Following The One True Christ

Matt Horine

Mark • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Introduction

Well this year, my son Maddox and I have embarked on the journey through J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic book, “The Lord of the Rings.” As best as we can, each night we’re reading through just a bit more of the story together. We don’t get to it every night but our hope is to get through as much of the story this year, if not all of it by the end of the year.

Now, I’m assuming even if you haven’t read the book yourself you know at least a little bit of the premise of the story. It’s a story of good vs. evil but it’s the story of an unlikely hero, a little Hobbit named Frodo.

So, in the prologue of the book you first read of these Hobbit characters and there’s nothing about them that’s appealing. They’re small creatures that like to live in their own communities away from others. They’re not an adventurous group. They generally like to keep to themselves in the peace and comfort of their homes and community.

And yet, it’s Frodo who embarks upon this epic journey facing adventure after adventure, risking his own life to save the day from evil which was seeking to destroy or enslave everything and everyone.

What’s fascinating about the story is the unlikeliness of the hero.

As we’re wrapping up Mark chapter 12 this morning, this chapter ends with a peculiar story of a poor widow putting in a couple small coins, which barely equates to a penny into the offering box.

Why does Mark include this story in his gospel and why does Jesus make such a big deal over what this woman had done?

Now, I’m not saying this widow is the hero of the story, obviously, Jesus is the hero of the story but as we get to it, I do want us to see what Mark sees and what Jesus sees in this unlikely character that is deserving of being pointed out as what it means to truly follow Christ.

And her life is going to be contrasted against the lives of these religious leaders that Jesus has been sparring with throughout the entire chapter and in the end Jesus is going to point to her, a woman who nobody was noticing in the temple and say, this is what it means to follow me. This is true devotion. And it’s seen in a most unlikely person.

Problem

What we’re going to have to wrestle through this morning and what we’re going to have to come to grips with is understanding that what we often equate godliness with is not actually what Jesus is after in us and the things we want to hold tight to are the very things Jesus is coming after in us.

Which means, to truly follow the one true Christ; to truly be a disciple of Jesus is going to be a work of the Holy Spirit within us drawing us to him and empowering us to let go of the things of this world.

And at the same time we need to Spirit of God to illuminate God’s Word which clearly reveals to us who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus, the true Messiah, the King of kings, Lord of lords, God made flesh.

This really is a pivotal moment here in Mark’s gospel where we really need to examine our lives to see if we are truly following the one true Christ and not on your terms but on his.

And so, let’s pause for a moment and ask God to do what only he can do.

Prayer

Main Aim

Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him?

If I were to boil today’s text down to a single question, that’s what it is.

It’s a simple question with a fairly straightforward answer that is, a part from God’s grace and Spirit, impossible to live out.

Man-centered religion is easy to live out in the flesh. But Jesus isn’t after man-centered religion, in fact he calls it out and torches it ferociously. Following Jesus as Jesus calls us to follow him is only possible by God’s grace and power. And we’re going to see that reality come to life here in Mark 12.

Body

So, let’s dive in. This unit of Scripture is really divided up nicely for us into three sections.

The first section we see in verses 35-37 call us to recognize the one true King.

The second section is in verses 38-40. Here we are called to recognize false, man-centered religion.

The final section is found in verses 41-44 with the story of the poor widow. And it’s here that we’re called to recognize, what James would say in his letter, pure and undefiled religion.

So, the text is moving us toward this story of the poor widow, which explains what it means to follow the one true Christ but to get there we need to first recognize Jesus as the Christ, as the King, as Lord.

All religion and belief center around something or someone. And so, what that means is, your life revolves around something or someone. Even if you’re here this morning and would say, I’m not religious, I’m anti-religion, something or someone, a central belief in something still drives your life. It drives your decision-making, it drives your thought-process, it drives and forms who you are and how you live.

And so, Jesus, after spending a significant amount of time in the temple sparring with the religious leaders, answering all their questions, that’s been all of chapter 12 is now going to ask them a question that’s going to cause them to either accept him, and see him as King, as Christ, as Lord and therefore center their lives around him or cause them to reject him and reveal that they are not actually interested in submitting to God but instead want to center their lives around themselves and their man-made religion.

