Tag: Pharisees (Page 2 of 2)

Missing the Point – Mark 2:23-3:6

May 1, 2023 / Matthew Wilson

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?

The Bible gave some direction. For example, certain activities were permitted on the Sabbath^[1]See https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/schreiner-qa-is-the-sabbath-still-required-for-christians/.:

Military campaigns
Marriage feasts
Changing temple guards
Preparing showbread and putting it out
Offering sacrifices
Duties of priests and Levites

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

²⁵And 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: ²⁶how 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.

²⁷And 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.

²⁸So 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.

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. ¹³Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴but 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. ¹⁵You 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!

References[+]

References
↑1	See https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/schreiner-qa-is-the-sabbath-still-required-for-christians/.
↑2	R.C. Sproul, Mark, 50.
↑3	Jesus According to Scripture, 116.
↑4	For more, see Tom Schreiner, 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law.

When to Fast – Mark 2:18-22

April 4, 2023 / Matthew Wilson

Sermon Video

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)

¹⁸Now 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?” ¹⁹And 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. ²⁰The 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. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that 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.

If you would like to learn more about fasting, I recommend to you Donald Whitney’s book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

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)

²¹No 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. ²²And 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.

References[+]

References
↑1	The time of John the Baptist’s death isn’t certain to my knowledge.
↑2	R.C. Sproul, Mark, 48.

Jesus Calls Sinners to Follow Him – Mark 2:13-17

March 28, 2023 / Matthew Wilson

Sermon Video

Today’s text answers a question. Who can and who cannot be forgiven by Jesus? That is, who can receive the grace of Jesus? Contrary to popular opinion, there are some people that Jesus will not forgive.

We are in the second of five controversies between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders (Mark 2:1-3:6).

Last week, we saw that Jesus, as the son of God, has authority to forgive sins. As you recall, in Mark 2:1-12, a paralytic, carried by his four friends, approached Jesus in faith, hoping that Jesus would heal him. Indeed, Jesus healed the man physically, but he also forgave his sins. Jesus was teaching those present (and us) at least two things:

That we should approach Jesus in faith.
That spiritual healing is more important than physical healing.

We see both of these truths again in today’s text.

Sermon Text: Mark 2:13-17

¹³He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ¹⁴And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁵And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus extends an invitation to sinners (13-15, 17)

In vv. 1-12, Jesus was teaching in a home. In v. 13, we see that Jesus was teaching the crowd by the sea. Jesus was just outside Capernaum along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was listening to Jesus because they believed they could learn from him. Remember, Jesus taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes (Mark 1:22).

As Jesus made his way back to the city, he saw Levi, a tax collector, sitting at his tax booth. To understand the significance of Jesus’ call to Matthew, you need to know some things about tax collectors.

Tax collectors were despised by Jews for two reasons. First, tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire. Second, they extorted their fellow Jews to pad their own pockets. They would often collect more taxes than were required and then skim some off the top. They were seen as traitors to their own people.

No one liked tax collectors. No one talked to him. No one named their kids after him. He was never invited to anyone’s wedding.

Jesus likened tax collectors to unbelievers:

Matt 5:46

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Matt 18:17

“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“

Matt 21:31-32

Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Tax collectors were cast out from society. They were disqualified to serve as a judge or witness in court, were excommunicated from the synagogue, and were considered to be a disgrace to their families.^[1]William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 101–102.

In spite of all this, Jesus’ extends an invitation to Levi: “Follow me.”

For the reasons I just mentioned, Jesus’ act of inviting a tax collector to follow him was as scandalous as touching a leper.^[2]Daniel Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition: Mark, 48. In fact, the religious leaders taught that tax collectors were unclean.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Learn from his teaching (v. 13).
Acknowledge your sinfulness.
Repent of sin and self-righteousness.
Trust Jesus.
Obey Jesus’ commands.
Be willing to count the cost and forsake everything (Luke 5:28)

Levi (Matthew) counted the cost of following Jesus and turned his back on his former way of life.

