The Gospel of Mark Part 23
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I put the subtitle for this week’s lesson in quotes for a reason.
This question and others like it are often used even in modern times to try to refute the possibility that Jesus was indeed God.
Here are some quotes from atheists:
“I am sorry to have to inform you that I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation and therefore not in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.”
“The story of Jesus Christ appearing after he was dead is the story of an apparition, such as timid imaginations can always create in vision and credulity believe.”
“It is the fable of Jesus Christ, as told in the New Testament, and the wild and visionary doctrine raised thereon, against which I contend. The story, taking it as it is told, is blasphemously obscene.”
“You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, burning bushes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?”
"The idea that God could only forgive our sins by having his son tortured to death as a scapegoat is surely, from an objective point of view, a deeply unpleasant idea. If God wanted to forgive us our sins, why didn't he just forgive them? Why did he have to have his son tortured?"
“I am an historian, I am NOT a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. JESUS Christ is easily the MOST dominant figure in all HISTORY.”
As we walk through the text today, listen for these kinds of attitudes and statements from the people that meet Jesus.
What about this Carpenter from Nazareth?
The refusal to believe in Jesus is nothing new…it has been going on for 2,000 plus years…even by people that saw Him face to face.
I. The Carpenter that Heals
I. The Carpenter that Heals
35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
As Jesus was speaking to the woman with the bleeding sickness, after having healed her, we need to remember that Jairus has been standing there the whole time.
And while Jesus is saying these final words to her, a report comes from Jairus’ home: “It’s too late. She’s gone.”
The attitude of the messenger seems to show in his choice of words. The rhetorical question seems rather sarcastic. It could have been that the household didn’t want Jesus involved.
“Your request of Him to heal your daughter was a nuisance to begin with…don’t embarrass yourself any further by asking Him to do anything else…just accept your daughter’s passing and move on.”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
Jesus heard this exchange, even while He was speaking to the woman, and He was ready with a response!
Two commands are given:
1. do not be afraid (in other words, this report of death changes nothing…I am still here…I am still on the case)
2. only believe (faith - He had just said to the woman: “Your faith has made you well” - in other words, it was your faith that I accepted in order to heal you…and now Jairus is faced with the same opportunity - to have faith!
Faith and Fear are contrasts! - Faith is the antithesis of Fear…that’s what Jesus was getting at...
and that is the reward of faith - the absence of fear
For Jesus, the reality of death is not the finality of death.
For Jesus, the reality of death is not the finality of death.
We broached this topic last week, but it bears repeating that faith does not GUARANTEE healing - (that’s not the point of this passage) - Faith guarantees the pleasing of the Lord and His attention to our plight.
Faith becomes our foundation not because of faith itself, but because of the Person in whom it is placed.
Sometimes even those with the greatest faith are not healed…they are not revived because God has a different purpose for their pain.
Faith provides the strength because of Christ and because it removes fear....not because it removes the source of fear.
37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.
Once again, we see the ministry to the inner circle of three.
Jesus is very purposeful in taking these three. They will also accompany Him to the mountain and to the garden…the highest and the lowest points of His ministry. And they would go on to lead the apostles into the dawn of the church age.
We will also see Andrew included in chapter 13, but the inner circle is primarily made up of these three men.
As they approach Jairus’ home, the sound of wailing could be heard.
These were professional mourners, a guild that operated in the first century Judaism, and would later become a requirement at all Jewish funerals:
The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)
“Even the poorest person in Israel should hire at least two flute players and one wailing woman,” said Rabbi Judah a century later.
This is a quote from the Mishna, a Jewish rabbinical commentary completed in 220 AD.
The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)
The mourners, usually women, accompanied the bier from the house to the grave, clapping their hands together and wailing haunting laments.
Mark 5:39–40 (NKJV)
39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.
I love Jesus’ response here - why all the fuss?
His view (God’s view) of death is merely sleep!
