The Prediction Of God's Servant
"Death and Resurrection"
Book of Mark Chapter 10:17-52
In His teaching Jesus had left little doubt that words recorded in the Book of Genesis were the truth of the Word of God and stood above any man-made laws. Many opportunities are lost when people harden their hearts to the truth of God's Word or when they wear blinders to the commandments of God.
Jesus had told the disciples that unless a person became as a little child, that is with faith and humility, that person could not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
So how had the disciples responded to this teaching?
They had rebuked the parents of small children for bringing those children into the presence of the Lord, so it seems they did not yet understand that we all must come to Jesus as children.
And again Jesus had said: "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not"
God will never go against His Own Word!
We now find Our Lord continuing His journey to the cross and just as He gets started a "rich young ruler" comes to the Lord desiring knowledge of salvation.
Let's begin:
*****Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
There is one thing that needs to be pointed out:
Joh 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
Joh 2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
"Deception" has no covering before the Lord!
Jesus stopped to listen to this one who came running to Him.
What was he seeking of the Lord, or what was his claim?
He asked: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life"!
Those words "Good Master" show us that this young man thought of the Lord Jesus only as a "Good Teacher".
Luke wrote that this young man was already a ruler of the Jewish people. He probably had inherited this position along with his riches. He would not have been a ruler in the synagogue.
This young man had realized one certain thing in his early years? There is life beyond the days we live in this physical body!
But he had not realized that eternal life is not a possession or a property that can be bought!
Eternal life is an inheritance given as a gift, not earned! (Eph 2:8-9)
The soul is eternal! Eternal life is with God! Eternal damnation is without God!
The secret to human perfection, while we are still living, is absolute dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for all things especially "eternal life"!
*****Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
What is being "good"?
To be good, is to be complete, having physical qualities adapted to good use, morally correct in the eyes of God, and being "real" not a deceiver.
Jesus "did not say" He, Himself was not good!
Jesus "did say" that there was only One who is good and that is God!
At one time, before Lucifer's failure and before the fall of man, all God's creation was good, in fact "very good".
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was "very good". And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
But when sin entered into our world that left the only "good thing" to be God!
But to each believer, whatever sin we inherited from Adam, God looks on us now, "not" as we were in Adam but now as we are in The Lord Jesus Christ!
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Jesus had not been to the cross, so to the Jew were given the commandments to judge their own goodness!
There are those that say these commandments do not apply to us today but what do they do with this verse?
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
It is those same 10 commandments that still teach us about goodness!
We have only two options in this world!
1) We can live a lifestyle of ungodliness and worldly lust.
2) Or, We can live soberly, self-controlled, watchful-cautious, righteously, and godly.
To live godly is to obey the first 4 of those 10 commandments!
To live righteously is to do right by our fellow man by the last 6 of those 10 commandments!
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Titus, who was a Gentile he had led to the Lord and was a preacher and minister to the New Testament church in Crete.
The 10 commandments are still our "measuring stick" for living right in this world!
They will never become outdated!
*****Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
As I have said, the moral law is found principally in the 10 Commandments!
The 10 Commandments are listed in two categories:
1) Man's relationship with God, the first 4 commandments.
2.) Man's relationship with man, the last 6 commandments.
The moral laws begin with "I AM THE LORD"!
So the standard or the measurement for the moral laws must be based on the "character" of God!
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our "schoolmaster" to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that "faith" is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Jesus mentioned only the last 6 commandments to this young ruler.
How did he respond?
*****Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Here again this young man said the word "Master". He should have realized that he was speaking to the divine Son of God!
This would be his downfall.
What are the greatest of commandments?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 "This is the first and great commandment".
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
So what had this young man lacked?
*****Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
We should first notice here that even those that are not ready to give up their old life and their old man, are still loved by the Lord Jesus Christ!
But, Jesus already knew where his fault laid!
What is the one thing that every lost soul lacks?
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of "the Lord" shall be saved.
If we do not have "faith" that the Lord is who He says He is, then we cannot be saved under any circumstances!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How can we be disciples of the Lord?
Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
What is a disciple?
Those that accept the "Gospel of The Lord Jesus" as the truth, are the only ones who can be His disciples!
The Apostle Paul said:
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
What was the one thing this young man lacked?
We must love God above all things!
The world continues to stumble over these words of Christ Jesus:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
What is the main problem with the youth today?
Just as this rich young ruler, "our youth are caught up in an overwhelming affection for the things of this world"!
Riches are their idol!
Their hearts are set on the things they see in this world!
They trust in things they can see!
God's number one rule says "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"!
So, what is "taking up our own cross"?
