Fig Tree Object Lesson (Mark 11:12-22) I. INTRODUCTION You are listening to a message by Dr. David Wolfe at Bensenville Bible Church, a culturally mixed community on the outskirts of Chicago. Our study today comes from Mark’s Gospel, chap 11, vs 12-22. The focus is on a fig-tree that Jesus uses as an object lesson as to the spiritual make up of Israel. As Mark tells the story, Jesus approaches a fig tree with the intent of having a snack, (v12), but there are no figs. Seeing that there are no figs, Jesus does the oddest thing, He curses the tree to never bear again. Now a casual reading makes it appear that Jesus cursed the tree simply because He was hungry and He couldn’t have a fig. To add to the confusion, Mark tells us that it wasn’t even the season for figs. Seems a bit extreme, don’t you think, for Jesus to curse the fig tree because there simply was no figs?! Yet tucked in this story is an object lesson about God’s thoughts on empty spirituality that we need to process and apply to our own lives. To help us extract the lesson, we have to ask a couple of question, questions such as ‘Why did Jesus curse the fig tree in the first place?’ And why did He make a big deal that it never again produce fruit? I think inquiring minds would like some insight. Let’s take a moment and ask God to guide us as we wrestle with Jesus’ Fig Tree Object Lesson. Heavenly Father, we pray for your help as we study this thought provoking lesson. Keep us from error, open our eyes that we might learn, with the disciples, lessons from the fig tree that will help us stand faithfully in the midst our own nations decay. And we ask this in your Son’s name. Amen. II. THE STORY Open our Bibles to Mark 11:12-22 and follow along as I read the story of the cursed fig tree. 12 The next day, when they left Bethany, Jesus became hungry. 13 In the distance he saw a fig tree with leaves. He went to see if he could find any figs on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves because it wasn’t the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” His disciples heard this. 15 When they came to Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. 16 He would not let anyone carry anything across the temple courtyard. 17 Then he taught them by saying, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves.” 18 When the chief priests and scribes heard him, they looked for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him because he amazed all the crowds with his teaching. 19 Every evening Jesus and his disciples would leave the city. 20 While Jesus and his disciples were walking early in the morning, they saw that the fig tree had dried up. 21 Peter remembered ⌊what Jesus had said⌋, so he said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up.” 22 Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! III. THE CONTEXT I don’t know about you, but this whole ‘fig tree thing’ is a mind twister. In fact, it seems to dominate everything from v11 to chap 13. If we are to make any sense out of this incident, we must absolutely grasp the context. The drama begins in v11, with Jesus scoops out temple activities. This is followed by an in-depth temple cleansing, and ending with the foretelling of the destruction of the temple in chap 13. The staggering truth of the fig tree is that it is about destruction, and stands in sharp contrast to the healings and transformative acts that have taken place previously. Jesus’ driving out the chaos in v15 graphically portrays God’s rejection of the culture surrounding the temple and looking forward to the coming destruction. [i] The incident is designed to picture the absence of true spirituality as set forth by God throughout the Old Testament. The point is, the fig tree became a visual object lesson as to the dangers of a lifeless spirituality. In Jesus day the temple had become a nationalistic symbol that drew a distinction between Israel and the nations. While at the same time it was never meant to be treated as a national shrine. Further, another twist to the drama is that in the Bible God uses the fig-tree and the grape vine routinely as metaphors for spirituality. For example, Hosea 9:10 (GW) ⌊The Lord said,⌋ “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert. When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first figs of the harvest. IV. THE SYMBOLISM OF THE FIGTREE Let’s take a moment wrestle with this withered up fig tree and its lesson on spirituality. I am told that in Israel, because of climate, etc., that it’s possible to harvest figs two or three times each year. Each harvest crop cycle goes through the same process. The tree first produces its fruit and then leaves form. So if you see a fig tree with its leaves, one can assume its figs have already grown. [ii] As Jesus and disciples meandered along the path, there’s a beautiful fig tree all filled out, giving the impression fruitfulness. So in application, the worship in the temple gave the impression of rich spirituality, when in actuality it was ceremonial empty. As Isaiah the prophet said in Isaiah 29:13 (NASB95) These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as ‘God’ doctrines the precepts of men. So when Jesus came to the Temple that day, what did He see? Based on v15, Alistair Begg points out that it was a place of total chaos, where the glory of God was to be obviously evident, and the prospect of living water and fruit brought satisfaction. But upon close examination, it was absolutely useless in terms of what it had to offer. [iii ] When Jesus cursed the fig-tree for its lack of figs, v14, Mark puts out for us that the disciples were listening. That’s is, they heard every word. Jumping down to vs19ff, 1 9 When evening came, they would go out of the city. 20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” Don’t miss this: the barren fig tree is not reformed or cleansed, it is cursed. It’s barrenness represented the barrenness of Israel’s spirituality. As Jesus clearly says in John 15, when there is no fruit, destruction follows. To quote Ray Stedman, The cursing of the fig tree represented God’s cursing of the heart of this nation, because it had nothing but leaves. It appeared to have life, but in reality did not. It appeared to offer hope to men and women of the nations of earth. From all over the earth people were coming to the temple at Jerusalem, hoping to find an answer to the emptiness and the burden of their heart, but finding no help there at all. So Jesus cursed the spiritual center of the nation. [iv] In this story I believe there are two take away lessons that we need to pay close attention. A. Be Careful of False Spiritual Appearances. The first take-away-lesson of the fig tree is this—be careful of false spiritual appearances. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it had the appearance of seasonal fruitfulness. It was full. It was beautiful. Much like the worship in the temple. Full. Rich. Lots of pomp and circumstance. Jesus entered the temple, the center of Israel’s religious life, looking for prayerfulness, fruitfulness (v17), and what does He find? Empty Charades. Worship had become a shame. Alistair Begg writes: The barren fig tree, emblematic of a ceremonial, religious legalism that created the notion of satisfying the hungry heart—but when the people got up to it, there was nothing there to satisfy. And for some of us, that is all that we’ve known in our own worship settings: lots of ceremony and what might be called religious jargon. [v] Kent Hughs warns us that Just because we look good, because our leaves are large and shiny, does not mean that we are bearing fruit pleasing to God. This is a valuable image for us. [vi] Listen carefully: As the story unfolds, Mark adds a twist to the drama by telling us that it wasn’t the season for figs. Diane Shirlaw, in her blog writes: from the distance the tree appeared to be more advanced than the others, and made it seem at a distance to offer something substantial, but in actuality offered nothing but leaves. [vii] This tree was a vivid depiction of hypocritical spirituality. It had the appearance of substance, but in actuality was fruitless. Jesus had some sharp words for those who faked spirituality in Matthew 23:27–28 (GW) 2 7 “How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed graves that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. 28 So on the outside you look as though you have God’s approval, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. In Jesus’ day tombs were often white-washed to make them look attractive to the passer-byer—but inside dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. Donald Hagner, in his commentary writes: The fundamental flaw of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy, was in their concerted attempt to appear to be what they unfortunately were not. While they wanted to appear righteous, in fact they were unrighteous. [viii] . I lived for a number of years on a dairy farm. Every so often we would come and white-wash the walls. White-wash is mixture of lime and water to whiten the walls. [ix] It is designed to conceal flaws, imperfections, blemishes and manure splashes from the cows. When done, the walls look pearly white, sparkly clean, and beautiful. It gives the impression of nice clean barn walls. But on close inspection the flaws and manure spits from the cows can be seen. The White-wash does nothing more than to cover. A casual glance gave the appearance of cleanliness. But upon close inspection not so much. Mark makes it a point that it was not the season for figs, but the tree gave the appearance that it was the season. The point for us is that we need to be careful we don’t give those around us an appearance of fruitfulness, when in actuality we are no different than the culture in which we live. Underneath the fancy cloths and beautiful smiles is a barren life. Such portrayals are not acceptable to God. B. There Is A Way To Live That brings me to a second take away lesson—To live spirituality true takes real faith in God. Vs21–22 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. What a polar opposite conversation—withered dead tree vs faith in God. It only makes sense when we keep the events in context. I love how Ray Stedman lays it out: Jesus was not telling Peter and us the secret of how to curse fig trees; Instead He is telling Peter and us the secret of how to live so as not to be cursed. [x] We don’t want to miss what Jesus was telling the disciples. The nation of Israel was cursed because they had lost faith in God. In their worship they were too busy mimicking the meaningless rituals of the nation’s around them and caught up in performance, which produced a religious glaze, if you well, that glossed over their inward emptiness. And so, like the tree Jesus cursed, they were withered from the roots up. The point Jesus is making is, to keep from being spiritually withered, we need an active faith in God. I believe the point Mark wanted us to get a hold of is that, despite the withered up fig tree (a picture of Israel’s own spiritual decay), we are called to center our faith in God, not ceremonial pomp and circumstances that often occur in our churches. V. TRUTHS THAT SHAPE OUR LIVES This incident should cause us to examine our own spiritual behavior. In closing I want to leave us with two challenges for the week. A. Heart Of Worship Years ago Matt Redman wrote a song entitled The Heart of Worship. [xi] The song flowed out of a ministry moment. As Matt Redman tells it: In the late 1990s, the preaching pastor at his church in Watford, England sensed that their worship gatherings were going flat spiritually, that the congregation was going through the motions, and worship wasn’t flowing from the heart like true Christian worship must. “There was a dynamic missing,” says Redman , “so the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.” [xii] The point is, when we worship . . . We’re to bring to God more than a song For a song in itself Is not what God requires For God searches much deeper within Through the way things appear Looking deep within our hearts “The heart of worship is not music and song, but heads and hearts in joyful awe of the real Jesus.” So I must ask, to what degree is your spirituality, my spirituality, our spirituality together built on performance and music rather than heart felt worship? B. The Centrality Of Faith That brings us to v22 where Peter is astounded by the withered up fig tree. Jesus’ answered Peter . . . if you want to live, really live, you have to have faith in God!! Reading Jesus’ response caused me to reflect for a moment on Hebrews 11:6 (NASB95) And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Faith is rooted in our 100% belief that God exists. If we don’t have total trust in His existence, we don’t have faith. It is impossible to please God without having faith that He exists and will reward those who seek Him. As Bruce Barton reminds us in his commentary, real faith begins in the heart. To have a strong, vibrant, living faith requires a personal relationship with the risen Christ. Jesus is Lord; we are his disciples. We are being called to move beyond the veneer and trappings of Christianity to genuine faith in Christ. Faith puts fruit on our trees; it fills life’s shell with love forever. [xiii] To have faith is to know God. John 17:3 (NASB95) “ This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Real genuine faith is rooted in a real genuine knowledge of God that is rooted in absolute trust. As we are told in Galatians 3:6 (NASB95) A braham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. And that my friends is absolutely true. Would you join me now in prayer? Heavenly Father, thank you that Your Word demands the best of us—that at its very core, when we stand back from it, it presents a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we stand up close to the scriptures and examine the details, we find much to be challenged by it. That it makes demands upon our thinking. May we not be like the fig tree, robust and full on the outside, but empty and barren on the inside. As we come to the Lord’s Table may our lives be enriched, and we sense the wonder of Your forgiveness given to us in Christ Jesus. Transition To Communion I would like today’s communion to be a response to our hearing God’s Word today. This is really meant to be a special thing for us as a culturally mixed body of believers. Communion is meant to be a communal experience, not a private alone. This is probably going to be a little awkward for us, but here are our instructions: We’ll pass out the bread and the cup the normal way. Pastor Ricardo will read 1 Corinthians 11:23–24 (NASB95) and then lead in prayer. Then we’ll open