The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

2,000 Years of Church History (In Less Than An Hour)

Two Year Anniversary
A Brief Church History
May 23rd, 2023
 
Introduction
On August 24th of 2012, Joe Stout contacted Dave Hatcher (pastor of Trinity Church in Kirkland) about starting a church in Lewis County. It would not be until May 23rd, of 2021 (9 years later), that the church would be formally constituted. Two years later, and God has given us a place to worship, a Christian school, a congregation of about 120, with 91 official members (46 adults, and 49 children).
Right now in America, the majority of churches are composed of 75 people or less (that’s the median congregation size), and so for God to give us the growth we have had in just two years is really a great blessing. And we thank God for that.
 
Now you all know the 5th commandment. The 5th commandment is “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” And this commandment applies not only to individuals but also to groups of individuals, to institutions, to tribes, to nations, and especially to churches. God commands His people to remember and even memorialize certain great acts in history.
And so just as it was important for the Hebrews to tell their children the story of the Exodus and the 10 plagues, and God’s miraculous deliverance every year at Passover, so also it is important for us to remember the many saints who have gone before us, without which, we would not be here, without which, none of us would be Christians.
It is the grace of God that we heard the gospel and there are innumerable people who we have never met that made that hearing of the Word possible. The very fact that we all have the Bible on our smartphones, and access to Scripture and books and solid doctrine at our fingertips, is almost impossible to explain to a Christian living in the 1st What’s a phone? What’s the internet? What is electricity? What’s a podcast? What is YouTube?
 
It says in Jude 1:3, “Beloved…it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” That “contending for the faith once delivered” is a task that the Holy Spirit has empowered the church to do for 2,000 years. And every single one of us will one day be able to trace in unbroken succession, how that faith was handed down to us across the centuries. One day, in the New Heavens and New Earth, we will get to meet and shake hands with and hug those people who God used as his instruments to bring about our eternal salvation. As my old pastor is fond of saying, “God loves to use crooked sticks to draw straight lines,” and that really is the story of church history. It is messy, it is complicated, and often both sides in a dispute are wrong. But nevertheless, the church of Christ continues to prevail.
 
So with that, let us trace our family lineage from the year 33 AD to present day 2023 AD. We’ll start at the beginning. And because we are covering so much ground in so little time, I am going to divide that 2,000 years of history into 4 basic sections to help us keep track of where we are in the timeline. This is of course an oversimplification, but I think it’s a helpful way of dividing time:
 
Four Eras of Church History
The Early Church (first 500 years of church history, from the apostles in 33 AD thru the Fall of the Roman empire in 476 AD)
The Middle Ages (1,000 years of Christendom in various forms, roughly 500-1500 AD)
The Reformation/Early Modern Era (1500-1750, from Luther to the birth of the USA)
Late Modernity to Contemporary Era (1750-2023, from birth of USA to now)
 
#1 - The Early Church
In Acts 1:8, Jesus says to His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and thus began the age of the apostolic church.
The book of Acts is our earliest narrative of church history, and in it we see the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem and Judea, then into Samaria (because of persecution), and then to uttermost parts of the earth. Acts begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome.
In less than 40 years, the gospel would reach the ends of the earth, such that the Apostle Paul could say in Colossians 1:23 (60 AD), that the gospel was preached “to every creature under heaven.” And in Romans 1:8 (57 AD), that the faith of the Romans was spoken of “throughout the whole world.”
This of course is what Jesus prophesied in the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24 and Mark 13, that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world (οικουμενη) as a witness to all the nations (πασιν τοις εθνεσιν), and then the end will come.” The end referred to here was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Old World in 70 AD.
So within one generation of Christ’s death and resurrection, the gospel went everywhere. However, because of persecution and various wars, there are very few written records from the years immediately following the apostles.
It is not until Eusebius (260-339 AD) and the rise of Constantine that we have the first written history of the church. Eusebius is considered the father of church history, and already he is writing some 200 years after the death of the apostles.
 
Key Events - What happened in those first 500 years?  A lot!
Most importantly, the doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation were hammered out.
We have from this era the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed (381), The definition of Chalcedon (451), and the Athanasian Creed (6th century), all of which deal with these doctrines.
The first 500 years of the church were spent defending and defining that Jesus is indeed God and then coming to grips with what that means about who God is as both One and Three. One divine essence in three subsistent relations, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
So much of what we take for granted as Christians was hard fought over, and many saints died to defend these truths.
The most notable theologians of this era, what we call the church fathers are as follows:
West
Ambrose of Milan (340-397)
Jerome (347-420)
Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
Gregory the Great (540-604)
East
Origen of Alexandria (185-254)
Athanasius of Alexandria (298-373)
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390)
Basil of Caesarea (330-379)
John Chrysostom (347-407)
In terms of political significance, it was Constantine’s edict of toleration in 313 that made Christianity a publicly lawful religion in the empire. Constantine himself would later be baptized and converted to the true religion.
So our church holds to the Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed, and Definition of Chalcedon, and therefore we consider all of the church fathers I mentioned earlier as our spiritual ancestors. That doesn’t mean we agree with every single thing they said, but it does mean you owe them honor as building upon the foundation of the Apostles, and defending the most important doctrines of our religion in the face of great opposition and adversity. It is these saints, theologians, and pastors that contended for the faith, so that it could be handed down to the next generation.
So of the three major divisions in the church today: Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, something we share in common is that we are all Trinitarian Nicene Chalcedonian Christians. We all hold in high regard these fathers in the faith, and trace our lineage back to them. This is an era before any of those later divisions took place.
This leads us to the Middle Ages where you have both the rise of Christendom and the first major split within the Nicene church.
 
#2 – The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages could be further subdivided into Early, High, and Late.
Early Middle Ages (476-800, the fall of the Roman empire to the beginning of the “Holy Roman Empire” under Charlemagne, who was crowned by Pope Leo III)
During this time, you have the rise of Islam and the Arab Empire.
High Middle Ages (800-1300)
During this time you have the great East-West Schism of 1054, and this is where the Latin West and the Greek churches in the East (Byzantine Empire) divide over issues of church government, papal authority, and the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed. This was a division that had been growing for many years, but finally came to a head in 1054, and this is a division that remains today between what we now call Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.
It is here that Protestants can look back and see points of agreement and disagreement with both sides in this debate. So to give you a sense of some of the differences between East and West at this time:
The West did not allow priests to marry, whereas in the East almost all priests were married men. Here Protestants would side with the East.
The West used unleavened bread in communion, the East use leavened bread. Here Protestants can go either way since we think both are legitimate.
In baptism, the West had a diversity of legitimate modes of baptism (immersion, affusion, pouring, etc. and usually only once), whereas the East immerses people (even babies) three times in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here Protestants are divided, many Baptists require immersion, whereas the reformed (our church) believes all modes are legitimate.
The West taught the doctrine of purgatory and indulgences, whereas the East denied the existence of purgatory or some kind of “treasure of merits” that can be dispensed to saints. Protestants of course side with the East here.
The West added the filioque clause (“and from the Son”) to the Nicene Creed. This has implications for the doctrine of the Trinity and how you understand the procession of the Holy Spirit. The East rejected this addition on various grounds, some procedural (since it was not original) and some theological (denying the double procession of the Spirit). Here the Protestants are on the side of the West, as we retain it in our Creed.
And lastly, and most importantly, the West at this time made very exalted claims about the Pope of Rome and his primacy over the other bishops, claiming he had absolute authority over the entire church, the East of course rejected this and held that the five ancient patriarchates of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria together offered leadership to Christians. Here, the Protestants are on the side of the East.
You also have during this time on both sides, an increase in the usage of icons or images of Christ. And there were various iconoclastic controversies. This issue of images of Christ is going to come up again at the Protestant Reformation with the Reformers largely rejecting images as idolatrous.
Some of the other noteworthy events of this time were the Crusades, and also the invention of the university. Universities started as cathedral schools for training clergy, and so in 1096 you have the founding of the University of Oxford, which is the oldest English-speaking university in the world.
From these universities sprang some of the greatest theologians who ever lived, and the seeds were planted in them for what would become the reformation a few hundred years later.
The most important and influential theologians of the Middle Ages were:
John of Damascus (675-749)
Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)
Peter Lombard (1095-1160)
Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
Late Middle Ages (1300-1520)
In the late Middle Ages, you have the beginning of the Renaissance (1350-1650) and Humanism, which revived the study of ancient texts, especially in their original languages (Greek, Hebrew, Latin, etc.).
The most important humanist for launching the Protestant reformation was a man named Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), and he was responsible for compiling, editing, and publishing the New Testament in the original Greek, and all this at the same time that Johannes Gutenberg’s (1400-1468) printing press was revolutionizing the way information was printed and disseminated.
Historians are fond of saying that “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”
And so in the years leading up the Reformation, you had for the very first time in human history, the ability to mass produce identical texts, so that everyone could read the same thing at very little cost.
Prior to this point, books were very expensive to copy, and produce, because you needed a scribe to handwrite them. Now there is the arrival of a more standardized and stable text that more people could access.
This revolution in access to the Scriptures and their translation into other languages by Wyclif, Tyndale, Erasmus, and others, began to rock the boat of Western power structures, especially the Roman Catholic Church.
For example, in 1440 Lorenzo Valla showed that the Latin used in The Donation of Constantine was not that of the 4th century. This forged document had been used by the Roman Catholic church to claim supremacy and the power to appoint secular rulers in the West.
This debunking of a such a key authority helped to undermine trust in the papacy.
And this brings us to the next big split in the history of the church, and that is the various reformations of the 16th
 
#3 – Reformation & Early Modern Era
The reformation itself went through various phases. The first phase runs from 1517 to 1564, so from Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses to the death of John Calvin.
1st Generation Reformers were people like Martin Luther (German), Ulrich Zwingli (Swiss), Martin Bucer (German), and Philip Melanchthon (German).
2nd Generation Reformers were people like John Calvin (French), Peter Marty Vermigli (Italian), and Heinrich Bullinger (Swiss).
After that first wave of reformers, the next phase was coping with the aftermath both politically and theologically of breaking with Rome, and this meant developing and defending Reformed Theology as the true and apostolic faith over against the errors and corruptions that had dominated the church for many years.
This theological development and articulation reaches a peak in 17th century as various confessions are drawn up, and this includes the original version of our church’s confession, The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646).
Our church uses the American version of the WCF (1788 AD) which makes a few minor changes, but on the whole, we are the direct theological descendants of the Westminster Divines.
Now here we have to talk a little inside baseball because what we call Protestantism today is really composed of a bunch of different regional churches that broke with Rome. And so while we have agreement with other Protestants in not accepting papal authority (we have that in common with the Eastern Orthodox), there are a whole host of other issues that we disagree on amongst ourselves, and that continues down to the present day.
For example, although we credit Luther with kicking off the Protestant Reformation, we have far more in common with someone like Ulrich Zwingli (the Swiss Reformer) who argued vigorously against Luther over Christology and the Lord’s Supper. So there is still to this day a Lutheran church that is Protestant like we are, but as Reformed Westminster Presbyterians, we have some major disagreements with them.
 
