Mark 10:1-31
Turn of the Gospel of Mark and fine chapter 10. We're continuing this walk along with Jesus along with his followers as they are learning about who Jesus is as their King who Jesus is is as their Messiah this one who was promised he was going to come and fulfill. All that. God had said I would take place and that is Jesus and he's coming and he's preaching this good news of the Kingdom, right and you see that over and over and we'll we'll see it today where Give Me Jesus teaching about the kingdom of God or another gospel writer uses the phrase kingdom of heaven. And what is this Kingdom? And who is this king? That's been something that Jesus is particularly Keen to show us and that's what Mark has been trying to lay out for us and we've seen Jesus is power. We've seen him calm the storm with nothing but his voice we did the travel up to Central, Oregon for my grandfather's funeral. And along the way we listen to a blast from the past at least my past which was Adventures in Odyssey. Trevor is an Adventures in Odyssey apologist evangelist. If you want to know more about you can talk to him but I enjoyed getting to listen to it as did my kids and one of the one of the ones that we listened to was about Jonah and the whale and we we listen to that one and they're just retelling the story of Jonah and the storm ends and the decision to throw Jonah overboard in the sea goes quiet what Jesus did something very similar and he didn't have to throw anybody overboard. He just spoke and all the sudden the storm was quiet and Jonah was in the fish and he was spit out and is the symbol of resurrection and Jesus had a very similar experience with Resurrection exercising his power and constantly pointing us back to the Old Testament pointing us back to the promises that God made begin to get this sense of what kind of King he is and he's telling these Parables and in his Parables were getting a picture of what the Kingdom looks like and it doesn't look like what they expect today expected a a political entity. They expected a National military and all of this and yet Jesus is pointing them to the fact that the Kingdom's not going to be about that and he uses instead of war-like imagery. He uses imagery of a plants growing. Any uses images that call to mind this quiet work this quiet dependence on God and and it's very strange to his audience into us some of the Parables that he uses. We see him healing people in these Miracles where he demonstrates his love and his concern for the people around him where he meets their needs and it's incredible to see the heart that Jesus has four people and then we see him reveal his kingdom in its power and we see this Mount of transfiguration were three of his disciples witness Moses and Elijah These Old Testament Saints who have gone before who come and meet with Jesus and her talking with him and they get this Glimpse at the eternal life that is offered by the Messiah in this eternal Kingdom that he is establishing. Didn't have to come down and they get back into the nitty-gritty of things and that's all where we've gone to this point. Put in chapter 10, we get a series of Jesus's teaching. It's not that he hasn't been teaching before. It's not that he won't teach more in a little bit as a matter fact, you could say that everything that Jesus did and everything that he said was in some way meant to instruct us meant to teach us meant to show us some truth about himself or about his father about the kingdom. And so this just zeroing in on this teaching is not to say that he didn't do any others but it is to say it's kind of concentrated right here and it gives us a good picture of what all is involved in the kingdom of God and in Jesus teaching about that now last week if you were here you saw me just being a little bit overcome, I guess and I again appreciate your graciousness last week's sermon. I never finished it. Because God had other plans and I'm always glad to let him do his work. He does not need me. But I know that last week's sermon my preaching Professor would have graded with an F. I'm afraid that this week's sermon my biblical studies Professor would give the same grade to because because of the amount of texts that we're going to be dealing with I'm not able to walk verse-by-verse through this and cancer. We're going to be drawing painting with some rather broad brushstrokes this morning. And so I want you to understand it as we're talking about this cuz we're going to be dealing with the subject of divorce children money possessions want you to understand that my goal here is not to definitively layout a position on any of these subjects. My goal is not to say this is the total summation of what the Bible teaches on any of these topics. My goal is simply to say what does Jesus's teaching right here at this moment in the gospel. How does it point this to him as king and the kind of Kingdom that he was establishing start in chapter 10 verse 1 Read be with me. If you will any left there and went to the region of Judea and Beyond the Jordan and the crowds gathered to him again. And again as was his custom. He taught them the Pharisees came up. And in order to test in the ass, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife right? So I stop right there. We need to sand it whatever Jesus was getting ready to say whatever answer. He's getting ready to give we have to understand the context of what that is. The contact is a question and it's not just any question. It's a question from the Pharisees meant to test or to trap him. They're seeking to undermine the ministry of Jesus. Now, we've already been introduced to the Pharisees. We've already seen them as we walked through the Book of Mark. We know that they are somewhat antagonistic and I use somewhat in air quotes to Jesus's Ministry. They're not thrilled with all the attention that he's getting. They're not thrilled with the message that they're hearing from him. This is not what they've been telling people. This is not what they want to hear themselves. And so they're coming up to put Jesus on trial as at work and in their minds, I imagine they're probably thinking, how can we expose this? Charlatan? Before the people so their question here is not an honest one and it comes in the midst of what is an ongoing debate in Judaism it this time there was it there was a debate raging. In the theological community of the day amongst the Pharisees in particular about what we're grounds for divorce