the packet with bread, then please turn to the person next to you and say to them The body of Christ, broken for you . . . then the person next to you will repeat . . . the body of Christ broken for you . . . then we eat the bread together We’ll do the same with the cup. I will read 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 and lead in prayer. Then we’ll remove the seal and you’ll turn to the person next to you and say to them This is the blood of Christ, poured out for you . . . then the person next to you will repeat . . . This is the blood of Christ, poured out for you . . . then we’ll drink the cup together. As we come to the table of our Lord we’ll now pass the ‘elements’. Pastor Ricardo Scripture & Prayer: 1 Corinthians 11:23–24 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” The body of Christ, broken for you Pastor Dave Scripture & Prayer: 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (ESV) The blood of Christ, poured out for you [i] David E. Garland, Mark , The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 436. [ii] Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira, Lessons From the Cursed FigTree –Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree and the Fascinating Answer! (Mark 11:11-14, 20-25) https://www.worthbeyondrubies.com/why-did-jesus-curse-the-fig-tree/ [iii] Alistair Begg, Lessons From The Fig-Tree (Mark 11:11-25, Pt1), https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/lessons-fig-tree-part-one/ [iv] Ray Stedman, The King Is Coming (Mark 11:1-25), https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/mark/the-king-is-coming [v] Alistair Begg, Lessons From The Fig-Tree (Mark 11:11-25, Pt1), https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/lessons-fig-tree-part-one/ [vi] R. Kent Hughes, Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior , vol. 2, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 86–87. [vii] Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira, Lessons From the Cursed FigTree –Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree and the Fascinating Answer! (Mark 11:11-14, 20-25) https://www.worthbeyondrubies.com/why-did-jesus-curse-the-fig-tree/ [viii] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14–28 , vol. 33B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995), 671. [ix] https://duckduckgo.com/?q=white+washed&atb=v241-1&ia=definition . A mixture of lime and water, often with whiting, size, or glue added, that is used to whiten walls, fences, or other structures. Concealment or palliation of flaws or failures. Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime or chalk calcium carbonate, sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. [x] Ray Stedman, The King Is Coming (Mark 11:1-25), https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/mark/the-king-is-coming [xi] Matt Redman, The Heart Of Worship, https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelwsmith/theheartofworship.html [xii] David Mathis, Back To The Heart Of Worship, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/back-to-the-heart-of-worship [xiii] Bruce B. Barton, Mark , Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 319.

36- The King Visits His Father's House (Mark 11:1-11)

Faith Lessons From A Blind Beggar (Mark 10:46-52) I. INTRODUCTION Hello. This is Dr. David Wolfe, one of the pastors at Bensenville Bible Church on the outskirts of Chicago. We are a culturally mixed community. Our study today comes from Mark’s Gospel, chap 10, vs46-52. In these verses Jesus meets up with a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, who stood in stark contrast to the Pharisees and the disciples when it comes to seeing Jesus for Who He is; Unlike the crowd following Jesus, Bartimaeus, who could not see, sees clearly Jesus’ identity. Mathew and Luke also are intrigued by Bartimaeus encounter with Jesus, but Mark gives us a clearer view of the intensity of faith that brings radical change. Ray Stedman is spot on when he says, Here was a man who was very conscious of his blindness in contrast to the disciples who were not. [i] While the disciples were caught up in the priority of self over others, Bartimaeus was conscious of his wretched condition as a blind beggar. Mark wants us to see that the essential aspect to the Gospel of the Kingdom is persistent faith as demonstrated by Bartimaeus. I have entitled our study, Faith Lessons From A Blind Beggar. Let’s take a moment and ask God to help us grasp the faith of Bartimaeus. Heavenly Father, open our eyes so that we may see the wonder and majesty of Jesus Christ, your everlasting Son. And help us to overcome obstacles that are holding us back from entering into all that You have for us. Amen II. BARTIMAEUS’ STORY A. The Story Follow along as I read for us the story of blind Bartimaeus’ encounter with Jesus, vs 46–52-- 46Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” 50Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road. B. Lesson Context A passing glance at the story might suggest that Mark is randomly pulling from a collection of stories, that this is just one of the many stories that he randomly picked. But that is not the case. Peter tells us in his second letter, 2:21 that no prophecy every came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. The Spirit of God was actively at work, guiding Mark’s pen. There’s an arrangement to the flow of stories in Mark’s gospel that are designed to help us understand, grasp, and articulate the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus’ preached. I love John Piper’s wording here. In a word, Scripture is not like putty that we can mold according to our desires. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and carries a solid, firm, divine intention. [ii] The point is, the Holy Spirit via Mark purposely places this story here to exactly illustrate for the disciples and us a specific lesson on faith. The lesson here pushes us back to at least chap 8:17, following the feeding of the 4000 as pointed out by Alistair Begg, [iii] where Jesus highlights the blindness of His disciple with His question, Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have ‘such’ hard hearts? V18, Are you seeing, and yet not seeing; hearing, and yet not hearing ? They could see and hear, and yet they failed to grasp the total otherness of Jesus. Then, skipping down to v22, we meet the blind man at Bethsaida. Instead of instant healing, it is a two-step healing. First, the man sees people like trees walking, then Jesus touches him again, and he sees clearly. It was following this miracle that Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter blurts out, You are the Christ!! Such a confession sounds huge to us, but in reality Peter and disciples had only taken a ‘baby step’ in grasping Jesus’ identity. In events that followed Jesus continued to peel away their spiritual cataracts—telling them they need faith as a child to enter the Kingdom of God, followed by an upside-down greatness picture about being a slave to all—encapsulated in v45 by Jesus describing His servant actions, not to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many. C. What’s In A Name? Now comes V46, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. A couple of observations are worth noting. First, notice that Mark mentions a large crowd walking with