#4 – Late Modernity to Contemporary Era
Perhaps the biggest difference between our church and the churches of the reformation era is that we live in America.
The United States was shaped by a diversity of Protestant denominations (Anglican, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, etc.), and therefore the way we think about religion and government and the church is radically different from ages past, and this is in large part due to the forces of secularism.
Americans take for granted that all religions should be tolerated and treated equally. But this is really a novel idea in the history of the world, and one that is not actually possible to accomplish. There is always some supreme principle by which you organize and rule society, and secularism is the current false god of America.
So to situate our church then within that broader picture of church history, I want to give you a prioritized order in which we should identify ourselves to others.
I should note here that this should not be taken in the sense of being schismatic like the Apostle Paul warns about, “I am of Peter, I am of Paul, I am of Christ, etc.” but rather a way of communicating honestly about what we believe to people who ask.
So who are we as a church?
We are first and foremost Christians.
That is we believe in the same Apostles and Nicene Creed as present-day Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox do. We believe in the Lord Jesus and practice Trinitarian Baptism. And this would exclude heretical sects like Arians, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses who do not.
Second, we are Protestants.
That is together with all protestants (and EO) we reject the supremacy of the pope and his authority over us. That’s the “Protestant” part.
Third, we are Reformed Presbyterians.
The “Reformed” part refers to our doctrine as in line with the magisterial reformers (John Calvin, Westminster divines, etc.), and that is to distinguish us from the Lutherans, from the Anabaptists, the Methodists, and other “non-reformed” Protestants.
The “Presbyterian” part refers to our form of church government, which distinguishes us from those who believe in Episcopal church government (rule by bishops) as in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodox on one side. And then Congregationalists and Baptists (rule by the congregation) on the other.
So as Reformed Presbyterians, we believe the church is rightly led and ruled by elders, not a pope nor by the congregation, and that is intended to provide both accountability amongst fellow church leaders (presbyters), and gives a court of appeal for the congregation in the case that one of the elders is out of line.
While church government is not something most American Christians think about, it’s actually one of the most important dividing lines between denominations and churches and how they are run.
So we are Christians, we are Protestants, and we are Reformed Presbyterians.
And the hope is that one day, these various labels will no longer be necessary because the church will have achieved far greater unity than we have now. We are praying and believing for the day when Jeremiah 31:34 comes to pass in full, which says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more.”
May God hasten that day!
 

Sermon: Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:18-3:6)

Lord of the SabbathSunday, May 21st, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 2:18-3:6
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for giving us Jesus who is Lord of the Sabbath. You are the God of eternal rest, of everlasting shalom, and we thank you for making us to lie down in green pastures and for leading us beside the still waters. We ask that you would now restore our souls, our bodies, and our minds, as we study Your Word, for we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.  
Introduction
Under the Old Covenant, God commanded Israel to feast and rejoice on a regular schedule. Every seventh day, every Sabbath, was a feast day in which the whole nation was to stop working, worship the Lord, and as Nehemiah said to the Jews, “Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
God commanded that every seventh day be a day of rejoicing, a day of feasting.And as if once a week was not enough, he then added to that weekly feast three annual festivals that lasted a whole week. Three extra weeks of what we would call “holidays.” So in the ancient Hebrew calendar, at least one fifth of the year involved some kind of religious festival. The God of the Old Testament is clearly a God of feasting.
Now if God commanded all these regular feasts, we might wonder if he also commanded any fasts, and if so how often?
Does anyone know how many days of fasting are commanded in the Old Testament? The answer is one.
There is only one day of fasting that was commanded in the Torah, and that was the Day of Atonement (Tishri the 10th), the tenth day of the seventh month, 10 days after the new civil year began, God says, “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever” (Lev. 16:30-31).
The prophet Isaiah takes this “affliction of the soul” to refer to fasting in Isaiah 58, and this is the only regularly commanded day of fasting for Israel.
We see later in Israel’s history that the civil leaders had authority to proclaim a fast in times of national distress or emergency, and people were of course free to fast on non-feast days if they desired, but in terms of what God prescribed to the nation, He overwhelmingly commands feasting for over a fifth of the year, while fasting for only one day in the year, and that on the day of Atonement.
Now in our text this morning we have the beginning of various controversies that are going to follow Jesus for the rest of his earthly ministry. By now it is clear that Jesus is someone to be reckoned with, He is gaining in popularity, and with that popularity comes envy, jealousy, and false accusations from the ruling class.
Jesus is experiencing what any of us would experience if we were to say, run as a candidate for the presidency.If any of us were nominated to run for such a powerful office, prepare to have your political opponents going through everything you ever said or did to find dirt on you, and if they can’t find it, they will manufacture it.
This is exactly what happens to Jesus from the scribes and Pharisees, and those accusations begin around laws for the Sabbath. If the Pharisees can prove that Jesus has broken the Sabbath, then they win, they prove him to be a sinner and a fraud and therefore not the Messiah. And so in our text this morning we have three different scenes that revolve around what it means to observe the sabbath.
Outline
Verses 18-22 the people ask, “Why don’t Jesus’ disciples fast?”
Verses 23-28 there is a debate over “Whether Jesus’ disciples are breaking the sabbath?”
Verses 1-6 of chapter 3 take up the question, “What is lawful to do on the Sabbath?
Verse 18
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Now remember the context here. Jesus has just feasted with his new disciple Levi the tax collector and is eating and drinking with publicans and sinners. And that table fellowship and ministry to the spiritually sick (to whom he has come as physician) provokes the religious elite to question his methods.
And so they ask, “Why don’t your disciples fast like the rest of us?”
In Jesus day it was the custom for Pharisees to fast “twice a week” (Luke 18:12) on Mondays and Thursdays. And throughout the history of Israel, fasting was something you did as a sign of repentance and mourning for sin. Fasting was a way of forsaking earthly things, dying to the flesh, so that God might have favor upon you. In that sense, fasting is a very good thing.
The Pharisees knew rightly that the nation was under God’s judgment. It was the nation’s sins that had caused the exile and destruction of the first temple, and it was the nation’s sins that were presently keeping them from experiencing the blessings and prosperity of God’s covenant.
So it is commendable and even right that the Pharisees should fast, but to fast from food without also fasting from sin was to defeat the purpose of fasting, and that is what the Pharisees were doing (as we shall see).
So the question comes to Jesus “Why don’t your disciples fast like the rest of us?” and how does Jesus respond? Well, he responds cunningly with a question.
Verse 19
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
This is a bombshell of a response, because in the Old Testament who is the bridegroom? Who is the one who marries the nation? What is the Song of Solomon all about? It’s about the love between God and His people.
In Scripture, God is the bridegroom.
Isaiah 54:2 says, “For thy Maker is thine husband; The Lord of hosts is his name; And thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
God is the great king who marries the nation and gives them His name. Just as a husband gives his last name to his wife, so also God put his name YHWH upon His people, and they were commanded at Sinai to not take the Lord’s name in vain.
So the covenant between God and Israel is spoken of as a marriage covenant, and Israel is frequently called an unfaithful bride, a spouse who whores after other gods and worships the idols of foreign nations.
And so when the prophets foretell the arrival of a New Covenant, it is the promise of a future wedding, it is a kind of “save the date” for a wedding that will take place in the latter days. God is going to come as King and put away the sins of His people, and when they are married, then the wedding feast shall begin.
So when Jesus poses this question back to his interlocutors, He is implicitly claiming to be God. He is calling himself the bridegroom, and his disciples are the wedding party (“children of the bridechamber”). And so because in Jesus the wedding feast has come, the king has arrived, it would be improper for the wedding party to fast. That is Jesus’ argument.
Part of the good news of the gospel is that we feast with God. And Jesus reveals what God does when he comes to earth, he goes into people’s houses and eats with them. Jesus is the God of feasting.
In verse 20 there is a foreshadowing of Jesus death, he says…
Verse 20
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
So Jesus does not come to abolish fasting altogether, there is a time to feast and a time to fast (Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything), but that time of fasting will take place after his death.
He then poses two riddles to further demonstrate why his disciples are not fasting.
Verses 21-22
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
The bottles here refer to wineskins (probably from a goat). And in the ancient world everybody knew that both wineskins and garments would be destroyed if you tried to connect new with old.
And so Jesus is saying here that the customs and rites or administration of the Old Covenant, would burst if the wine of the Kingdom was poured inside.
New wine, new cloth needs a new form that can grow and expand with it. And the wineskins and cloths of the Old World are insufficient.
So that’s why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast. They are new bottles, they are new cloth, and the old forms will not do. John came fasting, Jesus comes feasting, and the disciples are members of the wedding party.
Moving now into the second scene in our text, first the disciples are disparaged for not fasting, and now in verses 23-28 they are charged with the crime of sabbath breaking.
Verse 23
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
So here the charge from the Pharisees is that the disciples are working on the sabbath. As they pass through a field, they grab a head of grain, rub it in their hands and eat the kernels, the Pharisees see this and say “aha, harvesting crop, that’s work, that violates the sabbath.”
Now before we see how Jesus answers this charge, it’s a good exercise to ask ourselves how would I respond if I was in this situation (if I was a disciple)? What is the best biblical counterargument to the Pharisees here. There are a few possible responses we could give.
One possible argument is that Deuteronomy 23:24-25 made provision for what the disciples are doing. God says there, “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.”
So it was permissible for someone to pass through your field and eat some grapes or eat some grain, but they weren’t allowed to collect it or put it in a basket, you had to just to use your hand. This was a provision for travelers and the poor before there were McDonalds at every exit.
Furthermore in Leviticus 23:22 it says, “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
So this was the social safety net God provided for the poor. It wasn’t a government handout, it was food left at the edges of the fields. The whole story of Ruth revolves around these laws.
And so the disciples were well within the law of God to do this, and we might say this is especially appropriate on the Sabbath day which is supposed to be a day of feasting. If the Sabbath comes and you run out of food, it’s okay to go to the store and grab something. If your wife forgot an ingredient for the sabbath meal, it’s good and right to go and get it. Whether from the garden outside, or the grocery store, the sabbath is to be a day of feasting and rejoicing.
So that’s one possible defense, and perhaps you can think of others. But let us see how Jesus mounts his argument, because this is a fascinating text.
Verses 25-28
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
This is a profound and penetrating use of Scripture that Jesus deploys, and there are multiple arguments embedded here.
We heard earlier in the service 1 Samuel 21 which is the proof text Jesus uses, and to understand Jesus’ argument, you really have to understand that Old Testament passage. So let me summarize that scene for us.
David has just fled for his life because King Saul is jealous and wants to kill him. Sound familiar?
He goes to Nob, where the tabernacle is situated and the priest there is Ahimelech. David is hungry, it is a sabbath day, and He asks Ahimelech for five loaves of bread for him and his men.
Ahimelech says, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”
David says, “yes, the men and their vessels are holy,” and so Ahimelech gives him holy bread from the holy place to eat.
We might wonder whether that was lawful or not because Jesus explicitly says, “it is not lawful to eat but for the priests.” So what is going on here?
Well in the parallel passage of Matthew’s version of this same conversation, Jesus adds, “Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple” (Matt. 12:5-6).
So I take Jesus here as adopting the Pharisees definition of what is “not lawful” and then refuting it by David’s example. He is saying, if that is your definition of sabbath breaking, then David and the priests “break the sabbath” too.
And then he tops it off by saying, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”
Jesus’ argument has multiple levels:
For one, if taking some grain in your hands on the sabbath day was “breaking the sabbath” then David was an even worse sabbath breaker. For David is doing “work for the king” on a special assignment, together with his young men. That is the reason he gives to Ahimelech for his urgent need, “I’m doing the king’s business.”
And if you concede that point, then Jesus and his disciples are good.
But if you argue that point, Jesus has another argument for you, namely, that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. In other words, you could argue that even if David was not holy, it would have been right to give him the holy bread to keep from starving. The preservation of life takes precedent over ceremonial cleanliness.
And then if you still don’t buy that argument, Jesus has another trump card, which is that He is God. He is the Son of Man. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. And so the one who created the world and gave man the sabbath, can give grain to his disciples when they are hungry.
In addition to this defense of his disciples, Jesus by deploying 1 Samuel 21 is placing everyone within its narrative. If Jesus and his disciples are David and his men, then who is King Saul (Herod and the Pharisees)? Who is Doeg the Edomite who snitches on David to Saul, and then later kills Ahimelech? It’s these guys Jesus is talking to.
And lastly, you might have wondered why does Jesus say this happened in the days of Abiathar the high priest, when in reality it was Ahimelech who was priest?
Abiathar was Ahimelech’s son, and for a time he served David, but later he conspired with Absalom against David and betrayed him. So when King Solomon comes to power, he deposes Abiathar and Zadok becomes high priest.
So Jesus has purposely called forth the memory of Abiathar because like Abiathar, the priestly class is going to conspire and betray the true king. And after they do, they will be deposed. The priesthood will be transferred to the Son of Man, the priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck.
This is a devastating argument and in our final scene we see how the Pharisees respond.
Verses 1-6
3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
This is the great irony and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They go to church to dig up dirt on God. They charge God with breaking the sabbath. And when God heals a man’s withered hand, they immediately conspire on the sabbath how to commit murder against God.
Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” Well apparently they think its lawful to kill, because that’s what they conspire to do.
Sin will make you stupid. Sin will make you irrational. And the Pharisees are dead in sin.
And so we might ask, What is God’s heart towards such wicked men? What is God’s heart toward sinners?
Jesus reveals to us that God is both angered and grieved. He is angered at their actual breaking of the sabbath, wanting to prevent a man from being healed, to stop his disciples from eating, and He is grieved at the hardness of their hearts.
And this should teach us how to feel, when we look out at the world around us, with all of its evils and absurdities? Like Jesus, we should be outraged that God’s law is trampled upon, that the Sabbath is not a day of rest and worship and joyful feasting unto the Lord, but rather a day of selfish and carnal pleasure, of business as usual with no regard to the Lord who made us.
Conclusion
If Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, then He is the Creator, He is the Lord of everything else. And God promises that if we observe this day of rest and worship as He commanded, then truly we shall be blessed. For as He declares in Isaiah 58:13-14,
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
From doing thy pleasure on my holy day;
And call the sabbath a delight,
The holy of the Lord, honourable;
And shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways,
Nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord;
And I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth,
And feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father:
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
God wants to give us life and rest and joy in Him. Psalm 16:11 says, “At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”And that rest and those pleasures are offered to all in the gospel. To scribes and Pharisees, to hypocrites and sabbath breakers, and they are offered to you anew today.
So repent and believe in the Lord of the Sabbath, and He will give eternal rest.

