RTS Charlotte: Women's Bible Study w/ Dr. Mike Kruger- The Gospel of Mark, Episode 12
Summary
TLDRIn this thought-provoking transcript, the speaker discusses the theme of persecution and the cost of following Christ, as illustrated through the Gospel of Mark. The narrative focuses on three key stories: Jesus facing disdain in his hometown, the disciples experiencing vulnerability and rejection, and the tragic end of John the Baptist. The message emphasizes the importance of enduring hardships for faith, understanding the risks involved in spreading the Gospel, and the necessity of community support in facing such challenges.
Takeaways
- 📖 The passage from Mark 6:1-29 discusses three levels of persecution related to sharing the Gospel: Jesus in His hometown, the disciples on their mission, and John the Baptist's tragic end.
- 🗣️ Jesus faced disdain and contempt in His hometown of Nazareth, showing that even in familiar places, there can be rejection and mockery for His teachings.
- 🚶♂️ The disciples were sent out two by two, symbolizing the importance of community and partnership in facing the challenges of spreading the Gospel.
- 🎒 The disciples were instructed to take minimal belongings, emphasizing reliance on God's provision and the hospitality of fellow believers.
- 🚫 Rejection is a part of sharing the Gospel, as not everyone will receive the message with open arms; believers must learn to 'shake off the dust' and move on.
- 👥 The persecution faced by believers can range from disdain and rejection to hatred and violence, as seen in the story of John the Baptist's execution.
- 🔊 Speaking the truth is often the catalyst for persecution, as it challenges the status quo and confronts wrongdoing, even within the religious community.
- 💔 The story of John the Baptist highlights the tragic reality that even those who are faithful can face extreme persecution and martyrdom for their stand for righteousness.
- 🙏 Persecution and rejection should not deter believers from their mission; instead, they should press on, knowing that their ultimate security comes from God.
- 🌟 The perseverance of believers in the face of persecution can serve as a powerful testimony to the transformative power of the Gospel.
- 🌍 The Gospel's reception varies widely; some who seem least likely to believe may come to faith, while those closest to the message may reject it.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the passage discussed in the transcript?
-The main theme of the passage is the concept of persecution and the cost of following Christ, as illustrated through the experiences of Jesus, his disciples, and John the Baptist.
How does the passage relate to the challenges faced by believers in a secular culture?
-The passage highlights that even in a religious culture, believers faced significant persecution, suggesting that the challenges believers face in a secular culture may be even greater.
What was Jesus' reaction to the disbelief and contempt he faced in his hometown?
-Jesus expressed amazement at their unbelief and stated that a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household.
What instructions did Jesus give to his disciples before sending them out on their mission?
-Jesus instructed them to travel light, taking only a staff, wearing sandals, and not carrying extra clothing or money. He also told them to stay in a house where they were welcomed and to shake off the dust from their feet as a testimony against those who did not receive them.
How did King Herod react to John the Baptist's condemnation of his marriage?
-Herod, although initially perplexed and intrigued by John's righteousness, eventually had John beheaded due to the influence of Herodias and her daughter's request for John's head on a platter.
What is the significance of the Geneva Academy in the context of this passage?
-The Geneva Academy, founded by John Calvin, is presented as an example of a historical institution that trained ministers who faced extreme persecution, with many not returning from their missions. This serves as a comparison to the challenges faced by believers today.
What does the passage suggest about the nature of persecution believers may face?
-The passage suggests that persecution can take various forms, from disdain and contempt to physical violence and even death, and that believers should be prepared to endure these costs for their faith.
How does the passage encourage believers to handle rejection in their witness for Christ?
-The passage encourages believers to shake off the dust from their feet as a symbol of moving on from rejection, focusing on those who will listen to the message of Christ, and to remember that ultimate rejection is of Christ himself, not the individual believer.
What is the importance of community in enduring persecution as highlighted in the passage?
-The importance of community is emphasized by Jesus sending out the disciples in pairs, indicating that believers should not face persecution alone but rather in fellowship with others who can provide support, encouragement, and prayer.
What does the passage imply about the response of religious leaders to truth?
-The passage implies that religious leaders may sometimes react with greater hostility to truth than secular individuals, as seen in the intense hatred and eventual violence against John the Baptist by Herod and Herodias.
Outlines
📖 Introduction to Mark Chapter 6 and Persecution
The speaker introduces the focus on Mark Chapter 6, emphasizing the progress made through the Gospel of Mark. The chapter discusses three movements related to persecution, counting the cost, and the challenges faced by Jesus, the disciples, and John the Baptist in spreading the gospel within their religious culture. The speaker reflects on the secular culture's challenges and the importance of understanding the costs of following Christ.
🙏 Reflecting on Persecution and Ministry
The speaker prays for encouragement and recognition of the sacrifices made by those before us. The discussion shifts to Reform Theological Seminary's approach to training ministers, drawing parallels with the Geneva Academy founded by John Calvin. The speaker highlights the extreme persecution faced by ministers in the past, known as the 'school of death,' and contrasts this with the current challenges in ministry today.
🗣️ Jesus Faces Contempt in His Hometown
The passage focuses on Jesus's experience of disdain and contempt in His hometown of Nazareth. Despite His teachings and miracles, the people question His wisdom and authority, unable to reconcile His humble beginnings with His divine mission. The speaker emphasizes the importance of speaking the truth in love, even when it is met with rejection or hostility.
🚶♂️ The Disciples' Vulnerability and Rejection
The disciples are sent out by Jesus, facing vulnerability and rejection as they follow His command. The speaker discusses the practical dangers of travel in the ancient world and the spiritual significance of relying on God's provision. The disciples' mission is not a vacation but a risky endeavor, highlighting the importance of trust and the willingness to endure personal rejection for the sake of the gospel.