Jesus. Jesus is perhaps two weeks out before Passover. Jericho is about 100 miles from Jerusalem. Depending on walking speed, perhaps a 10-day hike. Excitement is building. Second, based on what we gather time-wise from the other gospels, this event may have followed the Zacchaeus’ banquet in Luke 19. Remember, Zacchaeus was a short little man who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Here we have a blind beggar wanting to see Jesus. Third, Mark is very specific as to giving us the blind man’s name. Matthew tells us that there were two blind beggars sitting on the road that day. But Mark was especially intrigued by one of them, so much so that he gives us his name--Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. Why did this blind beggar capture Mark’s attention? Possibly because, when we look up the Greek meaning of "Timothyaeus," we discover the word means, "honor". [iv] Apparently Bartimaeus was the son of a socially important man of the region, someone who was well known. And he had a son who was blind. And because of his blindness he was now destitute and socially marginalized. [v] In addition, this may have been Bartimaeus’ begging corner. D. Bartimaeus Meets Jesus With a 10-day hike ahead of them, there’s no time to lollygag. Despite the pressure of Passover . . . Mark turns our attention to this irritating blind destitute of a man yelling at the top of his lungs, V47, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!! My guess is, that Jesus was doing what He always did when hiking . . . teaching, answering questions, interacting with the crowd. As they all walk the road out of Jericho, they pass two blind beggars, hunkered down by the roadside, blankets laid out to catch the coin tosses. Upon hearing that it was Jesus passing by, Bartimaeus, began yelling over and over. . . Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! ! V48, Many were sternly telling ‘Bartimaeus’ to hush. Apparently the yelling made it difficult for the crowd to hear Jesus. Unlike Zacchaeus who used a tree to see Jesus, Bartimaeus and friend are seeking to make their presence know by yelling. V49, Jesus stops and tells the crowd to bring this noisy blind man to Him. The point is, no one is too marginalized when it comes to Jesus, even as He faces the stress of the cross. The crowd is aggravated, and perhaps the disciples. But not Jesus. He stops and takes command of the situation. Luke tells us He commanded them to be brought to Him (Luke 18:40). It’s another teaching moment for the disciples and us--the marginalized are not marginalized when it comes to Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom. Also Bartimaeus becomes an object lesson on the power of persistent faith. The fickle crowd suddenly changes from rejection to acceptance—So they called the blind man, saying to him, “ Take courage, stand up! Jesus is calling for you.” Can we imagine what was running thru Bartimaeus’ mind when he heard the words, Jesus is calling for you? All the years of waiting, all the years of not knowing what it feels like to see live colors, all the years of living in darkness . . . Bartimaeus’ mind swirling, is the moment He will see? Mark observes Bartimaeus excitement, V50, He jumps to his feet, throws off his cloak. This is an important observation. The cloak was essential. Not only for keeping him warm on cool days, but also for collecting alms. It’s likely that the cloak was spread out at his feet to catch coins as they were tossed haphazardly his way. Without his cloak he would have great difficulty collecting alms. But when Jesus called, he tossed the cloak. Remember when Jesus called Matthew sitting at his tax table? [vi] He just got up and walked away. There’s an incredible lesson here—when Jesus calls, we let go of the things that hinder us from getting into the Kingdom of God. A new sense of security opens up for us. V51 , Someone takes Bartimaeus’ arm, or perhaps his walking stick, and leads him through the crowd. Silence reigns. Then a question from Jesus, What do you want Me to do for you? Don ‘t miss the question. Jesus has the habit of pulling back the curtain of our longings with questions. In John 1:38, John the Baptist tells Andrew and Peter to follow Jesus. As they followed, Jesus, turned and asked, "What are you looking for?" In John 5:6 Jesus comes to the pool of Bethesda filled with the sick, aged, disabled and socially ostracized. Jesus picks out a man who had been lame for 38 years and asks, Do you want to be healed? In Mark 10:36 James and John corner Jesus. Jesus asks them, What do you want Me to do for you? Now here He asks blind Bartimaeus, " What do you want me to do for you?" [vii] What a strange question to ask a blind man. But Jesus never asked a foolish question in His life. His question is intended to produce a dynamic exercise of faith. So how we answer Jesus’ question determines His response. There are people who, for whatever reason, are content with their weaknesses, their helplessness. In some cases it’s a means of fleeing life responsibilities. In other moments weaknesses and helplessness are channels for attention that could not begotten otherwise. So the question to Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" While the disciples saw Jesus as the means to glory, thrones, prestige, position, Bartimaeus sees Jesus as the Son of David who brings mercy, healing and sight. If you identify with this man, the Lord is saying to you, " What do you want me to do for you?" V51, Notice Bartimaeus’ response, Rabboni, I want my sight . And immediately Jesus said, V52, " It is done. Your faith has made you well." And Bartimaeus saw clearly for the first time in his life. III. TRUTHS THAT SHAPE OUR LIVES The events we have just reviewed tell us something profound about God’s nature and shed light on the type of faith and prayer that is pleasing to God. So why do you think Mark put this story of Bartimaeus, "the blind son of honor", in this particular place? Let me highlight three possibilities. A. First, Jesus uses Bartimaeus’ blindness as a metaphor of spiritual blindness Bartimaeus was a visual object lesson of the spiritual blindness of the crowd and the spiritual blindness of the disciples. He becomes an object lesson of a persistent faith that brakes spiritual blindness. In the book, What the Story of Blind Bartimaeus Teaches Us About Fear, Surrender and Walking the Path to Joy. Author Roc O’Connor notes that “blindness serves here as a metaphor for the all-too-human unwillingness to recognize the barriers that keep us from recognizing God, ourselves, and others.” [viii] Bartimaeus acknowledges his obstacle of blindness, earnestly wants release from it. In the book Roc O’Connor takes a closer look at the way blindness is used in Mark and notices that “blindness,” (tupholos), relates mostly to idolatry, oppression and willfulness. Whereas the word for “seeing” (anablepo), is generally associated with “following Jesus’ way; So v52, following his request for sight, Bartimaeus immediately receives his sight. Luke tells us that he immediately began to follow Jesus, glorifying God (Luke 18:43). Persistent faith gave him what it took to throw off his cloak and walk in the light of Jesus. His blindness and begging come to an end. In that moment he surrendered his life and possessions to follow Jesus. The stigma of blindness and the poverty it