Chapter # 10 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
September 26, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: "Disciples" are supposed to embrace the reality that, before the glory of the Kingdom, there is to be "suffering" because of what others do.
Introduction: In our last study, we focused upon the Kingdom's principle of "reward" as a necessary aspect of a healthy "T"heology: The King is "generous".
- I. Round Two: The Kingdom's Requirement Of Servanthood (10:32-45).
- A. From the human side of "Life", "servanthood" is not a desirable condition; thus, the culture's obsession with "freedom" as if that is the ultimate measure of the "quality of life", and the culture's fixation on "they shall rule and reign with Him".
- B. From the divine side of "Life", servanthood" is the primary mechanism of the true "quality of Life" and "ruling" is simply the method of providing others with what they need.
- C. Part One: The King's Example; 10:32-34.
- 1. In "The Hinge" (8:27-38) in which Mark is shifting from the earlier thesis of Jesus as "The Coming Strong One" ("the Christ") to the reality of His Sufferings (mostly unseen in the Old Testament prophecies -- not because this thesis is not there, but because the "disciples" don't want to hear it).
- 2. In this present text/context, Mark again presents the fact that The Christ is to be rejected and slain (and raised from the dead).
- a. This was initially presented in 8:31, along with the "satanic" opposition of Peter.
- 1) This is "satanic" because it rests upon the delusion that a person's "worth" is rooted in how well he/she is treated by others.
- 2) This is "satanic" because it pretty much totally ignores the more critical issue of how well one treats others.
- 3) This is "satanic" because it is the root of Lucifer's lust for the highest throne of heaven.
- b. This showed up again in 9:9-12 along with the declaration that the disciples did not "get it".
- c. And, now, it shows up again (10:32-34) with the record of James and John seeking the "best" positions in the Coming Kingdom; "best" being defined in terms of how one will be treated by others.
- 1) This brief record begins with Jesus leading His disciples on the road to Jerusalem.
- 2) There is the additional information regarding the attitudes of those following Him, but not really explained.
- a) They are "amazed".
- i. Mark is the sole user of this verb in the New Testament and it is used to indicate such a contradiction to what is expected (and, even, desired) that it leaves one stunned.
- ii. In two of Mark's three uses, the "at issue" cause of "amazement" is Jesus' doctrine, which is such a contrast with the "received" truth that it leaves the audience stunned.
- b) They were "fearful".
- i. This word is used by Mark in 12 texts, and it often refers to the "fear" that arises when men experience Jesus' awesome power.
- ii. The "fear" is, however, more rooted in Jesus' use of His power to contradict the expectations of the fearful than in the actual use of His power.
- 3) Mark follows this up with Jesus' explanation of what is going to happen when they get to Jerusalem -- an explanation that would have made his description of the attitudes more easily understood.
- a) That these things were going to transpire had already been declared, but not understood.
- i. The Son of The Man was to be "delivered up" (this includes the betrayal of Judas).
- ii. He was to be "condemned to death".
- iii. He was to be "delivered up to the Gentiles" (primarily Pilate and his soldiers).
- iv. He was to be "mocked".
- v. He was to be "spat upon".
- vi. He was to be "scourged".
- vii. He was to be "killed".
- viii. He was to be "raised after three days".
- b) That these things were going to happen to "The King" was an indication of what was also going to happen to those who became His disciples according to the principle of John 13:16 and then repeated in 15:20.
- i. There was a "day star" indication that this truth was the inevitable fact in John 11:16 with Thomas' "...Let us go also, so that we may die with Him..." and in John 13:37 with Peter's "...why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you...".
- ii. But this dawning realization was treated with a kind of "pride" that proved to be more wish than fulfillment as was shown by the flight of the disciples at Jesus' arrest in the garden.
- c) That Mark went into specific detail is indicative of how important the principle is that those who are to be recognized as "great" in the Kingdom are those who are "the greatest servants" to others so that "the first shall be last" (10:44).
- i. This reality, rejected, is the root of the problem in Laodicea in Revelation 3.
- ii. This reality, rejected, is also at the root of American "Christianity".
- D. Part Two: The Disciples' Complete Absence Of Understanding; 10:35-45.
