The Heart God Seeks

Mark 7:1-30
Introduction

            Quite a few years ago I was the photographer at a wedding in an Orthodox church and was amazed at the rituals involved in the ceremony. They did things, which I had never seen before. The priest had a censor filled with smoke which he waved around. He led the couple around the altar three times. Because it involved rituals I had never seen before, it was quite fascinating. Growing up in this church, I believed that we just follow the Bible and we don't have rituals. One day a minister from another denomination pointed out to me that we actually also have rituals and as I thought about it, I realized he was right. There was a time when we were very insistent on baptism by immersion. A friend of mine who is a pastor told me of an experience he had had in which that insistence on baptism by immersion had caused him a great deal of hurt. When I heard that story, I realized that not only do we have rituals, but we have sometimes even hurt Christian relationships because of those rituals. I am glad that we do not insist on immersion baptism for membership any more, but I do wonder if there are not other ways in which we are bound by rituals? Thinking about these things invites us to consider, "What is it that God wants?"

            This morning, I would like to direct our attention to Mark 7:1-30. In this passage there are two stories. In the first story, Jesus encounters a group of people who are very religious, but who don’t really follow God faithfully. In the second story, Jesus crosses a boundary which would have caused the religious leaders to question his faithfulness. There he meets a woman of deep faith. In these stories, we get some good insights into the kind of heart God seeks. As we think about these things, I trust that we will be reminded and encouraged about the kind of heart God seeks.

I.                A Heart that is Near to God

The story begins when a group of religious leaders from the center of religious observance, Jerusalem, come not to discover who Jesus is or what He is up to, but in order to criticize Jesus. We read in verse 2 that they noticed that “some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands.” One suspects that they watched just long enough so that they could find some ground for accusation. We are not surprised at this action because Jewish religious leaders had already accused Jesus on other occasions, for example, of blasphemy in Mark 2:7, keeping bad company in 2:16, breaking Sabbath on several occasions and working in Satan’s power in 3:22.

The practice of hand washing was one which arose out of the requirement for priests to ceremonially wash their hands before serving in the temple, as outlined in Exodus 30:19. But over time this requirement began to be expected not only of priests entering the temple, but also of all Jews all the time.

In our day when we have hand sanitizers in every corner and have grown up hearing our mother say, “dinners ready, go wash your hands” it is a little hard for us to grasp why Jesus’ disciples didn’t wash their hands, until we remember that physical cleanliness was not what the Pharisees were concerned about. Their ritual of hand washing had little to do with getting their hands physically clean. They were concerned about religious defilement. They were afraid that when they had been out in public, they might have touched someone who was not religiously clean. Perhaps they had touched someone who had worked on Sabbath, or someone who had been in contact with a Gentile. Their hand washing was a religious ceremony designed to remove the moral filth they had encountered in the public setting. It isn’t hard to see that such practices were a terrible burden for anyone who wanted to make sure that they did not get morally polluted by contact with the world. So the washing was a ritual required to clean the contamination not of germs, but of association with unclean things.

Jesus was fully aware that the intent of their question was really an accusation against Him. He saw into their hearts and He accused them of being hypocrites. In Mark 7:8 He said to them, “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Then he proceeded to explain how they ignored God’s truth and held tightly to traditions that did not come from God.

The law of God was very clear about a person’s relationship to their parents. You must honor your father and your mother. But there was another law, which was the law of “Corban” which means dedicated to God. The idea of something dedicated to God was familiar in the Old Testament. When Joshua and the Israelites destroyed Jericho, God decreed that Jericho was dedicated to Him and all of it should be destroyed. But their idea of Corban, although similar was not a Biblical law, but a tradition. A person could declare his property dedicated to God. This seems noble and good, but the problem was that this dedication did not mean that the person would give his property to God immediately nor that he could not use his property for himself, it just meant that it was not available to other people. So if his parents needed help and his property was “Corban,” he could not use it to help them. It was a clear illustration of a tradition of men directly violating a Word from God and the religious leaders defended this tradition.

Unfortunately this is not the only time this has ever happened. McKenna says, “Christian history is tragically replete with examples of a spiritual truth being represented by a meaningful symbol, elevated to a required ritual, substituted for the original truth, and finally perverted to justify an evil act.” That is what had happened in this case. The ritual may have arisen out of noble intentions, but by this time it had simply become a human ritual and was even working against the intentions of God.

Jesus gets to the core of their problem by quoting Isaiah 29:13 saying, in Mark 7:6, 7, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines." This is a pretty serious accusation. What was the problem of the Jewish religious leaders? They had a reputation of being the people of God. They did all the right stuff to demonstrate to the world that they belonged to God. But, they didn’t know God. All of their religious practice was just so much talk. In these verses, Jesus’ accusations got stronger and stronger. In verse 8 he said they abandon God’s commands. In verse 9 the statement was stronger indicating that they reject the commands of God. In verse 13 we read an even stronger statement when Jesus accused them that they make void the Word of God. So it is evident that they engaged in rituals directed at worship, but the worship was lip worship and not heart worship.

As we hear this story and the quote from Jesus we realize that what God is looking for is not people who engage carefully in all the right rituals, but rather God is looking for people whose heart belongs to Him.

One of the most frightening verses in the Bible is Matthew 7:21-23 which says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers!’" These verses invite us to ask ourselves, “Am I just going through the motions or does my heart belong to God?”