This was said for Jairus’ sake as much as anyone else’s.
Remember His two commands to Jairus: do not be afraid and only believe…and now to hear that word sleep instead of death…no one mourns a sleeping girl…there is no mourning necessary!
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
Mark 5:39–40 (NKJV)
39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.
Notice their response: “they ridiculed Him”.
This means that they literally laughed out loud…they laughed Him to scorn…it was a mocking, jeering laughter.
Jesus was mocked then and He is still mocked today…we read some of those kinds of mocking quotes earlier.
The cynical nature of man’s heart is so evident. And we will see this attitude surface again shortly from a different group of people.
Well, Jesus isn’t having any of that, and He puts them out! Notice His authority is once again on display. They don’t really answer to Jesus on the human level - they are being paid to be there…it is their job so how could He make them leave?…because He is in control…He is in authority!
And He is on mission! Nothing will deter Him from completing the task at hand - the ultimate in time management!
41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.
In the Aramaic phrase, “Talitha cumi” (taw-lee-THAW koom), Talitha is a feminine form of the word for “lamb” or “youth”... and the command “Koum” means “Arise!”
Mark’s translation here indicates that the original audience were likely not native Hebrew or Aramaic speakers.
Once again, Jesus is in full command of the situation. His touch and His voice are powerful beyond compare.
“Immediately” - There was no hesitation…Jesus spoke and the girl was instantly revived…and immediately jumped out of bed and walked to her parents.
And you can imagine the absolute joy that filled these parents’ hearts as their little lamb walked (or ran) over to their open arms!
43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Once again, Jesus is back in Jewish lands and does not want this news spread…He has a mission to complete.
Also, Jesus complete care as the Great Physician as He knows that the girl needs something to eat!
Conclusion:
For twelve years, Jairus’ daughter had lived a life of happiness and innocence, but was suddenly struck down by sickness and death.
About the time of her birth, a certain woman had contracted a horrible, chronic hemorrhage that caused her to live a life of despair and lonely hopelessness for twelve years.
But these two daughters met Jesus on the same day, and everything changed - Jesus, the Carpenter from Nazareth, changes lives!
II. The Carpenter that’s Hindered
II. The Carpenter that’s Hindered
1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.
So Mark sets the stage for us:
Jesus has been in Capernaum, and now travels on to His hometown - Nazareth.
This was about a 40 mile walk
This was not just a personal, “home for the holidays” kind of visit…this was an official visit of a rabbi accompanied by His disciples.
Mark 6:2 (NKJV)
2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
Jesus would have been invited to teach in the synagogue - remember it was the ruler of the synagogue (like Jairus) who had the authority to select the Sabbath day teachers, readers, and prayers.
And it was customary to invite a visiting rabbi teach based on a reading of the law or the prophets, and so Jesus was acknowledged as a formal teacher, but not as the Teacher that He really was.
The response of the people reveals their hearts:
Astonishment - They were amazed and astounded by what Jesus was saying.
We have seen this response to Jesus’ teaching already in Mark:
Mark 1:22 (NKJV)
22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
This astonishment should have led them to listen closer and consider what Jesus said, but they did the opposite.
Mark 6:2 (NKJV)
2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
Notice their questions:
“Where?” - This is a rhetorical question spoken in pride. They will continue this line of questioning in the next verse.
Instead of taking His teaching to heart, they are mostly concerned with the SOURCE!
This is not unlike the scribes that accused Jesus of using the power of Beelzebub to cast out demons.
These are questions born out of fear and distrust, not faith.
“What wisdom?” - They seem to have been blinded by their pride and fear.
They considered Him wise, but instead of listening to His wisdom, they questioned the source of the wisdom… “is given to Him”...
“such mighty works” - They apparently had heard of the healings and the demons being cast out, but instead of coming to Him and asking for that to happen here at Nazareth, they remain in a state of doubt, fear, and bitterness.
