Jesus versus Religion

to Mark chapter 2 verse 18. Mark chapter 2 verse 18 and we're going to read to chapter 3 verse 6

Mark 2:18 Mark 2:18

and it's on page 1004 if you're using a church bible and there's pens in a box if you want to

take notes. Peter has the pens so feel free to go and get one there and Kirsty is going to come and

read. It's on page 1004 Mark chapter 2 verse 18 to chapter 3 verse 6.

Mark 2:18

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus how is it that

John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting but yours are not? Jesus answered how

can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot so long as they have him

with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them and on that day they will

fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment otherwise the new piece will pull away

from the old making the tear worse and no one pours new wine into old wine skins otherwise the wine will

burst the skins and both the wine and the wine skins will be ruined. No they pour new wine into new wine

skins. One Sabbath Jesus was going through the cornfields and as his disciples walked along they

began to pick some ears of corn. The Pharisees said to him look why are they doing what is unlawful on

the Sabbath? He answered have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and

in need. In the days of Abiathar the high priest he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated

bread which is lawful only for priests to eat and he also gave some to his companions. Then he said to

them the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath so the son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand was there.

Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus so they watched him closely to see if he

would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand stand up in front of

everyone. Then Jesus asked them which is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil to save life

or to kill but they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their

stubborn hearts said to the man stretch out your hand. He stretched it out and his hand was completely

restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Okay let's pray and ask for God's help as we get stuck into this passage together. Let's

pray. Father again we thank you for this gospel of Mark. We thank you for this record about the life

of Jesus Christ God's son who came into the world for us.

We pray that we would better understand the Jesus who is written about.

That we would better understand the Jesus who interacts with people.

That we may know who you are.

What you have come to do.

That we would understand what it is to follow you.

And to orientate our lives around you.

So please speak to us

afresh today.

Please change us

and transform us.

Make us more like Christ

as we study him

and look at him.

We ask for your Holy Spirit

in all that we do.

Because without his power

we have nothing.

So be gracious to us

and help us.

We ask this in Jesus name.

Amen.

So there are seven candidates.

Who are you going to be voting for

as the next president of Ireland?

Well if you haven't made up your mind

like myself

you can be sure that the media

are going to be watching their every move.

Cameras and notebooks

will be at the ready.

What do they stand for?

What are they against?

Their lives are going to be

under careful observation

as they meet and greet.

And our role

is to watch

and to listen

and to make an informed choice.

Now in Mark's gospel

Jesus

has come onto the scene

claiming to be God's king.

If you like

the president

of the entire universe.

And as Jesus

goes walk about

people are watching him closely.

Particularly

the religious leaders.

They are analysing

his every move.

Who he's with.

What he says.

What he's doing.

It's like the paparazzi

are on his tail.

Cameras are clicking

at every opportunity.

And as we follow

Jesus

the presidential candidate

as he moves

amongst the people

we actually get

a clearer picture

of who Jesus is.

And surprisingly

we discover

that Jesus

is not

into

religion.

In fact

it seems

he goes out

of his way

to confront

religious people

and to cause

controversy

with the church.

So as we watch

and listen

to Jesus

we see that he is

anti-religion

and pro-himself.

We have to watch

and listen

and make an informed

choice

about this person.

So what does

Jesus offer

that religion

can't?

Well first off

Jesus offers

a feast

whereas religion

offers

a fast.

The media

are on his trail

watching his

every move

and as always

they are ready

with a question.

Look at verse 18.

Now John's

disciples

that's John the Baptist

his disciples

and the Pharisees

were fasting.

So some people

came and asked

Jesus

how is it

that John's

disciples

and the

disciples

of the Pharisees

are fasting

but yours are not?

What's your policy

on fasting

Jesus?

Well fasting

was seen

as a way

of getting

God's attention

and showing

the seriousness

of your commitment.

In fact

for the Jewish

person

it was a way

of actually

bringing in

the kingdom

of God.

It was a form

of manipulation.

