Lesson # 34 | MARK 12:1-2 | THE REJECTED STONE

I.    Greetings:

 

II.   Introduction:

            Q  What do you do with people who are spiritually blind and reject the truth?

               An = It is easy to quit on them, gossip about them, or bad mouth them, but Jesus does something different, He does the right thing.

            Note:  Today we are going to look at one of Jesus' parables given right after He has been hassled by the religious authorities.  His little speech is a bold move.  He is going to confront those who have rejected Him and do it with an illustration from agri-business.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:1.

            Q Why does Jesus use parables?  How come He does not merely tell them straight forward what He thinks?

                     An = Listen carefully to and note their answers, then add the following if they did not bring these ideas up. 

            1)  "In parables truth is expressed in concrete pictures, rather than in abstractions."  We can relate to stories because we are able to picture them.  (Lane, p. 149).             

            2)  The parables appeal to the imagination and force the listener to get involved. 

            3)  Jesus appeals to natural life experiences that can illustrate His redemptive plan.  This is because both our experience of nature (our existence in this life), and the kingdom of God originate in God. (Lane, p. 151). 

            4)  Stories can also sneak up on us and hit us from behind.

            Note:  The story we will see Jesus use is about business, specifically agri-business. Jesus has picked an story about economics, about the realm of finance and business.  This story reflects a typical agri-business set-up in Jesus' time, but this situation still exists frequently today. 

            A large amount of land in Jesus' area was owned by absentee ownership.  The owners were either foreigners who had bought Palestinian land for an investment or they were Jews who owned the land but chose to live elsewhere. 

 

III.  The Parable of the Tenants:  Mark 12:1-8.

            Note:  Before we read Jesus' attempt to wake up blind religious leaders, let us first read an ancient story, ancient even for Jesus' day, it was told 600 years before Jesus was born by the prophet Isaiah.

>>>> Have someone read Isaiah 5:1-7.

            Q  How is this parable similar to the one Jesus is beginning to tell?

            Q  What is the meaning of Isaiah's parable?

               An = This is a parable of rejection.  However, the rejection is by God of wicked religious people.  The vineyard is Israel and they were well cared for by God and given the best possible circumstances, but Israel produced wickedness, in the form of bloodshed and oppression (5:7) instead of righteousness (i.e. metaphorically, lousy grapes instead of good ones).  With this parable in mind let us go back to Jesus' story in Mark 12.

 

IV.  The Parable.  Mark 12:1-8.

            Note:  Since the function of a parable is to appeal to the imagination.  Listen to this  parable as it is read and try to picture it in your mind.  Perhaps even close your eyes and try to picture it.  This too is a picture of rejection.  Try to see it with your mind's eye.

>>>> You read Mark 12:1-8.

            Q  What did you picture?

            Q  What does this story mean?

            Q  Who is the owner? 

               An = God, right?

            Q  What is the vineyard? 

               An = Our life.

            Q  Who are the vine dressers or farmers? 

               An = These are the religious leaders of Jesus' day.  He is telling this parable about them.

            Q  Who are the servants sent to collect the crop? 

               An = These are the prophets or those preachers and believers who tell us that God has a right to our lives.  He owns us and has to right to tell us what to do.  God sends his true servants to tell us that God has a right to our lives.  Those who do not tell you this are not true servants of God.  They are men-pleasers or people who wish to manipulate and fleece you.

            Q  Who is the son? 

               An = The son represents Jesus Christ.

            Note:  Jesus is clearly attacking the religious leaders of His day with this little story.

            Note: Jesus clearly says He is more than a prophet, but the son!  Jesus is subtly claiming to be the son of God to these men who are rejecting Him. (Barclay, pp. 293-295).

            Q  Did Jesus know at this time what they were going to do to Him?

               An = Yes He did.  He knew these men were going to kill Him.  He is predicting His death in this little story.

            Q  Why did they think killing the son would give them the land?

               An = Actually, if the owner was dead it was possible they could claim the un-owned land (Lane, p. 418).  Note that they supposed the father was either too far away to do anything, would not act, or was dead himself.

            Q  Again, who does the owner represent?

               An = God.  Today many think God, for all practical purposes, is either:  dead, too far away, or would not act anyway.  They are wrong.  Many will possibly treat you as they treated God's son.  People do some amazingly wrong things and think they will get away with it.

>>>> Have someone read Psalm 37:34-39.

 

V.  The Final Result:  Mark 12:9-12.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:9-12.

            Q  Will they get away with it? 

               An = No, God will come, kill the tenants, and the vineyard will be given to others (Mark 12:9).

            Q  Will Jesus be vindicated according to 12:10-11? 

