The Cross of Jesus

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

John 12:20-26.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Resurrection Sunday, April 12, 2020.

Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as the Lord of Life!  We are going to put the Gospel of Mark on pause for a while, and we are going to turn to the cross of Jesus.  In the weeks ahead, I plan to walk through the purpose that God has for His Church and each individual who makes up that Church.

Now, for the topic at hand, many tyrannical places around the world despise the cross of Jesus.  This week stories came out of China telling how crosses were broken off of churches.  When the Byzantine Empire was taken out by Muslim armies, the churches would have their crosses removed.  The cross is the signature symbol of the Christian faith. 

Yet, even Jesus was troubled by the cross in his humanity.  There is a part in all of us that shrinks back from the cross and says, “Surely that can’t be necessary!”  Or, maybe we say, “Surely that can’t fix anything!”

I would like to present to you the only man who can both save the world, and save you as an individual.  From what, do you ask?  He can save you from everything.  He can save you from hopelessness, failure, physical maladies, the many forms of self-slavery that our cravings bring us, and even death itself.  Let’s look at our passage.

The cross is a demonstration of his glory

Our passage opens with some Greeks, who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, wanting to see Jesus.  Most likely, they desire some kind of audience where they might ask questions and learn about this Jesus first hand.

Remember that this is the final week before the crucifixion.  Jesus has been teaching in the Temple area while retiring to Bethany in the evenings.  Every day more and more Israelites arrive from around the world in order to participate in the Holy Day of Passover.  This is important because Jesus had made it clear that his focus was on the house of Israel and not the Gentiles up to this point.  This is not because he didn’t care about Gentiles, but rather, because he needed to reveal himself first to Israel.  It would be transformed Israelites who would then show Jesus to the rest of the world.

Before we move on, I would like to point out the interesting parallel here.  At his birth, Gentiles came from the East to worship him, and now at his death Gentiles come from the West to learn from him.  His life was and still is a magnet that draws all kinds of people from everywhere to him.

It doesn’t appear that Jesus granted these men their request.  Instead, he uses the opportunity to make several important points to the people listening to him.  As much as any of us may want to see Jesus, or God, in any particular way, we need to see him on the cross.  These Greeks are fascinated with what they have heard about Jesus.  Perhaps, they want to be wowed with his wisdom like the Queen of Sheba and Solomon.  Or, it is possible that they wanted a demonstration of his power through a miracle of some sort.  We all tend to approach Jesus with something in mind that we want to see, but what we “need” to see is something we would never think. 

Jesus refers to the cross as a time of his glorification.  The hour had come.  Now, things would change.  He would finally be glorified.  Of course, his disciples think they know what that means.  In our flesh, we all think of glory as something where we win and our enemies lose, and no doubt that is what is going to happen.  However, it will not look like winning for Jesus and it will not look like losing for his enemies.  These Greeks do not need to see Jesus as a teacher in Jerusalem who has all the answers.  Rather, they needed to see him in all of his glory. 

Typically, we picture the Second Coming as the glory of Jesus, and it is part of his glory.  However, we must not skip over the cross.  It was the beginning of his time of glory.  Can it be that dying on a cross was not the last part of his humiliation, but rather the beginning of his glory?  Or, perhaps we can describe it as a kind of twilight period of transitioning, where both exist and intermingle. 

Regardless, the world likes the message of a glorious savior to fix its problems.  Even today, it clamors looking for someone with all the answers.  Yet, the world does not see Jesus hanging on a cross as a glorious answer to their problems.

We can shout at God to come down out of the heavens to prove Himself, and yet, even then we want to control just how He does that.  Yes, God has come down out of the heavens, and He has pulled back the curtain of creation so that we can see Him, but not in the way that we are wanting.  To our flesh, the cross and glory are antonyms, but Jesus tells us that they are synonyms.  We need to see him on a cross, pause, and meditate on just why it is so glorious.

We are in a bind, both as a world and as individuals.  I can’t blame all the ills of the world upon society, and other nations.  No, I am guilty of my own sins and faults.  No amount of doing good can make up for the fact of the times that I didn’t do good.  I am continually heaping up more and more offenses against my fellow man and the God of heaven.

Jesus is the perfect Son of God who has come down from heaven, where he was safe and secure.  He made himself vulnerable by taking on flesh, and then he died in your place to pay the price for your sins.  His righteous act of sacrificing himself, outweighs every sin ever committed upon this planet.  It is that glorious and amazing.  The cross is intended to shock us out of our lethargy, and show us the depths of God’s love for each of us.  This is how much he loves us.  This is a glorious love.

Friend, understand just how much God loves you.  Yes, you are loved by your Father in heaven.  Without the cross, we wouldn’t understand just how far He is willing to go to save us.  With such a Father, we are never hopeless, though all the world be darkness.  Amen!

The cross is where he dies that we might live

The disciples had difficulty understanding the attempts of Jesus to tell them that he was going to be killed.  Part of that is because it seems like nothing can be accomplished by letting yourself be killed.  This is the amazing turning of the tables upon the devil and his cohorts.  Because of who he is, Jesus produces life for us through his death.

In verse 24, Jesus uses the metaphor of a grain of wheat.  The seed would normally be eaten, but then its life principle would be over.  If the seed is put in the ground instead then it produces much more grain than itself.  God has hardwired this teaching aid into His creation so that we can understand His power.  He has a plan that looks like a waste, but in the end, it produces more life than what you had.

