The Gospel According to Mark (Part 30)

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The Gospel According to Mark

(Part 30)

Good Morning and Welcome to Jesus Church

Today is part 30 in our journey through the Gospel story

• Jesus mindset is starting to change… b/c he knows cross is coming
  • He’s teaching his disciples – Needs to make sure they’re ready
  • So moments of immaturity are that much more unsettling
  • And we are going to see that come out in Jesus in todays story
• Last week we looked at the first half of Mark 9
  • Where Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter/James/John
  • He is transfigured before them (lit up like a Chirstmas tree)
  • The essence of who he is as God was revealed
• Peter thinks he’s there to do something (huts) & say something
  • But very quickly God reminds him his primary job
  • Is to listen and to watch – Its to witness God in person of Jesus
  • And regardless of all the things we get to do for God
    • We must never forget our first job is keep eyes on Jesus

Today still in ch. 9… interesting story as Jesus comes down the mountain

Mark 9:14-29

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. What are you arguing with them about? He asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit but they could not.”

You unbelieving generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me. So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this? “From childhood”, he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” If you can? Said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit”, he said, “I command you come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” [PRAY]

Story – Bumper Stickers

I was born here in Phoenix (St. Joe’s) but lived most of life in Seattle

• One thing about the Pacific Northwest… love their bumper stickers
  • Its actually pretty ridiculous… 50 bumper stickers on a car
  • But right when bumper stickers became a thing…
  • B4 it was just another way to make a political statement
• One of the first bumper stickers I would see on car after car
  • Practice random acts of kindness
  • Which is a great concept to think about… should all be kind
  • But I’ll admit… seemed they always on a Prius going Prius speed
    • All you want to say is “Practice going the speed limit”

But I think that statement is how many people view story of Jesus

• So when Jesus heals the sick/casts out demons/miracles
  • Point must be – Yes… Jesus is God but also Jesus is a nice guy
  • And while Yes Jesus is the incarnation of our creator God
  • And while Jesus is nice (Sometimes)
• We miss so much in these stories if that’s all we get from them
  • So today in this story about Jesus/boy/dad
  • But we have to read it inside the larger story of the Gospel
    • Inside the even larger story of the Overall Biblical Narrative
• B/C it’s crucial for us to understand this story within the main story
  • Mark 9 within Mark’s Gospel within Genesis to Revelation arc
  • So give me few minutes as we do some serious context
  • B/C this story is powerful… not just nice Jesus doing nice things

Bible divide 3 parts – Creation/Decreation/Recreation

1: Creation – Gen 1&2… God creates Heavens & Earth (everything)

• When he finished… He says “It is very GOOD”
  • And early on it was… humans ruling under God/over Earth
  • There was harmony with God – Nature – One another
• Hebrew word for the state of affairs: Shalom
  • Means – Peace/Whole/Wonder/Joy/Contentment
  • A way of saying the world was the way God intended it to be
• And even today 2023 – There are echoes of this time of Shalom
  • Sitting with family and making memories that last a lifetime
    • Hearing the testimony of a life that has found Jesus
    • Last week watching 8 people get baptized
  • These are glimpses of true Shalom
    • And all of life use to be like that
    • It was called Eden… but we don’t live in Eden anymore

2: Decreation – Gen 3… man joins Satan in rebellion against God

• As a result sin infected the human race… spreads & reaks havoc
  • Because of this: We are not in harmony with God/nature/others
  • Today this world is scared by what God calls INJUSTICE
• Injustice is exact opposite of Shalom… World as God didn’t intend
  • Today it looks like poverty/disease/racism/abortion/corruption
  • Its destruction of the family/destruction of identity
  • All that together is the ANTI-EDEN

3: Recreation – The good news (Gospel) – Starts not in Mk 1 but Gen 12

Gen. 18:17-19 (God calls a man named Abraham… God says this)

Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do (rescue the world)? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is RIGHT and JUST, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. (all nations blessed through you)

• Notice these to words (Right and Just)
  • Sadak & Mishpak – Righteousness & Justice
  • These words are frequently tied together in the scriptures
• Righteousness – Word is all about community (right relationships)
  • With God… each other… earth – All marked by Shalom
  • As God intended them to be
• Justice – Has more to do with the individual

Gerry Breshears

Justice is inconveniencing yourself for the good of the ‘worthless person’ specifically the widow, the poor and the stranger

Bruce Walkey

The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community, the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.