The cross is an instrument of death but the cross can also denote severe affliction and trials while living!
The cross was the instrument of the slave's death in the time of Jesus and not many rich and powerful men have ever been crucified!
To bare our own cross in this world is to carry the curse of man-made laws!
BUT, when we pickup our own cross and follow the Lord Jesus, He will transform that curse into a blessing!
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
So, what was the response of this young man?
*****Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
The love of accumulation is a principle embedded in our nature by this world we live in.
This young man had already acknowledged his belief in life after death. So the only true investment we can make while we yet live, is an investment in eternity!
Everything done for the Glory of God is like something planted in another world!
It is a deposit that will appear again in our future!
No matter how much we accumulate in this world it can only last one life time!
So too, any affliction that comes from bearing our own cross and following Jesus cannot last more than our lifetime!
These things are only for a moment when compared to eternity!
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
This young man did not have his heart in the right place!
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Lord Jesus used this real life story to teach the chosen 12 disciples.
*****Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
We should clearly understand that Jesus was stressing the "impossibility" of receiving eternal life, while still holding onto personal reservations or conditions of any kind.
There are some that believe that Jesus was referring to a small entrance gate known as the "needle's eye" but this does not seem to be true.
1) No matter how outwardly righteous a person may be, he can only come to Jesus Christ bringing nothing of his own!
We may not even be asked to give up all our possessions, and most are not, but we all must at least willing to do so.
Until we are saved, "we are the living dead" because of our sin!
True life only exist in Christ Jesus!
2) Jesus had said that a camel could no more easily go through the eye of a sewing needle, than a rich man trusting in his own riches, enter the kingdom of God.
Both these things are impossible!
Those that are "willing" to give up all things in this life are then "poor" and Jesus says:
Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God".
The disciples were astonished at these words Jesus was teaching.
*****Mar 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mar 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
It is a fact that those that are preoccupied by the world will not make room for God!
It is also a fact that those that look to this world for their answers are in the greatest danger of losing their souls!
Salvation must be desirable!
Salvation is then the deliverance from condemnation and the placing of us in God's Kingdom!
AND, Unbelief is the cause of rejecting God's terms of salvation!
While we are lost we are astonished at how easy our merciful God has made salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once we are saved, we wonder how we were ever seen worthy enough to receive God's "Grace"!
Man by himself cannot overcome these difficulties of salvation, it is impossible!
But Praise the Lord, Salvation was never to be intended as man's work, but God's work!
And Jesus said, "it is finished"!
Where do most fail to come to know the Lord?
1) They see the Word of God as mysterious.
2) They see the sacrifices of salvation to be too painful.
3) They see the obedience to the Word of God as unnatural.
4) They only see duties to be performed and not blessings that are received.
5) They see what the world thinks of God's people and they fear for their lives.
They do not see the strength that is in Jesus!
But God says those that endure to the end shall be saved!
And God adds:
Jer 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
When think we can save ourselves, we will never understand what is to be lost!
But, Peter began to understand.
*****Mar 10:28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
Peter had never been a rich man but he had left his only means to become rich in this world behind and followed the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact he had left all things behind for he had no means to provide for his own family. We never hear that this family did without!
Matthew added these words:
Mat 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; "what shall we have therefore"?
And the Lord Jesus answered.
*****Mar 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mar 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
What is our sacrifice, if asked?
To give up the whole world and all it's goods and if possible to give those things to the poor.
What is our action?
To follow the Lord Jesus Christ, He being the example for our new life!
What is our reward?
Following the Lord Jesus Christ would bring joy in this present life which is an hundred times better than all those things that are mentioned.
But there would also be persecutions in this new life.
But there is a "better world" coming to those that believe and follow the Lord and in it we will live forever with much greater joy!
Matthew added some other things:
Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
What is the regeneration?
The word "regeneration" only appears twice in the New Testament.
1) When referring to the prophecy of renewed the world in the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah, when the Lord Jesus will sit as King. Here in our verse.
2) When referring to the rebirth of a redeemed person.
Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Regeneration is separate from conversion. Conversion must take place first before there can be regeneration.
At the Second Coming of Christ Jesus and by the end of "Jacob's trouble", Israel will have accepted the Lord Jesus as the true Messiah.
This will be the time that brings with it, the fulfillment of the Palestinian Covenant.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
It is at this time when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His Glory and those chosen 12, not including Judas, will sit on 12 thrones, judging the tribes of Israel by the completed Word of God!
The Jews, who had been the most distinguished people of God, but have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore have been rejected by Christ Jesus, until the regeneration of Israel. Therefore the first will be last.