This concept that life can come out of death is intended to give us hope.  The death of Jesus can produce life for you and me because he pays the price for our sins.  It is a legal action.

Yet, it is more than a legal action.  It is also an inspiring thing because he is going to tell us to follow him.  It is one thing for Jesus to die on our behalf, but quite another for him to tell us to follow him.  In a way, every generation of children watch their grandparents and parents marching ahead of them into death.  Why participate in such a macabre process?  Yet, if they have faith in God, they will grow up, create a family, grow old, and die in their own time.  The generation ahead of us marches forward challenging us to follow them.  There is life in this thing if you will just believe. 

In fact, there is life even on the other side of this thing.  The death and resurrection of Jesus gives proof and hope that God really does have a plan to resurrect all who believe in Jesus.  He will then set all things right, both spiritually and physically.  We will enter into new heavens and a new earth in order to receive the reward that only the Creator can give to us.

Ultimately, Jesus says that if he didn’t do this then God would remain alone.  Sure, it would be Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the eternal being who is also a community.  Yet, there would be no human children of God entering into His family.  I don’t think God processes aloneness like we do, but Scripture is clear.  He would rather die on a cross than go into eternity without His human family joining Him.

The cross is where we let go of our life, and serve him

In verse 25, Jesus makes one of his classic statements that is more than a challenge; it is a warning.  If I love my life then I am going to lose it.  It is generally the second part of the statement that causes people to balk.  “He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Here, Jesus describes a tension between this mortal life that we live and the eternal life that only God can give.  Let me quickly explain the hate part of this verse.  Some versions actually translate the word as “not love.”  Jesus does not want us to have a kind of neurotic hatred of ourselves.  The Semitic mindset used this word for a broad range that went from an extreme disgust and dislike of something, or someone, to simply not choosing something.  One example of this is found in Genesis 29, where it says that the Lord saw that Leah was hated (i.e. not loved like Rachel was).  Jacob had been tricked into marrying her, and then worked 7 more years for Rachel her sister, the one he wanted to marry in the first place.  There is no indication that Jacob mistreated Leah, despised her, or was ever mean to her, but in the end, he would always choose Rachel over the top of her.  That must have hurt a lot for her, but our culture wouldn’t use the word hate for that. 

Jesus is challenging us to choose Him over the top of our lives every time.  He wants us to follow him into his sufferings, not just suffering per se, but the sufferings that are encountered as we do what God wants us to do.  In this sense, we become pilgrims, sojourners, or strangers on this earth.  Yes, we love people and love the life that we are able to live here on the earth.  However, in the end, we are really living for Jesus and the eternal life that only he can give.  That is what he is telling us.

We are familiar with the phrase from Jesus, “Come, and follow me,” but verse 26 adds the word serve to this.  We cannot serve Jesus without actually following him. They are to be inseparably linked.  Many people have tried to serve Jesus without actually following him.  They served as deacons, pastors, archbishops, lay members, and even popes.  Yet, they will never follow Jesus to the cross where their self-will is put to death.  Jesus was dying to the self-life and living out the purposes of His Father in heaven.  In the end, the pretenders may look like they are serving Christ, but they won’t follow him completely.  They actually serve themselves with a thin veneer of service to Jesus to help them fit in.  We can’t serve Jesus and ourselves.  We will hate the one and follow the other eventually.

However, we should neither confuse salvation with service.  We are not saved by our service to Christ.  We are saved for service, among other purposes.  Our service is to flow from a heart of gratitude to the Savior for covering our sins, and turning us from the self-life to the life led by the Holy Spirit.  This situation is difficult and is much like Jacob having two wives.  It created many difficult moments between his wives and their children.  May God help us to choose Jesus over the top of our selfish desires because only he has the words of eternal life.

This passage ends with two promises for those who follow Jesus and serve him.  He promises us that we will be united with him.  Sometimes it may feel like we aren’t getting anywhere, but if our eyes are on Jesus then he is leading us to himself.  When we leave this earth, we will be in his presence and at his side, never to be separated again.  When Jesus comes back to earth, we will be resurrected and come back with him.

This leads to the second promise.  We will be honored by the Father.  The biggest part of that honor is to share in the honor of Jesus as he returns to judge mankind and set things right.  That can be a day of honor for you or a day of dishonor.  It is our choice now that determines which we will experience.

Today, the cross of Jesus has been set before you.  It is not a lovely sight for any to behold.  However, there is life on the other side, and what a life it is.  Don’t let the allure of this life and the promises of this world draw your heart away from the only hope that we have.  Christian, hold fast to Jesus and love him more than life itself.  Sinner, let go of your life and what you want it to be.  Instead, put your faith and hope in Jesus.  He alone knows the way to eternal life and a perfect world.  He alone actually loves you so much that he would die on a cross for you!

The Cross of Jesus audio

Who Is My Savior?

Mark 11:1-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020.

This week, we are approaching the Passover celebration.  On this day, we celebrate what is typically called The Triumphal Entry.  One way of looking at this day is that we are celebrating this event as it should have been.  Jesus should have been received as the Messiah by his people.  This should have ushered in a time of peace in the world.  Instead, he was rejected and the world entered into a time that the Bible calls, “The Beginning of Sorrows,” and also, “The Birth Pains.”  Here, almost 2,000 years later, those pains are only increasing in intensity.