Sermon: The Physician (Mark 2:1-17)

The PhysicianSunday, May 14th, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 2:1-17And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Prayer
Father we thank you for sending your Son, the Lord Jesus, to be our great physician, to heal us from our sicknesses, but more importantly to forgive our sins, we ask for your Holy Spirit now as we consider this text, for we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
Introduction
Well this morning we begin a new chapter in Jesus’ ministry, and already we have seen that Jesus has come to reverse the effects of the curse. The same curse that Jesus according to his divine nature, pronounced upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, in the Garden of Eden, Jesus comes to undo.
Mark has demonstrated for us in various ways that Jesus is God, He is the Messiah, but that divine identity is something that Jesus is presently keeping under wraps, when the demons declare he is the Son of God, he commands them to remain silent, when he heals the leper, he tells him to tell nobody, and yet despite these gag orders, the word has gotten out. A miracle worker has come to Galilee, and as Mark ends chapter 1, he says, “and they came to him from every quarter.”
So Jesus’ star is rising, his popularity is increasing, he has gone from an obscure carpenter in Nazareth to someone that all men seek after. So looking at our text this morning, there are two basic sections:
Verses 1-12 describe the healing of a paralytic and the forgiveness of his sins.
Verses 13-17 describe the calling of another disciple, this time it is Levi the Tax Collector.
Verse 1
And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
If you remember how chapter 1 ended, Jesus healed the leper and traded places with him. The leper can now rejoin society, he can go about his normal life, but Jesus is forced to dwell in the wilderness, he can longer openly enter the city.
So here he attempts to enter Capernaum, he goes to Peter’s house, and word gets out that Jesus is back.
Verse 2
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
So immediately a crowd gathers and its standing room only, Mark tells us, there was no room “so much as about the door.” Every place to sit or stand and hear is taken.
And Jesus, knowing the purpose for which he came forth, the reason for his incarnation, begins to preach to them.
Now while he is preaching in Peter’s house, we are told in verse 3-4…
Verses 3-4
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
So to set the scene, you can imagine an ancient home in Capernaum, it was typical to have what we call a deck on the roof of your house, so these are flat roofs where you have additional living space to eat, or relax in the evening, or set out clothes or food to dry. And there was typically a ladder or set of stairs that led up to the roof.
And there is actually pretty good evidence that archaeologists have found this very housein Capernaum, a church was eventually built on top of it, and you can go visit the remains to this day.
So this was a decent sized house (5,000 square foot plot), probably had a couple courtyards within the walls, and these four men climb up to the roof and begin to tear it apart.
The roof was probably made of thatch or tiles, and you can imagine sitting inside the house and dirt is falling on your head while your trying to listen to Jesus preach, and if your Peter or Peter’s mother-in-law, you might be a little upset that someone is destroying your roof.
How would you respond if this was your house?
In verse 5, we see how Jesus responds.
Verse 5
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Jesus sees the faith of these four men. He sees their faith by their actions, by their boldness, that they truly believe that Jesus can heal their friend.
But the first thing Jesus does is not heal the man, but rather, announce that his sins are forgiven, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Now why does Jesus do this?
There are a few reasons for this, but the first is because there is a connection between this man’s paralyzed state, and the state of his soul. For as bad as being unable to walk is, Jesus saw that this man’s soul was in even worse shape. He had sins, and those sins needed to be forgiven. Jesus saw and knew that it was more important for this man’s soul to be saved, than for him to walk again.
So that’s the first reason, Jesus forgives his sins because it is the thing he most needs.
And this should serve as a reminder to all of us, that God knows better than we do what we actually need. We think we would be better off if we had more money, better health, a bigger house, a better job,  better friends, a better spouse, etc. But God knows what we actually need to live eternally with Him. And oftentimes what we see as a great obstacle to our happiness, is what God gives us to increase our happiness in Him.
People often wonder, if God is good and loving and all powerful, then why does He afflict us? Why does he allow so much pain and suffering in our lives?
And the Christian tradition has answered this question by saying, there are basically 5 reasons or 5 causes for why God afflicts us. Sometimes He afflicts because:
1. He wants to increase our merits. He wants to add to our heavenly rewards. Examples of this would be someone like Job, or the great martyrs.
The book of Job begins by describing Job’s great wealth and fortunes, and when the book ends, after all of his suffering, those fortunes are doubled. God afflicts Job, and tests him, so that He can reveal more of Himself to Job. And those eternal treasures are signified to us by the physical material wealth that God gives to him.
So that’s reason number 1, God might afflict you to increase your heavenly rewards.
2. God often afflicts us to keep us humble.
The Apostle Paul is the great example of this. In 2 Corinthians 12, he describes this thorn in the flesh, this messenger from Satan that afflicted him, and he pleads with God to remove it from him three times. But God decides not remove it, but rather says, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
So sometimes, God lays us low, so that we will not become proud or haughty. He afflicts and weakens us, so that we rely upon His power and not our owns strength.
3. God sometimes afflicts us as discipline and correction for our sins.
This is possibly what is going on in our passage with the paralyzed man. Jesus forgives his sins first, because it was those sins that precipitated his paralyzed state.
We can imagine a robber who gets hurt while running away from the police, he crashes his car and is stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His affliction is the consequence of his sinful actions, but it is through that affliction that he becomes remorseful and repentant.
If a man is put in prison and there comes to know the Lord, that is a loving affliction compared to the eternal prison he was headed for.
4. Sometimes God afflicts us for no other reason but to glorify Himself.
This was the case with the blind man in John 9. A man was born blind, the disciples assumed it was because of his sins, or his parents’ sins that he was born that way, and Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”
Sometimes the only reason for our affliction, is for God to reveal his power when he delivers us. As my former pastor used to say, “God loves cliffhangers.” God is a master storyteller, and we are all characters in a story that is going to exalt and magnify the glory of God.
We don’t know if or when deliverance might come, and that’s what makes our faith in the midst of that uncertainty so precious and pleasing to our Father.
But if you belong to Jesus, you can trust that all things are conspiring for your good, and if you can’t see the reasons behind your affliction, that’s okay. What you can always bank on if you belong to Christ are two things: 1) It’s for your good. And 2) It’s only temporary.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Whatever our present sufferings, if we look to Jesus and cling to Him through them, the blessings on other side will be exponential.
5. There is also a 5th reason the Bible gives for human suffering, and that is for those who are reprobate. For those who God passes over and leaves in their sins, their affliction is just the beginning of the pains of damnation.
One example of this would be King Herod in Acts 12 who is eaten by worms.
Acts 12:22-23 says, “The people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”
Another example would Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who hardened their hearts against the Lord, and so for them the plagues were just the beginning of even worse torments in hell.
So those are the 5 principal reasons for why God permits suffering, for the elect they are always working for some greater good, and for the reprobate, they are the beginnings of God’s righteous judgment upon them.
Now returning to our text, Jesus declares this man’s sins are forgiven. He has been let down through the roof, he is still paralyzed, and the scribes consider Jesus words to be blasphemy.
Verses 6-7
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
So these scribes are good theologians, they know that the only person who can really forgives sins is God. The priest might be able to declare a word of absolution or atonement (“God has forgiven your sins”), but Jesus is clearly forgiving sins as if He has the power to do so. He is speaking as one who has authority and not as the scribes.
This rightly perplexes them if they don’t believe Jesus is God, and it sets up a great revelation of Jesus’ divinity in what follows.
Verse 8
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Notice the irony here. Who else but God can read minds and see people’s thoughts? And here Jesus says, “why reason ye these things in your hearts?”
So already these scribes should know this is no ordinary man.
Verses 9-12
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Jesus is crafty. Jesus is wise. And he intentionally forgives this man’s sins first (which is the more important thing), to provoke this charge of blasphemy because only God can forgive sins.
And then because the forgiveness of sins is invisible, it’s not something anyone there could prove had happened or not, He then commands the man to be resurrected, to arise, take up his bed, and go home.
Now imagine for a moment that you were in Peter’s house watching this all go down. What would seem more miraculous to you? What would you be telling everyone that you witnessed with your own two eyes? That a man had his sins of forgiven, or that a paralyzed man stood up and walked?
I think most of us would be more impressed by the miraculous healing. And what Mark is trying to teach us, and what Jesus is trying to teach these people, is that the forgiveness is a much bigger miracle than the casting out of demons, than the healing of a leper, or the healing of a paralytic.
Yes, these are all miracles and glorious testimonies of Jesus power. But what Jesus really wants us to learn is that we are all spiritually paralyzed. Sin has real consequences, and Jesus has the power to forgive us for our sins. That is the real miracle and the most important gift we should seek Him for.
This same lesson is reinforced by the calling of the 5th disciple. So far we have seen the calling of Simon and Andrew, James and John, all fisherman. And now Jesus is going to add a tax collector to his entourage.
Verses 13-14
13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
This is the calling of Levi (also called Matthew) who wrote the gospel of Matthew.
And just as the other disciples were called to follow Jesus in the middle of their work day, so also Levi is called to follow Jesus while he is sitting at his tax office.
As most of you know, tax collectors (or IRS agents) are not exactly the most beloved people in society. Nobody gets excited when the IRS knocks on your door.
In Jesus day, as in our own, tax collectors represented the oppressive and often tyrannical power of the government. So for a Jew to become a tax collector was essentially to sell out to “The Man.” It was to exchange your nation’s heritage and patrimony for unjust gain, and so only the people of lowliest character would stoop to such vocations.
Levi was likely the same man that Simon, Andrew, James and John, had to pay taxes thru. To be a fisherman was an honest job, but to be a tax collector was to be numbered amongst the prostitutes, and so this was likely a surprising (and awkward?) choice for the other disciples to have Levi join the team. We can imagine Peter wondering, is this guy going to move in with us too? I already have a roof to fix, and now we’re associating with criminals, what’s next.
Following Jesus is uncomfortable, and this is just the beginning of that discomfort.
For Levi, he is forced to leave behind his tax-collecting business. In order to follow Jesus, he forsakes that life of sin. The next thing Levi does is have Jesus over for dinner.
Verses 15-17
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Here Jesus punctuates and makes explicit the reason for everything he has done thus far. Jesus has come as a physician, and he is making house calls. He has visited the synagogue, he has visited Peter’s house, and now he is wining and dining with tax collectors in Levi’s house. It is not because all of these people and places have it all together, in fact it is the exact opposite.
Nobody is flattered when the doctor says, “alright, take off your clothes and let’s have a look.” The doctor is not there to admire the health and strength of your body, he is there to diagnose and fix what is wrong with you, to cut you open and sew you back together.
And this is the great misunderstanding that keeps the scribes and Pharisees from coming into the kingdom, it is their own blindness to their need for forgiveness. It is their failure to recognize that they are spiritual lepers, spiritually paralyzed, and need Jesus to heal them.
And so the way that Jesus loves these scribes and Pharisees is by telling them this proverb: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus is saying to them, “you are correct that these people are wicked and need to repent. They are sinners indeed. But I am not here eating and drinking to flatter them, or build rapport with them, or tell them they can go on living in sin,” Jesus is there to call them to repentance. And if the scribes and Pharisees had some self-awareness, they would recognize that they are just as much in need of Jesus as the people they despise.
Conclusion
There is a God who all of us must stand before on judgment day. And Jesus is that God, and He has come in the flesh to forgive sinners. All of the miracles, all of the healings, all of the powerful and mighty works He did (and which the gospel writers recorded), were to help you and I believe that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.
Jesus is that Son of Man who Daniel beheld some 500+ years prior. It says in Daniel 7:13, “And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
When you repent and believe the gospel, when you receive forgiveness from the Lord Jesus, you become a part of the Son of Man. And if you are united to the Son of Man, then you shall receive a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And that is more valuable than any affliction, any trouble, or any earthly blessing you can possibly imagine. For in the kingdom, you have the King Himself.
In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Sermon: All Men Seek For Thee (Mark 1:35-45)