The Gentiles, who received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, who were heathen in the eyes of the Jew, but saved by "Grace" during the Church Age, before the Great Tribulation Period and before the Millennial reign of Christ, will therefore be first. The last will become the first!
In the Book of Matthew, Jesus confirms this thought with the parables of the kingdom.
But it is also a fact that during the Church Age, many will be called but only few will be chosen.
After these things were taught, Jesus continued on His way to Jerusalem and that Cross on Calvary's Mountain.
*****Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
Why were they afraid?
Jesus Christ showed no fear and was Himself, leading this group to Jerusalem.
Isa 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Jesus had told them what would happen to Him in Jerusalem and He would tell them again.
If these things were to happen to Jesus the Messiah, then they were thinking, "what would happen to them"!
John the Baptist had been murdered.
And Jesus was to be murdered.
They were afraid of their own safety!
They did not yet trust Jesus when He had said that they would build the Church, because they did not yet understand what building the Church meant!
Jesus did not want them to be afraid and this fear did not keep them from following the Lord Jesus.
So, Jesus again, explains what will happen to Him in Jerusalem.
*****Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
What would happen to Jesus at Jerusalem?
Jesus did not leave out the ugly details.
1) Jesus had previously told His disciples what would happen to Him but now He tells them these things will take place in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
2) Jesus said He would first be delivered to the chief priests or the High Priest of the Jews. Then the scribes, the ones who hand wrote the Word of God and were the legal side of the Law.
It is these Jews that condemned Our Lord to death.
3) For the first time Jesus teaches that He would be next delivered to the Gentiles, where His sentence of death would be carried out.
4) The Gentiles would mock Him.
Psa 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psa 22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
5) The Gentiles would scourge Him.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
6) Jesus would be spat upon.
Isa 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7) Then they would kill our Lord.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
8) Then Jesus said on third day after His death, He would rise again.
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
All of them still believed that upon His rising Jesus would then sit on His throne as King and Jesus had already said that His disciples would sit upon 12 thrones to judge Israel.
They believed they would sit and judge, just as the Old Testament judges had done:
Deu 16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
So some thought maybe we can sit next to the Lord.
*****Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
Mar 10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
They just pushed aside the reason why the Lord had come to die because they did not understand that Jesus was the sacrifice, the "Lamb of God"!
James and John knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah as did they all.
BUT, the Church Age was still a mystery to all these disciples at this time:
Eph 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Matthew wrote about it this way:
Mat 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
We can see that this mother and these disciples were still looking forward to the Millennial reign of Christ which they believed would take place upon Christ's resurrection.
They were expecting the pomp and glory of an earthly king!
To sit on either side of an earthly king, would be a place of the highest honor of men and would show that they were truly His friends.
BUT, this was not the kingdom that the Lord had been teaching about at this time!
And Jesus said:
*****Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Ye know not what you ask?
We know that James was the first Apostle to be martyred!
We know that John was the last of the Apostles to die, and the only one to die of natural causes.
But they both had to drink of the same cup!
What is in the cup of the Lord?
There is the cup of joy.
There is the cup of of salvation.
There is also the cup of affliction.
BUT, The cup of the Lord is many times a bitter cup containing sin and wrath!
This cup can sometimes be deep and wide!
This cup can sometimes be torment!
And, it is this cup that is prepared for every believer!
But, no one can do the things that Christ did for us and no one can suffer the way Christ suffered for us!
So, we must drink of that cup called fellowship, with Him!
The most important ingredient in that cup is salvation:
Psa 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
For that cup to be a blessing that cup must contain the blood of Jesus!
For that cup to be a blessing that cup must contain the bread of life!
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
That cup must contain the Lord's baptism!
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
And Jesus added:
*****Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, 'Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized':
Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
To put this in context:
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. "I go to prepare a place for you".
We know that Jesus has returned to Heaven and He says He has gone to prepare a place for every believer.
There will be room for everyone that has the faith of [Hebrews 11:6] and a specific place prepared for each one that has followed the Lord.
That Heavenly place prepared for each of us in Heaven, then cannot be altered by any request we make while still living on this Earth!
If I trust the Lord for my salvation, surely I can trust that the Lord will place me where He chooses, especially in Heaven!
Why would I ever want to change what my Lord has done for me, when I know that He knows best?
What ever God has prepared for us in Heaven will be given to us when we get there!
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
James and John, just as ourselves, can only have the things in Heaven that are prepared specifically for us.
But we cannot imagine what God has prepared!
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him".
Let's just allow God to give us the things that He chooses! Amen
So Jesus must clarify some things with them all.
*****Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The Lord gave James and John an answer but we are wrong to condemn them for asking.