It was kind

of like

well if we do

this for God

if we fast

and we show

how serious

we are with God

then God

is going to do

something in turn

for us.

It was an attempt

to force God

to intervene

and to send

his restoring

and redeeming

king.

Now the problem

is Jesus

isn't fasting

like everybody

else

which leads

us to two

conclusions.

Either Jesus

isn't into

this religious

thing and he's

not taking

religion very

seriously at

all

or

there is no

need to fast

because the

king has

already come.

Well quite

clearly it's

the latter.

Jesus is not

fasting, he's

not participating

in the religious

stuff because

the kingdom of

God is already

active and

present among

them in the

person of

Jesus.

If only they

had taken

time to

examine and

to see what

he was doing

because Jesus

had come into

the world and

he had come to

restore the

broken world as

he went around

healing the

sick and

casting out

demons.

And he came

to redeem

mankind as

he went

reaching out

to the

margins of

society,

reaching out

to those

who are on

the outside,

bringing grace

and offering

forgiveness of

sins.

So in

effect he's

saying to

the crowds

you're not

waiting for

the president

to be elected,

he's actually

already here,

it's me.

Rather than

a time to

fast, he's

saying it's

actually a

time to

feast.

There should

be a party

atmosphere

about us.

In fact he

says it's

just like a

wedding,

verse 19.

Jesus said

how can the

guests of

the bridegroom

fast while

he is with

them?

They cannot

so long as

they have

them with

them.

Now in

those days

weddings lasted

a whole

week.

We think

the Irish

are very

good at

weddings,

kind of

go from

three o'clock

until what?

Three in the

morning or

something like

that.

These guys

did it for

the whole

week.

A continuous

supply of

food and

wine as

the people

came out

into the

streets and

singing and

dancing.

The whole

week was a

week of

celebration.

And Jesus

is saying

because I

am here

with you,

the wedding

has begun.

I am the

bridegroom and

you are the

invited guest.

The king is

here, the

kingdom is on

display and

you're welcome

to join in.

So let's

enjoy the

feast.

And Jesus

is laying down

a challenge to

those who are

religious.

To live our

lives trying to

get God's

attention by

our religious

acts or

trying to

force God to

intervene by

our special

prayers is

actually to

turn your

back on

Jesus.

To come

here this

morning thinking

that, well,

I've read my

Bible this

week and I'm

here at

church today,

is somehow

going to turn

God's favour

around to

look on you

with goodness,

is actually to

turn your

back on

Jesus.

It's like

going to a

wedding to

fast rather

than to

feast.

He says,

I'm already

here.

The feast

is to

begin.

I'm already

looking upon

you in

favour because

I've come.

However,

Jesus reminds

us that the

time is

coming when

he would

actually have

to leave

the feast.

He would

have to

leave the

wedding,

verse 20.

The time

will come

when the

bridegroom

will be

taken away

from them

and on

that day

they will

fast.

Being

taken away

is a

reference to

the coming

death of

Jesus and

it's getting

closer all

the time.

The king

will die

and then the

people will

fast,

particularly,

or maybe I

should only

say only the

women who

are around

the cross

that we

read about

at the end.

They were

the ones

mourning for

Jesus.

They were

fasting.

But it's

all part of

his big

plan.

As Jesus

goes to the

cross,

he will die

for us,

making it

possible for

us to

enjoy the

ultimate

feast,

the greater

feast,

the eternal

feast in

God's

kingdom.

So Jesus

offers a

feast.

Religion

offers a

fast.

Second,

Jesus offers

something

completely

new,

whereas

religion

offers

something

old.

Listen to

how Jesus

speaks to

the crowd.

He's got

the attention

at this

stage.

Verse 21.

No one

sews a

patch of

untrunk

cloth on

an old

garment.

Now I

suppose this

is a little

bit foreign

to us

because we

just go

out and

buy new

clothes,

don't we?