All Men Seek For TheeSunday, May 7th, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 1:35-45
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. 40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the example of the Lord Jesus, for his piety, his prayer, and his power to cleanse. And we ask that just as Jesus touched the leper and healed him, so also you would touch us and heal us from our iniquities, for we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning we finish Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel, this is the 6th sermon in our series, and so far we have covered a lot of ground.
As we have seen, Mark’s gospel moves at a rapid pace (everything is said to happen “immediately”), and so what might take four chapters to cover in Matthew or Luke, Mark covers in a couple verses.
This is of course intentional and is meant to portray Jesus in a certain light. Mark knows there will be other gospel accounts you can read (he knows the other gospel writers) but his task is set forth Jesus as the Lion from the tribe of Judah. Marks wants to emphasize that Jesus is a new David, a new Elisha, a new Joshua, one who leads God’s people into the promised land of the kingdom.
One of the other major emphases in Mark’s gospel is the spiritual warfare in Christ’s ministry. Who is the great opponent Jesus comes to do battle with? So far it is Satan, and the demons, and those under their influence.
Mark pulls back the veil so to speak and illustrates what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
So although Jesus is walking about Galilee and Capernaum by the waterfront, He is waging spiritual warfare wherever He goes, that is what the preaching of gospel of the kingdom does. Light has come into the world, and the darkness cannot comprehend it.
As we look at our text, verses 35-45, we see this is a continuation of what took place the day before. And if you remember the sermon last week, we saw that Jesus enters the synagogue on the sabbath day, and he casts out a demon, and then after church they go over to Peter’s house for dinner and there, he heals Peter’s mother-in-law. And then when the sun goes down on the sabbath day, the entire city gathers at the door of Peter’s house desiring to be healed. So, this is a late night of ministry for Jesus, and he crashes at Peter’s house afterwards.
Turning to our text, in verse 35 it says…
Verse 35
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Here we have a hint and foreshadowing of the resurrection. Jesus is said to “rise up” (ἀναστὰς) early in the morning, and guess what day it is, it’s Sunday. The Jewish sabbath was Saturday, Jesus is resurrected early on Sunday morning, and Mark uses the same language here that he will use at the end of the book when He says, “Now when Jesus was risen (Ἀναστὰς) early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
Notice also the reference to devils being cast out. Here in chapter 1, Jesus casts out a bunch of devils, sleeps and “resurrects.” And that’s the first thing Mark calls attention to in chapter 16 when Jesus actually rises from the dead: he rises early and appears to a woman who he had delivered from demonic possession.
So Mark gives us this foreshadowing of the resurrection. Jesus after a long night of ministry, rises up early in the morning, and he goes to a solitary place to pray.
Now why does Jesus do this?
Jesus of course is the one who answers prayers according to his Divine Nature, but in His human nature he desires to show the disciples (and us) what true piety looks like.
What does it mean to follow Jesus? It means to mortify your flesh, to get up early, to seek solitude, so that you can speak with your Father. If Jesus did it, we should too.
This is what true devotion looks like. It seeks the quiet places away from society, before the noise and business of the world begins, and communes with God.
If Jesus desired solitude and prayer and He is the Son of God, how much more should we? How much more do we need to pray than the one who never sinned?
Continuing in verses 36-37…
Verses 36-37
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
There are many reasons why someone might seek after Jesus. If you had heard that a true prophet of God was in your town, and had the power to heal any disease, wouldn’t you go to him? Wouldn’t you bring your family and friends to him? Wouldn’t you want him to touch you and make your body completely well?
This is the primary reason people are seeking after Jesus, not because they want to enter the kingdom of heaven, or receive spiritual healing, but because they want His power to do something for them. They want earthly and temporal relief from sickness and affliction. Jesus of course, wants to give them that, but he wants to give them something more.
The language Mark uses here for following and seeking after Jesus is the language of hunting. And this same language is used in 1 Samuel 23:25 where David is hunted by King Saul. It says there, “Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.”
This should not surprise us that Mark is again portraying Jesus as David.Like David, Jesus is anointed king but has not yet ascended the throne, he has the power to cast out demons, and though he is righteous and innocent, Saul pursues him so that he must withdraw into the wilderness.
And it is there in the wilderness that David writes various Psalms, and one of them is Psalm 63, the heading is, “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” And if you know Psalm 63, what is the very first line of that prayer? “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee.”
This is what Jesus does. He rises early, he goes into the wilderness where David himself was once hunted, and there he seeks the Lord while all men seek after him.
This is the irony Mark is employing. He is playing with this idea of what it means to seek someone. You could seek them like Saul seeks for David (to kill him), or you could seek them like Jesus seeks for God (because He loves Him). Both seekings happen in the wilderness, but one is righteous and the other is wicked.
And the question we should ask then is: Why do we seek Jesus? Why do all men seek after Him? Why are the disciples looking for him? What do we really want from Him? Is it merely physical healing and the improvement of our temporal circumstances. Or does our seeking have eternity in view? Are we led from the healing of our bodies to the healing of our souls? From the casting out of demons to the casting off of sinful desires. Christ of course has the power to do both, but many people seek only one of these from him. So what do you seek?
The disciples say, “All men seek after thee,” but we know that is not inherently a good thing, are they seeking like Saul or like the Psalmist seeks for God?
Well how does Jesus respond to this newfound popularity? How does he handle the fame and notoriety?
Verses 38-39
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
Jesus knows what the people seek. But he also knows the reason for the Father sending Him to earth. He knows the purpose for the incarnation, and the goal of his whole ministry. Why did Jesus come forth? He says, “so that I may preach.”
It belongs to the wise man to know and publish the truth, and Jesus is God’s very wisdom who comes forth in order to preach.
Preaching is God’s instrument for salvation. It is the word proclaimed that cleanses and gives life. And while Jesus has the power to do any kind of miracle he likes, anytime he wants, he only does them to reinforce the truth of His preaching, to bear witness to his words. For Jesus, miracles are just signs to help people believe what He has to say.
As we will see next Sunday in chapter 2, Jesus says to a bunch of unbelieving scribes, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all.”
Anyone can say “your sins are forgiven,” but because the forgiveness of sins is invisible, it is hard for people to believe Jesus when he says it. And so because of their unbelief, he says things that are lesser to him, but of more weight with human beings, namely “arise, take up your bed, and walk.”
Jesus says elsewhere, “an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” It is immaturity and human frailty that needs miracles to believe in Jesus. This is why Jesus says to Thomas after His resurrection, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Blessed are all who live after the ascension. Who go to church and hear the Word, and believe what God says.
So why did Jesus come forth? To preach.
In verses 40-45, Mark then tells us about an encounter Jesus has with a leper.
Verse 40
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Leprosy was one of the worst things that could ever to happen to you. Not merely because of the physical pain that might be associated with it, there are many possible forms of leprosy, some more serious and some less so.
But to become a leper was to be exiled from the presence of God, to be cut off from society, and even to be alienated from yourself. In leprosy, your own flesh is exposed and consuming you.
It says in Leviticus 13:45-46, “the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.”
The life of a leper is a life of perpetual mourning: the wearing of torn clothes, the disheveled hair, the covering of the mouth, all of these signify lamentation, death, and silence.
Furthermore, in the history of the Old Testament, only two people were ever healed of leprosy. Miriam (Moses’ sister) who was miraculously struck with leprosy and then healed by God. And Naaman the Syrian, who was healed by Elisha the prophet.
In 2 Kings 5 we see how the king of Israel receives a letter from the King of Syria, requesting that Elisha heal Naaman.
“And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.”
The king of Israel knew that only God had the power to heal leprosy, and so he took it as an act of war that the king of Syria would request this from one of their prophets. Nevertheless, a double portion of God’s Spirit rests upon Elisha, and by his word, Naaman is healed.
So who is Jesus that this leper comes to him? He is Elisha. He is God, who has the power to kill and make alive.
The leper has nothing else to lose and so he goes to Jesus and says, “if you will, you can make me clean.”
Verses 41-42
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
In the old world under the old covenant, uncleanness was contagious. To touch a leper was basically to touch a corpse, which made you unclean for seven days. And if you touched a dead body, you had to be sprinkled with water by a clean person on the third day, and on the seventh day, and then bathe and wash all your clothes, and only after all that could you come back into the camp (Num. 19).
And so for Jesus to touch this leper and heal him was to turn the world upside down. Where once defilement flowed and spread to anyone who touched the defiled, in Jesus entropy reverses. Death starts running because life has entered the world.
This is what was prophesied in Zechariah 13, “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”
Jesus is that fountain, and wherever he goes, whoever he touches, he makes them clean. This the beginning of a new world order, wherein Jesus is making all things new. And that fountain of cleansing still flows today. Wherever the Word is preached, sin and uncleanness is removed.
As it says in Ephesians 5:26, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
In verses 43-45 we have the conclusion of this scene.
Verses 43-45
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
So Jesus heals this leper, and then commands him to keep the law of Moses as a testimony to the priests. Earlier we heard in Leviticus 14 how this ritual plays out, a priest examines him to determine if he is indeed healed, if so, then two birds are taken, one is sacrificed, the other dipped in its blood over water, and then that blood is sprinkled seven times over him. He then has to shave off all his hair, bathe, remain outside the temple seven days, and then come back on the 8th day, offer two lambs, one for trespass, one for a burnt offering, and then blood and oil is placed upon the right ear, the right thumb, and right big toe. That is how atonement is made and the man is finally pronounced clean.
Jesus wants this man to do that, not only because these are types and shadows of his death on the cross, but also as a witness against the temple which itself needs to be cleansed.
If you keep reading in Leviticus 14, after it describes the ritual for cleansing lepers, it describes the ritual for cleansing leprosy in a house. Houses and garment can become leprous too, and that is what the synagogues and temple have become: leprous houses where demons live.
When Jesus turns over the tables of the moneychangers in the temple, He is coming as a priest to examine whether there is leprosy in the walls. And so for this leper to show up to God’s house, having been cleansed by Jesus, it is a testimony and warning unto them.
The leper is a sort of warning shot that Jesus himself is going to come to the temple and examine it. And what happens to leprous houses in Leviticus 14? They are torn down. As Jesus himself will say before his death, “not one stone will be left upon another, all will be thrown down” (Matt. 24:2).
In addition to commanding this man to do what Moses commanded, Jesus also commands him to “say nothing to any man.” This injunction against running his mouth, is intended to preserve Jesus’ ability to minister in the cities. But because this man cannot keep it to himself, this story “blazes abroad” so that Jesus can longer openly enter the cities.
Here again we have this ironic reversal, where Jesus heals the leper but because of his disobedience, is forced to chance places with him. The leper can enter the cities, he is restored to society. But now Jesus is forced to live without in desert places, back in the wilderness.
This is of course the gospel. We are all spiritual lepers. Our flesh is corrupt, it spreads to other people, we are alienated from the life of God (dead in our sins), and this alienates us from one another. Leprosy is meant to teach us the corruption of sin, the consequences of the curse. And the way that God has chosen to heal us and restore us to Himself, is by sending Jesus to take all of that uncleanness upon himself. And then like the goat on the day of atonement, He is sent outside the camp. Alone in the wilderness. Jesus does that for you and me.
Conclusion
Mark is a genius and has ordered these opening healing scenes of Jesus ministry to match the order of Leviticus 10-16, which also matches the order of events in Genesis 3.
After Adam sinned in the garden, God curses in this order:
First, the serpent with crawling upon his belly and eating the dust, and the promise that one day his head will be crushed.
Second, the woman with pain in childbearing and desire for her husband
Third, the man, with toil and alienation from the ground to which he shall return.
This is the same order we have seen in our text. The same order in which Jesus comes to reverse the curse.
First, he silences and casts out the serpent. He wars against Satan and exorcises the devils.
Second, he heals a woman (Peter’s mother-in-law) from burning fever, itself a symbol of desire/burning of the passions.
And now third, he heals a man, a leper, a son of Adam who has in his body a perpetual reminder of death, of “to dust you shall return.”
And so Mark is giving us Jesus as the one who comes to undo the curse, who comes to crush the serpent’s head, and who will die and rise to deliver His people. This is the hope of the gospel, repent and believe.

