The Mission of Jesus

It's Mark's Gospel. As we continue in our studies, Mark's Gospel, chapter 1, from verse 40 through to verse...

Sorry, let me start that again. Mark, chapter 1, verse 40, to chapter 2, verse 17, and it's on page 1002.

Mark 1:40

So I'm reading from Mark 1, 40 to 7.

A man with leprosy. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees,

If you are willing, you can make me clean. Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.

I am willing, he said. Be clean. Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning.

See that you don't tell this to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.

Instead, he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news.

As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed outside in lonely places.

Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.

So many gathered there, many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.

Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus.

And after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,

Son, your sins are forgiven.

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,

Why does this fellow talk like that?

He's blaspheming.

Who can forgive sins but God alone?

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts.

And he said to them,

Why are you thinking these things?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,

Your sins are forgiven?

Or to say, Get up, take your mat and walk?

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

He said to the paralytic,

I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.

He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.

This amazed everyone.

And they praised God, saying,

We have never seen anything like this.

Once again, Jesus went out beside the lake.

A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.

As he walked along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's booth.

Follow me, Jesus told him.

And Levi got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house,

many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples,

for there were many who followed him.

When the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees,

saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors,

they asked his disciples,

Why did Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners?

On hearing this, Jesus said to them,

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Thank you guys very much for reading.

Please keep your Bibles open there.

And if you happen to get up very early to watch Ireland,

you might want a pen in hand and a piece of paper.

It will keep you concentrating and awake,

if you're missing some vital sleep.

Well, I don't know how you could sleep

listening to these stories we've just read.

They are amazing.

Let's ask God for his help as we seek to look at them together.

Let's pray.

Our Father, we thank you again for your word.

We thank you for this Gospel of Mark recorded for us,

told by Peter, written down by Mark,

that we can read today in our language,

study it together.

And our purpose for doing this, Father,

is so that we would know Jesus better,

that we would become more like him,

that we would be changed and transformed

as we encounter him in these very stories itself.

May your Holy Spirit be upon us all,

giving us strength physically,

helping us to concentrate,

and giving us spirits to take in

what you are saying to us.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, in the text that we've just had read to us,

Mark is introducing us to three people,

all who have been completely changed.

By a simple encounter with Jesus Christ,

their lives have been radically transformed.

Each one seems to be in a hopeless and helpless situation,

but each one comes determined and dependent,

and on meeting Jesus,

they are renewed and restored.

Now, that shouldn't surprise us,

because that is the very mission of Jesus.

His mission was to come into this world

to change and transform lives.

Now, that's really important for us,

because I don't think there's anybody here

who would say,

there's nothing in my life that I don't want to change.

We all want things to change in our lives.

Perhaps we want to change our circumstances,

maybe a new job.

Maybe we'll want to live somewhere different.

Maybe we're wanting to change our character.

Maybe we feel a little bit kind of introverted,

and we want to be more confident,

and being able to speak to people,

and that people would accept us.

Maybe we want to change our physical looks,

drop a waist size,

build up a bicep or something,

so that people will say,

they're nice.

Maybe we want to change our status.

We want a new partner.

There's something that we would all like to change.

But the problem with all of those examples

that I've given is,

they're all external.

It all has to do with how we see ourselves,

and how other people perceive us.

And the people that Jesus meets here,

they all seem to be concerned with external things.

But as Jesus shows us,

real change starts with the internal things.

In fact,

Jesus deals with our perceived need,

the external,

to demonstrate his desire,

to deal with our real need,

the internal.

I'll read that again.

That's key to our understanding of this section.

Jesus deals with our perceived need,

the external,

to demonstrate his desire,

to deal with our real need,

the internal.

Look at verse 17.

On hearing this,

Jesus said to them,

it is not the healthy who need a doctor,

but the sick.

I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners.

He's interested with heart issues.

So let's meet those who encounter Jesus,

and let's see how we too can be people who can change.

The first person that we meet is,

look at verse 40,

a man with leprosy.

Now if you had leprosy,

it destroyed your life.

