Gospel Quest Thru Mark #6: Christ and the Choice
Mark 3:1-5
Introduction:
Our Gospel Quest continues now through the book of Mark.
Mark is the shortest of the Gospel accounts and was written by John Mark, the
nephew of the apostle Peter. Many believe that Mark based his Gospel upon the
memories of his uncle and then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote
them down.
Mark begins His account of the Gospel with Jesus first
appearing and the start of His public ministry, to him Jesus was the gospel, He
was the good news. Mark says “Mark 1:1 The
beginning of the gospel (the good news) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;” He
then tells us of John the Baptist announcing the coming of Jesus and then in
verse 9 he writes, Mark 1:9-10 And it
came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was
baptized of John in Jordan. And
straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the
Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
There are, as you know, four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. The first three Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptic Gospels,
the word means “with one eye.” They are called synoptic because they follow,
for the most part the same order and cover the same events. John is the
non-synoptic Gospel and though it overlaps with much of the other Gospels it
covers an entire year, at the very beginning of Jesus ministry that the other
accounts do not. Mark may have been the first Gospel written around 67- 70 AD.
All the Gospels record the life of Jesus, but they all
present our Savior in the perspective of the man writing. The Holy Spirit used
their vocabularies, styles and memories to give us a full view of who Jesus
was. Matthew presents Jesus as the rightful King of Israel and gives us many
Old Testament prophecies to show that truth. Luke show Jesus as the perfect, sinless
man, while John wants us to see Jesus as God, the son: God in the flesh. Marks
view of Jesus is as the servant. He uses words that are dramatic and forceful
and show Jesus driven by His mission and His submission to God the Father.
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says, “The characteristic word
of this Gospel of action is euthys, which occurs some forty-one times and is
translated straightway, immediately, forthwith, anon. … In numerous places
words of unusual forcefulness appear, such as "driveth" (1:12),
compared with "led," which appears in the other Synoptic Gospels (Mt
4:1; Lk 4:1).” - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
When all four Gospels are read, we see Jesus as God who
became Man and as the King who became a servant. All of these descriptions of
Jesus are true. He could not have been the Good News that saved us unless He
was fully God who came down from glory and entered a virgin’s womb to be born a
man. He was rightfully our King but willingly made himself a servant who died
for us on Calvary.
We must be right about who Jesus is and we must be right
about how the salvation He offers us becomes ours. I can’t afford to be wrong
about salvation, no matter how good my intentions may be.
When it comes to salvation, I cannot make a mistake. I
cannot hope that what I believe will
save me. I must know what action to take to be saved.
Crippled Before Christ – Mark 3:1-2
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man
there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal
him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
Physically Crippled
This is the second Sabbath controversy in the book of Mark.
The first takes place in chapter 2 when Jesus allows his disciples to pluck
ears of grain and eat them on the Sabbath. Because Mark starts us out later in
the life of Jesus, we don’t read about the year of obscurity, that John
records, but are immediately plunged into the controversies with the Pharisees
and during the year of opposition.
The Bible simply tells us that there was a man with a
withered hand and they the Pharisees watched Jesus to see if He would heal the
man on the Sabbath Day. The day when the commandments forbade any work.
The Pharisees see an opportunity to destroy Jesus with the
law and let a man continue to suffer, but Jesus sees an opportunity to overcome
the law with His love and to heal a man with His power.
This man was weak, his hand was useless. He would have been unable
to do what a whole man could do. He was not as God had created him to be, sin
in the world had brought about his condition that day.
In this man and in the actions of Jesus I can see a picture
of us, not with a withered hand but with a crippled and withered soul.
Spiritually Crippled
We stand in this world as spiritually crippled before Jesus. This is a withering that is even more crippling, than the
man in the synagogue that day. It is the withering of our souls, our spirits.
The Bible says this happened when sin entered the world as
Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden.
God told them in Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.
But they disobeyed God and on that day they lost eternal
life and they began to die physically, but they also immediately spiritually.
They fled from God, so they hoped to not be found. Yet he
sought them and when he did find them He told them that because of what they
had done, the rest of their lives would be filled with pain and sorrow. And not
just them but all those who would come from them would be touched by the
crippling power of sin, both physically and spiritually.
This is what the Bible says about Sin and Me
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We are spiritually crippled and just like that man on that
Sabbath Day we need Jesus to see us and heal us from the devastating effects of
sin.
Illustration:
Transition: This man with the withered hand had been this
way for years perhaps since birth. Day
after day he struggled with his deformity but today was no ordinary day,
because today he was going to meet Jesus.
Called To Christ – Mark 3:3-4
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand,
Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
Called To Christ
Look at the character of Jesus in this situation, he sees
the man and he sees the Pharisees and knows that they are watching. The Bible
does not tell us that the man came up to Jesus to ask for healing but instead
it is Jesus who addresses the man. He could have walked by, he could have let
this man continue in weakness and disability, unable to fully use his withered
hand. But, praise the Lord, that is not Jesus. He looks at the man, he looks at
the Pharisees then he tells the man, “Stand up.” Stand up so everyone (I’m
looking at you, Pharisees) Let them all see what I’m about to do.”
Jesus calls the man to Himself. He is going to deal with
both the man’s crippled hand and the Pharisee’s crippled minds. The man listens
and comes to Jesus, but the Pharisees leave to find allies they can use to kill
Jesus.
There is no better illustration in the Bible of the outcome
of the law and outcome of love. One leads to death, the other leads to life.
That handicapped man knew the difference and we better know it as well.
Called To Come
You must know that Jesus is still calling today. Through the
Gospel, through His Word, through His church and through his people, He is calling those with sin withered hearts
to come.
