Can You See?

Mark 9:30-37

Transcript

Let us pray. Father, may your will be done. Jesus, may your word be proclaimed. And spirit, may your work be accomplished in us. We pray.
Amen. Well, today's gospel lesson, I'm going to ask you to really pay attention because I'm going to take you on a little journey, a little trip, if you will, through a little section of the Gospel of Mark. This is what you have to remember this morning, the Gospel of Mark. Chapters eight, nine and ten, not that big of a deal, but three chapters. Because in this three chapters, Mark does something really profound.
If you pay attention to all the nuances that he's going to throw at you, and I'm going to try to break that down for you so that by the end of this journey today, as we travel along with Mark on the journey, he wants to take us in about who Jesus is, that we can actually apply this to our life and see how we can grow in our knowledge of Jesus and how we can learn to live our lives in him. So that's the aim for today. But you're going to have to pay attention because I'm going to be kind of what seems to be all over the map, but it's going to make a whole lot of sense, and I'll try to break this down as simply as I can. Now, if you remember, we're here. Last week we looked at a passage where Jesus tells for the first time his disciples.
He's teaching them. He says, the son of man is going to have to die, but he's going to be resurrected. That's the summary of what he was teaching his disciples. And if you remember, it is Peter that rebukes him for this, because Peter has a different interest, he has a different motivation for what the Messiah needs to be doing in order to redeem and save people. But Jesus then rebukes Peter in front of the disciples and says, peter, your intentions and your interests are all about the world.
And Mandev, your interests and your intentions are not that of God's. So that's what we looked at and that's what we talked about. But what I want to point out is that there are actually three episodes in sequence, mark eight, mark nine, mark ten, that Jesus does this teaching. Jesus teaches his disciples, the twelve specifically about his death and his resurrection. The first one, like I said, we just referenced last week in chapter eight.
Today our gospel lesson does it again. Here we are confronted with Jesus teaching his disciples once again about his death and resurrection. And then in Mark, chapter ten, which we don't get to because the lectionary reading doesn't go there this year, but in mark ten he does it one final time. Now, I want to point out how consistent each one of these sequences are. In eight, nine and ten, you have the actions or the response of the disciples to this teaching.
So Jesus in eight, nine, and ten sits them down, says, I'm going to die, but I'll be resurrected. And the response to the disciples are all three, specific and unique. And then Jesus offers a reply, a teaching moment to their response. So let's look at chapter eight, for example, and just reiterate the response to Jesus telling about his death and resurrection. Was Peter being self motivated, being very selfish in what he thought the messiah was going to be.
Peter thought that his idea, his way for the messiah to bless the nations, to save people and redeem people was way better than God's. There was this hubris that Peter tended to have. Today in our gospel lesson, we're confronted with the response of the disciples to, again, Jesus saying, I'm going to die and be resurrected. Their initial response is that they didn't understand, I'm gonna get to that here in a second. But more importantly, as they continued on the way, the disciples began to talk amongst themselves to see which one was the greatest.
This is very telling because every one of these responses that the disciples have to Jesus, telling them, I'm going to die and resurrect is some kind of inward looking of the disciples. Peter was looking into himself, into his own reason for what the Messiah ought to be doing. Now, in this chapter nine, the second sequence of Jesus death and resurrection, the disciples are saying, hey, which one of us is the greatest? In the third account, in the third sequence, in Mark chapter ten, the disciples response is from the sons of Zebedee, James and John asked Jesus, hey, can you grant us a high and lofty position in glory? Can we sit to the left and to the right of you in heaven?
And you begin, once you analyze these responses of the disciples to Jesus claim and teaching that he's going to die and be resurrected, it really doesn't make any sense to us. That seems to be so turned in on themselves and have no regard for what Christ is going to be doing, what the messiah is going to be accomplishing, to save and redeem people. This is very telling of where the maturity level of the disciples are. We see that they are hungry and their appeal is that their desires can be made manifest, that the messiah would work their own will rather than the will of God. We see in chapter nine where they, their desire, their appeal for status.
We want to know who is great among us when they're standing in the presence of the greatest one ever. And then the third again is them wanting position. So you have the selfishness, the status, and this position that the disciples are really hungry about. In light of Mark telling us that Jesus is teaching them about his death and resurrection. And that's really interesting.
