Sorrow

Originally posted: March 12, 2007 @ 10:26
I get a lot of spam on this one for some reason so I’m moving it. I think it also fits with some of my own recent thoughts about doing things ‘for’ God. It took me a long time to figure out what this fellow was lacking…

“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” –Mark 10:17

Humility…in answer to my question; he was lacking in humility.

When I first started to study this passage, I had no clue why this fellow went away sad. He had money. He had personal purity. He obviously had a good knowledge of the Bible because he had to know the commandments to keep them. And he had, well, self-reliance…and that’s the problem. My attitude about this rich young ruler, as the headings in my ESV tell me he was, changed. He wasn’t humbly seeking the Lord, as I have always thought. Anytime someone runs to Jesus and bows before him we think, “Wow, look at that.” And I think that’s probably what he wanted people to think. He was looking for approval Jesus—and probably everyone else too.

Now don’t get me wrong—I’m not any better at ascribing motives to folks dead two millennia that you are. No one knows what happened back then outside of the Word of God and the Bible is painfully silent about our friend’s thoughts as he ran up to Jesus. For all we know he made a habit of chasing down rabbi’s and asking them that same question over and over again—sort of a form of zero century church shopping. But I digress…. Grandstanding aside, we do know that he ran up and asked Jesus the thing that even the raging atheist wants to know “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” You’ve got to at least give him points for that.

Which brings us back to our point.

The problem is that there really isn’t anything you can do to inherit eternal life. We’re just preoccupied with this feeble life of ours and the events that happen in it seeking to assign some worth to our toils. So we ‘do things’ for the church. In my short life I’ve done a great many things in the church. I have driven a van, I’ve ‘done’ Sunday School, I’ve worked with kids and worked VBS, I’ve participated in Brotherhood activities including spending several nights in cabins looking after boys during fishing tournaments—not for the faint of heart. I’ve jumped through the hoops of SBC discipleship in one church and then another. But when you do things because they look good they are, or because everyone one agrees they are the ‘right thing to do’ they are, in the words of Paul, dung. (For all those with kids that’s ‘poopie’.) Not that spending time with kids or any of the other things I’ve listed here are ‘dung’ in and of themselves. But God knows our heart. He knows when we shift over to trying to ‘earn’ his favor. We, as Christians, have Christ. What more favor do we need? But continually I find myself running up to Jesus and bowing before him and saying, essentially, “What must I do to be saved?” When I really mean, “look at all this that I have done for you.” We can’t really do anything but we like to think we can. It’s a deadly trap.

My wife, God love her, told me something that cut me to the quick. And if you don’t have a wife that can call you on something like that in a way that you will listen to then you are either missing out….well, or not listening. Probably the latter if I know you (which I don’t, but men are a fairly homogenous bunch. If you’re a woman and reading this I probably don’t have to explain it to you.) “Yes,” she says to me in a forgotten tiff about something ridiculous “But you’re not anything like the man of God you think you are when you have that kind of attitude. You’re just as big of a hypocrite as the rest of us.” And there was no huff or show, it was just the plain truth and I had to swallow it.

Humility. See what I mean?

The reality of it is that we all go away from Jesus sorrowful at one point or another because he puts his finger on that thing that stands between him and us and says “This must go.” And instead taking his invitation to toss it aside in an exuberant show of freedom we rattle the chain and take up our ‘burden’ and sigh and walk away sorrowful. ‘But Jesus I’ve got so much to do for YOU.’ So I can’t really be too hard on this young man in this passage because he represents most of us at one point or another.

It’s tough to think about this, but Jesus doesn’t coddle us. He doesn’t take our little pet beliefs and say, “Well that’s good enough.” He looks at us the same way he had to look at Peter when he saw him and tells us, “Come follow me…” or like he did this young man “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Get rid of the things that come between you and I and then come follow me.

