Tell Them The Story
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Not What You Expected...
Not What You Expected...
What about for the dads?
Fatherhood
Young dads
babies crying and diapers
Men completely changing after having a child
Raising kids you’re not expecting..
the helplessness when your child is sick or their feelings are hurt
the challenges of raising godly young men and godly young women - and how different that is.
Did not expect the proud feeling when your child...
graduates, moves out, gets married, or gives your grandkids
There is so much in fatherhood that you did not expect…
Life is full of surprises, good and bad.
I want to tell you about a day that did not end the way i was expecting.
Mandee often suggests that we get couples messages
Or she looks at my feet and says we should go together to get pedicures, and then assures me that lots of men get pedicures.
And it has nothing to do with if its manly or not, but has everything to do with not wanting people to touch me.
I have never been to a spa, never gotten a message, I’ve never paid for any sort of physical pampering in my life
And there was this one day when we lived in Colorado I came home from working
I was a youth pastor but used to do some construction work on the side for extra money.
We were roofing a house and working about 16 hour days in order to get it done as fast as possible
And the house we were renting had this tub with all sorts of jets that would message your body while in the tub.
we had just moved into the house and this tub had not yet been used.
Mandee had encouraged me to use the tub and relax…
So at the end of the week, I thought i would give it a try.
The whole process felt awkward, but I filled up the tub and was ready to have a message
I got in the tub and pressed the button to turn on the jets and what happened next was something i was not expecting...
I pressed the button and as the jets turned on and shot out water onto my back and shoulders, it also shot out hundreds of dead moths that had found a home in the pipes somehow and then died.
so i’m sitting in the tub covered in dead moths.
It was not the ending of the day I was expecting.
But thats how life is, very little happens the way we expect it to.
Father hood is a great example of this. There is very little about being a father that I anticipated correctly
What about for the dads?
Fatherhood
Young dads
Books
babies crying and diapers
Men completely changing after having a child
I was also not anticipating how awful diapers would be
Raising kids you’re not expecting..
the helplessness when your child is sick or their feelings are hurt
the challenges of raising godly young men and godly young women - and how different that is.
Life is full of unexpected struggles and joys
Did not expect the proud feeling when your child...
graduates, moves out, gets married, or gives your grandkids
Life is full of unexpected chaos and peace
There is so much in fatherhood that you were not expecting
And one of the great responsibilities of fathers is to show your children how to navigate the unexpected nature of life.
And the best way to do this,
Teach your children God’s redemptive story. If they know the story, they will know how to live trusting the faithfulness of God and not get tossed back and forth by the unexpected circumstances of life.
Teach them the story!
As we have worked our way through Mark’s gospel we have seen Mark tell the story of Jesus in some very surprising ways
We have seen Mark use Irony over and over to shed light on the truth of Christ
We have seen how Mark teaches us about Jesus more by showing us what Jesus did rather than what he says..
We have seen Mark structure portions of his gospel following the patterns found in the OT
We have seen Mark structure portions of his gospel following the patterns found in the OT
Jesus’s life follows the exodus
follows
The Gospel of mark takes place at night to illustrate the blindness of those who followed Jesus
Marks gospel follows the creation week.
These are all aspects of the gospel that are unexpected when thinking about just reading a biography on the life of Jesus.
Mark has invited us to mine the dark corridors his gospel using the OT as our light.
But I would say this, for us today the most unexpected and surprising thing about Marks gospel is the way in which he brings it to a close.
This is the last sermon in this series and it was in the first couple weeks of this series where Robert Bragg came up and asked me, “What are you going to do about the end of Mark?”
To which I replayed, “I have no idea yet”
The reason he asked me this question is because The Gospel of Mark actually has two endings - one shorter and one longer
The Two Endings of Mark
The Two Endings of Mark
So I want to take just a couple minutes and explain the two endings in Mark.
This is the last sermon in this series and it was in the first couple weeks of this series where Robert Bragg came up and asked me, “What are you going to do about the end of Mark?”
The Gospel of Mark actually has two endings - one shorter and one longer
The Gospel of Mark actually has two endings - one shorter and one longer
To which I replayed, “I have no idea yet”
The shorter ending is
The longer goes through verse 20
In your english bibles most of you should have a note that says something like, “Some of the Earliest Manuscripts do not include 16:9-20”
What do we do about this? Three options the church
If Mark ended his gospel in verse 8, then sometime later a scribe added vv9-20 in order to conclude the story for us.