I think there's a personal application before we can really just land blast the disciples for being so rude and ornery and prideful and so turned in on themselves. I think Mark is writing that in such a way to create this pattern, to say when Jesus tells us how it is he has come to save people, we often just look the other direction and we look more into our own interests and our own selfish and, and our own desires for status and position. We are no better than the disciples. We don't understand. Even like the disciples.
We act like the disciples who seemingly read like a bunch of buffoons in the presence of Jesus. Oftentimes we think that man, if we could be part of the disciple group right when Jesus is walking here on earth, like we think we could have done it better than that. I've thought that before. But then I'm constantly confronted with just how little the disciples actually understand and how we actually see them very immature in the early days of them walking with Jesus.
But what's even more telling is how Mark writes this in such a way as to include us in on Jesus's teaching moment. So Jesus response, a reply to their reactions to him saying, I'm going to die and resurrect. He uses a teaching moment in chapter eight. His teaching moment to Peter and his disciples is that you first, if you want to look out for others interests, you have to put your interest and your desires and align them with goddess. That is what you all need to learn.
That's what you all need to understand. You have to deny yourself if you want to follow the messiah. And Peter says, no, his was the opposite reaction. He wasn't denying himself. He wasn't considering God's interests, but his own.
The second, which is the one we come to today, right? Jesus knows of their conversation as they're walking to Calpurnum, and he asks them about this, and he says, what were you guys talking about while we were walking? And they were silent and we weren't given their words. But Mark writes down and tells us what they were talking about, saying, which one of us was great. Jesus knowing this, knowing about the conversation, even though they didn't really tell him about it.
Uses a child as a prop for the teaching moment. You desire to be great. Let me tell you who is great. He grabs the child, he stands them in front of him, and we're told this. These are two actions that Jesus does.
He stands. Well, let me just read it. It's better for me to read it, right? Mark chapter nine. Sitting down, he called the twelve and said to them, if anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.
And taking a child, he set him before them. And then taking his arms, he said to them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me. And whoever receives me does not receive me, but him who sent me. This is very telling. Jesus is using the child as a prop to teach in response to the disciples wanting to know who's the greatest among them.
Them. And you have to understand, and we all, I think, can understand the status that a child represents within family or even in a community. Right? They are the ones that have to grow in knowledge. They have not yet obtained any knowledge.
They are the ones that have to be taught. They are the ones that have to exercise obedience because they are the ones in a position to serve their mom and dad. Matter of fact, the law speaks to this. The law tells us what the status of a child is within the family, and that is, you honor your father and mother. Your father and mother do not honor you.
You are the servant in the family unit. Right? And this is evident even as we talk about just children and just observing children. Not any one of us has ever taught a child, at least I hope not, how to throw a tantrum. When Beau throws a tantrum, or when he has thrown a tantrum and he's throwing himself all over the ground.
He has never seen me do that. I have never to say, beau, let me show you. This is the appropriate way to throw a tantrum. You get down on the ground, you roll around, you scream, you shake your fist, and you become highly disrespectful. Never have done that to Beau.
Beau has just naturally done that himself. That points to the reality that we all are sinful, even children. As much as people don't like to say it, children have to be taught in the way they are to go. They're not neutral. They're already bent towards sin.
They're already bent to rebel. And we have to teach them to obey. We have to teach them to honor. We have to teach them how to have a good work ethic. We have to teach them to listen, we have to teach them how to be patient, all these things.
That's what a parent does. And the Lord instills the authority of a parent in the life of the child by saying, children, obey your parents, children, honor your father and mother.
The Bible itself tells us what a status of a child is. He's the lowly, he's the servant. And it's a season of life that he is to be poured into where he doesn't get to tell and execute his own wisdom, because he's not yet quite mature. Even Jesus at the age of twelve, we are told in the book of John, goes and submits himself to the teaching in the synagogues and under leadership. Jesus, if there ever was born a perfect child, it would be Jesus.
And yet he demonstrates that he had to grow in wisdom and stature, and that he himself had to submit to authorities and had to submit to being taught. And he lived a life of a twelve year old in order to demonstrate that he too experiences every facet of life as well, so that he can sympathize and empathize with us. This is why I will always preach and teach what the Bible teaches about parental relationships. And that is mom and dad have the covenant relationship. If you were to get married and you were to go through one of my marriage counsel things, I established, that the covenant that is made between a man and a woman, a husband and wife, supersedes that of a child.
