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MARK: WORKING MESSIAH FIFTH DIVISION: WHEN WILL THE MESSIAH ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM? 10:1-13:37 SECOND SECTION: THE CORRECT ORDER ON LIFE’S JOURNEY 10:32-11:11
(The corresponding PowerPoint® presentation is Mark 5th Division 2nd Section ORDER ON THE JOURNEY or click on Mark Fifth Division Correct Order On Journey PP or on the same title in the Mark studies home page.) ___________________________________________________________________________
Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jewish nation received Jesus with shouts of acclamation. Crowds lined the streets and threw down palm branches. They praised God at Jesus’ coming. Indeed Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a triumph!
But the gospel writer tells us the story in such a way that we are to understand that this noisy, bustling event was the culmination of a journey.
In his ministry Jesus had moved down to the area of Judea and across the Jordan. He was near the area where John had baptized.
Once again he teaches the crowds. Here he meets the Pharisees. They question him on divorce. Here he blesses the children. Here he challenges the rich young man to sell all he has, give to the poor and follow Jesus. Here he discusses with his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter heaven. But it is also from here that he begins that journey to Jerusalem, which ends with the Triumphal Entry.
In Mark 10:17 the Bible says, As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him... (NIV). This was the rich young ruler. Jesus’ journey was interrupted as he started it. But after his conversation with the rich young man, they finally do get on their way. Chapter 10:32 says, They were on their way up to Jerusalem... (NIV).
Jerusalem was their destination. Jesus led the way. But the text says the disciples were astonished and those who followed were afraid. They knew that the common people flocked to Jesus. He taught and did wonderful things for so many. But they also knew of the fierce opposition of the religious leaders! If Jesus were to do anything he shouldn’t go to Jerusalem. They’d kill him there! It might make sense to go there if he could gather a huge army, storm the city, conquer it and rule as king!
But he made no effort to train troops. He bought no weapons. He organized no army. What would he do to defend himself? How could he conquer? Maybe he would do a huge miracle and destroy all his enemies with fire from heaven. They had seen him calm the storm on the Sea of Galilee, but he had never called fire down on his enemies. He had warned of future destruction on those who rebelled but in the present he only did miracles of mercy.
But let’s stop for a moment and look at the outline of this journey from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
The journey consists of five stories or sections. The first three sections are mainly conversations between Jesus and his disciples. The fourth is the healing of blind Bartimaeus and the fifth is the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In each section or story we find two opposites: death and resurrection, suffering and glory, service and greatness, obscurity and popularity, and humility and exaltation. The five stories will develop around these themes.
Following is the list of references with titles for each of the five sections and the subsections.
The Outline:
I. Jesus Predicted his Death Once Again 10:32-34
II. The Request Of James And John 10:35-40
III. The 10 Were Indignant At The Request Of James And John 10:41-45
IV. Blind Bartimaeus Received his Sight 10:46-52
V. The Triumphal Entry 11:1-11
Questions to aid in the study of this section, Mark 10:32-11:11:
I. Jesus Predicted his Death Once Again 10:32-34
Order And Progress Now, let’s look at each story. As I mentioned already I’d like us to notice two ideas in each story. The two ideas or realities are opposites. They are both important for our lives as believers. They were realities in Jesus’ life and in the disciples’ lives. They also follow an order and then they progress forward. I like the phrase that is found on the Brazilian flag. It says “Order and Progress”. It is also true of this journey; there was order and progress.
Fear Intensified Let’s look at chapter 10:32-34.
What are these two realities in the first story? Jesus again tells his disciples that in Jerusalem he will be betrayed. The chief priests and teachers of the day would condemn him to death! They would hand him over to the Gentiles. They would mock him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. The disciples were already afraid. Now Jesus intensifies their fear. He leaves them trembling in their boots! Things could not get worse and Jesus insists on going to Jerusalem. There his enemies wait to destroy him. But at the very end of Jesus’ talk he says, “Three days later the Son of Man will rise again!”
Death And Resurrection Here we find two realities death and resurrection. They are opposites yet intimately linked. There can be no resurrection if there is no death. For Jesus to rise from the dead he had to die. The Apostle Paul writes that without resurrection we have no faith. Our faith is in vain. We have no hope. We are of all men, the most miserable! To enjoy the triumphs of the resurrection Jesus had to suffer the awfulness of death. To live with Christ we must also die with Christ. These words came from the pen of the Apostle Paul as he wrote his second epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:11).
