Mark 3:20-35. What is Authentic Discipleship?
‘Masterchef in Australia’ is a television show similar to, but more informal, than the English version. In one semi-final, with seven contestants remaining, they had to cook a meal for the Dalai Lama. They each were told to present their meal to him, address him as ‘Your Holiness’ and describe what’s in the meal.
Kate, one of the contestants was a Christian and the time came for her to present her dish. However, instead of saying ‘Your Holiness’ she simply said, ‘Dalai Lama, I have cooked for you . . .”
The next day the Sydney Daily Herald pointed out that Kate was the only one not to address him as ‘Your Holiness’. Kate explained herself:
“I am a Christian. I believe that God alone is Holy. I could not address any person as Holy as God alone is Holy.”
When the Dalai Lama sat to eat the meal there were two Christian clergymen also present. Before they started, the Dalai Lama blessed the food. Then two Sri Lankan men were also asked to bless the food and finally the two clergymen were asked to bless the food. The first clergyman prayed to the God of love but made no reference to and never used the name of the Lord Jesus. The other also made no reference to the Lord Jesus but even omitted to make any reference to God whatsoever. Those two men, ordained to serve the Lord Jesus had effectively sidelined him, so leaving Kate courageously standing alone.
Does this matter? Yes it certainly does, because of the identity of the one being sidelined.
For Mark the identity of Jesus is crucial. He begins his book with the key that he later unfolds:
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1
We know that this is the conclusion that Mark came to; he was writing what Peter taught. This Jesus had the authority of God because he was God. He had an authority over people and nature.
He called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew from fishing for fish to fishing people for God.
He called Levi (Matthew) from cheating people as a tax collector to sharing the gospel with people.
He appoints 12 disciples to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, to be a blessing to the nations.
He has authority over disease and heals a man with leprosy.
He proves he has authority to forgive sin by healing a paralytic.
He heals a man with a shrivelled hand on the Sabbath and explains that he is ‘Lord of the Sabbath’.
He drives demons out of a man who recognised that he was the ‘Holy One of God’.
He has authority over nature, he calmed the raging sea.
Mark is asking us to make a decision.
“Who is this person who has such authority, authority over disease, people, sin and has authority to interpret God’s Law?”
Sandwiches
The idea of eating ‘sandwiches’ goes back to the Earl of Sandwich’ in the eighteen century. Google tells us that the Dutch were making sandwiches a century earlier. However Mark was writing in sandwiches in the first century! There are nine sandwiches in his gospel. In each of these the filling is the key to the interpretation of the whole. Later examples include:
1. Mark 5:21-43
A Jairus pleads with Jesus to save his daughter, vv 21-24
B Woman with a haemorrhage touches Jesus, vv 25-34
A Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter, vv 35-43
Lesson: A disciple must exercise faith
2. Mark 6:7-30
A Mission of the Twelve, vv 7-13
B Martyrdom of John the Baptist, vv 14-29
A Return of the Twelve, v 30
Lesson: A disciple may die for Christ
3. Mark 11:12-21
A Cursing of the fig tree, vv 12-14
B Clearing of the temple, vv 15-19
A Withering of the fig tree, vv 20-21
Lesson: A disciple must produce fruit
4. Mark 14:1-11
A Plot to kill Jesus, vv 1-2
B Anointing of Jesus at Bethany, vv 3-9
A Judas’s agreement to betray Jesus, vv 10-11
Lesson: A disciple must be a giver and not a taker
5. Mark 14:17-31
A. Jesus predicts his betrayal, vv 17-21
B Institution of the Lord’s Supper, vv 22-26
A Jesus predicts Peter’s betrayal, vv 27-31
Lesson: A disciple must remember that even when we are unfaithful, God is always faithful
6. Mark 14:53-72
A Peter follows Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest, vv 53-54
B Jesus’ inquisition before the Sanhedrin, vv 55-65
A Peter’s denial of Jesus, vv 66-72
Lesson: A disciple, like Jesus, must unashamedly acknowledge who God is.
7. Mark 15:40-16:8
A Women at the cross, vv 15:40-41
B Joseph of Arimathea courageously requests Jesus’ body, vv 15:42-46
A Women at the empty tomb, vv 15:47-16:8
Lesson: A disciple must courageously identify with Jesus
All these sandwich fillings reveal ‘the way of Jesus’ involves suffering and the necessity of open discipleship. This use of sandwiches also corroborates the testimony of Papias, an early church patriarch that Mark was responsible for the design of the Gospel and followed his own structure and that in doing this “he did no wrong” (Hist. eccl. 3, 39, 15). It would also seem that Mark crafted a new genre of literature in which he starts with a story, interrupts it with another story and then returns to the original story
Authentic Discipleship
The first sandwich (Mark 3:20-35), teaches us what authentic discipleship is all about.
