Emory Baptist Church

Mustard Seed Future

Today, we come to the last of Jesus’ parables in Mark 4 and in Mark’s gospel.  Mark only included a relatively few parables compared to Matthew and Luke. 

 

Remember that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, and we are reminded of Jesus’ scope and purpose of His parables found in Mark 4:33-34.  Their ultimate purpose was to reveal or explain the Kingdom of God to those inside the Kingdom. 

 

Parables also served to conceal or confuse the truths of the Kingdom of God to the outsiders, those who willfully, intentionally, and purposefully rejected the Lord Jesus.

 

This morning’s parable is that of the mustard seed. I hate to take for granted that everyone understands the size of mustard seed.  Therefore, take a look at this.

 

Jesus spoke about the mustard seed on three different occasions.  In Matthew 17:14-20, He spoke about mustard seed faith.

 

Matthew 17:14-20, 14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”  17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

 

Jesus spoke about the mustard seed again in Luke 17:3-6.  This time, He spoke of mustard seed forgiveness.

 

Luke 17:3-6, 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”  5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”  6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

 

Here in Mark 4, we are going to look at mustard seed future as it relates to the Kingdom of God.

 

 

Earthly Story

1. The mustard seed, 4:31a
   1. Not the Gospel like it has been in some previous parables
   2. The seed here is the Kingdom of God
      1. Eternal life in heaven
      2. Jesus’ earthly reign when He returns

• But also God’s presence in the life of Believers here and now on earth

1. This seed is the common black mustard seed
   1. Comparable to a fleck of black pepper or a grain of sand
   2. Takes 725-760 black mustard seeds to equal one gram

 

1. Was sown, 4:31b
   1. The black mustard seed was sown in the soil and began to grow
   2. In the same way, the Kingdom of God in Jesus had its own beginnings with His birth in Jerusalem

 

 

1. Smaller than all of the other seeds, 4:31c
   1. Again, the black mustard seed was extremely small.
   2. Jesus said that the black mustard seed was smaller than all the seeds that were upon the soil. It was the smallest seed His audience knew.
   3. He was not giving a lesson in botany
   4. He was not making an absolute statement
   5. He intended to speak comparatively

 

 

1. Even though it was small, it grew and became superior, greater than all herbs 4:32a
   1. When the black mustard seed was planted, it grew to into a shrub or tree that could be measured anywhere between six and fifteen feet tall
   2. Jesus said when it grows it becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large braches that provide shade for the birds of the air

 

 

1. The birds of the air find shade in this tree, 4:32b
   1. Who are the birds of the air?
   2. Even though the birds in previous parables, represent Satan, I think these birds are simply the insiders who find shade and comfort and rest in God’s Kingdom

 

 

Heavenly Meaning(s)

First, as I just said, in God’s Kingdom, in Jesus Christ, you can find shade and comfort and rest.  You don’t have to work any longer for God’s approval when you are in Christ. 

 

Second, bigger isn’t always better.  However, that is how we think.  We think a bigger house is better.  A bigger car is better.  A bigger truck is better.  A bigger church is better, and a bigger budget is better, and a bigger children’s ministry or youth ministry is better.

 

In this parable, smaller is superior. 

 

Third, it isn’t how you start as much as it is how you finish.  The mustard seed started small, but finished large and well. 

 

When these first century hearers heard “kingdom,” they had visions of grandeur in their eyes. 

 

However, let me remind you how Jesus began.

 

Luke 2:1-7, And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.  4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

And don’t forget how Jesus will finish.

 

Revelation 19:10-16, 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  The seed is the kingdom of God, and even though it starts out small, when it is sown on the soil, it grows to be more than we could ever imagine.

 

Therefore, be encouraged brothers and sisters.  Find rest in Jesus Christ, God’s Kingdom in the flesh.  Bigger isn’t always better when smaller is superior, and it isn’t how you start but how you finish. 

 

Can We Believe When We Don't Understand?

This morning we continue to look at the parables of the Lord Jesus at the beginning of Mark’s gospel, and we have seen in recent weeks that parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings.  Jesus used parables to reveal truths about life in the Kingdom of God to those who were insiders and to conceal truths about life in the Kingdom of God to those who had willfully and intentionally rejected Jesus’ calling on their life for salvation.

 

So far, we have heard the parable of the soils and the parable of the lamp and the parable of the measure.  Today, we will see another agrarian parable as Jesus often taught His people using these very familiar stories about farming. 

 

In Mark 4:26-29, I want to show you the parable of the growing seed.  However, let’s add mysterious to that to make it the parable of the mysteriously growing seed and answer this question.  Can you trust what you don’t understand?

 

This parable is again about life in the kingdom of God, and that what Jesus said in verse 26.  Let’s see this parable in three scenes. 

 

 

1.     The Sower Sows, Mark 4:26.

26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground…

 

Again, this parable revealed truths about the kingdom of God, which is not just heaven, but the invisible of here and now.  Jesus has done this previously, and we will see it again next Sunday.  See 4:11, 4:26, and 4:30.

Mark 4:11, 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…

 

Mark 4:26, 26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground…

 

Mark 4:30, 30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

 

In this first verse of the parable, we see the sower or the farmer who faithfully sowed or scatter seed in broadcast form on the ground. 

 

I would say that the sower represents every Christian, every follower of Christ, and the seed is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is the good news of how to be saved, and we should regularly and continuously be sowing and scattering the seed of the gospel.

 

 

2. The Sower Waits, Mark 4:27-28.

27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.

 

After the sower sows, he or she goes about his daily life.  He goes to bed at night.  She gets up in the morning.  He goes to work.  She goes to school. 