               An = Yes!! The stone the builders rejected has become the key stone (Mark 12:10-11).  The religious leaders of that day rejected Jesus, and He is the key element of our planet.  What is more, Jesus Christ is the key stone, the key element in our eternal destiny.

            Q  Who will get the vineyard?  Who is the vineyard?

               An = The people of God.  There will be new leaders for the people of God.             

            Note:  Have everyone turn to I Peter 2:4-10

>>>> Have someone read I Peter 2:4-10.

            Q  How many people do you know in church who are "dead stones"? 

               An = A lot of people just go to church and are not "living stones".  To be living stones you have to be connected with the "Living Stone".  To be living, you have to be alive, you have to be born again!.  That is not popular with some, but remember Jesus Himself was rejected!  Our chosen, royal, Holy status is connected to the One who was rejected.   If we are not willing to be rejected, we cannot be with Him.  (Give an example of Christians you know who were rejected and hassled because they stayed true to the Lord.)

               Note:  Turn to Acts 4:8-14. 

>>>> Have someone read Acts 4:8. 

             Note:  See what it says about Peter:  he is filled with the Holy Spirit when he spoke.   The Lord's Spirit filled Peter.

>>>> Have someone read Acts 4:9-12.

            Note:  Notice here they are on trial because a man was healed, but Peter said all power was tied to the "name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene".  He then pointed out that they crucified Him, and He was the corner stone that was rejected.  Peter and John were not going to back off because in verse 12 they state that salvation is in no other name.  The rejected one is the key to the salvation of the world.

            I love the way this ends.

>>>> Have someone read Acts 4:13-14.

            Q  What did these authorities accredit the boldness they found in Peter and John?

               An = These two young men were in real hot water here, but they had confidence even though they were untrained and uneducated.  Their accusers marveled and noted:  "they had been with Jesus".  It is true we will face rejection if we identify with Jesus and do as He did, but we will be changed.  If people do not see such confidence in us, maybe it is because we have to go through the experiences the apostles had.

            Q  According to verse 14, what silenced the authorities?

               An = The presence of the healed man.  These men had been used of God to do powerful acts of mercy.  It was hard to ignore such hard data.  May such hard data be in our ministries.

            Note:  Stay with the crucified one.  He was rejected, but His rejection brought power to us.  Do not be ashamed of His humility, for if you are willing to identify with Him, you will be the new vineyard cultivators, the new farmers, the new leaders in His kingdom. 

            Note:  Rejection is not avoidable no matter what we do.  I would think it would be better to be rejected with Jesus than be rejected by Jesus.

Lesson # 33 | MARK 11:27-33 | HANDLING ATTACK

I.   Greetings:

 

II.  Introduction:

            Q  How many of you have been questioned about your faith by family, friends or co-workers?

            Q  Was the questioning negative?

            Q  How did you come out?

               An = Let some share, if they will, from their experiences.

            Q  Will people attack us even if we are righteous, humble and loving?

               An = Admittedly, we are often attacked because we made some type of mistake in our attitude or presentation, but sometimes we really do make the presentation of our faith properly and still we are attacked.

            Q  Should we expect it?

            Q  Why?

            Note:  In the next few verses we have the opportunity to see how to answer those who question us.  In addition, we will see how Jesus' answer to His critics becomes a test of our own spirituality.  God in His glory came to earth not merely to demonstrate His power, but to get involved with the daily grind of our experiences of criticism, and with such experiences, teach us.

 

III.  Jesus Under Fire:  Mark 11:27-28.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:27-28.

            Note:  Barclay (p. 290) notes that there are two great porches or courts in the temple:  "Solomon's Porch" and the "Royal Cloister".  The latter had four rows of marble columns 6 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall.  There were 162 of them.  This is where people would gather under shelter and often where the Rabbis taught.  What Jesus is doing is quite normal.  He is probably teaching where Rabbis were supposed to teach.

            Note:  The groups approaching Jesus were the scribes, chief priests, and elders.  These are all the various people of distinction that made up the highest court in the land, the Sanhedrin.  Hostility was coming from all factions of leadership in Jerusalem.

            Q  Does it surprise you that the perfect Son of God, the man who never sinned, was attacked by religious leaders?

               An = It should not surprise us.  Often people who are religious or are very interested in the church, are not very interested in the truth.  Many people go to church but are very upset if God would be present.  Religious people would be very offended if Jesus came to church.

            Note: No doubt the cleansing of the Temple and His great public acclaim on Palm Sunday were the cause of all the negative response He was attracting.  He had stepped on their toes both by threatening a great source of income and exposing their wrong doing, and in addition, He was obviously popular and that concerned them.  People in power do not like other people, whom they cannot control, to be popular.