Also notice that Jesus called Levi while he was sitting in the tax booth. Some people think you have to clean up before coming to Jesus. This passage shows us that instead you come to Jesus and he cleans you up.

If you’re you’re waiting until you can quit watching porn, quit sleeping with your girlfriend, or quit cheating on your husband before you can come to Jesus, then you’re wrong. Come to Jesus and follow him and he will make you clean (1 Cor 6:9-11).

Luke 5:29

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.

It seems that Levi was ready to begin a new life with Jesus. He called all his friends and had a party at his house. This was no average dinner. It was a feast, probably even a celebration. The guests were not just sitting, but reclining at the table. Levi was the host and Jesus was the guest of honor.

There are three things for us to note here. First, Jesus spent time with tax collectors and sinners. Second, a shared meal is a great way to introduce people to Jesus. Third, following Jesus will make you want to reconcile with those who have wronged you.

The company that Jesus kept often drew the ire of the religious leaders, but Jesus knew that it was the spiritually sick who needed to be tended to (v. 17). As Christians, our main friends should be other believers, but we should also seek to spend time with lost people in order to share Christ with them.

One great way to do this is by having a meal with someone. I think the very best way to get to know someone is by having them into your home. If you would rather start with a meal a neutral location, that is fine, too. Jesus often had meals with people in order to spend time with them and teach them. We should do the same.

One more thing. Did you notice the location of Levi’s tax booth? Levi was sitting at a tax booth that was somewhat close to the sea. Some of Levi’s tax revenue came from fishermen. Remember, Jesus’ first four disciples (Simon, Andrew, James, and John) were all fishermen (Mark 1:16-20). That means that it’s likely that Levi had extorted and wronged these men. I’m quite sure that these four fishermen were not thrilled with Jesus’ choice of Levi. However, when you follow Jesus, you are to seek to be reconciled with those who have wronged you.

Jesus loved sinners. Jesus loved them where they were, but he also loved them too much to let them continue to live in their sin (John 8:1-11).

You may remember Zacchaeus, who was more than a wee little man. He was not just a tax collector but a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus encountered Jesus and from that day forward was never the same (Luke 19:1-10). After meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus decided to give half of his money to the poor and to make amends to anyone he had defrauded.

In vv. 13-15, we see that Jesus extends an invitation to sinners. In vv. 16-17, we see that Jesus rejects the self-righteous.

Jesus rejects the self-righteous (16-17)

The scribes of the Pharisees were most likely outside the home, possibly looking through the windows. The religious leaders questioned Jesus’ credentials. In their minds, surely Jesus couldn’t have any religious authority, for he eats with sinners and tax collectors. Doesn’t he know what kind of people they were?

How could Jesus eat and fellowship with tax collectors? Jesus was eating with people whom the Jews considered political and economic traitors.

Sometimes that’s how church people can be as well. We might think, that person doesn’t look like us, dress like us, and uses colorful language. That person uses words that we don’t use.

All too often like these religious leaders, we can be self-righteous. At times, we lose our wonder at God’s grace towards us. The more we realize how indebted to Jesus we are for his grace, the more we will be able to extend grace to others.

We forget that God’s amazing grace has saved wretches like us.

We forget that God’s amazing grace has saved wretches like us.

Jesus rejected the Pharisees because they were trusting in their own righteousness. They trusted in their obedience to the law, their circumcision, and their Abrahamic lineage instead of trusting in him to save them.

What does this look like for us? At times, we think that God loves us or impressed by us because:

we faithfully attend church

we faithfully give to the church

we read out of a certain translation of the Bible

we abstain from alcohol

we have shared the gospel with this many people

we are better than the sinners down the street and don’t struggle with the same sins they do.

Self-righteous people desire other people’s praise more than holiness before God. They see the sins of others, but never their own. They judge others more harshly than they judge themselves. They trust in themselves and their behavior and look down on others.

