Mark 3:7–12 — Seeing Jesus

This sermon is from Mark chapter 3, verses 7 through 12, and is entitled "Seeing Jesus."

Mark 3:7–12

It was delivered to Ecclesia churches on Sunday, June 22nd, 2025.

So as Jesus pulls away from this series of escalating conflicts with the Pharisees that

we've studied, he tries to get away with his disciples, and he's largely unsuccessful because

everywhere Jesus goes, he's followed by this massive crowd of people who are demanding something

of Jesus. He's also running into people possessed by demons, and the demons are quick to declare

who Jesus really is and are literally forced to bow down. And really what we're seeing here is that

the fame of Jesus is taking away his freedom to move and act as he chooses. And so we're only in

chapter 3, and we've already seen Jesus attempt to kind of shut down his fame, specifically as a

healer and miracle worker. And in short, all of the characters in this passage are seeing Jesus only

in part, and they're responding to the part that they see. So I've never been famous and

God willing, that's something that I will never have to deal with, because even from hearing the

stories of modern-day celebrities, it doesn't sound like it's something to be envied. There are

paparazzi and crowds of fans who want to get close to you because they want you to sign something or

say something or be a character that you've played in public or on the stage or screen.

And then there are the former friends, right, in quotes, or relatives who want a piece of that

fame by claiming to know you or have known you or know something about you that nobody else knows.

And I ran across a quote from the famous comedian and actor Jim Carrey, and he said,

"I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see

that it's not the answer." Ultimately, when it comes to somebody like Jim Carrey, I'm just part

of the crowd. I don't really know him personally. I don't know the real Jim Carrey. Just like the

crowd in our passage today only saw what Jesus could do for them, but they didn't really see who

he was. And then you have the demons who saw who Jesus was, but they didn't understand what he really

came to do. But we, the church, disciples of Jesus, have both the person and the work of Jesus

fully revealed to us through the Word of God, and I hope that that moves us to respond in some

specific ways. So let's begin by reading through this passage together. This is Mark 3, beginning

with verse 7 and going through verse 12. "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a

great crowd followed from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Eru Mia, and from beyond the Jordan

and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing,

they came to him, and he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,

lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to

touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out,

'You are the Son of God,' and he strictly ordered them not to make him known.'"

So Jesus tries to pull away from these crowds of people by going to the sea, away from Capernaum,

where this last conflict at the synagogue probably takes place. And we've noted before how the crowd

is never portrayed as a positive thing in Mark. Usually it's a largely faceless group of people

who have been drawn to the spectacle of Jesus, but who are less interested in what he has to

teach them and even less interested in becoming followers. So remember, out of the thousands

of people who would be healed or fed or taught by Jesus, by the end there are only about 120

of them who are gathered in the upper room after his death and resurrection. The crowd in this case

is certainly not portrayed positively, but it is unique in one way. And we are given a breakdown

of where they are from. This list of regions where they are from might not jump off the page to

you and I at first glance, but it certainly would have to the original audience. So let's get in

here a little bit. There are three main groups of people who would have stood out to people from

that place and time as it's described what makes up this crowd. There are people first from Galilee,

Judea, and Jerusalem. So this is unsurprising because these were many of the people who were

already following Jesus around. These are primarily Jewish areas and these would have been Jews

following around this Jewish rabbi who was doing an awful lot of teaching and healing on the Sabbath.

And so this group, this is the group that makes the most sense these people from those areas.

But then things get interesting because it says there were people from Idumia. So Idumia was this

large area about 120 miles to the south of Galilee, a fair distance where Jesus is. And

it's right along the Dead Sea and is where you find some of the fortresses even to this day that

Herod the Great built because that's actually the region that Herod the Great, the one who tried to

kill Jesus as a baby, was from. So he was a famous Idumian. But the people from that region

had actually been there for much longer than the Roman Empire. In fact, these people who were there

at this point had been around the vicinity since the time of the Old Testament and were originally

known as the Edomites because they were the children of Esau. Remember, the nation of Israel

descends from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Esau is the brother of Jacob, the brother who actually

by birth order was supposed to receive the inheritance and the birthright to lead the family,

both of which he gave up to his younger brother, Jacob. You have to go back to Genesis 36 for that.

So while Jacob and Esau do patch things up between the two of them and they go their own way,

the bad blood between them continues as family feuds tend to do. So the Edomites over the course of

the history of Israel will do things like not letting Israel cross their land after they are

released from Egypt. That's recorded in Numbers 20. And then they are conquered at one point by King

David, that's in 2 Samuel 8, and then later they rebel under his son Solomon, that's in 1 Kings 11.

And then a little farther forward when Babylon destroys Israel, they actually rejoice from the

sidelines in the destruction of Israel. So it's like a family feud on steroids that soured even

further over the course of centuries of conflict and exile. And yet these people are coming to

Galilee to see this Jewish miracle worker. Finally, then you have the final group of people who come

from beyond the Jordan. That would be Gentile territory, places like Tyre and Sidon, which were

primarily pagan non-Jewish regions about 50 miles to the north of Galilee. So what we know about the

identity of this crowd is that it's a completely mixed group of people. You've got Jews, you've got

semi-related hostile extended family with the Edomites, and then you've got the godless pagans,

and they're all forming this mob of people who are swarming and pushing to see Jesus.