We don't

tend to

patch up,

but if

you get

an untrunk

or a

new piece

of cloth

and you

put it

to an

old piece

of jeans

or something,

when it's

washed,

it shrinks

and the

old cloth

will pull

away.

That's the

idea.

He says

if he does,

the new

piece will

pull away

from the

old,

making the

tear worse.

And no

one pours

new wine

into old

wineskins.

Again,

as they

made wine,

over a

process of

time,

the wine

would ferment

and it

would expand.

And if the

wineskins aren't

right,

they're going

to burst.

He says

if he does,

the wine

will burst

the skins

and both

the wine

and the

wineskins

will be

ruined.

No,

he pours

new wine

into new

wineskins.

Now,

Jesus here

is making

a comparison

between

himself

and the

way of

religion.

He's saying

just as you

can't attach

a new

patch onto

an old

garment,

so you

can't attach

Jesus to

religion.

And just

as you

can't put

new wine

into old

wineskins,

so you

can't add

Jesus onto

religion.

We talk

about this

a la carte

religion where

you kind of

pick a

little bit

of this

and a

little bit

of that

and you

like this

but you

don't like

that and

you kind

of form

your own

thing.

Well,

you can't

mix Jesus

and religion.

Trying to

put Jesus

and religion

together is

like trying

to mix

water and

oil.

You can

put them

in a jar,

shake it

up around

the place,

but it

separates.

Jesus is

utterly and

completely

different.

He's not

a continuation

of the

old system.

He is

coming to

offer something

else entirely.

All religion

does is

offer you

the old

way and

the old

way is

just full

of rules

which breaks

you and

destroys you

and it's

all about

your performance

and trying

to get

God's

attention.

Jesus

says,

no, I've

come to

offer a

new way.

I have

come to

restore you

and to

redeem you

and it's

all based

on his

performance

for us.

God's

love.

So the

challenge for

us is,

are we

going to

put aside

our old

way of

thinking,

to put

aside our

traditions,

to put

aside our

religious

acts and

embrace this

new radical

way of

Jesus who's

come to

offer something

completely

new?

One writer

put it like

this and I

think it's

very helpful.

He says,

in relation

to pouring

new wine

into new

wine skins,

he says,

will we

become new

vessels for

the expanding

fermentation of

Jesus and

the gospel in

our lives?

It's like

we're to

empty ourselves

completely of

all the old

stuff and

get rid of

it so we're

completely

empty so

that we can

be filled

completely with

the new

Jesus, the

gospel that

it would

expand and

flow into

every vessel

of our

lives.

So we

offer something

new.

And third,

Jesus offers

rest, whereas

religion just

offers rules.

Now the

campaign trail

is hotting

up and

there's a

bit of a

media frenzy

as they

follow Jesus,

verse 23.

One

Sabbath, Jesus

was going

through the

cornfields and

as his

disciples walked

along, they

began to

pick some

ears of

corn.

And the

Pharisee said

to him,

look, why

are they

doing what

is unlawful

on the

Sabbath?

Sabbath was

all about a

time of

rest.

And the

Pharisees who

are watching

with their

high-powered

zoom lenses

following Jesus

wherever he's

going, they've

picked up on

something and

they've come up

with a question.

They're the

religious police

and their

job is to

make sure

that every

single person

rested on

the Sabbath

and did

no work.

But to

enforce this

time of

resting, it

actually created

a whole series

of rules.

Altogether, they

had 39

restrictions that

they built on

to the law of

no work on

the Sabbath.

They added

39 other

little rules

onto it.

things like

you couldn't

walk further

than one

kilometer on

the Sabbath.

That was

work.

You couldn't

tie a knot.

That was

work.

You couldn't

write more

than one

letter.

That was

considered

work.

Basically, you

were not

allowed to do

anything that

was not

essential to

live.

You could

breathe.

That was

okay.

But that

was about

it.

You could

eat food, but

you weren't

allowed to

pick food.

food.

So the

emphasis had

moved terribly

from instead

of time of

rest to a

time of

rules.