The world teaches us that prominent places are secured by those who strive against one another and in many cases those who put forth the greatest effort in shrewdness and artful maneuvering!
In many countries the most prominent places are taken by force!
When mankind is left to itself, and reject God, the systems they put in place will be as lords and monarchs over the people!
These things are raging in America today, as one group tries to out maneuver the other group in every way possible!
The one principle of this type of organization, is that each one will try to monopolize position and power to gain rule over the masses!
This is the thoughts of Satan!
But those that think that this principle will extend into our future world do not understand what eternal life is all about.
We will not be striving to outdo one another because this is not the mind of Christ!
A quick look at Christ reveals these things:
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
To serve the Lord Jesus Christ is to retain ambition but Jesus did not say not to seek greatness!
Jesus did say it was best to seek to be the greatest servant!
We can see that this is a reversal of the role of authority!
What is being humble?
Humble is "truly maximum power" under "complete control"!
This is the power, symbolized by a baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in the arms of His mother Mary but still in control of this cosmos He created.
Paul wrote these words:
2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
God descended from His throne, so that all those bound in sin can ascend to His throne!
This is the greatest sign of His love, not the authority He has over His created world!
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
To be a Christian, is to not seek a way to obtain something for ourselves!
God's "Grace" is a gift freely given to those that believe!
The most irresistible power in this world is unselfishness!
Self-sacrifice reaches it's greatness, when it is seen as gain!
Our leaders no longer desire to serve but only to rule and this will be all our downfall!
Jesus said, "whosoever will be chiefest of all, shall be servant of all".
And Jesus continues on to Jerusalem.
*****Mar 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
Mar 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
In the time of Joshua, Jericho was the most important city in the Jordan valley and the key to Canaan land, at least until those walls came tumbling down.
In the time of Jesus, Jericho was still an important city because it was located on the trade routes and it was celebrated for it's palm trees.
Bartimaeus was a blind beggar who sat on this well traveled road in hope of an alms.
An alms in most cases was money but could also be food or clothing or other things of value.
Today we would say charity.
["Son of David"], Why was Jesus called the 'Son of David"?
Isaiah was a great prophet of Israel for more than 60 years and the Church is also indebted to this prophet.
Even Isaiah was a "type of Christ":
Isa 20:2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Here we see a "type" as Isaiah walked 3 years barefooted in his own ministry.
But Isaiah was also inspired by the Holy Ghost to write for us many things.
Among these things we find this passage:
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
This entire chapter of Isaiah, tells us of the Hebrew Messiah.
The Messiah, The Christ, was to be born out of the house of David, the beloved king of Israel.
Even blind Bartimaeus clearly realized that Jesus was the Messiah, a son of David!
Because there was another scripture:
Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
The name Nazareth meant "sprout" or "shoot" and in Isaiah we read that the Messiah would be a "stem".
As David sprang from the humble family of Jesse, so the Messiah was to rise from humble beginnings.
Jesus was not recognized as coming from the stately house of David, but only "an insignificant spout" from the "roots" of Jesse and a "despised" Nazarene.
Bartimaeus knew something else.
*****Mar 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Mar 10:49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
Mar 10:50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
Bartimaeus was not ashamed to call on the Lord Jesus Christ and showed great "faith" that Jesus was who He said He was.
Those that rebuked Bartimaeus had not accepted that Jesus was the Messiah!
We should ask ourselves, How do we get the attention of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus!
Bartimaeus was persistent, refusing to be silenced and this is when Jesus stood still!
Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him.
Bartimaeus threw away everything that hindered his walk to the Lord, and went to Jesus!
This is a picture of what it takes for anyone seeking the Lord Jesus Christ!
Bartimaeus was blind, poor, a beggar, and he was lost until He heard about Jesus!
And Jesus asked:
*****Mar 10:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
What would you like for Me to do for you?
In order to commune with Christ Jesus we must draw near to Him!
We cannot follow the Lord from afar off!
When we walk near to the Lord we will find that God's "Grace" is always larger than our desires!
It is very possible that Christ will provide according to our asking!
Jesus Christ always knows what we want and He also already knows what He will do!
It is these very things that should make us realize that every prayer is important and pointless prayers may go unanswered.
Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted!
But, Jesus Christ knew exactly what Bartimaeus needed!
*****Mar 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
When we look upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the author of our faith, we will also find that He is the finisher of our faith!
What was the response of Bartimaeus?
He immediately received his sight and became a follower of Jesus.