 

The something very strange happens.  The seed sprouts and grows.  This happens mysteriously.  The sower doesn’t even know or understand how this happens.

 

Verse 28 says the seed and the soil bring forth growth without any outside force.  The soil produces crop by itself or on its own.  The language of the NT uses the word that gives us automatic.  The crops come up automatically. 

 

The same word is used in Acts 12:10 to describe the gate that opened by itself in releasing Peter from prison.

 

Acts 12:10, 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Let me let you in on something.  God opened the gate in Acts 12, and God makes the seed grow in Mark 4.

 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

 

 

3. The Sower Harvests, Mark 4:29.

29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

 

When the crop ripens or brings forth fruit or is ready, the sower puts in his sickle and harvests the crop.  The phrase “puts in his sickle” is used in John 4:38 to describe reaping a harvest of souls through witnessing.

 

38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

 

 

Conclusions or Heavenly Meaning

As it relates to life in the kingdom of God, obeying is essential.  Witnessing is expected, and trusting is eminent.  By eminent, I mean of the utmost importance. 

 

We are trusting the Lord to sovereignly accomplish His purpose.  We must do our work, and trust God to do His.

 

The sower went about his daily life going to bed at night and getting up each day, and James 5:7-8, tells us to trust God by being patient.

 

James 5:7-8, 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

 

Lamps, Baskets, and Beds

This morning, we continue looking at the parables of the Lord Jesus here at the beginning of Mark, and we will continue to do so for the next three Sunday mornings including today.  Today, we will look at the parable of the lamp and the parable of the measure.  Next week, we will look at the parable of the mysteriously growing seed, and the last Sunday of May, we will look at the parable of the mustard seed.

 

Remember that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, and parables have two purposes.  Their first purpose and ultimate purpose is to reveal truth about the kingdom of God to the insiders or to those who are saved.  Their second purpose is to conceal and confuse and bring judgment on the outsiders or those who willfully, purposefully, and intentionally reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

Today our text is Mark 4:21-25.  There are many who would consider these five verses to be just one parable, the parable of the lamp.  However, I would say there are two parables here.  The first certainly is the parable of the lamp in 4:21-23.  The next is the parable of the measure found in 4:24-25.  I believe these to be two separate parables because of the phrase used in 4:21, “Also He said to them…” and that same phrase used again in 4:24, “Then He said to them…”  This morning we will consider both.

 

I normally don’t take the liberty of looking at verses in a different order than they were written, but I am going to do that today.  I think it will benefit you and me both to consider verses 24-25 first and then verses 21-23.

 

 

25. Accepting the Word is Essential, 4:24-25.

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

 

Here we have the parable of the measure, and Jesus began with the caution to be careful in to what we listen.  Without saying it directly, His encouragement is to listen to the Word.  Listen to the Word of God.

 

Be careful about listening to the thoughts of men.  Be careful about listening to those who are supposedly God’s men, but what they teach isn’t exactly Scripture.

 

The remainder of 4:24 basically says the more an insider listens to the Word and receives it, and distributes it, the more truth about Jesus will be revealed to him and or her.

 

Verse 25 offers even more insight.  Remember, these are insiders that to which Jesus is talking.  They are His disciples.  God will give more understanding to the man or woman who wants more of it. 

 

We have as much of Jesus as we desire.

 

On the other hand, if you have been given a little bit of revelation and understanding and you don’t use it and share it, that little revelation and understanding will be taken away. 

 

That doesn’t mean that anyone has lost his or her salvation.  However, let me ask this.  Who kind of person has terminal cancer and finds out the cure but doesn’t want to share the cure with others in the same condition? 

 

It means don’t expect to get more revelation if you aren’t going to share what you have been given.  Use it or lose it!

 

For some of you here this morning, you are blowing and going in your walk with Jesus.  You are meeting with Him daily.  You are taking in every sermon and every Bible study, and you are then turning around and sharing what you have been given.  You are ministering to those God has given to you.

 

On the other hand, some of you are as stagnate as you can be in your walk with God because you once were given guidance or direction or an assignment from God, and you didn’t do anything, and you are still aren’t doing anything and yet you wonder why things are so dry in your relationship with Christ.  They are dry because you never acted on what you had been given.  Use it or lose it.

 

Remember what Jesus said in John 14:15.

 

John 14:15, 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

 

Accepting the word is essential to salvation and essential to receiving more.

 

 

2. Agreeing to Witness is Expected, 4:21-23.

21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

Notice again, Mark began this parable of the lamp with “Also He said to them…”

Think about this lamp.  It was a lighted wick in a shallow clay bowl full of oil.  It was normally placed on a shelf on the wall.  However, sometimes it was placed in the center of the house on a stand to light the entire home at night if it was a wealthier family.

 

Think about the basket.  It was used to carry flower or grain.  It didn’t have any holes in it.

 

The bed was literally a dining couch.  People reclined on them for eating purposes.

 

Jesus asked His first question in verse 21, and the right answer to the first question is “No.”  A lamp is not brought to be hidden under a basket or under a bed.  To hide it under a basket would put it out.  To hide it under a bed would risk catching the bed on fire.

 

Jesus then asked a second question in verse 21.  Also, the right answer to the second question is “Yes.” 

 

A lamp is brought to be put on the lampstand.  A lamp is brought to shine light.

 

Verse 22 has the heavenly meaning of this second parable.  Nothing is hidden except to be revealed.  Everything that is secret will come to light.  The ultimate purpose of parables is to reveal the kingdom of God to insiders.

 

In verse 23, Jesus summoned the insiders to hear and take it to heart.