• This is what Abraham and his family were called to do (Right/Just)
  • To partner with God for the healing/restoration of the world
  • This is the call of God’s people
• Here’s the problem… based on this call – Israel success or failure?
  • With Justice – Number 2 indictment against Israel is injustice

Is 1:15-17

Wash and make yourselves clean, take your evil deeds out of my sight, stop doing wrong. Learn to do right, seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Amos 2:6-7

This is what the Lord says: For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent, they sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly (#1 on God’s list) and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

• So because of the failures of Justice & Righteousness
  • Prophets start speaking of a messiah who would do Justice
  • Listen to this prophecy about who messiah will be

Ps 99:4-5

The king is mighty, he loves justice, you have established equity. In Jacob you have done what is JUST and RIGHT. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, he is holy.

• And this is a prayer that speaks of the future
  • Where God would come as king and do Justice/Righteousness
  • Now fast forward to Jesus
  • Who is the fulfillment what we just read

Jesus is the king who loves Justice…

• Who does Jesus spend most of his time with
  • Those in need of Justice (sick/rejected/demonized/vulnerable)
  • His work is one of HEALING & RESTORATION
    • Which is Righteousness and Justice
• So much so that at the end of the story (Revelation – about Jesus)
  • We see the healing/restoration of all creation
  • And a world of complete harmony and return to shalom
• And in Mark we see story after story of this process beginning
  • Through a healings… miracles… deliverance
  • That is how you read a story like this inside larger story

So lets look at the story with all that in mind

Mk 9:14-16

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. What are you arguing with them about? He asked.

So Jesus comes down the mountain we looked at last week

• And things are in chaos
  • The disciples are arguing/fighting with the teachers of the law
  • And the situation is very intense because…

Mk 9:17-18

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit but they could not.”

• So there is this boy in the story who is demonized (possessed)
  • Real evil spirit that is at war against God and Humanity
  • Now that might seem weird in the western world
  • Not a movie or old wives tale… this is real
    • Just travel a bit more… its real trust me
• But the boy is possessed by demon – What needs to be addressed
  • While theologians point out this is demonic manifestations
  • Others read it and say: No… this is obviously epilepsy (medical)
  • So what is it – Demon or Disease
• Well the answer is YES
  • In our modern world we tend to think in an either/or mindset
    • And so we have to choose
    • That’s not true from a 1^st century Hebrew way of thinking
  • We think of demonic & disease as 2 completely separate things
    • But in a Hebrew worldview there is overlap b/w the two
    • Sometimes something is just demonic (that’s all)
    • Sometimes something is just disease (that’s it)
      • But SOMETIMES ITS BOTH

And its interesting because the disciples could not dispel this spirit

• Which is weird because just a few chapters b4 they could
  • So what is the difference

Mk 9:19-20

You unbelieving generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? (this is where Mr. Rodgers Jesus stereotype sorta goes out the window – Really this goes back to time running short) Bring the boy to me. So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around foaming at the mouth.

• We need to see this because sometimes you go to Jesus
  • And things get worse before they get better
  • Sometimes you bring the issue to Jesus… start to pray
  • And it gets worse… foaming at the mouth… rolling on the floor
• But if you get to the end of the story… it does get better
  • And sometimes you don’t even know when the story ends
  • The end of what you think the story is – first page for God
  • Not even death can close the book on what God is writing
    • Just look at Jesus… Because not even death has final say

Mk 9:21-26

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” From childhood, he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him (that’s the enemies agenda… especially for children). But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. IF YOU CAN, said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes. Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you come out of him and never enter him again.” (Which tells us repossession is possible) The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead”

• So once again it gets worse before it gets better
  • Why – B/C there’s an invisible but real war happening all around
  • And the language is foggy… could say the boy is actually dead

Mk 9:27-28

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up…

• More literally it says: Jesus raised him up and he was resurrected
  • This is a sign post pointing forward to Jesus’ resurrected
  • Now look at the ending

… After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He said, “This kind only comes out by prayer.”

Now that isn’t how people thought in Jesus day

Demonization was a rampant problem in ancient civilization

• And it is in our world as well… all around the world
  • Even here as people get more interested in “spirituality”
  • This will become more evident in our lives
• But just because you have a spiritual experience
  • Doesn’t mean it is an encounter with God’s Spirit
  • It could be with a spirit at war with God
  • The more the west opens up to spirituality
    • The more we will see stuff like this happening
• And exorcism as we talked about months ago in Jesus’ day
  • It looked more like something out of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab
  • Encantation… spell… potion… name calling… feeses… drills
• And so what the disciples were asking Jesus for: Better technique
  • They want to know what step they missed –
  • But Jesus tells them they have it all wrong…
  • The power isn’t from a technique – Its from Prayer

And here’s what’s interesting… Where in the story does Jesus pray?