            Q  How do they challenge Jesus?

               An = They question His authority for doing the things that He had been doing.  Jesus seemed to be doing things differently than before and they were upset.

            Note:  Do you see the irony?  God was right in their presence.  They were questioning what right God had to do such things in His own temple.

            Q  In your opinion, are there still people who are religiously interested without being interested in God?

               An = How people answer that question will no doubt determine their eternal future.  He is going to give them (and us) all a test today.  The first question....

            Q  Do we find ourselves always criticizing and totally disinterested in what God is doing?

            Q  Do we care about His interests or do we care about getting our own way?

 

IV.  Jesus' Non-Passive Response:  Mark 11:29-30.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:29-30.

            Q  Is Jesus humble (passive)?

               An = He does not seem to be very humble or very passive.

            Q  What type of personality is this?

               An = It depends on how one defines humble.  He is aggressive.  He goes on a counter attack.

            Q  How would this apply to us in answering our friends/relatives/co-workers? 

            Q  What about religious folks who do not understand what it means to really walk in a dynamic manner with the Lord?

               An = Our Lord will give us a pattern of how to answer.  If we want to answer in a manner similar to His then He will show us how to respond.  Lets watch Him...

            Note:  Jesus' first response is to turn the tables back on them.  They ask Him a question and He responds with a question.  They had Jesus seemingly on the defensive, and now He has them on the defensive.

 

V.  The Danger of Attacking the truth:  Mark 11:31-32.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:31-32.

            Q  Is Jesus intelligent?  How has He trapped them?

               An = Everyone in those days regarded John the Baptist as a prophet.  The religious leaders did not like John, but the populous did.  What Jesus did with His question was to trap them.  In what ever way they answered they were caught.  If they answered that John's authority was from men the crowds would attack them, and they would lose credibility with the crowds who clearly saw John as a martyred prophet.  If they answered that John's authority was from God then Jesus could easily point to the fact that John authenticated Jesus' ministry.  They were stuck.

            Q  Why does Jesus withhold His answer, what does He want them to do first?

               An = They had to first answer.  He forced them to commit themselves publicly.  They had to take a position. 

            Note:  People who like to criticize do not like to take a position themselves.  It is easy to stay in the role of a critic, and attack others.  It is much harder to take and defend a position.

            Q  How could we do this in our situations with our relatives, friends or co-workers?

               An = It is possible to be quick enough to answer questions with questions.  We can learn to be quick enough to turn the tables back on them.  We can learn this if we care and we can pray for God to help us do this.  We can get them to think by making them face themselves, and their own viewpoints.  It is an act of love to do this.  Jesus loved the religious leaders.

            The only hope for religious critics is to make them examine their own lives.

            Q  Why did Jesus link Himself with John?

               An = Both stood in common opposition to those who disregarded God's will.  (Lane, p. 413).  Both of them radically put God's will first.  Both of them were courageous followers of what the Lord wanted. 

            Note:  Remember, if you truly want to follow God you will face opposition and often from the religiously powerful or religiously interested. 

            Q  Why did Jesus demand they decide about John before they could get more information about Jesus?

               An = This is the second test question for us today.  So often we do not see what the Lord is saying because long ago we did not listen to or respond to what the Lord said then!  If we keep brushing aside what He told us to do, then He will stop talking to us.

            Note:  If there is something God has told us to do and we have ignored Him, or if we have not listened to the "John the Baptists" in our lives, then God will not answer us directly.  We  will have to obey the first message before we can hear the second.  A lot of us get stuck, because God has shown us what we need to do, and we have not done it.  Then we face the silence of God.

>>>> Have everyone turn to Matthew 7:6 and you read it.

            Note:  They would not listen to John, so Jesus said they were no better than "pigs".   This is quite a racially charged statement.  Pigs were not animals of choice for Jews.  They were unclean animals.  Give them a similar example that would be as pejorative.  

            Note:  Had He said anything they would have trampled him under-foot.  By not directly answering their question He not only forced their silence, He addressed the real issue.  He was going beyond their question and showing them that despite their human religious authority they did not obey God, therefore they did not know Jesus was from God. 

            RQ  Who are the John the Baptist's we have not obeyed? 

            RQ  On what issue have you not obeyed?

            Note:  We can challenge and question God all we want, but God will come and say "what did you do with John the Baptist?"

            Note:  I had a co-worker in YFC that years ago said our work for God will go dynamically forward when our staff go straighten out their relationship to their parents.  It sounds strange that good youth work with other kids is dependent on showing respect to your own parents, but I have seen how amazingly accurate my co-worker was.  God said "Honor thy Father and Mother", He has not changed His mind.  How can we work for Him and blow off what He says?