🔪 The Tragic End of John the Baptist
The narrative turns to the story of John the Baptist, illustrating the escalation of persecution to hatred and violence. John's truth-telling leads to his imprisonment and eventual beheading by order of Herod, driven by the hatred of Herodias. The speaker reflects on the sobering reality of persecution, emphasizing the need to be prepared for any form of persecution and the importance of community in enduring such challenges.
🙏 Closing Prayer and Call to Action
The speaker leads a closing prayer, acknowledging the discomfort with risk, difficulties, and rejection, and asking for strength to step out of comfort zones for the sake of the Gospel. The prayer emphasizes the need for encouragement and the willingness to endure for Christ, ending with a call to reflect on personal sacrifices for the gospel.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Persecution
💡Discipleship
💡Cost
💡Vulnerability
💡Rejection
💡John the Baptist
💡Truth-telling
💡Risk
💡Humility
💡Hospitality
Highlights
The passage discusses the theme of persecution and counting the cost in the context of sharing the Gospel.
The story is divided into three parts: Jesus' story, the disciples' story, and John the Baptist's story, all dealing with challenges in spreading the Gospel.
In Jesus' hometown, he faced disdain and contempt from those who knew him, illustrating the challenge of being rejected in familiar environments.
The disciples were sent out by Jesus two by two, symbolizing the importance of community and partnership in ministry.
The disciples were instructed to take nothing for their journey, emphasizing dependence on God and trust in His provision.
Jesus warned the disciples about the potential for rejection and advised them to shake off the dust as a testimony against those who do not receive them.
King Herod's story illustrates the violent consequences of speaking truth to power and the hatred that can arise from it.
John the Baptist's execution by Herod shows the extreme lengths to which some may go to silence truth-tellers.
The passage serves as a reminder of the cost of discipleship and the importance of enduring persecution for the sake of the Gospel.
The seminary's approach to training ministers is compared to historical models, such as the Geneva Academy started by John Calvin.
The Geneva Academy was known as the 'school of death' due to the high risk of persecution and death faced by its graduates.
The story of John the Baptist highlights the importance of speaking truth, even when it leads to personal danger.
The passage encourages believers to consider what they are risking for Jesus and to reflect on their willingness to endure hardship for the Gospel.
The importance of speaking the truth in love is emphasized, balancing boldness with compassion in sharing the Gospel.
The passage challenges the assumption that familiarity with spiritual truths guarantees belief, as even those closest to Jesus initially rejected him.
The story of Jesus in his hometown underscores the challenge of being dismissed due to one's background, even by those who know you well.
The call to mission and the risks involved are highlighted, urging believers to consider the sacrifices they are willing to make for the sake of the Gospel.
Transcripts
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
let's turn our attention Mark chapter
six we're continuing to make our way
through it
um you know that Mark has 16 chapters
when we're done in the spring here just
you know early March you will be halfway
through
the gospel of Mark so good for you this
is we're making quick progress and today
we have a long passage chapter 6 verses
1 through 29 and what you'll learn In
this passage today is a little bit like
last week's passage and there's there's
three movements to the story okay and
all of them at some level have to do
with persecution
all of them at some level have to do
with counting the cost all right so
there's a story of Jesus there's the
story of the disciples and there's a
story of John the Baptist very simple
three right Jesus disciples John the
Baptist Each of which face their own
challenges as they bring the gospel to
their world now let this sink in for a
moment you guys and I we're dealing with
counting the costs in arguably a secular
culture
which should be sobering today and I'm
sure it will be when you leave is that
they endure this cost in a religious
culture
they endured these costs inside Israel
so think about it if you're going to get
this kind of persecution for following
Christ inside even God's people what is
it going to be like outside
of God's people
um and so this is where part of the
message today is why are we so shocked
why are we so surprised when the message
we bring isn't necessarily received
instantaneously in fact often rejected
with hostility all right so let's listen
and just read this passage as we get
going so starting in verse one
he went away from there and came to his
hometown
and his disciples followed him
and on the Sabbath he began to teach in
the synagogue and many of you heard him
were astonished saying where did this
man get these things
what is the wisdom given to him are such
Mighty Works done by his hands
is not this the carpenter the son of
Mary and brother of James and Joseph and
Judas and Simon
and are not his sisters here with us
and they took offense at him
and Jesus said to them a prophet is not
without honor except in his hometown and
among his relatives and in his own
household
and he could do no Mighty work there
except that he laid hands on a few sick
people and healed them
and he marveled because of their
unbelief
and we went about the villages teaching
and he called The Twelve when he began
to send them out two by two and gave
them authority over the unclean spirits
he charged them to take nothing for
their Journey except the staff no bread
no bag no money in their belts but to
wear sandals and not put on two tunics
and he said to them whenever you enter a
house stay there until you depart from
there and if any place will not receive
you and they will not listen to you when
you leave shake off the dust that is on
your feet as a testimony against them
so they went out and proclaimed that
people should repent and they cast out
many demons Anointed with oil many who
were sick and healed them
King Herod heard of it for Jesus name
had become known some said John the
Baptist has been raised from the dead
that is why these miraculous powers that
work in him but others said he's Elijah
another said he's a prophet like one of
the prophets of old but when Herod heard
of it he said John whom I beheaded has
been raised
for it was Herod who had sent and seized
John and bound him in prison for the
