MPC, 13th August 2000.Mark 1:21-2:17 - Crowd Control
Phil Campbell MPC, 13th August 2000.
When you think about it, there are lots of different ways you can be a MATERIALIST. It used to be a word they used for people who chased after STUFF. Who wanted the biggest and the best of everything. Who were committed to wealth and possessions more than anything else. You're a MATERIALIST. Doesn't get used much any more. Because, I think, that sort of life is so COMMON, so DOMINATING - that it's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't need a special term, because it's just NORMAL.
That's just the way LIFE IS. Without even stopping to think about it. Even for most Christians. Materialism.
But even if you want to fight THAT SORT of materialism, there's another sort. That's maybe more subtle. That puts a priority maybe somewhere DIFFERENT to what Jesus says is important. And I want to invite you today to LISTEN TO JESUS.
Because it seems to me here in Mark's gospel when you look at Jesus, you can see the one person in history who can DELIVER ANYTHING. The power to make DREAMS REALITY. And that's what he's doing.
The big question is, though, what's your DREAM? What do you reckon is the BEST THING Jesus could do for a person? What do you reckon is the BEST THING Jesus could do for YOU?
And we don't often look at a question like that with the same perspective as Jesus. So look with me at the SON OF GOD as he comes to visit his people; to see WHAT PEOPLE WANT MOST FROM HIM. And what HE SAYS IS IMPORTANT.
WHAT PEOPLE WANT MOST
It's clear the way Mark tells the story that right from the start, Jesus is making an IMPACT. Here's one with ultimate authority; which is no surprise if you remember in the section we looked at last week he's announced to us as the SON OF GOD. He's inspecting the FAMILY BUSINESS, and the family business for Jesus is the WHOLE CREATION. And just like you can somehow SENSE AUTHORITY when you're face to face with someone important, people SEE THAT in Jesus.
They can recognise it in his TEACHING. And they're AMAZED BY IT - because it's not like anything they've ever heard before. Here's someone TEACHING ABOUT GOD as if he KNOWS what he's talking about FIRST HAND. Verse 22 in chapter 1. He's in the synagogue in Capernaum; he's teaching on a Saturday morning. And Mark says THE PEOPLE ARE AMAZED at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had AUTHORITY... not as the teachers of the law.
But there's more to come. As a man with an evil spirit starts SCREAMING AT HIM mid-sermon. He's possessed by an evil Spirit; and while as you read through Mark you'll see everyone else has to slowly PIECE TOGETHER THE CLUES about who Jesus is, EVIL SPIRITS KNOW STRAIGHT AWAY. And he screams at the top of his voice, What do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth. Have you come to destroy us? YES HE HAS. "I know who you are... the HOLY ONE OF GOD."
And it just takes a word. A word from Jesus. Be quiet. Verse 35. Come out of him. And it's done. And again, the people are AMAZED; because all it takes is a word. And it's done. None of this ritual sort of exorcism rubbish. Just a word. And the people start asking each other, WHAT'S THIS? A new teaching? And with AUTHORITY? He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him. What's going on? And like any good show, word spreads. Verse 28. News travels all around the region of Galilee. Up North of Jerusalem. He's the man of the moment.
And as Jesus heads home with Simon and Andrew, the two disciples he's called away from their fishing boats, the whole town of Capernaum is BUZZING. Because of what happened that morning in the Synagogue. It's about to buzz more. Because Simon's mother in law is in bed with a fever.
Now remember - this is all new to these guys. They've known Jesus about a WEEK; they've seen him at work in the synagogue; but they've got NO IDEA what's coming. Simon says to Jesus, oh, look, my wife's mum, she's not feeling too good. She's in bed. And Jesus goes into the room, he reaches out his hand, and helps her up. And suddenly she's feeling better. And does the mother-in-law thing of rushing round to tidy up the house.
Now can I ask you the question again; when you hear about Jesus, what's going to get your attention MOST? he's been TEACHING IN THE SYNAGOGUE. And that was pretty good. But word gets out about this other stuff. Driving out DEMONS. Better still... somehow word leaks out the back door that this woman who was sick in bed, she meets Jesus and she's suddenly BETTER AGAIN. So what's the GOOD NEWS? The good news is, that SORE LEG you've had for ages, here's someone who can fix it. The backache; the runny nose. The MENINGITIS. The Cough. The cancer. There's someone in Capernaum, and you know where he's staying, and word is, he CAN FIX IT.
And so verse 32, that evening after sunset, the people bring to Jesus all the sick and the demon possessed as well. And the whole town gathers at the door of Simon and Andrews place, and Jesus does what they're asking. Heals MANY with various diseases. Drives out many demons; though tells them to BE QUIET. Because somehow, he's not ready for the announcement of who he is. People have to work that out for themselves.