Money, knowledge, self-reliance, a smart mouth, legalism, alcohol, your theology, your must-complete evangelism goals, an obsessive desire to please others and make sure all the light switches are working, regret…there are many things that come between us and the Lord. Lay them down.

Lay them down.

And while much of this is speculation, we know one thing: the location of his sorrow. When we are sorrowful, thats good. When we mourn over sin, thats good. But when we walk away from Christ and we are still sorrowful, thats bad. It’s bad because we have unfinished business at the feet of Jesus.

We’ll talk about that some more later.

Mark 2:13-17 Follow Me

“13He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14£And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 15And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16And the scribes of£ the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat£ with tax collectors and sinners?” 17And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”–Mark 2:13-17

Verse 14 used to really bother me. A lot. “Follow me.” Jesus says to Levi…and he does. Right then. He gets up, leaves his tax box, and follows Jesus. There’s no, “Well I’ll pray about it” or “Let me think about this” or “I don’t know if I’m going to have time.” Levi just follows. Why is it we cannot do that too in our own lives from day to day?

I think the reason is that we think God’s Word is like a blog he stops by periodically and updates. It’s as if we believe he drops additional comments into our laps from on high, little tidbits and personal directions falling from the sky on little parachutes. 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17—look it up. My oldest memorized it in about five minutes and has been reciting it all week. I think you can probably do better. It’s the Word of God that makes the man of God complete, not further revelation.

Now I know, we’re talking about Jesus here. When he calls, we go. But isn’t that what’s supposed to happen today? Isn’t the Great Commission a mandate to ‘go and make disciples’? Whatever that entails I think we should be about it.

We should also leave those folks alone who are actually doing it. Not only should we not mess with them, we should lift them up in prayer and with our support as well.

A word about sin from Dagg’s Manual

“He who looks into the state of society around him, finds proof of man’s wickedness. Crimes abound everywhere; and the earth is filled violence, as it was of old. Laws restrain the crimes and violence of men; but the very necessity of laws demonstrates the wickedness of mankind. War and oppression make u, in great measure, the history of our race; and innumerable deeds of wickedness, which never find a place in the historic record, are written in God’s book of remembrance and will be brought to light in that day, when men shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body.

The actual transgressions of men consist in doing what God has forbidden, and in leaving undone what he has commanded. The latter are called sins of omission; the former, sins of commission. With both these kinds of transgression all men are more or less chargeable. They who abstain from grosser crimes have, nevertheless, committed many sins, and omitted many duties. But sin in the overt act, constitutes only a very small part of man’s sinfulness…

Moral depravity shows itself in outward acts of transgression; but, atrocious as these often are, it is chiefly in the heart that God beholds and hates it. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” [Genesis 6:5] In the heart it was that God saw the great wickedness of the earth. The heart is a metaphorical term, denoting those mental affections which are the principles or beginnings of action. Here depravity exists at the very fountain from which all human action flow.”–from, The Fall and Present State of Man, Manual of Theology, J.L. Dagg

This is the kind of thing we’re talking about when we talk about sin. This is the kind of thing that needs forgiving. This is what Jesus is talking about in Mark 2:10. Thats the authority he’s talking about.

Mark 2:1-12 Questioning

“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”–Mark 2:7

OK. In my last post I ran smack into this question and its answer given by Jesus. It’s one of those hard, unyielding truths that we must deal with as Christians. We are always questioning the Word of God. We always seem so ready to slip into the error of supporting our work with bible quotes rather than drawing out what we’re supposed to be doing from the Bible. Or, rather than seek forgiveness for our sins, we carry on trying to work them off with ministry projects, etc. It’s not the kind of thing you can earn folks…here’s what I mean.

“8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”–Mark 2:8-11

Jesus knows us. He knew these men were questioning what he was doing in their hearts, so he asks them simply, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?” They were they scribes. No one was more familiar with the Word of God than they were, or should have been. In fact, their question shows their familiarity, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Theirs was a holy outrage: someone was blaspheming God by putting himself in God’s place. Does Jesus beat them over the head for it? Does he say they are an idiot, a fool or make other snide comments? Nope. He tells them who he is and shows them just how much authority he has. And the paralytic gets up, picks up his bed, and goes home under his own power.

