Soil Sort (Mark 4:1-20)

In 2020, the US was locked down. Travel was banned, parks were chained up, beaches cleared, and schools emptied. So what did Americans do? Gardening. Nationally, we already held the number 3 spot of home-gardening countries, but more than 20 million new gardeners sprung up during the pandemic, bringing the total number of American households planting stuff above 50%.^[1]

The uptick in this wholesome hobby had one problem: Seed shortages. Retailers saw a 200% increase in demand during the pandemic years.^[2] One supplier had to totally shut down their website more than once to try to slow the orders coming in. Multi-year stockpiles of staple veggies like broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes were wiped out.

That’s not the end of our seed concerns. A 2023 report shows that we have too small a supply of native seed for the recovery and conservation projects needed after fires, droughts, and floods.

Broccoli and forrest seeds are important, but not nearly as important as the seed discussed in Mark 4. In this chapter, Mark shares four of Jesus’ parables with us. Three of them deal with seed. Not seed that grows a tomato or two, but bears a harvest of life-changing fruit season after season.

Mark 4:1-2 – ¹ Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. ² He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,

Mark usually focuses on Jesus’ actions and interactions. But this chapter is one of the places where Mark takes the time to tell us some of the content of Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus often used parables. He didn’t invent them. We find some in the Old Testament.^[3] Other rabbis used them, too. But Christ used them “to a degree unmatched before His time or since.”^[4]

A parable is a vivid illustration of God’s truth. The Sunday-school definition is an “earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” I like Ray Stedman’s definition: A vocal cartoon.^[5] Something meant to catch our attention and communicate a point and make us imagine and consider an essential truth.

But parables are not just moral stories. They’re not God’s version of Aesop’s Fables. They aren’t simply helpful proverbs packaged in an interesting way. Parables reveal truth about God, about His Kingdom, about His Way, and about humanity on a level that no worldly teaching can.

Mark 4:3-9 – ³ “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” ⁹ Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Jesus will give us the interpretation in the following verses, so I’m not going to do that here. Instead, as we allow these images to sink in, let’s consider elements from the delivery itself.

Jesus’ message to the crowd begins and ends with an urgent command to listen. Jesus says, “Hear what I’m saying. Anyone who has ears, please listen and consider.” This parable wasn’t just advice, it was core and crucial. Scholars note that the Lord used a term which echoed the opening word of the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”^[6] Pious Jews recited that phrase every single day. That verb doesn’t only mean hear or listen, it also means to obey.^[7]

The point of parables is not that we know something, but that we do something. That we respond to what God has revealed. The truths delivered through these stories play out in our real lives.

Now, we call this story The Parable of the Sower, but really a better title might be The Parable of the Soils.^[8] We’ll learn that the soil is not just inanimate dirt, but has choices and responsibilities once the seed has fallen on it. But first, verses 10 through 12.

Mark 4:10-12 – ¹⁰ When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables ¹² so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.”

Does that sound scary? It does if we don’t know the context. On an isolated first reading a person might say, “I guess Jesus doesn’t want certain people to be saved.” But that’s not what’s happening.  Listen to how Matthew records Jesus’ answer to the disciples about why He uses parables:

Matthew 13:13-16 – ¹³ That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. ¹⁴ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them.

Jesus, the Son of God, was on earth, preaching, healing every sickness, working countless miracles, and the general response was disbelief and animosity. The religious leaders accused Him of being demon possessed. The crowds ignored His message. They fulfilled the prophecy foretold by Isaiah.

Consider also the context of the parable. The Sower, Who is first and foremost Jesus, wasn’t being stingy. He was casting seed all over, just as Jesus was spreading His message in many places.