and you had this one group who is really strict and they said you you can only divorce if there's been sexual immorality. And he had this other group that said no no. No the way the text reads is if any cause you can divorce for any cause they're the classic example used by that party was if your wife burns your dinner you can divorce her. All right. So that's the setting here is this is an ongoing debate and and really depending on which side you took on that it kind of marked you as a liberal or a conservative. Not that we do that today, right? Not that we have these little shibboleths in our day and age that Mark you as a liberal or a conservative except that we do but this was a test case for them in what they wanted was they wanted Jesus to alienate some of his audience. They wanted Jesus to have to take a stand that would make some of the people say will this guy's just a liberal. We don't have to listen to more. This guy's just a conservative. We don't have to listen to him. And Jesus is not going to play their game Jesus refuses to answer in such a way as to be marked in that in the way. They want to Mark him instead. He takes them back to what is more of a philosophic understanding of what the purpose of the law even is. Why do we even have not just that lie, why do we have any laws? What is the purpose of what Moses said in and it he distracts the Pharisees by getting away from the trap, right? So the Pharisees came up and we're just asking that is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife. He answered them and said, what did Moses command you? This is good practice on Jesus part 2 always follow a question with a question, right? They're coming to trap him and they say well you just tell me what Moses said and there's your answer and they said Moses said a man could write a certificate of divorce and send her away and Jesus said to them you're right. He did say that but it's because of your Hardness of Heart that he wrote this commandment, but from the beginning of creation God made them male and female therefore a man shall leave his father and the two shall become one flesh. They are no longer two, but one flesh what therefore God has joined together. Let no man separate. So he stands up in front of the people. He stands up in front of the the Pharisees who just tried to trap him and get him to label and stuff a conservative or a liberal. He says you're asking the wrong questions. You're asking the wrong question. The only reason why there would be divorced as if there was still in its the hardness of your heart that God said that this was going to be a possibility. It's the fact that your hearts were not ready for the righteousness and Holiness of God. The problem is with you Pharisees. It's not a problem of interpretation. It's not a problem with the law God's intent was one man one woman for life.
You're the ones that are complicating things you're the ones that are making it difficult and then he points in back and says, what was God's intention from the beginning. There was a tendency in in Israel to look back to Mount Sinai, which is where God had given the lawn. If you go back in the Old Testament you read Leviticus you read back there and you see that you're seeing the law of God given from outside and there's a temptation to point to Sinai and say this is what God's desire is for Humanity. Jesus says that was not God's desire for Humanity because the lies nothing but God accommodating human sinfulness trying to mitigate it trying to deal with it so that you guys can actually live together for more than 5 Seconds without killing each other. Know God's purpose goes beyond Sinai goes through Sinai it goes back to Creation from the beginning. Here's what God wants the kingdom that Jesus is bringing. He's trying to teach us about that what he's doing here. He's he's not teaching us definitively about what can you get divorced or should you get married or anything like that? That's not the point for Jesus. That was a Pharisees point to trap him on those things. But he says no he's pointing us be on this issue of divorce to the fact that merely keeping the law doesn't make us holy. Did Mary Lee doing the things that God gave because we were sinners. Doesn't take away our sin. It does not take away our sin if simply accommodate our sinfulness. We says the kingdom that I'm establishing. It's going to go right past sign. I just going to go back to what's God's intention for his creation. What was God's intention from the beginning quit asking questions about how to mitigate sinfulness go back to what God wanted from the beginning which was a life and a Humanity without sin in perfect fellowship with one another in perfect fellowship with God. The Pharisees weren't about that. They weren't trying to deal with sin. They were trying to get to the root of the problem. They just wanted the Band-Aid. Hey, Jesus there sin in the world divorce happens. Yes. Guess what guys this is nothing new. It's still the reality we deal with today and I don't have to tell you that some of you sitting here have been impacted by divorce. Some of you have been divorced. My grandfather was divorced. Write this is a reality. Why because we live in a sinful world. But the question we should be asking is not how do we best? Accommodate our sinfulness? But Jesus is the question we should be asking is what was God's intent from the beginning? And let's drive for let's look for that to guide us right but it's not just on this issue right visit. The effect of sin is not just seen in marriage it seen in many other things. I think on other subjects. Jesus would say the same thing. You can't stop at the law. You got to go back to what was God's intent from the very beginning and then the next little section which is why I appreciate the kids getting up and singing is this next election was about them. Verse 13 and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them in the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus thought he was indignant and said to them let the children come to me do not hinder them for two such belongs to the kingdom of God truly. I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not interest and he took them in his arms and he bless them laying his hands on them. So Jesus goes away from this confrontation with the the the Pharisees on the issue of marriage and he brings in this issue of these children. Now, why does he do that? Why is that the next step here?