Really, it sounds like the modern, seeker-sensitive church planters dream, doesn't it? All of these

diverse people who are pushing to get in the door because they just want to get to Jesus.

But Jesus isn't celebrating. And as we said before, Mark isn't actually presenting them in a very

positive light either, is he? Look at the description. Jesus sends for a boat because this group of

people is about to crush him. The crowd is pushing in to touch him, to grab at him. Not so different

from another time when the angry crowd tries to lay their hands on him. They are pushing in,

demanding to touch him, demanding that he give them what they ask for, whether that's healing

from their illness or a miracle. And so we have this massive crowd of people that has become

really more of a mob. And that mob is demanding to be served. Why? Look at why they came, right?

Verse 8 said, "They heard all that he was doing." Their view of Jesus was incomplete.

They didn't see him as God come in the flesh. They didn't see him as Emmanuel, God with us.

They certainly didn't understand him as a Savior, here to heal more than just our physical sickness.

They saw him as more of a genie, who they had to come and touch and take their healing and then

leave. I want to be careful here, but did I just describe the way a lot of people seem to treat

Jesus today? I think it's tempting, just like the crowds of that day, to treat Jesus as the one

we come to in time of need, in time of crisis, and more or less demand his help. And then we

turn around and we leave when things get better. Consider an example from US history, not all

that long ago, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Church attendance in America

spiked dramatically across the country. We're talking huge increases. And I can even remember

anecdotally going to church gatherings that Sunday with my family and not having a single seat open.

People were literally standing in the back of the church, just to get in the door. However, by November

2001, just two months later, church attendance nationwide had already dropped back to pre-911

levels. In the same way, I think it's easy for well-meaning pastors and churches to focus on

ways that they can attract crowds. And even to be successful in doing that, but if we're not

showing them Jesus for who he really is, and we're not allowing them to respond to him,

are we really accomplishing anything at all? In the end, the important question is not who these

people were. The diversity of the crowd was noted by Mark, but it was for the purpose of showing that

to Jesus, the diversity of this crowd wasn't an accomplishment. Instead, there was a problem

with this crowd, and the problem wasn't who they were. It was why they came. They came to Jesus

only for what they wanted him to do for them, and they did not come to Jesus because of who he was

and who he is. They did not know or understand that he was the Son of God and the Savior.

They only saw a healer, and it was a problem of not seeing him clearly and fully. And as a result,

instead of bowing at his feet and worshiping him, they pushed forward to take what they wanted

from him. Instead of submitting to Jesus, they demanded that he serve them.

So hopefully, by now, you've started to recognize that Mark really likes to use irony,

and he certainly uses it in this passage, in this stark contrast to the crowds who have only

seen Jesus for what he can do. Another group is presented who really does see Jesus for who he is,

and it's the unclean spirits or the demons of all people see Jesus, and immediately they recognize

him as the Son of God. And so they declare this over and over to the point where Jesus has to

tell them to be silent. And we'll get to that in a moment. A little further clarification on this

use of the term "unclean spirits." I know this was a question that came up in one of our house

church gatherings a few weeks back. In some places, we see Mark using demons, and in others,

we see him using unclean spirits. It doesn't appear that there's a lot of significance to the

interchangeability of those terms. Other than, in the Greek, which Mark is writing in, the more

common term for demons would have been "unclean spirits." And that goes back to the language.

The Greeks didn't have as black and white a view of the spiritual world as the Jews did.

And so as a result, their vocabulary was much more neutral towards the spirit world,

and that comes across in the terms and the language used. So as far as I can tell, those are more of

a language thing than a specific point that Mark is trying to make here. So these demons see Jesus,

and they know that he's the Son of God, and their response is to bow down. The word that's used

actually means to prostrate or to lie down in front of him. And so they recognize that Jesus

is sovereign, and they have no choice but to bow down at his feet. And the irony of the people

that Jesus came to save are demanding service, and the enemies of God bowing low should not be

missed here. It's no small wonder, I think, that Peter says in 1 Peter 1-12, that the salvation

of mankind is something into which the angels long to look. So it's even mind-blowing for the

angels that God should choose to save people that respond to him in this way and offer them a chance

to repent. It is certainly incredible to me. But not even the demons have a full picture of who

Jesus is. They see that he is the Son of God, but to them, Jesus is the enemy. There are many

differences between mankind and angels. So the greatest is that while angels were created by God,

we are made specifically in the image and likeness of God. That's something unique to

humankind. So just to be clear, because this is a cultural thing that you'll hear often,

men and women do not become angels like the precious moments figurines when they die.

And similarly, angels don't get sentenced to roam the earth until they get their wings,

like in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. These are not biblical ideas. These are cultural takes.