 

The first application is that as an insider, you are expected to witness to your saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  It should not be an option.  I would even go so far to say that if a Christian is silent, there must be a question of whether he or she is truly saved.

 

A lamp is not brought to be hidden under a basket or brought to be put under the bed.  It is brought to be put on the lampstand.

 

The great commission is found in every gospel and from the words of Jesus our Lord.

 

Matthew 28:19, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

 

Mark 16:15, 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

 

Luke 24:46-48, 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.

 

John 20:21, 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

 

The second application is that if you are really a Christian, it will be obvious.  Some commentators say the “lamp” in verse 21 is Jesus.  It certainly could be. 

 

If Jesus is the lamp inside of you, there will be no such thing as keeping my faith from my politics.  People should know if you are a Christian president or lawyer or teacher or coach or doctor or small business owner or whatever. 

 

Agreeing to witness is expected.

 

 

Conclusion

First of all, accepting the word is essential.  That begins with accepted the word that Jesus is the only way to peace with the Father.  See Romans 5:1.

 

Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Then, if you are going to grow as a follower of Christ, you must accept and obey the word of God, and then God will give you more and more to accept and obey.

 

Consequently, if you aren’t going to accept and obey what He has already given you, don’t expect Him to give you more when you’re not following what you have.

 

Secondly, agreeing to witness is expected.  If you have accepted the word, it is expected that you will be a witness to the life-changing message of the gospel.  Anything else is unthinkable.

 

 

Good Dirt for Listening Ears

Why Parables?

I want to begin by saying that our text for the morning is a rather difficult text even though it is only three verses.  Therefore, I need you to really pay close attention.  I am not going to be long this morning, and I am going to try to be as simple and plainspoken as I can be.

 

In May, we are going to look at four parables in Mark’s gospel starting next week with the Parable of the Sower or the Soils and the Parable of the Lamp and the Parable of the Growing Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  However, before we get to May and those parables, I want to try and explain what is a parable and explain why Jesus used parables.

 

Therefore, I want to pray for clarity on my part and understanding for you.  Then, I am going to answer five questions that I think you might have regarding this passage.  If you have more or one that I don’t address, talk to me afterward or email it to me.

 

 

Exposition

1. What is a parable? Mark 4:10

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

 

Dr. Jimmy Pritchard has said for years and years that “a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”  Next week, you’re going to hear an earthly story about a farmer sowing seed into various kinds of soils.  These first century hearers would have completely identified with such.

Jesus would use these common stories about everyday objects or activities that His audience would know or recognize, and these earthly stories communicated or illustrated or explained a heavenly or spiritual meaning. 

 

His parables could also be seen as analogies, and His parables often contained similes.  A simile is a comparison using like or as.  In May, you will hear Jesus say, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”  That wording will introduce a parable.

 

In the parable of the sower and the soils, that sower is a symbol.  The seed is a symbol.  The four different types of soil are symbolic.  Jesus evens explained the meaning of that parable, and it has a heavenly meaning. 

 

So again, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. 

 

 

2. What is a mystery and what was the mystery of the kingdom of God? Mark 4:11a

11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…

 

A mystery can be something that will never be explained or understood.  However, in the Bible, it is something that can only be communicated through special revelation.    

 

The mystery of the Kingdom of God here in Mark is not a mystery in the sense that it can’t be understood, but it is a secret that not everyone yet knew.

 

The mystery of the Kingdom of God is that Jesus Christ was and is the Messiah.  He is the Son of God.  He is the Savior of the world.  The Kingdom of God is only accessed through Him. 

 

There are also others mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that are revealed in the New Testament.  First, 1 Corinthians 15:51 says believers will have glorified bodies in heaven. 

 

Second, Ephesians 5:32 says that the relationship between Christ and His Church is a mystery in that Jesus, a Jew, is in an intimate relationship with anyone who would surrender their life to Him including Gentiles. 

 

Third, Colossians 2:2 says the Trinity is a mystery.  God the Father is God, and Jesus Christ, the Son, is God. 

 

Finally, 1 Timothy 3:9 speaks of the mystery of faith.  That is a person can be and is saved by the grace of God through personal faith in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, again, Jesus used and uses parables to reveal mysteries to His disciples.

 

 

3. Who were the insiders? Mark 4:10-11a

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…

 

That is not a word that you find in this verses, but the idea is here.  The insiders were His disciples.  The NASB actually uses the word “followers.”  This was a large group that included the smaller group of the twelve. 

Today, the insiders are those who are saved.  They have received Jesus Christ as their Messiah.  They have understood the mystery of the Kingdom God through recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior.

 

However, being an insider doesn’t mean you never have questions.  Next week, the insiders won’t understand the parable at first, and they will need further explanation.  An insider is one who is willing to ask questions and go to Jesus for the answers and accept His answers in faith.

 

 

4. Who were the outsiders? Mark 4:11b

…but to those who are outside, all things come in parables…

 

In the second part of verse 11, Jesus mentioned “those who are outside.”  Presumably, that is outside the Kingdom of God.  Therefore, an outsider is one who purposefully and diligently rejects the gospel of Christ. 

 

In this context, the scribes who came down from Jerusalem who accused Jesus of being demon-possessed were outsiders.

 

Today, lost people are outsiders, and they don’t understand the ways of God, and they don’t understand what it means to be lost and in need of a savior.  They don’t understand many, if not all, of the things that you I know but take for granted in being saved.

Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.

 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25, 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”  20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 

 

5. What are the purposes of parables? Mark 4:12

12…so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’”

 

In 4:12, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10.  The context is the call of Isaiah.  The Lord let Isaiah know that even though he was called to preach to Israel, many Jews would not listen, and therefore, show that they don’t care.