            Note:  For you it may be something else, go over the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount, but go back to what the first message you heard from the Lord and do it.

 

VI.  The Silence of Disobedience:  Mark 11:33.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:33.

            Note:  The leaders were caught between not wanting to submit to God and from fear of the people.  They had it backwards.  They needed to be like Jesus.  We should not fear men because we submit to God. 

            If we are going to get into ministry, we need to figure out who we are going to fear.

            If we want to learn to be a strong and helpful influence in our community and family then we need to figure out who we are going to fear.

            Q  Why do leaders fear the people?

               An = Let them answer without comment.  Then add, when we are afraid of people, then we are not afraid of God.  We are to love people, not fear them.

            Note:  Christ is wonderful.  He is not only bright, quick, unbelievable subtle and penetrating in His handling of attack, but He has courage!  This is our model, this is our Lord,  this is our glory!  His courage was going to cost Him His life...but it would give us ours!

Lesson # 32 | MARK 11:12-25 | Faith For Disciples

I.   Greetings:

 

II.  Introduction:  It was near ten years ago I sat in a parked car outside of  St. Agnes hospital trying to have faith.  One of my best friend's wife was dying of cancer, had, I was told, two days to live.  I was there to pray for her healing.  I prayed I would have faith and tried to pump myself up with as much positive feelings as I could muster.  However, by the time I arrived at the 5th floor to enter the intensive care unit all confidence was gone.  She is alive today, over eight years later, but it was certainly not due to my overriding faith.  I had much to learn!

            I believe such faith is to be part of the believer, and Jesus addresses this issue on the last week of His life. 

            Note:  Jesus is a master teacher.  He was then and is now.  He knows how to seize the moment and use metaphors or concrete images to get across His points.

 

III.  Working With Trees (Metaphor):  Mark 11:12-14

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:12-14

            Q  Why is Jesus in Jerusalem?  What will happen this week?

               An = This begins the passion week, the week of His death.  It is His last chance to teach the disciples key truths.

            Q  Assuming Jesus understood the proper season for figs, why did He approach the tree in the first place?

               An = Mark wants to point out at the end of 11:14 c "And His disciples heard it."  This is a strange occurrence and Mark seemingly does not interpret it for us.  Even today, God does things that seem strange and are not understandable to us.  However, He is God, and He knows what He is doing.

 

IV.  Justice:  Mark 11:15-19.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:15-19

            Q  Why is Jesus so upset?

               An = The holy temple of God has been defiled, but in a most horrible manner.

            Note:  It is a matter of injustice!  People came from all over the world to pray to the God revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures.  Many were not Jews but had been deeply attracted to the Jewish conception of God:  All power, unlimited power was in one Person (monotheism) and this power was Just and Loving.  At the heart of the Universe was an unmitigated power that was both just and loving;  good news indeed!  That justice and power combined was the greatest religion ever heard of on the planet! 

            Jesus was angry because at the very place on earth where one should have expected justice and loving treatment was the seen of robbery.  People would come to buy a proper sacrificial animal or grain only to find they had to use temple currency and the rates of exchange were corrupt, or the animal, grain, etc. was found to be deficient so a temple approved animal had to be bought at exorbitant prices.  This was "unrighteous".  In Hebrew, the definition of "righteousness" is usually best understood as "what is appropriate."  Cheating defenseless pilgrims, many who had traveled for months for a once-in-a-life-time experience of worship is inappropriate.  They were cheated at the very threshold of the God of Justice and Love.

            Jesus was deeply angry and when he was through with the temple thieves a lot of money had been lost, and so Jesus was not the only people angry that day.  Jesus had threatened the power structure of His day.

            RQ  However, what does this have to do with fig trees out of season?

 

V.  Trees and Faith:  Mark 11:20-24

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:20-24.

            Note:  Peter is obviously surprised and points this out.

            Q #A  What does faith have to do with fig trees?  How does the tree story in 11:12-14 and 20-24 relate to the temple story in 11:15-19?  

            Q  Why did Mark interrupt his tree story?  How does a lesson of faith and justice belong together?

            Q  Even more alarming, is not Jesus' definition frustrating?

            Q  Are not definitions like the one in 11:24 the cause of some much grief and pain like the experience I had in the parking lot of the hospital?

            QQ  Have you experienced such frustration?

            Q #B How do we gain such faith?