sake of herodias his brother Philip's
wife because he had married her for John
had been saying to Herod it is not
lawful for you to have your brother's
wife
and a rhodius had a grudge against him
and wanted him to be put to death but
she could not for Herod feared John
knowing that he was a righteous and holy
man and kept him safe when he heard him
he was greatly perplexed and yet he
heard him gladly
but an opportunity came when Herod on
his birthday gave it banquet for his
Nobles and Military commanders and the
Leading Men of Galilee from herodius's
daughter came in and danced she pleased
Herod and his guests and the King said
to the girl ask me for whatever you wish
and I will give it to you
and he vowed to her whatever you asked
me I will give up to half my kingdom
and she went out and said to her mother
for what should I ask and she said the
head of John the Baptist
and she came in immediately with haste
to the king and asked saying I want to
give I want you to give me at once the
head of John the Baptist on a platter
and the King was exceedingly sorry but
because of his Oaths and his gas he did
not want to break his word to her and
immediately the king sent an executioner
with orders to bring John's head
he went out and beheaded him in the
prison and brought his head on a platter
and gave it to the girl and the girl
gave it to her mother
when the disciples heard of it they came
and took his body and laid it in a tomb
well not the happiest story of our time
in the gospel of Mark
but I think you can see that these three
hang together and have different levels
of of sort of interaction with those who
don't believe and so we're just going to
unpack this together today and I think
there's going to be some great lessons
for us as we think about our life in the
midst of a hostile culture so let me
pray as we get get rolling on this Lord
this is a sobering passage we think and
recognize how many before us have
suffered for you
Lord help encourage us today to not be
so
hesitant in our lives if we are called
to take risks for we know that you
ultimately protect us and use those
things even when we do suffer For Your
Glory so we pray this in Christ's name
amen
so here at reform Theological Seminary
one of the things we do is often try to
model ourselves on historical seminaries
that have been in existence for a long
time so what we try to do here and we
train people for Ministry is like well
who's done a good job of training people
for Ministry in the past and one of the
one of the examples that comes up
regularly in our conversations
internally here is the Geneva academy
that was started by John Calvin in the
1500s so of course you know Calvin he
was one of the leaders of the Protestant
Reformation
um and he started an academy in Geneva
and it was a little bit like a seminary
of course not exactly in that day like
ours now but they did a lot of what we
do they trained theologically and
biblically and historically and to help
you think about how you do what you do
and then they send you out
to do ministry and that's what we're all
about here of course at reform
Theological Seminary so there's this
interesting parallels between what they
did in Geneva and what we do here but
there's one big difference
for stretch in Calvin's Geneva as they
sent out ministers that graduated into
France there was a time when about half
of them never came back
it's a stunning stat when you look at it
there was a time where the persecution
of France was so significant that most
of the graduates expected they would be
killed within the first year or two of
their Ministry
in fact it had become such a well-known
thing for Calvin's Academy it sort of
had a nickname
it's called the school of death
I said well maybe that's how we should
rename RTS the school of death you know
that'll bring in some students
but of course that's the difference
isn't it we send our students out and
you know there's challenges in Ministry
make no mistake about it ministry's hard
and some of our students do go to
countries that are hostile but I don't
know of any stats yet where it even
comes close to the kind of persecution
that
Calvin's Geneva academy experienced they
went into France which at that time was
largely Roman Catholic and of course
this just captures the spirit of the age
is that if they found you as a
Protestant preaching in France they
killed you
mostly burned you at the stake but then
there's other ways they killed you too
it's always remarkable to me about that
story is that people
signed up for that
it's not like they didn't know
it's not like well we gave you the
degree and hey here's a little piece of
news you didn't know you're gonna go die
no that wasn't it they knew coming in
because it was well known it's the
school had the reputation of the school
of death
it's humbling is it not to think about
people like that and then I look at my
life and we all suffer suffer levels of
persecution but I realize the kind of
persecution I Endure so minimal
comparatively but yet it does bother us
is it not there is a sense which hard to
be rejected
it's hard to be hated
it's hard to feel disdain whatever it
might be and so what I want us to do
today is see this pattern before us of
people who've endured these costs so we
can sort of shape the way we endure
these costs
sort of as a minor example even this
morning before I came over to the Bible
study
I have a website as you some of you may
know where I post articles and I still
probably this isn't probably very smart
I still allow comments on my website
which is probably a bad decision and
I've had people tell me why you still
let people make comments on your website
this is just like you know a
free-for-all but I still do and I'm
probably going to stop it but today I
was like I got a couple new comments on
this recent post let me read one to you
this person wrote in this morning
fitting for today here's what he said
I assume it's a heat I don't know that
you can quote as many Bible passages as
you like but the objective and
unavoidable truth is that Christians are
unrepentant bigots against those who
don't conform to their narrow
perspective of what is acceptable
have a good day
so now no one's pretending that level of
persecution is remotely close to
Geneva's Academy
but it is close to some of the stories
we see today and it's also just true in
your life is it not people sometimes
don't like you and me because of what we
believe what do you do with that how do
you think about that well In this
passage as I've already indicated we're
going to look at this in three little
Snippets three sort of uh snapshots of
people who dealt with this and as you
already saw Jesus dealt with this in his
hometown