We may have attended Sunday School since we were 2 years old and we may still consider Sunday School as the most important place to be on Sunday morning, but if the things we have learned in Sunday School are all in our head and if we are left with a heart that is cold towards God, then we are not where God wants us to be. Our heart does not belong to God.

We may have gone forward at a gospel meeting, camp or youth event in order to declare a commitment to God, but, if we are now living in disobedience towards God, that is not what God wants. What God is looking for is a person whose heart is near to Him.

We may have been baptized upon confession of faith and we may practice all the rituals of obedience that we have been taught in church. We may be careful to do certain things and not do other things, but if our heart is not near to God, on that final day we may well hear the frightening words, “I never knew you.”

How do we know if our heart is near to God? A heart near to God is a heart which desires to know God more. It is a heart which loves God and has a growing love for all of God’s creatures. It is a heart which wants to obey God, not because of fear of punishment, but because of love and respect for God. It is a heart which is looking forward to the day when we will see Him face to face.

When Jesus accuses the Jewish religious leaders that they are a “people who honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” He is not only accusing them, but also inviting us to examine whether our heart is near to God.

II.             A Heart that is Cleansed by God

The Jewish leaders had come to accuse Jesus, but Jesus didn't respond directly to their accusation, instead he responded to their hypocritical motives. But he still had the accusation in mind and rather than address his answer to the Pharisees, he addressed it to the crowd.

All of those listening would have understood the importance of ritual hand washing and many of them would have seen it as normal. The problem with hand washing was that, although in the beginning it may have had some purpose to illustrate moral cleansing, at this point, it had lost that effect. So Jesus said to the crowd in Mark 7:15, "…there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” In saying this, we need to remember that Jesus was not commenting about healthy eating, but rather about the relationship of food to morality. So Jesus pointed out that it isn’t what enters a person that defiles him, but rather, what comes out of a person. What goes into a person goes through the stomach and goes into the toilet. It has no effect on the moral standing of a person. It is those things which arise out of the heart of a person which truly defile. He was saying that evil arises within a person and comes out in their evil words and actions.

When the meeting broke up and Jesus was alone with his disciples it seems they were in the same position as the Pharisees. They too were so steeped in their traditions that they did not have the capacity to discern the way in which Jesus was breaking the barriers of legalism and ritualism and inviting them to a life of faith. After repeating what He had already said to the crowd, Jesus revealed to the disciples the kinds of things in the heart which defile a person.

I wonder if we also often experience the same confusion which the disciples had about what truly defiles? Sometimes as Christians we have thought that if we insulate ourselves from the outside world by not participating in life with those who are in the world, we will be safe from sin. We have believed that if we don't do certain things, it will help us avoid disobedience. Yet it is clearly evident that religious systems do not prevent people from being defiled in any number of these ways. Sexual abuse by religious leaders, church conflicts caused by abuse of power and greed by people who are generous in tithing are some examples. In spite of great effort to prevent the evil of the world from influencing us, sin still happens. That is because the source of evil actions is not from without, but from within. Although it is true that evil society can influence and bad friends can have a negative impact, it is still true that evil comes from within.

What is really frightening about this is that when we read this list of evil that arises out of the human heart, if we are humble and honest, we have to say that we have all done at least some of these things. Just look at the list in Mark 7:21-22, "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²² adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.” Who of us can honestly say that none of these evils have ever arisen within our hearts or come out in our words and deeds?

It is clear that God does not want a heart filled with these kinds of evil. The kind of heart that God wants is a heart that is pure. How do we get such a heart? It is only possible through the work of God in our hearts. It is only possible when we receive God's forgiveness, ask God to cleanse our hearts and allow His Spirit to make us into new creatures. That is the good news of the gospel. II Corinthians 5:17 promises, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

III.           A Gracious Giving Heart

After this conversation, Jesus left to go to Tyre which is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. His intention was to hide. After the press of people who had been constantly seeking him for healing and the unrelenting pressure of ministry, he and his disciples needed time away and they went into Gentile territory to find it. But even there he was not free from the demands of people. People from Tyre had come to him in Galilee, as we see from Mark 3:8 and so they knew about Him. When he arrived, a woman from Tyre learned that he was there and came to him for help because her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit.

She broke into his world, as a woman and as a Greek. The text makes a big deal of identifying her as non-Jewish. Any faithful Jew would have quickly rejected her approach because it was not appropriate for a faithful Jew to have a conversation with a Gentile.

She was desperate for help and fell at Jesus’ feet and begged for the help she needed and He engaged her in conversation. We need to note that He was not bound by traditions which rejected people.

Although He didn’t dismiss her immediately, His reply to her seems somewhat harsh. Even though He doesn’t use the word for dog, but rather the word for puppy, we still find it somewhat disturbing that Jesus would refuse her request.