In verse 35 we see this last interaction Jesus will have with the religious leaders before he is arrested and executed on the cross. In a way this is a final call to these religious leaders to repent and turn to him as Lord but as we’ll see, they reject him.

And so, Jesus in this final engagement with the Scribes poses this question.

Verse 35.

Mark 12:35–37

“How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?”

Jesus is quoting Psalm 110, a psalm of David. It says,

Psalm 110:1

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

If we’re going to move toward the climax of this Scriptural unit which is found in the story of the poor widow centering her life around the supremacy of God, then we need to first,

Recognize the one true King.

Which is what Jesus is attempting to get the religious leaders and the crowd listening to him to do.

Jesus is speaking here to the Jewish people and to the Jewish religious leaders who all believed one thing, that a Messiah was coming, from the line of king David who would make things right again within Israel. And so, they believed this Messiah was going to overthrow Rome and establish an earthly kingdom again where Israel would once again reign and rule.

And so, like I said, they believed, because the Scriptures spoke of this, that this Messiah would come from the line of David. Therefore, this Messiah would be a son of David. You with me?

Jesus says then, quoting Psalm 110, which was written by David, how can this Messiah be David’s son, but David looks at this Messianic figure and calls him “My Lord.”?

Right, look at Psalm 110 again, “The LORD (God, Yahweh) says to my Lord (my master, the one who rules over me): Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool (meaning, this Messiah who is to come will reign and conquer).

Jesus isn’t denying that the Messiah would come from David’s line. Scripture is clear that he would come from David. What Jesus is doing is trying to get the religious leaders to see that this Messiah was not a mere mortal come to set up some earthly kingdom over earthly enemies who provides just some temporary political liberation but that the Messiah was someone different, whose kingdom is not of this world, whose mission is to conquer sin and death, not Rome.

That the only way he can be both David’s son (from David’s line) but also referred to from David as “Lord” is if this Messiah is also God’s Son. Meaning he is both fully God and fully man.

Jesus is once again saying to these religious people, you’re centering your life around a misunderstood Messiah. You want an earthly ruler to fix your temporary problems. But I’m not just an earthly ruler, I’m not just a human figure come to make your life more comfortable, I’m a divine figure, I’m God’s son come to conquer the enemies of the entire human race. I’ve come to destroy the power of sin and death and evil for every race, every nation, every tribe, every language. I’m the King, the Lord of all people.

In a way he’s saying to these deeply religious leaders, you can’t control me or manipulate me. I’m beyond human comprehension. You’ve seen what I’ve done. I’ve healed, I’ve cast out demons, I’ve raised people from the dead, I’ve calmed storms. You’ve heard what I’ve taught, you’ve tried to trip me up only to go away with your tales between your legs. You see who I am, and Scripture points and affirms who I am.

Now, you need to recognize that I am the one true King. I am the Christ. I am David’s Lord.

Do you see Jesus for who he really is? Do you recognize that he is the one true King?

The acknowledgement of that reality is simple to state but does your life reflect that you believe this to be in fact true?

And so, the question becomes, how do we identify whether or not you truly believe this?

Well, let’s keep going in the text. Verse 38.

Mark 12:38–40

And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

It’s here that Jesus most likely turns to the large crowd gathered around him and in front of the Scribes says to everyone, “Beware of these guys.”

Recognize false, man-centered religion.

Man-centered religion, I know this is shocking, centers around man. It’s about us. It’s about what we can get, about what we receive, it’s about status and power and control over others.

Remember the text from last week. The Scribe wanted to know what the greatest commandment was. Basically, he was asking, what’s the minimum requirement I need to do to get to heaven?

False religion is easy to spot because it is man-centered. Jesus gives us five ways to identify false religion.

Number one: false religion craves recognition.

The Scribes loved to walk around in “long robes” Jesus says. Meaning they loved to wear their full-length prayer shawls everywhere they went so people would recognize their devotion to God. They weren’t interested in pointing people to the beauty and worth of God, remember from last week, it wasn’t love for God the motivated them, but instead they were driven by a desire to be noticed and seen as more pious than everyone else.