So, it’s not that God doesn’t want to forgive certain people. But, if they won’t repent, then they will perish. Later, in Luke 13, Jesus says it outright twice: “Unless you repent, you will all perish.”^[9] Later, in Revelation 2, the Lord says to churches, “Unless you repent,” then lists deadly consequences.^[10]

And then we have the situational context where Jesus shared this parable, then later the disciples come in response, they follow up on what was revealed, they seek God’s truth, and the Lord says, “Because you’ve done this now you get a gift from God: The secrets of the Kingdom.”

Secrets here is that word used many times in the New Testament: Mysteries.^[11] Paul used it 21 times himself. In the New Testament, “mysteries” are things that can only be known if they are revealed by God, but they are open to anyone who wants to know them and come to God for them.

God wants everyone to be saved. In a different parable, we see a Master who puts on a feast and by the end of the story he’s invited everyone: Friends and neighbors, strangers in the streets, alleys, highways, and hedges, to join him. The only people that don’t are those that won’t.

Verse 10 is a real-life demonstration of what was described in the parable. You had the large crowd, but only some responded to the preaching. It wasn’t only the 12 – there were others who believed there, too. This moment showed the difference between those who listened the way Jesus commanded them, and those who didn’t.

You parents have seen this. You ask your kid, “Why didn’t you do that thing I told you?” They say, “I didn’t hear you.” “But we were in the car and we were making eye contact and you said, ‘Ok.’”

Verses 10 through 12 aren’t about an unfair God. They’re a further differentiation between the crowd and real disciples. A theme Mark has been developing for a few passages now. Remember, in our last passage there was a dramatic picture of those around Jesus, in the house, and those standing outside the house because they would not believe and refused to come in.

Mark 4:13 – ¹³ Then he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables?

Understanding parables is an important part of the Christian life. They are unique lessons about Christ, His Kingdom, and His way for life. When we ask, “What is this about?” it must always point back to the Lord. But, as we receive the parables, we most of all must ask, “What is my response?”

Jesus tells us to consider the parables thoughtfully. Because the truth is: We also can misunderstand the Lord. We also can be a little numb to His words. Our hearts can start to harden or become distracted. These disciples were struggling with their understanding, so we can, too.

To counteract that, we should continually apply this parable and keep our hearts conditioned to respond. We want to perpetually keep ourselves in verse 20. Because this story is not just about the moment you get saved, but a whole life of bearing fruit as the Lord sows His word into your heart.

In John 8, Jesus said real disciples continue in His Word. And James tells us that Christians must continually receive the implanted word.^[12] So now, let’s hear Jesus’ explanation of this parable.

Mark 4:14 – ¹⁴ The sower sows the word.

Like a seed, God’s word contains everything necessary for life, growth, and fruitfulness. A tomato seed contains what is necessary for the plant. Yes, of course, that seed is unlocked by soil and water and sunlight, but in that seed is what you need. The same is true of God’s word. All we need for life and Godliness is found in it. It grows in us if we participate and prepare ourselves for it.

Mark 4:15 – ¹⁵ Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.

This first soil is a heart where the word of God makes no impact. They are surrendered to another god, who is a devourer and destroyer.

There really is a Devil out there and he really is our adversary. He wants to stop the work of God and the spread of His word. Now here, the soil is presented as somewhat culpable for the failure to receive the seed. But, what can I do if a bird swoops down and gobbles the grain up?

We’ve got a dog at home. I know that if I leave my plate of food on the table, she’s going to come over and eat it. I have to protect that food. Christians: We need to be on guard against the schemes of the Devil. How can I possibly hope to win that fight? We don’t have to. Our Savior overcame him. He rejected every temptation. And now, we live in Christ’s power to overcome temptation. If we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. Endeavor to protect your connection with God in your life.

Mark 4:16-17 – ¹⁶ And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

This heart soil is quick to be excited about the good news, but underneath those emotions the heart is still hard. There’s stone below the surface. Their mind isn’t really inclined to God, but to how they feel in their circumstances. When the going gets tough, they move on to the next new thing.