We would do well to follow that example. Sometimes, folks just don’t know what their dealing with. They surely aren’t going to know if we don’t tell them, if we don’t show them.

Mark 2:1-12 Jesus at home

Note: This Post is part of the series “Studies in Mark” see the Series Index for other posts in this series.

1And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—11“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”– Mark 2:1 – 12 (ESV)

I want to point something out here that has been under emphasized my entire generation. God adds to the church ‘those who are being saved’. That’s from Acts 2 where Luke talks about the how the members of the church related to one another and how they dedicated themselves to the word of the Lord. God adds. Not a church program, not a great sermon, not adequate parking or educational facilities. God adds.

And we as believers always have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to illuminate the word of God. For hundreds of years before Jesus began preaching, there was nothing. There were no prophets, there was no one to give a word from the Lord. There was a famine in the land for the word of the Lord of the variety that we could never understand. (Not even today where it’s still kind of thin in places) Remember the synagogue we talked about a few days ago? Remember how amazed the people were about the authority with which Jesus taught? No one alive (or dead probably) had ever heard the word of God preached like this. No one in living memory knew what a sermon was supposed to sound like. I get the impression that they mostly just read and recopied the OT books they had. There was no illumination, no sitting down for a bible study, no morning quiet time…just a desperate waiting for the Christ to appear.

This is why we find Jesus at home in a house packed with people on a street packed with people in a city full of people who are all dying to hear the word of the Lord. Notice again how people will do just about anything to hear the word of God preached? The faithful friends in v.3 bring a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed—and not only does he heal him, he forgives him of his sins. First things first, OK? Let’s not freak out here. Jesus was always healing people but there was always a reason: to glorify the Father. It’s great that he healed them man and even better that he forgave him but I think what this points to is more important.

Both the forgiving and the healing had that purpose in mind: the Glory of God the Father.

Other posts in this series.

Monday Posting Note

Well its Monday and yes I do have a good deal of this week’s posts on Mark ready to go. I just have to get them up.

Weekends around here aren’t conducive to posting so I try to get something up for the weekend before it comes stomping through the house.

Look for an update before Lunch at least.

Mark 1:40-45 Yak Yak

Note: This Post is part of the series “Studies in Mark” see the Series Index for other posts in this series.

40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.–Mark 1:40-45 ( ESV )

I think this is where a lot of us Southern Baptists are spiritually. We were the dirtiest of dirty and then we met the Christ and were cleansed. But instead of applying ourselves to the life Christ instructs us to lead, we’d rather just talk about it. As you can see, all that does is keep Christ from “openly entering a town….” Instead, he has to go to the desolate places or, as is implied in the verse, sneak in. This is the reason many call the church irrelevant. This is the reason many pastors feel that they must ‘contextualize.’ Too much yak-yak and not enough living the Word of God like it means something to us.

Think about that this Sunday when you go to church and may God bless you for it.

The word of God is not bound…are you?

Other posts in this series.

Mark 1:29 – 39 The Desolate Place

Note: This Post is part of the series “Studies in Mark” see the Series Index for other posts in this series.

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.32That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. –Mark 1:29 – 39 (ESV)

Here we see an example of Christ’s compassion. Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was sick and when they told Jesus about her, He healed her. He also, in v. 32 and following heals pretty well everyone in the whole city who was sick. V.34 tells us, “And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons…” It was a busy night which, no doubt, left him drained. So here we see an example of his humanity. In Oklahoma we’d say he was ‘whupped’. Capernaum was a big city and ‘all’ the sick in a town that size is a lot of folks.