This is the response that every lost soul that sees Jesus Christ as the Savior needs to have!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
BUT, this is the truth that is rejected by the world we live in!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
"Death and Resurrection"
Book of Mark Chapter 10:17-52
In His teaching Jesus had left little doubt that words recorded in the Book of Genesis were the truth of the Word of God and stood above any man-made laws. Many opportunities are lost when people harden their hearts to the truth of God's Word or when they wear blinders to the commandments of God.
Jesus had told the disciples that unless a person became as a little child, that is with faith and humility, that person could not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
So how had the disciples responded to this teaching?
They had rebuked the parents of small children for bringing those children into the presence of the Lord, so it seems they did not yet understand that we all must come to Jesus as children.
And again Jesus had said: "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not"
God will never go against His Own Word!
We now find Our Lord continuing His journey to the cross and just as He gets started a "rich young ruler" comes to the Lord desiring knowledge of salvation.
Let's begin:
*****Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
There is one thing that needs to be pointed out:
Joh 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
Joh 2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
"Deception" has no covering before the Lord!
Jesus stopped to listen to this one who came running to Him.
What was he seeking of the Lord, or what was his claim?
He asked: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life"!
Those words "Good Master" show us that this young man thought of the Lord Jesus only as a "Good Teacher".
Luke wrote that this young man was already a ruler of the Jewish people. He probably had inherited this position along with his riches. He would not have been a ruler in the synagogue.
This young man had realized one certain thing in his early years? There is life beyond the days we live in this physical body!
But he had not realized that eternal life is not a possession or a property that can be bought!
Eternal life is an inheritance given as a gift, not earned! (Eph 2:8-9)
The soul is eternal! Eternal life is with God! Eternal damnation is without God!
The secret to human perfection, while we are still living, is absolute dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for all things especially "eternal life"!
*****Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
What is being "good"?
To be good, is to be complete, having physical qualities adapted to good use, morally correct in the eyes of God, and being "real" not a deceiver.
Jesus "did not say" He, Himself was not good!
Jesus "did say" that there was only One who is good and that is God!
At one time, before Lucifer's failure and before the fall of man, all God's creation was good, in fact "very good".
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was "very good". And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
But when sin entered into our world that left the only "good thing" to be God!
But to each believer, whatever sin we inherited from Adam, God looks on us now, "not" as we were in Adam but now as we are in The Lord Jesus Christ!
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Jesus had not been to the cross, so to the Jew were given the commandments to judge their own goodness!
There are those that say these commandments do not apply to us today but what do they do with this verse?
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
It is those same 10 commandments that still teach us about goodness!
We have only two options in this world!
1) We can live a lifestyle of ungodliness and worldly lust.
2) Or, We can live soberly, self-controlled, watchful-cautious, righteously, and godly.
To live godly is to obey the first 4 of those 10 commandments!
To live righteously is to do right by our fellow man by the last 6 of those 10 commandments!
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Titus, who was a Gentile he had led to the Lord and was a preacher and minister to the New Testament church in Crete.
The 10 commandments are still our "measuring stick" for living right in this world!
They will never become outdated!
*****Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
As I have said, the moral law is found principally in the 10 Commandments!
The 10 Commandments are listed in two categories:
1) Man's relationship with God, the first 4 commandments.
2.) Man's relationship with man, the last 6 commandments.
The moral laws begin with "I AM THE LORD"!
So the standard or the measurement for the moral laws must be based on the "character" of God!
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our "schoolmaster" to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that "faith" is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Jesus mentioned only the last 6 commandments to this young ruler.
How did he respond?
*****Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Here again this young man said the word "Master". He should have realized that he was speaking to the divine Son of God!
This would be his downfall.
What are the greatest of commandments?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 "This is the first and great commandment".
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
So what had this young man lacked?
*****Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
We should first notice here that even those that are not ready to give up their old life and their old man, are still loved by the Lord Jesus Christ!
But, Jesus already knew where his fault laid!
What is the one thing that every lost soul lacks?
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of "the Lord" shall be saved.
If we do not have "faith" that the Lord is who He says He is, then we cannot be saved under any circumstances!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How can we be disciples of the Lord?
Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
What is a disciple?
Those that accept the "Gospel of The Lord Jesus" as the truth, are the only ones who can be His disciples!
The Apostle Paul said:
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
What was the one thing this young man lacked?
We must love God above all things!
The world continues to stumble over these words of Christ Jesus:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
What is the main problem with the youth today?
Just as this rich young ruler, "our youth are caught up in an overwhelming affection for the things of this world"!
Riches are their idol!
Their hearts are set on the things they see in this world!
They trust in things they can see!
God's number one rule says "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"!
So, what is "taking up our own cross"?