And it's not til early the next morning that you start to get some sort of PERSPECTIVE on what it is that JESUS thinks is MOST IMPORTANT. The crowds have come for healing and he's healed. But three or four in the morning, still dark, verse 35, Jesus gets out of bed and quiet as he can leaves the house and heads for the bush. Where he PRAYS. On his own.
Simon wakes up a bit later; already a new crowd at the door. Looks round the house for JESUS; and he's gone. A few of them go searching; and when they find him on his own, Simon says, Come on, EVERYONE'S LOOKING FOR YOU. More work to do. More people sick; more evil spirits. More PROBLEMS TO SOLVE. This is TERRIFIC. You're POPULAR! And I've phoned all my mates, and they're coming round as well. You know, for Simon this is great stuff. The hottest thing ever to hit Galilee, and HE'S GOT HIM STAYING AT HIS PLACE.
But Jesus says something that straight away tells you what HE SEES AS IMPORTANT. And for us it's hard. Because we're MATERIALISTS. What we want, is we want things in THIS WORLD fixed up. Number 1, OUR BODIES. When they're not doing what we want them to. People say it, don't they... it's right at the top of the priority list even before WEALTH. They say, "What's the good of all the money in the world if you haven't got your HEALTH." So you can ENJOY IT. Because that's what life's meant to be about... isn't it?
And so even at FIRST LIGHT, there are CROWDS. Waiting.
And Jesus says, LET'S GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Let's go somewhere DIFFERENT. Verse 38. Let's go to the NEARBY VILLAGES... so I can PREACH THERE also. Because THAT is why I've come.
Notice that? The whole reason he's here, he says, is to do something that if people back then were anything like people today, it goes WAY DOWN THE LIST. Whose idea of a GOOD TIME is that... Hey, wanna come and hear a good SERMON? What'll it be kids, THE MOVIES or a SERMON? Or more to the point, what'll it be:- GET HEALED? Or get PREACHED TO?
But Jesus says, THAT'S WHY I CAME. And to preach a PARTICULAR MESSAGE. Which is, TURN BACK TO GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS. Repent and believe. Come in... to THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Because to Jesus, there's NOTHING BETTER than that. We're materialists. Because we think LOTS OF THINGS are better than that. But Jesus knows better. And so what he wants to do is PREACH. Spread the word. And demonstrate it by SETTING PEOPLE FREE from the power of evil; which is something that's very obvious every time he gets rid of a demon. Calling on people to come out of the darkness. Into the light. And so instead of going where the crowds were that wanted to be healed from all their diseases, he travels through Galilee, verse 39; PREACHING in their synagogues, and driving out demons.
You can WATCH JESUS all you like. And boy it would have been great. You can be TOUCHED BY JESUS and maybe even HEALED. But the thing you MOST NEED TO DO is LISTEN TO JESUS. Because that's why he came.
LEPER
Verse 40 to 45, meet a man with LEPROSY. You wouldn't normally NOTICE him. Wouldn't meet his eye. Wouldn't go near him. Because he's UNCLEAN. Untouchable. And yet he comes to Jesus and BEGS ON HIS KNEES. He says "If you're willing, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN."
Jesus IS WILLING. And he does it with a TOUCH. Which means somehow instead of the usual thing happening and you get UNCLEAN when you touch someone UNCLEAN... a touch from Jesus and the UNCLEAN is CLEAN.
But notice what happens. Jesus says, KEEP THIS QUIET. Don't tell anyone except the priest. And the guy ignores him. Verse 45. Goes out and begins to talk freely... spreading the news. AND AS A RESULT, Jesus can't even go into a town without being mobbed by a crowd. Wanting what they think is the MAIN THING. To be made better from the toothache. Or the leprosy. Or the fever. And so Jesus has to stay out in the lonely places; but even there, miles from anywhere, people want to find him. Touch him. And be healed.
PARALYTIC
Which is exactly what happens when Jesus comes back to Capernaum. It's a few days later, and we're at the start of chapter 2. He's back at Simon and Andrew's place, and word gets around that he's come home. And it says there in verse 2 that so many people gathered round the house and inside the house, that there's not even any room outside the door. And do you notice what Jesus is doing. He's DOING WHAT HE CAME TO DO. Preaching the word to them.
And some men come. Not told how many in the group. But they're bunched round a stretcher. Four of them carrying it. And on the stretcher, a man paralysed.
They can't get him to Jesus because of the crowd; so they've got an idea. Up on the roof; they start digging through. You're down in the lounge room, you hear the noise. Jesus still talking. You look up and see a bulge; then a hole. As bits of dust and shards of hardened mud start falling on people's heads. And then a SHAFT OF LIGHT. And faces looking down. The hole gets bigger. And then they lean in; lowering the mat with the paralysed man on it probably looking scared out of his wits that they're going to tip him off. And embarrassed as well.
Now here's where the issue REALLY comes into focus. And as we look at what happens, keep in mind, if anyone knows what's BEST FOR US, Jesus does.