I think the safest place on the planet
would be your own Hometown not true
then the second one as you can see there
in the outline is the disciples own
experience as they get sent out and of
course thirdly uh the very tragic and
sad story of John the Baptist so let's
just take these one at a time and your
outlines there we'll jump into the first
one Roman number one there the cost and
this one I summarize as you can see
there is disdain and contempt
Jesus did not die in this scene we don't
know that he was physically assaulted in
this scene okay he's killed later as we
all know of course by the Romans and
crucified on the cross but in this scene
at least the type of persecution he
endures isn't that it's not physical
it's disdain it's contempt it's ridicule
it's mockery
and you can see that people sort of sort
of you know turn their nose up to him
who do you think you are coming here
back to your hometown and saying the
things you're saying
and what's stunning about this of course
is that this is his this is his hometown
this is where he grew up
so much so that they know his parents
they know his siblings they know they
knew him presumably as a child and
they're mesmerized by where did where
does where did he get all this knowledge
and who does he think he is we we knew
him when he was a kid
and so there's this contempt they have
for him and this is a remarkable uh
story of the reaction in Nazareth so
let's just break this down a little bit
in real number one by looking at a few
things first I want you to notice the
negative reaction begins with the
teaching
isn't this interesting and you know that
this is true for you and me too people
don't necessarily negatively react to us
just for existing although that does
feel that way sometimes but rather they
react negatively when we speak truth
right when we say something when we say
hey here's what God has said in his word
here's what he's revealed here's what I
believe that's the trigger right for
almost every instance of persecution the
trigger point is speaking
we see this not only here we see it and
but all three stories we particularly
see it in the story of John the Baptist
right because what does he do he spoke
the truth to Herod
that's pretty bold and ended up costing
him his very life look what happens in
verse two so Jesus in verse one went
away from there came to his hometown
which we know is Nazareth even though
the text doesn't tell us this the
disciples are with them and what does he
do in verse two and on this sabbath he
began to teach in the synagogue
so presumably he's you know Hometown boy
makes makes good invite him back give
him a chance to speak but they weren't
ready for what he had to say
now this particular story doesn't tell
us everything that Jesus said but we
know already in the gospel Mark the kind
of things he talks about right and he
knows that one of the main themes
throughout this entire section is the
theme of repentance you know Turn Away
From the Path you're on which is not the
path of life it's the path of death and
turn away from your sins and back to God
and that teaching astonished them
look what we see here where did this man
get these things what does the wisdom
given him and how much Mighty Works done
by his hands because he had been doing
some Miracles before this
and then they Heap on all the uh
criticisms which we'll get to in a
moment right now though I want you to
notice that the thing that kicks this
off is the truth telling
now I want to pause on this for a moment
because there's such a hobbyist
application here for us
there's sort of two extremes out there
when it comes to truth-telling and I
want you to think about this there are
some that never tell the truth at all
and if we're honest with ourselves
sometimes we fall into that cam don't we
opportunities to say something
opportunities to
sort of present the truth of the gospel
and we just stay quiet and stay silent
so one extreme is just don't necessarily
always have the courage to speak up do
we and we need to acknowledge that
but then in our culture there's another
extreme
person who feels obligated to speak up
about everything
and not to speak of about everything but
speak the truth in ways that are
probably pretty aggressive
maybe even belligerent and harsh and
always looking for a fight
and this is sadly true even in the
Christian world right uh sort of Truth
tellers usually are the kind of people
out there that think well you know
people don't like me because I'm always
telling the truth maybe or maybe they
don't like you because the way you do it
right
um I always tell my students I say if
you're not going to be liked by the
world make sure they don't like you
because of Jesus not just because you're
a jerk right
um and so there are both things that go
on and this reminded me of a verse here
you see it at the bottom of point a
there Ephesians 4 15 speak the truth in
love
notice what I say there don't just pick
one
and everybody in this room has a
proclivity to pick one some of you just
want to think about the speak the truth
side and so you maybe you're in kind of
brawls all the time with people other
you are thinking about just the love
side
and maybe so much so do you never speak
the truth
and we want to make sure that we're
doing both and this is where the rub is
right in our culture really hard to do
both Jesus we know exemplifies this he
boldly spoke the truth he always did it
in love and so what you need to realize
is that they've they they balance each
other out right for those of you who
don't like to speak up
and just want to quote love people well
we need to remember we supposed to speak
the truth and those of you love to speak
the truth you remember you should do it
lovingly and kindly and graciously
everybody's needs to take part of that
message away right some of you need to
realize your own Tendencies and like
okay I probably need to hear one half
more than the other half and this is
part of what I want us to think about as
we interact with our world we want both
things to Mark us now even if we speak
the truth in love doesn't always mean
people take it that way right and this
is what I want you to realize you can
actually be loving as you speak the
truth and still have people hate you
so we're not suggesting that whether you
did a good job or not is always dictated
by the reaction
because sometimes you could have done a
great job at it and the reaction's still
bad
so don't think that if you get a bad
reaction you necessarily
didn't do it right
although it's always worth reflecting on
how you do it but notice in Jesus's case
we know that he did it right and look at
the negative reaction look at point B
they took offense at him this is the
summary line at the end of verse 3.