You don't make covenant with your child. They're just born into a covenant relationship between mom and dad. Then one day, as you pour into their life and as you train them, then they will go and leave and cleave and unite and make covenant with someone else and then raise their own children. And there's this pattern and repetition that goes, this is what is understood as the biblical way of the family, right?
And so Jesus using of the child informs us of what is truly great in the kingdom of God. And this is why we often use these. And we did it with the dedication is we train them in the way they should go, we help them to be good servants. And in the image of a child, we ought to see how it is that we posture ourselves, even as adults, under the rule and reign of God himself. We are the children of God and he is our father.
And so God the father rules and reigns over our life, parenting us. And that those who desire to be great among the kingdom of God are those who position themselves like a child. And Jesus says, this is why I welcome all children, because children are a. An image for all of us ought to be in relationship to God. And so this is how Jesus responds to the disciples self inwardness of wanting to be great, wanting that status among men.
But what about mark, chapter ten? That's the third account. What happens there? Well, let me just briefly read what Jesus responds to for the, for that third account in mark ten. Now, the sons of Zebedee, James and John ask to sit at his left, in his right hand.
They want a position in heaven with Jesus. Seems hunky dory, doesn't seem too bad, but again, it's turned inwardly. And we're told, even in account, without getting into reading every single verse, we find that this creates envy or this creates strife or indignation among the disciples because they're asking Jesus to sit at his left and right side. You only have two hands. That means there's two people.
These two brothers are saying, hey, let us sit at the left and the right. Give us good position above everybody else. So this is what Jesus says to that in this teaching moment. He says, again, in a very similar way, calling them to himself. That's the disciples.
Jesus said to them, you know that those who are recognized as rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus puts the way of the world and the way of his kingdom in opposition. He says, do you know, like the way the leaders in the jewish gentile community lord over them? They walk around, everybody knows who the leader is because everybody is in submission to them, and they lord it over them. You do this for me. You serve me.
You serve me. He says, not so. It's not so in my kingdom. In my kingdom, it's those who serve. And just to demonstrate this, I am the son of God, I am the Messiah.
And yet I don't even come to be served, but I come to serve. I put on, I put on humility, I put on flesh, and I came down to serve humanity's greatest need, their redemption and salvation. And that's the whole point. Jesus says, do you want to sit at the left and right? Can you do that?
Can you do what I can do or what I'm going to do? I'm going to die. I'm going to lay my life down. I'm going to be delivered up into the hands of my enemy, and I'm going to willfully do it. Nobody's going to take from me my life.
I give it freely so that those whom I'm serving can be redeemed. That's how my kingdom works. And when you begin to put all of this in perspective, when you begin to look at mark eight, nine and ten, and you see that Jesus is telling them, I'm going to die and be resurrected over and over again, and then you see the response of the disciples over and over and over again. And then you see Jesus teaching moments based on their response. You begin to see a pattern form and you begin to truly dive into what Jesus is trying to accomplish and what Jesus is trying to teach.
Now, one more last thing about this. These three chapters that I think is very amazing and profound and just shows that the Bible is the best written book in all the world because God pens it through his disciples. And that is beginning of chapter eight opens up with a narrative of a blind man in Bethsaida. And the blind man Jesus takes aside begins to work on him and he says, can you see? And the blind man says, I kind of see.
I kind of see. Men kind of look like trees. Jesus works on him again and then he can see everything clearly. The reason why Mark brings that as the introduction to these three chapters is because Mark is trying to tell you up front, you are going to see how the disciples can't see clearly at first, but then their vision comes into view. When you get to Mark, chapter nine, we're told specifically again, after the second time, that Jesus says, I'm going to die and resurrected.
The disciples say, we don't understand this. They see, but they can't see clearly. Jesus as Messiah. But you know, when that vision comes into full view for them is when Jesus dies and is resurrected and Jesus gives them their spirit. All of a sudden they recount and remember all the teachings that were told in the gospels that they didn't understand.
They now understand it. And what Mark is getting to by putting at the front end of these three chapters is to say that is the unfolding of the revelation of Christ the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. It is like a blind man that as you can, as Jesus continues to work on you, the clearer the things become and you see him finally for who he truly is. But you're going to need the Holy Spirit to do that. This is why we pray when we read scripture.
That the spirit illuminate our minds. You can't understand the significance of the scripture unless you have the spirit. The spirit has to guide you in all the truth. You can read over and over and over again something, but until the spirit makes it evident to you, you don't fully understand it. We are like the blind mandeh who Jesus comes and begins to work, and we can barely see clearly.