Among the many explanations for this refusal, I believe that the best answer still is that there was an order to the revelation of the gospel to the Gentiles. Jesus had come primarily to proclaim the gospel to the Jews, to prepare His disciples to make the gospel known and to die and rise in order to bring the good news of sins forgiven and eternal life. After his departure, the gospel would go to the Gentiles. This was always God’s intention, but it was not yet time. This was the intent which God announced to Abraham when he told him that all nations would be blessed through him. God revealed this intent again in Isaiah 60:3, where we read the prophecy, "Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." This intention was fulfilled following the resurrection. Jesus commissioned his followers to go into all nations in Matthew 28:19, 20 and Acts 1:8. But the movement of the gospel to the Gentiles did not come automatically. The first step was when God sent Peter to Cornelius, but that wasn’t easy. First God had to break through Peter’s hard heart so that he would be ready to go to Cornelius to preach the gospel to him. Paul’s missionary journeys were a further ministry to Gentiles and so the gospel began to go to all nations as God had promised. As a result of this breakthrough, many in Jerusalem were disturbed by the implications and so the church gathered at the council in Jerusalem, mentioned in Acts 15, to deal with the conflict. Many had not perceived what Jesus already demonstrated in his life and ministry and that was that the gospel was meant for the Gentiles as well.

The woman was drawn to Jesus and Jesus desired to help her, but the time was not right. His reason for refusal was different than the refusal of the Jewish religious leaders would have been. They would have dismissed her outright. However, we see something else in Jesus which teaches us another aspect of the heart God seeks. Even though the time may not have been right, in the end, Jesus did heal the girl. Jesus stepped outside of custom and even his own plan and extended grace to this needy woman.

What is the heart that God wants? We learn from the example of Jesus that God wants a heart that is filled with grace. Geddert puts it nicely when he says, “Jesus works at breaking down great barriers – barriers of ceremony and legalism that kept the pious walled off from the ordinary Jew, and barriers of ritual and tradition that prevented Gentiles from joining the people of God.” The heart God wants is the heart that is like that of Jesus. It is a heart that does not create walls and barriers. It is a heart that is gracious in extending kindness and blessing to all.

IV.           A Humble Trusting Heart

There is one more example that is worth noting and reveals another aspect of the heart God seeks. The conversation which Jesus had with the woman is quite interesting. She begged Jesus to help her and, as we have seen, at first Jesus refused to help her, indicating that it was not appropriate yet.

Her response to Jesus was both clever and persuasive enough that Jesus did respond. She acknowledged his argument, but countered that even the puppies eat the crumbs off the floor. I totally understand this illustration. We have grandchildren and our daughter has a little dog. I have seen this scene played out every time they are at our place. When we eat, the grandchildren drop food on the floor and the dog cleans the food off the floor.

Jesus answered that her response was significant. He said, "For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” What did he mean by “for saying that?” What was it in her reply that he saw that persuaded him to heal her daughter?

The answer to that question reveals another answer to the question “What kind of a heart is God looking for?” What he saw in her reply was a humble, trusting heart. She knew that she was unable to help her daughter and she was humble enough to realize that Jesus was able to help her. She called him Lord and not only recognized His ability, but was willing to submit to whatever He gave. In recognizing His grace and ability, she manifested a confident, hopeful trust in Jesus. I like the way Geddert puts it when he says, “This needy Gentile woman moved the heart of Jesus by her open heart, her empty hands, and her daring confidence that whatever Jesus would give would be enough.” That is the heart God seeks.

Conclusion

What a wonderful text leading us deeply into the will of God. It invites us to dismiss legalism, but not righteousness. It invites us to open our hearts and exemplifies the way to follow God.

What is the heart that God seeks? It is a heart that belongs to Him! It is a heart that is cleansed by Him! It is a heart that is gracious and it is a heart that has a humble trust in Him.

Does that describe your heart?

George Mueller was born in Prussia in September 1805, but moved to England and became a minister of a church in England. He was pastor of the same church for 66 years. He died in 1898 at the age of 92. Besides being pastor of the church, he founded the Scripture Knowledge Institute and built five orphan houses in which he cared for over 10,000 orphans. To support these orphanages, he raised a great deal of money without ever asking anyone for money. At the age of 76 he wrote, “I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

That is the heart that God seeks. May we give our heart to Him and allow Him to put such a heart within us.

When Jesus Seems Absent

Mark 6:30-56
Introduction

I once heard about a group of scientists who used MRI to study belief. They took 30 subjects, 15 committed Christians and 15 non-believers, in order to measure signal changes in the brain as they evaluated the truth and falsity of religious and nonreligious propositions. One thing they discovered was that when belief was involved, certain areas of the brain were more active than others. In the paper which reported this research, they made this very interesting statement: “There is, of course, a distinction to be made between mere profession of such beliefs and actual belief -a distinction that, while important, only makes sense in a world in which some people actually believe what they say they believe.” That made me think, "Do we actually believe what we say we believe?"

When we talk about being followers of Jesus, this is a very important distinction. Do we merely profess to be followers of Jesus, or do we actually follow Him? Whether or not we follow Him is revealed most clearly in times when Jesus seems absent. There are times in our life when the evidence of God’s presence is so real that we have no difficulty trusting Him and following Him. For example, faith is easy when we are at camp or on a mission trip or when we see powerful manifestations of His presence. But do we still trust Him and follow Him when the doctor’s report is cancer or when we lose our job or when a loved one dies? Mark 6:35-56 encourages us to follow Jesus when we see evidence of His presence and challenges us to continue to follow Him when we don't.

            This section of Scripture moves a lot. Jesus and His disciples are constantly on the go and there is a lot of action. As in much other Biblical literature, the passage is structured so that the main point is in the middle. The first story is the great story of the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. The final story is a great story of Jesus healing people. In between, we have what looks at first glance like another miracle story, but contains some disturbing elements which invite us to look deeper.