Friends, the reality is that were it not for the grace of Christ we would be in hell with tax collectors, prostitutes, homosexuals, adulterers, terrorists, and any other sinner you can think of. We all deserve God’s wrath but there is grace. Look at v. 17.

You must know you are spiritually sick before you can be spiritually healed.

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Have you ever been around someone that refuses to go to the doctor even when it’s obvious that they’re very sick? Unfortunately, I have a personal reminder of this. My grandpa had chest pain and didn’t go to the doctor. He eventually had a stroke in his early fifties and suffered for about 30 years before his death. It’s awful for someone to have a premature death or to suffer for many years because he or she refused to get help. Friends, it’s infinitely worse to refuse to seek spiritual healing and to be healed by Jesus.

Consider that when a person goes to the doctor, he is acknowledging that he has a disease that someone else must treat. In the same way, we can only be cured of the disease of sin when we go to the Great Physician.

Conclusion

As I come to a close, I want to ask you some questions.

Are you depending on your good works to save you like the self-righteous Pharisees?

Or, are you like Levi, well aware that you cannot be saved from your sin without Jesus?

When you consider your sinfulness, are you comparing yourself with other sinners or a perfectly holy God? It’s easy to measure up with your sinful friends and neighbors, but God is perfect (Matt 5:48).

Is there someone you know that needs Jesus but you have not shared the gospel with them because you thought they were too far gone? Remember, Jesus calling a tax collector was scandalous.

And finally, are you willing to eat with sinners so that you can bring them to Jesus’ table?

In today’s culture, relationships are so important in evangelism. I would encourage you to be hospitable and have people into your home. I would say shoot for at least once a month. Maybe, you could have a church family into your home one month and an unchurched family the next.

We must seek to introduce people to Jesus. We must speak of Jesus. We need to quit being so self-absorbed. We need to create some time in our schedules. The only way that we can change Harrisburg (my town) and the world is to introduce people to Jesus and that takes time and sacrifice.

Are you willing to introduce sinners to Jesus?

Are you willing to associate with people that don’t look like you, talk like you, or shop in the same places you do?

BIG IDEA: Jesus calls sinners to follow him but he rejects the self-righteous.

References[+]

References
↑1	William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 101–102.
↑2	Daniel Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition: Mark, 48.

Desperate People Desperately Need Jesus – Mark 2:1-12

March 19, 2023 / Matthew Wilson

Sermon Video

Desperate times call for desperate measures. What do you do in times of desperation? Where do you turn? In our text today we see a man that was desperate. In his desperation, he and his friends resorted to desperate measures.

As I’ve said previously, Mark is building the case for his readers that Jesus has authority. Jesus is the authoritative Son of God.

1:14-15 – Jesus preaches that the kingdom of God has come near.
1:16-20 – Jesus calls his first disciples.
1:21-28 – Jesus teaches with authority.
1:29-34 – Jesus heals the sick and delivers the demonized.
1:35-39 – Jesus was sent to preach by the Father.
1:40-45 – Jesus cleanses a leper without being made unclean.

Mark 2 begins a section of five controversies between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders (Mark 2:1-3:6).

Sermon Text: Mark 2:1-12

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

Jesus is back in Capernaum after preaching throughout the region of Galilee (1:39). See this map.

And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

The house was filled to capacity. The crowd gathered around Jesus like Black Friday shoppers trying to get in Walmart. They were gathered because Jesus was “preaching the word to them.” As I mentioned last week, Jesus came to preach the gospel (Mark 1:38, 15). While Jesus healed the sick and exorcised demons, his primary purpose was to save people from their sins through his preaching and his death on the cross.

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Mark 10:45

For even the Son of Man came…to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus’ miracles served as evidence that he had authority to forgive sin, as we will see in v. 10. In other words, Jesus’ miracles were not the focus of his ministry. Rather, they reinforced his preaching ministry.

Jesus’ miracles were not the focus of his ministry. Rather, they reinforced his preaching ministry.

So, Jesus is in the house preaching the word and people are hanging on every word.

