Before we get started in our verses today, let me share something with you that I mentioned in the introductory sermon of our study of the gospel of Mark.
Mark is a fast-moving book. Some have said that it reads kind of like a newspaper. It is clipping here and clippings there about the life of Jesus. Many of the people in Rome at this time would have been illiterate. So, knowing the audience, this gospel seems to have been written in such a way as to keep the attention of those who would hear it read.
Mark is very different in that regard from the other gospels. For example, the word immediately is used almost 40 times in these 16 chapters.
For example, so far in our study, we’ve seen a clear declaration that the gospel of Mark is going to reveal to us the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then we find information about JTB. We saw the baptism of Jesus. The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus preaching in Galilee and calling a few of His disciples. Jesus showing His absolute authority in His words and over the demons while in the synagogue. Jesus healing Peter’s mil. Jesus healing crowds of people. Jesus casting out many demons. Jesus, despite all of His ministry success in Capernaum leaving to go all throughout Galilee preaching the gospel. Jesus healing a leper……and that was all from just chapter 1.
Then the paralytic healed after Jesus came back to Capernaum. Jesus teaching large crowds on the shore of the S of Galilee. Jesus calling Levi (or Matthew) the tax collector as one of His disciples. Jesus confrontation with the Pharisees because of His association with tax collectors and sinners and because His disciples didn’t fast as often as the Pharisees did. Then confrontations with the Pharisees over the Sabbath. That’s all in chapter 2.
Again, frantic pace, yet highly organized and intentional. Lots of action.
Now, in some ways the verses we’ve come to today, Mark 3:7-12 is a summary of the first couple of chapters. It is part of the theme that we have seen so far in our study up to this point. And as we’ve seen so far, we have encountered the authority of Jesus over and over in Mark’s gospel in these first 3 chapters. And we’ve seen the compassion of Jesus over and over as well. And we will continue to see those things in our verses today.
Read Mark 3:7-12
I have said this many times in the past. Success can be a huge threat to a Christian, especially a Christian leader. Or any leader for that matter. We tend to think that failure and weaknesses are our biggest threats in life. And they can be threats. But most of the time when we see a Christian leader fall it has way more to do with their successes than their failures.
Because for the Christian, in failures and weakness, we are often pushed toward the Lord in our desperation. But in times of success, if we are not guarded, we can be drawn into pride by our self-sufficiency. We think we’ve got it. And we can begin to operate as if we don’t really need the Lord that much.
Another thing we can be deceived by is thinking that opposition is the greatest threat to leadership. And it can be a threat, no doubt. But often fame and popularity can be a harder test to pass than opposition.
Last week at the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 we saw Jesus encounter the antagonism of the Pharisees. He encountered pushback and argument from them. But today, in our verses today we will see Jesus encounter the exact opposite. He finds success and fame and praise from the masses.
Now, Jesus is fully God and fully man. We are sinners by nature. Jesus is not. However, in our verses today we find some phenomenal reminders of how the Christian should handle success.
1.The fame of Jesus continues to grow (7-8)
Verses 7-8: As Jesus often did, He would move from one place to another to do ministry. He was a missionary in the way He engaged lots of places with the gospel. And He would do this, not usually because of opposition, certainly not out of fear or cowardice, but because of what He said back in chapter 1:38 when He said, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may [s]preach there also; for that is what I came for.”
However, in this instance here in chapter 3 He withdrew because the Pharisees and the Herodians were conspiring to kill Him. We see them conspiring against Him in verse 6. And in Matthew 12 we are told that Jesus was aware of their plots against Him.
So, after the events that we studied last week, Jesus withdrew from there, knowing their intentions to kill Him. And Jesus withdrawing from that area was not at all driven by cowardice. It was driven by God’s divine timeline. Jesus’ time to die on the cross had not yet come, so He removed Himself from that area at that time while they were trying to plot His death, which would have been a premature death. But that didn’t mean that the ministry would stop. He would still be surrounded by needy people to minister to.
And here in verse 7, Jesus withdrew to the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. And a great number of people came from all over came to see and experience Jesus. Just as we’ve seen in chapters 1 and 2, Jesus’ fame was spreading like wildfire. And here people came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, and from the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. People were coming from the south, the east, and the northwest. They were coming from all over the region. And the crowds would have been a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. And here is why they traveled to see Jesus. It says in verse 8 that they heard of all that He was doing.
They had heard that Jesus was healing many people. They heard that He was casting out powerful demons with a simple command. They had heard that He taught with authority and not like the religious leaders of their day. They heard that Jesus was humble and compassionate and approachable, though completely authoritative. They had heard that He didn’t back down from the powerful religious leaders of His day. There was just something completely different about Jesus than anyone else they had ever known or even heard about.
In other words, His fame was beginning to balloon and expand all over as stories about Him circulated. Now, as we will see throughout Mark, many people misunderstood who Jesus actually is. Often, they would show up to see miracles or demonic encounters, but many didn’t understand or believe the divine nature of Jesus. Some saw Jesus as circus like attraction, so to speak. They were attracted to the miracles and yet many didn’t understand who Jesus actually is.