It affected you physically,

with sores and infections,

resulting in the loss of limbs,

and eyesight,

and eventual death.

Second, it would have affected you socially.

Nobody associated with you for fear of catching the disease.

You were left on your own.

And third, it would affect you religiously.

Anybody with a skin disease like this

was not allowed anywhere near the temple

where people went to worship God.

You were barred.

And the way of describing all of this

was in one word,

unclean.

In Leviticus chapter 13,

Leviticus 13 · chapter mention

this is just a reference for you,

Leviticus 13 verse 45,

Leviticus 13:45

this is what the law said

about those who had leprosy.

The person with such an infectious disease

must wear torn clothes,

let his hair be unkempt,

cover the lower part of his face,

and cry out,

unclean, unclean.

As long as he has the infection,

he remains unclean.

He must live alone.

He must live outside the camp.

So this man with leprosy,

we're not even given his name,

perhaps to say just how much an outsider he was,

is somebody who is in desperate need of change.

So it's not surprising,

look at verse 40,

that he comes to Jesus,

falls down on his knees,

and begs Jesus,

if you are willing,

you can make me clean.

You see,

to heal his leprosy

would make him clean.

It would end his physical,

social,

and religious problems

all at once.

And look at Jesus' response.

Verse 41,

filled with compassion,

Jesus reached out his hand

and touched the man.

I am willing,

he said.

Be clean.

Immediately,

the leprosy left him,

and he was cured.

Incredible.

But let's not miss the point here.

Jesus deals with the perceived need,

the external,

to demonstrate his desire

to deal with our real need,

the internal.

Let's see how he encounters this man.

First,

look at what he does.

Verse 41,

look at how Jesus responded.

Jesus reached out his hand

and he touched the man.

Rather than run away,

remember,

he was somebody

if there were crowds around,

would be shouting,

unclean,

unclean,

and everybody would scarper.

But not Jesus.

He doesn't run away.

He actually reaches out

towards the man

who does keep his distance

by bending down on his knees.

But Jesus crosses that barrier

and he touches the man.

Now touching him

made Jesus one with him.

with one touch,

what the man was,

Jesus became.

You see,

this touching

was an act of identifying

with the man.

The man is unclean.

And so Jesus now,

in the act of touching,

he himself becomes unclean.

But he does it deliberately.

It's Jesus is saying to him,

I am willing to be treated

as you are treated.

I am willing to be shut out,

to be pushed out,

to be left outside,

so that you can be made clean,

so that you can be welcomed,

brought in,

and accepted.

In a way,

through this touching

and identifying,

Jesus is trading places

with this man.

Look at what happens

in verse 45.

Jesus had told him

to go off to the temple.

He ignores that.

Verse 45,

he said,

instead he went out

and began to talk freely,

spreading the news,

mixing with all the people.

As a result,

Jesus could no longer

enter a town openly,

but stayed outside

in the lonely places.

Do we see what's happening?

Jesus,

who was clean,

and on the inside,

walking freely with the people,

has been made unclean

and pushed outside.

The unclean leper,

who was on the outside,

has now been made clean,

and he's walking freely

amongst the people,

accepted.

What's Jesus doing here?

Well, yes,

he does heal this man.

Externally,

all those things

are dealt with,

but I think Jesus

is teaching us

something through this.

This encounter

is a picture

of what Jesus sees

as our real need.

for Jesus knew

that he came

to go to the cross.

And we can picture

Christ on the cross now

with his arms nailed,

spread out.

And with arms spread out,

he is seeking

to reach out,

to cross the barriers,

coming from heaven to earth,

to cross over,

to touch the world.

And through the cross,

what is he doing

but identifying with us?

Jesus comes

to take our uncleanness,

not just the external,

but something greater

and bigger,

the uncleanness

of our sin,

our rebellion.

And he is shut out

from God

for us.

He is pushed outside

to the extremes,

to hell itself

for us.

so that you and I

could be forgiven,

so that we could be

made clean,

so that we could be

welcomed in.

He is trading places

with us.