The cross is an instrument of death but the cross can also denote severe affliction and trials while living!
The cross was the instrument of the slave's death in the time of Jesus and not many rich and powerful men have ever been crucified!
To bare our own cross in this world is to carry the curse of man-made laws!
BUT, when we pickup our own cross and follow the Lord Jesus, He will transform that curse into a blessing!
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
So, what was the response of this young man?
*****Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
The love of accumulation is a principle embedded in our nature by this world we live in.
This young man had already acknowledged his belief in life after death. So the only true investment we can make while we yet live, is an investment in eternity!
Everything done for the Glory of God is like something planted in another world!
It is a deposit that will appear again in our future!
No matter how much we accumulate in this world it can only last one life time!
So too, any affliction that comes from bearing our own cross and following Jesus cannot last more than our lifetime!
These things are only for a moment when compared to eternity!
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
This young man did not have his heart in the right place!
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Lord Jesus used this real life story to teach the chosen 12 disciples.
*****Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
We should clearly understand that Jesus was stressing the "impossibility" of receiving eternal life, while still holding onto personal reservations or conditions of any kind.
There are some that believe that Jesus was referring to a small entrance gate known as the "needle's eye" but this does not seem to be true.
1) No matter how outwardly righteous a person may be, he can only come to Jesus Christ bringing nothing of his own!
We may not even be asked to give up all our possessions, and most are not, but we all must at least willing to do so.
Until we are saved, "we are the living dead" because of our sin!
True life only exist in Christ Jesus!
2) Jesus had said that a camel could no more easily go through the eye of a sewing needle, than a rich man trusting in his own riches, enter the kingdom of God.
Both these things are impossible!
Those that are "willing" to give up all things in this life are then "poor" and Jesus says:
Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God".
The disciples were astonished at these words Jesus was teaching.
*****Mar 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mar 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
It is a fact that those that are preoccupied by the world will not make room for God!
It is also a fact that those that look to this world for their answers are in the greatest danger of losing their souls!
Salvation must be desirable!
Salvation is then the deliverance from condemnation and the placing of us in God's Kingdom!
AND, Unbelief is the cause of rejecting God's terms of salvation!
While we are lost we are astonished at how easy our merciful God has made salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once we are saved, we wonder how we were ever seen worthy enough to receive God's "Grace"!
Man by himself cannot overcome these difficulties of salvation, it is impossible!
But Praise the Lord, Salvation was never to be intended as man's work, but God's work!
And Jesus said, "it is finished"!
Where do most fail to come to know the Lord?
1) They see the Word of God as mysterious.
2) They see the sacrifices of salvation to be too painful.
3) They see the obedience to the Word of God as unnatural.
4) They only see duties to be performed and not blessings that are received.
5) They see what the world thinks of God's people and they fear for their lives.
They do not see the strength that is in Jesus!
But God says those that endure to the end shall be saved!
And God adds:
Jer 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
When think we can save ourselves, we will never understand what is to be lost!
But, Peter began to understand.
*****Mar 10:28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
Peter had never been a rich man but he had left his only means to become rich in this world behind and followed the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact he had left all things behind for he had no means to provide for his own family. We never hear that this family did without!
Matthew added these words:
Mat 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; "what shall we have therefore"?
And the Lord Jesus answered.
*****Mar 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mar 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
What is our sacrifice, if asked?
To give up the whole world and all it's goods and if possible to give those things to the poor.
What is our action?
To follow the Lord Jesus Christ, He being the example for our new life!
What is our reward?
Following the Lord Jesus Christ would bring joy in this present life which is an hundred times better than all those things that are mentioned.
But there would also be persecutions in this new life.
But there is a "better world" coming to those that believe and follow the Lord and in it we will live forever with much greater joy!
Matthew added some other things:
Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
What is the regeneration?
The word "regeneration" only appears twice in the New Testament.
1) When referring to the prophecy of renewed the world in the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah, when the Lord Jesus will sit as King. Here in our verse.
2) When referring to the rebirth of a redeemed person.
Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Regeneration is separate from conversion. Conversion must take place first before there can be regeneration.
At the Second Coming of Christ Jesus and by the end of "Jacob's trouble", Israel will have accepted the Lord Jesus as the true Messiah.
This will be the time that brings with it, the fulfillment of the Palestinian Covenant.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
It is at this time when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His Glory and those chosen 12, not including Judas, will sit on 12 thrones, judging the tribes of Israel by the completed Word of God!
The Jews, who had been the most distinguished people of God, but have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore have been rejected by Christ Jesus, until the regeneration of Israel. Therefore the first will be last.