Mark ended his gospel in verse 20
vv.9-20 were added later by mark himself
I don’t think this is the case because the style of writing, the description of the events and even the grammar used is very different than the rest of Mark’s gospel.
Also, the textual evidence shows that this ending was written some 200 years later after Mark was originally written.
Many early church fathers only see verses 1-8 as being written by Mark.
Mark wrote an ending but the ending has been lost and and vv.9-20 are the words come from a scribe trying to conclude the story for us.
I don’t think this is case though many argue for it.
I don’t think that there is any part of Mark’s gospel that demands the ending to be any different than what we find in vv1-8
I also believe that the word of God is preserved, nothing will be lost, nothing will pass away, every jot and tittle is preserved for us. And to say that Mark had originally written a different ending is getting dangerously close to claiming that God has not preserved his word for us.
The final option...
3. Mark ended his gospel in verse 8
I believe that Mark ended his gospel intentionally in verse 8, and sometime later a scribe added vv9-20 in order to conclude the story for us.
Now, I believe that verses 9-20 are important,
They have been part of church history since the 3 century. And there is nothing in 9-20 that somehow contradicts other parts of the bible.
v. 9
Appearance to Mary of Magdala
(with )
v. 10
Mary of Magdala as messenger
vv. 11, 13
Disciples’ unbelief
,
vv. 12–13
Walk to Emmaus
The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark B. Literary Considerations
v. 9
Appearance to Mary of Magdala
Jn. 20:11–17 (with Lk. 8:2)
v. 10
Mary of Magdala as messenger
Jn. 20:18
vv. 11, 13
Disciples’ unbelief
Lk. 24:11, 41
vv. 12–13
Walk to Emmaus
Lk. 24:13–35
v. 14
Appearance to the eleven
Lk. 24:36–49; Jn. 20:19–23
v. 14
Rebuke of unbelief
Jn. 20:24–29 [?]
v. 15
Evangelistic commission
Mt. 28:19; Lk. 24:47
v. 19
Ascension
Lk. 24:50–51 (together with the ‘sitting at the right hand’ theology of Hebrews etc.)
The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark B. Literary Considerations
v. 9
Appearance to Mary of Magdala
Jn. 20:11–17 (with Lk. 8:2)
v. 10
Mary of Magdala as messenger
Jn. 20:18
vv. 11, 13
Disciples’ unbelief
Lk. 24:11, 41
vv. 12–13
Walk to Emmaus
Lk. 24:13–35
v. 14
Appearance to the eleven
Lk. 24:36–49; Jn. 20:19–23
v. 14
Rebuke of unbelief
Jn. 20:24–29 [?]
v. 15
Evangelistic commission
Mt. 28:19; Lk. 24:47
v. 19
Ascension
Lk. 24:50–51 (together with the ‘sitting at the right hand’ theology of Hebrews etc.)
v. 14
Appearance to the eleven
;
v. 14
Rebuke of unbelief
[?]
v. 15
Great commission
;
v. 19
Ascension
(together with the ‘sitting at the right hand’ theology of Hebrews etc.)
And there are other parts of this passage that are echoed in Acts and the rest of the NT.
casting out demons
Not dying if you get bitten by snakes
It is important to note one thing, because was not originally part of the gospel of Mark, we should not use it as a foundational text for faith or practice
There are churches that have snake handling service where they keep venomous snakes in the churches and take them out and hold them during ritual service.
These snake handling churches use as a foundational text for their practices.
18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
If you youtube it you can find videos of these services.
The problem is that many pastors have died from snake bites because they used this text as a foundational prescriptive text for faith and practice.
There is a powerful application here for Fathers, the foundation on which you build is as serious as life and death.
And as Fathers, we are called to build the foundations upon which our children will stand.
we must not build a foundation that could lead our children into spiritual, emotional, relational, or physical danger
Build the foundations upon the word of God and a love for the church.
We must build foundations that will lead to
Godly worship for our children
Godly Ethics and morals for our children
Godly character and work ethic for our children
Godly respect and honor for adults and a love for Jesus
And here is the kicker, you are always building foundations for your children. the question is whether or not they are good foundations.
The snake handling churches have a foundation upon which they are standing, it is just a weak and false foundation.