Sermon: The Foolishness of God (Good Friday 2023)

The Foolishness of GodGood Friday, April 7th, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Prayer
Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O LORD, our Strength and our Redeemer, Amen.
Introduction
What does the death of Christ do for sinners? How is it that one man, dying a brutal death 2,000 years ago, can have any impact on us living in a completely different time and place? How does that work? How can Christ’s death way back then and there, do anything for us living here and now?
Well, the answer that Scripture gives to this question is that Jesus Christ is God. And because Jesus Christ is God, and because God can do whatever He wants, He can make the death of Christ to bring about salvation for whoever He wills.
As it says in Psalm 115:3, “our God is in the heavens, He does whatever He pleases.”
And also in Romans 9:15, “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
This was the whole purpose for which the Son of God took on human flesh in the first place: to live and die and rise for sinners, to show forth the love of God that while we were yet dead in sin, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).
So God makes the death of Christ, to do many things for sinners. And the fact that Jesus died 2,000 years ago, is of no obstacle to a transcendent, omnipotent God who is beyond time and space. “Our God is in heaven, He does whatever He pleases, and it pleases Him to effect many things for His people.
So of those innumerable blessings that flow from the fount of Christ’s passion, I want to very briefly look at 5 of them that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 1:30, where He says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
Five Effects of Christ’s Passion
#1 – Union with Christ
Paul says, “but of him (referring to God), are ye in Christ Jesus.”
Everything that happens to us in salvation, from being born again by the Holy Spirit, to being resurrected on the last day, comes to us by way of union with Christ. Salvation is a work of God’s grace from beginning to end, so that the only thing we can ever boast in, is to boast in the Lord.
Grace humbles us, grace saves us, and it is by the grace of Christ’s passion that we are united to Him in his death.
Romans 6:3-4 says, “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
In baptism, God unites us to Jesus Christ. The outward symbol signifies this spiritual reality of rebirth, of cleansing, of washing away our filth, of passing through the waters of judgment and coming out clean on the other side. Like Noah in the Ark, God places us inside of Christ and then shuts the door, and so wherever Christ goes, we go also, we are safe in Him from the flood of judgment.
So that is the first effect of Christ’s passion. God unites us with Christ, He does this in baptism, and therefore we die and rise with Him.
#2 – Christ Becomes Our Wisdom
Paul says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom…”
All of us are born fools. We are born at enmity with God and devoid of wisdom.
Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.”
So far from being born as wise sages, we begin our lives in utter foolishness and must be taught (usually by pain or threat of punishment) to do what is right.
But when we are united to Jesus, and his death becomes our death, God makes Christ to be our wisdom, meaning, to hold fast to him by faith and to do what He commands, is what changes us from fools to wise men.
Whereas our first parents, Adam and Eve, sought wisdom according to the flesh, according to what was good and pleasing to the eyes, God gives us wisdom when we walk by faith, and not by sight.
God gives us wisdom not according to this visible world that is passing away, but according to the invisible world that is to come, which lasts forever.
As Jesus says in Matthew 11:25, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”
How does Christ become wisdom for you?
By hearing His word as a little child hears and believes his father.
Jesus says, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:25).
A little child who hears the Word and believes, has Christ for wisdom, and that little child has become more wise than all the doctors, lawyers, and teachers of our age who deny God and reject His Christ.
As Paul says earlier in our text, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” So believe and you will have Christ for wisdom.
#3 – Christ Becomes Our Righteousness
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness…”
Paul says of the Jews in Romans 10, that “they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes.”
The Jews, like many people today, tried to build a ladder to heaven. They used the law and their efforts as the materials to build this ladder, not knowing that the only place that ladder could get them, was down into hell.
Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, they went about trying to establish their own righteousness. It is very much the same today.
Man cannot help but try to justify himself. He has an incessant need to be and feel right.
Why do people still wear masks?
Why do people believe in evolution?
Why are people so insistent that you acknowledge their chosen gender identity?
It’s because we all want to feel and look righteous, while at the same time knowing deep down, that we are not. This is what fuels the rage in our culture, it is why people are so angry all the time. Because we are desperate to justify ourselves and will do so at any cost.
And this is what Christ has come to bring an end to. Christ is the ladder the descends from heaven, and faith is the only way you can climb up.
“For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
By faith, Christ becomes our righteousness.
#4 – Christ Becomes Our Sanctification
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification…”
Just as every person has a need to feel righteous, so also every person desires to be distinguished. We all want to be and feel special, we want people to know and love us for who we really are. We want the honor and glory of being superior to others. And all of this is a disordered desire for sanctification.
Sanctification is distinguishment. To sanctify something is to set it apart from common use for special use. And when Christ becomes our sanctification, He gives us the most glorious distinction of all: that is to become a vessel of His mercy.
As it says in Romans 9:23, “That He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory.”
Men seek distinction through strength or smarts or feats of bravery. Women seek distinction through beauty or talent or the outcome of their children.
But when Christ becomes our sanctification, He alone becomes our grounds for boasting.
As Paul says earlier, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” And what does any of that matter when Christ gives us his nobility? When Christ makes us co-heirs and inheritors of the world with him?
What is all the boasting of the world, when the whole world belongs to us in Christ?
Christ is our sanctification, He is the one who makes us holy. Finally…
#5 – Christ Becomes Our Redemption.
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
Redemption is what changes us from slaves to sons. It is what God did for Israel when he brought them out of Egypt, and it is what Christ does for us when He goes to the cross.
The price of redemption depends upon the value of the object, or if you were a Hebrew slave, the redemption price would be calculated based on how many years of servitude remained.
How many years of servitude do we deserve for our sins? What would be the price of redeeming one soul?
Psalm 49 says, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.”
The cost to redeem just one soul, is more than any of us mortals could ever pay.
And yet because Jesus Christ is perfect man, and the incarnate Son of God, His passion is of infinite worth. Just a single drop of Christ’s blood, is more than enough to redeem the entire world.
So I charge you on this Good Friday, to receive Christ and all of his benefits, all of these effects that flow from his passion. For as the Scripture says, “whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life.”In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: The Exorcist (Mark 1:21-34)