I.                The Power and Compassion of Jesus

Before we get to that central section, let us be encouraged by the power and compassion of Jesus who did miraculous works. We are impressed and blessed by the truth of the stories found here.

A.              Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

Jesus had sent the disciples out to preach and when they came back, we notice that they were called apostles. Disciple means learner. Apostle means sent one. This is the only place in Mark where they were called apostles. They had been sent and now they returned and reported all that had happened. I like the image which is suggested by the phrase, they “gathered around Jesus.” It suggests a great time of encouragement, friendship and bonding.

The time of reporting seems to have been rather brief because the crowds which surrounded Jesus didn’t stop coming. In fact, Jesus was so busy ministering that they didn’t even have time to eat. Jesus knew that the disciples were tired from their “mission trip” and so suggested in Mark 6:31 “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”

So that is what they did. They got into a boat and were going to go to a place where they could be alone for a little while. But things did not turn out the way they planned. The crowds saw where they were going and ran around the lake and got to the solitary place before they did, so that when they got out of the boat, they were immediately surrounded by people again.

            It is very likely that they saw the people coming as they rowed their boat, but Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to steer in another direction. Instead, we read that Jesus “had compassion for them.” This is Jesus. He is one who sees people in need and has compassion on them. We also read in Mark 6:34 that Jesus knew that “they were like sheep without a shepherd” which reminds us of the tremendous love that Jesus has for those in need. He deeply cares for them. Even though He and the disciples were hungry and tired, His compassion moved Him to minister to the people.

            So all day they ministered to the crowd and it got to be late in the day. It seems that the disciples also had compassion for the people, but eventually, perhaps driven by their own hunger, they suggested that it was time to eat. The problem was that it was getting late and they were in a remote place. It seemed appropriate to send the people away early enough so that they could find some food before night came. That was their suggestion, but Jesus had another one. He suggested that the disciples should feed them. The disciples couldn’t put such a plan together in their heads. The difficulty of finding enough food in the remote area, but even more the amount of money required to do this overwhelmed their notion of what was possible. So Jesus offered a further suggestion. They should find out what resources they did have. Perhaps there would be enough to feed them all. But when they did the research, they found that there would not even have been enough for the disciples and Jesus, never mind the whole crowd.

            Jesus, however, had a plan. He instructed them to get organized. The people gathered in groups of 50 and 100. The mention of green grass in verse 39 may suggest Psalm 23:2 in which God leads His people to green pastures.

            A Sunday School class once did a skit of this miracle. They actually had bread there and began to distribute it. And guess what? The bread did not multiply. But when Jesus distributed it, the bread did multiply. I have often wondered what that would have been like. As the disciples distributed the bread, did they actually see another piece appear in their basket or did the pieces grow as they were shared? When they were done, there was more left over than when they started and everyone had been well fed. I know that when the food committee plans for a meal, their worst nightmare is to run out of food. They don’t mind having leftovers, in fact, they plan for leftovers so that they don't run out. When Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes, he started with too little and ended up with an abundance of leftovers.

            The wonder of this story is to show us both the compassion and the power of Jesus. We see that Jesus has so much compassion that even though he and his followers were tired and hungry, He still ministered to the people. We learn that Jesus cares enough about hungry people to provide a meal for them. We also learn that Jesus is able to meet the needs of the people. He has the power to multiply bread and fish so that no follower of His need ever go hungry. Wow!!

B.              Jesus Heals Multitudes

At the end of this section when Jesus and the disciples left this remote place, they crossed over the lake again and landed at Gennesaret. In Mark 6:53-56, we read that “When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him…” and so the ministry of Jesus continued. In these stories we see once again the compassionate willingness with which he put himself at the disposal of the people.

The geographical extent of the work was amazing. In this section we hear such phrases as, “whole region” and “wherever he went” and “villages or cities or farms.”

The pace of ministry was relentless. Wherever Jesus went, people came running to him. Their expectation was the same expectation and hope that we have. They wanted to be healed. They brought all who had any illness to Jesus and they hoped that he would heal them. Their faith in the healing power of Jesus was very great. It was their expectation that if they could “touch even the fringe of his cloak” they would experience healing. This reminds us of the woman in Mark 5:27 who “touched his cloak” and was healed.

The amazing thing is that “all who touched it were healed.” There was no magic incantation spoken. They did not have to have enough of the right kind of faith. They simply had to touch the edge of his cloak and they were healed.

Although the intention of these miracles is to demonstrate with clarity and power that the kingdom of God has come, the wonderful thing is that healing happened. In every case they were healed. Oh to have lived in this time! Oh to have access to Jesus in such a way. So many people in our congregation are struggling with illness. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to take them to Jesus and know that they would be healed?

The message of this story is to assure us that the kingdom of God has come. But it is also to let us know that Jesus has both the compassion and the power to accomplish great things. He can feed 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes, He can calm a stormy sea and He can heal all who come to Him! Not only does He have the power to do so, He cares so much about people that He will give up His right to rest and even food in order to minister to them. Can we think of anyone more caring or more powerful?

The message of Easter invites us to resurrection living and this hope in Jesus is certainly a part of resurrection living. Since the resurrection, we have even more assurance that Jesus has the power and the compassion to help us in whatever need we have. This is the message of these stories. It is cause for hope! It is cause for rejoicing! It is cause for encouragement!