You are necessarily building a foundation for your children, make sure its the foundation god wants you to build and a foundation they are able to stand on.
So this morning we are going to look at and see how Mark ends his gospel in an unexpected way.
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
And there Mark ends his gospel. A very unexpected ending
An Unexpected Ending
An Unexpected Ending
No siting of J
The other three gospels tell about what the women do next
They tell us about how Jesus appeared to the disciples and to the women
But mark does not include these things in the ending of his story
Mark leaves his gospel open ended
Whats strange is that Mark leaves his gospel open ended
No great commission, no eating fish, no conversations with the disciples, no Ascension.
Its not surprising why someone wanted to add a conclusion to Marks gospel, it seems so anticlimactic.
What are we to do with this strange conclusion?
We have seen that Mark is a good if not a great writer
Everything Mark has done has been intentional
Mark focuses on what God called him to do by writing this gospel. He didn’t do a half-baked job, he was intentional about every detail.
Mark focuses on what God called him to do by writing this gospel. He didn’t do a half-baked job, he was intentional about every detail.
So again, why this ending?
Ma
We have seen Mark writes his gospel in a very mysterious way… He is allusive, he is criptic, he tells stories inside of other stories
like in Mark chapter 1 when Jesus cleanses the leper, Jesus touches the leper and was treated like a leper so the leper could be treated as clean.
We have seen mystery and thrill throughout the gospel
He has shown us great symmitry throughout his gospel
And now, in mark 16, they are supposed to go and tell everyone, yet they cannot speak for they are afraid.
he has used all sort of devices to show us a deeper meaning of the truth of Jesus’ life
We have seen Jesus open the mouths of the mute, but not those who can speak remain mute.
Sandwiches, incluseo, chaisms, repetition, typology, scenes and all sorts of other tatics
Throughout
from the man with the legion of demons inside of him living among the tombs
to the man with the withered hand who only had to stretch out his hand to be healed, and how this is a reversal of a number of OT passages where those who stretch out their hand to God die.
To the leper who was cleansed in chapter 1.
Marks gospel is full of shadows and mysteries and the only way to understand the mysteries and to illuminate the shadows is to turn on the light of the OT and let them flood the gospel. This is what Mark wanted us to do.
Marks gospel is full of shadows and mysteries and the only way to understand the mysteries and to illuminate the shadows is to turn on the light of the OT and let them flood the gospel. This is what Mark wanted us to do.
I hope you have seen that Marks gospel is full of shadows and mysteries and the only way to understand the mysteries and to illuminate the shadows is to turn on the light of the OT and let them flood the gospel. This is what Mark wanted us to do.
he told the wind and the waves to be quite, and they bowed down before him
He told confonted demons and they bowed down to him
I hope you have seen that Marks gospel is full of shadows and mysteries and the only way to understand the mysteries and to illuminate the shadows is to turn on the light of the OT and let them flood the gospel. This is what Mark wanted us to do.
And I think the ending of Mark is one final mystery
He leaves the story open-ended on purpose.
And you want to know why? Because God is a really really good story teller.
The reason
And God, the great storyteller really likes open ended stories.
Inception - the top spinning at the end leaves the watcher asking the ultimate metaphysical question, “what really real?”
Shutter Island - this movie ends with you trying to figure out of Leo DeCapio is the villian or the hero.
In fact, God really likes open ended stories.
Rome can kill but God can resurrect
OT books ends with Death
Moses
Joshua
But not so with the gospels
Two versions of Marks Gospel
short and long
Perhaps Mark came back and wrote an epilogue
Verses 1-8 is an odd way to end the gospel
telling unfinished stories
God likes open ended stories
Jonah
Its ends with a question, and we don’t know how Jonah answers God’s question
The reader must now answer the question
Are our priorities right? Are we fussing about selfish things and angry with God for expanding his kingdom?
Are our priorities right? Are we fussing about selfish things and angry with God for expanding his kingdom?
We have to ask ourselves if we are on board with God when he takes the gospel to the lost and dying
This story invites us to place ourselves in Jonah’s shoes and write chapter 5 of Jonah with our own lives
The Prodigal Son
Jesus told unfinished stories
We don’t know how the older son responds to the father
the story, again, forces itself on the reader
Are we the older brother that allows our self-righteousness to keep us from celebrating when wretched sinners comes to God?
Are we willing to celebrate the things God celebrates?