 

VI.  Trees, Justice, Faith and the Key to gain Faith:  Mark 11:24-26.

            A.  Looking More Closely At Verses 23-24.

            Note:  To answer these questions, lets examine Jesus' speech more closely.  In 11:22 one is commanded to have faith. 

            In 11:23 there is an "If...then" structure to the verse.  Mountains are put into the Sea "if" one speaks, with no doubt, and believes in one's heart (or mind or consciousness for that is more accurately what heart means in Hebrew) what he speaks, "then" it will be accomplished.  Mountains could mean several things, but one thing is given in this context of the fig tree.  It would certainly include physical miracles (see Mark 16:17,18).

            In 11:24 we have the conclusion/interpretation.  If anything is believed, then it shall be. 

            B.  Answering Question # A, What Do Trees and Faith Have To Do With Each Other?

            Q  What do trees and faith have to do with each other?

               An = Let them answer without comment by you and then note that Jesus is not through speaking but says one or two verses more (depending on their translation).

>>>> Have someone one read Mark 11:25-26.

            Note:  There is a text-critical problem with 11:26 and some English version leave the verse out, but the deletion of the verse does not affect the argument (see Matt. 6:15, 18:35).

            Q  Why is this here?  Is Jesus' interpretation of the mountain a lack of forgiveness?

            Q  Is great power needed to forgive in certain situation? 

            Q  Are brothers (physical or christian ones) harder to forgive than others?  What do you think?

            Q  What do our churches need most:  physical miracles or for their members to forgive one another?

               An = Perhaps there is a logical progression here in Mark.

            * It is appropriate (righteous) for fig trees to have figs.

            * It is appropriate for justice to be found in the temple of the God of Justice.

            * It is appropriate for forgiveness to be found in Christians.

There is more logic implied here, and it is frightening: 

            * Trees that do not act appropriately are withered.

            * People who cheat others at the temple are thrown out. 

            * Christians who do not forgive are not forgiven.                                   

            C.  Gaining Faith:  Applying Verse 25-26 To Verses 12-24.

            Perhaps we now need to look at Q #B again.  How do we gain such faith?  Perhaps, we can start with something very near to us. 

            Q  Do we forgive?  Is this where Jesus wants us to start in our quest for faith?

            Q  If we started forgiving our enemies, would the faith to do healing be present?

               An = Jesus seems to put a priority on forgiving, rather than physical healing.  Maybe these are the mountains He is most concerned with.  This is not to knock physical miracles.  The church has experienced them in every age, and they are often signs or acts of compassion that God sees fit to give.  However, our real problem is what Jesus brings up.  We often do not forgive because we do not have faith.

            Q  Why does it take faith to forgive? 

               An = Let me offer two reasons. 

            1)  One is we do not forgive because we doubt God will judge our persecutors/enemies.  Psalm 108:12-13 says differently.  However, it does take real faith to believe justice will take place in the end.  It does seem the wicked prosper. 

            2)  Second, we are often in doubt whether He can take the feelings of anger/hatred/etc. away. 

            Q  Let me ask you, even if we do forgive in our minds, could we ever be free in our feelings? 

               An = The fact is that we cannot get rid of these feelings, but He can.  Physical miracles are not done by our faith, they are done by God.  Our feelings, and the freedom we need from them, will not be accomplished by our faith, but by God.  For that matter, so will the judgment of our enemies.  Our faith is demonstrated when we do not take matters into our own hands.  >>>>  Have someone read Psalms 37:34-40

            Note:  A last word from our brothers/sisters of long ago.[1]

            "A brother who was hurt by another brother went to the Theban Abba Sisois and said:  `I want to avenge myself on a brother who has hurt me.'  The old man begged him? `Don't my son:  leave vengeance in the hands of God.'  But he said: `I cannot rest until I avenge myself.'  The old man said:  `My brother, let us pray.'  The old man stood up and said: `O God, we have no further need to think of Thee, for we take vengeance of ourselves.'  The brother heard it and fell at the old man's feet, saying:  `No longer will I quarrel with my brother:  I beg you to forgive me.'" 

            Another word from the desert fathers....

            "They said of a monk, that the more bitterly anyone injured or assailed him, the more he was well-disposed to him;  for he said:  `People like this are a means to cure the faults of serious men.   We often need troublesome people to help us get cured before the last call, the last blast of the trumpet.  I deeply appreciate those who treat me justly and lovingly, but I must admit that the jerks of the world can be the means of my growth in grace and, according to Jesus, my growth in faith.'"

---

    [1].  These quotes are from the Dessert Fathers, an accessible copy of their teachings is Owen Chadwick, Western Asceticism, The Library of Christian Classics:  Ichthus Edition, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958. p. 177.  See also page 262, #8 on miraculous gifts.

