The Gospel According to Mark (Part 35)

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The Gospel According to Mark

(Part 35)

Good Morning and Welcome to Jesus Church

As many of you know – We are in a series going through life of Jesus

• Mark writes this gospel around 70 AD
  • That was a very significant/dangerous time for Jews/Christians
    • At the same time there was a rise of a man named Simon
    • He was coined “the redeemer of Zion”
    • Many believed him to be the actual Messiah (they wanted)
      • So extreme that he scared the Zealots
  • Led a rebellion against Rome that led to 2^nd Temple destruction
    • A Roman General Titus ripped it apart stone by stone
    • Still see where Titus destroyed a bridge 2 the temple court
• So this is a very dangerous time to be a Jew or Christian…
  • Anyone using verbiage of messiah/kingdom was a target
  • And Mark’s writing to the church in Rome… which is persecuted
  • To tell the full story of who Jesus is and his life
    • Because these people are dying for their belief

So reason Mark writes this – Is hope… and defend Jesus as the Messiah

• So todays reading Mark gives 3 prophecies fulfilled in Mark 10/11
  • All about the Messiah – Things we might not even realize
  • But they would have been a given to a 1^st Century Jew
  • This Mark is reminding the church that Jesus really is messiah

Read Prophecy’s – Read Passage – Dive in

Is 35:3 (Prophecy 1… About coming Messiah)

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way, say to those with fearful hearts be strong, don’t fear. Your God (Messiah) will come with vengeance, with divine retribution, he will come to save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and ears of the deaf unstopped.

• What I want you to see for today
  • When the Messiah comes – He will give sight to the blind
    • It was a big deal… b/c all the prophets did signs & wonders
    • In fact the majority of what Jesus did wasn’t new
    • Healing sick/Raise dead/feeding multitude/walk on water
      • The signified the Hand of God was on Jesus
      • Didn’t differentiate him as the Messiah
  • But no one had EVER given sight to the blind
    • Because that was something only the Messiah could do

Zach 9:9-10 (Prophecy 2… Also about coming Messiah)

Rejoice greatly O daughter Zion! Should aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations, his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of earth.

• What I want you to see today
  • When the Messiah comes – He will ride a donkey
    • And his entrance will be on of peace and unity (sea to sea)

Mal 3:1 (Prophecy 3… Last prophet b4 Jesus – Scary time… God leaves)

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. (John the Baptizer) And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold he is coming say the Lord of Hosts.

• What I want you to see today
  • When God comes… he will show up at the temple
  • And he will deliver a message of covenant

Ok with that context… now lets get to Mark 10

Mark 10:46-11:11

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him,”

And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no pone has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”

And they went away and found a colt tied at a door out side in the street and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David Hosanna in the highest! And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

[Pray]

Story

Ever had a decision to make and wished there was another option

• Like some says “Choose this or that”
  • All you can think is that you wish there was an “Option C”
  • Sorta like when the Cardinals and Cowboys play
  • Why can’t they both lose
• Todays passage ends with a question echoed from Joshua in the OT
  • Choose this day whom you shall serve

Mark begins with Jesus returning from Jericho

He’s traveling down the Jordan river to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover

• There would’ve been 10’s of Thousands traveling the same journey
  • All wanting to celebrate the Passover together (largest feast)
  • And as he’s approaching Jerusalem a blind man yells to Jesus

Mark 10:47

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

• 2 Samuel prophecy: The Messiah would come from family of David
  • So “Son of David” was a way of saying: I believe ur the Messiah
  • And he knew Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would heal blind
    • Something Moses couldn’t do
    • Something Elijah couldn’t do
    • You’re the Messiah and only you can heal me
• And he pleads something unique: HAVE MERCY ON ME
  • Mercy in Hebrew/Same word for a mothers womb (Rechem)

Commentary

In Hebrew thought, “mercy” was not just a feeling of sympathy or an emotion of concern. Instead, the idea denotes the security that one receives before birth.

• Have you ever felt like that… this man just wants to feel safe
  • You might not be blind – But the hopelessness he felt from life
  • Is the same hopelessness many people still feel today
  • And Gods mercy IS NOT his sympathy – Its his security

Mark 10:49

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him” and they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart get up he is calling you. And throwing off his cloak he sprang up and can to Jesus.

• Now Jesus is about to say your faith has made you well
  • Was that because he yelled out to Jesus
  • Was it because he asked to recover his sight
  • Maybe even because he believe he was the Messiah
• Mark records the detail (remember details) he threw off his cloak
  • A cloak was everything in this day… especially if ur on the street
    • It was protection from the weather
    • It was your mattress to sleep on
    • And as a beggar it was what people threw money on

Where did Jesus see mans faith… he threw off his own security (mercy)

• He’s blind… he doesn’t know where the mat went… he doesn’t care
  • Because he had faith to trust in God’s mercy… God’s security
• If you struggle with hopelessness in your situation
  • Ask God for his mercy
    • But be ready to toss aside your coat when he calls you
    • Far too often we call out for God’s security
    • But far too seldom are we ready to give up own security

Mark 10:51 (Moving on)

And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

• Remember last week… exact same thing Jesus asks James/John ask
  • They say when you rule as king – Let us sit at your left & right
  • But this guy blind man says “RABBI” – “RABONI”
    • Which was a term with far more respect and honor
• He says: Raboni… I want to see
  • I don’t need to be special… have power when you rule as king
  • All I want is your mercy

Mark 10:52 (and Jesus says)

Go your way, your faith has made you well (Saved – SOZO). And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Ok pause (before ch 11) if u remember Mark is 2 Parts