But another important distinction between us is that demons made a one-time-only choice

to choose their glory over the glory of God. And those that made that choice were cast out of

heaven and will one day be cast into the lake of fire. But humanity is given a choice to repent

and choose salvation in the name of Jesus alone. So while these demons could clearly see who Jesus

was, he remained the enemy. And they could neither see nor respond to the work that Jesus came to do.

They could not see or respond to Jesus as the Savior. So that leaves us. That leaves those of

us who would hear this message and have a chance to respond to the gospel, to the good news that

Jesus is the Savior. Mark only gives a hint in this part of the passage by saying that Jesus told

the demons not to make him known. Why is that? Because Jesus continues to have his eyes on the

purpose and the mission. And that mission is leading him to the cross. Jesus knows that it's not until

that is accomplished, not until he breathes his last on the cross will he say it is finished.

And a day is coming when he will command his followers to go into the world and proclaim who

he is, right? That happens after Pentecost, but not until they have the full vision of both who he is

and what he came to do and have been equipped by the sending of the Holy Spirit. So that describes

us here today. In Scripture, we have the full testimony of exactly who Jesus is. He is the Son

of God, fully God and fully man. And Scripture tells us that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah,

the one who fulfills every prophecy and came to make us right with God. That he came to do

what no one else could, living perfectly as we could not, dying in our place, rising from the

grave and offering new life to all who would turn from their sin and confess him as Lord.

Aren't you grateful for the testimony of God's Word that allows us to know Jesus fully for who

he is and what he came to offer us? But here's the thing. Because we have seen, we have to respond.

So for those of you who are still trying to figure out who Jesus is and how to respond,

let me just say this. You must come to Jesus as your Savior and as the only way to God until you

see Jesus as the only way, truth and life and choose to respond by following him alone. You are

still lost. You can't come to Jesus as just a nice guy for some encouragement or a good teacher for

some wisdom or a moral man for some good moral values or the church has a place to just make

friends. Yes, Jesus does offer all of those things, but if you don't come first to him

as Lord and Savior, you are missing what you really need. It's like going to the doctor and

instead of asking for the cure, you ask for a toy from the kids toy box and then you walk back out

the door. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But wouldn't

you rather be among those who do so joyfully on that day with knees that have spent a lifetime bowing

the knee to Jesus as Savior? Wouldn't you rather be among those who rejoice on that day saying,

"Amen, come, Lord Jesus," because for those who have not chosen to repent and follow Jesus on that

day, they too will bow and confess, but instead of well done, good and faithful servant, they will

obey the Lord's command to depart from him for eternity. So if you have not yet repented and

submitted to Jesus, if you have not yet chosen to obey him and to be baptized in his name,

there is no more important response that I can call you to than this. Turn from your sin to Jesus

and proclaim him through baptism. There is nothing more important that you can do in your life.

With that being said, let me encourage those of us who have already done this with a few things.

Being a disciple of Jesus calls for a life of response to him, and it has some

implications for how we live. For the disciple of Jesus, everything we do and don't do, all of our

priorities are suddenly viewed through a new lens, and it's a lens of, "Am I submitting this to Jesus,

and if not, how do I do that?" The way that I do my job, the way I raise my kids, the way I use my

time, the commitments that I make and don't make, these are all subject now to Jesus and glorifying

him and making him known. Why? Because he is Lord, and my life now is found in him instead of in all

of these other things, because lifting Jesus above every other name and sharing the gospel

is what gives me the greatest joy now. It is the source of my greatest joy. And you know what? This

is a process. This is something that we have to continue bringing before the Lord. This is the

work of sanctification. Being made more like Jesus, but it is an essential part of being a disciple

of Jesus. Everything gets submitted to the Lordship of Jesus. Everything.

For the disciple of Jesus, we also start to see the gathered church differently, not as a place

where our desires and our needs and our preferences are being served, but as a place where we get to

serve as a part of the body of Christ. The songs that we sing, we sing for the glory of Christ,

not for our own preferences and fulfillment. We come with a purpose now to serve one another

through encouragement, through prayer, through relationship. Suddenly, I don't come to the

church gathering only because of what I get from it, but I also come to the body because of what I

bring to it as a part of it. So as we come away from this passage, I think a lot of this is

challenging. So I would invite you to invite the work of the Holy Spirit into this process,

whether you are choosing to turn to Jesus for the first time or you are choosing to turn to Jesus

again for the 20th time today to ask, "How can I submit my life to you and honor you greatly with

it?" So as we come away from this passage, I pray that the Holy Spirit is working in us,

really to do two things specifically. First, to show us who Jesus is in full as God, who is worthy

of all the honor and the praise, to show us Jesus in Scripture as he is fully portrayed for everything

that he is. And second, to move us to respond to him as Savior, receiving the salvation that he offers

and willingly laying our lives at his feet. Ecclesia is a church of house churches gathering

weekly in Councilbloss, Iowa and in homes throughout the week. We are a Bible-centered church focused

on preaching from Scripture and making disciples of Jesus. You can learn more about our statement

of faith and contact the pastor by visiting ecclesiachurches.org.