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Past Ponderings

Sunday, November 26, 2017

PONDERING...Do You Believe The Truth About Jesus? (Mark 6:45-52)

Do You Believe The Truth About Jesus? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: The truth about Jesus is vital and life-changing, so missing it is devastating.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.


Wednesday was the first day of Thanksgiving break at our house. I got up at my regular time, and did my regular stuff, and when the kids got up, I fell into my regular routine. I made them oatmeal. It’s our go-to breakfast for them most mornings. I mean, it’s good oatmeal! It has peanut butter, honey, fruit, and yogurt. In my opinion, it’s a pretty delicious way to start the day☺. Melissa and I had been up longer than the kiddos, so while they were eating, we were working on other things, and Jedidiah came into the kitchen to talk to me. He had a sheepish look...so I knew something was up. When I asked him, he responded with, “I’m...kind of bored.” What? He’d been up for less than 15 minutes? I started to say as much, but he continued. Come to find out, he wasn't bored per se’...he was just tired of always having to eat oatmeal for breakfast! ☺ Well...I made him eat it anyway, and the next morning Melissa made them something different (Cream-of-Wheat! The similarity was lost of them though ☺.)
Today’s lesson is not new, and that’s ok. Probably one of my biggest temptations throughout the week, even though I know better, is trying to “find good lessons” as I study through the week’s passage. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Yet, sometimes it gets me stuck in my own head. I want to have something to bring before you, and I don’t want you to get tired of eating the same oatmeal every Sunday. One of my favorite old preachers to listen to and read is A.W. Tozer, a preacher from the 1930’s-60’s. I’ll never forget hearing him say, ‘don’t study the Bible to teach it; study the Bible to come to know God.’ This is a truth I have to set before myself everyday. The passage we’ve come to this morning serves to teach us a lesson we should have already gotten. Yet, it happened to teach the apostles… a lesson they should have gotten, too. If they were face-to-face with Jesus and needed the reminder, we need it all the more. The gist? The truth about Jesus is vital and life-changing, so missing it is devastating.


I. THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS IS VITAL.
Jesus cares about the truth. Let’s keep the context in mind here. Jesus just fed this massive crowd with five small rolls and two small fish. Then, implementing his favorite word, Mark tells us, “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.” (45). Why? John’s gospel sheds a little light on what was happening here. Though some of these people might not have understood the miraculous source of this food, they all realized it was Jesus who made it happen, so they wanted to make Him their king...by force. (John 6:15 “15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”) This wasn’t why He came. So, he sends the disciples away first, presumably to keep them from getting mixed up in the antics (He knows their hearts; they would have been just as eager to make Him an earthly king). Then, He dismisses the crowd Himself (no small feat).
It would have been extremely tempting to just give into the fanfare. Jesus here, like in other places, is given an opportunity for earthly power and prestige, but He outright refuses it. Why? Because their attention is based on a misunderstanding of who He is and why He came. In Celtic mythology, there is a god (false, of course) named Dagda. He was a big jovial guy, Santa Claus-like really, and he carried around the cauldron of plenty from which he continually fed His people. He wasn’t a controversial character. He was just a benevolent provider. He required nothing from his people. Sounds nice, right? Sure, but it’s not real. And even if it were, that kind of provider does nothing for our deepest needs. I have pigged out several times over the past two weeks. So much of that food was delicious. Yet, not a single one of those tiny pecan pies did anything to make me less sinful. They didn’t forgive me of my sins. They didn’t create in me a new heart, or make me a new creation (though they did probably add some new creations along my midsection…). If Jesus came only to meet physical needs, He wouldn’t be our Savior. So, He turns away fame because He cares about the truth--and the truth is He, God-in-Flesh, came to die for you to rescue you from your sins, not provide you with a cushioned life here on earth.
He spent time in prayer when it was missed. Look at how He reacts to this misunderstanding of His person. First, He dismisses the crowd. Then, He goes to pray. In Mark’s Gospel, we are shown Jesus praying in times of crisis. We see Him praying in chapter 1 when, like here, people are flocking to Him for the wrong reasons. Following His time of prayer, He commits to preaching in the surrounding villages...even when the disciples try and bring Him back to the adoring fans. Later, we’ll see Him praying in the garden the night before His arrest. Here, He’s praying because, again, people want to make Him king instead of seeing He’s so much more. Among those people who still aren’t getting it? The apostles. The rest of this passage deals with Him deliberately revealing Himself to them. Because of this, most commentators speculate that much of His time of prayer was spent praying for these 12, thickheaded men (people like us).
This might not be the primary emphasis of the passage, but it is one from which we should learn. When we’re face with crises in our lives, is our immediate reaction prayer or panic?
And He displayed it clearly. Jesus cared about the truth, spent time praying when it was missed, and… displayed it clearly. This is important to note. Missing out of the truth of Jesus is not about failing to unlock some kind of hidden code or puzzle! When Jesus came, He was open about who He was and why He was here. Just look at this immediate context. In the last chapter, He took a miniscule lunch and used to fill up a crowd of thousands. Then, He sends these disciples away where they encounter a storm. Sound familiar (remember 4:35-41 when He calms the storm)? It’s somewhere between 3-6am; He’s on the mountain praying; it’s storming; visibility is not at an all time high. Nonetheless, He sees them struggling in the water...and goes to them. How? Oh, you know, He just walks on the water! I’d say He’s not really trying to keep His identity a secret!
And, it doesn’t stop there. When the disciples see Him walking toward them, indicative of the whole point being made here, they have no idea who or what they’re seeing, so they jump to the conclusion that it’s a ghost. Now, it all fairness to the disciples, this doesn’t mean they’re superstitious people or anything. They might not have even believed in ghosts up until that moment, but when you see a figure coming toward you in a storm, and it’s just walking on the water...what’s your gut reaction going to be? This part of the passage is actually really interesting. Look at what it says here. “He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.” (48b-51a).
He meant to pass them by? There are two points here. John Macarthur points out that this word means to pass or come near. So, it could just be saying, He planned on come near to them before speaking, or something along those lines. However, there seems to be another parallel being drawn by using these particular words. When Moses wanted to see God’s glory, what did God do? He passed by (Exodus 33:17-23). Similar language is used when God speaks to Elijah in that same spot in 1 Kings 19. I think that’s the point being made here, and it’s supported by Jesus’ response to their fear. He intended to show them His glory. They were terrified, so He makes sure they don’t miss it. He says, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (50).  We flip that last clause in English so it makes more sense. In Greek, it literally reads, Take courage; I am. Does that ring any bells? God’s divine name? When God sent Moses to free His people from Egypt, Moses had some concerns. Not least being his own credibility. It’s there we have this interchange: “13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14). Jesus literally tells His apostles here, ‘Do not be afraid; I’m God!’
He wasn’t hiding the truth of His identity then, and He’s not hiding it now. We have the Word of God. It has stood the test of time. If we choose not to take its claims seriously, we are without excuse.


II. THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS IS LIFE-CHANGING.
The Gospel is in this story. Pastor Steve Wilmhurst put this so well, I’ll just quote him here. “This story paints a picture of what the Lord Jesus has done for us. It tells the story of his love. At the beginning of the story, there he is, on high, enjoying the unity and fellowship he has with God the Father. He looks down and sees humanity in trouble, unable to help ourselves. So he does not remain ‘up there’; instead he comes ‘down here’; he crosses over into our space and time and becomes a man, sharing our humanity, our flesh and blood; and he gets into the boat with us. The Creator of the universe enters in to our very lives; and where Jesus comes, there is peace.” (A Ransom for Many).
I absolutely love this. Jesus sent these men into a storm, again, because they still needed to understand who they were following. He then saw their helplessness, came down to them walking on the water, told them not to fear because He is God, and then got into the boat with them--and everything was calm. In fact, John adds that they were immediately on the shore!
A difference is made. When this happens, they’re astounded because they didn’t understand what Jesus was showing them with the feeding of the multitude (52). So, did this make a difference? Look over at John 6 again. John tells us more about this scene. The multitude is fed; Jesus sends them away; this happens with the disciples. Then, the next morning the crowds come back looking for more food, and Jesus gives them a sermon about Him being the only food they need, and “66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69). Everyone else goes, but they stay. Something clearly changed. It wasn’t the loaves, so it’s safe to assume it was this scene here. Their understanding isn’t perfect yet, but the truth has changed them.
The truth will always change us. I love fairytales and warm fuzzies as much as anyone. In fact, this time of the year is warm fuzzy central! Just turning on our Christmas tree last night made me feel all...I don’t know...good ☺. And I know at some point this month, I’m going to tear up watching poor George Bailey, or some kid and his puppy. Nonetheless, an emotional response to something like that doesn’t change my heart. The truth does.


III. MISSING THIS TRUTH IS DEVASTATING.
Why did they need to see this again? I’ll be brief here because we don’t actually see this spelled out in our text today. Nonetheless, it is the flipside of this coin. These disciples needed Jesus to show Himself to them again because the alternative would have been devastating. They’d seen so much, but were in danger of missing out completely. As John’s account points out, many end up leaving Jesus for good shortly after this. In fact, Jesus even says, “...Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.” (John 6:70-71). So, one of these apostle who was shown the truth again, and again, and again, still turned and rejected Him. This truth is life-changing. Missing it is devastating because refusing to see who Jesus is is rejecting Him in favor of eternal condemnation--Hell.


TAKEAWAYS
1. How serious do you take the truth about Jesus? Look at your personal study. Consider how often you accept claims others make about Him without digging into the Word yourself. We devote so much time to trying to understand so many lesser things; don’t miss out on Him.


2. How much does it take for you to believe? A few weeks ago, I gave an analogy of a man rescuing us all from a fire, but his own son refusing to believe he would save him. I keep coming back to that picture in my mind. Jesus has done so much for each of us. Even if you’re not a believer, consider how blessed you are to even be alive right now. How much love will it take for you to believe? I think sometimes we can all be like the little kids who assume their parents don’t love them the instant something doesn’t go as planned. If only everything was always going our way...then maybe we’d trust Him. Remember the truth. Whether or not you choose to believe Him, He’s still God. He’s still the One who died to save you. Yet, like with the disciples here, He has chosen to show us His love again, and again. What are we waiting for?


3. Got Crises? Remember, Jesus got in the boat. Probably one of the most striking images here is that Jesus got into the boat with the disciples. Why? Because He didn’t have to! Remember, He could walk on water. He wasn’t in need of transportation. He wasn’t somehow better off for having gotten into the boat. He got into the boat because He loved the disciples and wanted to comfort them. Likewise, He didn’t have to die for you. He gained nothing by saving us. We gained everything. He is the same Savior today. Cling to Him.

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