II.             When Jesus Seems Absent

But what about the story in the middle? It too contains a miracle. We read that when Jesus climbed into the boat, “the wind ceased.” Is that what we are to learn from this story? Is it simply another miracle story to assure us of the power and compassion of Jesus? Yet there are some disturbing ideas in this passage. We read that “He intended to pass by them.” We read that “they did not understand about the loaves” and “their hearts were hardened.” What do these things add to the story? What are we to learn from them?

This story certainly does teach us that Jesus helps, but there is something more in this story, something that brings us deeper into discipleship. We would all like to live on a field of green grass with Jesus feeding us fish sandwiches. We would all like to be able to bring any sick person to him so that they could touch him and be healed. But that doesn’t always happen. Sure we have eaten fish sandwiches and we have seen healing, but not always. What happens to faith when Jesus doesn’t seem to show up? What happens to following when Jesus seems absent? This story helps us think about that.

            After the crowd had witnessed the miracle of the feeding, Jesus immediately sent his disciples into a boat and urged them to head across the lake while He remained on shore and dismissed the people. They had been well fed spiritually and physically and it was time to go home. Then He went up into the hills to pray.

            All of this happened in the late afternoon. Mark 6:47 gives us the scene of what happened in the evening. The disciples were in the middle of the lake. They were straining at the oars because they were rowing against the wind. As we read this, we must remember what has all happened. The disciples returned from their “mission trip.” They came back to find that Jesus was so busy that they didn’t even have time to eat. Jesus suggested that it was time for a break, but the break never happened. They got to the other side and were immediately inundated with needy people. All day they worked together ministering to the crowds, teaching, helping. Finally, they suggested to Jesus that it was time to eat. Is it possible that up to this point they still had not eaten? When Jesus provided the meal, they finally got a chance to eat, but how leisurely was that meal? They distributed the food and then they gathered the baskets of leftovers. Did they even get to eat? As soon as the meal was over, they were sent out on the boat. They came tired, they worked all day and now they were rowing.

            Where was Jesus as they were fighting with the wind and the waves? He was on shore praying. The story gets somewhat disturbing when we read in Mark 6:48, “he saw that they were straining at the oars.” Jesus knew that they were having a hard time and he left them in that difficult situation. The story gets even more disturbing when we realize that He left them in that situation for a long time. We read in verse 47 that in the evening they were already in the middle of the lake and had been rowing for a while. Evening would be somewhere between 6 and 9 o’clock. Then we read in verse 48 that He didn't do anything about it until "early in the morning, likely somewhere between 3 & 6 in the morning!" The text tells us that for somewhere around 6 to 12 hours Jesus watched as the disciples, already exhausted, struggled at the oars. What do we make of that?

            Finally, early in the morning, Jesus walked towards them on the water. It is amazing that He waited so long, but we are really puzzled when we read that it was not the intention of Jesus to go and help them. It was his intention to walk on by as we read in verse 48. It was only because they thought He was a ghost and were completely terrified that he stopped, got into the boat and calmed them down by saying that wonderful phrase in verse 50, “Take heart! It is I. Do not be afraid” and also by calming the wind and the waves.

            In this whole story it looks like Jesus was absent. We can identify with that impression. There are times when we wonder where Jesus is, but is that what was really going on? It looks like Jesus didn’t care that for at least 6 hours the disciples were struggling at the oars. But is that the case? In reality, something deeper was happening. Was Jesus absent? No! He was watching them the whole time as it says in verse 48, “He saw that they were straining.” This suggests that the compassion of Jesus which we see so evidently in the other stories, is still present, even though He is not.

            When it says that Jesus “intended to pass them by” I also do not believe that we are meant to think that he was carelessly ignoring them. The phrase “pass by” reminds us of another time when this phrase was used in the Bible. It happened to Moses in Exodus 33. Moses was to lead the people of God, but knew that without God he could not do it. He asked to see the glory of God. Wouldn’t we like to see the glory of God? But God did not show Moses His glory. Instead, we read that He passed by. What did that mean? We read Exodus 33 earlier, When Moses asked, “Show me your glory, I pray.” God said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” God further told Moses, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; ²² and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by..” When God passed by, the intended message to Moses was, “Although you cannot see my glory, I am still with you and I will be with you and I will show compassion to you.” When Jesus intended to pass by, it is very likely that a similar thing was happening. He was not ignoring the disciples. He was not there to bail them out of every difficult situation, but He was by no means absent. Geddert writes, “When God ‘passes by,’ it is not a sign of unconcern or noninvolvement; it is a sign of caring presence.”

            When Jesus said to them, “Take heart! It is I. Do not be afraid” we see another aspect of His presence. The phrase “It is I” in Greek is most directly translated "I am" and therefore has a double meaning. It means, “It’s me, Jesus” but it also means “I am.” “I am” is one of the ways of speaking of God. God’s name “the Lord” is, in Hebrew “Yahweh” which sounds exactly like the word “I am” in Hebrew. This phrase told the Jewish people that God was present with them. In a similar way, Jesus was saying to them, "I have not abandoned you. I Am, God, the Lord. I am with you at all times, you do not need to be afraid."