Death In The Other Lane Death frightens us! One night in 1967 our team left the city of Esfahan, Iran, on a trip to the south of the country. As we left the city we noticed many cars approaching the city but what really caught our attention was the fact that they kept their high beams on. We could not understand why. But about half an hour from the city we shot past a man lying spread eagle on the road. If he had not been lying in the other lane we would have bounced over him. I had the slight impression there was something like potatoes scattered around the road near him.
We had been going at a good clip and flew past him but our team leader who was driving hit the brakes and came up to a screeching stop. He threw the Volkswagen van into reverse. Two noises began to rise as we reversed, the whine of the air cooled engine and the cries of the one Iranian national team member. He was screaming at us, “Don’t stop; don’t stop! Please, don’t stop! Keep going! We can’t stay here!” He was yelling like he was possessed. Inwardly I was shaken!
But our team leader quickly jumped out of the vehicle, checked the man and discovered he was not breathing. He jumped back into the van and we continued on to the next town. The Iranian brother with us kept speaking in a very excited way, his words spilling out like water over a falls. He explained that if the villagers in the area had found us with the cadaver they would have assumed we were the man’s killers and killed us. The man on the road may have fallen from the back of a truck carrying potatoes and other goods to market. The best action we could take was reach the next town and report to the police.
Now we knew why all those cars entering Esfahan had on their high beams! They had been frightened by death on the road. But unless we go through death we can’t experience that most important of events, the resurrection to life!
II. The Request Of James And John 10:35-40
The Best Seats In The House The second story in 10:35-40 tells us about the request of James and John. They ask for seats either side of Jesus in his glory. Their thoughts were on the glory of Jesus’ coming kingdom. They were concerned about where they were to be seated.
Window Seats I remember another story from life on the road in Nigeria in the 1950’s. As children whenever the four of us accompanied mom and dad on a trip we wanted window seats. All four of us wanted window seats! Those were the best seats. The window seat gave you a great view! The window seat allowed you to put your hand, arm even your head out to catch the breeze, which was always a precious commodity in the hot climate, in a car with no air conditioning. It also helped you conquer travel sickness! We soon had a scuffle over who would have the window seats and mom and dad would have to sort us out. They often set up a rotating schedule throughout the trip so each of us had a turn at the window seat.
The Cup And The Baptism James and John asked for seats, next to Jesus, either side of him. Jesus responded to James and John by saying they were ignorant of the full reality of their request. He asked them if they were first prepared to suffer. He used symbolic language to communicate. “Can you drink the cup I drink? Can you be baptized with my baptism?” Remember how Jesus prayed in Gethsemane for the cup to pass from him. He was referring to his approaching sufferings. He then confirms that they will suffer, by saying, “you will drink... you will be baptized...”
Suffering And Glory Jesus was saying that there are two opposite realities. There is glory but suffering comes first. In fact, the sufferings of this present time can be used to refine our lives and produce a glory in our lives and character. That glory will correspond to the coming glories of Christ in his kingdom.
The third story is the reaction to the second story or conversation.
III. The 10 Were Indignant At The Request Of James And John 10:41-45
A Scuffle Over Seats The other ten disciples were upset with James and John for trying to lay claim to the best seats, next to Jesus! So Jesus called them all together to straighten out their crooked thinking. Jesus said, “Look, I don’t want you to lord it over one another like the Gentile rulers do to their followers.” Later Jesus was also going to take aim at the religious leaders and decry their claims to the best seats in the synagogues. Let’s not fool ourselves. Claiming the best seats continues up to our day.
Service And Greatness Again Jesus took two opposite realities and teaches his disciples how to choose between them. He said, “You choose to be a servant and you will be great!” You choose to be a slave and you will be first. Jesus finishes with a reminder of his own example. The son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. In Jesus’ kingdom service leads to greatness. You are not great because someone serves you. You are great because you serve others.
Shinning Shoes The team in Turkey was surprised one morning! They had been out in the towns visiting house to house and their shoes were covered with dust. But one morning they woke up to find all their shoes brightly polished and “parked” next to each one’s bed! Dale Rhoton had risen early and shinned their shoes! It reminds me of the time when Jesus washed the disciples feet. What a telling example! Jesus had card for and served his disciples in a practical way. They wore sandals and their feet would get dusty out in the streets. Dale had cared for and served his team in a practical way.