It's because of the way children were treated in that day. See what I didn't deal with up above in the section on marriage was the very dare. I say male-centric. view of the discussion the Pharisees were having should a man give his wife a certificate of divorce the Assumption in the culture. Was that the husband was the only one that mattered the Assumption in the culture of the day. Was it the wife with secondary? That's why he shifts to children now because if you look at his a teacher when it was just him and the disciples about the issue of divorce. He says it in the house of disciples to get ask him again about this matter. He said to them whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her if she divorces her husband and marries another she commits adultery and we like woah Jesus that serious words, but what is the fact that Jesus is also saying quit thinking about this just from a man's perspective. recognize that the woman in the relationship is a responsible image Bearer is well recognized that her decision matters here to not just the man's You've written off these women disciples and then the chefs and eat their writing off the children. See what Jesus was trying to teach the disciples and what I think he's trying to teach us is that the Kingdom of Heaven does not write anybody off. It does not minimize or push aside any subsection of humanity and say well you're just not as important women. You're just not as important children. You're just not as important because in the day and age that's what happened. Who cares about the woman. Who cares? What happens to her? And Jesus says wait a second. Now. This is serious stuff for her and for a man and then the children, he says they're like to go away and get the children away. He says now you're missing the point. They matter don't push them away as a matter of fact far from pushing them away. You should be learning from them. You should be looking at the children and saying oh that's what I need to be to get close to Jesus. Jesus is not here demonstrating his disdain for men or disdain for for women or disdain for children or his disdain for adults. He's trying to get us to see with his eyes. He's pointing us to the fact not that we should all neglect responsibility run away from the things that God would ask us to do. He's pointing us to the fact. Dip the traits of a child curiosity humility trust. These are far better than religious dogmatism pride ourselves efficiency. He's trying to get our eyes off of ourselves trying to get his disciples eyes off of themselves as men as adults. He's trying to say look consider the women consider the children here. He looks at the two nieces. These are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs. These are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs. So if you want to be in the Kingdom, you better become like these curious humble trusting. instead what he's getting from the Pharisees what he's getting from the disciples is this know-it-all attitude Peter rebuked Jesus last week we saw We see the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus as if their way was better than his we see the disciples when they when he calls on them is his feed the this crowd and they're like we can't do that. We don't have enough stuff there looking to themselves for sufficiency and you look at the kids and they're not worried about that. They're just there to see Jesus. So jesus takes them in his arms. He blessed me lays hands on them. He says it's not that I hate adults. It's a kids show me better what the attitude of those who would come into the kingdom is mini goes on. As he's continuing this teaching any any this setting is is given right that that he's bless the children it says and as he was setting out on his journey, so he's he's he's put them aside and he's ready to go but as he's getting ready to go, so he's literally turned his face to the door sandals are on staff in hand. We're ready. We're moving. We're not just sitting it's not a time of teaching anymore. But the teachings not done for Jesus because a man ran up and knelt before him and ask him good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life.
That you guys ever had this experience where you're ready to go. And somebody brings up a question.
It's a little question. It's a big question. This happens occasionally when when Red Hills when we get together for our members meetings, we get together for a business meeting and we're all ready to go and somebody pops up with a question like oh man. It's going to take another hour and I haven't had lunch yet, right. That's the experience tear the disciples are ready to move on Jesus's ready to move on and this guy comes up and asks a question. And it's not an easy one.
So sorry.
Instead his question is what must I do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus says to him. Why you calling me good? He doesn't even deal with the question. Could somebody run and grab me a glass of water? Sorry to be difficult. Thanks, Maria.
He says why do you call me good? No one is good. But God alone, you know the Commandments don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't bear false witness. Don't defraud honor your father and mother.
What do you mean? What do you need to do to get inherit eternal life got already told you that right? You've already got the law you've already got Sinai. But what's the point?
Clearly that's not enough. Cuz the young man says well, I've done all that.