Number two: false religion demands acknowledgment.

Jesus goes on saying the Scribes “liked greetings in the marketplaces.” Man-centered religion wants others to acknowledge their status, their significance and importance. When they walk into a room, they want everyone to notice them and for there to a be a hush that comes over the crowd because of their entrance.

Number three: false religion expects honor.

The Scribes wanted the best seats when they entered the synagogues and when they went to feasts they expected to be seated in places of honor, near the host that would clearly recognize their importance. They had to be first in everything and to not be was an insult to their status and reputation.

Number four: false religion takes advantage of others.

Jesus said these leaders “devour widows’ houses.” In this culture Scribes were forbidden from taking any money for their work. Instead, they lived off the support and kindness of others.

Support wasn’t difficult for them to get because to support a religious leader was a noble thing but the most easy targets for these Scribes were those with limited means. Those who had little they would go after because they would assure them of God’s blessing if they supported them.

And so, Jesus said these Scribes abuse and take advantage of the poor so that their pockets would be lined. False religion doesn’t really care about others, only about self.

How many religious leaders today go on tv wearing their thousand dollar suits with gold cufflinks flying around on private jets and asking people for more money promising that the more they give the more God will bless them. It’s evil. It’s false religion, it’s abuse and as Jesus says, “They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Number five: false religion is devoid of any depth.

The Scribes loved long-winded prayers but they were empty and their actual lives revealed nothing of depth and truth. False religions are good at speaking charismatically and passionately and energetically but when you examine the words themselves, there’s nothing there of any substance.

Jesus is more interested in us fumbling through our prayers with humility and love than speaking eloquently and majestically to impress others.

These religious leaders were not after Jesus. They were not looking to submit to him as Lord and King of their lives. They wanted to remain in control. Their religion was way more appealing to them because it garnered them attention from others. Everyone else had to submit to them they didn’t have to submit to anyone or sacrifice anything.

But, if you’ve been with us through this journey of Mark’s gospel we see that Jesus is desirous of our pursuit of him. That to follow Jesus means laying down your life, dying to yourself, putting others first and then finding joy for your soul.

And so, it’s here as Jesus looks at everyone in the temple just going through the routine of temple sacrifice and giving that he notices an unlikely character who gets it. Who understands the worth and beauty of God and what it means to follow him.

Look at verse 41.

Mark 12:41–44

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

It’s here that Jesus pulls his disciples aside, a group of guys who missed the mark quite a lot in what it means to truly follow Jesus. A group of guys who often wanted to look more like the religious leaders than this poor widow, a group of guys who often craved recognition, craved acknowledgment, who wanted to be first. Jesus had spent much time teaching them but it’s here that he shows them an example from an unlikely source.

And it’s here that he calls on them to,

Recognize pure and undefiled religion.

In James’ letter we see something similar. James says,

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James, Jesus’ half brother says true, pure, and undefiled religion is one that is empty of self and filled with love for God and neighbor. Just like we saw last week in Mark.

Remember that false religion is all about self. If my heart is consumed with self, I have no room for the poor, their needs, their hurts. It’s about me. My needs, my wants, my desires. But to be a person who cares for the needs of others, to serve them and put them ahead of yourself means that your heart is full of love for God and love for neighbor. It’s not about me, it’s about God.

And so, he sees this poor widow across the way come to the offering box who gives all that she had, which wasn’t a lot, barely a penny, and Jesus says, “You guys! Right there. That’s what I’m talking about.”

If you’re going to follow me, I want everything you have. Your whole person. Your whole life. He says, this poor widow put in everything. This isn’t necessarily a text on giving but he uses the example of our giving to show what it means to truly follow him.

He draws a comparison between the rich and the poor. The rich typically give our of our margins. Meaning, once we take care of all the things we want to take care of in our lives first so that we continue to remain cozy and comfortable, then we give what remains. So, there’s no real pain, no real sacrifice, no real cost.

We don’t take any less vacations, go out to eat any less, nothing that really interferes or impacts our day to day lives. We continue on but pat ourselves on the back because we did give but nothing that would really deeply impact or affect us. This is what Jesus means when he says the rich give out of their abundance.