• He doesn’t: There’s no lets pray right now as the kids rolling around
  • Nothing like that happens
  • Meaning… the KIND OF PRAYER Jesus is talking about
  • Its an ongoing/continuous flowing life of relationship with God
• To Jesus prayer not a weapon – You load it up & blow away demons
  • No prayer is a way to get close to the Father
  • And from that closeness… you get power and authority

How’s story fit in Jesus work 4 Righteousness/Justice

How does it advance Jesus plan of healing and restoration of the world

• Well… this is a story about INJUSTICE
  • A story about the world how its not supposed to be
  • About the breakdown/suffering of a family
• But more basically it’s a story of a child – oppressed by demonic
  • And what is the intent of the demonic… its to kill him
  • Which is 100% Satan’s agenda… he wants to kill our children
  • Why so often we see the enemy go after children… here/today
• If a movie is made on stopping child sex trade (sounds of freedom)
  • And the media comes out against that movie
  • That is the demonic fighting to keep injustice in our world
  • In US (2021) 1820 kids died of child abuse – 5 children per day

And it is our job as followers of Jesus to work with Him to stop injustice

• What does that look like for us – Well for one
  • There is an orphanage right on the other side of Yuma border
  • In December we are going to go down there
  • Share the love of Jesus with them and the town they are in
• The beautiful thing – we have built in relationships already formed
  • And the cost to go is going to be really affordable 
• And this is a great start… but it can’t just be that
  • Because if our job is to fight injustice – That’s in our backyard
  • And from helping refugees… single mothers… foster care system
    • If our mission is to see God’s Kingdom come
    • Then this is part of what our faith looks like
• The other part is righteousness – Right relationships
  • Most simple way can engage with that is our Life Groups
  • Finding a group of people who what to build right relationships
    • And we will have more starting… tons more on this soon

TAG: But today lets get back to this idea on Justice

What from story can we learn about Justice

1 – Justice is spiritual (Surface a sick boy is not fair… its unjust)

• Under the surface… demonic is at work
  • So often when it comes to injustice its a spiritual fight
  • Justice isn’t just about fair salaries/work conditions/protection
• Its what Paul calls “Kingdom of Darkness”
  • And it is constantly fighting for territory in our7 Post Eden world
  • BUT JESUS HAS POWER OVER ALL OF THAT
• And when we live a life in close relationship with God
  • We by the power of the spirit have power & authority as well
  • So when we see injustice in our neighborhood
    • We aren’t called to hide… but to fight… pray… take back
    • Doesn’t come from technique… comes from relationship

2 – Justice is sacrificial

• Jesus scarified his comfort by coming down off the mountain
  • Jesus was just hanging out with Moses and Elijah
  • Comes down to whinny disciples/jerk religious people/demonic
    • Honestly I don’t think I’d ever come down that mountain
      • I’d build a retreat center…
      • Charge admission… throw a conference
      • Maybe down for book tour “My Mountain Manifesto”
• Jesus comes down the mountain… to the mess/pain/broken world
  • Jesus sacrificed all of his comfort
  • Knowing exactly where it would lead
• And Jesus sacrificed time… this is one of the longest stories in Mark
  • Jesus could have just moved on
  • He could have blown off the dad… pushed it to later
  • It says there were 1000’s there in wonder before him
• Jesus sacrificed what was most valuable in his day: Time/Comfort

3 – Justice is all about relationships

• Doesn’t it seem weird to you Jesus asks how long he’s been like this
  • If I’m dad… What does it matter – He has a demon… get it out
  • Do we need to know details on the demon’s anniversary
• The boy is rolling around on the ground
  • And Jesus wants to know their life story???
  • How long has it been happening… how long have u dealt with it
  • Why – I think its b/c Jesus wants a connection with this dad
• This dad isn’t just a problem to fix/check of the list/on agenda
  • He is a human to be in relationship with
  • That’s difference b/w generosity & justice (generosity is great)
  • Generosity doesn’t require relationship
    • B/C you can give to someone you’ve never met (its good)
    • Justice requires relationship
• Generosity is very important… but it deals with symptoms
  • When you break an arm & go to ER… need something for pain
    • But Justice is getting to the root
    • And Justice must include relationship
  • All to say: Don’t forget to ask “How long has he been like this”
    • B/C the end goal isn’t dealing with symptoms
    • But to find and fix the root issue

But to do all of this we need 2 things

• PRAY (only hope is in the power of God… world is way too dark)
• BELIEVE (everything is possible… no limits with faith)