I've done all that.
Has he really? I mean honestly has he really well we would like to say no, but from the perspective of his day, he probably had. He probably done what he was taught to do. He probably felt pretty good. About his success in keeping these things, but the kingdom is not about outward appearance. Entry to the kingdom of God is Not granted by an external Conformity to the rules of Sinai. that's not it at all in Jesus is going to get beyond that and he's going to say will you missed it? If you boiled it down to just keeping these rules on the outside. Instead instead. It's about your heart. What's happening inside of you? Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping these things?
Thank you.
Why is it that you would want eternal life? Why is it that you would be seeking that?
Was because you recognize that this life isn't all there is. Jesus recognizes right there in the man statement. This life is not all there is how do I have eternal life? Well, I'll tell you what, it's probably not by doing the things that you do in this life. It's probably not by just continuing those things out and said he says there's must be something beyond that. He's pointing this to the fact that that something Beyond is what's in your heart.
and Jesus verse 21 looking at him loved him and said to him you lack one thing. Go.
Sell all that you have and give to the poor.
And you will have treasure in heaven come follow me.
This is not an idle thing. Right? Jesus was literally getting ready to go out the door.
She tells the young man. Let's go.
I'm literally walking out the door leave all that behind Come With Me Now.
But the young man was disheartened he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions.
Is Jesus against wealth?
Nope. But he's very much concerned with our hearts toward our well. He's not saying that wealth is bad. He's pointing us to the fact that anything that would keep us from following him is bad. Anything that would keep us from following. Jesus is bad. That's the point of his teaching. He's like you want eternal life.
Come with me. I am life as Bryant read earlier. I am the bread of life. Come with me and I'll give you eternal life, but in order to go with Jesus. You got to walk away from stuff. You got to move on.
from the self-sufficiency
and the guy can't do it. You can't do it. He walks away from Jesus instead of Walking With Jesus. The wealth wasn't the problem.
Keeping the Commandments wasn't the issue. The question was was his heart willing to cast itself completely on Christ to depend totally on him to obey him no matter what. What's his Heart Divided? I want eternal life.
I want to be with you Jesus forever. Man, I've got some sweet stuff.
The question is not how much is enough. How much is too much the question is? Where's your heart with what you do have? Some of you are dirt poor. Yeah, I know this get some of your college students.
Some of you were at a point in life where there's really not that many Financial concerns for you.
Jesus would say to both of you rich or poor. Where's your heart? Is there any thing standing between me and you is there anything you wouldn't walk away from tomorrow? If I asked you to that's the question that he's asking that's responding as to it's not about these externals. What about the stuff that everybody can see what's inside? What's your heart? How are you dealing with Jesus? But it goes on. In verse 23 Jesus looked around so he's ready to go guy runs up asked the big question every like I'll come on. Does that sound if you guys feel when I go on to another point when you thought I was done?
right He looks around at his disciples who were probably all also getting ready to go with him. He's got something to teach them. He's got something to teach as he says how difficult will it be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God and the disciples were amazed at his word, but he said to them again children which ought to be a ding ding ding ding ding red flag in our minds that they just got done talking about that. Children how difficult is it to enter the kingdom of God? Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And they were exceedingly astonishing said to him then who can be saved. If it's not about keeping the rules of Sinai.
If it's if it's not about what we know.
For how much we bring to the table? If it's if it's just if it's not about wealth. What Jesus what is it? Because they recognize what the disciples were not all rich Kate some of them were Rich. We know that we know that there were some of Jesus's followers who are footing the bill for the whole Expedition. They had a lot of resources to be able to sustain this itinerant Ministry for three and a half years Levi was a tax collector. He didn't get poor collecting taxes for Caesar Caesar, but you had others of them who were not rich at all. And you had this whole gamut and they're looking at each other now is the disciples and they're saying was the rich people have a hard time getting into heaven. And and people who know a lot about God have a hard time getting into heaven in and people who keep all the rules have a hard time getting into heaven. Well who's going to be saved Jesus? That's the question. Not that they're all rich and they're like Well, everybody's Rich. So who's going to be safe knows what you just taught us about the kingdom who can be saved. Jesus looked at them and said with man, it's impossible but not with God for all things are possible with God and this is huge. Don't miss this. If you're poor and dirt broke don't think I've got an inside line to the kingdom. You don't. If you're rich don't think now I'm going to buy my way there. You can't if you're good. Don't think man. I've done more good than bad so surely I get in. Jesus is saying that's all beside the point. It is literally impossible for anybody to be saved. Unless God does the saving. You can't work for it. You can't earn it. You can't study your way into it. You can impress Jesus with your performance it Bible trivia. And get into the kingdom you can't buy your way in. It's only by God's grace that anyone is saved. How does God do that? Well, the better sermon was already preached. when we look at the wafer in the cup We think about the fact that Christ body was broken. We think about the fact that Christ blood was shed. That's God's grace. That's God's invitation to eternal life who can be saves. No one. Apart from the resurrecting power of Christ in your life. No one apart from the humility to say I cannot save myself Jesus. Would you save me? No one will be saved except that they confess Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and that is all by grace. Ephesians 2 you were dead in your trespasses and sins. but God but God Gave us Christ and in him in him we are resurrected in him. We are given New Life a life that yes works that yes does good, but not to buy with way into heaven, but because we're already there. Because we're already citizens of that Kingdom who can be safe. No one apart from Christ.
