Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 9 Study # 3
April 9, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Mark's final "focus" is upon the "Disciple's" commitment to The Sender's agenda as a declaration of this aspect of "dealing with" The Problem as Mark sees it.
Introduction: It is interesting to me that Mark's record to this point is focused upon Jesus as The Preacher of the "new" doctrine as having "authority". "Authority" is a kind of "bottom line" when it comes to the primary issues of all of biblical revelation. Those "issues" boil down to "Love" and "Faith". But, the primary focus of all of the Scriptures is, interestingly, not upon "Loving", but upon "Believing". There is a good reason for this in
2 Peter 1:5 and following as Peter presents "Faith" as the initial "point of contact between God and men" and "Love" as the final (and most difficult) "end of all contact between God and men".
But the interesting part of Mark's record is that Jesus' "authority" is initially focused in only two of the three possible realms of "the need for doctrine": Jesus' domination of "unclean/demonic spirits" and His ability to heal any/all manner of "physical ailments". This is clearly a revelation of Jesus' "authority" as it relates to the "Whence?" of behavior ("spirit" in respect to "doctrine") and the "How?" of that behavior (in respect to the functional capacities of the body as they are fundamental to "health" and "illness"). The "unclean/demonic" spirits were in dominion over the "doctrine" of the synagogues, and the absence of "health" is presented as a form of hindrance to "ministry". Jesus' attack on the demonic doctrine was, methodologically, "preaching the new doctrine" and His provision, methodologically, for "ministry" was "healing" (the first thing recorded from the first "healing" was that the "healed" was immediately "ministering" to them). It is only a kind of "side product" of Jesus' "authority" that we are told about the third realm of "the need for doctrine and ability": "reputation". After the first "exorcism" we are told that "all Galilee" heard about Jesus, and the first "healing" resulted in "all are seeking You".
In our study this evening we are going to look into Mark's record of Jesus' response to this so-called "side issue".
- I. Mark's "Point".
- A. Begins with the fact of Jesus' popularity.
- 1. There is no doubt that Jesus' "authoritative new doctrine" was generating the "popularity".
- a. The fact that the doctrine is "new" is creating no small level of consternation.
- b. The fact that the doctrine is backed by absolute dominion in the "spirit" realm is pressing the level of consternation ever higher.
- 2. But, as always, there is the question of why Jesus is deliberately pursuing matters that are producing "popularity".
- a. Some might cynically argue that Jesus longed for "popularity" as a primary element in His experience of "the Joy of Life".
- 1) This would be a bald form of idolatry.
- 2) This argument would be rooted, not in Jesus' motives, but in the motives of those who would put this argument on the table.
- b. The "context" argues for a completely different reason for the pursuit.
- 1) In that context, Jesus is presented first as the "Successful Beloved Son Who Pleases the Father" Whose "success" is in His endurance of Satan's opposition.
- 2) Then Jesus is presented as the "Galilean Preacher of the Gospel of God".
- a) Under this identity, He summons four archetypical disciples and reveals that they are to become focused upon two basic ministry pursuits: "fishing for men" and "purifying men's understanding of true doctrine".
- b) But, under this identity, Jesus is both "Disciple-Maker" and "Disciple of the Father".
- 3) After these "introductory" presentations, Mark moves into Jesus' actual pursuits of "pleasing the Father" and "making disciples of men".
- a) Under the "Disciple of the Father" motif, Jesus begins to proclaim the Father's "doctrine" and demonstrates His "authority" as a "Disciple of the Father" by casting out a demon in a "synagogue" setting.
- b) Under the "Disciple-Maker" motif, Jesus moves into "healing" as a primary element of the "ministry" to which He has called "disciples".
- B. Centers upon Jesus' intentional use of that popularity.
- 1. According to Jesus' own statement of His "purpose for being", He "came out unto this".
- a. The "coming out" has to do with the Father's agenda for sending Him forth.
- b. The "unto this" is defined as "in order that I might be preaching there".
- 1) The "preaching" is His "new doctrine" of "forgiveness of sins on the basis of repentance".
- 2) The "there" is defined as all of the regions of Galilee that have towns/villages and synagogues.
- 2. Clearly, Jesus is using His popularity as a way to enable people to hear His "new doctrine".
- a. This means that He was not using it for any sort of method for possessing the Joy of Life.
- b. Jesus as both "Disciple" and "Disciple-Maker" had the "Joy of Life" objective for others at whatever cost to Himself.
- C. And ends with a kind of "bottom line" for Jesus in respect to His popularity.
- 1. A part of Mark's focus in this text-in-its-context is upon a critical sub-thesis in regard to "Discipleship".
- a. Reality check: not all who seek and obtain "forgiveness of sins" will become "disciples" (death bed conversions are legitimate, though waiting till then is clearly not).
- b. Reality check: any who do not wish to become disciples after having been granted "forgiveness of sins" do not really wish to obtain "forgiveness of sins".
- 2. As both "Disciple" and "Disciple-Maker", Jesus practices what the original four illustrate.
- a. There has to be, as a bottom line, an "abandonment" of any/all obstructions involved in the pursuit of the Father's agenda.
- b. Peter's enthusiastic "all are seeking You" hints at how important it is to him for people to "seek after" a person.