But for the

religious people,

there was a

theological

reason for

making sure

that everybody

rested.

They believed

that if all

the people of

Israel, if

they could

keep the

law for

two Sabbaths,

if everybody

could do it

together for

two Sabbaths,

then they were

going to be

redeemed.

God was

going to

come, he

was going

to sort

out everything

and things

would be

put right

again.

So in

their eyes,

Jesus arrives

on the

scene with

his disciples.

And they're

not only

ignoring the

rules, they're

actually an

obstacle to

God's

redemption.

Jesus is a

barrier.

He's actually

stopping God's

work from

happening.

Jesus has an

answer for

them, as

always, verse

25.

Have you

never read

what David

did when

he and his

companions were

hungry and

in need?

Well, they all

knew David, he

was the greatest

king that had

ever lived.

In the days of

Abiathar, the

high priest, and

he certainly knew

what the law

was, David

entered the

house of God

and he ate the

consecrated bread,

which is lawful

only for priests

to eat.

and David also

gave some to

his companions.

Now, if you go

back to that

story, you

discover it all

happened on the

Sabbath.

So, at one

level, Jesus is

saying, look,

guys, remember

how there was an

exemption for

David and he

could eat food

and he could do

something that was

kind of considered

unlawful.

Well, don't you

think you could

make an exception

for other people

too?

But there's

actually more to

it than that.

Jesus is going

deeper.

God had promised

to his people

that a new king

was going to

come from

David's line.

This is what the

prophet Jeremiah

says, Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23:5

23 verse 5.

This is what God

was looking forward

to.

He says, the days

are coming,

declares the Lord,

when I will raise

up to David a

righteous branch.

So, there's a new

king going to

come.

A king who will

reign wisely and

do what is right

in the land.

In his days, Judah

will be saved and

Israel will live in

safety.

So, that was a

great expectation.

They were all

looking forward for

a new David, a

better king, the

ultimate king who

was going to come

and save and

rescue Israel so

they could live in

safety.

And now Jesus

arrives on the

scene just walking

through the

cornfields and he

begins to do

things that

David did.

Jesus is saying,

I am doing what

David did because

I am that

promised king that

you're waiting for.

So, Jesus' message

is crystal clear to

these religious

people.

He's saying, you

don't have to keep

rules to win

God's favour.

You don't have to

be making up rules

to be earning

salvation.

Redemption is now

here.

It's me.

I am the long

awaited promised

king.

Verse 27, then he

said to them, the

Sabbath was made

for man, not man

for the Sabbath.

And so, the son of

man is Lord even of

the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was to be

a day of rest and

renewal, not a day of

impossible rule

keeping.

And the way to

experience this rest,

he was saying, was to

come to Jesus.

I am the king who

has come to save you

and redeem you.

I have come to break

that old legalistic

way of living, to be

rid of it forever.

And my way is a way

of rest.

Rather than striving

for redemption, you

simply receive

redemption.

Jesus has secured

salvation for us so

that we don't have to

obey rules to

achieve it.

And we don't have to

think of keeping rules

to maintain it.

He's done it all for

us.

He lived the perfect

life.

He kept all the rules

for us perfectly.

And he paid the

penalty for all the

times we've broken

the rules.

In effect, Jesus is

saying, you celebrate

the Sabbath.

I am the ultimate

Sabbath.

I am where you

find true rest.

And it's only in

coming to me that

you will receive

salvation and

redemption.

So with great skill

and wit, Jesus is

exposing the emptiness

of religious behavior.

But he doesn't stop

there.

He's not satisfied

with what he's done.

Jesus confronts

religion head-on,

forcing us to

choose between

Jesus or

religion.

Look at verse 1 of

chapter 3.

Another time he

went into the

synagogue and a

man with a

shriveled hand

was there.

Again, he would

have been somebody

who would have been

considered on the

outside, marginalized,

not of any interest

to anybody.

And some of them

were looking for a

reason to accuse

Jesus.