Peter being Peter finishes out this section So they just asked who can be saved in Jesus says with man. It's impossible but not With God all things are possible with God Peter began to say hit to him. Look we've left everything and followed you.
Look, we've left everything and followed you and Jesus said truly I say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life. He says good on your feeder. Good job. You're the one who first made the confession of Messiah. You're the one who first said that I was the Christ. Good job Peter. I'm I'm glad that you've done this. I'm glad that you've demonstrated your willingness to follow me, but you need to understand that that does not secure your place in the Kingdom.
the good works that you do the sacrifices you've made that's not what gives you hope of eternal life. No, that's simply inviting persecutions in this age, but it does carry with it. The grace of God because in the age to come you'll receive eternal life.
It's tempting I think for us as Christians for particularly, maybe me. To look at the American Christian experience and just a man. What a bunch of softies. We Are To hear stories of persecution and other places to hear stories of hardship that are believing brothers and sisters are facing around the world and be like, well, those are the real Christ followers. Jesus would challenge me on that and he did this week as I was reading this. He says to feed her look anybody who's left. This is going to receive. Right, you're not missing out on anything. You're going to be persecuted no matter what you've left. You're going to get eternal life because of God's grace in your faith in me. You're going to receive eternal life, but everybody gets the same.
But look at verse 31, but many who are first will be last and the last first as one Pastor I know said it that looks like a tie to me.
Jesus is not saying okay. Yes your saved by grace, but then there's going to be this hierarchy of whose sacrifice the most he's not urging this competitive asceticism on he simply pointing all of us to the fact. Did the grace of God the Salvation that makes possible what is impossible apart from God? Is available to everyone. It's available to the Martyr in China. It's available to the stay-at-home mom in Cedar City. It is available to the believer suffering through persecution who just lost their job because of their conversion in an Islamic country and it's available to the believer who walks into the factory and punches his time card in, Cedar City, Utah. Salvation is available to all through the grace of God in Christ. What we pray for? Is simply faithfulness?
You saved us we don't have to impress you with our good works God you saved us. I don't have to compete with my brother to see who can be the most persecuted. It's dead. Whatever path you give me to walk. Would you give me the faithfulness to walk it would you help me to demonstrate the godliness with contentment? Help me to demonstrate the hope of the Gospel as I move through this world, whatever circumstances you take me into God will take some of us into persecution. I am convinced of this. I am convinced that not everybody sitting here is going to get to live out their days in the peace and quiet of the American retirement dream, but I'm equally convinced that some of us will. And that God is good in both situations and the God gives his Spirit to us for us to rely on him to say make me faithful whatever the course. Keep me steadfast. Keep me plugged into what you are doing. Cuz I'm not earning my way to heaven. Instead God you brought heaven to us through Christ. By the grace of God, we are saved through nothing else. But that Grace changes us. My question to you this morning is first off. Do you know that Grace? Have you received God's grace? Are you still trying to earn salvation? To you, I would say. It didn't work. For the Pharisees didn't work for the young man. Is it possible to be saved impossible easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle?
impossible to be saved through your own efforts If you're sitting here this morning you were thinking you were going to earn your way you were going to be good enough. Put that out of your mind. If they got it's impossible for me to be saved except by you. Would you save me today? Some of you were sitting here today and you've been saved and you know that truth, you know that Grace.
Say God, would you give me the faithfulness to walk according to the works that you prepared in advance that I should do? To show your Holiness to the world around to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel in the Sanctified life. You called me to lead to bring others to know you as well God. Would you make me faithful this morning? I don't know what you need to pray.
Do what I can't do and save me or do what I can't do and make me faithful. But would you pray it now?