 

In this verse, Jesus basically said that even though lost people see the gospel and hear the message, they don’t get it.  They don’t understand.  They don’t comprehend because they have rejected the grace of God in their lives.

 

Therefore, the parables of Christ have two purposes.

 

First of all, they reveal more of Christ and His kingdom to those who are saved.  If you are saved, the parables in the four gospels give us phenomenal insight into the mysteries of His kingdom.

 

Secondly, they confuse.  When people see yet choose not to understand or hear and choose not to listen, God uses parables as a kind of judgment on those who are outsiders.  They remain confused until they decide to surrender to Jesus.

 

Just as there are today, there were plenty in the first century who did not follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In other words, they rejected Him and His claims and works.  Therefore, Jesus used parables to conceal or hide truth from them and also to judge them.  He used parables like a door.  You can see through a window and to what is on the other side.  You can’t see through a door.  Their inability to understand was a judgment for their initial unbelief.

 

 

Conclusion

Now, let me close with two applications.  Relating to parables, Jesus said in Matthew 1312 for whoever has, to him more will be given.  However, whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  In short, you have to act on what God has given you or told you. 

 

If you are here today and you have heard they gospel and you a refusing to answer the call to salvation, your time to be saved is drawing to close.  Every day, you get one day closer to the end of your life.  Eventually, God’s chances for you are going to run out.  Call on the name of the Lord today.  Be saved today.  Surrender your life to Jesus today.

 

Another application is for those who have been born again.  When God tells you to do something, if you do it, God will continue to lead you and guide you.  However, if God gives you instruction and guidance and you don’t do it or you reject it, God will eventually stop giving you wisdom and guidance.

 

Allow me to illustrate.  Let’s say a husband is having an affair with his secretary.  He then is given an opportunity to relocate his family to another location of the company for more money but it would mean moving to another state in another part of the country.  If he were to ask God in prayer what he should do, I think God would remind Him to stop the affair first, and wouldn’t give any further guidance until that was obeyed.

 

Let’s say a wife and mother is asking God to protect her and her family from rumors at school and in the community.  However, she is right in the middle of the gospel circle at her Thursday night Bunko Group.  I don’t believe God will answer her prayer for protection until she stops the gossiping that she is doing.

 

My final example is for teenagers.  I think it is futile and a waste of time for teenagers to ask God where to go to college when those same teenagers are sleeping with their boyfriend or girlfriend. 

Act on what God has already told you.  Then after you do that, more understanding and guidance will be given to you.  If you refuse to act on what God has already said, don’t expect God to continue to lead and guide your life.

 

Therefore, parables can do one thing for believers and a completely different thing for lost people.  How will you respond today to God’s Word?

Blood is Thicker than Blood!

For the first time in Mark’s Gospel, we see a writing technique that is often called sandwiching.  Last week, we were introduced to an experience with Jesus and His family.  However, Mark broke away from that experience to tell us about another experience with Jesus and the Scribes. 

 

Today, we return to Jesus and His family. 

 

Have you ever heard the statement, “Blood is thicker than water?”  It is a popular idiom that dates back to 12^th century Germany.  It means that family (blood) relationships are more important, more significant and stronger than relationships with others including friends, team mates, co-workers, etc.  Biological family is blood, and non-family is water.

 

You may have experienced or heard of situations like the following. 

 

“When my best friend and my brother got into a fight, I had to help my brother because blood is thicker than water.”

 

“Friends will come and friends will go, but your family will always be there for you.  Therefore, blood is thicker than water.”

 

However, I would say to this morning and from this text that blood is thicker than blood.  What on earth do I mean?  I mean that the blood of Christ that bonds the church together is thicker, more important, more significant and stronger than the blood that bonds families.

 

I want to share three truths with you this morning from this text in a message entitled, “Blood Is Thicker Than Blood!”

 

 

1. When you choose to follow Christ, family will not always understand, Mark 3:20-21.

20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

 

We looked at these verses two Sundays ago, and Mark kept us in suspense by inserting this additional scene with the scribes coming down from Jerusalem and accusing the Lord Jesus of being demon-possessed.

 

Remember from 3:19 that Jesus returned to Capernaum and specifically to Peter and Andrew’s house.  There were so many people who wanted to see Him and listen to Him and touch Him that He and His disciples didn’t even have time to eat a meal.

 

In 3:21, we see Jesus’ family.  This could be extended family in Capernaum or it could be His immediate family including His mother and His half-brothers.  3:21 tells us that they went to take custody of Him or get Him because they were afraid that He had lost His mind.  Remember, they had heard about all that was going on, but they didn’t understand. 

 

When you choose to follow after Christ, and your life changes and your priorities change, your family members might think you have lost your mind as well.

 

 

Even though I grew up in a Christian home, my life radically changed after my freshman year in college.  For the first time, I found out what it meant to walk with Christ on a daily basis, and from that point forward Jesus affected everything about me.

 

When my high school friends found out that I was going to be a pastor, I had several of them call me and ask me to perform their weddings.  However, I had developed several convictions regarding marriage, and I wasn’t just going to perform any and all weddings.

 

Both parties had to be Christians per 2 Corinthians 6.  Under no circumstances was I going to marry a Christian and a non-Christian, and these were some of my best friends from high school, and my family just couldn’t understand why I would say no.

 

Another requirement that I had was that the two individuals could not be living together before the wedding.  Living together before the wedding is almost always a sure sign of sexual immorality.  I had some family members call me arrogant and judgmental because they didn’t understand the Scriptures.