It is generally clear that mankind needs saving from its sins, though not all will use those words.  However, less clear to each of us is God’s contention in the Bible that all individuals are in need of saving, none excluded.  Christ came in such a way as to put the solution in front of each of us.  On that Sunday so many years ago, Jesus put the question before Israel as a whole, and yet also before each Israelite.  Who is my savior?  What is my choice?  Let’s look at our passage and work through these things.

The preparations of the Savior (vs. 1-6)

Our story opens with the arrival of Jesus in the Jerusalem district for his last time.  Within a week, he will be crucified on the cross.  He stops at this point to make some final preparations in order to enter the city.

However, we should take note that the previous 3 ½ years of the ministry of Jesus was all about preparing Israel for this day of choice.  Every miracle and every amazing teaching had been about preparing the hearts of Israel for a day of decision.  I don’t just mean the 24-hour period we call the Triumphal Entry.  I mean the whole week. 

Israel was being tested and they didn’t know it.  Most of them loved the idea of a Savior, a Messiah, but they did not love the idea of what Christ came to do.  He came to offer himself as a sacrificial lamb to deal with our sins, when they wanted a ferocious warrior to deal with their enemies.  Does that sound familiar?  Isn’t there a part in all of us that would rather have our enemies crushed than to expose and deal with our sins?  This is what this is all about.  It is about a choice that I must make regarding what I think can save me, or fix my life and my future.

Thus, it is important what we choose in the moment, but all momentary decisions will be tested.  You can make the right decision when it is easy, but your resolve to do the right thing will be tested.  Israel went from seemingly choosing Jesus to rejecting him in less than a week.  Their choice of Jesus was not nearly as strong as it may appear in our story today.  Ultimately, we are pulled away from faith in Jesus by the ways of this world, its power and prestige, its money and technology.  When you are fearful that the way of Jesus may not save you anymore, these are the things you will flail about and grasp tightly.  Yes, God had made great preparations leading up to that moment, just as He has made great preparations leading up to the moment that you were presented with the Gospel.  Yes, embrace Jesus, but also know that your embrace of him is going to be tested.

When Jesus stops near the Mt. of Olives, there are two villages that he stops at.  Their names are quite symbolic.  Bethphage means “House of green figs,” and Bethany means “House of my sorrow.”  Jesus had come to Israel expecting ripe fruit, but it was still green, inedible.  He came to those who were his own and should have embraced him with open arms, but they became to him a house of sorrow.  These things give more light on the whole incident following our passage today where Jesus curses a fig tree that had no ripe figs.  More on that at a different time.

The last preparation involves sending a couple of disciples out to secure a donkey’s colt.  From Matthew 21:7, we know that both the colt and the mother are involved.  Some details are left out or missing in Marks account, but it appears they were left out for the disciples too.  Jesus is not advocating stealing here.  Rather, he is telling them to get something and when they do exactly what he says, it goes exactly as he said it would.  A truism of life is that God often has us do things that do not make sense to us, like love our enemies, and forgive those who harm us.  However, he knows what he is doing.  He is preparing us to do what he has for us.  In these times, the lack of details regarding the benefit to these things often causes us to balk.  Yet, if we simply obey, we will eventually find that our Lord had everything figured out ahead of time, and we simply needed to trust his directions.  Whoever this owner is, he is willing to let the Lord borrow his donkeys, and Jesus knew that he would.  Now that the preparations have been made, Jesus is ready to head into Jerusalem.

The presentation of the Savior (vs. 7-10)

Up to this point, Jesus has resisted any attempt to present himself formally as a potential king for Israel.  However, on this day, he not only allows it, but he orchestrates it.  He is now forcing the issue and the question within Israel about the question of his identity.  Is he the Messiah or not?  This is a presentation event in which Jesus clearly presents himself to Israel; let me be your savior.

He purposefully sets up the imagery as one of a lowly person (humble) coming in peace.  He rides down the hillside of the Mt. of Olives, crosses the Kidron valley, and then up into the city on a donkey’s colt.  It is Matthew who connects this event to the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. There it is said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold your King is coming to you; he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a donkey.”  Apparently, they didn’t make the connection when it was happening.  They just knew that Jesus was finally doing something that looked like he was ready to take control.  They are ready for the Kingdom of God to begin.

Now, the riding of a donkey is in contrast to riding on a horse.  A horse has connotations of war, power, and prestige, whereas a donkey has connotations of humility and peacefulness.  Zechariah had revealed to Israel that, when the Savior came, he would come in such a way.  When we contrast this image with the one of Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven and riding a white horse in Revelation 19, the message is clear.  He was not here for war all those years ago.  He had come to do a far dirtier job than Mike Rowe could ever conceive.  It would be like a boxing match where they are introducing the boxers.  “In this corner, we have…” (someone who does not look like they will win).  Though many of Israel were excited on that day, it is clear that Jesus is still a mystery to them.  What kind of Savior was he?

Let’s look at the crowds and their praise of Jesus.  There are two dynamics going on in this crowd.  In Mark, it only focuses on the disciples of Jesus (more than just the 12) excitedly running ahead of him, around him, and behind him.  They are rejoicing as Zechariah said they should, but for uninformed reasons.  They believe he is here to kick out the Romans, wicked priests, and Herod.  They think he is going to set all things right in society.  The second dynamic is that word had gone ahead into the city, and so, crowds were coming out from Jerusalem to meet him.  Among these crowds, there were some religious Pharisees who did not think Jesus was the Messiah at all.