I don't throw around Greek words very
often but I put it here in your notes
transliterated at least you could read
it in English letters that took offense
is a is actually a verb and it comes up
a lot in the New Testaments the verb
scandalizo in the Greek sounds like what
English word
scandal
this is scandalous for them what the
idea that the guy they grew up with
and all his humility could be
the Divine Son of God the idea that the
guy they grew up with could be this
powerful teacher they just can't get
there this is the contempt of the
familiar right is that if you're
familiar with somebody you just can't
get in your head that they could have
authority over you or that they could be
in this sort of position so notice they
list out all the things about them well
I mean we were there when we we I
changed your diaper in the nursery Jesus
is effectively the argument here why are
you so hot stuff now
by the way some of you experienced this
in your own Christian life particularly
if you became a Christian later in your
life and you go back to your families or
back to your hometown and you realize
that that's the who do you think you are
now speech
and you're trying your best to follow
Jesus and people you think you're you
know hoity-toity high and mighty now
you're not necessarily but you're but
you realize there's this contempt of the
familiar there that takes place
and this is a good reminder of the
humility that Jesus's life was
notice that they don't see Jesus later
in this new light and say oh we saw this
coming
you're always you know so different from
everybody that we saw this coming no
they're a little bit shocked here which
shows you that Jesus grew up very humbly
very normally
he was a carpenter okay Carpenter in
that day is probably not that different
than a carpenter in our day probably you
know middle class Blue Collar lower end
of the scale could work with his hands
it was a decent trade no one significant
or special
I want you to notice also they know all
siblings there's this intimacy with
Jesus there that brings that contempt
you've noticed this because you'll find
out that one of the toughest places to
speak truth is to your family
is it not true
and I know this is true because we just
finished the holidays isn't that just
the greatest time ever
we go home for the holidays and
everyone's gathered together and it's
like what are you you're cringing in the
car on the way there you're like oh no
you know it's gonna be one of these
awkward conversations and then you know
my crazy uncle's gonna say something
about this and then I don't know whether
I should speak up and we're going to
disagree yeah and then this is where the
adage is you never talk about religion
or politics with anybody right who's a
family if you're going to keep the peace
and there's there's some wisdom there
but at the same time you struggle and I
struggle with them how do we deal with
those close Intimate Relationships it's
a lot easier to talk to strangers isn't
it
and you're like you get rejected by
strangers it stings a little you get
rejected by your family
ooh that hurts okay so put yourself in
Jesus issues for a moment he knows how
you feel in your life he relates to you
by getting contempt by his own home town
so he utters this line in verse 4. a
prophet is not without honor meaning
he's always honored everywhere well
except in one place
Among Us Hometown and look at this line
and among his relatives and in his own
house
notice he shrunk it down here he's got
your hometown then your relatives and
even in your own household especially is
where the contempt is
and uh what you realize then is that
Nazareth here is a remarkably
hard-hearted place
for having grown up or have or for
rather having had the Messiah grow up in
your hometown
and this brings us to uh the third
little Point here under the first
heading you can see it there sometimes
it takes a lot of effort not to believe
here's what I want to make plain to you
about this passage this passage reminds
us of a truth we've seen in other texts
which is sometimes the people you think
will become Christians don't
and sometimes these the people you think
will never become Christians do
or to say another way sometimes the
people you think will believe in God
surely are the ones who don't believe in
God and the ones that would never
believe in God in your mind are the ones
that eventually do there's no life like
Jesus to exemplify that that God Saves
the unexpected God Saves those who we
don't think will be saved and often
people that we think are predictably
going to be saved or not
anybody would have been rolling the the
Vegas odds on which town would have been
the most favorable to Jesus would have
picked Nazareth
if any place would believe if any place
would repent if any place would
acknowledge that he's the Divine Son of
God surely it's his own people
and they're the exact ones that say no
thank you
and this tells you something people
don't believe or don't believe because
of the evidence they don't believe or
don't believe because of whether there's
good reason sometimes they just have
hard hearts and don't believe
sometimes it takes a lot of effort not
to believe
think about all the things they had to
overlook
to not believe
they know his character they know his
background they've seen him do Miracles
they've heard his teaching and yet
they're like
want nothing to do with you
realize how many people never have the
chance to to meet Jesus do you ever have
a chance to know Jesus never have a
chance to see all those things and yet
they believe
and then the people who saw it all are
the ones who don't believe
here's what I want you to realize today
you and I both I include myself in those
are amazingly privileged by what we get
to see
and I don't just mean this Bible study
but just the the the the ability to
study God's word in general the ability
to have a Bible in your own language the
ability to go to a good church the
ability to grow up in a country that
doesn't necessarily cart you off the
jail if he had you
um all of these things are incredible
privileges you've seen God at work on
the world you have the history you have
the testimony of the scriptures and then
when someone says no no thanks I'm like
that takes a lot of effort not to
believe
so one of the scary things here okay is
that last key point I want you to
realize we are prone to take things for
granted when they are familiar to us
don't take your spiritual privileges for
granted
don't assume they save you because they
don't
being a member of a church growing up in
a Christian family never that doesn't
save you but it's also don't forget at
the same time it's still a great
privilege
here's the scariest thing about this
first story
and I want you to I want this is the
last thing I'll say about the story if
we move on but notice this line
um verse 6 which you never want to have
Jesus say this about you
and he marveled because of their
unbelief
wow do you know how many stories there
are in the gospels where Jesus Marvels
that belief tons of them
he's amazed but it was just last week
the woman comes up and grabs His Garment
right in his heel and he's your faith
has saved you I'm in one sense that
impressed Jesus
what you want in your life is to impress
Jesus by your faith but Jesus in this
story is amazed
at their unbelief
this is a scary thing there are people