No One Asked Them to Wash The Dishes Someone once told me that they began to accept the ministry of OM when they saw us, especially the guys, get up from the dinner table and go to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes. No one had asked us to do it. The Lord was working in us and we knew that to be serious with the Lord we should serve each other.
Grandpa, The Story Teller I think of others who have served me. One of those people was my maternal grandfather. When as children we went to the United States, on furlough, from Nigeria, my parents were asked out to meals ad meetings to share about their ministry. I was in first grade of school and my brother Bob was a year and a half younger. When mom and dad went out of an evening we liked nothing better than to have grandpa come over and baby sit. We called him Popop and we enjoyed so much his visits. He would gather us close to him on the couch and tell us cowboy stories all evening until we fell asleep. This was the early 1950’s so we had no television in those days. He told us stories about cowboy Ned and the cattle rustlers. We could hardly wait for Popop to come on the next visit. Popop served mom and dad by caring for us, and he served us by showing his love and interest in us.
Thousands of Letters and Phone Calls In the summer of 2003 many in OM witnessed the turning over of the leadership of the ministry from George Verwer, the founder, to Peter Maiden, his assistant. I think there was not a hand not raised when the 1700 of us were asked how many had ever received a letter, e-mail or phone call from George Verwer. There was a moment when we all realized just how much George had done for us by keeping in touch. We were not the only ones he had written to, by any means! I was on a trip with George to our base in Zaventem, Belgium, several years ago. We had spent the day traveling by car and ferry from London to Brussels, Belgium. I was weary when we arrived and it was nearing midnight. We soon were off to bed in what we knew endearingly as the “factory”. The team there was renovating this old factory we had been using as a vehicle repair base for many years, but some of the walls were still quite thin. As I lay in my bed waiting for sleep to carry me off and I knew it wouldn’t take long, I heard a voice coming through the wall. It was George and I could tell he was dictating letters. The time was 1:00am.
My mind goes back to an OM conference in the 1960’s. One night George Verwer spoke on the subject of writing letters! His words challenged me deeply and I remember writing several letters immediately after the meeting! The atmosphere was electric! He had communicated. Fortunately the Lord was merciful and my response was not a flash in the pan. I have continued to write letters, postcards, e-mails and made telephone calls since then. His example continued as well, and my wife Cathy spent several periods of time helping him and his assistants type up those letters to thousands and thousands of people over the years.
Service Before And After A Wheel Chair My mind races on to another person who served so many of us, Jonathan McRostie. In the summer of 1979 George Verwer asked me to go down to Spain and reopen the summer outreaches there, after a lapse of a few years. It was the beginning of June and hundreds of young people from around Europe and North America were gathered. They met in a factory in Belgium in an OM summer orientation conference, before forming teams and striking out across Europe to their destinations in Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Belgium, England and other places to work with local churches in outreaches to people.
I was going to Spain and they had chosen a young man from England to go with me. Jonathan was forming the teams and orientation was being given to team leaders, drivers, cooks, bookkeepers, and literature organizers before they left. The operations room was a buzz with activity. Everyone needed to talk with Jonathan at the same time. His nights were very short and I could tell he was weary. At one point I wondered how he kept upright. But he eventually procured me a car and the essentials for the trip! Today Jonathan is in a wheelchair having suffered a broken back in an automobile accident serving people on the European teams of OM. But he never gave up. He continues to serve others! It is one thing to serve when you are healthy but quite another when you are paraplegic!
But what shall we say of the years of service of Margit, Jonathan’s wife, who has persevered, serving by his side through the tough times? She has served the Lord, served Jonathan and those whom Jonathan served.
The next story will be a demonstration of Jesus’ care and service to a needy blind man.
IV. Blind Bartimaeus Received his Sight 10:46-52
What’s All The Yelling About? In Chapter 10:46-52 Jesus and his party came to Jericho. And as they leave the city, Mark, the gospel writer, records an event which fits into the scheme of the two opposite realities.
Blind Bartimaeus was sitting at the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd and realized that Jesus was passing, he started yelling: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me (NKJV)!
_________________________________________________________________________
Mercy Genesis 19:16, 19 When the Lord rescued Lot from the destruction of Sodom, the author of Genesis declared the mercy of God and Lot recognized his mercy.