So they watched him

closely to see if he

would heal him on

the Sabbath.

And Jesus said to

the man with the

shriveled hand,

stand up in front of

everyone.

You could imagine,

couldn't you?

Everybody's gathered

for church.

And all of a sudden

it stops.

What has been quiet

whispering in the

pews is now made

crystal clear to

everyone.

Jesus has been

watching them taking

notes in the

shadows and now he

forces it all out

into the open.

It's like the battle

lines are being drawn

between the religious

leaders on one side

and Jesus on the

other.

And in the middle

stands this poor man

with a shriveled hand.

He'd only come to

church and now he's

the centre of

attention.

What's Jesus going to

do?

Well it's not just

what is Jesus going

to do, it's what

would we do.

Because we have to

choose.

Verse 4.

Jesus asked them,

which is lawful on

the Sabbath?

To do good or to do

evil?

To save life or to

kill?

You see the law

required that there

should be no healing

done on the Sabbath.

But what is the

right response?

Well the right

response of course

is to do good.

To save life.

No matter what

religion says.

You see Jesus

always moves in

compassion to the

needs of those who

are weak, who are

poor and who are

vulnerable.

Religion on the

other hand is all

concerned about being

theologically correct.

holding to

denominational lines

and obeying house

rules.

That's what religion

is.

And the way we know

if we are on the

side of religion

or if we are on the

side of Jesus

boils down to our

response to the

weakest and the

most defenceless

in society.

That's crucial, we

get that.

That's how we know

whether we are a

religious person or

whether we are a

Jesus person.

It all boils down to

our response to the

weakest and most

defenceless in society.

Look at religion.

To the needs of the

weak and the

vulnerable, religion

is always silent.

Verse 4.

Let's read verse 4

again.

Jesus asked them,

which is lawful on the

Sabbath?

To do good or to do

evil, to save life

or to kill.

But they remain

silent.

Religion is too

busy pointing out

where others fail

and mess up.

Rather than see

needs, they see

sinners who have

rebelled against God

and therefore, well,

they deserve their

lot in life.

Are we religious?

Well, let me ask us

all this question.

What is our heart

response to a

young girl who

happens to get

pregnant and ends

up living on her

own?

Or walking down

McCurtain Street

or Patrick Street

in Cork and you

see an alcoholic

sitting down in

his mess?

Or somebody who

you know who's

gone into debt

because they've

misused their

money in the

good times?

What's your

response?

What's your

heart's response

to those things?

Do you see

somebody in

need?

Or do you

just see

failures who

are to be

ignored?

The only hope

religion offers in

cases like that

is more rules.

Do better.

Try harder.

Don't be like

this.

Be like that.

You shouldn't

have done that.

You should do

this.

It offers no

forgiveness,

no grace,

and no

mercy.

Religion is

always silent

to the needs

of the weak

and the

vulnerable.

Compare that

to Jesus.

To the needs

of the poor

and the

defenseless,

Jesus is

compassionate.

Look at

verse 5.

He looked

around at

them in

anger,

making eye

contact with

all of the

religious

people as

they sit

in their

church.

He looked

around at

them in

anger and

deeply

distressed at

their stubborn

hearts.

And he said

to the man,

stretch out

your hand.

And he

stretched it

out and his

hand was

completely

restored.

You see,

followers of

Jesus do not

sit in

condemnation or

in accusation

of others.

Rather than

seeing faults

and failures,

they see

people who

need the

love of

Christ and

the welcome

of a

saviour.

Do you

claim, do

I claim to

be on the

side of

Jesus?

Well, let's

ask another

question.

What is our

heart response

to those of

other nationalities

who we claim

are taking

the Irish

people's

jobs?

What's our

heart response

to those who

live off social

welfare and

benefits while

we do all the

hard work?

What do we

think of those

who have

addiction and

use up vital

resources?

Do you look

at those people

and you see

people like that

and think,

they're the

cause of all

the problems?

or do we

see people

who are our

primary concern

needing our

support and

help?