But this poor widow gave out of her poverty. She gave everything. As one author states, “She was giving up what little control she had of her life. When the rest of us give, we only give what we can afford to give without losing any control over anything.”

This isn’t about what you give or don’t give monetarily to the Lord. This is about your heart and whether or not your heart is filled with Christ as Lord or filled with you on the throne.

The religious person wants to retain control over their lives. This widow was giving all of her life to God. She gave it all away. You know why Jesus so identified with this poor widow? It was because he himself became poor. On the cross Jesus was devoured, Jesus was abused. Jesus became weak.

Jesus gave up control for us so that through faith in him and him alone, the one true Christ, the King, the Lord of lords, would receive acceptance and salvation. Man-centered religion seeks acceptance from others, Jesus calls us to find acceptance in him. Because Jesus is accepted by God, we are as well.

Conclusion

The question before you this morning then is, are you following the one true Christ or are you following self? Your life will reflect one of these two characters in the text today. Either your life resembles the life of the Scribes or your life resembles the life of this poor widow.

I stumbled across this story this past week that I think beautifully illustrates what it means to trust Christ, to follow Christ with all your life.

It’s the story of a man named, Blondin, a famous tightrope walked from the mid 1850’s.

The story goes that in 1859 he stretched a rope across Niagara Falls and walked across it. Nearly ten thousand people showed up to watch. They were very excited by the crowd size so, he and his manager, Harry, said, “Let’s promise them a stunt and do it again next week.” So Blondin said, “Next week, come back, and I’ll do a stunt.”

The next week the crowd was bigger, and he went across and did a stunt. Then, he said, “Next week, I’ll even do a bigger stunt.” Then, the next week there was an even bigger crowd.

The stunts he did were crazy! One week, he went across blindfolded. One week, he bicycled across. One week, he put a stove in a wheelbarrow, and he took it out to the middle, made himself an omelet, ate it, and then walked back. One time, he stood on his head. One time, he did somersaults.

Toward the end of the summer he was running out of stunts. So, he had the idea, “I have to do something to get the biggest crowd of all,” and so he came up with the idea to carry a man across on his back. Of course, that means there’ll be two lives at stake; but it’ll be really exciting.”

So they announced it. “Blondin’s going to carry a man across Niagara Falls on his back.” It drew the biggest crowd (nearly 100,000 people), but first they had to find somebody who was willing to do it. So they advertised in the paper, and said, “One thousand dollars to any man who is willing to come and be recruited to go across.”

A lot of people showed up for the recruitment trial. After whittling it down, they had a whole bunch of people that they thought would work, so they took them to the edge of the falls, and Blondin went out to show he could do it. He went out on the rope and he carried a 200 pound sack. He did his somersaults. He made himself steaks.

He did everything. He proved there was absolutely no problem with accomplishing this feat. So, he came back, and he went down the line. Every one, he asked this question, “Do you believe without a doubt that I can carry you across?” One after the other, everyone said, “Absolutely, no doubts.” Then, he went down the line and asked, “Will you let me carry you across on the rope?” One after another, said, “Not on your life.”

Every one of them said no. Nobody, when standing at the edge of the falls would do it; they all left.

One author says it this way, “Our problem is not just the intellectual. Our problem is are we willing to give our life? Which is what Jesus requires. Not just us knowing things about him, but giving him our lives.

Blondin turned to his manager, and said, “Harry, it’s going to have to be you. Everybody is showing up. We have to do it.”

Harry was terrified, but he did it. Halfway across that day, carrying his manager, they began to sway. Whenever he would sway, Harry would start to sway back and try to counterbalance which would cause them to sway even more.

Blondin yelled to his partner, and said, “Harry, until I clear this place, you must become part of me … mind, body, and soul. If I sway, you must rest in me completely and sway completely with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we shall both go down to our death.”

Blondin said, “If you try to save yourself, you’ll die. If you try to save yourself at all, you will lose yourself. You have to rest in me completely, trust in me completely.”

Jesus says the same thing. That’s what it means to follow the one true Christ.

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