 

If you have chosen to follow Christ or choose today to follow Christ and your life radically changes like it should, I can promise your family will not always understand your new way of living.

 

They won’t understand the change in language and the change in drinking and the change in money management and the change in morality and the change in friends and the change in recreation preferences.

 

When you choose Christ, family doesn’t always understand.

 

 

2. When you choose to follow Christ, family will sometimes try to take you away or deter you, Mark 3:31-32.

31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” 

 

We saw it first in 3:21 and now again in 3:31-32.  Notice again in verse 21 that the family of Jesus was very specific in their intent.  They went out to take custody of Him or arrest Him.

 

In 3:31 we see that His family consisted of Mary and His brothers.  More than likely, Joseph had died by this time.  Once they had arrived from Nazareth in Capernaum at Peter’s house, they sent word into the crowded house for Jesus.  They had come to take their boy home.

3:32 says the word finally got to Him, “Jesus, your momma is here, and she is looking for you.”  His family wanted to take Him away from this crowd and this ministry.  They didn’t understand, and they wanted to rescue Him and keep Him from being involved anymore.  When you choose Christ, family sometimes tries to take you away or deter you.

 

Growing up, my mom’s side of the family always had their Christmas on Christmas Eve night.  We gathered at my grandmother’s house and ate finger foods and did some small gift exchanges. 

 

When I started seminary and serving on local church staff, the churches that I served had Christmas Eve services.  I always choose to be at my church rather than my grandmother’s because I felt that blood was thicker than blood.  The blood of Christ that unites the church is thicker than the blood that I share with aunts and uncles and cousins.

 

However, my mom’s side of the family could never understand this.  They would always try to get me to come and be with them on Christmas Eve night when I wanted to be with my church.

 

If you choose Christ, be certain that your family just might try to take you away from your church. 

 

On a similar note, there is a movement today that is pro-family, and I hear me say that I am pro-family.  However, I cringe church members say to me, “We aren’t coming to church tonight or on this Sunday because we need to spend time as a family.” 

 

According to Jesus Christ here in Mark 3, your biological family should not come before your church family.  Blood is thicker than blood, and when you take your family out of church to spend time together alone, I believe you are doing that which is contrary to the Word of God.  If you want to spend time together as family, there is no better place than the church of Jesus Christ.

 

 

3. When you choose to follow Christ, family is redefined, Mark 3:33-35.

33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

In 3:33, Jesus asked a rhetorical question?  The answer seemed obvious to this Jewish crowd.  Of course, Mary was His mother and her sons were His brothers.

 

However, in 3:34, He looked at those gathered all around Him, and Matthew even tells us that He motioned to them with His hand.  He said these gathered here are My mother and brothers. 

 

Who was He talking about?  He was talking about the twelve disciples or apostles in verse 34, and then He broadened it in 3:35.  Whoever does the will of God is Jesus’ brother and sister and mother.

 

Jesus is not anti-family.  He loves His family.  On the cross, He was so concerned about Mary’s future after He was gone that He entrusted her to John.  Jesus can’t be anti-family because God is not anti-family.  God instituted the family in Genesis 1.  God is the founder of the family.  Jesus is not anti-family.

 

At the same time, Jesus is pro-church.  I am not necessarily talking about these four walls.  I am talking about these people.  Jesus is pro-church.  You are the church.  Jesus is saying that the church and your relationships here are more important, more significant and stronger than your biological family.

 

This truth if very difficult for some of you to swallow because you love your family so much, and I love mine, but the church, those who do the will of God, come before my biological family.

 

Let me take you to another difficult text but one with a similar meaning.  See Matthew 10:34-39. 

 

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

 

Jesus calls for a greater commitment to Him and His church than our own biological family.

 

Conclusion

Emory Baptist Church is a family church.  We have some tight families, and we have some large families. 

 

Jesus is pro-family, but before He is pro-family, He is pro-church.  Where does your allegiance fall?  The blood of the church should be thicker than the blood of your family.

 

 

Invitation

First, if your relationship with your biological family is not good, EBC is your family and here for you.

 

Second, if you idolize your biological family, I challenge you today to lay that idol down and worship Jesus only and serve His bride.

 

Finally, if you have no family at all, God invites you to be one of His children and into His family by receiving His Son, Jesus, as Lord and Savior of your life. 

 

 

The Worst Sin of All...

Christians have always classified some sins as worse than others.  Examples include: adultery; divorce; sexual immorality; homosexuality; murder or multiple murders; suicide.

 

However, an honest and comprehensive study of the NT reveals that no one sin is worse than any other sin in the eyes of God.  Certain sins may have greater earthly consequences, but God sees every sin as a complete abomination, yet all forgivable…except one. 

 

It has been called “the unforgivable sin” or “the unpardonable sin.”  What is IT?  Is it divorce?  Is it homosexuality?  Is it suicide?  All of these are sins with incredible earthly consequences, but the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is described in today’s text as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

 

But before we get there, let’s look at these verses leading up to verses 28-30.

 

 

Introduction cont.

We have left the twelve apostles.  Remember that when Jesus called the twelve apostles that he called them on a mountaintop.  He has now come down from the mountaintop, and we move into the next scene here in Mark 3:20.

 

 

Mark 3:20-21

20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

 

Jesus had come home.  He came down from the mountain, and He made his home in Capernaum at Peter and Andrew’s house.  Mark says that a crowd gathered again.  Jesus normally attracted crowds, but this time, the crowd was so frenzied, so hostile, so contrary, that Jesus and his disciples couldn’t even eat or rest or get away from the assembly because they were completely involved in in ministering to them. 