Our hearts must be rooted in Christ, not in circumstances. Colossians 2 tells us to be rooted in Him, built up in Him, established in our faith, not our feelings. Now, your faith should feel joy and peace and expectation and excitement but about the Lord, not about our temporal circumstances. That’s how a Christian can sing worship songs while in a dungeon. A heart plowed deep for God’s work.

Mark 4:18-19 – ¹⁸ Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness, of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

In this example, the plant has grown. You can see stem and leaves and roots – but no fruit. It’s too distracted, to consumed with other pursuits, and so it is unproductive. Useless to the farmer.

There are a lot of Christians who are living season after season of fruitlessness. The word is sown into their lives at church or their own devotions, but it doesn’t produce change, it doesn’t produce ministry, it doesn’t produce obedience. But God wants fruit. There are other parables that speak specifically about this: A master coming and finding no fruit and saying, “This is not ok.”

The Pharisees were plants with no fruit. They had libraries of knowledge about the seed, but nothing grew in their lives but weeds and thistles.

Mark 4:20 – ²⁰ And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

Again, we see a personification in the soil – that it has responsibility to hear the word, welcome the word, and allow it to do its work. When a heart does that, something miraculous happens.

At the time, an average harvest might be 7 or 8 fold. A great harvest would be 10.^[13] God wants our lives to be superabundant with His spiritual fruit.

That fruit, like all fruit, will have seed in it. The soil of your life producing a variety of fruit each season whose pit and core is always the word of God, which then spills out for a new crop.

So now we’ve heard this chief parable. What is our response? What is the state of my heart? Is it hard? Is it soft? Is it distracted? Is it unproductive? Is it attentive? God sows so that we can grow and be a part of His miraculous harvest. He can handle the birds. His seed can withstand less-than-ideal conditions. Are we preparing our hearts, cultivating our lives to receive what He wants to plant? Are we allowing Him to plow and soften us? Are we giving the nutrients of our lives to His seed rather than the weeds of this world? Are we bearing fruit? Do I respond? What sort of soil am I tonight?

The Devil Made Him Do It! (Mark 3:20-35)

Does your family have a “crazy uncle”? If you answered, “No, we don’t have one,” I hate to tell you, but that might mean it’s you.

Last November, a site dedicated to the exchange of ideas on college campuses published an article titled, A Thanksgiving Guide For Crazy Uncles. It opened with these lines:

“This Thanksgiving you might step into the role of the “crazy uncle.” You know the one—big opinions, the loudest voice, met with apathy. But maybe their ideas aren’t dismissed because they’re wrong. They just don’t always bring enough receipts.”^[1]

In our text, Jesus is accused of being out of His mind. Sadly, it isn’t just His foes saying it. Even His own family come from Nazareth to stop Him from preaching His message and performing His ministry. The Lord Jesus is dismissed by both of these groups not because He has failed to bring enough receipts, but because they refuse to accept that He Who He says He is. The works and the words do not matter to them, because they’ve already decided what they want to think about Him.

Mark 3:20 – ²⁰ Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.

It’s hard to appreciate how demanding these crowds were. At times, they pressed so intensely on Jesus that He had to get out in a boat on the water to keep from being crushed.^[2]

Here in the house they are so busy with the needs of this crowd that they don’t have time to grab a piece of bread and shove it in their mouth! Seeing how little consideration they have for Jesus, we are reminded that – as disciples – we must pursue the presence of the Lord, not only pursue His power for us. Christianity is not about making demands of Jesus, but devoting ourselves to Him.

There are a few controversies in the verses ahead: Jesus’ family and the unpardonable sin. For the family issue, it will help if we notice a literary technique Mark uses in this section. He unfolds this scene in what scholars call a “chiastic structure.”^[3]

In a chiasm, Biblical authors present a sequence of ideas and then show the response to those ideas in the reverse order. Tonight we see Jesus with the crowd, the appearance of the family, finally the accusation of the scribes. Then it mirrors back with the response to the scribes, Jesus’ family reappears, and finally Jesus and the crowd again.