that have heard the gospel maybe even
some of us that have heard the gospel
seen many many things and yet don't
believe don't don't you don't ever want
to have Jesus be amazed how hard our
hearts are
all right and this is the thing that's
the danger of familiarity go to church
every week have Christian friends grow
up in a Christian home and you're like
take it for granted don't take it for
granted it's an amazing privilege make
sure you respond to that privilege and
we don't end up like Nazareth okay
that's the first cost to staying in
contempt let's look at the second one
Roman numeral two vulnerability and
rejection and here's where we come to
the story of
the disciples they after Jesus
exemplified the kind of persecution you
get what's Jesus do well I'm going to
send you out to do the same how's that
disciples are in Nazareth and saw Jesus
rejected his hometown Jesus like I got a
plan for you I'm going to send you out
to towns you can imagine disciples going
man if Jesus isn't always fearing very
well how am I gonna do by the way that's
another encouraging thing to take away
today if you ever think man you know I
can't believe people don't like me or
persecute me or hate me I'm like Jesus
was
did everything perfectly
and if and he was hated so you can feel
a little better right that if they if
they're going to hate him they're
definitely going to not like us right
and because we don't do everything
perfectly but he says I'm not the only
one that's going to do this I'm going to
send you out and so in verses 7 through
13 we have this sending moment of the
disciples and he's sending them into
their own level of persecution now in
this passage we don't yet have talk of
you're probably going to get killed or
martyred that's coming in a later speech
at the end of The Gospel Mark Jesus
tells the disciples plainly you're going
to get drug before authorities you're
going to be arrested and some of you are
going to die
it doesn't say that yet
but he does give them hints at the
dangers and I want you to see a couple
things here and I've used these words
very intentional vulnerability and
rejection let's start with the first one
the mission of the disciples made them
vulnerable
what would it look like in the ancient
world to follow Jesus's command to go
out
we need to leave our modern world for a
moment and remember what it was like to
live in that world because in that world
to go out in two by twos was by no means
an easy thing
several things come into mind here about
how vulnerable that would make you first
the danger and inconvenience of travel
some of you love to travel
some of you hate to travel
I happen to be in the latter category
which is not good for my job because I
travel a lot
in fact this year the you know sometimes
when you travel you try to keep track of
your you know mile status on the airline
right so that you can basically uh you
know uh figure out whether you can
travel a little more ease and
convenience I'm this close to being
executive platinum on American Airlines
um an executive Platinum is the highest
travel status you can get you can't get
any higher so I'm like conniving and
planning and working points and
everything why so I can make my travel a
little easier what I don't realize if I
think about in the modern world is my
travel already compared to most of
history is amazingly easy
I get on planes I still have all the
modern conveniences it's safe and the
Ancient World Travel was incredibly
dangerous Not only was it hard and
exhausting in in excruciating in terms
of the inconvenience of it I mean you're
usually most of it on foot
okay occasionally you would take a ship
or maybe you'd ride a donkey at certain
points but generally most of this is on
foot and the danger is abandons and
thieves and weather and animals I mean
those are all real things don't forget
remember the parable of the Good
Samaritan right when you talk about the
Good Samaritan on the way from Jericho
to Jerusalem and what happened thieves
grab him Rob him and beat him on the
edge of death Jesus doesn't tell that
story and people think wow I've never
thought of that no when he tells that
story he tells a story because that's
exactly what they know can happen
when you travel it is dangerous it is
risky so you have to realize that right
out of the gate here
um he's already asked him to do
something that is not going to be like
our modern day travel and the ancient
world to travel is to risk your life
here's another thing he says
verse 8 he charged him to take nothing
for their Journey
very minimal packing here staff yes but
no bread no bag no money in their belts
to wear sandals and not put on two
tunics
what's going on here
Jesus is basically giving them an a
sense that look when you go on a mission
for me you know you're not you're not
dragging you know a couple crates of
luggage with you you know this is this
is not a vacation this is not a trip
where you change your wardrobe and look
nice this is efficient Slim Without
those resources you're gonna have to
trust me to provide these things for you
now some of you are over Packers let's
just be honest okay let me get that on
the table I could do a show of hands
here how many of you are over Packers
you go on a trip and your spouse is like
what are you moving there or are you I
mean how much luggage do you need
um I mean can you imagine Jesus sent out
the 12 and you know James and John show
up and they're pulling like four of the
Roll bags suitcases you know and like
all right Jesus let's go do this Jesus
like what do you need all this for right
my daughter Emma she won't mind me
making fun of her we can take it out of
the video later she is an over packer
she came home for the holidays and I'm
like her car is full I'm like are you
moving home or are you just coming home
for the holidays well I didn't know what
to bring and I thought I'd bring this to
and just like unbelievable amounts of
stuff so I'm like okay we gotta thin
this thing down right well if you're
going on a mission for Jesus you've got
to think okay I'm not here to be wealthy
I'm not here to be you know uh
convenient I'm not bringing everything
that would make my life better
I'm thinning it down for the mission
okay this was risky they didn't even
take any food
do you realize that you don't just go to
Chick-fil-A at the next town
to to not know what you're going to eat
means that you're you're putting a lot
of risk on the table
do you realize that that most of the
exhortations in the early church towards
Hospitality we talk about this a lot
um are different than what you think
we usually hear Hospitality I think I
need to have more people over for dinner
and um and and there's a dimension in
which that's true okay I'm not
discounting that there is a dimension
which hospitalities is maybe primarily
about Fellowship but not in the ancient
world the education is the hospital in
the ancient world where housing people
as they pass through
and had a place to stay and eat and
recover and rest on their missionary
Journeys
Christians in the early centuries were
big Travelers and there was not hotels
like we have today and most of the
hotels in the angel were sketchy and
dangerous and often not available just
think about the story of Mary and Joseph
and so there was no in that in every
town no place to eat what were you
dependent on other believers