We have to put ourselves in the shoes of the older brother and with our lives live out the next scene in that story. Will we go into the tent to celebrate the younger brothers return, or not?
The book of Acts
Acts moves toward Paul testifying before Caesar.
Acts ends with Paul in prison, we don’t know what happens with Paul
It ends with Paul in a Roman prison hoping to go and preach the Gospel to the most powerful man in the world, Caesar.
How will we live out acts chapter 29 (this is the whole idea of the acts 29 church planting network). Will we try and finish Paul’s mission by bringing the gospel to the most important people in our worlds? Will we share the gospel with our boss? with our government officials? with our landlord? with our kids?
Each of these stories invite the reader into the conclusion
Are our priorities right? Are we fussing about selfish things and angry with God for expanding his kingdom?
We have to ask ourselves if we are on board with God when he takes the gospel to the lost and dying
This story invites us to place ourselves in Jonah’s shoes and write chapter 5 of Jonah with our own lives
With the story of the prodigal Son
Are we the older brother that allows our self-righteousness to keep us from celebrating when wretched sinners comes to God?
Are we willing to celebrate the things God celebrates?
We have to put ourselves in the shoes of the older brother and with our lives live out the next scene in that story. Will we go into the tent to celebrate the younger brothers return, or not?
The Book of Acts
It ends with Paul in a Roman prison hoping to go and preach the Gospel to the most powerful man in the world, Caesar.
How will we live out acts chapter 29 (this is the whole idea of the acts 29 church planting network). Will we try and finish Paul’s mission by bringing the gospel to the most important people in our worlds? Will we share the gospel with our boss? with our government officials? with our landlord? with our kids?
In this same way, Mark has left his story open ended and now invites us to conclude the story with our own lives.
The story ends with the women silent and afraid
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Is this the sort of character you’re going to be? are you going to follow in their footsteps?
We are drawn into the story
Will you live your life as a coward, afraid to tell others about the power of the gospel?
If the women won’t do it, I will
Will you be afraid to claim the king who has claimed you by his blood.
Or in light of the resurrection will you be bold knowing that Jesus is actually king over all?
The mission of the church is to write the ending of Mark with our lives.
This is the final mystery in Mark...
Mark’s ending is actually a beginning.
verse 1, the sabbath is over and it is a new day in the story of redemption,
verse 1, the sabbath is over and it is a new day in the story of redemption,
Its no longer dark, but for the first time in Mark we see the sun has risen
There is a new Adam in a new Garden
the new creation is here,
the kingdom is here,
and now how will we live out the rest of the story?
There are many things in these eight verses that show us how we are to live out the rest of the story. But I want to focus on just two.
So what in these 8 verses helps us understanding how we are to continue this open ended story.
We need to write Mark 17 with our own lives.
And I want to focus on Fathers here, though each point can also be applied to everyone.
God calls fathers to be bold characters in the story
Will you go and tell the story of the resurrection?
God calls fathers to be grace filled characters in the story
The mission of the church is to write the ending of Mark.
Irony in the ending?
Jesus wants to keep his messiahship a secret.
And now, when its supposed to go public, they were afraid to talk.
The mute talk and now those who can talk are mute
If we are going to write the ending of Mark’s gospel with our lives what should it look like?
Mark has left us clues so we will know how to write the ending
I want to focus on Father here, though each point can also be applied to non-fathers.
God Calls Fathers to be Bold Characters in the Story
God Calls Fathers to be Bold Characters in the Story
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
look with me
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
This is not the first time Mark has mentioned a young man in a garden also commenting on his clothing.
If you remember tells us of the young man who followed Jesus and the disciples into the garden and when Jesus was arrested they went to grab the young man but he ran away naked.
Now, after the resurrection we have a contrasting young man in the garden.
(we know that this young man is an angel, but Mark does not mention that he was an angel, rather Mark wants us to see the comparison with the young man in the garden)
You see, before the resurrection the young man was fearful, he was afraid, he ran away in shame not wanting to identify with Jesus. The clothing represented the young mans condition, he was naked and afraid he was naked and full of shame. He was like The first Adam in the garden, running from God seeking to hide himself.
And now, we see this young man not running from God, but rathe proclaiming the good new of the resurrection and telling the women how to find God.
This young man is not naked like the last one, he is clothed in white. The first young man was clothed like the first Adam, naked. This young man is clothed like the second Adam, in white.