A. In the first layer of the sandwich Jesus comes to a house and seems so occupied with ministry that he has had no time to eat.
“Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” Mark 3:20-21
It is not hard to understand their concern. A student today who is so preoccupied with his work and who doesn’t dress warmly or eat proper food may well give rise to concerns. In Jesus’ case the family decide to take charge of him. This statement is telling. They want to take Jesus, the Son of God who has divine authority to heal, to explain God’s Word, and to drive out demons and put him under their authority!
B. The filling describes how scribes had come from the political power base of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Jesus is clearly not a minor figure any more. The ‘powers that be’ were very concerned. It is significant that they do not deny the reality of the miracles, just their source.
“And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.’” Mark 3:22
This was probably the official line of the Jewish elite in Jerusalem. Jesus must be in league with the god ‘Baal’ The compelling power of the miraculous only compels these scribes in their unbelief.
Jesus replied with three short arguments:
1. What they were saying was illogical
“So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. Mark 3:23-26
We have all experienced how divisions within political parties, often the result of poor leadership, leads to unpopularity and defeat in elections. Disunity has always meant death.
2. To take what is in a strong man’s power means he must first be overcome by someone stronger
“In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.” Mark 3:27
The scribes suggested that Jesus’ power came from Satan, the strong man. Jesus is saying that he is even stronger than Satan. He could heal all sorts of diseases attributed to Satan. Disease was then attributed to Satan. Luke, the doctor, uses these words to describe an old lady with a severely bent back, what we would call today kypho-scoliosis, but this illness was attributed to Satan:
“. . . and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten at all.” Luke 13:11
Jesus had not come into his world to co-exist with Satan but to overcome him and remove his power. In heaven there will be no sickness as Satan will be absent. Jesus would pass on this power to his followers:
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:14-15
3. A stern warning is given
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God is an eternal sin that will never be forgiven.
“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” Mark 3:28-30
This ‘sin against the Holy Spirit’ is a sin that many do not even recognise as a sin. The scribes were thinking and teaching that Jesus is not from God and that brings terrible eternal consequences. It is a continual rebellion against Jesus, God’s Son. They still had time to change their affection but time was short. When people accept the Lord Jesus they are given the Holy Spirit to change their outlook and empower them to live a Godly life. The Spirit has come to turn people from impurity to Christ. To remain in rebellion against God’s rule is treason which will result in a person facing God’s judgment.
A. In the final layer of the sandwich Jesus’ family return to the scene. We are told their names later in Mark’s gospel:
“Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” Mark 6:3
His brother James later wrote a letter that is included in the New Testament. At first he did not believe in Jesus but instead challenged him. He had misunderstood Jesus’ identity and mission but later he became not only a believer but the leader of the Church Council in Jerusalem.
“Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” John 7:2-5
Jesus wasteaching with a crowd sitting around him when his mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent someone in to call Jesus out but when told this he made strange reply:
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:33-35
Jesus is saying that there is something even more important than human families, it is to be a member of God’s family. Furthermore, evidence of authentic faith is to be seen in how we live: it is our ‘doing God’s will’ that matters to God.
When Mark makes a sandwich he is emphasising one important point and in this case it is to answer ‘What does authentic faith looks like’. All people must be very careful how we respond to Jesus, we must recognise who he is and live accordingly.
To be a disciple is to be part of God’s family. The ‘good life’ is now defined as doing the will of God and this becomes the essence of our existence. Obedience is key. To have faith in Jesus means to sit at his feet, to join his circle and to do what Jesus says. The Christian life is much more than good theology, words, knowledge, good intentions – it is obedience to Jesus Christ and nothing less. Everyone needs to come to Jesus, to learn from him and then go out to do what he says. A person can have more degrees than a thermometer, be ordained, plant megachurches, make sacrifices and deny earthly pleasures for the gospel but nothing ever puts Jesus in our debt. True disciples recognise that Jesus is Lord and that we are not.
Jesus’ earthly family did not at first recognise who he really was. They had good intentions but these were worldly intentions. They wanted to protect him from the consequences of his mission, not realising that he was about his heavenly Father’s business. They thought, ‘He’s not eating properly, let’s take charge!’ How foolish it is to think like that of the Son of God.