Lesson # 31 | MARK 11:1-11 | GOING UP TO JERUSALEM

I.   Greetings:

 

II.  Introduction:

            Today we will be discussing a famous passage that is associated with Palm Sunday:  the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cheers and welcomes of crowded Jerusalem.  This is a water shed moment in Jesus' life. 

 

III.  Nearing Jerusalem:  Mark 11:1

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:1.

            Q  Have you ever heard the phrase:  "going up to Jerusalem"?  What does it mean?

               An = Being willing to enter that place or situation where you fear trouble, death, persecution or pain may be found, but knowing it is God's will to do so.  Throughout church history this phrase has been used to describe one's choice to face one's fears so as to obey God in the task He has put before us.

            Note:  In chapter 11 we enter the last week of Jesus' life:  the Passion Week.

            Q  What does Passion Week mean?

               An = The word "passion" comes from the Greek word pascho, meaning "to suffer".  It often refers to endurance by a submissive victim of afflictions imposed upon him.  In addition, it can also refer to an inner emotional experience.  Jesus suffered inside as much as outside.

            Q  Do good Christians suffer?

            Q  Do you know good, righteous Christians that are suffering right now?  If so raise your hands?

            Q  Why would that be a Christ-like condition?

            Note:  Some of you are suffering inside and only you know that, or you are aware of someone who is suffering deep within themselves.

            <<<<Note:  Lets stop right now and take the time to tell God about what we are suffering or about suffering we know of in others.  Tell God where you hurt or your friend hurts.  He is willing to listen, He is quite well acquainted with suffering.  Stop and open in a brief prayer, then pause and let them pray for about a minute, then close and go on with the lesson.>>>>

            Q  When does the passion week begin and end?  What two events function as bookends for the passion week?

               An = Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, it is eight days long.  It opens with Jesus' acclaim on Palm Sunday, then the suffering culminating on the cross and ending in Resurrection Sunday.  Obedience to God always includes both suffering and resurrection.  It always culminates in glory!  If there is a cross in God's will for you, there is also a crown!

 

IV.  Obtaining the Colt:  Selected Humility.  Mark 11:2-7

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:2-7.

            Q  Is this proof that Jesus knows the future?

               An = This could be a miracle or it could be a plan pre-arranged by Jesus with those He had met at an earlier time.  It is unclear.  However, all through Mark's Gospel Jesus is clearly aware of His future (Mark 8-10 has 5 predictions of the passion week by Jesus).  It is quite in line with the tenor of Mark that Jesus would know some small detail such as this.

 

V.  Entrance Into Jerusalem:  Mark 11:8-10

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:8-10.

            Q  What are the crowd's actions in 11:8?

               An = They spread their cloaks on the road or palm branches on the road to show Him honor.

            Q  Do they think He is a king?

               An = It could be they thought Jesus was the Messiah, and the popular conception was that the Messiah would come as a king.

            Q  What is ironic about their showing Him such honor?

               An = The crowds turned on Him by Friday.

            Q  Why does a king ride a donkey?

               An = Listen to and note their answers and then.... 

>>>> Have someone read Genesis 49:10-11. 

            Q  What strikes you about these two verses?

               An = They are an ancient prophesy, tieing three themes:  kingly authority, the humility of the donkey, and the theme of blood.  What a strange combination.  

>>>> Have someone read Zechariah 9:9.

            Q  What is stressed here?

               An = Kingship, joy, salvation and humility. 

            Note: There is no joy without humility (which is submission to the will of God).  Kingly glory is tied to humility.  If we wish to be kingly, then our coming exaltation must be preceded by humility, including humiliating circumstances.  Even the greatest man to ever live on earth, was humiliated.

            Q  When the people sing Hosanna, what does this word mean?

               An = It literally means "save us".  >>>> Have someone read II Samuel 14:4.   In this Samuel passage the woman uses this phrase as a call for help made to a king.  Later in use it grew to mean "an appeal for God to inaugurate the era of salvation" (Lane, p. 398).

            Note: "Blessed is He who cometh" (Mark 11:9) is a messianic title.

            Q  Did Jesus come to save them as Messiah in the way they imagined?

               An = No.  Jesus came in a manner they did not expect.

            Q  Will Jesus come into our lives in a way we may not expect or want?

               An = After their answers, give an example from your own life where you wanted God to come and do one thing where He had a different, but later understood, better agenda, better plan, better coming.

            Q  Will Jesus save us in due time?

 

VI.  Quiet Review:  Mark:11:11

>>>> Have someone read Mark 11:11.

            Q  Why is this here?

