Word, prayer, singing God’s praises, hearing God’s Word preached, giving and sharing with others, or gathering with other believers to worship Christ. However, God commands for Christians be people that rejoice at all times (1 Thess 5:16-18; Phil 4:4).
Instead, Jesus says, that the time to fast and mourn is when the groom has been taken away (v. 20). Then his disciples will fast. Here, Jesus alludes to his arrest and subsequent crucifixion and death. And it should be the same with us. We don’t fast during joyous times but rather during times of mourning or great spiritual need.
Examples of when to fast:
Praying for a lost family member, etc.
Praying for someone or yourself with a serious health issue.
Praying about a big decision in your life.
Practicing repentance from a certain sin.
Mourning the state of our world as we yearn for Christ to return.
It’s important to note that Jesus does not condemn the practice of fasting itself (Matt 6:16-18). Fasting is a good thing at the appropriate time. Let’s talk about fasting for a moment:
Fasting is not focused on our hunger but should be done out of a hunger for God and his presence. Fasting reminds us to focus on spiritual needs rather than physical needs. When we eat, we are fulfilling a physical need.
The main biblical purpose of fasting is to strengthen prayer. Other purposes include expressing grief, seeking God’s guidance, seeking deliverance or protection, expressing repentance and more.
In this passage, we see that the way to God is not through religious practices, but through joyful association with Jesus.
The way to God is not through religious practices, but through joyful association with Jesus.
Jesus came to bring new life, not to perpetuate religion and rituals (21-22)
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Jesus provided two examples to illustrate the newness of his ministry.
The first is a new cloth on an old garment. Everyone that sews understands this example. If you have a garment that has been washed several times and has dried, then it has shrunk. If it gets a tear in it, then you cannot use a new piece of fabric. If you do, then when the new piece of fabric is washed and dried, it will rip and cause a worse tear than before. To patch up an old garment, you have to use an old piece of cloth.
The second is putting new wine into old wineskins. Wineskins were made from the hides of sheep, goats, or camels. When wine ferments, it releases gases. If you used an old wineskin, the expansion of the wine during the fermentation process would bust the wineskin and you would lose both the wine and the wineskin. Thus, the softer leather of the new wineskins had to be used for new wine so that it could withstand the fermentation process.
With these metaphors, Jesus was saying that what he was doing would not fit into the old structures because these old structures couldn’t bear it. He was not condemning the Old Testament law but rather the traditions of men that that the Pharisees had added to the law.[2]R.C. Sproul, Mark, 48.
Judaism had become a religion of works and external self-righteousness and Jesus was saying that the external traditions of self-righteousness and ritual would make it impossible for people to receive him.
Jesus had not come fit into the mold of external Judaism. Instead, he had come to provide salvation by grace and to give us a new heart.
Listen to the words of Jeremiah that speak of the new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he said this in Luke 22:20.
Luke 22:20
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
The Pharisees had had their skin circumcised, but their heart was still a heart of stone. They needed the heart of flesh spoken of in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Do you see the difference? In the Old Covenant, every male Jew was physically circumcised but that didn’t change their hearts. In the New Covenant, God’s law is written on the heart of every believer (Jer 31:33). Every true believer has a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone. Every true believer has the Spirit of God living inside them.
Here is what Jesus is teaching: Jesus did not come to patch us up! Jesus doesn’t just patch up your life. Rather, he gives you a whole new robe of righteousness. Your heart that was hardened toward God becomes a tender heart of flesh. You are not driven by your own desires but are led by the Spirit.
When you come to Christ, the Bible says you are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). For gospel joy to ferment, it needs the wineskin of new hearts.
Is that you? Has your heart been made new?
A relationship with Christ will bring joy. Do you have joy in Christ?
Here is how you know. Are the things of God a duty or a delight?
Is it a duty or a delight for you to read the Bible?
Is it a duty or a delight for you to sing God’s praises?
Is it a duty or a delight for you to listen to the preached Word of God?
Is it a duty or a delight for you to give to God’s kingdom work?
Is it a duty or a delight for youto share the gospel with the lost?
Is it a duty or a delight for youto gather with other believers to worship Jesus?
Friends, if you have no joy in your spiritual life and no desire to please Christ with your life, then you need to trust in Christ. He is the Bridegroom that will ultimately gather his people to feast with him.