Again, they are reacting to Jesus just as the scribes - with jealousy and cynicism.
Mark 6:3 (NKJV)
3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
So here is our key text as we have been looking at the Carpenter the heals and the Carpenter that is hindered.
Notice that to them, Jesus is nothing more than the town carpenter - the village handyman, whose handiwork could have been seen in many of the homes and buildings in which they lived and worked…but a tradesman has no business teaching in a synagogue!
The people of Nazareth had known Jesus since He was a young boy, and now refused to see Him as anything else.
He’s a carpenter - not a rabbi, not a teacher, not a wise man, not a miracle worker…he’s a carpenter.
The people of Nazareth are really not much different than the people of the Gadarenes - both groups have completely missed the point!
Also, they list His earthly family - Jesus is just a regular guy…He’s one of us!! and He’s gotten “too big for His britches!”…He needs to get His head out of the clouds and come back down to earth where He belongs!
Also - notice that one person in the family is not mentioned - Joseph! (“the Son of Mary”)
It was Joseph’s carpentry shop that Jesus had apprenticed in and had taken over until age 30 when He began His earthly ministry.
Joseph’s exclusion was likely that he had already died by this time, but also that Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus was a scandal! She was with child BEFORE they were married.
“So they were offended at Him.”
First, they were “astonished”...
And now they are “offended”.
Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (σκανδαλίζω)
σκανδαλίζω skandalizō: cause to stumble; to offend, shock, excite feeling of repugnance
This response to Jesus is not limited to only first century Nazarenes…we have already seen this response from both Jews and Gentiles in Mark’s gospel…and Paul saw it in his day, as do we.
1 Corinthians 1:23 (NKJV)
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
It is so difficult for a Jewish person to accept that Jesus of Nazareth could be anything more than a historical figure…a carpenter from Nazareth.
4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
This statement by Jesus is actually an old proverb
Jesus’ statement is really an indictment of their hardness of heart and lack of faith.
In a sense, we have here an event that symbolizes the nation of Israel rejecting their Messiah.
And notice the three concentric social circles:
His own country
His own relatives
His own house
Each circle gets more and more restricted…more and more personal…right down to His own immediate family - all rejected Him
We saw earlier, in Mark chapter three, that Jesus’ family had accused Him of being out of His mind and trying to call Him away from His mission…and now they reject Him yet again.
Mark 6:5–6 (NKJV)
5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
“He could do no mighty work there...” - does this verse contend that Jesus, who is God, lost some of His healing powers? - no.
Surrounded by cold hearts and a climate of unbelief, Jesus chose not to exercise His power to heal, although He does perform a few healings .
But notice how Mark purposefully downplays these healings.
It’s as if they aren’t really that important - they are important, but Mark is making a specific point here…the potential for Jesus to transform the lives of His family, relatives, and village was almost completely missed…apparently there were a few people that accepted His teaching and His power as from God…but most did not - that is Mark’s point.
Remember that Mark loves to make contrasts - we just left Capernaum, where a diseased, outcast woman as well as a well-to-do synagogue ruler came to Jesus in faith and were healed…neither of them were related to Jesus, and nor had they grown up with Him since childhood…yet they honored Him…what a contrast with those that ridiculed Him at the house of Jairus..what a contrast with the people that should have seen Him for what He was better than anyone - remember that He lived a sinless life among them for some 28 years - that much should have been evidence enough to at least consider Him in a respectful light…but they didn’t - they rejected Him.
The people of Nazareth were first astonished and them offended, and Jesus marveled at their unbelief - their lack of faith.
And so, instead of performing life-changing, transformative “mighty works”, Jesus leaves and heads out on a teaching tour of the surrounding villages.
CONCLUSION:
What might Jesus be trying to do in our hearts?
Have we grown so complacent with Jesus that He has become common?…so familiar that now we see Him with contempt?
We need to see Jesus the way that the demoniac and Jairus and the woman saw Him - He is our only hope!