He is changing us

on the inside

so that we can be

accepted by the Father.

And Jesus transforms us

as he did this man.

He transforms us

so that we can have

a new life externally.

look at how this man's

life is changed,

verse 45.

He went out

and began to talk

freely,

spreading the news.

And that's the work

that he does.

He changes us

in the inside

and he gives us

a new picture,

a new vision

of what life

is all about.

A life where we

can talk freely.

A life where we

can begin to share

and live out

the message of

Jesus Christ.

That's what this

new life is all about.

This man was

radically changed

and radically

transformed.

The second person

that we meet

is a man who

can't walk.

Look at chapter 2,

verse 1.

A few days later

when Jesus again

entered Capernaum,

the people heard

that he had come

home.

So many gathered

that there was

no room left,

not even outside

the door,

and he preached

the word to them.

Some men came

bringing to him

a paralytic,

carried by four

of them.

Now obviously

these guys had

heard about

Jesus,

the healer.

The last time

he was in Capernaum,

back in chapter 1,

verse 32,

Jesus had healed

all the people

who were there,

all those who

had come to him.

Now this poor man,

obviously he's been

left out,

he missed out

on the big healing

thing,

and so he's

determined to

get to Jesus.

Verse 4.

So since they

couldn't get him

to Jesus because

of the crowds,

they made an

opening in the

roof above Jesus

and after digging

through it,

lowered the mat

the paralysed man

was lying on.

Now imagine

the scene,

put yourself there.

This crowded house,

they can't get in

from either way,

either from the

back door,

the front door,

or wherever.

So they go out

round the side,

up the steps,

and onto the

flat roof.

And flat roofs

were just made

of dirt and

all sorts of

things.

And then with

implements,

I don't know,

bit of stick in

their hands,

they start digging

and digging,

and they break

through.

And the crowds

below,

and they look up

and there's dust

and dirt falling

in their eyes,

and then this

man is literally

lowered down,

forcing the

crowd back

as he plunks

himself right

in front of

Jesus,

determined

to get

healing.

Now what Jesus

does is rather

surprising.

Jesus deals

with his

perceived need,

the external,

to prove his

authority to deal

with our real

need,

the internal.

Excuse me.

Jesus deals

with the

perceived need,

the external,

to prove his

authority to deal

with our real

need,

the internal.

Have a look

here again at

how he interacts.

Now I know

we know the

story,

but what would

we expect

Jesus to do

next,

when somebody

falls down

in front of

them who

can't walk?

Well from

our reading

so far in

Mark,

we expect

that he's

going to

tell the

man,

get up

and walk.

That's what

we would

expect him

to do,

but look

what he

says,

verse 5.

When

Jesus saw

their faith,

he said

to the

paralytic,

son,

your sins

are forgiven.

Now this

man and

his friends,

they've all

gotten together,

they've shown

great faith.

They're going

to go to

any lengths

to get to

Jesus,

even if that

means knocking

down the

roof.

They're

determined,

they're

dependent on

getting to

him.

And that's

what Jesus

sees.

That's

primarily what

he's seeing.

He sees

genuine faith.

faith.

Because faith

isn't just

knowing about

Jesus,

knowing that

he can do

all of these

things,

but an

act of

trust that

he alone

can meet

our deepest

need.

And Jesus

sees this

kind of

faith in

this man.

And he

sees this

kind of

faith that

is required

to bring

about an

internal

healing.

And because

he sees

that faith,

he responds

differently and

he says,

your sins

are forgiven.

Now I'm

quite sure

the man

would have

been blown

away by

what Jesus

said.

Quite

shocked.

What's

going on

here?

What do

you mean

my sins

are forgiven?

The paralytic

never came

to Jesus

because he

believed he

needed his

sins forgiven.

He came

because he

wanted his

paralysis

healed.

And it

shows us

that while

we're

concerned with

external

things,

Jesus is

primarily

concerned with

the internal.

After all,

this has

been his

message,

chapter 1,

verse 15.

The time

has come,

he said.

The kingdom

of God

is near.