brought was gone. That’s the Gospel of the Kingdom. B. Second, Persistent faith plows through barriers Bartimaeus and his blind friend faced at least two major barriers in reaching Jesus—their own blindness and the negativity of the crowd. Together they form a powerless situation. Because of blindness they could not see Jesus. Because of the negativity of the crowd they couldn’t reach Jesus. Despite blindness and the pressures from the crowd, they used what they had to reach Jesus--their ears and voices. V47 , When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he began to cry out with loud intensity. And V48 the people sternly tried to shut him up. The crowd gave sharp disapproval. Don’t miss this . . . these were people who were following Jesus. The people that one would expect to help, sought to shut him up. They intentionally tried to shut Bartimaeus up. After all he was blind and a social outcast. As Aminata Coote points out for us, In a society where physical ailments were believed to have been a punishment for sin, blind Bartimaeus was on nobody’s Christmas list. Yet Jesus, Immanuel, stopped and waited for the blind man to make his way to Him. [ix] Bartimaeus refused the pressure of the crowd. He wanted nothing less than to be touched by Jesus. In Hebrews 12:1–2 (NASB95) 1 . . . let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Here we are encouraged to lay aside every obstacle or anything that will block us from God. In Bartimaeus’ case he chose to pursue God despite blindness and despite the negativity of the crowd. He banked everything on God and Him only. Like Bartimaeus we should be so desperate for Jesus that we chase after Him despite what others may say to us, despite the encumbrances such as blindness. We should want to be with God so much that we don’t allow our circumstances to block or hinder our reaching out.. C. Third, Bartimaeus’ faith is anchored on the mercy of Jesus As Jesus walked by, Bartimaeus heard who it was and called out to Him: V47 “ Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” By calling Jesus the “Son of David,” Bartimaeus was affirming his belief that Jesus was the Messiah. The people told Bartimaeus to be quiet, but he kept calling out, more loudly, more persistently. It shows that he believed that Jesus was not like the other religious leaders, who believed that an individual’s poverty or blindness or bad circumstances were a result of God’s judgment. Bartimaeus appealed to Jesus’ character as one who cares for the poor and the brokenhearted [x] Jesus responded to his cries commanding him to be brought to Him. Blind, destitute, and a social outcast, he jumped up and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “v51 What do you want me to do for you?” Think about this for a moment. Bartimaeus was a beggar by trade. That’s how he survived day after day. Survival would have been a big deal. So he could have asked for money, food, or perhaps shelter. But he wanted something more sustainable. V51, “I want to see.” He had one desire, and he ran to Jesus with that desire. He did not preface his petition with a list of good works he had done or with any false humility; he simply expressed to Jesus his desire, and in faith, trusting that Jesus was both willing and able to fulfill it—he said to Jesus, I want to see. Hear Jesus words to him, v52, “Go . . . your faith has healed you, ” and Blind Bartimaeus instantly recovered his sight and followed Jesus By saying, “ Your faith has made you well, ” Jesus centralizes the necessity of persistent faith. Bartimaeus had the kind of faith that pleases God—a wholehearted trust in the Jesus. In Hebrews 11:6 (NASB95) we are told 6 without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him . Bartimaeus illustrates for us that God indeed “r ewards those who earnestly seek him”. Bartimaeus understood this truth. He earnestly sought the Lord, and his actions reflected the kind of faith that is pleasing to God. We need the faith of Bartimaeus—faith that drives a wedge through impossibilities, a faith that is intense and persistent despite the barriers of blindness and crowd negativity. Perhaps you are like Bartimaeus, wanting to see, really see. Perhaps you are struggling with the guilt of sin because you have never seen what a relief, what a glory it is, to have God forgive your sins. Psalm 32:2, 5 (NASB95) 2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. When God forgives sin, your spiritual cataracts are removed and you can glorify God like Bartimaeus. And that my friends is absolutely true. Would you join me now in prayer? Heavenly Father, perhaps there is someone here today, someone listening today that is like Bartimaeus, crying out for you to free him or her from darkness. If that is true, may they pray with me . . . forgive my sin, wash my guilt away, and give me life. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I believe that almighty God raised Him from the dead. Today I confess my sins, and in repentance profess my faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, my Savior. You said in the bible that if we confess our sins, you will be faithful and just to cleanse me of my sins and draw me into Your everlasting family. I love you Lord and thank you for eternal life with you forever. Amen Well, there you have it, the story and lessons we can learn from the life of blind, destitute, socially marginalized Bartimaeus. He was blind, but now he sees. The gift of life and sight he received from Jesus became instruments for causing people to glorify and praise God (Luke 18:43). If you have prayed this prayer in honest faith, you will want to write down your initials with the prayer along with today’s date as a reminder that you have come to Christ in faith, trusting him as your Lord and Savior. Like Jesus, we must be willing to listen, to stop, and to respond to the cries of those around us. And like Bartimaeus, we need to have persistent faith that pleases God. BTW, we are open for live worship gatherings mask or no mask if you have been fully vaccinated. If you are hesitant about being with a crowd, you can still join us on Facebook and YouTube. If you would like to contribute to this ministry, go to our website: Bensenvillebiblechurch.com, click on the Donation Drop down and pick your donation preference. Looking forward to meeting up with you again at next week’s posting. May God bless you this coming week. [i] Ray Stedman, The Ruler Who Serves The Ambitious Heart (Mark 10:32-52), https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/mark/the-ambitious-heart [ii] John Piper, Men Moved by the Holy Spirit Spoke From God, (2 Peter 2:20-21), https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/men-moved-by-the-holy-spirit-spoke-from-god [iii] Alistair Begg, I Want To See (Mark 10:46-52), https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/i-want-see/ [iv] Ray Stedman, The Ruler Who Serves The Ambitious Heart (Mark 10:32-52), https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/mark/the-ambitious-heart . https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Timaeus.html . The name Timaeus occurs only once in the Bible, and that in the curiously redundant statement that Timaeus was the father of Bartimaeus, whose name means exactly that: Son Of Timaeus ( MARK 10:46 ). The Greek name Timaeus comes from the word τιμη (time), meaning