            Another interesting piece is that although Jesus intended to pass by, when the disciples thought He was a ghost, and were so terrified that they couldn’t even think, Jesus stepped in and helped them. That tells us that even though there are times when Jesus will allow us to struggle, sometimes for our good, sometimes for reasons that we do not fully understand; when we get to the edge and we can’t handle it any more, He steps in to help. Geddert says, “Although Jesus has the power to do mighty deeds, he does not always exercise it in order to lighten the load for his followers.” “Jesus knows that his disciples need this assurance more than they need another storm-stilling miracle.”

            As Jesus revealed His presence in these enigmatic ways, what was going on for the disciples? In Mark 6:52 we read the phrase, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”  What was it about the loaves that they had not understood? By this time they must have believed that Jesus could heal the sick, cast out demons and feed 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes because they had seen him do it. They even knew that Jesus could calm a tempest because He had already done so in Mark 4:35-41. Geddert says, “The disciples are not amazed that Jesus can do mighty deeds; instead, they are amazed that he would wait so long before coming, and then would intend to walk right past.” What they hadn’t understood and what we don’t always understand is that the same compassionate and powerful Jesus who heals sick people and calms storms is still there when we can’t see Him. What they didn’t understand was that when Jesus allowed them to struggle for long hours it did not mean that He had forgotten them. What they didn’t get was that it wasn’t only the presence of Jesus physically which demonstrated His help and care. What they didn’t know was that even though He seemed absent, He was not. They heard “it is I” but they did not hear “I am.”

            So their hearts were hardened and they functioned in unbelief. How like us! We want to see the miracle of feeding and healing and storm calming. Will we only believe when we see the glory? Sometimes Jesus allows us to go through the difficult times and allows us to row against the wind for a long time. What we need to learn from this story is that Jesus is no less present and no less compassionate and no less powerful when He seems absent than He is when we see the glory.

Conclusion

Geddert summarizes this passage in Mark 6, “Those who truly follow Jesus know a theology of glory – five thousand fed with a few loaves, Jesus walking on the water, Jesus healing the multitudes. They also know a theology of the cross – a hard and tiring mission, the promise of rest that gets thwarted, a struggle on the stormy sea.” “They know that neither theology is correct unless it is connected to the other. That is the part that the disciples are having difficulty grasping. That seems to be the primary message of this fascinating but challenging section of Mark’s Gospel.”

In Psalm 23, we learn the same lesson. The God who shepherds us in green pastures and leads us beside quiet waters is still our shepherd when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Are the good things that are there in the light also there in the dark? That is the question we have been discussing. The disciples liked what they saw in the light, but they had not yet understood that Jesus was also there in the dark. Living in the resurrection, living as a disciple means trusting and following Jesus even when He seems absent.

We were serving at camp when our oldest son was about 5 years old. We were staying in a cabin in which it was very dark at night. Our son was sleeping in the bedroom next to ours and after we had gone to bed, all of a sudden we heard a little voice singing a song we had learned at camp. We heard him singing, "God is always near me, in the darkest night, He can see me just as well, as by the morning light." How true!

Rejected Servants of God

Mark 6:1-29

Introduction

Yogi Berra once said, "No one goes to that restaurant anymore - It's always too crowded." Irene Peter said, "Always be sincere, even though you do not necessarily mean it." These are oxymoron's which  are combinations of contradictory words. There are many such phrases which are in common use, for example, a fine mess, accidentally on purpose, awfully pretty, freezer burn, jumbo shrimp and authentic reproduction.

Is the phrase "rejected servants of God" also an oxymoron? How is it possible that those who serve the living God who raised Jesus from the dead suffer? Nate Saint and Jim Elliot, were missionaries in Ecuador and had given themselves to proclaim the gospel to the Waodani people, but were killed by them. Where was the power of God to save them? Why were they put to death? We have a friend who, with his wife, have spent each winter for the last few years working for Mennonite Disaster Service. One year they spent several months in California rebuilding homes that had been destroyed by wildfires. They were on their way back home and when they were within a few hours of home, their own house burned to the ground. These things are hard to understand.

Mark 6:1-29 contains three stories and in each of them we have some mention of the rejection of a servant of God. As we read these stories and understand them and examine the rest of Scripture for some explanation I hope we will come to understand that this phrase is not an oxymoron, but a part of what it means to live in the resurrection.

I.                The Biblical Stories

So let's begin by examining the three stories in Mark 6:1-29.

A.              Jesus Is Rejected

After traveling around the region of Galilee, Jesus returned to his home town and on a Sabbath day, attended the synagogue service with His disciples. While there he had an opportunity to teach and He did so with an authority and an understanding that they had not heard before. The people were amazed, but they were also conflicted. He wasn’t a teacher. He had not been to the rabbinic schools; he had not studied Scripture or rhetoric. He was a carpenter. They had also known Him in his growing up years. He was Mary’s son, which may imply their knowledge that he had been conceived before Joseph and Mary were married. They also knew his siblings and in all of this knowledge they saw nothing remarkable in him.

            So this was the reason for their conflicted opinions. On the one hand they heard the amazing teaching he gave and they knew he did miracles; and on the other hand, he was just an ordinary neighbor. They saw great power and great wisdom in Him, but didn’t understand the source of it and so they rejected him. Familiarity took the upper hand and we read in Mark 6:3 that “they took offense at him.”