 

In verse 21, Jesus’ family heard that He was back in town.  This was His mother and His brothers.  We will talk more about them next week as we look at verses 31-35, but they heard He was back in town, and they heard about all the people who were coming to Him, and they heard all about those who were healed and those who had been healed of demon possession.

 

They came to take their boy home.  They came to rescue Him.  Surely He wasn’t in His right mind doing all these strange things.  Perhaps they even thought He was damaging their family’s reputation. 

 

 

3:22-27

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”  23 So He called them to Himself 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 cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

 

The scribes or teachers of the Law came down from Jerusalem and made two crazy accusations.

 

First, they accused Him of being possessed by Beelzebul.  The scribes and teachers of the Law were using this term to refer to Satan.  They were accusing Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul or Satan.

 

Their second crazy accusation was that He was casting out demons by the ruler of the demons.  They had heard about Jesus exorcising demons from at least one man back in Mark 1.  They even may have been present.

 

But they were attributing Jesus’ power to cast out demons to Satan.  The demons listened to Jesus because Jesus was the mouthpiece or possessed by Beelzebul or Satan himself.

 

Jesus then called all of the scribes together and asked them a very pointed and interesting question.  How can Satan cast out Satan?  He can’t.  Their accusations were silly, dumb, illogical, crazy.

 

He then explained his reasoning with a concise analogy in three parts.

 

First, a kingdom or nation divided against itself cannot stand.  We see this all around the world with civil wars.  On some occasions, it has seemed like we were close to that in our country like we did in the late 1800’s.  It is probably more accurate on some occasions to say, “The Divided States of America.”

 

Second, a house divided against itself cannot stand.  We see this often with families who have been fractured and split over fights and disagreements.  We see this most clearly in marital relationships.  A husband and wife who are divided cannot stand together and end up divorcing.

 

Jesus got to the heart of the matter in 3:26. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is finished.  If Jesus is possessed by Satan and is casting out demons, Satan’s agenda and plans and work will not stand.

 

However, we know that Satan’s agenda and plans and work do go on.  Therefore, Jesus is absolutely, positively not possessed by Satan.

 

Jesus finally set the record straight in 3:27, but it will require some explanation.  The strong man is Satan.  His house is his kingdom or domain.  His property is his demons and those he possesses.

 

Satan cannot be overtaken except by someone who is stronger, one who can bind him.  That is only the Lord Jesus.  The Lord Jesus will then set free all who belong to Satan and take them for Himself.

 

Let me translate.  Jesus was not and is not possessed by Satan.  Jesus and His work and His mission and His kingdom stand diametrically opposed to Satan and everything Satan stands for: sexual immorality; idolatry; adultery; homosexuality; stealing; coveting; drunkenness; strife; jealousy; anger.

 

 

1. When speaking of sin and forgiveness, Jesus speaks comprehensively, 3:28.

28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”

 

1. Jesus begins verse 28 with a change in tone.
   1. He moves from calm explanation to a stern warning.
   2. The phrase “Truly I say to you” is one that means listen up. It is used 13 times in Mark’s gospel.
   3. What He is about to say is the absolute truth, and you need to hear it.
2. You then see and hear Him speaking comprehensively regarding sin and forgiveness.
   1. All sins shall be forgiven (See Psalm 103:8-13; Isaiah 1:18; Acts 10:43; Ephesians 4:32).
      1. Quality is no matter.
      2. Quantity is no matter.
   2. All blasphemies shall be forgiven.
      1. Speaking ill of someone.
      2. Intentional irreverence for God (See 1 Timothy 1:12-14).
   3. God will forgive you just like He has forgiven others.
      1. Noah of drunkenness;
      2. Abraham of lying;

• Moses of murder;

1. David of adultery and murder;
2. Jonah of running from God;
3. Peter of denying Christ;

• Paul of persecuting the church.

 

2. When speaking of sin and forgiveness, Jesus speaks about conditions, 3:29.

29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”

 

1. According to 3:29, God’s forgiveness of sins seems to have one condition.
2. God offers forgiveness for all sins except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
   1. What does the word mean?
      1. Speak reproachfully;
      2. To Rail at;

• Revile;

1. Malicious Misrepresentation.

1. What is it not?
   1. It is not cursing the Holy Spirit.
   2. It is not taking the Lord’s name in vain.

• It is not adultery or sexual perversion or divorce or suicide.

1. What is it?
   1. It is an attitude of defiant hostility toward God that rejects His saving power toward man, expressed in the Spirit-filled person and work of Jesus.
   2. It is one’s preference for darkness even though he has been exposed to the light.

• It is determined rebellion against God.

1. It is calling evil good and darkness light.
2. It is attributing the work of God to Satan himself.
3. It is the continual rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit in your life calling on you for salvation.

 

3. When speaking of sin and forgiveness, Jesus speaks of continuity, 3:30.

30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

30. The key to understanding what the unpardonable sin is lies here in verse 30.
31. Notice Mark’s Holy Spirit inspired commentary.
    1. He wrote, “because they were saying…”
       1. This is not a one time act.
       2. This is an on-going or continuous attitude.
    2. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit doesn’t just happen once. It happens again and again and again.  Remember Peter denied Christ three times, but ultimately returned stronger than ever.

 

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, there are those here this morning with the following questions?

1. Can this sin be committed today?
2. Have you ever committed this sin? Probably not, but maybe.
3. What is the consequence of this sin? Eternal punishment in hell or eternal damnation.  It is physical and spiritual separation from God.  However, remember that no sin is unpardonable or unforgivable as long as you have breath.