The ExorcistSunday, April 30th, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 1:21-34
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for giving Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth, and we ask that as we behold His doctrine and His power in Your Word, that You would give us understanding and love for You. We ask for your Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, Amen.
Introduction
Well last week we saw that Jesus has just begun his public ministry. As a boy he was learned in the things of God (he knew the Holy Scriptures), as a young man thru his twenties he worked with his hands as a carpenter, and now at age 30, Jesus is baptized and ordained to ministry.
Thirty is the age at which a priest began service in the tabernacle (Num. 4:3), thirty is the age at which David began to reign as king (2 Sam. 5:4), and thirty is the age at which Ezekiel, the original “Son of Man” was called to prophesy (Ezek. 1:1).
And so Jesus, this new priest, king, and prophet, enters the third decade of his life, and He begins to do battle against the forces of darkness. This warfare began in the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan and was amongst the wild beasts. And then having overcome that trial, he enters the lake towns of Galilee and there he announces, “the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
We saw also last week that Jesus calls to himself the first four disciples.
Two sets of brothers, Simon and Andrew, James and John, all of them fishermen. And these four fishermen are going to become the equivalent of David’s mighty men.
Jesus is amassing an army of disciples. He has reconstituted God’s heavenly hosts and is preparing to take the promised land.
But as we will see in the chapters ahead, this conquest is going to come in a surprising way. The kingdom will not arrive with horse and chariot and the weapons of this world. But rather the kingdom comes by the proclamation of the gospel, by the sharp and two-edged sword of God’s Word.
So that is the context for our passage this morning, and if we look at our text we will see that it neatly divides in two: there are two different houses that Jesus visits, one a public house and then a private house. These are the first two places Jesus “invades.”
In verses 21-28 Jesus enters a house of worship, a synagogue.
In verses 29-34 Jesus enters the house of his disciple, Simon-Peter’s house.
And in both of these instances, Jesus is going to enter that house and cleanse it. He is going to bring life and healing where there is death and darkness, that is what the conquest of the gospel looks like.
As we saw last week, Jesus is the continuation of those cleansing waters that flowed from Ezekiel’s temple. He is the very presence and holiness of God who brings newness of life wherever He goes.
And so with that, let us turn to our text and see Jesus the true exorcist at work.
Verse 21
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Capernaum (literally “village of Nahum”) is a little lake town on the Northwest coast of Galilee; so, this is right on the waterfront. And after the wilderness, this is the first public place Jesus ministers to (in Mark’s gospel at least).
We are told it is the sabbath day, the day of worship, and Jesus enters the synagogue to teach.
You can think of this is as roughly equivalent to us going to church on Sunday. The Jews from ancient times (Acts 15:21) would gather in these synagogues and there would be readings from the Law and Prophets, there would be a time of preaching and explanation of the Scriptures, and also a time of prayer and probably psalm singing. So this was not all that different from what we do today.
So Jesus has already been preaching outside in the open air, and he comes as a guest speaker to the church at Capernaum.
Verse 22
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
In the Old Testament, when a man came preaching, he would usually say something like, “Thus saith the Lord,” or ‘The word of the Lord came to me saying thus and such…” In doing so, He would be distinguishing what God says, which is authoritative and inspired, from what man says which is of a lesser authority.
But when Jesus comes and preaches, he doesn’t say “thus saith the Lord.” What does Jesus say? “Truly, truly, I say to you.” No one else ever spoke like this man. This is teaching with absolute authority, and it rightfully astonishes them.
Jesus of course is the very Word of the Lord. He is what proceeds from the mind and mouth of the Father, and what Jesus says God says. He is that authority to which all of the prophets appealed to. And here He is, God in the flesh, sitting in a synagogue, teaching the common people of Capernaum.
There is something strange and beautiful about the ways of God, who veils infinite and eternal glory in fragile jars of clay. Who places precious jewels into the hands of fishermen and makes them stewards of the mysteries of the kingdom.
This is what Jesus begins to do and teach, and Mark says, “they were astonished as his doctrine.”
Verses 23-24
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
We have already seen Jesus battle Satan in the wilderness, and you might think, now that we’re in a church/synagogue, we are in a safe place, this is a sanctuary right?
Well we should have learned from Genesis 3 that when you are in a garden sanctuary, expect a serpent. Yes, these synagogues are supposed to be places of holiness (places of worship) that are safe from the devil, but as we will see in this gospel and the rest of the New Testament, many of these synagogues have gone apostate. They might claim to be worship YHWH but they actually worship idols. And by worshipping idols, they have become what Revelation 2 calls, “synagogues of Satan.”
So yes, the church is a place of holiness, it is where the saints gather. Which is what makes it a target for demonic activity. And when there is false teaching and immorality amongst God’s people, you can be sure that impurity and unclean spirits are nigh. Immorality opens people up to demonic influence, and in this case demonic possession.
In the Old Testament, there is a direct link between unclean spirits and false prophets.
We see in 1 Kings 22, that a spiritual being offers to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets.
In Zechariah 13:2 speaking of the days of the Messiah, it says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, That I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, And they shall no more be remembered: And also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.”
So Jesus comes into this synagogue, and he teaches true doctrine, pure gospel. And the response is for a man with an unclean spirit to feel threatened. The truth provokes falsehood to reveal itself.
Notice what the unclean spirit says to Jesus, “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?”
This one unclean spirit is part of a larger network of demons. A network that has congregated in this region and has infiltrated the synagogues.
And this really is Spiritual Warfare 101. Satan attacks the places of power and influence in a culture. He targets kings and governments, churches and schools. As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11, there are “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”
Where are you going to find unclean spirits and demons in this world?
In the halls of government. In state capital buildings. In Washington D.C.
In major network studios, in board rooms and c-suites of large businesses. Wherever power and influence congregate, the forces of darkness try to infiltrate.
And if you are an unbeliever, if you are unbaptized, you are especially vulnerable to demonic influence. There is no guardian angel watching over you.
But where there are true Christians, where there are sons and children of light, Jesus says in Matthew 18:10, “for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Meaning, every elect saint has at least one angel assigned to them.
Psalm 91:11 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways.”
It says in Hebrews 1:14 that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”
So it is a big deal when a child is baptized. When a saint renounces the devil and all his works. Because in baptism we receive the Holy Spirit. And we come under the protection of Jesus, who makes unclean spirits to tremble at His Word.
The unclean spirit says, “I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”
Verse 25
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
We might wonder why Jesus tells the demon to be silent. Why does he try to hide his identity?
Well for one, because it is unfitting for the truth to be proclaimed by demons. For as soon as demons are believed, they mingle falsehood with truth. This was Satan in the garden, “hath God really said?”
Moreover, Jesus did not want or need the witness of demons to confirm his identity. That is an honor and role he reserves for himself and his disciples.
So Jesus rebukes this unclean spirit, and commands him to come out of the man.
Verses 26-28
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
Now up until this point in history, there was only a handful of people known to cast out demons. There were Jewish myths about Solomon and his supernatural powers to bind and cast out demons. But in the Old Testament Scriptures, there is really only one exorcist, and that is David.
David is the lone exorcist of the Old Testament. He would play the harp and the evil spirit would depart from King Saul.
And so for Jesus to come and cast out demons with a word is a sign of at least two things:
1. Jesus is the promised Son of David. He is the Messianic king. If David could cast out demons, then of course the Messiah will be able to as well.
2. If Jesus is David the more powerful exorcist, then who is King Saul in this scenario? Who is afflicted by demonic powers?The synagogues. The temple. The religious establishment.
Who is going to try kill to Jesus with great frequency? The synagogues.
What will Jesus warn his disciples about when they go preaching the gospel? The synagogues.
Jesus says in Mark 13:9, “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten.”
So by portraying Jesus as David the exorcist, Mark shows us the demonic influence that has a stronghold in the promised land. The synagogues have become King Saul, and like Saul they will persecute and try to kill God’s anointed one.
Now we need to remember here what exactly a synagogue is. A synagogue is a miniature temple, a house of worship, and who is supposed live in that house? God.
So when Jesus enters a synagogue or the Temple, He is going into a house that has his name on the doorpost. This is his earthly address, this is God’s house.
And yet when God himself walks into the door of his earthly home, what does he find? Who is sitting on the couch with their feet up on the coffee table acting like they own place? Demons. Jesus finds unclean spirits. He finds dead hearts and unbelief. As we will see in future weeks, they are going to kick him out of his own house and crucify him.
That is the homecoming the human race offers God. When the Creator visits His creation, when God visits the House built for His Name, we do not recognize Him when he comes.
But notice here the patience and restraint and mercy of God. Although He is angered by unbelief and the wickedness he finds, He cleans his own house. He exorcises the unclean spirits and sends them packing.
As Jesus says in Luke 9:56, “the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” This is what Jesus the exorcist comes to do.
After this exorcism, his fame spreads abroad. And we see in verses 29-34, he enters a different house.
Verses 29-30
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
From this we gather that the Apostle Peter was a married man. And whatever the size of their house, their living situation was such that Simon could live there with his wife, his mother-in-law, and his brother Andrew. This is a close-knit family.
And yet there is a sign of death here. Peter’s mother-in-law is laying sick with a fever. We are not told her exact condition, only that she is sick and burning.
Verse 31
31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
So Jesus comes to this middle-aged woman, lying in the heat of fever, and he doesn’t even say anything, he just takes her by the hand and lifts her up.
The language Mark uses here to describe Jesus’ healing, is the language of resurrection, “he raised her up.” This is the power of God to bring life and vitality to houses with infirmity.
When you read the covenant blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 or Leviticus 26, it is very clear that if the nation keeps covenant with God, then they will be healthy, they won’t be sick. But when a nation disobeys God, it says in Deut. 28:22, “The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning…”
In other words, the fact that this woman is burning with a fever is another sign that the nation has broken covenant with God and is under the curse.
And at the very least this should cause us to look around at the state of our own nation, that has been visited with all kinds of viruses and cancers and disease, and plagues of our own.
And while we might be individually faithful, as citizens of an apostate nation, we all suffer the consequences of national idolatry.
We all suffer the consequences of living in a land where our neighbor can legally murder their baby in the womb. Where children can be mutilated and have their private parts surgically removed.
Every time we get sick, it should remind us that our land is under judgment. God is displeased, and if we do not repent, the suffering will only increase.
Covid was a mercy compared to what we deserve. And yet still, many have not learned the lesson. Instead, we have hardened our hearts against the Lord.
So the fact that Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, should both sober us and give us hope.
Yes, we are under judgment, but God still has the power to heal and does so all the time. He delights to mitigate and remove the curse from those who call out to Him. That is why we pray when we get sick, because Jesus is our healer.
Finally, our text ends with the sun setting on the Sabbath.
Verses 32-34
32 And at evening, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
So Jesus casts out devils in the synagogue, He heals the woman from her fever, And now Jesus heals the whole city. It turns out there are many devils that need to be cast out, and many that were sick with divers diseases.
And here in Capernaum we see a visible manifestation of Romans 5:20 which says, “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Conclusion
There are still many wicked and unclean spirits in our world. There’s a false prophet on every TV screen. There are still demonic forces that oppress the vulnerable and persecute the righteous. But where sin and evil abound, the grace of God can abound much more. And how does that happen?
By the preaching of the gospel. By the announcement of the kingdom of God and by us calling the world to repentance and faith in Jesus.
America may be demon possessed but Jesus is an able exorcist.
Our nation may be lying sick with burning fever, but Jesus can raise her to life, and make her serve Him again.
There is nothing that God cannot resurrect, and if we will turn to Him, if we will seek Him earnestly, He promises that He will be found. So if you are in need of deliverance, of healing, of cleansing from whatever, come to Jesus. Cast yourself upon His mercy, and He will by no means cast you out.
He delights to make His home with you.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon: Fishers Of Men (Mark 1:14-20)