Here’s what I mean. v.36 tells us that Simon and those who were with him searched for Jesus “37and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”” You can relate to that. Everyone wants a piece of you and you’re all out of pieces to give. And here’s the thing that your church doesn’t realize: if you did have more time you’d give it. Willingly would you pour out whatever remains of your life if it would cause them to know Christ.

Are you a pastor who is being driven to serve and visit and go and do things which are draining you? Are you supposed to be at hospitals and funerals and weddings polished and kind and serene with all your remarks seasoned with salt including those in the pulpit on Sunday regardless of the week of late nights hand-holding and visit making? You’re a man who is called to the ministry of the Gospel and you’re a compassionate fellow. In fact, you probably feel that you’re called to do these things. Good for you brother, but you’re not doing yourself any favors killing yourself to get all that done.

I don’t have an answer for that. I’ve known a lot of Baptists who treated their pastor like a hireling. But I’ll tell you what, the hireling flees. Can’t blame them really, you can’t pay anyone enough money to put up with the garbage your typical Southern Baptist church can dish up to a pastor and then expect him to eat it with a smile. God love ‘em but they’re a stiff necked people. I don’t have an answer for you. Even Moses cried out to the Lord, “Why did you ever send me here?” (that’s a paraphrase—something like Exodus ch.6) But Jesus does have the answer. After his time in that desolate place that we all reach when we pour ourselves out for Christ he can answer like he does in v.38: “38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

You’re called to preach brother, so preach. Seek out that desolate place and pray and that will be your answer.

Other posts in this series.

Mark 1:21-28 (part 2) With Authority

Note: This Post is part of the series “Studies in Mark” see the Series Index for other posts in this series.

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.–Mark 1:21 – 28 (ESV)

OK. Last time we talked about Jesus authority in teaching, now we’ll see what happens when we as Bible teachers teach like the Word is authoritative and not just some old book.

v.23 says, “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit…” and so on. I don’t want you to get the idea that you’re going to be casting out spirits here. Think about this for a minute because the focus of the passage isn’t on the teacher but the result. The word of God works in people to do that which God purposed it to do. Jesus taught with the authority of the Word of God and the evil spirit couldn’t stand it. A man’s life was changed because he heard the word of God taught with authority. Look at what happens after the spirit left the man v.27: “And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!…” Notice it was new to the Jews, but to us, its that glorious old story, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I heard an old, old story…” the hymn goes, “bout a Savior came from glory!” praise God. (Can I say that and still hold to a reformed theology? I didn’t raise my hands, honest.)

Deservedly so we see in v.28 that ‘his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee’. It may have been his ejection of the unclean spirit that drove his fame, but I want you to remember something. It’s important. It was the authority of his teaching that was at the root of it all. And that was the word of God.

Other posts in this series.

Mark 1:21 – 28 (part 1) EVERYthing

Note: This Post is part of the series “Studies in Mark” see the Series Index for other posts in this series.

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.–Mark 1:21 – 28 (ESV)

The first thing Jesus does when he gets to Capernaum is go to church. Not only did he go, but he began teaching. He was doing what he was gifted to do among those he found in the house of God. They were ‘astonished’ at his teaching, as well they should be ‘for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.’ Let me just take a break here for a moment and examine this piece of the text. If you’re a teacher, a pastor, an elder, or whatever, you should get the point about authority right here. In the first few verses of the Gospel of John we learn that Jesus IS the word of God. When we teach from the Bible our teaching is based upon that same authority.

Deep breath…pause…let the brain kick in…

Yes, perspicuity. Read Ephesians chapter one and tell me how much we as Christians have. The answer is no less than ALL. If you’re a teacher you have those resources at your disposal. This is not a second blessing thing. This is not a charismatick baptism of the Holy Spirit thing. This is what you as a Christian have at your disposal. Here, let me show you:

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)
“3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,…”

Did you catch that? I hope you did. I’ve said this before but it’s not about getting more, its about using what we have…you know, EVERYthing.

Next we’ll look at the results. Aw go on, you can look ahead if you’d like to.

Other posts in this series.