What Jesus Really Wants From You!
Mark 10:42-45
Introduction to O.T. Reading
There’s a remarkable passage in Ezekiel, chapter 34, which Jesus fulfilled come 500 years later. In the passage God condemns Israel’s political and religious leaders. The kings, nobles, high priest, and scribes, who were suppose to be “the shepherds” of Israel, had made themselves into an aristocratic class, the elite of the land. But God doesn’t raise up leaders to enrich themselves. God anoints them for the purpose of caring for his people, especially people in need. After condemning them because of their failure to do so, God says, he himself will shepherd his people. The passage is printed on the front of your bulletin. Let us read it responsively.
Ezekiel 34:1 - 5, 11, 15 & 16
Listen for what the spirit of God has to say to you.
What Jesus Really Wants From You!
The short Gospel of Mark is probably the most influential book ever written.
It was the first of the Gospels, written about 70 AD. Matthew and Luke, writing around 80 and 90 AD, both had copies of Mark in front of them as they wrote. They followed his outline closely. Since John’s gospel wasn’t written till around 100 AD, it was Mark’s gospel that brought thousands of people to Christianity for several generations. Mark’s influence has continued down through the centuries, until today 1/3 of the earth’s population, two billion people, have been touched by Christianity.
Mark wrote his gospel to the members of the early church to tell them what Jesus wanted from his followers. You truly begin to grasp the message of Mark when you understand the simple structure of the book. Mark poses and answers three questions: 1) Who is Jesus, 2) what was the nature of his ministry, and 3) what does he want from his followers? Now those first Christians pretty much knew who Jesus was, and they knew about his ministry, death and resurrection; but like many of us today, they weren’t too sure about what he wanted from them. Mark wrote to answer that question for all of us.
Mark divides his gospel neatly into two halves. In the first eight chapters, he raises the question “Who is Jesus?” three times. 1st, in the 4th chapter Jesus and the disciples are caught out on the Sea of Galilee by a sudden storm that threatens to sink their boat. Jesus calms the storms. The disciples are filled with great awe and say to one another, “who then is this, that even the wind and waves obey him?” 2nd, in chapter six it is one of Jesus’ enemies, King Herod, who suspects that Jesus is none other than John the Baptist raised from the dead. 3rd, When we reach the 8th chapter, it’s Jesus, himself, who asks his disciples “who do you say that I am?” Every time I read those words - I feel that Jesus is directing his question to me. When Peter answers, you are the Messiah; I nod my head in the affirmative.
Peter’s answer in 8:29 is the turning point. Once they acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah Mark turns to the 2nd & 3rd questions: 2nd, what was the nature of Jesus’ ministry, and 3rd, what does this mean for those of us who believe in him?” Immediately following Peter’s answer Jesus reveals the nature of his ministry. He begins to teach them that he must suffer, be killed and will be raised the third day. Jesus was not coming as a conquering King. That’s the world’s way, self destructive and futile. No, the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of compassion, justice and peace. Jesus was coming as a servant, as the suffering servant of the prophet Isaiah. He would conquer evil with love. He would absorb evil into his own body. He would transform the world one by one, wooing us by love alone. The disciples were absolutely blown away. They had thought they would rule with him. His words were incomprehensible to them. So Jesus repeats them two more times. Jesus announces his suffering & death in Mark, chapter 8:31, again in chapter 9:30 and yet again in chapter 10:32.
But far more important for us Mark uses these three announcements as a “marker” to get our attention. Each one is immediately followed by a passage that tells us what Jesus wants of us. These three passages are the imperatives of Mark’s gospel. They are the purpose for which the gospel was written. The identity of Jesus and the nature of his ministry are given as the basis for what our response is to be. Every time I read these three passages I know they’re spoken directly to me. Ben will read the first one from Mark 8:34 & 35 [page 41].
Listen for what the Spirit of God has to say to you!
Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake…will save it.
In the very next chapter we see that the disciples don’t have the foggiest idea what Jesus meant about denying oneself and taking up our cross. So after announcing his suffering a second time Jesus explains in greater detail in Mark 9:33 - 37 [page 42].
Listen again for what the Spirit has to say to you!
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
In the ancient world children had absolutely no status; they were last of all. The disciples want to be first of all. Jesus explains that the only way to be first of all - is to take care of the least, the last and the lost. Jesus wasn’t referring to children per se; rather he uses them as a symbol of all those who are dispossessed and marginalized. He calls us who believe in him to be servants to those who are vulnerable, weak, sick, poor, handicapped, the homeless, minorities, immigrants, the elderly, children, etc. The key word for those who want to follow Jesus is servant. We see this again as we read the 3rd passage where Jesus tells us once again precisely what he wants from us in Mark 10:35 - 38 & 41- 45. [page 47]
Once again listen for what the spirit has to say to you!