value: Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary – τιμη - The noun τιμη (time) describes something that is dear, valuable or honorable. It stems from the verb τιω (tio), to honor, revere, prize highly or simply: to value or price. Both this verb and its noun speak of an intimate knowledge of the thing assessed, and an intimate knowledge of the item's usefulness relative to the economy at large. [v] https://becomingchristians.com/2018/07/15/the-inspiring-lessons-from-the-healing-of-blind-bartimaeus-mark-1046-52/ . According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 253 million people live with vision impairment: 36 million are blind and 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. Think about it for a second, that’s more than twice the population of our country, the Philippines. [vi] Matthew 9:9–13 (NASB95) 9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 10Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13“But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [vii] Matt.20:32; Mk.10:51; Lk.18:41) [viii] Roc O'Connor I Want to See: What the Story of Blind Bartimaeus Teaches Us about Fear, Surrender and Walking the Path to Joy, Twenty-Third Publications, October 30th, 2017 [ix] Aminata Coote, 4 Powerful Lessons from Blind Bartimaeus, https://hebrews12endurance.com/blind-bartimaeus-broken-but-not-silent/ [x] Psalm 34:6 (NASB95) 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. V18, 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

34 - Living In Servitude (Mark 10:32-45)

33 - The Man and His Riches Watches Eternal Life Slip through His Fingers Like Dry Sand. (Mark 10:17-31

31 - The Divorce Dilemma (Pt 2) - (Mark 10:9-12)

30 - The Divorce Dilemma (Pt1) (Mark 10:1-9)

Four Radical Life Choices (Mark 9:42-50) I. INTRODUCTION Hello. This is Dr. David Wolfe, one of the pastors at Bensenville Bible Church. Thank you for joining us. We’re looking forward to the day when we can gather again without covid restrictions. And it appears that time is not too far in the distance. When that time comes, I invite you to join us as my guest at 280 S. York Rd., in Bensenville. Our study today comes from Mark’s Gospel, chap 9, vs42-50. I’ve entitled our study Four Radical Life Choices As we read these verses, Jesus and Disciple Team are still in Capernaum at Peter and Andrew’s home. A lot of adventure has taken place here—For example, 1:30-31, the healing of Peter’s mother, 2:1-12 their roof being torn wide open for the healing of the paralytic, just to mention a few. Jesus now focuses in on four radical life choices that reflect Kingdom of God living. Let’s take a moment and ask God to open our minds to Kingdom of God life choices. “Heavenly Father, thank you for this time you’ve given us to open your Word. Help us to get a grasp of our calling to be radical about our choices. Thank you for the clarity, encouragement and hope Your Word brings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” II. BRIDGING THE CONTEXT Well, lets open our Bibles to Mark 9:42-50. In these verses Jesus gives His disciples, and us, four life choices that characterize citizens of the Kingdom of God. In the opening chapter of Mark, we are told that Jesus came proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God; repent and believe in the gospel (1:14-15). What I want us to get a grip on is, what we are looking at today is part of the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. As we read the verses at hand, you’ll notice that in some of your Bibles, vs44, 46 are either missing, or bracketed, or footnoted. That is because in key manuscripts these two verses do not occur. However, v48 does quote the missing verses (vs44, 46). I think we can assume that in history past some scribe saw the importance of v48, and decided to doubled down, to make sure we don’t miss what’s being said. [i] Anyway, follow along as I read for us the verses God would have for us to focus on. 42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in Me] to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. 43 “If your hand causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life disabled than to have two hands and go to hell, to the fire that cannot be put out. 45 If your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. 48 In hell worms that eat the body never die, and the fire is never put out. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? Have salt within you, and live in peace with one another.” Mark 9:42–50 (GW) Talk about a mental tsunami!!! Jesus is laying out some really mind boggling stuff. Stuff like hanging millstones around necks, drowning people in the sea, cutting off hands and feet and plucking out eyes, about Hell in terms of fire that will not be quenched and worms that do not die, and then being salted with fire. In short, Jesus is telling His disciples that the gospel of the Kingdom is a call for serious radical behavior. Mark this down, to be a Jesus Follower is a call to deviate from what we have come to accept as normal. The Gospel of the Kingdom is a call to a fervent life style. III. FOUR LIFE CHOICES In these verses Jesus lays out four life choices—Don’t be a stumbling block to other Jesus Followers, Strive for purity with fervency, live faithfully, and live sacrificially. Let’s take a closer look at each of these life choices. A. Don’t Be A Stumbling Block The first one comes in V42, Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. The first life choice for living in the Kingdom of God is choose not to be a stumbling block to other Jesus Followers. [ii] Remember, the disciples are struggling with prideful hearts, of greatness, of being top-dog over others. When we come to v42, Jesus is still holding a little child mentioned in vs36-37. He now drills down, telling His Followers to be careful how they minister. Jesus tells us that the consequences of leading another Jesus Follower astray is not healthy. It would be better for such a person to have a heavy millstone hung around their neck, and cast into the sea. Kent Hughes captivates what’s being said as particularly horrifying—being cast into the sea with no escape, struggling, and then hanging motionless in the darkness, hidden from life and the world. Jesus used the most graphic terms to make the point that it would be better to be drowned than to cause humble believers (“little ones”) who served him to fall into sin! [iii] The warning is harsh. God has a problem with how we treat one another. Psalm 105:15 (NASB95) “Do not touch My anointed ones.” Hebrews 10:31 (NASB95) It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [iv] Listen so carefully, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, God holds anyone who implores another believer into sin accountable. It’s bad news to anyone who participates in spiritual seduction—from the Joseph Smiths, Jim Joneses, David Bergs, and Shirley MacLaines to modern day smooth talkers. There is a double woe to all who stand in pulpits and redefine scripture with empty words. Jumping back to Mark 9:37 (NASB95) “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.” The point being, how we treat another believer is how we relate to Jesus, and how we relate to Jesus is how we relate to God [v] . Mark this down. The warning applies to any believer, who because of their elitist attitudes, entices another to sinful thinking, to sinful behavior, it would be better that such a person be buried in the deepest sea with no possibility of return. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are called to ‘walk uprightly’ in our relationships with other Jesus Followers. B. Second, Strive For Personal Purity Our second choice comes in Vs43–48 (NASB95) 43 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. Here our choice for living in the Kingdom of God is to be aggressive as to our personal purity. Jesus’ words are radical, harsh, severe—seeming to actual suggest the removal of a hand, or a foot, or even an eye. We need to point out here that Jesus is not talking about a literal mutilation of body parts as some have interpreted it, but a calling for a radical lifestyle of purity. In striving for personal purity, we need to be on our guard less we entice others into sin by our hands (that would be what we do), by our feet (that would be where we go), and by our eyes (that would be what we look at). Jesus’ point is, we must aggressively be on-guard as to sin. He is talking about a mutilation of the sins that swirl around in all of our hearts. Sins that our culture gravitates to. What sort of sins does Jesus have in mind to guard against? Mark 7:14, 20-23 (NASB95) evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” James 1:14–15 (NASB95) Sinful behavior is the product of lust conceiving in the heart and bringing forth sin actions. As Jesus Followers, these sins place all of us in a state constant war within ourselves (Galatians 5:17 (NASB95) We are not to be lackadaisical when it comes to sin. Paul captures this in Romans 8:13 (NASB95) by the Spirit ‘we are called’ to put to death the deeds of the body, ‘if you do’ you will live. In context, the point being, we are to, as John Owen states it in his book entitled Of The Mortification of Sin in Believers, to be about killing sin or it will be killing you! [vi] In the words of John Piper, “Killing sin is not optional. This is a mortal combat: Sin dies or we die. We are to refuse to settle in with sin.” [vii] Colossians 3:5 (NASB95) Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. These gory metaphors of cutting off one’s hand, foot, or eye tell us that halfway measures of dealing with sin just will not do it. We must be decisive and complete—as serious and final as a hand or foot or eye cast upon the floor. [viii] The fight against sin depends entirely on how valuable the Kingdom of God is to us. We are faced with a choice, it’s either sacrifice the pleasures of the heart or suffer the consequences of being cast into hell, v48, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. The reference to hell in vs43, 45, 47 points to the disastrous consequence of not dealing with sin. In keeping with the metaphor of severe traumatic sacrifices, ‘their worm does not die’ points to an eternal existence of remorse, regrets, over the grace rejected. And the fire is not quenched points to a state of eternal excruciating torment. David Guzik highlights for us that the message of Jesus was clear: knowing how terrible hell is, it is worth any sacrifice to avoid. Therefore, we cannot think of the kingdom of God just in the context of reward; we must also think in terms of ongoing sacrifice and victory. [ix] Therefore . . . 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NASB95) let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The point being for us, we need to be living actively in a cleansing mode, ridding ourselves of impurities, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The choice for us is either holiness in the eternal Kingdom of God or an eternal dwelling in hell C. Third, Live Faithfully The third life choice comes in Vs49 49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt and fire were very much part of the Temple sacrifices. [x] 1. Salt is a preservative, suggesting endurance. When God makes use of this metaphor, He is urging us to be faithful despite how circumstances appear on the surface because His Word is absolutely sure. So our third life choice is we choose to go for the long haul. According to Leviticus 2 salt was added to sacrifices as a symbol of God’s covenant. V13, ‘Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. The salt of the covenant of God reminds us that God is a covenant keeping God. A reminder of His enduring faithfulness. In application our lives are to be lived out in the midst of the crucible of life enmeshed in the promises of God over the long haul. For in those promise we find our durability and endurance. Romans 15:4 (NASB95) For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 2. Fire is symbolic of hardship, trials, testing, persecution. The picture is that Jesus Followers are going to find their commitments tested by fire. 1 Peter 1:6–7 (NASB95) 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; In an article entitled Walking Together in God’s Promises by Monte Hammer, The refiner of gold heated the gold until it melted and dross rose to the top. The refiner scraped off the dross and continued to heat the gold until more dross rose to the top, and he scraped it off again. When the refiner saw his face reflected in the gold, he turned down the heat, for the gold had been refined – purified. [xi] How we endure those trials demonstrates the value to which we hold to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13). As we see God at work through trials, He is using them for our good (James 1:2-4). Our faith grows stronger, giving us the ability to go the distance. Salt brings savoring in the midst of those trials, preserving us in the midst of the warfare. Brent Kercheville points out for us that that salt is our unwavering allegiance to Jesus and the gospel in the midst of fiery trials. It is in the trials that we put off the old self and put on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24). [xii] D. Fourth, Live Sacrificially The fourth life choice comes in v50, 50 “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Here the choice for living in the Kingdom of God living a sacrificial life, which has a preserving impact on our decaying culture. Because salt symbolizes durability, endurance, preservative, and is meant to remind us that God is a covenant keeping God, so we are called to actively season our lives with preserving power of His faithfulness and maintain a flaming passion for the Kingdom of God in our lives. [xiii] In application, our lives are to be lived out enmeshed into the promises of God. For in those promise we find our durability and endurance. Romans 15:4 (NASB95) For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Kent Hughes points out for us that the promises of God ought to quicken the conscience, elevate conversation, restrain ethical corruption, promote honesty, and raise the moral atmosphere of society. [xiv] Me thinks that one of our problems, as Jesus Followers, is that we are losing our saltiness. Because we are not killing the swirl of sins within us, sin is diluting our faith commitment, causing us to lose our distinctness in our culture, weakening our preservative qualities. In context, the disciples have been busy discussing whose the greatest. Jesus is telling them, Stop fighting amongst yourselves. Stop striving to elevate over each other. Stop this ongoing g competition between each other. Stop inciting each other