Later, Peter, after confessing that Jesus is the Christ of God, is told by Jesus:
“. . . that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” Mark 8:31-32
Peter’s response really upset Jesus. Peter still had not understood what acknowledging who Jesus is really means. He is Lord and we are not!
“But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’” Mark 8:33
Jesus is saying that thinking that we know better than God is Satanic. Human concerns are trifling when compared with those of God.
The scribes did not have God’s interest at heart at all, they thought that Jesus’ mission and claims were Satanic. Such an opinion about Jesus is unforgivable. Any person putting themselves above Jesus is guilty of this. To try to take Jesus away from his mission is wrong.
Application for today
Religious bodies today, even some that call themselves Christian churches, are often redefining what they think Christ’s mission should be. They may use modern phrases such as ‘Doing Theology Creatively’, ‘The New Evangelicalism’, ‘The Search for the Contemporary Christ’ or ‘The Social Gospel’ but too often these have changed the focus to majoring on social and political issues. They sideline the vision of Jesus. They hide and camouflage the cross and consider its substitutionary aspects for our sin as outdated. They re-interpret Jesus’ death as simply an example of selfless living because they have rejected what the Bible teaches about God’s hatred of sin and the fact that he is also a wrathful God. Living to improve today’s society has become more important than calling on people to repent, to turn to Christ and to live a new life in obedience to him. Without a personal commitment to Christ as my Saviour and Lord there is no salvation, there will be no promised land, no heaven.
It is shameful how seldom church leaders mention Jesus. For many the mission of the church does not centre on the death of Jesus for us, does not focus on the inevitability of God’s judgment to come, and does not emphasise that there is a certain hope of being raised from death to live with God if we belong to him and his Son, resurrection is no longer central. Why are many reticent to talk about Jesus? It must be that people fear man more than God.
Why do we fear others’ disapproval so much? We all experience this fear, and most of us don’t want to admit how serious its tyranny can be. The Bible calls this the “fear of man,” and this can lead us to try and reword issues that are biblically clear. The fear of man can immobilize us when we should take action, and gag us into silence when we should speak. It feels powerful, but its power is deceptive. That’s why the Bible tells us,
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” Proverbs 29:25
The Hebrew word here for “snare” refers to the traps that hunters used to catch animals or birds. Snares are dangerous. If we get caught, we are in dire trouble. God has the power to free us and he longs for us to live in the safe freedom of trusting him. But he frees us not by removing our fear of disapproval, but transferring it to the right place – a gratefulness of being accepted by God in spite of what I am. Love of God has always been the first and great commandment that must be central to our thinking:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6
We can try to make Jesus into a social worker, a healer, a guru or a social justice crusader, anything other than our redeemer and Lord. The greatest sin is to refuse to recognise that Jesus came in the power of the Holy Spirit, as God himself.
This is how Mark began his gospel:
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God . . .” Mark 1:1
At Jesus’ baptism God publicly stated:
“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11
Kate had no idea, when cooking for the Dalai Lama that she would be the last in the queue to present her food. All the others, including official Christian ministers bowed and scraped before a man and called him ‘Your Holiness’, yet Kate came out still respecting the Lord of the universe. Within churches, Christian colleges, missionary societies and Christian aid organisations it is so easy to want to be popular, to get government support, to be sophisticated, acceptable and liked by the majority and yet forsake the Holy Spirit.
Sidelining Jesus is sinful. We can think we are being sensitive to our culture and community but Jesus warns us that we are in danger of committing the unforgivable sin. It is Jesus who is Lord, not us or anyone else. Mark is telling us all to repent of our independence, to join that circle around Jesus and sit at his feet. We are to be like Mary who chose what is best whilst Martha did the work.
“Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38–42
Many of us think like Martha. She only wanted to serve but Jesus’s words remind us about what matters most: “one thing is necessary.” Do we believe that? Is it reflected in the way that we view our time?
“Only one thing is necessary . . .”
When Jesus appointed his twelve disciples he explained that they had three purposes in life:
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:14-15
The first and primary purpose is ‘that they might be with him’, to sit in that circle around him and learn from him. The second is ‘that he might send them out to preach’, those who have no concern to share the gospel about Jesus with others have a real problem as they are not committed to obeying Jesus. The third is ‘to have authority to drive out demons’, we are to oppose evil wherever it raises its ugly head. God hates sin, he sent his Son to come and die, to solve the problem we have with sin, so to be ambivalent about sinful practices in us or around us is most ungodly.
Jesus is not extreme, he does not need our protection but he is abundantly clear about what it means to be an authentic Christian.
BVP