So we’ve seen the crowd and once again they are making demands of Jesus as if they are the masters and He is the slave. Not a good place to be. Even still, the Lord was patient and kind and poured out His compassion for them, even when His family shows up and tries to stop Him.

Mark 3:21 – ²¹ When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

Mark used a colloquial term where my version says “family.”^[4] Yours might say “His own people.” It’s a word that can mean family or relatives or friends. At a certain point in church history, translators and commentators started becoming uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus’ family might act this way. Plus, Catholic doctrine says Mary remained a perpetual virgin. So some groups started to suggest the idea that these were friends or maybe cousins of Jesus, not His mother and brothers.

But remember the chiasm! At the end, Mark is going to specifically show Mary and brothers. So, it seems he wants us to understand this group in verse 21 as Jesus’ literal, immediate family.

Now, Jesus was Mary’s firstborn Son, but she did not remain a virgin forever. She is not the sinless Queen of Heaven as suggested by Roman Catholic tradition. Mark 6 says plainly that Jesus had four half-brothers and at least two sisters. There is zero suggestion in the Bible that they were Joseph’s kids from a previous marriage. They were Mary’s kids.

They’ve come from Nazareth, not to help Jesus out or to tell Him He should work a little less. They were saying that Jesus was out of His mind. That He was psychologically deranged.^[5] According to Mark’s language, they repeatedly said it.^[6] They actually wanted to grab Him and take Him home. The word for “restrain” here is the same that will be used of the Jews arresting Jesus later.^[7]

As we read the Gospels, it’s hard to get a read on Mary’s perspective, but Jesus’ brothers certainly did not believe He was the Messiah until after the resurrection.^[8]

Mark 3:22 – ²² The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Despite all the good Jesus was doing, there is a swell of opposition against Him. People are coming from Nazareth, coming from Jerusalem, to try to interrupt His ministry. The crowd won’t let Him go, His family doesn’t want Him to stay. They all think it’s their job to take charge of Him and make Him fall in what line they have decided is best.

The scribes are jealous. The family is embarrassed. The crowd is selfish. Meanwhile, Christ is trying to tell them the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and how they can receive everlasting life! It’s an ugly look for humanity. But there are disciples there and they’re not blowing it in this scene.

These scribes are an official delegation from the religious leadership in Jerusalem.^[9] They’re not interested in Jesus’ message. They have started a sustained campaign of vilification against Him.^[10]

Matthew and Luke explain that Jesus healed a demon possessed man who was blind and mute. That prompted the scribes to say, “Well, Him and Satan are working together.” Beelzebul was the name of an old pagan god. The name can mean “Lord of the house,”^[11] which will make Jesus’ next comments very apt. The name also means “Lord of the flies,”^[12] for all you literary fans out there.

The scribes used this name to refer to Satan.^[13] Despite all they’ve seen and heard, they immediately dismiss Jesus in the most blasphemous term, giving the Devil the credit for this work.

People still dismiss Christ today. They say, “Well, there’s too much suffering in the world,” and just wave away the truth of God, the message of the Gospel, prophecy, testimony, all of it.

But Christians can make a similar mistake. When we say, “God wants me to be happy,” and use that idea to dismiss things God is saying or doing in our lives, it may not be as blasphemous as what the scribes were doing, but it comes from the same place in the heart. It’s still rejection of His authority.

Mark 3:23-27 – ²³ So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. ²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

First thing first: Jesus summoned them. He called them over. Despite their blasphemy and hatred and jealousy, the Lord took the time to try to help them. He tries to warn them that they are on a path to destruction, not because He wants to gloat, but because He wants to rescue them.