Repent

and believe

the good

news,

the good

news that

we can

confess we

can be

forgiven and

welcomed into

his kingdom.

freedom.

And so

Jesus,

seeing this

real faith,

genuine

faith,

is willing

to forgive

the man

his sins.

Now,

what Jesus

has just

done and

said has

upset the

religious leaders.

Verse 6.

Some of the

teachers of the

law were

sitting there

thinking to

themselves,

why does

this fellow

talk like

that?

He's

blaspheming.

Who can

forgive sins

but God

alone?

Well, of course,

they were right,

weren't they?

The forgiveness

of sins is the

exclusive right of

God.

No one else has

that right to

forgive sins.

And here's this

man claiming to

forgive sins.

Verse 8.

Immediately,

Jesus knew in

his spirit that

this is what

they were

thinking in

their hearts.

And he

said to

them,

why are you

thinking these

things?

You see,

he not only

sees the

need of

the paralytic,

but he

sees the

true condition

of everybody

else's heart.

He sees

your heart.

He sees my

heart right

now.

He knows

what we're

thinking,

what's going

on.

And knowing

what they're

thinking,

Jesus sets

out to

prove that

he can

forgive.

Verse 9.

So he

says,

which is

easier to

say to

the

paralytic?

Your sins

are forgiven

or get

up and take

your mat

and walk?

Well,

again,

the answer

is simple.

It's much

easier to

say your

sins are

forgiven because

it can't be

proven wrong.

I could say

to any of

you,

I can say

to curse,

curse,

your sins

are forgiven.

You've a lot

of them.

Your sins

are forgiven.

You don't

know.

You don't

know if

they're

forgiven.

You can't

prove it.

On the

other hand,

it's much

more difficult

to say,

get up and

take your

mat and

walk.

Because if

I say

that,

or take

my daughter,

for example,

she can't

hear.

Say,

you're healed.

You can

hear.

you'd

have to

prove it,

wouldn't

you?

So,

Jesus

proves he

can forgive

sins by

providing

evidence.

Verse 10,

so he

says,

but that

you may

know that

the Son

of Man,

and that's

a title of

great authority,

that the

Son of Man

has authority

on earth

with you

to forgive

sins,

he said to

the paralytic,

I tell you,

get up,

take your

mat and

go home.

And he

got up and

he took

his mat and

he walked

out in

full view

of them

all.

Amazing.

And again,

Jesus is

teaching us

through this,

of what he

sees as our

real need.

He isn't

just somebody

who comes

to heal

the external

as great

and as

wonderful

as it

is,

but he

comes to

heal the

internal.

We were

looking at

this very

passage with

some of

the crusader

groups on

Friday night

and I

said to

them,

if you're

lame,

if you

can't walk,

does that

get you

into heaven?

Does that

get you

to be part

of the

kingdom?

No,

it doesn't.

If you're

made well,

does that

get you

into the

kingdom?

No.

But if

you're

forgiven,

does that

get you

into the

kingdom?

It does.

You can

have your

sins forgiven

and be

lame and

be in

the

kingdom.

You see,

he sees,

he shows

us that

he has

the ability

to forgive

sins.

He proves

he has

the authority

to forgive

sins because

this is

most important.

And in

offering

forgiveness,

he is

looking for

the active

faith,

the faith

that he

could see

that people

were determined

and dependent,

trusting that

Jesus alone

can meet

our deepest

need.

the third

person that

we meet

is a

corrupt,

greedy

taxman.

Look at

verse 13.

Once again,

Jesus went

out beside

the lake.

A large

crowd came

to him

and he

began to

teach them.

As he

walked along,

he saw

Levi,

son of

Alphaeus,

sitting at

the tax

collector's

booth.

Now,

tax collectors

are thought

of in the

same way

I would

imagine as

developers and

bankers are

in our

country.

They're not

the most

popular,

despised,

hated.

They're to

blame for

everything.

And Levi's

job was to

collect tax

from his

own people

and from

any of the

traders who

were coming

into the

town.

He would

collect all

of this tax

and then it

would be

handed over

to the

Romans,

the occupying

enemy.