               An = First, it is a quiet review.  He calmly, quietly, looks over where He is going to preach in the days to come.  He reviews the scene of His coming work.  Second, as Barclay puts it, He had an atmosphere of deliberation about Him.  "Jesus was not recklessly plunging into unknown dangers.  He was doing everything with His eyes wide open" (Barclay, p. 279).  He knew what He was about and why.  He deliberately began His final week.

            Q  What could that mean for us today?  How could we apply this verse to our situations?

            Note:  He goes back to Bethany.  It shows where Jesus got his strength before he joined battle.  He sought the peace of God (Barclay, p. 279).  We too need to return to Bethany for times of refreshing between the battles.  We too need Sabbaths, we need breaks, we need rest.

 

VII.  The Pattern:   The Way of Righteousness, Rejection, Marvel and Finally Joy.

            Note:  Have everyone turn to Psalms 118.  We are going to read part of this psalm because it might help to see that Jesus' experience is in a pattern that is in the Psalms and other parts of the Bible.  It is in many stories, for example:  David, Joseph and Daniel.

>>>> Have someone read Psalms 118:19-21.

            Note:  The way to God is the gate of righteousness and only the righteous can enter it.  If we have known sin in our lives and we will not deal with it then the gate to God is not open to us.  God rescued David, Daniel and Joseph, but they were living righteous lives.

>>>> Have someone read Psalms 118:22-23.

            Q  What is marvelous in the Psalmist's eyes?

               An = Rejection was going to take place.  They rejected the King of Glory.  We have to marvel, we have to stand in awe, we have to stand in humility and gaze at His humility.  Jesus knew this, even on His Palm Sunday day of triumph.  His rejection, and ours, if it is because of righteousness, is "His doing" and it is "marvelous in our eyes".

>>>> Have someone read Psalms 118:24-26.

            Note:  Some of you may recognize the words in 118:24 as the words to a well known song.  It is a great song, but when I saw the context of this verse here, I saw we "rejoice in the day that the Lord hath made", when it is a day of rejection.  The days of rejection are also in God's hands. 

            Finally, the phrase "Blessed is the one who comes in the Name of the Lord", is a messianic phrase.  The Blessed One comes in humility and rejection, but He will rise from the dead.  If there is suffering ahead for you because you are righteous, then blessing will result.

            Jesus rose from the dead, David became king despite Saul's persecution, Daniel got out of the lion's den, and Joseph went from prison to being premier of Egypt.

Lesson # 30 | MARK 10:46-52 | GETTING TO GOD

I.   Greetings:

 

II.  Introduction: 

            Note:  So often we have to face things we do not enjoy.  New jobs, a new school, coming exams, coming operations, etc.  We often dread certain things we know are on the near horizon or in the future.  Jesus understands this aspect of our lives and gives us some tremendous help in dealing with our dread.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 10:46 and Mark 11:1.

            Q  Where is Jesus heading as He leaves Jericho?

               An = Jerusalem.  There is nothing between Jericho and Jerusalem but a desolate waste land. 

            Q  What will happen to Him when He arrives?

               An = His humiliation and crucifixion which Mark has shown five times in chapters 8-10 that Jesus is consciously aware of.  Jesus knows what He is heading into, and He must have experienced some dread.

            Q  Is there something you are dreading tonight?

               An = Write it down on a 3x5 card.  They are being passed out right now.  If you cannot think of anything right now, keep the card in case something comes to your during the lesson tonight.

 

III.  First Interaction Outside of Jericho:  Blind Man & Crowd.  Mark 10:47-48.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 10:47-48.

            Q  Why did the crowd silence the blind man?  Because he was a nuisance or because of his calling Jesus a messianic title?

               An = It could be both, but probably because he was a bother.

            Q  What do we learn of the blind man's character?

               An = He is determined, persistent and insistent.  These are excellent qualities for prayer.

            Q  Is determination necessary for getting to God?

            Note:  The phrase "have mercy on me" is a cry from the Psalter.  Have three different people turn to the following three different Psalm references:  Ps. 4:1;  Ps. 6:2;  Ps. 51:1. 

>>>> Have them read Psalm 4:1;  6:2; and 51:1.

            After these three verses are read out loud you could encourage them to read the whole Psalm on their own at a later date.  Psalms 4 is a call for mercy because of oppressive powerful people, Psalm 6 is a cry for mercy due to physical illness, Psalm 51 is tied to need that arises from our own guilt and sin.  All three are but the tip of the iceberg in the Psalms where Israel was taught to cry out to the true Lord of all creation because He was interested in their cries.

            Note:  Perhaps the title "Son of David" is messianic or at least that Jesus is an instrument of davidic hope.  Have everyone turn to Isaiah 35:4-6.