These parables are straightforward. Look at how He tries to drive it home as clearly as He can. He uses different levels of example: Kingdom, then house, the individual. In the other Gospels we see He also pointed out that the Jews also had exorcists, so whose power are they using? He’s trying to show them the truth, that He is the stronger man. That He has bound the Devil. That He is the Deliverer. These words and the deeds that back them up should’ve reminded them of Isaiah 49, which talks about captives being delivered from a mighty tyrant and that when that happens, “all humanity will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior.”

But they would not believe it. They willfully chose to lie to themselves because they weren’t willing to humble themselves.

At first the stronger Man’s conduct is somewhat shocking. Jesus likens it to a thief breaking in to rob a house. But in reality, this isn’t a burglary, it’s an extraction operation. The Savior plunders the Devil of that he wants most: YOU! You are the pearl of great price. And you can either be the devil’s trophy or you can be the Lord’s own special possession.^[14] Choose this day who you will serve.

Mark 3:28-30 – ²⁸ “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”,— ³⁰ because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

There is an unpardonable sin. It isn’t suicide. It isn’t one of the “seven deadly sins.” So what is it? Some scholars say it is when a person attributes the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Others say it’s when a person fully and finally rejects the work of the Holy Spirit, which is to draw people to Jesus.

Others say it was this specific moment and how these scribes responded to seeing an exorcism. So, those scholars say, no one else can commit the unpardonable sin.

On the other hand, other scholars note that Jesus seemed to be genuinely warning these scribes, indicating they hadn’t committed the unpardonable sin yet, but were close.

So what is it? We have a couple helpful clues. First, let’s talk about blasphemy. One definition of blasphemy I find helpful is, “An expression of defiant hostility toward God.”^[15] Now, blasphemies will be forgiven. Jesus said so in verse 28. So what is different about what these scribes were doing?

First of all, they were the expert authorities on the Word of God. Some believe they had the entire Old Testament memorized. They dedicated their lives to knowing what God had said. Now, they had personally witnessed not only a miraculous outpouring of God’s power, but listened to the teachings of Christ. And their response was to defiantly, repeatedly say “He is demon possessed.”^[16]

In trying to understand the unpardonable sin, one commentary says this, “What Jesus is speaking of…is not an isolated act but a settled condition of the soul—the result of a long history of repeated and willful acts of sin. And if the person involved cannot be forgiven it is not so much that God refuses to forgive as it is the sinner refuses to allow him.”^[17]

Meanwhile, there is incredible good news in these verses: “People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.” Praise the Lord! Your sins are dealt with once and for all at the cross. And not just a select few individuals. The word “people” there is the “sons of men.” Anyone. Not just the sons of Abraham. Not just the sons of one group or one time, but all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved and forgiven and made right with God.

If you are carrying the weight, the guilt of some sin, you can lay it down at the feet of Jesus. You must lay it down so you can run the race Christ has given you with your eyes on Him, not on your past, not on your unworthiness, but on Him, so that your faith might be perfected.

Mark 3:31-35 – ³¹ His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” ³³ He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

It seems the family was unwilling to come into this house. After all, Jesus was ready and willing to summon the scribes to Himself. Do we think He wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to His own brothers? Rather, it looks like they refused to go in. They were probably terribly embarrassed by the reputation Jesus made for the family, at least among religious Jews.

They’re outside demanding that Jesus leave His ministry and come back to them – to follow them. Jesus is not dishonoring His family, but He’s unwilling to choose them over His Father. And He took the opportunity to teach a wonderful truth to those who did believe in Him as Messiah: That God wasn’t just making us slaves, but children in His house. That we can be near to Him and have a real relationship based on love. And to be in that relationship, we simply need to do the will of God.

How do we do that? Luke makes it very plain in his telling of this scene: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”^[18]

So we must know the word and do it. We must not dismiss it or wave it away or shape it to our own preconceived notions. Instead, we circle up around the Lord, to hear and do what He says. To recognize that we follow Him, not the other way around. That God’s work is accomplished through Christ and our part is to join that work in faith and devotion and obedience.