I think we see that in our culture often too, don’t we? There are so many people who don’t really have a problem with Jesus. They might even claim to be part of the Christian faith when they fill out surveys. They have pretty good feelings about Jesus, perhaps. But when the rubber meets the road, they haven’t surrendered their lives to Jesus. That was the case with many in the crowds. They had good thoughts about Jesus, they were intrigued by Jesus, they would follow Jesus around…..but not for Jesus but for a show or for benefits they thought they might get from following Him around.
When people are desperate, they will go to desperate lengths to try and have their needs met. Unfortunately, sometimes people will go to the wrong people or places that can’t meet their needs and, in fact, only end up multiplying their sorrows and pain even more. Some turn to drugs or alcohol and they will go to great lengths to get those things. Some turn to false teachers who will willingly tickle their itching ears, saying what the masses want to hear in order to build their following and to line their pockets. And it ends up destroying people. People might turn to any number of other things to try to meet their needs. But the crowds here in Mark 3 went to find Jesus in their desperation.
And remember, this was 2K years ago. Medical care was minimal. It seems like demonic oppression was rampant. The life expectancy of the average person would have been low. Most estimate that it would have been around 25-30 when you factor in infant and child mortality. And if you remove that it was still only around 50-60.
Poverty was a reality for many. Life was definitely not easy, especially for those who had few means and resources. So, there was a desperation that hung over the masses of sick and afflicted people that day.
This wasn’t just a large crowd; this was a large, desperate crowd of people who came to encounter Jesus. But as it becomes increasingly clear throughout the gospel narratives, the majority of these crowds came for miracles and benefits rather than for Jesus Himself.
Either way, His fame was growing exponentially! However, that didn’t change the mission of Jesus. He remained resolute and steadfast to do His Father’s will and not get sidetracked. There was no mission-drift, so to speak.
I think that is something Christians must be guarded against. When success arrives, we must never abandon our mission as Christians. This is a temptation for churches. As a church grows it is tempting for the mission to become more numbers, larger crowds. And while that isn’t bad, we want people hearing the Word and coming to know Jesus, that can’t be the primary metric of church health. Or as a church grows and offerings grow it is tempting to begin keeping all those resources to enhance everything here rather than giving large portions away to reach our nation and other nations around the world with the gospel.
Or as a church grows, the temptation is to not be as evangelistic in our outreach because we’ve made it, we think.
Even in success, may we never abandon our mission of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
Jesus’ success didn’t cause a pivot in mission. Jesus didn’t begin to think that maybe it would be good to be an earthly King. His success didn’t inflate pride. He remained laser focused on the Father’s will. And in verses 9-10 we find a familiar theme along those lines.
2.The unhindered compassionate power of Jesus (9-10)
This crown was not composed of the elite, influential and wealthy people of society. They were people of great need. And here is the beauty. Jesus welcomed them. He didn’t turn them away. He wasn’t trying to build a Kingdom on the earth. His Kingdom is not of this world.
These were people who were hurting physically and spiritually, some with physical sickness and some with demonic bondage. But another interesting thing to point out. There was another kind of affliction that was happening here.
In verse 10 it says that those who had afflictions pressed around Him. Now, here is the interesting part. The word for afflictions that is used there is the GR word mastigas, which is the word that means scourge or whip. Same word used in Mark 10:34 when prophesying His own death and He said that they would scourge Him. Same word.
The people’s illnesses were like a whip or a scourge is the idea. What does that mean? Remember, the common belief at this time was that a person’s sickness was always a direct result of their sin. And consequently, the illness was a result of the judgment of God, they thought. In other words, just like a whip or scourge was a punishment inflicted on those who broke the law, the people that were in the crown that day saw their illness as a constant reminder of what they thought to be the punishment of God directed toward them.
Quick reminder here. Bad theology isn’t something to dismiss or take lightly.
· Bad theology leads to captivity.
Bad theology is like a scourge. Maybe it is a person believing that something is happening or that something isn’t happening because maybe they don’t have enough faith. And they live under the constant burden thinking that it is their fault.
Or maybe it is a person beginning to believe during a time of suffering that God doesn’t love them or that He has forgotten them. In both scenarios that is allowing our circumstances to shape our theology rather than letting good, biblical theology inform our circumstances.
That is why good theology matters so much. That’s why AW Tozer said: “what we believe about God is the most important thing about us.”
The bible must build our theology, not our experiences.
For example, the person who think that God has forsaken him needs to remember verses like Hebrews 13:5 that says this: for God Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsakeyou,”
Good theology causes a person to find rest in the truth that God cannot leave or forget His children in their times of need because He said He wouldn’t. And God never breaks His promises.
Some in the crowds there that day were tormented by demons. Some were physically sick. And those who were sick were also unnecessarily bearing the emotional and spiritual weight of guilt believing that their infirmities were the result of their sin and divine judgment. They were believing that they were under the scourge of God, so to speak.
Now, certainly there are times where physical ailments can be due to sin and poor choices, but that isn’t always the case. Yet, in that day they believed that it was always the case.
Now, with large, desperate crowds coming to try and find Jesus, Jesus did something very wise.