The theme of white clothes is all throughout the Bible.
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
Clothing in the bible, like today, represents identity.
And what we find is that God himself and Jesus are clothed in white in Glory
9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
Mark 9
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
Rev
God wants his people to look like him, he wants them to be identified with him, this is why he promises white garments to those who conquer.
And this young man sitting in the tomb represents one who is identified with Christ, and unlike the naked young man int he garden this young man is bold in his proclamation of Jesus.
He tells them...
Jesus is no longer dead, he has risen!
And not only does he declare the resurrection, but he also tells the women where to find Jesus.
This is what Fathers must be all about, boldly declaring the good news of the resurrection and telling everyone, including your children, where to find Jesus.
Fathers ought not to be cowards like the young man in the garden who ran away, but rather you must be unashamed of the gospel.
If you are unashamed of the gospel, you will raise children who are unashamed of the gospel.
Dads, your kids are watching you. And they are following you. They will love what you love and they will be confident in the areas you are confident.
Be confident in Christ.
Let your kids see your devotion to Jesus, let them see you praying, let them hear you singing.
Where the white robes of Jesus in all that you do, and your kids will want to wear them as well.
When they see you bold and fearless in the gospel they will rest in your strength. They will be confident to live lives for Christ because they see their fathers boldness on display.
Fathers, God is calling you be bold characters in the story
But not only that, he is also calling you to be grace filled characters in the story.
Young man in the garden ran away naked in shame and fear.
Young man is now clothed in glory (Jesus wheres white, and the followers of Jesus where white in the book of Rev 6.7)
v. 5 A young man clothed in white - he is an angel, a messenger
Young man in the garden,
Clue 2
Right side of the tomb
privilege and honor sitting on the right side
God Calls Fathers to be Grace Filled Characters in the Story
God Calls Fathers to be Grace Filled Characters in the Story
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
look with me at mark 16.7
Young man
why is peter singled out
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Why does the young man single Peter out? “tell his disciples and Peter ...”
Why does the young man single Peter out? “tell his disciples and Peter ...”
Peter was the biggest failure of all
Peter is the one who was the greatest coward, he is the one who denied Jesus three times under the pressure of a young girl.
Peter is the one who had the greatest regret, the greatest embarrassment, the greatest shame.
And now, because of the resurrection Peter’s story does not end in cowardice shame, rather now his story is a story of reconciliation, redemption, renewal, restoration - Peter’s is a story of grace
The gospel is a story where those who fail are restored.
Fatherhood is full of failures, full of regrets, and full of shame.
And one of the greatest things you can teach your children is that when failure, regret and shame are present, God’s grace abounds all the more.
Clue 4
The cross and resurrection is the greatest and most glorious thing God has done for his people.
How will this message spread?
And Fathers, you are charged to tell the story of God’s grace to your children.
says...
4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
we must speak
We will not hide these things from our children
We are to teach our children these things, we are to model these things, we are to eat, sleep and breath these glorious deeds of the Lord
Dads, when you screw up; when you get angry when you ought to stay calm. Your kids see that, now you must not hide from them the grace God extends to you.
do not hide what repentance looks like, do not hide what redemption looks like, do not hide what restoration and renewal looks like.
Because they need to see it in order to believe it and experience it.
Let your children see you apologize to mom, let your children experience what it looks like when a real man bends down and asks forgives of a 3 year old.
Do not hide from your children what true godly affection looks like
This is not done only with words, but with deeds as well
we must procalim
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
They were to meet Jesus in Galaliee
They were to meet Jesus in Galaliee
Missionary story - global mission
This is where Jews and gentiles mixed
the story will not just include Israel but the nations.
Clue 6
Jesus goes before us.
clue 7
When the sabbath had passed
the old week is over
the new Adam is working
the ending is a new beginning
Or they will think find affection in ungodly ways
Do not hide from your children what humility and meekness looks like
or they will be boastful and proud
Do not hide from your children what it looks like to stand and fight as a good soldier of Christ.
Or they will end up as cowards lacking honor and dignity.
Do not hide from your children the power of the resurrection and how it provides all that we need for a life of godliness.
Or they will seek power apart from Christ, and look for fulfillment in what the world offers
Show your children the grace of God. Show your children, in word and deed, what it looks like to faithfully continue the story that Mark leaves open ended.