who would take you into their home
and let you stay there Jesus hints at
this that you pick it up in the story
look what he says whenever you enter a
house
oikas and the Greek he doesn't go when
you get to the hotel
when you stay at the resort
when you get there stay there until you
depart from that other words the
implication here is is you're going to
use them as your staging ground
you're going to be on the Move no
resources no money no luggage totally
dependent on God's mercy and dependent
on the goodness of those that are there
here's the point I want you to see and
you can see at the bottom of the first
page
following Jesus is risky
so here's a question for you today and
I'm not going to ask you to answer it
but I will ask you to think about it in
your small group time what are you
risking today for Jesus
and I want you to really think about
that today before you leave
we tend to in myself included live
fairly risk-free lives
and if we're honest we actually do most
things in our life to minimize risk
all right we we do everything we can to
lower it where we live where we go the
the safety of our homes you know alarm
systems we got we got make sure we're in
the right part of town everything we do
you have insurance on everything
everything is risk averse and I'm not
saying it's bad to have some of those
things but I am saying though when Jesus
calls us to live for him it's going to
be risky are you willing to leave that
comfort
and do something like the disciples are
doing here and be risking things for
Jesus that doesn't mean that you're
going to go out and you know be a
missionary in the formal sense although
some of you may be
but certainly
um is it not sort of a a humbling sober
question to always ask what am I really
giving up
am I giving up my time am I giving up my
money am I giving up anything
and this is this is something we all
need to reckon with all right flip your
notes over here's the second thing
they didn't just face risk in danger
they faced rejection
by the way some of you do better at one
than the other some of you are fine with
risk okay I'll I'll go somewhere bad
part of town I'll travel and scary I'll
you know some of you are fine with that
but rejection personally that's your
thing you can't handle
some of you are in the reverse some of
you can handle personal rejection fine
just don't give me risk
what I want you to realize your
disciples had both to deal with there's
the Practical dangers
but then there's the personal door
slammed in your face
and you need to analyze which of those
things you struggle with the most
okay some of you are people Pleasers
okay
you don't want me to do a show hands on
this one right show hands on this one
would be like yeah I spend most of my
life thinking about what other people
think about me and I really lose a lot
of sleep over it and I wrestle over it
and it bothers me and if someone doesn't
like me it really wrecks me and I spend
most of my time trying to make that
right and I'm not saying there's not a
place for for dealing with those things
but if that's you
then that's your hard part is going to
be the the personal rejection
but some of you are more of the safety
conscience it doesn't matter notice the
disciples here dealt with both Look what
Jesus says they're going to face verse
11.
and if any place will not receive you
and they will not even listen to you
you leave shake off the dust that is on
your feet as a testimony against them in
other words Jesus is basically saying
you're gonna go out there and get the
door slammed in your face
proverbially
now chances are in your ministry you're
not going to get a literal door slammed
in your face although you might I've
actually had that happen to me
um but you're probably going to have
relational doors slammed in your face
you probably have people who think
you're Looney and crazy
people who don't want to talk to you
people that you reject or that reject
you and disdain you
um and so you're going to get a lot of
proverbial doors slammed uh in your face
what is the exhortation Jesus has here
and it's going to be a big takeaway for
some of you
Jesus quotes Taylor Swift did you catch
that
Shake It Off
yes I quoted Taylor Swift in a Bible
study make that clear
shake off the dust
so this was a ancient world this was a
proverbial act by which you are moving
on okay I've presented the gospel to you
I've tried to give the message to you
you've effectively slammed the door in
our face and don't want to hear it and
and by shaking the dust off your feet
you're moving you're saying okay I'm
moving on now to the next thing it's not
that you don't love them or care about
them or still have compassion on them
it's not a well heck with you in a
negative that's not what's going on here
what's going on here is a is a moving on
to to people who will listen
okay and that's part of Missions is when
you you try to give the message
everybody some won't listen to you but
here's the good news some will
and the shake off the dust is an example
of okay I'm going to go I'm not going to
let that bother me I'm going to go to
the people who will listen
some of you when it comes to relational
persecution and relational uh rejection
need to learn to Shake It Off okay and
by Shake It Off means that you've got to
get be willing to endure that for Jesus
and move on to the people who will
listen to you not in a way that's
dismissive to those formal relationships
not in a way that's like well you know
well fine and be all huffy that's not
what's going on in this passage but
rather a recognition that I'm not going
to let a door slide on my face derail my
Ministry
I'm not going to stop speaking the truth
about Jesus because some reject me
so look at the key question under be
there
how well do you handle rejection
but maybe the better question
what can help us press on in the midst
of it and this I will ask you
what are some things that can help us do
better getting the proverbial door
relational door slammed in our face
and I want to hear your thoughts on this
some of these probably come from the
passage
some of these probably come just from
other biblical texts but what are some
things that can help us
be more willing to endure those
relational
sort of rejections
and all you people Pleasers out there
want to hear from you
you're going to have some good ideas
yeah
okay
right
there is there's a sense which you need
to remember that what when they see
Christ in us and say I want nothing to
do with that there is a sense in which
they're rejecting Jesus right now I
understand what some of you say well but
they're rejecting me too okay fine but
the ultimate reason is because they're
rejecting Christ and realize it's
because of him and I think that will
help move along I think that's an
excellent point good yep
game okay what say more about that
what's the end game
okay
okay very good
um yes
excellent so when you get a relational
door slam in your face realize keep the
big picture in mind here we're talking
about
eternal matters
does my personal rejection weigh
significantly in light of Eternity
no and there's more people who need to
hear the message of Jesus so that they
are secure in eternity and so don't let
your personal rejection derail you from
the big picture which I think is an
excellent point yep
yes
no this is a great point so one of the
things that's going to help you deal