to prideful temptation. [xv] It was all of those attitudes that were diluting their saltiness. In Matthew 5:13 (NASB95) Jesus told them that they/we are the salt of the earth . . . the point is, as Jesus Followers, we are the only hope that our culture has for spiritual influence. There is no other spiritual salt preservative for our culture. As we wrap up these four life choices, notice the last part of v50. Jesus closes it off with these words: Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. I take that if we are to be at peace with one another, each of us must be salty. If the disciples had the “salt” in themselves, then they would not be arguing about who would be the greatest in kingdom of God (9:34). Jesus is telling them that they must not allow the salt within them to be made useless by their wrangling over position and concerns of this world. [xvi] To have salt in ourselves means that we have within us those qualities that promote truth, kindness, peace, joy, etc., within the body of Christ, putting us at peace with one another. IV. TRUTHS THAT SHAPE OUR LIVES Let’s pause here and reflect on these four radical life choices that Jesus says are central to the gospel of the Kingdom. 1. First, Don’t be a stumbling block, ie., inciting other Jesus’ Followers to sin in their actions and relationships. 2. Second, Be radical about killing the sins of the heart--enhanced by our hands(what we do), by our feet (where we go), and by our eyes (what we see). That may mean we have to change our music tastes, magazine choices, theater attendance, and the use of the internet library, to mention a few. 3. Third, we commit to the long haul of walking with God. Steven Cole points out for us that many obey God as long as it gets them what they want out of life, but if they have to go through extended trials, forget it. When we peel it all away, it’s really self, not God, we are serving. But righteous people walk with God, which means obedience over the long haul, in spite of opposition or trials. [xvii] 4. Fourth, embrace the sacrificial life. To live the life of sacrifice is to live a life of worship. Michael Vanlaningham explains, “Rather than be shaped to look like the world, the Christian’s mind is to be renewed in order to appreciate the importance and benefits of God’s will as revealed in His Word". A living sacrifice means believing who God says we are and what He has promised for us. This is where our confidence comes from, and our lives will radiate God’s presence and mercy when we embrace our confidence in Him. [xviii] And in so doing, we will be the salt of the Kingdom of God in a thirsty world, giving us opportunities to offer thirst quenching spiritual water to the thirsty. Jesus said, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me, and drink. And that my friends is absolutely true. Let’s close in prayer … Our great and glorious God, help us to remember when we go through dark and troubling times that we are seeing only a part of the entire picture. Help us always to seek your glory. Let us remember when we see the outcasts in our society—the weak, the homeless, the suffering—that we may be seeing Your face. Grant us Your power to do great things or small things for You, realizing that in Your kingdom, there are no small things. Amen. [xix] Well, as you go this week, Jesus taught that Kingdom citizenship requires that we not lose the flavor or our Creator. Colossians 4:6 (NASB95) Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Like salt on food, when we season our words properly people are encouraged. If we are chasing our own plans, goals, and ambitions, or that of the worlds, we lose our saltiness. The Jesus Follower who does not live out the values of the kingdom of God is unsalted salt, that is, salt that has lost its purpose.” And so I must ask, how salty or unsalty are you? Remember we offer Live-worship on Sundays, both on Facebook and YouTube. At this time I invite you to join us from the comfort and security of your home. If you would like to contribute to this ministry, go to our website: Bensenvillebiblechurch.com, click on the Donation Drop down and pick your donation preference. And don’t forget, In the midst of the swirling difficulties, God’s is walking with you. Looking forward to meeting up with you again at next week’s posting. May God bless you this coming week. [i] John MacArthur, Radical Discipleship (Mark 9:42-50), https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/41-47/radical-discipleship [ii] Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark, TNTC, p226. The verb ‘cause to stumble’ (skandalizo; cf., 4:17; 6:3) describes here a person who causes followers of Jesus to stumble; the metaphor of ‘tripping’ indicates the ‘downfall’ or failure of their commitment to Jesus, as in 14:27, 29 where the verb is used to describe the failure of the disciples when Jesus was arrested. [iii] R. Kent Hughes, Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior , vol. 2, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 36–37. [iv] Psa 37:12 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. [v] John 13:20 (NASB95) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB95) But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Peter 5:2–3 (NASB95) 2shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. [vi] John Owen, Of The Mortification of Sin in Believers, Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, https://ccel.org/ccel/o/owen/mort/cache/mort.pdf ., p6. [vii] John Piper, Thirteen Practical Steps to Kill Sin, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/thirteen-practical-steps-to-kill-sin [viii] R. Kent Hughes, Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior , vol. 2, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 40. [ix] David Guzik, Mark 9 – The Transfiguration, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/mark-9/ [x] Leviticus 2:13 (NASB95) ‘Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. Ezekiel 43:24 (NASB95) ‘You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. Exodus 30:35 (NASB95) “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. [xi] Monte Hammer, Waling Together in God’s Promises, https://possesshispromises.com/2020/08/02/perseverance-in-the-fire/ [xii] Brent Kercheville, Mark 9:42-50, Hell Is Not Worth It, https://westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com/new-testament/mark/hell-is-not-worth-it.html [xiii] Kenneth Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies, Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1950), p193 [xiv] R. Kent Hughes, Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior , vol. 2, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 42. [xv] Cf., John MacArthur, Radical Discipleship (Mark 9:42-50), https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/41-47/radical-discipleship [xvi] Bruce B. Barton, Mark , Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 274–275. [xvii] Steve Cole, Lesson 11: The Men Who Had Connections With God (Ezekiel 14:12-20), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-11-men-who-had-connections-god-ezekiel-1412-20 [xviii] Michael Vanlaningham, Moody Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers Chicago, 2014. [xix] Rodney L. Cooper, Mark , vol. 2, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 156.

28 - The Radical Life (Mark 9:30-41)