Plan A is the B Team!

The Oxymoron of All Oxymoron's...

In the recent Sunday’s we have seen five acts of Jesus that caused Him to be at odds and in conflict with the Jewish Religious Leaders of His day.

 

First, Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sins, and the scribes and Pharisees accused him of blasphemy, which was punishable by death.

 

Second, Jesus called Matthew to be one of his disciples and then joined the party in his home with the scum of Capernaum.

 

Third, Jesus and His disciples didn’t fast when the Pharisees and their disciples fasted.

 

Fourth, Jesus and His disciples picked grain on the Sabbath to eat because they were hungry and were accused of breaking the laws of the Sabbath.

 

Fifth, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath restoring his withered hand.

 

I start with these acts to set the stage for this text’s oxymoron of all oxymoron’s.  What is an oxymoron?  It is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms are used together.  Here are some examples: jumbo shrimp, civil war, and only choice. 

 

Believe it or not, the Bible contains oxymoronic ideas or thinking.  For example, does salvation include grace or works?  Yes.  Are you saved by predestination or man’s choice?  Yes. 

 

However, the oxymoron of all oxymoron’s is this.  Was Jesus a man or God?  Yes.  He was fully man and fully God.  He was the God-man.  God and man are contradictory and mutually exclusive terms that come together in Jesus.

 

The main purpose of today’s text is to summarize Jesus earthly ministry up until now in Mark’s gospel.  However, the truth of Him being fully God and fully man also has great application for us this morning.

 

 

1. The Charisma of Jesus, Mark 3:7-8

7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.

 

Remember that we ended last week in Mark 3:6 with the Pharisees, the Jewish Religious Leaders of the day, plotting to end Jesus’ life.  Consequently, He withdrew with His disciples from Capernaum and to the Sea of Galilee.

 

However, they were not alone.  On two occasions in these two verses, you will see the phrase “great multitude.”  This could have been thousands of people that were informally drawn to people because of Jesus charisma.  In many respects, Jesus had a very winsome personality, and people were drawn to Him. 

 

Notice also the vast regions of people that followed Jesus.  They were from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan.  They were also from Tyre and Sidon. 

 

In other words, people from south of Galilee and from north of Galilee followed Jesus. Again, this is informally.  They weren’t following Jesus because they had surrendered their lives to Him.  They were following Him because of His Charisma, but also because of His curing.

 

 

2. The Curing of Jesus, Mark 3:9-10

9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.

 

When I say the curing of Jesus, do I mean that Jesus sick and was cured?  No, Jesus was the one who did the curing or healing.

 

However, notice this unique fact that only Mark includes and not Matthew or Jesus.  The multitudes were so big and so volatile that Jesus lined up a “get a away car” for lack of a better term. 

 

This people didn’t just want to hear Jesus, they wanted to touch Jesus, and there was the possibility of crushing Him.  That is what verse nine says.  Therefore, Jesus told His disciples to keep a boat ready so that He could get away if the situation got out of control, and it would have been really easy for Peter or Andrew or James or John to do just that. 

 

Verse ten says that He healed many.  Again, the great multitude of people weren’t just wanting to hear from Jesus, they wanted to touch Him, and Matthew 12:15 tells us that Jesus healed them all.

 

Matthew 12:15, 15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

 

 

3. The Concern of Jesus, Mark 3:11-12

11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

 

Not only included in the multitudes were sick individuals, but there was also satanic individuals or the demon possessed.  Verse eleven says the unclean spirits fell down at Jesus’ feet and cried out who Jesus was, and they were right.

 

However, notice Jesus’ response in verse 12.  He warned them that they should not make Him known.  Why not?

 

There are several possibilities.   First, He didn’t want to invite more opposition.  People were already out to murder Him.  Second, He never had a desire to be a rock star or a three-ring circus.  He wanted to save lives.  He wanted to heal hurts. He wasn’t looking for fame.

 

However, the most likely reason for Jesus’ actions is that the timing wasn’t right.  Jesus lived His life on His Father’s time table, and He was always aware of it.   See John 7:6.

 

John 7:6, 6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come.”

 

 

Conclusion and Applications

As we started this morning, you need to know without a shadow of doubt regardless of what you mind may tell, Jesus is both God and man.

 

He is fully man.  We know that from this text because He felt the pressures of people, a lot of people.  He also felt the pressure to perform. 

 

And so do we.  We go and go and go and go.  We feel the pressures of family and work and friends and school and teams.  We feel the pressure to perform.  We live in this glass bowl world of social media, and we feel the pressure to be the next internet sensation whatever that may mean. 

 

But what did Jesus do?  He had a plan to get away, and Luke 6:12 is very revealing. 

 

Luke 6:12, 12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

 

This text is Luke’s version of what Jesus did after feeling the pressure of the Pharisees. 

 

Brother and Sisters, when the going gets tough, take time to step away and commune with God.  Jesus knows your pressures and has felt similar pressures and offers for us a great picture.  Be willing to step away and rest and commune with God.

 

Not only was Jesus fully man, but He was fully God.  The demons knew that.  Their statement was right, and it is only through Jesus that you can be at peace this morning with God.  See Romans 5:1.

 

Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Can You Do That on the Sabbath?