So here's the guy lowered down through the roof on his mat, totally dependent. And Jesus looks at him; and he sees the obvious faith of his mates, that they've brought him to Jesus because they BELIEVE that in Jesus the KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME... and you get what if you were the guy who was paralysed, would have to be the BIGGEST LETDOWN of your life.
Jesus says to him, verse 11, SON, YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
I mean, that's not what he came for, is it? And his mates; all that trouble; carting him here on the mat; climbing up to the roof. Digging through it. And even Simon and Andrew; it's their house. Maybe WORTH THE DAMAGE if Jesus was going to do something really spectacular. But all he says is, YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
Except in a way, the funny thing is that the Teachers of the Law who have come along, the heavyweights, these guys who have come along to CHECK JESUS OUT... they're the first ones to get the REAL IMPACT of what Jesus just said. And instead of being sort of disappointed they haven't seen a spectacular healing, they twig to what Jesus has said. And the CLAIM that's there behind it.
Because WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO FORGIVE SINS? Only God does. And so - and it's only a murmur, it's only so far what they're THINKING TO THEMSELVES - but they're thinking what you see in verse 7 of chapter 2. "Who does this guy think he is?" Why does this fellow talk like that. HE'S BLASPHEMING! Who can forgive sins but GOD ALONE?:
And it's a good question. Who can?
But Jesus knows exactly what they're thinking. And so he says to them, why are you thinking these things? Which is easier? To say that? Where you don't see if anything really happened? Or to say, Get up and walk?
I mean, anyone can say YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN BY GOD. But how do you know if they really HAVE BEEN? Might just be empty words.
But so you'll KNOW I can do that, says Jesus, so you'll KNOW IT'S FOR REAL... so you may know, verse 10, that the SON OF MAN has authority on earth to forgive sins... he says to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." And he gets up, picks up his mat and walks out in full view. At which the people are absolutely amazed." And the teachers of the law... silent.
Now again, did you notice... for Jesus the MAIN THING wasn't that the guy walked out of there WALKING. It was that the guy walked out of there REALLY FORGIVEN FOR HIS SINS. Which isn't an easy way for us to think about things, is it?
I mean, I've got to say, visiting Scott Hanson through the week; Scott's got to be one of the bravest kids you'd find anywhere. Five hours of surgery last Monday getting rods put into his back so he can stay straight in his wheelchair. And if Jesus came to visit, I'd be wanting to say, come on, come see Scott. And FIX THINGS UP FOR HIM. Wouldn't it be a GREAT THING... if you could see that happen. Which is what these faithful friends are longing for as they dig their way through the roof. What a GREAT THING. If Jesus can FIX THIS.
You know, the stunning thing is, Jesus is actually saying to us, in the light of eternity, there's ONE THING BETTER THAN THAT. You mightn't think so now. But when you MEET GOD... you'll KNOW IT FOR SURE. That facing God forgiven... is the BEST THING YOU COULD EVER HOPE FOR. I wonder if that paralysed guy got any sense of the EXCITEMENT of that... when he heard those words from Jesus. Son, your SINS ARE FORGIVEN. Maybe he realised. This is no small thing.
Because in the end, it's the FORGIVENESS OF SINS that Jesus came for. That Jesus gave up HIS WHOLE LIFE FOR... as he hung on the cross.
Funny, there are lots of MATERIALISTIC churches out there these days; they say you can come and be healed. They say you can come and BE PROSPEROUS. Got a brochure in the mail the other day, an invitation to a seminar that said GOD WANTS YOU TO BE RICH.
Easy to draw a crowd with a message like that. Like the crowds around Jesus. But Jesus says our NUMBER ONE need is the FORGIVENESS OF SINS. The next few verses, as he calls Levi to follow him; a well known SINNER. And the teachers of the law can't believe the sort of people he's mixing with. He makes it plain. I'm here to CALL SINNERS. It's not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. Verse 17. And I'm A SIN DOCTOR. That's what he's saying. "I haven't come to call the righteous, BUT SINNERS."
And so if we're going to TRUST JESUS on this, we're going to be people who say, someone like Scott Hanson has got the MAIN THING. Because he trusts Jesus. And his sins are forgiven. Whereas you can be watch an Olympic athlete in a couple of weeks, physical perfection - and in not too long from now, he'll face God's JUDGEMENT FOR ETERNITY.
Can you see here, as Jesus comes to his people ISRAEL, he's looking for an ISRAEL that's hungry and thirsty for GOD. An Israel hungry and thirsty for RIGHTEOUSNESS. A people hungry and thirsty to know THEIR SINS CAN BE SET ASIDE. A people with their EYES SET UP AHEAD. Instead of on the attractions at the side of the road. It's hard, isn't it, to be people like that... when we're so caught up in our MATERIALISM.