Genesis 39:21 God had mercy on Joseph and gave him grace in the eyes of the prison director. Joseph had been accused of trying to rape the wife of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. His wife did not show mercy to Joseph. Potiphar did not show him mercy. Earlier Joseph’s brothers had not shown him mercy. They had thrown him in a ditch and then sold him to the Ishmaelites.
Genesis 40:14 Later Joseph interpreted 2 dreams for 2 of Pharaoh’s servants and he asked the man whose life was spared to remember him to Pharaoh. That man forgot Joseph for 2 years until Pharaoh himself had dreams which no one could interpret. Only until then does the servant of Pharaoh mention Joseph to him.
Exodus 15:13 Moses and all Israel sang to the Lord declaring his mercy to Israel, because he destroyed their enemies, the army of Egypt, in the Red Sea.
Exodus 20:6 In the 10 Commandments God declared his mercy (love) to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Exodus 34:6, 7 In this passage we see that God is merciful and yet God mixes mercy and judgment. (See also Numbers 14:18)
Numbers 14:19 Moses prayed to God on behalf of Israel, a rebellious people, asking his mercy on him.
Joshua 2:14 It is interesting to see that the Lord had mercy on someone from this same city, Jericho, many centuries earlier. It was Rahab, the prostitute who hid the 2 spies. Her life was rescued from the destruction that was to fall on Jericho.
2 Samuel 9:7 David showed mercy (goodness) to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan.
Psalm 26:3 “For your mercy is before my eyes and I have walked in your truth.” _________________________________________________________________________
Some of the people told him to shut up. But he yelled even louder. Psalm 57:3 says, He will send from heaven and save me; he reproaches whoever tramples on me. (Selah) God will send his mercy and his truth (NASB-u). God had sent Jesus from heaven and he saved Bartimaeus, having been trampled by others.
Jesus stopped, called him, asked what he wanted and healed him. Jesus responded to his calls for help and then he responded to his faith. He gave him his sight.
What was Bartimaeus’ response to Jesus? He followed Jesus along the road. You will remember that the disciples had been thinking about where they would sit, desiring to have the two best seats next to Jesus. Bartimaeus on the other hand rose up to follow him along the road after Jesus healed him. Brothers and sisters it is not time to sit down but to rise and follow in the steps of Jesus. (This contrast between sitting down or rising to follow Jesus was an observation Dr. David Gooding made to me in a conversation with him on an occasion in the 1980s.)
Jesus was willing to set aside the popularity he already enjoyed, to minister to a poor begging blind man who sat at the edge of the road.
Obscurity And Popularity What are the two opposite realities here? Popularity, notoriety and fame are to be preceded by identification with those who are poor, blind and obscure. We are to identify with people who don’t count, who are not famous, who are even told by others to “shut up”, and be quiet!
Why was Jesus so popular? Why did so many follow him along the road? They crowded after him because he had stopped to notice them. He had helped them. He took care of them. Now they wanted to be with him.
V. The Triumphal Entry 11:1-11
A Donkey Not A Chariot Our fifth story in 11:1-11 is about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Much space is given to how he entered Jerusalem. He chose to ride on the foal of a donkey. If we are slow to understand, the prophet Zechariah explains, in his prophecy chapter 9 and verse 9. Our king comes...gentle or humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The prophet emphasizes the gentleness and humility of the Messiah. Jesus did not hire a grand chariot in which to ride into Jerusalem. If you continue to read Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 10 you will read that God will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem.
Haman And Mordecai In the book of Esther the king wanted to honor Mordecai for saving his life from a plot to kill him. To do this he told Haman to set Mordecai on a horse with a crest on its head. He was to clothe Mordecai with a royal robe that the king had worn. And he was to lead him through the streets shouting, “This is done to the man whom the king desires to honor!”
From Donkey To Lion When I was growing up in Nigeria I was called Jacky. My name is Jack and when you are a boy they call you Jacky. But in the language of those African people 'Jacky' meant 'donkey'. That was humiliating to me and embarrassing to the Africans. So they changed my name from 'Jacky' to 'Zaki'. 'Zaki' meant lion! I was honored and they were pleased.
But Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem like a lion. He came in humility on a donkey.