Legalism

• Let me begin this morning by reminding you of what legalism is and of the kinds of legalism. Legalism is a belief system or mindset that has application in both salvation and sanctification. 
• There was a legalism of Acts 15 regarding salvation that said for a person to be saved, he need not only to know Christ as Lord and Savior but also to be circumcised. That is legalism.  When you add anything to the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is legalism.  Jesus doesn’t need any help in saving anyone.  Therefore, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus plus nothing saves…not circumcision, not baptism, not church membership.
• Another type of legalism is regarding sanctification. Sanctification is the process of being made holy like Jesus.  In our not so distant past, many Baptists were guilty of legalism when we said that a Christian who danced or played cards was sinning and not holy.  This same legalism also said a good Christian woman should not wear make-up or pants.  It was sinful.  That is legalism.  The same legalism says that the only acceptable Bible translation is the KJV.  That is legalism. 
• The reason this is legalism is evil is because it puts man’s preferences on the same authority level as Scripture. It adds to Scripture. 
• Last week, I asked Chris if anyone had said anything to him about not wearing a tie on Sunday mornings. He said, “No.”  I was so thankful to hear that because to question his ability to lead worship because he doesn’t wear a tie is legalism and should have no part at EBC.
• This morning in Mark 2 and 3, we find Jesus encountering some legalists, and this legalism relates to sanctification and the issue of the Sabbath.

 

Sabbath

• Remember what the Sabbath is. It literally means to cease from activity.  It means to rest.
• In the OT, the Sabbath was sundown Friday night until sundown on Saturday night. However, remember that in the NT, Paul told the Colossian Church not to be legalistic in when you observe your Sabbath as long as you do observe it.  See Colossians 2:16.
• Colossians 2:16, 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths.
• The Sabbath was created by God in Genesis 2:1-3 and was created for our benefit. The Sabbath was created for us.  We were not created for the Sabbath.
• Genesis 2:1-3, Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
• In Exodus 20:8-11, God gave Israel a command to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Consequently, there are also passages of Scriptures in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy that tell us what to do and not to on the Sabbath.
• 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 the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
• However, the Pharisees added to this list and put their interpretation of the Law on the same authority level as the Law itself.
• The primary prohibition regarding the Sabbath was not to work but to rest. See Exodus 23:12, Exodus 31:12-17, and Exodus 35:1-3.
• Exodus 23:12, 12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
• Exodus 31:12-17, 12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
• Exodus 35:1-3, Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, “These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: 2 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

 

 

Scene 1: Involves Meeting Necessity on the Sabbath, Mark 2:23-28.

 

In this first scene, Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath, and because they were hungry, they picked some grain and ate it.  Mark doesn’t include that fact, but Matthew did in 12:1.

The necessity here was hunger.  The disciples were hungry so they ate.  However, when the Pharisees saw this, they interpreted this as work.  This would be no different than picking up a pecan and shelling it and eating it.  Because the Pharisees saw this as work, they indicted Jesus and His disciples as violating the Sabbath by working.

 

Exodus 34:21 said this activity was illegal.

 

Exodus 34:21, 21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

 

However, the Pharisees seem to have forgotten about Deuteronomy 23:25.

 

Deuteronomy 23:25, 25 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.

 

To justify His actions, Jesus took the Pharisees back to the Scriptures and referenced an event with David and his men.  This took place in 1 Samuel 21:1-6.  They were fleeing from King Saul.  While close to the temple, they were hungry, but the only thing to eat was showbread reserved for the priest.  However, the priest gave the bread to David and his men and didn’t condemn them.

 

1 Samuel 21:1-6, Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”  2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. 3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”  4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”  5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”  6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

 

The first scene ends with a summary statement in verses 27 and 28 that struck at the heart of the Pharisees’ legalism.  Jesus said the Sabbath was made for rest.  It was not made so as to keep 1000 different nit-picking rules. 

 

Furthermore, the Son of Man, another name for the Messiah, is the one that can decide what is acceptable and not acceptable for the Sabbath.  Therefore, what was Jesus doing?  Who was He saying was the Son of Man?

 

 

Scene 2: Involves Ministering Mercy on the Sabbath, Mark 3:1-6.

 

Scene 2 also happened on the Sabbath and in the synagogue.  Verse 1 says there was a man with a withered hand.  This wasn’t a life-threatening situation, but it was a man in need.  He was a man who needed mercy.

 

Verse 2 says they watched Him closely.  Who was they?  It was the Pharisees.  Here is how you can know if you’re a legalist…if you are watching others closely to see if they mess up rather than making sure you’re not messing up.  Notice they were trying to accuse Him or trap Him. 

 

As He often did, Jesus answered the question they were thinking with a question of his own.  Verse 4 says, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”

 

They didn’t answer, and their silence made Jesus mad because their silence indicated their hardness of heart.  They were neglecting the spirit of the entire Law which was to love your neighbor as yourself. 

 

Jesus believed it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and in verse 5, He did just that by restoring this man’s hand.  He was healed. 

 

 

Conclusions

1. Jesus is God. He is the Son of the Man, the promised Messiah, as He said in verse 28, and He performed an act of God in verse 5.  Mark was intentional in following up Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and get rest with these Sabbath controversies.  You will never have ultimate rest in this life apart from a personal relationship with Jesus, God’s Son.  Will you come to Him today?
2. Legalism is of the devil. The reason I say it is of the devil is because it adds to God’s Word.  Whether you are requiring more than faith in Jesus to be saved or requiring more than what the Bible says to be sanctified, that is legalism.  You can have preferences.  Everyone does, but don’t put your preferences for appearance or music or anything else on the same authority level as Scripture. 
3. The Sabbath is for your good. Learn to rest workaholic husbands and dads.  Learn to rest busybody wives and moms.  How arrogant are you to think the world can’t continue to turn without you for one day!  God made the Sabbath for your good.  Don’t think you know better than God.  And, if you don’t rest, when God tells you to rest, He may cause you to rest by allowing your health to deteriorate so that you cannot work.