Yeah, I think those are men, but they look like trees. And as Jesus continues to move his word over you, you begin to see clearly. Ah, there's Jesus. I see him, but not just at the front end. It wouldn't be a coincidence if it was just one little isolated incident about a blind man.
But if I were to ask you if you could bet how mark ends these three chapters of Jesus, three tellings of his death and resurrection, how do you think it ends in chapter ten with a blind man? These are called bookends in biblical interpretation. Bookends. And they're meant to say, here's the bookends so that you can understand everything you're about to read, and then you can look back and fully understand everything that you would just been told. So he bookends it with two blind men.
This is Barnabas, and he's blind, and he's sitting on the side of the road, and he hears Jesus coming, and he cries out, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me, son of David. And we're told that Jesus stops, and he turns to the blind mandeh, and he asks him the exact same question he asked James and John when they come to Jesus and James and John in chapter ten, come, the sons of Zebedee come and say, hey, can I sit your right and your left? The first question that is actually posed to them, Jesus says, what can I do for you? And then they say, we want to sit at your left and your right hand. Well, guess what?
At the end of chapter ten with the blind Mandeh, Jesus stops and says, what can I do for you? And if you've been reading these three chapters that clues you in on, like, oh, this is kind of another example, maybe a better one of a response to Jesus ministry than the sons of Zebedee have, he says, what can I do for you? He says, can you give me sight? Can I see? Can you make me see?
Will you make me see? Will you have mercy on me and help me to see? And Jesus says, your faith has saved you. Go and be healed. And immediately he can see, immediately all things.
And then he goes, what's interesting is Mark tells us that he goes from a guy sitting on the side of the road. That's where you put the lowly, that's where you put the lame. That's where you put the outsiders off the side of the road. But what Mark tells us is that he was standing and walking with Jesus and following him.
How did we start off those three chapters? Jesus says, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. At the end of chapter ten, he tells the blind man who had faith in him. He says, you can see. And what did the blind man do?
He followed after Jesus. You want to know what's really important about that is Jesus is moving through Jericho and entering into Jerusalem. And the next scene in chapter eleven is Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem, the head to the cross. So where's that blind man following him? Following Jesus to the cross.
So Mark leaves us with a lasting impression of a blind man again, who in faith in Jesus, instantly sees in order to follow him, denying himself, taking up his cross, and serving Jesus wherever he goes, putting all those three episodes together in a blind man. So the question becomes for you, Jesus, asking you, what do you see? Can you see? Are you still blind?
Can you only see clearly? Only Christ can continue to work in you, his word and his life to help you see clearly. A lot of us are blind. A lot of us are beginning to see. And a lot of us just need to place our faith in Jesus so that we can see and follow him, denying ourselves and serving his purposes, executing his will and not our own, denying ourselves.
A lot of us need to posture ourselves as a child of God, of which the kingdom is made up of. That is what Mark is trying to teach us right in the middle of his gospel, right before we see Jesus come into the fullness of what he came to do. He's going to enter Jerusalem and he's going to go die. He dies for you. He doesn't just die for your sins, but he also dies and is resurrected so that you can begin to live a life in him.
Now that's our gospel lesson for today. Let's pray.
Jesus, we thank you of all of us who are blind, that we can come to you in faith. Ask for sight and you will give it to us. If we ask of the your spirit to have the spirit, you will give it to us because you are loving and you're kind and you desire for us to grow in your likeness. I pray for each and every one of us that if we're not seeing clearly, that we'll have you continue to work on us so that we can come to the point where we can see vividly. And for all those who are truly blind and living in the darkness, I pray that in faith, they would come to you and receive sight so that the rest of their lives they can run after you, follow you, denying themselves and serving in your kingdom, posturing themselves as a child.
We thank you, God, that you are a phenomenal storyteller. That the way in which you write to us in your word speaks to the depths of our hearts and our souls, to guide us and direct us closer to you. For we have read this morning that if we draw near to you, you will draw near to us. I pray that each and every one of us would draw near today and not waste one more minute of our lives living for ourselves. Jesus, we thank you.
That you were faithful to endure the cross, that you were not cast off to the left or to the right, but you made a straight path all the way to the cross, willingly giving up your life so that we can be redeemed and so that we can experience the newness of life in you. It's for this reason we come today to worship you and to listen to you and to have our ears opened, our eyes opened, and our hearts opened to receive what it is that you are speaking to us today. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.