The hope of

Jesus is one

of restoration

and renewal.

One where

forgiveness is

offered for the

repentant,

there is grace

for the broken,

there is mercy

to all who

ask,

and there is a

welcome for

all who will

come.

So as Jesus

goes out on

his campaign

trail, he's

putting it up

to us all.

Those who are

on the side

of religion

cannot be on

the side of

Jesus.

And those who

claim to be on

the side of

Jesus can't be

on the side of

religion.

They don't go

together.

They're two

different lives

entirely.

In fact,

surprisingly,

the religious

are the first

to oppose

Jesus,

verse 6.

The religious

people,

the church

people,

the one who

read their

Bibles,

verse 6.

Then the

Pharisees went

out and began

to plot with

the Herodians

how they might

kill Jesus.

Jesus.

You see,

Jesus has been

saying it very

clearly to the

religious.

He says,

you are way

off the mark.

Your traditions

of rules and

codes have no

value.

Your religious

acts and rituals

are never going

to save you

or free you.

And that's what

makes them so

angry because

their life is all

centred around

their own

performance.

And Jesus

says it's

never going

to work.

And they want

to kill him

and get rid

of him.

But to those

who embrace

Jesus,

Jesus gives

us a new

way entirely.

A completely

new way.

He gives us

a new heart.

And into our

heart he gives

us a rule

of love.

And he gives

us a law

of compassion.

And that is

what is the

true mark

of a church

that is on

the side

of Jesus.

And that is

what we want

for this church

and for us

individually

and together.

That here we

are known as

a church that

welcomes

sinners.

That we

welcome each

other because

we all mess

up.

And our

performance is

never good

enough.

And we give

grace to the

broken and

those who are

finding it

difficult.

And we reach

across to the

outsider.

But we

will always

confront the

religious because

there is no

room for

religious people

in here.

If we are

going to go

the way of

Jesus,

then we must

be prepared for

the response

that Jesus

got.

They wanted

to kill

Jesus and get

rid of Jesus.

Jesus.

And religious

people won't

want anything

to do with

grace.

They won't

want anything

to do with

those who

welcome others.

We must be

prepared.

But let us

think clearly,

which side are

we on?

The side of the

religious or

the side of

Jesus?

He confronts

us head on

to make that

choice.

us.

Let's pray

together.

just going to

read something

from Isaiah.

Let's just

reflect on

this.

Let's

just reflect

on this.

Is not

this the

kind of

fasting I

have chosen

to loose

the chains

of injustice

and untie

the cords

of the

yoke

to set

the oppressed

free

and break

every yoke?

Is this

not the

kind of

fasting I

have chosen?

Is it

not to

share your

food with

the hungry,

to provide

the poor

wanderer

with shelter,

when you

see the

naked to

clothe him

and not

to turn

away from

your own

flesh and

blood?

If you

do away

with the

yoke of

oppression,

with the

pointing finger

and malicious

talk,

and if you

spend yourselves

on behalf

of the

hungry and

satisfy the

needs of

the oppressed,

then your

light will

rise in

the darkness

and your

night will

become like

the noonday.

Father,

we

firstly

confess

for the

times where

we go

the religious

route

and we

think it's

about our

performance

and about

our little

rituals

and we

ignore those

who are

most in

need.

Father,

please forgive

us.

Please help

us to go

the way of

Jesus,

to embrace

him,

to go a

completely new

and different

way,

the way of

Christ.

Christ,

and I

pray that

you would

enable us

to live

a life

whereby we

are shining

the light

in the

darkness,

reaching out

to the

weak,

the poor

and the

vulnerable,

welcoming

in

and offering

grace.

May we

follow the

way of

Jesus and

may we

get rid

of every

hint

of

religion

that is

in our

lives.

We ask

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.

The final

song that

we have

this morning,

it's a

new song

for some

of us.

Others,

I think,

will know

it.

But it

talks about

the compassion

of Jesus

this morning,

the

name

God

who

does

you

do