In Luke 19:39, we are told that the Pharisees objected to the things that the disciples were hollering about Jesus.  They shout to Jesus that he should make them shut-up.  Jesus is very humble, but there comes a time when some things must be done.  Jesus had to present himself to Israel as a potential savior because it was the Father’s will.  It was the reason he had come.  Israel had to have a choice.  Thus, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees who are trying to rebuke him.  “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

The crowds can be right, but the crowds can also be wrong.  They are easily driven to shout with praise on one day and then shout with anger on another.  The point is not what the people around you are doing.  The point is always, what does God want me to do?  Just as God was presenting His Son Jesus to Israel during the week leading up to Passover, so He presents Jesus to us today.  He doesn’t look like we think that he should, and some people may be shouting his praises for all the wrong reasons.  The main point is what does God want you to do with Jesus.  He wants you to embrace him in faith, and rejoice in the fact that he has come to save you!

The phrases that these disciples are shouting out, are chosen purposefully.  They come from Psalm 118 and were understood by all to be referring to the Messiah.  Psalm 118:25 gives us the Hebrew phrase translated “Cause us to be saved, now!”  The Greek transliteration is Hosanna!  What a cry, that not only was on the lips of Israel that day, but is on the minds of people all across this world, today.  We want someone to rise up and save us from our problems and the problems of this world.

The second thing they are shouting comes from Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  They are using biblical words from the prophecy that predicts his coming in order to praise him.  Oh Church, may we learn to take time just to stop and praise the Lord Jesus for what he has done and what he will do!  Sometimes we don’t know what words to use, but the Bible supplies us with many wonderful ways of praising the Lord Jesus.

The disciples and the crowds believe that Jesus has been sent from the Father and they are asking him to start saving them.  Some of these cries mention the kingdom of David.  In other words, they are ready for the Romans to be expelled and the Kingdom of David to be restored to the full promises that God gave to him.  Let’s look at verse 11 and bring this to a close.

The investigation of the Savior (vs. 11)

It may not have been quite so clear that day, but Jesus then takes time to investigate this place that is crying out for his salvation, both the city and its place of worship.  It is at this point that we sometimes forget that when we are making an investigation of Jesus as to his worthiness as a Savior, he also is making an investigation of us as to our worthiness as a disciple.

Luke 19:41-42 tells us that Jesus weeps as he approaches the city, but they are not tears of happiness.  He says, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.”  We may not realize it, but there are things that would make for our peace, whether in America, or in our individual lives, but we have to have the wisdom to choose them.  Be careful that you are not manipulated into rashly supporting things that actually make for your own harm, or the harm of our nation.  Jesus goes on to use another phrase in Luke 19.  This was their “day of visitation,” not of a friend wanting to chat, but of our Lord coming to inspect.

Israel had waited for the Messiah to come for so long, and now he was here, but he had come to make an inspection, and they weren’t ready.  Always remember that choice is a saw that cuts both ways.  Jesus has presented himself to you to investigate and to choose, or not to choose, as your savior.  Yet, at the same time, he is investigating you.  What is really going on in that heart of yours?  You say you want righteousness and salvation, but what do you really want?  What will you really choose when put to the test?  They were not ready for their surprise inspection that day, and I dare say that the United States of America is not ready today if Jesus were to come and investigate us.  Friend, you had better make sure that you are ready to stand before the Lord, before he shows up.  Only repentance and faith in him can save us and bring us into his grace.

Jesus then enters the city and goes into the temple compound.  He simply looks around at everything.  It is fitting that he should not rashly judge the things that he is seeing there.  The next several days will be filled with him coming into the temple area and confronting the things that were wrong with Israel.  It may feel anticlimactic, but the true climax was coming at the end of the week, when he would hang on a cross for them and for us.

The day ends with Jesus simply going back to Bethany to stay the night.  In the morning, he will return to Jerusalem to teach in the Temple area.  He will do this several days in a row.  At the same time, the city will increase with people coming from all around the world for the Passover feast.  This dynamic forces the hands of the religious leaders.  Jesus is being too audacious.  They can’t let this continue, or at least that is what they think.

We can get lost dreaming about what the world would be like if they had simply embraced Jesus as Messiah that week.  It is similar to dreaming about what the world would be like if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned, or if early American settlers had not used slavery.  We can look backwards and blame all our problems on those who sinned before us in a never ending “if only…”  However, you can’t unspill spilled milk.  You can only ask the Lord to help you clean up the mess and move forward.  Sin is a mess that we can’t clean up on our own, whether as a world or as an individual.  God has put the humble and peaceful Jesus in front of you, and asks you to choose him as your savior.  He doesn’t always lead in the way that we think he should lead, but follow him to the end, we must! 

The day is coming when Jesus will split the skies and return to this earth as a glorious, conquering king.  Whether I am alive on this earth on that day, or not, is immaterial.  I will still be held accountable for my choice.  Choose this day whom you will serve because not choosing Jesus is the same as choosing what this world is offering.  It is offering unending worthless things that eat up your life and leave you empty in the end.  Come to Jesus and let him be your savior today!

Who is my Savior audio

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 29, 2020. 

Today, we have the story of Blind Bartimaeus being healed.  There are two issues at hand in this story that I would like to get out of the way up front.

