Mark Chapter 10 Verse 32

• Jesus has not done a good job in making friends with the Jewish rulers. He had publically body slammed the Pharisees time and time again with His wisdom! He had denied them their demands of Him. They came to Him seeking a sign back in Chapter 8 and His response? Get saved! He has drawn huge crowds to Himself of thousands upon thousands of people and He had taught them and healed them…gasp…on the Sabbath and when questioned about it by the religious elite His response…”You guys have it all wrong! Man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man. You’ve warped God’s Word into something for your own selfish gain!”

• They’d had just about enough of being humiliated by a common Carpenter. The illegitimate Son of Mary and Joseph…the trivial Brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon. (All the way back in Chapter 6) And so at this point, the disciples knew that wherever Jesus was going, there’d be trouble. In fact at this point, Jesus was a wanted man. They were afraid Mark tells us as they made their way to the capital, to Jerusalem. Home base for the Pharisees.

• And yet Mark tells us they were amazed. Why? Because better than any of them, Jesus knew all this, and yet He led the way. He led them without a plan. Without a scheme or a strategy of ducking into the shadows…it was like a warrior in the middle of a ferocious battlefield and yet He stands and walks directly toward the enemy…fearless and determined…and they were amazed.
• Now when He gets to Jerusalem, will He ever get out? No. This is it…His last trip there…He’s about to be betrayed and crucified…and so as He leads…where He leads them to, is His own cross. Man that is terrifyingly and amazingly powerful! Where does Jesus lead us as we follow Him? To the cross!
• As we hang out with Jesus, understand Him, follow Him where we find He leads us…to our own cross…Where we lay down our lives willingly for God and for others…willingly! We will desire to used! We will yearn to love, yearn to give, yearn to serve, yearn to take the brunt of it for them…because in understanding power and truth and reality we lose the desire for weakness…living for self. You see on the way He explains it all to us! We lose the desire for death and waste…It’s like Jesus is the cure for those things man…and we find life.

• Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it…”

• Jesus always leads us to the cross, and the cross always leads to resurrection man…! Dead to sin, born again but this time set free man…sin out of breath…dead in the tomb…! WWJD?…He would die.   He would feed. He would heal. He would lead. They are amazed.

Mark Chapter 10 Verses 33 – 34

• Jesus takes them aside and says, “So here’s the plan guys.” >   The disciples must have thought, “Yes, I knew it…I knew He had a plan to establish His kingdom! Here we go guys, this is what we’ve been waiting for! Time for some nice new duds, a new AMG Twin Turbo donkey!, maybe a nice celebration feast of Matzah and Babka! Let’s hear it…let’s have it! What’s the plan?! Lay it on me Boss!!”
• “Ok, when we get there I’m going to be betrayed, condemned, mocked, scouraged, spit on…and killed…And on the third day, I’m gonna rise again!” Disastrous disciple face! “Dude wait whaaaaat!” I’m not sure how comforting this was to them but you know what, it was truth. He saw them terrified and yet they still followed and just like Jesus does today…He reveals to them what’s really going on…

• Now two things that are uber interesting here…first, the pattern. Jesus said He will be condemned, delivered, mocked, scourged, spit on and killed. What’s crazy is that when you break down each of those words in the Greek a pattern is obvious. First, he will be condemned…Greek word katakrino…literally means, “judged unworthy.”   Then delivered. Paradidomi, literally means, “betrayed.” Then mocked. Empaizo which literally means, “diluted or trifled with.” Then scouraged. Mastigoo. Literally means, “cut.” Then spit on. Emptys, “thrown away.” And finally, killed, “apokteino,” literally extinguished or abolished.