>>>> Have someone read Isaiah 35:4-6.

 

IV.  The Second Interchange Outside of Jericho: Jesus, Crowd, Blind Man.  Mark 10:49

>>>> Have someone read Mark 10:49.

            Q What is the difference in the crowd reaction from 10:48?

               An = The crowd is involved twice:  Mark 10:48 and 49.  Crowds can be fickle and change.  In 10:48 they are stopping the man from personally encountering Jesus, whereas in 10:49 they are encouraging the personal encounter.  Jesus will meet with such fickleness soon enough in Jerusalem.  The crowd changes dramatically from Palm Sunday in their cries of praise to their cry for Him to be crucified five days later.

 

V.  The Third Interchange Outside of Jericho:  Jesus & Blind Man.  Mark 10:50-52.

>>>> Have someone read Mark 10:50-52.

            Q  Is the crowd present when the healing takes place?

               An = No, personal interaction and the issues of faith can now arise.  This is Jesus' pattern:  Mark 2:5-11;  5:30-34;  7:27-29;  9:21-24.  Example of the silent helicopter.  If you had a silent helicopter and could hover over Jesus and gauge when people really got close to God, you would notice something about the ministry of Jesus.  As long as people stayed a part of the crowd they did not get any real spiritual business done.  You had to step away from your peer group and meet Jesus one-on-one. 

            Many of us today are not really close to God and we know it.  It is because we refuse to leave the crowd, leave our religious group, or scorning friends, we stay in the security of the pack.  We will stay away from real contact with Jesus and God if we stay in the crowd!

            Note:  Jesus did not heal the guy as he walked by, He desired personal interaction.  He wants us to interact with Him personally.

            Q  Why did Jesus ask the blind man the question of what he wanted?  Wasn't it obvious he wanted to be healed of his blindness?

               An = Sometimes God wants us to verbalize what we want.  Also, it could be the man has moved from a general cry for mercy (10:47-48) to a specific request for healing.

            Note: All three interactions show the Blind Man to be aggressive. 

            Q  Does such aggressiveness seemed to work?

               An = Yes, we should stop right now and tell God what we want, really want, today.  Notice the man did not ask for the salvation of Israel, or for some other worthy spiritual issue.  He asked for what really dominated his life and thinking.  Perhaps that is how we should begin our prayers.  Lets pray and tell Him.

            Q  Is Jesus also aggressive?

               An = The blind man was aggressive but Jesus was more so, He takes over (10:51) and makes the blind man respond.  God will do the same with us today.  No matter how aggressive we are, He will be more so. 

>>>> Re-read Mark 10:51.

            Q  What did the blind man want?

               An = He wanted to be able to see.  Notice two things.  He has stopped using fancy titles for Jesus.  He does not use messianic titles, but a much more simple title:  Rabbi.  God is not fooled by our con-games.  We need to simply and humbly ask.

            Note:  Remember, eyes are the metaphor for perception in the Bible.  Some of you need to be able to see today.  You need eyes to see things you can not see on your own.  I have discovered if we ask for our eyes to be opened, we will begin to see.  I have been amazed.

            Q  Did the blind man ask for something he could do for himself?

               An = No, he asked for a miracle.  He wanted to be able to see.  The man could not do that on his own.  He needed divine help.  If Jesus was just a good counselor and a kind person then Jesus was going to be of little help to this man.  The blind man needed something that was impossible for him to do on his own.  There had to be God.

            Some of you need God! 

            RQ  Are you willing to step out now and ask?  Are you willing to leave the safety of the crowd?

            You might already say you are a Christian.

            RQ  Will you humble yourself and say today, "I need God and I need more of Him". 

            If so step out...

 

VI.  Summary:

            Finally, back to where we started.  Jesus was on His way to His death and yet he has time, and gives total attention to one in need.  The next time we are under stress, lets look for the Bartimaeous's in our path.  This is Jesus' way:  see Mark 10:13.  It will be his way all through the Passion week.  On the cross He converts the thief, gives His mother a new son (in the Gospel of John), helps His disciples escape, etc.  Jesus consistently deals honestly and openly with His feelings but never forgets to look beyond His own nose to the needs of others around Him. 

            Q  What are you dreading this week? 

               An =             1) Write down any other thing you might be dealing with that has come to your memory during the lesson.

                                      2) Remember, learn to put aside your own problems like Jesus does and look beyond your own nose.  Look for the Bartimaeous' in your life.

                                    3) Write down, next to what you have listed that you dread, any Bartimaeous' you are aware of.  As the weeks goes on, keep adding new Bartimaeous' to the card.