Jesus responded by saying in verse 4, "“Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” We are familiar with a similar saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” The other reaction was that he had a minimal healing ministry there. Why was the healing ministry limited? Some have suggested that Jesus' power was diminished by lack of faith and others that Jesus refused to heal because their faith was not large enough. Both of these explanations do not fit well with what we know of Jesus and His power. The best explanation is that they didn’t believe in Him so they didn’t go to him. Jesus responded with amazement at their lack of faith.

In spite of rejection, Jesus didn’t quit. He went out to the surrounding villages and continued to teach.

B.              The Twelve Are Sent Out

In Mark 3:14 we read that he chose the twelve “that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” He had been with them and now it was time for them to preach, as we read in Mark 6:7-13. Jesus set them up in teams of two and gave them authority to heal and teach. He instructed them to go out with a minimum of stuff so that they would rely on the hospitality of those they met and on God.

Jesus also instructed them on what to do when they were not accepted. They were not to stay where they were not welcome. They were not to force the message of God on those who did not want to listen. Shaking the dust off their feet when they were leaving has implications not only of rejection, but also of the judgment of God on those who refused the message. We have an example of this in Acts 18:6 where we read about Paul, "When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’”

            With these instructions, Jesus sent them out and even though Jesus warned them that they might face opposition and rejection, we read in Mark 6:12 that they had a very successful ministry. They not only preached, but also drove out demons, which Jesus had authorized them to do, and anointed people with oil and healed them. When they came back, we read in Mark 6:30, "The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught."

C.              John the Baptist is Killed

While they were out preaching, we see that their ministry had an impact on spreading the message about Jesus. This once more prompted the debate about the identity of Jesus and many weighed in with their opinions. Some thought He was Elijah and some, one of the prophets. Another opinion was that He was John the Baptist resurrected. This was also the opinion of Herod who probably thought so because of a guilty conscience because it was he who had put John to death

In order to explain how John died, Mark includes a fairly lengthy account of his death. It is a story, which if it was a movie on television, we probably wouldn’t let young children watch.

John had been functioning according to his calling as a prophet of God. He had told Herod that his marriage was adulterous. Herod had married his brother’s wife, Herodias, and John had declared it wrong. Herod’s wife did not like this and wanted Herod to put John to death. But Herod wasn’t willing to do that but did arrest him. While in custody, he liked listening to John. The text says he was “puzzled” which I understand to mean that he was conflicted. On the one hand he liked to hear him and on the other hand he did not want to follow what he said.

Finally an opportunity came for Herodias to have her way. Herod was celebrating his birthday with all the big shots. During the celebration, possibly as her gift, the daughter of his wife, performed a dance for his guests. Many commentators suggest that it was a lewd dance, but there is nothing in the text to confirm that. She did such a good job that everyone liked it and Herod also enjoyed it very much and, in a state of enthusiasm likely meant to impress his guests, he offered her a very generous gift. She went to her mother to ask what she should ask for and her mother was quick to respond and she asked for John’s head on a platter. With great distress, Herod was forced to comply because he had made an oath in front of his guests. That is how John’s life came to an end and we are told that his followers gave him a proper burial.

II.             Lessons about Suffering and Servanthood

We should not see it as coincidental that Mark puts these three stories together. As usual in his gospel, he is preaching and the message of these three stories is about the suffering of God’s servants. Is the suffering of God's servants an oxymoron? We make a mistake if we assume that everything will always go well for servants of Jesus. We believe that resurrection means victory for Jesus and that since Jesus has won, we also can live in victory. However, living in resurrection victory does not mean we will be able to avoid all hardship and persecution. The text today reminds us of that reality. As we reflect on these stories and examine the rest of Scripture, it isn’t difficult to come to a clear understanding of the relationship between ministry and suffering and to know that a suffering servant of Jesus is not an oxymoron. Rather, we are called to understand it and learn how to live in that context.

A.              The Reality of Suffering

1.              Suffering in the Midst of Ministry

One of the things we learn from these stories is that in the midst of ministry, suffering and rejection may happen. If Jesus, His disciples and John the Baptist all experienced suffering, as these stories indicate, what makes us think that we won’t? Just because we have given ourselves to serving Jesus does not mean that there won’t be times when what we do will not be accepted and times when the difficulties which happen to everyone will also happen to us.

Jesus was doing great things yet we have already seen that he experienced all kinds of rejection. Intense and somewhat surprising was the rejection by the religious leaders who should have known that Jesus was serving God. Rejection by the Gentiles in the region of the Geresenes was understandable, but that by his home town crowd was most surprising. Yet all of these things happened.

When Jesus sent the disciples out, he warned them that not everyone would accept them and warned them that it was possible that they would experience suffering.

Therefore it is not surprising that the Apostle Paul also experienced suffering in the midst of his ministry. In Acts 9:16, when God called Paul, he already told him that he would experience such suffering. There we read, "I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” In II Corinthians 11:25-29 we read of some of his experiences: "I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. ²⁸ And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches."

So it is important to realize that this is a reality. If we are serving the Lord, it may well be difficult. In the midst of our service, we may experience suffering or opposition.