First, the Gospel of Matthew relates this story and says that there were two blind men.  It does not name them, but the story is obviously the same as this one.  Some may point to this as a contradiction, but that would be superficial.  Where there are two men there is also one.  Mark chooses to focus upon a particular individual and even names him.  Perhaps Bartimaeus was well known at the time of the writing.  Matthew doesn’t focus on the individual, but rather the dynamic of healing blind men.  So, this should not be pressed as an error, only a difference in the focus of the eye witnesses.

Second, Luke records this miracle as happening when Jesus comes into Jericho, but Mark has it happening as Jesus leaves Jericho.  This is more than a difference in focus, and seems to create a contradiction.  Surely, both statements can’t be true, a person may think. 

A detective often has to deal with various eye-witness testimonies that may appear to contradict each other, even after weeding out false evidence.  The detective uses the art of questioning witnesses to ferret out what exactly they saw and didn’t see.  In this way, testimony that appears contradictory can often be explained.  Of course, we are unable to go back and question Mark and Luke, or, better yet, Bartimaeus.  Archaeologists have pointed out that there existed an Old Jericho (the city rebuilt on the rubble of Joshua’s famous battle), and a New Jericho that had been built up near it.  Herod had several palaces built there.  We see this dynamic even in our cities today.  Large projects, like international airports, require large spaces that would require the removal of vast historical areas.  This is why we see municipal districts that develop around a large project outside of a nearby city.  Thus, it is quite possible that Jesus leaves Old Jericho and heads towards New Jericho.  This would satisfy that Jesus is both leaving Jericho and going towards Jericho at the same time.  Of course, this is not completely satisfactory because it is simply a theory.  We can’t verify it by asking the witnesses.  Thus, this becomes a situation that is not technically contradictory, and yet we don’t know exactly how Luke and Mark’s testimonies overlap.

With that all said, our story challenges us with the reality that there are times of spiritual opportunity in our life.  It is as if God Himself were walking by us.  In those moments, there are things that He wants to do for us, but we must want them.  We must be seekers, knockers, and askers.  Let’s look at our story.

The beggar outside of Jericho

It has been common throughout history for those with physical disabilities to present themselves to society for charity.  We basically call this begging.  No one really wants to be reduced to such a humbling and humiliating place, but sickness, disease, and genetic problems are common in this fallen world.  It is easy to blame God for these things.  However, He did not bring these things into existence.  They are the results, or effects, of the Fall, and our rebellion against the Creator.  There was a beggar outside of Jericho, which is the last city on the Jordan plain before heading up into the hills towards Jerusalem.

Again, we remind ourselves that we are close to a week out from the crucifixion of Jesus.  He is actually on his way to give his life as a sacrifice, a ransom, for the sins of the world.  Yet, he stops at Jericho, among many other places, on his trip.  By the way, Mark does not share the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man, but that story (from Luke’s Gospel) happens on this day as well.

A large crowd is around Jesus, and, when Bartimaeus is told that Jesus is near, he cries out.  Let’s look at what he cries.  First, he uses a title of Jesus that is used to refer to the Messiah, “Son of David!”  It is possible he has been told that Jesus is the Son of David, or he may have come to that conclusion by himself.  Many passages in the Old Testament promised that one of the seed of David would sit on his throne forever, and bring peace to Israel and the earth.  Isaiah 35:5 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”  Yes, this can be applied metaphorically, but it is intended to also be literal.  You could say that the literal becomes the proof of the metaphorical meaning.  Perhaps scriptures like this are in the mind of Bartimaeus as he cries out.  He believes that Jesus is the Messiah, and if he is the Messiah, then it is possible for his eyes to be healed!  He has faith in Jesus.

In the second part of his cry, Bartimaeus begs for mercy.  This is a man who knows how to beg; he has had to beg for a living.  He has learned to be persistent and press his need.  He can’t let this opportunity pass without trying.  On this day, there is a man who can do something for him far better than plopping a coin into his hands or bowl.  He begs for mercy.  “Have mercy on me!”

Mercy is a beautiful word.  It is different than justice.  You never hear anybody begging for justice upon themselves.  We tend to beg mercy for ourselves and justice upon others.  Justice is something that we can lay claim upon.  It is what we or another person deserves.  He has to do with setting right what is morally wrong between us.  Mercy, however, is the cry for something that we don’t deserve.  It lays claim upon the character of the person we implore.  To ask mercy of a merciless man is folly, but to ask mercy of Jesus, to ask mercy of God our Father, is to ask mercy of One who is full of mercy.  You should take time to read and meditate on Psalm 145, but I will put some of its verses here.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.  ⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.  ⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.  ⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.  ⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.  ⁹ The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

We are told that the crowd warns him to be quiet.  The word “warn” is basically a rebuke, and they are basically telling him to quit making a scene and shut-up.  In contrast to the great mercy of God, whom Jesus perfectly represents, is the crowds who couldn’t care less about this man.  Like a surging sea, the crowd is always crashing this way and that way, but generally it never crashes in the direction that God would have it go, except when He intervenes to accomplish His purposes.

There are many things that can get between us and the mercy of God.  People are one of the biggest obstacles.  It can be a large group, like this crowd, but it can also be an individual or series of individuals.  Regardless, they don’t care for your soul.  This causes you to despair and walk away from the mercy that God wants to give to you.  Listen friend, God has made mercy available for you, but you must want it bad enough not to listen to the merciless crowds, and those merciless individuals that you have encountered.  The song comes to mind:

“No man careth for my soul!,” thus cry the millions.  