He was

working for

the other

side.

And the

way Levi

was paid

was by

charging a

bit extra

and putting

it into

his pocket.

Not a

nice character.

A historian

by the name

of Philo

writing in

40 AD,

this is what

he said about

tax collectors.

When they

came,

they were

poor men.

But they

amassed much

wealth in

various forms

by defrauding

and embezzling

the people.

They weren't

nice characters.

They were

banned from

the synagogue.

They weren't

allowed in with

the others.

They were a

cause of

disgrace to

the family.

Nobody wanted

a tax collector

as their

friend.

That's the

kind of

person we're

dealing with

here.

And once

again, we

see how

Jesus deals

with this

man.

It's so

surprising.

It's

scandalous.

It's

shocking.

But before

we see how

Jesus interacts

with them,

we want to

introduce some

other people

and their

key to this

story.

They've been

mingling in

the crowd

back in

verse 6.

The teachers

of the law.

The Pharisees.

We see

them in

verse 16.

The teachers

of the law

who were

Pharisees saw

him eating

with the

sinners and

tax collectors.

So they're

following.

They're amongst

the crowd.

They're observing

what's going

on.

And because

of their

very careful

study of

God's law,

because of

the way they

dressed, the

way they

conducted

themselves in

society,

they disapproved

of all those

other people.

They thought

of themselves

as deserving

and righteous,

after all,

they read

their Bibles

and they

encouraged

people to

read their

Bibles and

they told

people where

they weren't

living up to

the Bible.

They were

loved by God

and accepted

by God.

And it was

people like

that that

deserved the

attention.

Externally,

they've got it

all so right

and together.

together.

Now those

are the

people that

we've got.

And Jesus

wants to

teach us

something through

this.

Jesus responds

with grace

to those who

see their

real needs,

the internal,

while he

refuses grace

to those who

rely on their

good efforts,

the external.

Did you get

that?

He responds

with grace to

those who see

their real need,

the internal,

while he

refuses grace

to those who

rely on their

good efforts,

the external.

Again, let's

look at how

he interacts.

Verse 14.

As he walked

along, he saw

Levi, son of

Alphaeus, sitting

at the tax

collector's booth.

Follow me,

Jesus told him.

And Levi got

up and

followed him.

It's shocking.

We've got to

get our minds

around it.

He is

undeserving.

He is

unrighteous.

He is a

greedy and

defrauding

tax man.

And what

does Jesus

do?

He says,

come on

Levi, follow

me.

An outsider

who worked

for the

enemy, hated

by society,

is called

to follow

God's

king.

There's

nothing in

his life

that deserves

such a

call.

But that's

what grace

is.

Grace is

scandalous.

grace takes

the initiative.

It doesn't

wait for

people to

come to

him.

He took

the initiative.

Christ did

by coming

into this

world, by

approaching

people and

going to

people.

He makes

the moves

and he

calls a

rebellious

person like

Levi and

says, come

and follow

me.

what happens

next is

even more

scandalous.

Verse 15.

Jesus is

having dinner

at Levi's

house and

many tax

collectors and

sinners were

eating with

him and

his disciples,

for there

were many

who followed

him.

the sinners

were the

people who

not only

disobeyed

the law,

well they

just lived

completely

outside the

law.

They had

nothing to

do with

it.

They wanted

nothing to

do with

it.

They were

murderers,

violent

people,

thieves,

prostitutes,

drug dealers,

abusers.

They were all

there gathered

together,

wheeling and

dealing with

each other.

They hung

out with

each other.

And where's

Jesus?

Jesus,

do you see

where he is?

Sat right

down in the

middle of

them,

eating dinner

with them.

Not because

he was forced

to, but

because he

wants to.

Willingly,

he's sitting

down amongst

them.

Now,

eating with

such people

was a sign

of solidarity.

It wasn't a

case of endorsing

their behaviour

and saying,

ah, it's

alright what

you do,

it doesn't

matter.

But it

was a sign

of his

solidarity

with alienated

and needy

people.