1. Ch 1-8: Jesus is the Messiah
2. Ch 8-16: He isn’t the Messiah anyone was expecting

Part one is all in and around Jesus home in Galilee

Part two is in Jerusalem

• But ch. 8-10 is actually a subsection of Jesus on way to Jerusalem
  • And in Chapter 8-10 (David taught this last week)
    • There are 3x Jesus predicts his death
    • There are 3x the disciples don’t get it
    • There are 3x Jesus rebukes the disciples
    • Last there are 3 prophecies fulfilling Jesus as the Messiah
• And the bookends of the section are 2 stories of Jesus healing blind
  • 1^st story a man sees… not clearly – Then he’s healed
  • 2^nd story a man sees right away – Son of David have mercy
    • Which Mark uses to bring us on this journey to Jerusalem
    • Where in the beginning people see Jesus but not clearly
      • Then we see all the “THREE’S”
      • And by the end… another story of a blind man healed
      • And he see’s clearly… Son of David have mercy on me
• Mark is saying – Slowly people are starting to get it
  • Jesus is the King but again… that nobody was expecting

Leads us into Jesus arriving in Jerusalem

Which is the last week of his life

• Interesting… First 10 chapters of Mark take place over 3 years
  • Last 6 chapters take place over 7 days (40% of the Gospel)
  • This is what is known as passion week…
  • Almost half of Marks Gospel is on Jesus’ death & resurrection
    • So theologically this section is super important

Jesus tells his disciples there’s a donkey waiting for him

• Which is Jesus understanding the prophecy from Zachariah
  • Disciples go into town and the donkey is waiting for them
  • The people just let the disciples take the animal

Mk 11:7-10

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

• This is what you would do for royalty
  • The road would be full of garbage, dirt, animal waste
  • People would cover the road like we use confetti/streamers
  • But this was only reserved for a King

And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

• Now Hosanna is one of those weird words we sing in songs
  • Most people have no clue what it actually means
    • It’s a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word
    • Like Halelujah is English for Haleluh – Ya (Praise Yahweh)
  • Hosanna actually means: Save we pray… Save now!
    • There’s this urgency in the word
    • God we need you but we need you now

And all of this works so perfectly together…

• Jews from all over were traveling to Jerusalem
  • While travelling they sang a section of Psalms called the Halell
  • The final Psalm was 118 – All about the coming Messiah

Ps 118:25-26

Save us we pray O Lord! O Lord we pray give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.

• So they are singing this while Jesus is approaching the city
  • All of this getting ready to sacrifice the Passover lamb
  • No clue the king they worship is the sacrifice they came for
• Jesus at the Mount of Olives (here) and Jerusalem (here)
  • And Jesus would have approached through the east gate
  • Right into the temple courts

Mk 11:11

So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple…

• Which is all fulfilling the Prophecies of Ezekiel and Malachi
  • Ezekiel 1^st speaks of Gods glory leaving the temple
    • And moving to sit on Mount of Olives
    • But one day it would return through the east gate
    • Entering the temple of God
    • Exactly what Jesus did centuries after it was prophesied

Now look at the last line in verse 11

… After looking around carefully at everything he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the 12 disciples.

• And this last line is pretty bizarre
  • From thousands shouting, singing and waving palm branches
  • To Jesus alone in the temple… and then he leaves
  • Its quiet… uneventful… and the people are gone
• Which is a huge cliff hanger that Mark leaves us with saying…
  • What is going to happen next…
  • Will the city accept Jesus… reject Jesus…
  • Will people inside the gates worship… or only outside the gates
    • And for the answer you have to come back next week

So what does this mean for you and me

Because for most of us… Learning what Hosanna means is cool

• But you want to know how to deal with a struggling marriage
  • Or how to trust God when everything is failing
  • Or what to do when you kids say I don’t care about God
• So what does this story mean for us tomorrow morning

Well this story is a compare and contrast b/w two choices

• And this is where sometimes we wish for the “Option C”

1 – Story of Blind man & James/John – Jesus: What do u want from me

• The blind man asks for mercy
  • And throws aside his security for the security of the Messiah
  • He goes away rejoicing and following Jesus singing “Hosanna!”
• James/John want power & authority
  • The security they seek is their own
  • And they are rebuked for their heart and lack of understanding
• How will you choose to answer that same question

2 – Story of how Jesus enters the city and the way Governor Pilot does

• Now one more thing to know…
  • Jesus wasn’t the only man entering Jerusalem for Passover
  • Pilot – Roman Governor of Israel was also traveling there
    • Difference is he was coming through the west gate
    • And he would come on a warhorse with the Roman Guard
• Reason Pilot was there… Passover was emotionally energized time
  • It remembered Israel becoming free from Pharoah’s oppression
  • Like if we were conquered by N. Korea – Imagine 4^th of July
  • Where are the Jews now? Same situation… different faces
    • So Pilot was there to both Intimidate/Keep Peace
• The contrast would have been palatable
  • Pilot with his warhorse vs Jesus on a donkey
  • Pilot with armor plated soldiers vs Jesus with some fishermen
  • Pilot with an Empire & oppression vs Jesus with Gods Kingdom
• This was a collision course waiting to happen
  • No wonder in a week Jesus will be murdered/nailed to a cross
  • With a sign on top that says “King of the Jews”

And the call to you & me – We have to make a choice

Will you choose to ask for mercy… or a throne

Will you choose the way of Pilot… or the way of Jesus

• And again… there is no option C
  • Duet – Choose life or Choose death
  • Prov – Way of fool or way of wise
  • Mark – It’s the way of Jesus or way of the world
• Every single day we make decisions… which way will we go?
  • The way of selfishness or servanthood
  • The way of simplicity or needing everything from Amazon
  • The way of force & control or humility & love

Which way will you choose – Invitation of story is choose way of Jesus