“No man careth for my soul!”  O, hear their plea!  

Won’t you give your life today to spread the Gospel, 

So that Christ can save their soul and set them free?

Bartimaeus doesn’t give up, and neither should you.  He cries out to Jesus again over the top of the crowd and all of their resistance, and Jesus hears him!  O how many voices both external and internal are ripping at you constantly, telling you to shut-up, telling you to quit, telling you that there is no hope for you?  Don’t let the lies of the crowd in your life crowd you out of God’s inheritance for you.

The mercy of Jesus

In contrast to the crowd, we have Jesus who is ever merciful.  Praise God for Jesus!  Jesus tells the people to call the man and so the suddenly become very helpful to the man.  Rise up!  Jesus is calling you.  At this point, Bartimaeus throws off his outer cloak and approaches Jesus.  More than likely, he is ridding himself of this “begging cloak” in order to look more respectable before Jesus.  Yet, it seems to also represent how all of us must spiritually approach Jesus.  We must cast off the rags of our own righteousness and beg of him a truly white cloak of his righteousness.  This is the only way that we can come before God the Father, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.  How many things we must cast aside in order to have what we need from Jesus!

Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants, and the answer to that question seems to be fairly obvious.  Yet, Jesus asks it.  The man had asked for mercy, which is a general request, but Jesus wants him to give voice to the specific need that he has.  Now, we must never put the things that we desire above Jesus.  If we have to choose, then we must always choose relationship with Jesus over the top of things that we may want.  Jesus also had to make such a decision as he approached the cross. In his humanity, he did not want to die on a cross, but this was the plan.  It could not change.  Thus, he chooses relationship with the Father, and all who would believe upon him, over the top of avoiding the cross.

This can put us in a point of tension.  Some people will not pray for specific things because they think it is not spiritual to do so.  They somehow see it as beneath a true believer of Jesus.  They basically teach that we should pray for God’s blessing in general and leave everything up to Him.  This may sound terrifically spiritual when we hear it.  The problem is that it contradicts the Word of God.  All throughout His Word, He challenges us to come before Him with our request.  We are told, “You have not because you as not…”  Thus, only praying for blessing in general is a mere posing, and pretentious pride.  Jesus heals, period.  Yes, he doesn’t heal everybody that we pray for, but he is still the fountain of healing.  If we don’t seek him, knock on the door of heaven, and cry out to him for a particular mercy then we may never receive it.  This tension that we live in is the tension between being persistent because you know your God is merciful, and yet trusting His answer, be it “Yes,” or “No.”  What do you really want?  And, are you seeking God for it specifically, and trustingly?

Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Rabboni,” which basically means, “my Lord.”  He hasn’t really been a follower of Jesus and a disciple on his travels, but he still dares to call Jesus his Lord.  Even if you don’t know Jesus today, he really is your Lord and savior.  He is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.  To those who will own him as their king, He will come forth as a healing and delivering savior.  He does not reject those whom the Father brings to him.

Then, Bartimaeus simply asks for his sight.  We are not told the back story of his plight.  Was he born blind?  Did he have an accident?  How long has he been so?  There is always a great story behind all who come to Christ.  Maybe you do not feel that your story is quite as grand as a blind man receiving his sight, but it is a great story nonetheless.  In fact, in a way all of us come to Christ begging for our sight.  Oh, Jesus, this world has blinded me to the truth and I don’t know what I can trust.  Help me to see so that I can know the truth and be set free!  How bold of Bartimaeus to ask for such an impossible thing.  Let me have my sight!

Jesus tells him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”  We should stop and recognize that what the man has done up to this point happens because he has faith in Jesus.  Do you have faith in Jesus today?  Maybe you had it yesterday, but some things have happened to rob you of your faith.  Our prowling enemy, the devil, is always looking to rob us of our faith in Jesus.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God and receive anything from Him.  Ultimately, we need our sins forgiven.  Natural sight is useless, if I don’t see that Jesus can set me free from my sins.  In the miracles of Jesus, there is always a spiritual parallel that it points towards.  We need our spiritual eyes opened to the plight of our sin and the mercy of Jesus to forgive us of our sins.  The healing of this blind man was to give hope to others that Jesus was the true light sent from the One who created eyes in order to open the eyes of people spiritually.  Oh, Church, let us not be blinded by this world!  Let us see the light of Jesus and have a faith that conquers all the obstacles in our path!

So, what is the result of this miracle, or any miracle for that matter?  All of the miracles of the Bible beg the question, “What did they do with that miracle?”  We are told that his eyes immediately opened and he received his sight.  What a moment that must have been.  Jesus had told him to go his way.  In other words, you are free to go wherever you want to go.  Is it possible that some who were healed by Jesus later fell back away from him?  It happens even today.  There are people who have had great things done in their life by God, but they are no longer following Him.  They have learned to rationalize the events and “deconstruct” them into mere reductive coincidences.  How tragic.

It is not enough to get something like a healing, financial help, a job, or wisdom about a decision from God.  If I don’t persevere through this life and remain in relationship with my heavenly Father then it is only a sad trinket that I can’t carry into the after-life.

We must not serve God in order to get things from Him.  Otherwise, we will one day part with Him when a cross stands in our path, and He is on the other side bidding us to follow.  However, let us never forget that the God we serve is the God of miracles.  A fringe benefit of following the Lord of Heaven is that He is merciful and there is no telling when He might say, “Your faith has made you well!”