You see,

Jesus' act

of calling

Levi,

the very act

of going

into his

house and

sitting down

and having

food with

all of his

friends,

is sending

a signal to

all the rest

of the people,

to all the

other sinners,

people like

you and me,

that they

too,

you too,

are called

to follow

Christ.

I've

come for

you.

Well,

of course,

such an

act didn't

go unnoticed,

did it,

by these

ever-watching

Pharisees

sitting on

the outside.

I bet

they were

hungry,

but they

couldn't

bring

themselves

to eat

with such

people.

Verse

16,

when the

teachers

of the

law,

who were

Pharisees,

saw him

eating with

the sinners

and the

tax collectors,

they asked

his disciples,

why does

he eat

with tax

collectors and

sinners?

don't we

think that

the external

is what

really counts?

Good

behaviour,

separation

from bad

people,

standing back

from all

those terrible

lifestyles,

sitting and

reading your

own Bible,

meditating on

the Lord,

singing worship

songs,

isn't that what

it's about?

But for

Jesus,

what counts

is the

internal.

Look at

verse 17,

on hearing

this,

Jesus said

to them,

it is not

the healthy

who need a

doctor,

but the

sick.

I have

not come

to call

the righteous,

but sinners.

The sick

are welcome,

the sinners,

the disobedient,

the rebellious.

They are

the ones

who are

welcome to

join in

and to

follow Jesus.

They're the

ones who

are accepted.

He's saying

and sending

out a clear

message,

that I have

not come

for those

who think

they are

deserving

and righteous,

but I've

come for

those who

are undeserving

and unrighteous.

Just as a

doctor would

never turn

away a sick

person,

so Jesus

is never

going to

turn away

a sinner,

no matter

how rebellious,

no matter

what they

do,

how often

they do

it,

it doesn't

matter.

Because Jesus

responds with

grace to

those who

see their

internal need

while he

refuses grace

to those who

rely on their

external efforts

and think that

they are above

everybody else

and so different.

There is no

grace there.

One writer

put it like

this,

ironically,

he says,

in one

sense,

great sinners

stand

closer to

God

than those

who think

themselves

righteous,

for sinners

are more

aware of

their need

of God's

transforming

grace.

If you're

aware of

your internal

need,

you are

closer to

God

than if you

think,

I am

better and

superior.

three people

who encounter

Jesus and

their lives

are changed,

transformed

radically,

and it

shows us

not only

how we

can change,

but it

shows us

how we

can bring

change to

the world.

Because the

world is

fixated on

the external,

all the

outside

things,

how I

see myself,

how others

perceive me,

that's what's

important.

Jesus says,

no,

it's what I

see,

that's what's

important.

I don't have

time to go

through all

of it,

but let me

just say

this,

as we go

into this

week,

let's be

Christ

where we

go.

Let's be

reaching

out,

reach across

the barriers,

touching.

accepting,

eating,

welcoming,

and let's

point people

as we point

ourselves and

one another

continually to

our amazing

Saviour,

who with

compassion

identifies with

us.

With

authority,

he will

forgive all

our sins,

and with

grace,

calls us

to follow

him and

be part of

what he is

doing.

This is

the Christ

that came

into the

world,

and this

is the

Christ we

are to

bring into

the world,

and we've

got to

live it.

Let's pray

together.

we are

just amazed

at Christ

who comes

to us

in grace,

in

compassion,

reaching

across,

reaching into

our lives,

wherever we

are,

whatever we've

done,

to change

us and

transform

us.

Father,

help us

to know

afresh the

wonder of

your

forgiveness,

but help

us to go

now like

Christ into

the world.

Help us to

do what

Jesus did,

to reach

across those

barriers,

to touch,

to identify,

to sit

and eat,

to be

amongst the

world,

to be with

people,

to point

them towards

Christ,

that we

are all

in need

of grace,

we are all

in need

of forgiveness,

and it's

only Christ

who can

change us

on the

inside,

and give

us a

brighter

future.

So please

help us,

we pray,

in Jesus'

name,

Amen.