He had the disciples find a boat and get it ready for Him to be on to talk to the crowds. He made space and preparation to engage the crowds. But He needed to be on the sea to do this. Otherwise, the crowds were going to press in so much that if would be hard for Him to speak to them. And it could have been dangerous. In fact, the word used for crowd Him in verse 9 is a word that means to press together, to compress, to afflict. And it says in verse 10 that they just wanted to touch Jesus thinking that doing so would bring healing. And in their desperation, it could have been unsafe for Jesus and His disciples.
And so, Jesus used great wisdom here. He knew that the desperate crowds would press in in order to touch Him, so He made a wise preparation to have a boat ready in order to be able to engage the crowds safely. Compassion doesn’t eliminate the need for wisdom. Jesus loved people but still prepared in a wise manner.
It is also a reminder of something Jesus said twice back in chapter 1. He came to preach the gospel. And while He did come to heal the sick and cast out demons, He came primarily to preach that the Kingdom of God was a hand. He came primarily to preach a message of repent and believe. Their physical needs were important, but not as important as their eternal, spiritual needs.
Now, listen. The same Jesus who welcomed the destitute and the sick in Mark 3 is the same Jesus that still welcomes needy people today. In fact, a prerequisite to coming to Christ is a recognition of our spiritual need, a recognition of who Christ is, and a recognition that our need can only be met by Him.
And sometimes it requires a person to get to a low spot in life in order to see their need for Jesus. Maybe it is a phone call from a Dr. Or a marriage that is in shambles. Or losing a job….sometimes those things shake us from our slumber! The crowds were desperate.
Jesus’ authority over sickness was once again on full display. But there was another familiar theme of authority in these verses.
3.The obvious authority of Jesus (11-12)
Last week I talked about the irony we find in the gospels. Here is another point of irony to consider. The crowds usually misunderstood who Jesus was. And often they would walk away when it became clear that Jesus wasn’t going to be the king or messiah they wanted. The religious leaders rejected Jesus outright. And eventually succeeded in seeing Him on the cross. But the demons absolutely knew exactly who Jesus was.
In fact, back in chapter 1 when Jesus cast the demon out of the man in the synagogue in Capernaum, the demon referred to Jesus as the Holy One of God. And here the demon cried out, You are the Son of God.
The irony is that many of the people who heard the authoritative teachings of Jesus and saw the miracles of Jesus rejected Him outright because He didn’t fit their mold. The religious leaders, who knew the OT better than anyone hated Jesus and rejected Jesus. They should have known what was true but they didn’t because of their hardness of heart. While the demons, the adversaries of Jesus, the liars and deceivers, proclaimed accurate things about Jesus in chapters 1 and 3.
Why? Because unlike the masses and the religious leaders, the demons absolutely knew who Jesus was. And they were terrified of Him. They obvious rebelled against Jesus, but they still knew who He was and they feared Him. Now, earlier we saw that bad theology that is embraced will lead to captivity. But there is another reminder here, too. We must also recognize that good theology doesn’t necessarily lead a person to the proper destination of knowing and worshiping God.
James 2:19: You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Jesus’ authority was obvious. And yet the majority rejected Him. In fact, in Mark’s gospel, other than the opening line by Mark in chapter 1, verse 1, the only other times Jesus is referred to as the Son of God is by a demon in chapter 5 and by a Roman centurion in chapter 15. Despite seeing the mighty works of Jesus and hearing the authoritative teachings of Jesus, most rejected Him, just like today.
Warning: We can be around holy things often, we can be a regular at a biblically sound church, we can know theology, and still not actually know Christ and count Him as our Lord.
Finally, in verse 12 Jesus commanded the silence of the demons. He told them to tell no one who He was. His time for the cross had not yet come. And He didn’t want what could be misconstrued as a demonic endorsement of who He is.
Now, that concludes our verses today.
You know, there are many people that still come to Jesus for what He can give rather than for who He is. It is very common. Maybe they want relief from guilt, or healing from physical pain, or help with a crisis, or a better life. But Jesus did not come merely to improve our circumstances. He came to save sinners and reign as Lord over all.
And Mark 3 forces us to ask a simple but profound question. Why am I coming to Jesus? The crowds came because they wanted healing. The religious leaders came because they wanted to oppose and stop Jesus. The demons recognized Him and cowered before Him. But Jesus invites people to come to Him in faith, acknowledge their need, submit to His authority, and follow Him as Lord. And just like Jesus welcomed the desperate crowd on the shores of Galilee, He welcomes needy sinners today as well. The question is not whether He will receive those who come to Him. The question is whether we will come to Him for who He truly is.
1.Are there areas of your life that are going well that have led you to self-sufficiency and pride?
2.Do you have good thoughts about Jesus or is Jesus your Lord?
3.What are you believing today? Are you believing any bad theology that is causing you pain and bondage?
4.How is your mission in life? Has it drifted? Are you living as though the Great Commission and the Great Commandment are still your mission in life?
5.Finally, just as I mentioned a few minutes ago, Mark 3 forces us to ask the question, why am I coming to Jesus? Do I look to Jesus for all He can give me or simply for who He is?