Blind Bartimaeus audio

Greatness is in Serving

Mark 10:35-45.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

It is easy in our country to give lip service to the issue of being a leader who serves the people.  Our Christian foundations have affected the ways that we talk about such things, and even the words used by some politicians to manipulate people into voting for them.

In the last sentence of the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln challenged the nation with these words.  “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Our human tendency, in its immaturity, is to look for leaders who will tell us what to do and to save us from threatening conditions.  However, our country was built upon the premise of a government that is made up of the people who are governing themselves for the sake of the whole nation.  The ability of the group to govern lives or dies upon the ability of individuals to govern themselves.

The founding fathers were working off of a biblical foundation and world view.  God’s word challenges believers to walk in freedom, but not a freedom to do whatever you want.  In our passage today, Jesus teaches us how leadership should work in the Church, and it is the opposite of how this world tends to do it, regardless of what words they use.

The request of James and John

Our passage begins with a request that comes from the two disciples, James & John.  They are brothers who had been fishermen on the Sea of Galilee just like Peter and Andrew.  It is worth noting that Matthew 20:20-28 tells us that this request was actually made through their mother.  Since this is not in our passage today, I will only make a passing comment.  No doubt, James and John knew that this request was in bad taste and bad form.  They attempted to moderate its ambitious nature by having their mom ask.  However, Jesus addresses them and not their mother.  That coupled with its absence in Mark’s account tells us that everyone knew James and John were ultimately behind the request.

Their request is this.  “Grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory.”  It has two parts.  First, they want to have the highest place next to him.  And, second, the time frame that they are talking about is “in his glory.”  This is directly referring to the time when he would be ruling over Israel as the promised Messianic King in what is generally called the Kingdom of God.  We would call this the Millennial Kingdom, which they thought would begin shortly.

Now, to give them some credit, Jesus had already told his disciples in Matthew 19:28 that “in the regeneration [the resurrection], when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  So, he had already promised them a high position in his coming kingdom.  They are not content with that apparently, and desire to ask for the two top spots.

What we are going to see in this passage is that the problem is not that we might desire great positions or even to do greatly in those positions.  The real problem is that our desires are riddled with impure motives and misunderstandings of just what true greatness is.  They want the highest positions to be given to them outright before they have done anything to deserve it.  Instead of seeking to promote ourselves further in this life, we should focus on serving well in the position that we are in right now.  If God promotes us beyond that position then that is His prerogative, and if He doesn’t then we should not take it as a slight.  It really doesn’t matter what our placement in the age to come is going to be.  What really matters is our service for the Lord today.  How is my service?

Jesus prefaces his response to James and John with the statement that they don’t realize what they are asking.  When we ask for promotion, we generally only see the “good” things connected to being the boss.  Yes, we see power, authority, freedom to do what you want, people looking up to you, and a great reputation.  It is like looking at a virtuoso who plays their instrument so well and wanting to do what they do.  It only takes a week of practicing (and sometimes less) to realize that 99.9999% of us really do not want to be a virtuoso.  We tend to want the good stuff of being a virtuoso without the grueling and unrelenting practice, a.k.a. price, that goes with it.

So, Jesus gives them two metaphors to help us understand the hard part of getting those two top spots.  The first metaphor is that of a cup that one has to drink.  It is clear that he is talking about his upcoming sufferings.  In the garden on the night he was betrayed, Jesus asks the Father to take this cup away from him.  He ends by saying, “Nevertheless, your will be done.”  The picture is of a cup that is filled with suffering and you are being asked to drink it.  Most people would take a sip and cast the cup aside.  We are typically unwilling to drain it to its dregs.  However, Jesus did drink the cup to its dregs, and he asked his disciples to pick up their cross and follow him.

The second metaphor is that of something into which they need to be baptized (immersed).  This is a full body immersion into a particular pain and difficulty that goes along with doing the hard work that God has called him and us to do.  Both metaphors work together to show us the internal and external suffering that goes along with doing God’s will.

Our future kingdom rewards in the Millennium are directly related to the hardships and sufferings that we have gone through in this life in order to accomplish God’s will.  The suffering itself is not what we seek.  It is not suffering in general that gives us reward.  It is the particular suffering that comes from doing the will and purpose of God.  As we do God’s will, certain hardships and sufferings will arise up and threaten to turn us back.  Christ will reward those who press through the sufferings in order to serve his purposes.

In response to the challenge that Jesus gives to them, James and John both declare that they are able to drink this cup and be baptized with this baptism.  It is not clear just what they think this means, but even if they understood that it involved suffering, they would be inclined to think that this suffering would be very quick and the glory would come soon.  Jesus then agrees that they are right.  They will drink this cup of suffering and be baptized in this pool of suffering in following him.  Acts 12:2 tells us that Herod Agrippa had James executed and then seized Peter to do the same.  Peter escapes by the help of an angel from God.  Why didn’t James have an angelic escape?  It has nothing to do with which of them was a better disciple or had more faith.  It had to do with the purposes of God in their life.  The apostle James became the first of the 12 to be put to death for Christ.  On the other hand, the apostle John is the last of the 12 to die.  The Bible does not record his death, but we have several stories from the 2^nd century that say that there were attempts to kill John that did not work.  They poisoned him, but he still lived.  They threw him in boiling oil and survived.  Then he was exiled on the island of Patmos where he wrote the Revelation, the last book of the Bible.  His suffering was a long slow burn that was different then his brother.