• You see the world did it to Him then and the world is doing it to Him now…this is even the pattern individual folks take! Check this out. First He is deemed false, unworthy to be sought, followed, obeyed or worshipped. Then He is betrayed. God sold Himself into slavery and gave His life for each of us…and the world betrays Him! Turns on Him. Then the world dilutes Him…waters Him down…makes themselves god. Then they cut Him out…out of schools, out of public policy, even out of churches! He’s thrown away and finally extinguished…and here we arrive at the very horizon of our current world scene!
• Almost entirely, collectively, completely…the world and even a huge portion of the so-called church, we have again, just as in the days of Noah, turned our backs on God and His Word…extinguishing/abolishing TRUTH…but wait…there’s more…Jesus says here…I’m coming back! When it gets like this…know this…I’m just about to call my church home and put an end to it all…I’m about to rise again!!! And indeed He is!
• And that word rise is Anistemi…where we get our word Anesthetic…knocks sucka’s out! Jesus is about to drop them! The Devil, sin, death…all that was turned backwards when the first man failed…And that day for us is VERY soon! Even the world knows it! Movies about the end of the world, angels, demons, Biblical characters! Man God is calling out to the farthest regions of the darkest sinners even NOW! Why? He’s about to call an end to it all!!!

Mark Chapter 10 Verses 35 – 40

• You know…sometimes we do things that just aren’t too smart. The other day, Link was just spinning; you know how kids do right? And then we all heard this roaring SPLAT! He fell flat!   And what did we all do? Scream laughed! I know we’re cruel but man it was funny and I thought to myself…wow that was dumb! HA. But hey, we all do that kind of stuff…
• This move here by James and John…not too smart. What they’re asking for is honor. Psalm 110. 1 Kings 2…the right and the left hand of the throne was a place of the highest honor. They’re basically saying here…”Hey Jesus, among these other 10 here following you…we wanna be their chief…boss ‘em around see…” And the others heard them! Wow, not a good way to strengthen the bond…ya know!?
• But here’s the thing. James was martyred. In fact he was the first to die for the name of Jesus. John was placed in a cauldron of boiling oil (deep fried disciple, man) and then exiled to the island of Patmos when that didn’t kill him! They did drink of the same cup that Jesus did in terms of being hated by the world…and man we will too as we follow Jesus.
• But watch this typical response from the others…they should have scream laughed…but they didn’t…

Mark Chapter 10 Verse 41

• Why were they displeased? They were thinking the same thing…

Mark Chapter 10 Verses 42 – 45

• Mark’s gospel presents Jesus as the Servant of all mankind…and this verse is the central verse for this gospel. “You guys want to lead, you want to be chief and master of all…the way of eternal leadership and true strength is not self-glory, it is sacrifice and service.” And Jesus uses the word “Slave.” Wow…
• Our society exalts the talented, the elite, the physically strong! We make football cards and baseball cards…God makes slave cards! HA!   Gabriel – I’ll trade you a Chin All-Star for a Korniotes Rookie card! Michael – Done! Slave all-stars…slave rookie cards and they don’t lose their value! In God’s economy man…the leaders are the ones who reach down and support, lift up, serve the others…and check this out, you can’t serve, unless you’re a servant! Isn’t that so practically obvious!
• So you want to be great, you want to lead…be the servant of all…even the slave of all…wow! So backwards to our flesh isn’t it! And you know what…the best way to discover who is a servant of all, a servant of God…a real leader…with true power and strength…who is first place…all-star in terms of intimacy with Jesus…and understanding of truth and reality…a slave of all…watch how you react…You know you’re a servant when you react like one…when tested like one…
• Jesus was tested. The ultimate test. His creation. His world. His people. His kosmos…His power, His glory, His respect, His family…He laid it all aside…He didn’t have to…to serve and to give His life a ransom…in our place…for us…

Mark Chapter 10 Verses 46 – 52

• Why would the Word of God follow up this central teaching with this seemingly random story? Because it’s perfect. This man was blind…can’t see reality…and when he hears Jesus…the perfect response. “Justice!” No. “Position, prominence, prestige…gimme! I have rights! God You owe me!” No. The perfect response…mercy, Lord….I’ve been blind my whole life…

• And when Jesus calls Him…responds as living folks do (Jesus is ALIVE!), this man throws aside his garment…all he has probably…his protection, his warmth, his covering…man he just casts it all aside…and simply by the Word of Lord mixed with faith, this man’s eyes are opened wide!