James and John...came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking… When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
When Jesus repeats something three times it’s bound to be very important. Simply put: Jesus wants you to be his servant. There are two major reasons why you should do so. The first reason is that Jesus came as a servant and calls those who believe in him to continue his ministry. In our O.T. reading from Ezekiel, God said “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.” (Ezekiel 34:15) When Jesus came he said “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Jesus served the people doing precisely those things the prophet Ezekiel had said God himself would do. You see it was God himself in Christ who was shepherding and serving us. Without seeking to enrich or lift up himself Jesus gave himself totally for us. Of all the kings and leaders who have ever lived only Jesus has perfectly fulfilled the role of leader. He is the good king who cares for each one of his people. Jesus is worthy! That’s the 1st reason we should be his servants.
The 2nd reason is a relatively new thought for me. Jesus came to reveal God to us. He said “anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) The Apostle Paul wrote “In Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwells.” Now listen, if Jesus came to reveal God to us, and Jesus came as a servant, then God, the Sovereign, Almighty Creator - is our servant. Yes, ever since the dawn of creation God has been serving us. He brought the universe into being and takes great delight in all his creatures. He hovers over his universe like parents hovering over their children, protecting, teaching, leading and loving them. He sustains, supports, nurtures, encourages. The very essence of God’s nature is to serve others.
The Scripture says, “God is love”. Perhaps we would have understood it better if it had said, “God is servant”. You see, for some love is just a fuzzy feeling. And what some others call love is nothing but lust. In Jesus God revealed and defined love. True love is a decision to commit oneself to the welfare of others. God not only wills the good of others, he continuously works for our well being. If Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and God, Himself is our servant, then we are to understand that the basic principal, the life force that sustains the universe, - is God - the servant of his love for others.
God is not a warrior-conqueror as they thought in the O.T. He doesn’t rule in arrogant power, as our human rulers today are so prone to do. He doesn’t rule by intimidation or manipulation. Nonetheless it would be a serious mistake to think God is weak. God, the sovereign servant, is the source and ground of all being. Anyone who separates himself from God will ultimately self-destruct, for in and of ourselves we do not have the power to sustain our being. In like manner becoming a servant of God does not mean eating humble pie and becoming a doormat for people to wipe their feet on. Jesus, the Apostle Paul, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa were among the boldest, most courageous people of all time.
According to Jesus committing ourselves to God as his servant is a matter of life and death. He said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake…will save it.” (Mk. 8:35) When we strive to be first, try to elevate ourselves at the expense of others, seek to acquire the most toys, try to hoard our lives for ourselves, we loose our lives. When in fear and anxiety we choose to live selfishly we are disconnecting ourselves from the Servant God “in whom alone we live and move and have our being”.
You & I are blessed to belong to a local church that has along tradition of serving others. When we work on a house for “Good Works”, provide food for the poor through “We Care”, build a house for a family in Mexico or Peru, assist the poor in getting medical care, teach a Sunday school class, visit the homebound, take flowers to the hospitalized, tend to the needs of children through our preschool; or our young people build a cardboard village to call attention to the plight of the homeless, in all such things we experience a great sense of contentment and joy. Why? because we are connecting ourselves with God who rules as a loving servant.
Many of us are learning that the question we must ask ourselves is not “Is this good for me?” The right question is “Is this good for me and for the others involved?” It’s only as we follow Christ’s way of compassion that we can honestly come here week after week and pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s when we care for those in need - that our society and its economy grow strong. This is God’s way. It’s the only way we’ll ever build the secure society for which we yearn.
Now Listen! Jesus said, whoever wants to know greatness, must become a servant. Whoever strives to be the very best he or she can be, must become the slave of all. (Mark 10:44) And that, my friends, is what Jesus really wants from you. He asks for nothing more - and because it is his very nature to serve, he can accept nothing less. To say we believe in Jesus means we are choosing his way as our way, we are committing ourselves to continuing the ministry he began.
Let me close by saying it’s no easier for us to follow Jesus today, than it was for the twelve disciples who, at first, found his words incomprehensible. But the community of Jesus, the church, is a school where we are learning to follow his way. So take heart! History tells us that when the twelve disciples got it right, they turned the ancient world upside down and inside out. Our world desperately needs help today. What do you say we get on with it! The Servant God who calls us, who lives within us, will empower us to become servants of his love.
Amen.