Fishers Of MenSunday, April 23rd, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 1:14-20
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
Prayer
Father as we consider the calling of the first disciples, we ask that you would teach us to follow Your Son the Lord Jesus, more faithfully, more immediately, and more joyfully, whatever the cost. We ask for your Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, Amen.
Introduction
When Jesus calls people to follow Him, He often does so at very inconvenient times. God has a timing of His own and sometimes it surprises us, it interrupts our routines, it messes with our schedules. And if that has been your experience of the Christian life you are in good company, because that was the experience of the first four disciples.
Simon, Andrew, James and John, are all called to follow Jesus in the middle of their workday. They are simply told to drop everything and follow Him.
And so the force of our text this morning is to make us wrestle with the question: Are we willing to do the same? If Christ were to come and interrupt us, in the middle of all the things we have going on, are we willing to drop everything, and do what He says, go where goes, follow where He leads?
That is the question before us this morning.
Looking at our text, there are three basic movements to these seven verses:
1. The arrival of Jesus to Galilee (verses 14-15)
2. The calling of Simon and Andrew (verses 16-18)
3. The calling of James and John (verses 19-20)
And together these three movements constitute the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. This is that moment in every great story where the protagonist sets off on his journey and is going to meet people along the way. He has already done battle against Satan, He was in the wilderness with wild beasts, and now it is time to find friends for the journey.
In the language of middle-earth, we have left the Shire and are off on an adventure! So let us to our text.
Verse 14
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God…
Here we have the passing of the baton from John to Jesus. John was a man who stood at the intersection of two ages, between the time of the Law and its Prophets of which He was the last, and the time of the Gospel and the Kingdom, of which Christ is the first.
So John, with one foot in the old age, and another foot in the new, is cast into prison, He is silenced. And unlike Elijah who was miraculously caught up into heaven, John who comes in the Spirit of Elijah is locked up and eventually beheaded.
Jesus says of John in Matthew 11:11, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.”
John was greater than Moses, greater than David, greater than Elijah. And then Jesus says, “notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
So as great as John and the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Law were, the least in Christ’s kingdom surpasses them. This is how momentous the coming of Christ’s kingdom is.
And so with John’s imprisonment, the sun sets on the time of the Law. And with Christ’s arrival, the dawn of a new era begins. As it says in Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…on them the light has shone.”
So after John (and the era he represents) is imprisoned, Jesus, the light of the world, comes into Galilee,a region bustling with commerce (he is no longer in the wilderness), and it is here that he announces the gospel: God’s kingdom has come. In verse 15 we hear the contents of this announcement.
Verse 15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Here in this single sentenced is the essence of the Christian religion. There are two declarations followedby two imperatives. Two statements of fact, of truth, of reality, of what is, from which necessarily flow two commands. The first declaration Jesus makes is that:
1. “The time is fulfilled.” What time is Jesus talking about?
He is talking about the time that was prophesied in the Garden of Eden 4,000 years prior. The time in which a son would be born to crush the serpent’s head. The time in which a bridegroom would come to rescue His bride, and the two would become one flesh.
Jesus is talking about the time of which Nebuchadnezzar dreamt and Daniel interpreted. As it says in Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” This is the Kingdom Jesus comes to bring and the time is here for its arrival.
What the prophets called “the last days (or latter days)” is what Jesus is referring to when He says, “the time is fulfilled.”In Jesus, the last days of the old creation have come. As Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, new creation! old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
This is the time that Jesus announces as fulfilled. And with it all the prophesies about the latter days start to come to fruition.
The second declaration Jesus makes is that…
2. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” And perhaps the best way for us to understand this statement, is to imagine a great messenger going into all the state capitals, and all the central business districts, all the places where public life happens, and he announces to all who can hear that, “The Kingdom of Russia has arrived, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of Vladimir Putin is at hand.” Imagine that was the headline on every major news network.
How would you receive that news?
Well, it would really depend on what you thought about Russia and Vladimir Putin. Are your values and lifestyle aligned with the ways of Russia? Do you welcome their arrival or resent it? Maybe you think anything could be better than President Biden and the Democrats, bring on the Russians. You might think, do I stand to benefit and profit from the kingdom of Russia, or will it be detrimental to my personal interests. You can imagine there are all sorts of potential reactions someone might have to this announcement. And so it is when Jesus announces “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
For those who love God and are aligned with the values and morals of the kingdom, this is the best news in the world. But for those who do not love God, or for those who worship other gods, whose values and interests are at home with the kingdoms of this world, to them the gospel is a threat! It is a challenge to the present regime. And in this sense, Jesus’ preaching is spiritual warfare. It is David taunting Goliath before severing head from body. Jesus’ preaching is a king offering terms of peace before invasion. That is what the gospel is. It is an offense to those who do not love God, and salvation to those who do.
So if it is indeed true that this kingdom of God has come then the commands that follow should be obvious, Jesus says, “You must repent and believe the gospel.”
What is repentance?
To repent means to have a change of mind. To turn away from your vomit, from the corrupt and despicable things that come out of you, and to look upon all that is good and true and beautiful in Jesus.
Repentance is renouncing the devil and his works, forsaking sin, and loving and embracing righteousness. That is the repentance Jesus demands because with the arrival of the kingdom comes justice and judgment, and you want to be on the right side of that.
What is it to believe the gospel?
To believe the gospel is to live by faith, it is to believe what Jesus says. As it says in Habakkuk 2:4, “the soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith.”
The opposite of faith is pride and self-reliance. Faith in self instead of faith in God. And Scripture says, the soul that is proud, that person that exalts himself, is the one who will be laid low; but the just man is the one who forsakes himself and lives by faith.
This is what Jesus commands if you want to survive the arrival of His kingdom. You must repent and believe the gospel. You must live by faith in the Son of God. That is the essence of the Christian religion.
This is what Jesus comes preaching in Galilee. It is what John the Forerunner prepared and announced, and although he is in chains locked up in prison, “the word of God is not bound” (2 Tim. 2:9). Jesus, the word made flesh, is going about preaching the kingdom. This brings us to our second movement in the text, which is the call of Simon and Andrew.
Verses 16-18
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
We know from the Gospel of John, that Simon and Andrew were formerly disciples of John the Baptist. So there was already some familiarity between them and Jesus prior to this call to follow him.
Nevertheless, this call to discipleship comes at a curious time and place. Mark seems to go out of his way to inform us that these events took place near to what he calls the Sea of Galilee.
In our minds, when we think of the sea, we think of the ocean or some vast body of water like the Mediterranean. But the Sea of Galilee is tiny compared to the Mediterranean and is really what we would call a lake. In Luke’s gospel, he calls it the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1). And to give you a reference for comparison, the Sea of Galilee (64 square miles) is about twice the size of Lake Washington. So it’s a decent sized lake, but hardly something we call a sea.
But calling this lake the Sea of Galilee is intentional in that it should call to mind all the Old Testament associations we should have with the Sea.
The sea of course is where fish and other creatures live. It is especially where Leviathan, the great dragon lives.
In Leviticus 11, God gives instructions about what kinds of fish are permissible to eat (the ones with fins and scales), while those that do not have fins and scales “shall be an abomination to you.”
And just as we saw last week that in Scripture, wild beasts, represent the foreign nations, so also sea creatures symbolize various foreign powers.
The book of Jonah is perhaps the most famous example, where there the great fish that swallows Jonah is an image of Babylon. Babylon is going to swallow up Israel for a time, take them away from the land (into the sea) and yet in Babylon (inside the fish) God is going to preserve them. And when that three days of death and exile is over, they will be spit out back onto the land (return from exile).
So in Scripture, the sea (like the wilderness) is a dangerous place. In Revelation it is where the great beast arises from (Rev. 13:1), and in the new heaven and new earth that John is shown, he says, “there was no more sea.” That is there are no more foreign nations worshipping foreign gods because they have all been turned into land: the New Jerusalem. When the kingdom comes, when the New Creation arrives, just as it was with the first creation, the sea gives way to land.
So Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, and he sees Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea, and he tells them, “Come and follow me, I will make you into fishers of men.”
Why does Jesus choose four fishermen to be his first disciples? Why not shepherds like Moses and David and all the patriarchs were? You read the Old Testament and everyone has sheep and cows and goats, and the setting is always the land. But then you come to the New Testament, and people are fishing, we’re on boats and there are storms and waves, and shipwrecks, in Acts we have Paul traveling like Odysseus to bring the gospel to the Islands.
Well this is all part of the promise that when the Messiah comes, He would bring judgment to the gentiles, to the isles, to the farthest reaches of the earth. And so it is fitting that Jesus chooses four fishermen to be his disciples, to be the ones who will eventually cross the Mediterranean Sea and bring the gospel of the kingdom to the whole world.
Little do they know sitting in their boat, where following Jesus is going to take them. At present they are fishing in lake, but Jesus is going to send them to fish at the ends of the earth.
When you read the Old Testament, fishing doesn’t come up very often, and the few times that it does, it is usually in the context of judgment.
For example, we heard in Jeremiah 16 that God says, “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.”
Or Amos 4:1-2 which says, “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, Which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, Which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, That, lo, the days shall come upon you, That he will take you away with hooks, And your posterity with fishhooks.”
So in the Old Testament, being a fish, or being inside a fish, or being a fish caught in a net is a typically a sign of judgment. It is a sign of being distant from the promised land.
But there is one text that is an exception, and that is the prophecy of Ezekiel 47 which describes the time between the testaments.
In Ezekiel 40-48, God shows Ezekiel the spiritual reality of the second temple period. When God’s people returned from exile under Ezra and Nehemiah, they rebuild Jerusalem, they rebuild the temple, and although the physical building was not that impressive, God shows Ezekiel that during this era the presence of God is going to extend to places formerly unreached. The presence that was hidden in the most holy place of the tabernacle and temple, would be expanded to encompass the whole city.
Zechariah 14 says that one day, the bells of the horses, and every pot in Jerusalem shall be “holiness unto the Lord.” What was formerly written upon the head of the high priest as a sign of his holiness, would be extend to the common pots and bowls and the bells of horses.
And the image God gives Ezekiel of this expansion of holiness is that of a stream that starts from under the temple in Jerusalem and then flows out of the city, becoming deeper and wider until it cannot be crossed.
So Ezekiel 47:8-10 says, “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the desert, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.”
So the fact that Simon and Andrew, James and John, are all fishermen, is a sign that God has made good on this promise in Ezekiel. So that when we get to the New Testament we see that there are synagogues (mini-temples) across the world. There are Gentile believers, Gentiles God-fearers, who know and love the God of Israel.
And so when Jesus says, “I will make you into fishers of men,” he is in effect saying, I am the continuation of Ezekiel’s river, and in Jesus, God’s presence is going to extend even further than before. Jesus is the very holiness of God.
And what used to be a sign of judgment under the Old Testament, being caught in a net, will now become a sign of salvation. Of men being born of water and the Spirit and gathered into the church. As Ezekiel prophesied, “every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.”
These fishermen will soon preach the gospel, cast the net, and gather in souls for Christ’s kingdom.
Finally, we see in this third movement, the call of James and John.
Verses 19-20
19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
Mark wants us to know what these disciples left behind. He wants us to know the cost of discipleship, and the sacrifices it may entail.
For Simon and Andrew, it meant leaving behind their livelihood, their vocation, to follow a man that claims to be the Messiah. That is a leap of faith and they take it.
For James and John, it meant leaving behind their father and the family business. And the fact that Zebedee has hired servants suggests that these were not poor fishermen, but had a rather successful business going.
In other words, these are not four men who had nothing else going on and could afford to spend a few years traveling. They weren’t taking a gap year to find themselves. These were hard-working blue-collar men, who worked with their hands, who did honest labor and made a living, and yet when Jesus calls them to follow Him, Mark says, “straightway they forsook their nets…straightway they left their father in the ship…and went after him.”
No questions, no objections, immediate obedience. That is what being a disciple of Jesus should look like.
And so we return to the question we began with, Are we willing to do the same?
What is it that you must forsake and leave behind if you will follow Jesus? What is that you are holding onto that Christ is asking you to let go of?
The answer we all must give is that in principle we are willing to give up anything and everything. Whatever He asks, we give Him. Wherever He calls, we go. We must surrender it all to Him if we would be called Christians, disciples of Jesus.
Conclusion
There are many people who like the idea of following Jesus, but not the reality of it. Maybe they go to church, they might even read their Bible or pray, but when it comes down to it, when God asks them to give up that thing they refuse to obey Him. And that resistance is what must die in all of us. That hesitance to heed his voice, that slowness to obey, the slowness to follow, is what we must repent of. And so I leave you with the words of Luke 9:57-62
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Sermon: And Was With The Wild Beasts (Mark 1:9-13)