2.              Suffering That Results From Ministry

It is also important for us to know that sometimes our suffering will come as a direct result of what we are proclaiming. It was because John spoke a word from God to Herod that he was put to death. He was doing the ministry God had called him to and died because of it. In Mark 13:9-11, Jesus warned us, “they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me…”

In II Corinthians 11:23-25, Paul reports how that exact thing had happened to him. He reflects on his experiences of “far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. ²⁴ Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning…”

            We have lived for so long in a society that accepts or at least tolerates us and our proclamation of the gospel. But that is not so in much of the world and is not always true even in our context. Although we may vary in our responses to how Christians should respond to Bill 18, at least a part of what has been happening to some Christians is happening because of opposition to their defense of holy living. Of course, we need to talk wisely about how we can best be God's representatives on earth and we need to make sure that if we are opposed it is because of the gospel message and not because of our behavior. We need to know that just as John the Baptist and Jesus suffered for the message they proclaimed, we may also have to suffer because we are doing God’s work.

B.              Ministry and Suffering

If we are involved in serving Jesus, we may suffer and it is important for us to be aware of that reality. But there is another profound relationship between suffering and ministry which we must also be aware of and that is that ministry follows suffering.

1.              Ministry in Spite of Suffering

I believe that Mark does not write things in a random order. There is purpose for the things he writes and the order in which he writes them. In Mark 6:1-6a we read about the rejection of Jesus and in Mark 6:6b, we read “Then he went about among the villages teaching.” Commentators debate where this verse belongs. Does it belong to the previous section about the rejection of Jesus or the following section about the ministry of the disciples? In some ways it belongs to both, but I believe it fits best with the story of the rejection of Jesus, for it reminds us, that, as Geddert says, “There is also ministry in the midst of suffering…” Jesus experienced rejection, but, in spite of that, continued to go to the villages around and teach.

Ministry can continue even in the midst of difficulty. Once again a story which comes out of the life of the apostle Paul helps us understand this. Acts 16:16-34 tells the story about when Paul and those with him were arrested in Philippi. They had been proclaiming the gospel and because of their success were arrested and put in prison. In the midst of that suffering in prison, they continued to serve God. They didn’t mope and become discouraged, but continued to sing His praises. When an earthquake opened the prison doors, they stayed put and it became an opportunity to tell the gospel story to the jailer who accepted Jesus.

2.              Ministry Because of Suffering

Even more amazing is that sometimes ministry arises directly out of and because of suffering. It is one thing to determine to continue to serve Jesus even when we are in the midst of suffering. It is a miracle of grace that because we suffer, we have an increased ability to serve God. In II Corinthians 1:4 we read, "…who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God." Paul, because of all kinds of difficult experiences, understood trials and God’s power and taught others what he had learned in difficulty.

In II Corinthians 12:7-10 we have a clear theology of ministry that arises out of suffering when Paul says, "Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. ⁸ Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, ⁹ but he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

May we learn to see how our suffering can become not only something that we have to bear and live through, but something which allows us to have a more powerful and more effective ministry!

C.              Strength for Suffering

How do we live with all this?

1.              Perseverance

It is a delusion to think that suffering or persecution will not happen to people who are living in the resurrection. As we have seen this truth in the stories we have looked at today, I hope that we have been encouraged to accept this truth. Because awareness is important and allows us to persevere. Jesus instructed us in Matthew 11:6, "And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

But how do we persevere? The way to persevere is in the power of God. In II Timothy 1:8, Paul encourages us, "Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God."

2.              Purpose

There is another Biblical concept which I have to admit I do not fully understand. It seems that there is some divine purpose in the suffering of the people of God. Sometimes suffering is permitted to accomplish purposes which we do not fully understand. Colossians 1:24 says, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." The phrase “I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” is an interesting and puzzling phrase. Is our suffering somehow needed to complete what God wants to do on earth? It certainly does not mean that more suffering is needed to bring salvation. But how does suffering assist in the coming of the kingdom of God? I know that many parents would gladly suffer for their children. How often we have said, “I wish I could have arthritis instead of Kristen.” With that in mind we may well ask, "Are we willing to suffer if that suffering would bring about the eternal redemption of someone?" Perhaps that kind of thinking helps us understand the meaning of Colossians 1:24. Perhaps we also see such logic in II Corinthians 4:11 where we read, "For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh."

            Seeing purpose in suffering for the kingdom of God certainly will help us minister in the midst of it.

3.              Rejoicing

Yet we are not only called to bear suffering, but even to rejoice in it.

It is amazing how many passages in Scripture call us to rejoice in suffering. In II Corinthians 12:10 we are called to rejoice in suffering because then God’s power is shown to be great. In James 1:2-5 we are called to rejoice in suffering because it is a part of the process of becoming mature in Christ.

            We will have joy in suffering as a servant of Jesus only when we live in a deep and trusting relationship with Him. May we come to this place in our walk with Jesus!

4.              Hope

Finally, we can recognize that the phrase, "suffering servants of Jesus" is not an oxymoron because we live in hope. Once again there are many Scripture passages which remind us of our eternal hope.

Romans 8:17 encourages us, "…we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." In that passage we notice the connection between suffering and the hope that is ours.

Matthew 5:10 also encourages when it says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Conclusion

Referring to the two stories of rejection in this passage, Geddert comments, “The mission of the kingdom cannot be stopped by Nazereth’s lack of faith or Herod’s foolish oath.”

In other words, rejection and difficulty cannot stop the kingdom from growing. The power of enemies or of rulers cannot stop God from accomplishing His purposes.

May we understand the reality of the phrase, “suffering servants of Jesus” and recognize its power and hope so that we will not allow difficulty, trial, hardship or rejection to prevent us from faithfully continuing to serve Jesus.