3-4

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

Four men show up carrying a paralytic so that the man can be healed by Jesus, but they cannot enter through the door (v. 2). So, they climb up on the roof by using the stairs on the side of the house. The roof was made from wood beams and cross laid with branches and packed with a thick layer of grass, mud, and clay. Such roofs were stable enough for walking, but one could break through them by digging. These men literally dug through the roof and showered those under the hole with dirt and sticks. Then they lowered him through the roof.

This man was desperate. The paralytic was desperate because he recognized the seriousness of his physical condition.

Many people today recognize have physical conditions and they are often defined by them (paralysis, blindness, deafness, cancer, chronic pain).

Oftentimes, however, people fail to recognize the seriousness of their spiritual condition. While physical problems are not to be minimized or ignored, our biggest problem is that in our natural condition our hearts are desperately wicked, and we are spiritually dead. We are all sinfully sick and we need heart surgery; what we need most is a new heart.

In verse 5, Jesus addresses the paralytic’s greatest need.

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

When Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and his friends, he forgave the paralytic’s sin. This man needed physical healing, but Jesus saw the bigger need – spiritual healing. As I’ve already said, Jesus came first and foremost to preach the gospel and to forgive sin. That was his primary mission (Mark 1:15, 38).

As you read this, if you’re not a Christian, that is, you’re not a follower of Jesus, then any physical condition that you have doesn’t come close to your grim spiritual condition. While your physical condition may bother you the rest of your life, your spiritual condition will affect you for eternity.

Physical maladies are not as important as spiritual ones. Physical maladies make for a difficult life. An unrepentant heart makes for a difficult eternity in hell.

When Jesus said, “your sins are forgiven,” this would’ve shocked his listeners. And we see that in vv. 6-7.

The religious leaders knew that only God could forgive sin (6-7)

6-7

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The scribes (Mark 2:16) are of course right that only God can forgive sins. We know this because when we sin it’s God’s law that we’ve broken. We have violated his perfect standard. Even when we do something that hurts another person, ultimately, it’s God we’ve sinned against. It is his law that has been transgressed.

In Psalm 51, David penned a psalm of repentance after his adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah. He wrote in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Of course, David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, but this verse shows us that sin is first and foremost against God.

Mark 2:7 is a verse to remember when considering the Catholic idea of the priesthood. Priests have no authority to forgive sin. Only God can do that, and he does it based on what Christ has done for us on the cross and our response to Christ’s atoning work.

The scribes assert that Jesus is guilty of blasphemy, which was punishable by death (Lev 24:16). They are correct when they said that only God could forgive sin, but they are in error when they assert that Jesus is blaspheming. Of course, if Jesus wasn’t God, then they would be correct. But, as they did not realize yet, Jesus is God and thus has the authority to forgive sins.

John 5:27

And he [the Father] has given him [Jesus] authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

Jesus demonstrated his authority to forgive sin (8-11)

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?

Jesus knows the thoughts of the scribes (v. 6) and asked them why they are questioning these things in their hearts. To know someone’s thoughts is itself an act of God. I rarely know what my wife is thinking much less a total stranger. Friends, this is a frightening thought—that God knows our hearts. God doesn’t just know what we do or say. God knows our very thoughts and we will be judged for them. You can fool your spouse and family. You can fool the preacher. But you will not fool God. If you have not trusted in Jesus and submitted to his authority, then you need to do that.

The scribes believe Jesus is guilty of blasphemy and Jesus knows what they are thinking. Look at verses 9-11.

9-11

Jesus said to the scribes:

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

To prove he has authority, Jesus asks the scribes, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? He then proves his divinity and thus his authority to forgive sins by showing his authority over paralysis and disease. He tells the paralytic to “rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Jesus is showing the scribes that because he can do the visible miracle of healing the paralytics that this is evidence that he also has the power to do the invisible miracle of forgiving sins.

Jesus is showing the scribes that because he can do the visible miracle of healing the paralytics that this is evidence that he also has the power to do the invisible miracle of forgiving sins.