The Gentiles, who received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, who were heathen in the eyes of the Jew, but saved by "Grace" during the Church Age, before the Great Tribulation Period and before the Millennial reign of Christ, will therefore be first. The last will become the first!
In the Book of Matthew, Jesus confirms this thought with the parables of the kingdom.
But it is also a fact that during the Church Age, many will be called but only few will be chosen.
After these things were taught, Jesus continued on His way to Jerusalem and that Cross on Calvary's Mountain.
*****Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
Why were they afraid?
Jesus Christ showed no fear and was Himself, leading this group to Jerusalem.
Isa 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Jesus had told them what would happen to Him in Jerusalem and He would tell them again.
If these things were to happen to Jesus the Messiah, then they were thinking, "what would happen to them"!
John the Baptist had been murdered.
And Jesus was to be murdered.
They were afraid of their own safety!
They did not yet trust Jesus when He had said that they would build the Church, because they did not yet understand what building the Church meant!
Jesus did not want them to be afraid and this fear did not keep them from following the Lord Jesus.
So, Jesus again, explains what will happen to Him in Jerusalem.
*****Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
What would happen to Jesus at Jerusalem?
Jesus did not leave out the ugly details.
1) Jesus had previously told His disciples what would happen to Him but now He tells them these things will take place in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
2) Jesus said He would first be delivered to the chief priests or the High Priest of the Jews. Then the scribes, the ones who hand wrote the Word of God and were the legal side of the Law.
It is these Jews that condemned Our Lord to death.
3) For the first time Jesus teaches that He would be next delivered to the Gentiles, where His sentence of death would be carried out.
4) The Gentiles would mock Him.
Psa 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psa 22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
5) The Gentiles would scourge Him.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
6) Jesus would be spat upon.
Isa 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7) Then they would kill our Lord.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
8) Then Jesus said on third day after His death, He would rise again.
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
All of them still believed that upon His rising Jesus would then sit on His throne as King and Jesus had already said that His disciples would sit upon 12 thrones to judge Israel.
They believed they would sit and judge, just as the Old Testament judges had done:
Deu 16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
So some thought maybe we can sit next to the Lord.
*****Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
Mar 10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
They just pushed aside the reason why the Lord had come to die because they did not understand that Jesus was the sacrifice, the "Lamb of God"!
James and John knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah as did they all.
BUT, the Church Age was still a mystery to all these disciples at this time:
Eph 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Matthew wrote about it this way:
Mat 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
We can see that this mother and these disciples were still looking forward to the Millennial reign of Christ which they believed would take place upon Christ's resurrection.
They were expecting the pomp and glory of an earthly king!
To sit on either side of an earthly king, would be a place of the highest honor of men and would show that they were truly His friends.
BUT, this was not the kingdom that the Lord had been teaching about at this time!
And Jesus said:
*****Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Ye know not what you ask?
We know that James was the first Apostle to be martyred!
We know that John was the last of the Apostles to die, and the only one to die of natural causes.
But they both had to drink of the same cup!
What is in the cup of the Lord?
There is the cup of joy.
There is the cup of of salvation.
There is also the cup of affliction.
BUT, The cup of the Lord is many times a bitter cup containing sin and wrath!
This cup can sometimes be deep and wide!
This cup can sometimes be torment!
And, it is this cup that is prepared for every believer!
But, no one can do the things that Christ did for us and no one can suffer the way Christ suffered for us!
So, we must drink of that cup called fellowship, with Him!
The most important ingredient in that cup is salvation:
Psa 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
For that cup to be a blessing that cup must contain the blood of Jesus!
For that cup to be a blessing that cup must contain the bread of life!
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
That cup must contain the Lord's baptism!
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
And Jesus added:
*****Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, 'Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized':
Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
To put this in context:
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. "I go to prepare a place for you".
We know that Jesus has returned to Heaven and He says He has gone to prepare a place for every believer.
There will be room for everyone that has the faith of [Hebrews 11:6] and a specific place prepared for each one that has followed the Lord.
That Heavenly place prepared for each of us in Heaven, then cannot be altered by any request we make while still living on this Earth!
If I trust the Lord for my salvation, surely I can trust that the Lord will place me where He chooses, especially in Heaven!
Why would I ever want to change what my Lord has done for me, when I know that He knows best?
What ever God has prepared for us in Heaven will be given to us when we get there!
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
James and John, just as ourselves, can only have the things in Heaven that are prepared specifically for us.
But we cannot imagine what God has prepared!
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him".
Let's just allow God to give us the things that He chooses! Amen
So Jesus must clarify some things with them all.
*****Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The Lord gave James and John an answer but we are wrong to condemn them for asking.