Jesus ends this point about suffering by telling them that it is not up to him who gets these positions.  The positions are for those “for whom they have been prepared.”  The emphasis is not on the fact that Jesus has no say, but rather on his ability to give the positions in the way James and John are asking, as a favor.  Jesus cannot just give them out to family members or favorite disciples.  The emphasis is on how they are to be handed out.  Isaiah 11:3-4 tells us that the Messiah would not judge by what he sees or hears, but rather in righteousness.  In other words, he won’t judge like we do.  His judgments will be perfect and just right.  Thus, Jesus would not agree to favoring James and John.  Instead, they would receive what they deserved in the Kingdom.

Make no mistake.  God will reward us for our faithfulness in the face of difficulty and suffering, but let’s trust Him to make the measurement of our service and determine what it deserves.  Self-ambition can side-track the true work that must be done in our hearts in order to save people who are lost.

Jesus teaches on greatness

This sets up a situation for Jesus to remind his disciples about leadership in God’s Kingdom, whether now or in the age to come, in verses 41-45.  God does not see leadership like we do.  Our flesh gets mixed up in how we approach it.

However, let’s deal first with how the other disciples respond to this request of James and John.  They are angered, and greatly displeased.  We should stop and ask why they are angry.  If the Messiah, Jesus, only judges based upon righteousness and doesn’t play favorites then what do they have to fear?  I believe that they are angry because they desired the same thing and were afraid that the audacity of James and John just might secure the positions for them.  Their own sinful flesh is annoyed at the thought that those two might get ahead of them.  They knew that it wasn’t right to ask for such things, but in their hearts, they still desired it.

We need to stop such nonsense.  Promotion is not all that it is cracked up to be.  The more people you are called to lead the harder the burden is upon your shoulders.  We should neither shrink back from promotion out of fear or laziness, nor should we grasp at it out of selfish ambition.  Let’s simply trust God to direct our lives into the positions that he has for us, both in this life and in the next.  He is just and does all things well.  We should not wrestle against one another like these disciples were doing.

In verse 42, Jesus then points out how the Gentile leaders act.  Yes, they exercise authority over their people, but the operative phrase is, “Lord it over them.”  It is the idea of dominating and bringing those under your authority into subjection.  It is a heavy-handed leadership.  This tends to be the case among the nations because they didn’t have the teachings of God’s Word and such leadership tends to be very productive and focused.  It often gets results in this life.

This is not the kind of leadership that God wants among His people, both in this life and the life to come.  In fact, let’s remember that God Himself is not nearly as heavy-handed in His leadership as people often like to accuse Him of being.  He gives us room to repent and choose how we will live our life.  He wants us to choose love and service to Him freely, rather than to be subjugated into such roles.  Sadly, many leaders of the Church today and throughout history have failed in this respect.  Many of the great leaders throughout history are not great in God’s eyes.  They failed miserably to demonstrate the image of God to those they were tasked with leading.  We must not look to the greats of this world to determine how we should lead the Church of Jesus.  We must look to the greatest leader, Jesus.

Jesus counters the Gentile-way with how it should be among the Church.  Those who want to be great must become a servant.  Jesus had already told them this back in Mark 9:35 when he brought a little kid in their midst.  They had been arguing that day about which of them was the greatest, that is deserved the number one spot next to Jesus.  In our passage today, they have not learned their lesson, clearly.

Those who want to be great in the Kingdom of Jesus, both now and in the Millennium, must become a servant to everyone else.  Instead of using your position to build your reputation and personal kingdom, you must always recognize that you are not a god to the people you lead, but rather you are to represent “The God of Heaven” to those you lead.  You are to be a servant, not just to God by doing His purposes, but also to individuals by meeting the needs in their life that God sends you to meet.

The phrase that has been connected to this teaching is “Servant-Leadership.”  Among Christ’s Church, this is the only leadership that is acceptable to him because it is the only leadership that truly reflects him to believers and the world.  Christ has made you free, now use your freedom to serve your fellow man in regards to God’s purposes in their life.  Whatever level of leadership you have, parents with children all the way up to denominational leaders to their churches, we must learn to reflect Christ in our leadership.  The children and the people are not yours to do with what you want.  They belong to God and you will be rewarded or not for how you led them to walk in their own freedom before God.

In case this point hasn’t hit home, Jesus uses himself as an example.  Everyone agrees that he should get the first place, but how did he get first place?  How did he lead.  The Father didn’t just give it to him because he was his favorite son.  Jesus earned first place by coming down, humbling himself, taking on the nature of a man, and becoming a ransom for you and me.  Some people have rejected this notion of Jesus being our ransom because they think it sounds barbaric and uncouth.  Why can’t God just decree that we are all saved?  Such a question goes to the heart of the issue and why we tend towards totalitarianism instead of freedom.  Humans are always looking for techniques and tools to bring the world around them under their desires, but God simply serves people with the things that they actually need, and not to manipulate them.  Instead, He is willing to suffer in order that we might be free to choose life or death.  Choose life this morning and not death.  Put your faith in the one who has paid the ransom to free you from sin and judgment.  Become a follower of Jesus today if you aren’t already, and learn from him what it means to be great in God’s eyes.

Greatness is in Serving audio