Listen to the words of Jesus himself.
In John 6:44, he tells us that, “No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the
last day.
Then in John 12:32, he tells us when that calling will take
place. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Some would take John 6:44 and tell you that you can’t come unless God draws you and that is true but then they will tell you that God only draws certain ones and we can’t know who are the drawn, the elect of God unless we come. Aren’t you glad that Jesus sets all that straight in John 12:32. He tells us exactly how we will be drawn and it is just as plain a call today as it was for the man in the synagogue that day. Jesus says, “If I be lifted up.” He is speaking of the cross, his death on the tree and He says in that lifting up, He draws all to himself.
Every time we tell someone that Jesus died for them we lift
him up, and as He is lifted up the Holy Spirit calls out to that lost person
and they hear the voice of Jesus saying, Come to me.
If that is not plain enough listen once again to Jesus in Matthew
11: 28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.
When we hear the voice of Jesus and you have heard it just
now, will you be like the man who stood up and come or will you stay back like
the Pharisees, resenting that we are being told that we are weak or sinful or
lost or without hope. Would we would count ourselves with the Pharisees and walk
away from the invitation of Jesus?
Illustration: Jesus, the sole point of judgment John 9:39
After healing a man born blind and then seeing that man
thrown out of the synagogue because he also was healed on the sabbath, Jesus
finds him and after presenting himself as the Son of God, the once blind man
says, “Lord, I believe” and he worships Jesus. Then Jesus turns to the once
again watching Pharisees and in
John 9:39-41 For judgment I am come into this world, that
they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And
some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him,
Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no
sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
They refused to admit their own blindness, refused to come
to the only one who could heal their spiritually crippled eyes and so remained
in their sin. They were proclaiming, We don’t have sin and we don’t need Jesus.
Pay attention to what Jesus says they and we will be judged
for? He brings us to one sole point of eternal judgment. He says, “For judgment I am come into this
world.” Do you know what Jesus tells us is the only reason we won’t go to
heaven, the only reason we aren’t forgiven? Just like the Pharisees we would reject
and walk away from Jesus and that rejection is the only reason heaven and
forgiveness is denied me.
Transition: The story of course doesn’t end with Jesus calling, it
doesn’t end with the man hearing the call of Christ for there is one very
important action that must still take place. We see it in verse 5.
Cured By Christ – Mark 3:5
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger,
being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch
forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as
the other.
Restoration or Rebellion
Once again we see the character of Jesus as he responds to
the those around him. The Bible says, he looked round at them with anger,
grieved for their hard hearts.
If anyone ever tries to tell you that Jesus wouldn’t get
angry at sin or confront a willful, rebellious sinner to their face then you
tell them about this story. He looked around at every single Pharisee, daring
him to do what they said he couldn’t do and Mark records there was anger
written on his face. They all could sin that Jesus was not going to overlook
sin just so people could say how nice he was or that He never offended anyone.
Ye he looks in anger at those whose hearts were hardened in
sin against him but he also looked in power, love and forgiveness to the one
who stepped forward when He called.
Now I’m going to challenge you with a simple question,
exactly when was this man healed? He wasn’t healed just because he heard Jesus.
Nor was he healed when he stood up. He was healed when he heard the command of
Christ to stretch out his hand and he believed and reached out to Jesus. His belief was shown when He did as Jesus told
him and stretched forth his hand. The Bible tells us, “And he stretched it out:
and his hand was restored whole as the other.”
Salvation or Damnation
Every person has two choices when they are confronted in the
sin and weakness by Jesus. You can like the Pharisees harden your heart and
refuse to heed the calling of Jesus. You
can refuse to look upon the Lamb of God sent to die for you. You can choose to not acknowledge the
personal reality that He came and died in your place on Calvary.
You can ignore what it says in Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Yes you can along with the Pharisees, harden your heart but realize
that also like them you will experience the wrath and judgment of God.
Romans 2:3-5 And
thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest
the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the
riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
The two choice are so plainly laid out in just one verse, Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Someone has rightly said that if you are lost then this
world right now, your life right now is the only heaven you will ever
know. This is the best it gets. This life with it's sorrow and heartache,
pain and suffering is paradise if you are lost without God. And the world which awaits you upon death is
one in which there is no evidence of God.
There is no light, there is not friendship, there is no hope, there is
no comfort, there is no family, there are no dreams of a better future. All these things are blessings from God and Hell
is devoid of all these. All that is left
is the worst most inconsolable pain and suffering and torment that exists for
those who reject God and choose not to have Him in their life. Hell is exactly that and it burns with that fiery
torment for all eternity.
But please listen Hell was not meant for you. God fashioned
it for the Devil and his angels, but God created you to have fellowship with
Him. Even when that fellowship was broken
back in the Garden, God had already planned to send His own Son so that it
could be restored.
And so now He calls. Calls us to the cross, calls us to Jesus’
wounded side and pierced brow. Calls us to the foot of the cross so that He may
be lifted up and we can find restoration, redemption and righteousness in Jesus
Christ.
Conclusion
Will you walk away, or will you come? These are only two
choices you have.
If you would be saved. If you would have your crippled soul
and broken spirit healed, then you must do as the man in Mark 3 did. You must stretch you hand out toward
Jesus. I'm sure that man was not proud
of his misshapen, broken limb. He
probably kept it hidden from the view of others, but on this day he had to
stretch it forth toward Jesus.
Will you find salvation in Jesus? Will you stretch forth that withered soul,
that stunted heart, that broken spirit toward Him? Please don't harden your heart, give it to Jesus
this morning.
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