with the rejection of the door slam
you're facing realizing that you don't
have the ability to open someone's heart
okay and you know that you can't change
a heart you can't even change your own
heart
how are you going to change someone
else's heart so when you realize someone
rejects the gospel when you present it
to them and then in a sense rejects you
realize that it does take the work of
the Holy Spirit to change them and
realize okay
I'm going to wait on God's timing for
that I can't do it I'm not going to Bear
the burden of doing it because you're
not in the position to do it right but
you can wait patiently on What the Lord
Has there so I hand over here yep
excellent and this comes right from our
passage go back to verse 7. look what
verse 7 says and he called The Twelve
out and he sent them out two by two
if you're going to endure the rejection
and the relational uh disdain and all
the things ahead of you you can't do it
alone
okay you need to be doing missions doing
gospel spreading in community with
people who are praying for you
encouraging you you're praying for them
and encouraging them and you're in it
together
notice Jesus didn't say well I'm sending
you all out individually
by yourselves no they would they would
collapse Jesus knows their weakness
Jesus knows our weakness you need a
buddy right it's like when you're a kid
and your mom says you need a swim buddy
right you go out you can't swim Alone by
the way that's that's good advice right
especially in the ocean don't swim alone
you swim with a friend same thing in
missions don't swim alone go out there
with a friend that's how you're going to
be able to handle this sort of thing
um as you go there's so much more that
can be said about that but let's move on
to the last Point here
and this is the story of John the
Baptist Roman numeral three
notice how the these three stories sort
of escalate
and now we get to the most sobering
instance of persecution and you can see
how I framed it there hatred and
violence
so there's disdain and rejection there's
contempt and and so forth that Jesus
endured and we're not trying to minimize
those but the story of John the Baptist
is
is tragic
and by the way notice that the two words
I chose there are are intentional it's
not just that he endured violence he
endured
rigid visible hatred let's start with
that
herodias hated John the Baptist
we know what John the Baptist did
he spoke truth
notice here we look down in verse 17
Again
for it was Herod who had sent and seized
John and bound him in prison for the
sake of herodias
look at that language his brother
Philip's wife because he had married her
okay so already out of the gate here
there's a lot of sort of uh wrong things
taking place he took his brother's wife
okay so there's
but there's there's infidelity here
there's presumably divorce wrong
wrongful divorce here
um there's uh adultery here this is a
this is a big deal
and verse 18 for John had been saying to
Herod it is not lawful for you to have
your brother's wife
so what you have here is an instance of
him sinning in this instance with his
marriage sitting sexually John calls it
out and who's the one that's the most
upset well Herod
is a little upset but he he sort of
doesn't know what to do with John
herodias is the problem here verse 19.
and a rhodius had a grudge against him
and wanted him put to death
she hated John
I want you to notice here the same point
we started with most persecution begins
when you speak truth
John the Baptist spoke truth
now one clarification here
some use John the Baptist story as
grounds for point out every sin that we
see in our culture you know some
politicians somewhere you know does
something they shouldn't do then we're
all obligated to speak out publicly
against it well I think there's totally
appropriate times to speak out publicly
against public sin that's fine but what
I want you to notice here is that this
isn't John critiquing a politician this
is John critiquing the King of Judea
which was Herod Herod was part of Israel
Herod was associated with the Jews
so what was what was John the Baptist
doing he was effectively critiquing a
leader of God's people
so this isn't just a non-believer
although he probably was an unbeliever
he represented God's church so to speak
Herod did as crazy as that sounds
and so when it comes to critique for
waywardness John the Baptist first order
of business is I start with those who
are leading God's people if they're
leading us astray and going wrong paths
I'm gonna I'm gonna speak up about that
if your mission in life is to speak up
about every sin you see in the
non-Christian world you're not gonna
have anything else left to do okay
because it's just going to be on and on
and on I'm not saying there's never a
time to do that and there may be times
to speak up and say that about you know
your non-Christian friend your neighbor
who's doing stuff and there may be times
to say something but
you know judgment starts with the house
of God
um and we speak up primarily uh when it
comes to people within the Covenant
Community Paul talks about this in First
Corinthians right he goes basically I'm
not dealing with non-christians I would
you know that's not what I'm not talking
about that we would never have anything
else to talk about I'm talking about
those in your midst who are living a way
that's completely Wayward those are the
people we want to start with that's what
John the Baptist has done here do you
realize then that it's actually the
religious leaders
that hate truth sometimes more than even
the secular ones
yes Pontius Pilate who's a secular Roman
puts Jesus to death but it's really the
religious leaders of the Jews that put
Jesus to death right
is it Dawn on you that it's not just
Jesus's Hometown that rejected him but
Jesus's own Nation
rejected him
and rejected John the Baptist
and of course we know how the story ends
he's beheaded
he's killed it's tragic we may wish God
had intervened here
why didn't God stop it
but you could say about every single
martyr in the history of the church one
of which of course is John the Baptist
the takeaway though
is that whatever you do in your life you
need to be ready for the kinds of
persecutions that come very unlikely In
Our Lifetime is this third one probably
probable
maybe maybe not
but we'll never get there if we're not
even willing to endure the others
right at least we should be able to take
risks for Christ give up thanks
lose relationships we have to uh all for
the sake of the Gospel all right lots to
talk about here in our groups let me
pray for us and we'll jump into those
let's pray
Lord we we confess that we are people
who don't like Risk don't like
difficulties don't like rejection
and uh maybe that's all very normal Lord
but do help us to step out of our
comfort zone for the sake of the Gospel
for the sake of Christ May these
passages encourage us to do that today
we pray in Christ's name amen
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
The Gospel of Mark Chapter 6: With Dr. Craig Keener
New Testament Studies: Mark (9): Chapter 8 v27 to 9 v13 -- David Pawson
Kitab Markus | Mendalaminya dengan Ringkas
New Testament Studies: Mark (1): Chapter 1 v1 to v13 -- David Pawson
Cathedral Homilies - August 25 (Fr. Viel)
Mark 6 lesson by Dr. Bob Utley
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)