And Was With The Wild BeastsSunday, April 16th, 2023Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 1:9-139 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Prayer
Father Your Word says that You oppose the proud, but give grace to the humble, and so we ask for a Spirit of true humility, of true understanding and insight and counsel, as we consider Holy Scripture, for we ask for all of this in Jesus name, Amen.
Introduction
Last Sunday we saw that in these opening verses of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is presented to us as the fulfillment and transformation of the entire Old Testament (The Law, The Psalms, The Prophets, all of these find their fulfillment in Him).
In these opening verses Mark weaves together Old Testament quotations, references, words, hints, images, that are meant to open our eyes to who Jesus really is. Who is this Jesus of Nazareth? Mark wants us to say by the end of the book, “Truly He is the Son of God.”
So far, we have seen that Mark portrays Jesus as a new Joshua, He is the one who divides the Jordan River, who tears heaven open, and brings His people into the promised land of Paradise.
We have seen also that Jesus is Himself that Paradise, that new holy land. He is the place where God dwells, as it says in Col. 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Jesus is the new temple, the new tabernacle, the new place of rest for those who are weary and heavy laden. In Jesus the people of God find eternal sabbath.
We have also seen that Jesus is portrayed as a new Elisha, a mighty prophet who comes with a double portion of the Spirit. Who will work signs and wonders and even raise the dead.
So when the Spirit descends as a dove upon Christ at his baptism, we are all meant to conclude that the prophecies of Isaiah are starting to come true. Especially Isaiah 61, which Jesus himself will later read in the synagogue before the Jews, which says:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus reads these words, sits down and says, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
And in Mark’s Gospel, as we will see next week, the very first thing that comes out of Jesus’ mouth are these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
So that’s what we’ve covered so far, and this morning I want to look more closely at the meaning of Christ’s baptism, and then look at verses 12-13 where He is tempted in the wilderness.
What is the significance of Jesus’ baptism?
As we saw last week, Christ’s baptism is His anointing for ministry. Jesus is being ordained as a priest, as a prophet, and as King.
And this is what the gospel is: It is the joyful announcements that God is King, that the kingdom of God has come, and the year of Jubilee is upon us.
The Year of Jubilee was supposed to take place every 50 years under the Mosaic Law, and that was when debts were cancelled, slaves were released, and the land reverted to its original owners.
But this year of Jubilee had not happened for hundreds of years. It had been long delayed and interrupted because of exile and foreign occupation. First they were ruled by Babylon, then it was Persia, then it was Greece, and now in the time of Jesus it is Rome. And because of the unique political situation they were in, it was a debated question whether the exile was really over.
Sure they had a temple, but King Herod was not really a Jew (he was an Edomite), and he was certainly no son of David. And although there were some laws and customs they could observe, they couldn’t enforce the laws in the Torah, that’s why they needed Rome to crucify Jesus.
And so for the Spirit to descend upon Jesus at his baptism, and for the Father to declare that “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” is to announce to the world that this man Jesus of Nazareth is King, and with Him comes the kingdom, and with the kingdom comes justice, and with justice Jubilee, and with Jubilee a return to possession of the land, the end of exile.
This was the hope and longing of God’s people.
In the Hebrew calendar, the year of Jubilee started when the king was coronated. There was an Ecclesiastical/Priestly year that began in the Spring with Passover, and a Civil/Kingly Year that began in the fall. And this Kingly new year was marked by the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.
So Leviticus 25 says, “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.”
And so with the coronation of Christ at his baptism, we should hear the sound of trumpets blasting, of a great festival and new beginnings, a solemn celebration that past sins have been atoned for and the acceptable year of the Lord has come. The baptism of Christ inaugurates the Jubilee. And as Jesus will say later, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Now at Christ’s baptism there are no literal trumpets blasting or the sound of great festivity, but there is a sound more beautiful, more lovely than that. And that is a single sentence from God the Father, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,”
In this single sentence, the Father brings together at least three different Old Testament references, and together they help us see the significance of this moment.
So let me read these three references and see if you can hear in them the Father’s voice, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The first is Psalm 2, where God says, “Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.” (Ps. 2:6-7).
The second is Isaiah 42:1, which says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.”
And third, is Genesis 22:2, where God says ominously to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering.”
So in this declaration of the Father’s love and delight in Jesus, is a revelation of His identity and destiny. Who is Jesus?
He is the Davidic King of Psalm 2, who sits in the heavens and laughs. As Jesus will say in John 3:13, “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
Jesus is a man walking around on earth, while at the same time by His divine nature, He is the Son of man which is in heaven. “Thou art my Son.”
He is the Royal Servant of Isaiah, who will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.You can read the four servant songs in Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52-53, and there you will see a detailed portrait of Jesus, written 700 years before his arrival.
The Father says, “thou art my son, in whom my soul delighteth.”
He is an obedient son, the true Isaac, the true seed of Abraham, the ram caught in a thicket upon Mount Moriah, who with thorns upon his head, will be sacrificed for sin.
To be a one and only beloved son of Abraham, means a sacrifice is coming. This is what the Father’s voice foretells.
So what is Jesus baptism?
It is an ordination service. It is anointing for holy war. It is consecration for sacrifice.And as we see in the next two verses of our text, when the Spirit falls upon the beloved, He drives us into battle. So let us look at verses 12 and 13 together.
Verses 12-13
12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
So Jesus was already in the wilderness, he had gone out to John to be baptized in Jordan, and immediately after He is baptized, the Spirit drives Him even further into the wilderness.
As we said in the first sermon, the wilderness can come to us in many forms.
There is the wilderness where many people gather and are made into a new society, a tabernacle, like we see in Exodus. This is the wilderness of John’s baptism.
And then there is the wilderness of solitude, which is what the Spirit drives Jesus into. He is away from the multitudes, He is Moses on the mountain top while the people are down below, and he is in that wilderness for 40 days.
The number 40 is often used in Scripture to describe a time of testing. Moses was upon Sinai for 40 days, Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years, Elijah traveled through the wilderness for 40 days and nights, and now Jesus following this pattern, goes into the wilderness for 40 days to provoke Satan to battle.
Now unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark does not give us any dialog between Jesus and Satan. All he says is that “he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan…” but then he gives us this little detail that neither Matthew nor Luke record, which is, “and he was with the wild beasts.”
Of all the things that Mark could have said about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, this being with the wild beasts is what he wants us to know. Why is this?
Well the first thing we should ask ourselves when we come to these kind of details is to ask, What is the significance of this thing in other places in the Bible? When and where do wild beasts show up?
The first place wild beasts appear is in the creation account. In Genesis 2, Adam names all the animals, among which would have been wild animals like lions, bears, wolves, t-rex’s, dragons, etc. And so in the Garden of Eden, is a man with wild beasts, and he is unharmed by them. He has dominion over them.
Later we see in Numbers 21, that Israel is attacked by fiery serpents in the wilderness.They were complaining about the miracle bread from heaven, and so God sends burning seraphim to harass them. The people tested God, and so God disciplines them with flaming serpents.
In Leviticus 26, God threatens Israel saying, “If ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.”
So in Scripture, wild beasts are a sign of the wilderness, they are a constant reminder that we are not in Eden anymore. Now wild beasts are dangerous, they can kill us, and we must reclaim dominion over them.
So that is part of the background Mark wants to evoke by this mention of the wild beasts. But I think the more obvious connection he wants us to make is with King David.
So King David was anointed in 1 Samuel 16:13, and it say, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him [David] in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”
So here you have a baptism, an anointing, and the Spirit is poured out, and what is the very next thing that happens to Him?David is brought before King Saul to fight evil spirits. He would play the harp before the king and it says the evil spirits would depart from him. So David after his anointing is given this power of exorcism. Spiritual healing is in his hands.
And then in the next chapter, 1 Samuel 17 is David slaying Goliath. And do you remember what David says to Saul, to justify his ability to win against the giant?
“Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God…moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:36-37).
So who is Jesus, in the wilderness with the wild beasts?
He is the Son of David, the exorcist, who after his anointing will fight Satan and his demons, and tread upon the lion and the cobra, He will conquer all of these enemies and cut of Goliath’s head.
Who is Jesus with the wild beasts?
He is the last Adam, who comes to reclaim and exercise dominion over his creation. Who comes to turn the wilderness into a garden city, who tames the wild beasts so that it can be habitable again.
One of the prophesies of the Messiah is that in His reign, He would domesticate the wild animals, and in Scripture animals signify foreign nations. When God shows Daniel in a vision the powers of the four kingdoms, they are described as various wild beasts.
And so Jesus comes to fulfill the promise of Isaiah 11, which says:
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and might,
The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord…
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed;
Their young ones shall lie down together:
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Why was Jesus with the wild beasts? Because He is the rod from the stem of Jesse. He is the shepherd-king who comes to bring peace and justice to the nations. To make lion and lamb lay down together.
Is that the Jesus you know and love and worship? Because that’s the only Jesus there is. And he has come and of the increase of his government there shall be no end. He will reign until he has put all his enemies beneath his feet, including our nation (with its eagle and stars and stripes).
So that’s our text, Jesus in the wilderness with the wild beasts. And I want to conclude with one practical application for us from these opening 13 verses.
You might have noticed that Mark’s gospel is fast-paced, which is why these sermons have been so dense with Old Testament references. Mark covers in 13 verses, what Matthew and Luke take four chapters to cover. So if it feels like drinking from at fire-hose, it’s because we are.
So I want to slow down for a moment close with a single exhortation for all of us, and that:
Learn to love the wilderness.
When God wants to change you, He has to kill you first. That’s what baptism is, it’s union with Christ’s death. And after God kills you in baptism, the next thing he does is separate you from your old life.
Israel was baptized in the Red Sea, they got out of Egypt, but then God had to spend 40 years getting Egypt out of them. And where does He purge us of our old life and habits? In the wilderness.
The wilderness is the place of testing, and if you follow Jesus, and receive the same Spirit that Jesus received, the Spirit will drive you into the wilderness, so learn to love it.
By the wilderness could mean any kind of trial.
It might be depression, it might be sickness, it might be unwanted singleness, it might be nine-months of hard pregnancy, the loss of a job, the loss of loved ones, or anything in between.
The wilderness is the place that feels uncomfortable. And when in God’s providence, the Spirit drives us there, we must not grumble, we must not resist the Spirit. But rather, embrace and love the test that God has given us, because it is in the wilderness, he rids us of ourselves to make us strong in Him.
As Paul says in 2 Cor. 1:9, “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”
So learn to love the wilderness, love the places where God rids you of self-reliance. And if you go there, that is where you will find Moses, and Elijah, and John and Joshua and David, and the Lord Jesus Himself.
Count it all joy when you are driven into the wilderness.