Also notice a phrase in v. 10. Jesus says that he has authority “on earth” to forgive sins. When we believe in Jesus, we have forgiveness here and now. Our forgiveness is based on what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection. There is nothing for us to do to earn our salvation. We don’t have to be anxious about losing our salvation. Jesus’ death on the cross and our faith in his completed work is all that is necessary for salvation. Yes, should take up our crosses and follow Christ, but that is a result of salvation, not the cause. If you have trusted in the person and work of Jesus, then you can have full assurance this morning.^[1]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark: From Text to Message, 158.

In verse 12, we see the response of those present.

And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

“We never saw anything like this.”

That’s because there was never anyone like Jesus before and there hasn’t been anyone like him since. Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh, lived a perfect life of obedience to God’s commands, and died a substitutionary death on the cross. We respond by repenting of our sin and trusting in the finished work of Christ (John 19:30).

Conclusion

In Mark 1, we saw Jesus’ authority in his teaching, Jesus’ authority over demons, and Jesus’ authority over disease. In our passage today, we have seen we see Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. Soon, we’ll see Jesus’ authority over nature (Mark 4:35-41).

We should do four things in response to our text today:

We should recognize that only Jesus has the authority to forgive sin (Mark 2:5).
We should submit to Jesus’ authority in all of life.
We should seek to bring desperate people to Jesus who can forgive their sins and make them clean (Mark 2:5; 1:41).
We should bring people to Jesus in faith, believing he can make them clean. (Mark 2:3-5).

BIG IDEA: In your desperation, trust in Jesus, the one who has authority to forgive your sins.

References[+]

References
↑1	Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark: From Text to Message, 158.

The Sign of the Resurrection – Matthew 12:38-42

April 20, 2022 / Matthew Wilson

This blog post is adapted from a sermon I recently preached. Unfortunately, the sermon was not recorded.

Did you know that the sinfulness and lostness of people are not always apparent to the naked eye?

John MacArthur says it like this:

“Many outwardly religious, moral, and decent people say they believe in God and are kind and helpful to others. Even completely irreligious people sometimes live law-abiding lives and behave as good neighbors. Sometimes the kindly attitude and good works of unbelievers even put the behavior of some Christians to shame.”

He continues, “Many of them speak well of God, have high behavioral standards, are loving husbands and wives, caring parents, fair employers or employees, good citizens, and faithful friends.”

In other words, on the outside, many people appear to be what we would call good people. It is hard for us to imagine that these same people who may be our neighbors, family, friends, or even us could actually be separated from God and in danger of eternal hell.

The reality is that the most important evidence of godliness in our lives is not our behavior, but our attitude toward Jesus Christ. A person can look great on the outside, but at the same time can be an enemy of God.

In our passage (Matt 12:38-42), we see these kinds of people. We see devoted religious people who believed in God but were still looking for a sign.

What is a sign? A sign points to something greater than itself.

Consider a road sign. Road signs are important today, but they were even more important before GPS and Google Maps. When I was a boy, our family would often visit St. Louis during the summer. As we made our way from Arkansas into Missouri, we would of course look for road signs that told us how many miles we needed to travel to arrive at our destination. But there was always a sign that we looked for to know we were getting close – the Gateway Arch. Once we saw the big arch, we knew that we were drawing near.

Similarly, the Pharisees were men who were looking for a sign or evidence that would (dis)prove that Jesus was the Messiah, the Anointed One prophesied about in the Old Testament.

Sermon Text: Matt 12:38-42 (click link for text)

Context

When this dialogue occurred, Jesus had been ministering for at least several months or perhaps even a year or more.

During Jesus’ ministry, He had started to become somewhat famous for a number of reasons:

His teaching – He taught with authority.
His healings – He physically healed people.
His exorcisms – He cast out demons/unclean spirits.
His power to raise the dead.

Jesus had become popular with the common folk of Palestine, but he had received some negative attention and criticism from the Pharisees.