Riding With Julius Caesar Gaius Seutonius Tranquillus, a Roman historian, tells us that on one of the occasions when Julius Caesar rode in a procession of triumph through Rome the axle of his chariot broke and he almost pitched out of the chariot and almost fell head first to the ground. (The Twelve Caesars, Gaius Seutonius Tranquillus, The Folio Society edition, 1992, 27.) This ruler of Rome was humbled. He also died later at the hands of colleagues and fellow rulers. Brutus, as well as others, surrounded him and stabbed him to death. But in Caesar’s case no resurrection followed. (Selected Lives And Essays, Plutarch, Vol. 2, Walter J. Black, Inc., 1951, 130, 131.)
Humility And Exaltation As Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day they praised God and blessed Jesus as the one who came in the name of the Lord. Humility leads to exaltation. This is the road Jesus took. And this road ultimately brings glory, not to one’s self, but to God.
No Reception For Jesus In The Temple But Jesus went to the temple, not just into Jerusalem. What was his reception like in the temple? In the temple there was no reception, there was no banquet. Jesus was not given awards for his work with the poor. He was not given honorary doctorates for his excellent and tireless teaching. He was not crowned king. There was only silence!
The Silent Treatment For 30 Years When you get angry with your wife or husband what is one of the means of revenge? It is the silent treatment! I won’t talk to her. I will not say one word to him. He offended me! One of the people who ministers with O.M. told us her parents had a terrible argument thirty years ago. They have not spoken a word directly to each other in all those years. They communicate by leaving notes on the table or they call up relatives by phone to ask them to give their spouse a message. This is the silent treatment.
In the temple the chief priests gave Jesus the silent treatment. Which is our response to Jesus? Is it the silence of ignoring him or the rejoicing in God of receiving him? If we have received him and we rejoice in him; if he has entered our lives in triumph; if we have identified with him, then let’s remember how he entered our lives.
A Review Of Our Lesson Let’s review those five steps or realities.
He died to rise to life. He suffered to be glorified. He served and became first and greatest. He sought us out in our need and obscurity and became our popular leader. He humbled himself and was exalted.
He Humbled himself … Even To Death On A Cross In Philippians 2:8-11, Paul writes, 8b ... he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (NIV). Today you must decide. Do I look for a seat amongst the great as James and John did? Do I remain seated begging at the side of the road like Bartimaeus? Or do I rise and follow Jesus along the road which harbors death, suffering, service, obscurity and humility?
The Two Sides Of This Coin Follow Jesus and remember there are two sides to the coin.
Death leads to resurrection. Suffering is the path to glory. Service rewards the greatest. Obscurity gathers popularity. And humility crowns with exaltation.
Jesus leads us in the only true triumphal procession.
Questions To Aid In The Study Of This Section, Mark 10:32-11:11 1. Why were the disciples so frightened at the prospect of accompanying Jesus to Jerusalem? Did Jesus confirm or dispel their fears by what he announced to them (10:32-34)?
2. Jesus introduced a very positive thought into his announcement about what would happen to him in Jerusalem. Why did this not seem to make any difference? Why not? Does it really make a difference to me (10:32-34)?
3. For 3 years the 12 had walked and talked and listened to Jesus. He had reprimanded them on more than one occasion about self seeking and egotistical attitudes. Why did the two disciples ask for the seats next to him in his glory? Was this request entirely egotistical? What would I like to ask Jesus for (10:35-40)?
4. There are two words that begin with “s”, at least in English, which Jesus uses in the conversations with the two who ask for the seats and the 10 when they raise a protest. What are they? Can you think of ways in which Christians have lived out these two realities or could live out these two realities? Please make two lists with each of these words at the top of each list. In each list write down the different ways Christians can live out these two realities. Have I lived these realities out in my life (Two sections, 10:35-45)?
5. What did Jesus have to turn away from, at least momentarily, in order to turn to Bartimaeus? Am I willing to do what Jesus did in order to minister to those who count for so little in our societies, and yet are hurting so much (10:46-52)?
6. Contrast the reception Jesus experienced in the streets of Jerusalem as opposed to that which he received in the temple. Contrast the noise level and the action! What does this tell us about the attitudes of the common man as opposed to the priest regarding Jesus? All this has to do with receiving Jesus. How have I received or rejected Jesus? Remember that on the day he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem there was no active rejection of him, but there was something else which was a sinister shadow of what was to come in less than a week later (11:1-11).
©Copyright 2006-2046 John (Jack) W Rendel. All rights reserved. |
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