The world teaches us that prominent places are secured by those who strive against one another and in many cases those who put forth the greatest effort in shrewdness and artful maneuvering!
In many countries the most prominent places are taken by force!
When mankind is left to itself, and reject God, the systems they put in place will be as lords and monarchs over the people!
These things are raging in America today, as one group tries to out maneuver the other group in every way possible!
The one principle of this type of organization, is that each one will try to monopolize position and power to gain rule over the masses!
This is the thoughts of Satan!
But those that think that this principle will extend into our future world do not understand what eternal life is all about.
We will not be striving to outdo one another because this is not the mind of Christ!
A quick look at Christ reveals these things:
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
To serve the Lord Jesus Christ is to retain ambition but Jesus did not say not to seek greatness!
Jesus did say it was best to seek to be the greatest servant!
We can see that this is a reversal of the role of authority!
What is being humble?
Humble is "truly maximum power" under "complete control"!
This is the power, symbolized by a baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in the arms of His mother Mary but still in control of this cosmos He created.
Paul wrote these words:
2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
God descended from His throne, so that all those bound in sin can ascend to His throne!
This is the greatest sign of His love, not the authority He has over His created world!
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
To be a Christian, is to not seek a way to obtain something for ourselves!
God's "Grace" is a gift freely given to those that believe!
The most irresistible power in this world is unselfishness!
Self-sacrifice reaches it's greatness, when it is seen as gain!
Our leaders no longer desire to serve but only to rule and this will be all our downfall!
Jesus said, "whosoever will be chiefest of all, shall be servant of all".
And Jesus continues on to Jerusalem.
*****Mar 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
Mar 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
In the time of Joshua, Jericho was the most important city in the Jordan valley and the key to Canaan land, at least until those walls came tumbling down.
In the time of Jesus, Jericho was still an important city because it was located on the trade routes and it was celebrated for it's palm trees.
Bartimaeus was a blind beggar who sat on this well traveled road in hope of an alms.
An alms in most cases was money but could also be food or clothing or other things of value.
Today we would say charity.
["Son of David"], Why was Jesus called the 'Son of David"?
Isaiah was a great prophet of Israel for more than 60 years and the Church is also indebted to this prophet.
Even Isaiah was a "type of Christ":
Isa 20:2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Here we see a "type" as Isaiah walked 3 years barefooted in his own ministry.
But Isaiah was also inspired by the Holy Ghost to write for us many things.
Among these things we find this passage:
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
This entire chapter of Isaiah, tells us of the Hebrew Messiah.
The Messiah, The Christ, was to be born out of the house of David, the beloved king of Israel.
Even blind Bartimaeus clearly realized that Jesus was the Messiah, a son of David!
Because there was another scripture:
Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
The name Nazareth meant "sprout" or "shoot" and in Isaiah we read that the Messiah would be a "stem".
As David sprang from the humble family of Jesse, so the Messiah was to rise from humble beginnings.
Jesus was not recognized as coming from the stately house of David, but only "an insignificant spout" from the "roots" of Jesse and a "despised" Nazarene.
Bartimaeus knew something else.
*****Mar 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Mar 10:49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
Mar 10:50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
Bartimaeus was not ashamed to call on the Lord Jesus Christ and showed great "faith" that Jesus was who He said He was.
Those that rebuked Bartimaeus had not accepted that Jesus was the Messiah!
We should ask ourselves, How do we get the attention of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus!
Bartimaeus was persistent, refusing to be silenced and this is when Jesus stood still!
Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him.
Bartimaeus threw away everything that hindered his walk to the Lord, and went to Jesus!
This is a picture of what it takes for anyone seeking the Lord Jesus Christ!
Bartimaeus was blind, poor, a beggar, and he was lost until He heard about Jesus!
And Jesus asked:
*****Mar 10:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
What would you like for Me to do for you?
In order to commune with Christ Jesus we must draw near to Him!
We cannot follow the Lord from afar off!
When we walk near to the Lord we will find that God's "Grace" is always larger than our desires!
It is very possible that Christ will provide according to our asking!
Jesus Christ always knows what we want and He also already knows what He will do!
It is these very things that should make us realize that every prayer is important and pointless prayers may go unanswered.
Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted!
But, Jesus Christ knew exactly what Bartimaeus needed!
*****Mar 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
When we look upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the author of our faith, we will also find that He is the finisher of our faith!
What was the response of Bartimaeus?
He immediately received his sight and became a follower of Jesus.
This is the response that every lost soul that sees Jesus Christ as the Savior needs to have!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
BUT, this is the truth that is rejected by the world we live in!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