Up until now in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus had a few recorded interactions with the Pharisees. But in chapter 12, things had started coming to a head.

Look at Matt 12:22-24

²²Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. ²³And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

After Jesus healed a man that was blind and mute, in v. 23, notice that the people begin to wonder if Jesus is the Messiah, the prophesied Son of David. But look at how the Pharisees responded in v. 24 – they attributed Jesus’ power to demonic power.

Now, back to verse 38.

Matt 12:38

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

The Pharisees were the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They were zealous students and teachers of God’s law as found in the Old Testament. They sought to apply God’s law to every single detail of life.

The problem with most of the Pharisees is that they were legalists, meaning that they believed they could earn God’s favor by their obedience to the law. They thought that if they studied enough to understand God’s law and tried hard enough to obey God’s law, then they could be righteous before God.

The Pharisees burdened people with their demands. They added to the requirements of the law. For example, if the law said you couldn’t travel on the Sabbath, they would ask, “What is traveling?” They would then get together and come up with a pharisaical law.

In so doing, they often missed the heart of the law. One example is found right here in this chapter – Matt 12:9-14. The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because He healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. In their minds, Jesus was guilty of breaking the Sabbath.

The Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign – “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

In chapter 9, the Pharisees had seen Jesus heal a paralytic (9:1-7) and a mute man (9:32-34). Here in chapter 12, the Pharisees had seen Jesus heal a man with a withered hand (12:9-14) and a demon-oppressed man who was blind a mute (12:22-24).

And yet, the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign to prove that He is the Son of David. In essence, they were demanding Jesus to prove that He was the Messiah. The scribes and Pharisees were the uncontested experts on the law, and they figured that the common people would look to them to be able to properly determine if Jesus was the Messiah. Thus, any “sign” that Jesus offered they would be the authority so as to disprove

So, what happens? Jesus refuses to play their game. One thing you have to remember about Jesus was that He did not come just to be an on-demand miracle worker. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Mark 1:38; Luke 19:10). He performed miracles out of love and to validate his message, but He would not be manipulated by those who had ulterior motives.

But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

What Jesus means by the phrase “evil and adulterous generation” is that the spiritual state of Israel is such that they are unfaithful to God and unresponsive to Jesus. In other words, this generation asks for a sign in the midst of Jesus’ obviously supernatural ministry, even after 400 years of silence between Malachi and Jesus.

Jesus continues, “no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

If you remember, Jonah was an Old Testament prophet who was called by God to go to Nineveh. Jonah disobeyed God and fled to Tarshish. God sent a storm to get Jonah’s attention and eventually Jonah was thrown overboard by pagan sailors.

Now, after Jonah was thrown overboard, he began to sink down into the sea (Jon 2). When Jonah was near death, God spared Jonah’s life through a fish (Jon 2:10).

Jesus continues his conversation with the Pharisees:

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

What does Jesus mean? Just as Jonah experienced a great and surprising deliverance, Jesus will experience a great and surprising (a surprise to the Pharisees, not to Jesus) deliverance in the resurrection. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days, so Jesus will be entombed for three days in the heart of the earth.

As an aside, the phrase “three days and three nights” doesn’t have to mean a literal 72 hours or three complete days. It was an idiom that meant any part of three days.

Once Jonah started sinking, the sailors who threw him overboard thought He was dead. Once the Romans crucified Jesus, the Pharisees through that Jesus was dead for good.

Without a miracle of God, Jonah was dead. If Jesus wasn’t God, He couldn’t have walked out of the tomb on His own power. After raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he did, yet shall he live” (John 11:25-26).

The point that Jesus is getting at is this:

BIG IDEA: The resurrection is the decisive sign that shows us Jesus was and is God in human flesh.

The resurrection is the decisive sign that shows us Jesus was and is God in human flesh.

Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they would get a miraculous sign. To anyone with spiritual eyes to see, it would be obvious that Jesus was the Messiah, the ultimate deliverer of Israel and the Gentiles, and the very Son of God. Only God Himself can walk out of a tomb of His own power (not to mention predicting it in advance) and that is exactly what Jesus did.

The same holds true today. While many are seeking a sign from God to know if He exists or if He is good, God has given us the greatest sign. Not only has He given us His Word, the Bible, but God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, became a man. Truly, God became flesh.

He was prophesied about in the Old Testament.
He was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
He was born of a virgin Mary.
He lived a perfect life of obedience to God’s law.
He proved his divinity through his miracles.
He was crucified on a Roman cross as an atonement for the sins of the world.
He rose from the grave three days later, conquering death.

And one day, He will come again to gather his people and then he will judge the living and the dead.

I say all that to say this. If you refuse to see the sign of Jonah, then you will be condemned just as the Pharisees were condemned. Let’s look at verses 41-42.

If you refuse to see the sign of Jonah (the resurrection), then you will be condemned just as the Pharisees were condemned.

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

During Jonah’s day, the Ninevites were enemies of Israel and considered wicked Gentiles. This must have been a gut punch to the Pharisees. You can imagine, the self-righteous teachers of the law being condemned by wicked Gentiles.

Jesus says that the Ninevites will condemn this generation because the Ninevites repented at Jonah’s preaching, and yet God in the flesh stands before them, and they refused to repent. If they continued to harden their hearts, then they will be condemned on judgment day.

Likewise, if you’re reading this article and you will not repent of your sin and trust in Jesus, then you too will be condemned to hell.

And finally, v. 42.

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus uses another example to prove His point. Just as the Ninevites will rise up on judgment day and condemn this generation that refuses to repent, so will Queen Sheba, another Gentile.

In 1 Kings 10, she traveled a great distance (around 1200 miles) to meet King Solomon. She had heard of this wisdom and riches, but she wouldn’t believe it until she witnessed it with her own eyes.

“And behold,” Jesus says, “something greater than Solomon is here.” Solomon was the last king of Israel before the kingdom split. And yet Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, was standing before the Pharisees clothed in human flesh.

Conclusion

Even though the Pharisees had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and forgive sin, they willfully refused to believe in Him despite the undeniable evidence that had been put before them.

The Pharisees rejected Jesus not because a lack of evidence, but because of their spiritual pride. They refused to acknowledge that they were sinners in need of repentance. They refused to acknowledge that their obedience was not sufficient to make them righteous – that they needed God’s grace and mercy as much as the prostitute and the tax collectors.

The Pharisees rejected Jesus not because a lack of evidence, but because of their spiritual pride.

Today, there are still people looking for a sign from God. They are looking for a certain feeling during worship. They wish to hear from God in dreams. They long to speak in tongues. They wish that God would heal their bodies, grant them a promotion at work, or provide a mate. They think that if God would do this, then they would know that God is real and that He loves them.

The Bible says differently. The Bible says that God has already shown us His love through the giving of His Son Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:32 – He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Friends, God has given us all the signs we need. He has given us His Holy Word. In the Bible, we are told of a God who created men and women in His image. Adam and Eve fell into sin. But God did not leave us on our own. He spoke through prophets, and He speaks now through His Son.

Listen to Hebrews 1:1-4

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

As you read this article, you have two options:

Will you harden your heart before God when he has given us the sign of Jesus and His resurrection?

No matter how good your life appears to be on the surface, if you refuse to see the clear signs that God has given and trust in Christ and submit to his lordship, then you, like the Pharisees, will be damned to hell.

Or will you humble yourself before God, knowing that Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection was a work of almighty God? Do you acknowledge that Jesus was truly God in the flesh and that He is coming again?

Tag: Pharisees (Page 2 of 2)

Missing the Point – Mark 2:23-3:6

When to Fast – Mark 2:18-22

Jesus Calls Sinners to Follow Him – Mark 2:13-17

Desperate People Desperately Need Jesus – Mark 2:1-12

The Sign of the Resurrection – Matthew 12:38-42

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