As we close, one more reminder. Here we are, gathered together as disciples. Christ reminds us in this text that we are a family. Families can be tough. There’s history and eccentricity and complexity. But we must endeavor to be a loving and healthy family – one that supports one another in grace and compassion and long-suffering. A family whose center is Christ Jesus, operating in the power of the Spirit as directed through the Word. With that perspective, we will see the Lord’s will done in and through us and we will not only be in right relationship to our Savior, but to each other.

The Out Crowd (Mark 3:7-19)

Crowds do strange things. Studies show that more than 1/3 of people will purposefully choose an answer they know to be wrong if other people in the crowd already chose that answer.^[1]

This is part of a phenomenon called deindividuation. In these cases, individuals in a crowd are so caught up in what is happening, they will follow the group around them, abandoning self-control and self-awareness, even when it may lead to behaviors that bring harm to themselves or others.^[2]

Our text is all about the crowd. We see a massive throng, maybe tens of thousands of people in size,^[3] acting badly. But among this sea of people a different, distinct group stands out: Disciples.

In some ways, these two groups look the same. After all, the disciples followed Jesus, but the crowd followed Him, too. And Jesus seems happy to talk to and work with both groups. So, what is the difference? And does it matter if we’re in one group or the other? Let’s take a look.

Mark 3:7-8 – ⁷ Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing.

Matthew explains Jesus left the synagogue because He knew the Pharisees were plotting to kill Him.^[4] But, it wasn’t time for Him to die, so He took things down to the shore.

This was the time when Jesus was most popular, with the largest crowds coming to see Him.^[5] These were huge numbers. He didn’t just empty a village or two – people were coming from every point of the compass and from distant regions.

The walk from Jerusalem to Capernaum was 100 miles!^[6] Idumea was even farther. There were people coming from the Transjordan, others coming from way up in the North West of Lebanon.

Mark says they followed Jesus. Were they disciples? Jesus did say, “Follow Me.” Yet, there was a big difference in the why and the how of the crowd’s following compared to the disciples’ following.

The why is given in verse 8. They came to Him because they heard about everything He was doing. It wasn’t the message they were interested in, it was the miracles. The doings, not the sayings.

But Jesus said back in chapter 1 that the reason He came was not primarily to heal physical ailments, but to preach the Good News of the Kingdom. But this crowd didn’t care about that.

There are other examples in the Gospels where these crowds make it clear that they are not actually listening to Jesus – they just want supernatural manifestations from Him. In John 6, a crowd wants miracles from Jesus while He wants to give them some of the greatest truths ever revealed – about the Bread of Life, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life. But they say, “How about instead You give us literal bread every day?”^[7]

These crowds thought of Jesus as a magical miracle worker, not as the Messiah. They misunderstood Who He was. We need to be careful not to make similar mistakes.

Mark 3:9-10 – ⁹ Then he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him. ¹⁰ Since he had healed many, all who had diseases were pressing toward him to touch him.

Their why was wrong and their how was wrong. The phrase “pressing toward Him” literally means falling on Him.^[8] They were chasing Him^[9] to grab on like people do when a money truck crashes on a freeway. There’s pushing and shoving.^[10]

One of the words Mark uses is the same one you would use for pressing grapes to extract the juices.^[11] Christ’s power was a commodity to them – a sort of “while supplies last” situation. They did not fall down in worship before Him, they fell on Him with their demands. They wanted to lay hold of His power, but we don’t see any of them allowing God to lay hold of their lives.

The Lord wants to hold your life in His hand. Psalm 139 says, “Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.” His holding means He is the Master and Decider for us. He is the One in charge of your life. He doesn’t exist for my wants and desires, but instead I am to surrender my past, present, and future to His will and design.

And here we see a contrast between the crowd and the disciples. The crowd sees Jesus as a device to get things they want. The disciples are able to receive direction from the Lord.

He told them they need to keep a little boat ready for His use. This wasn’t just a one-time thing, it was all the time when they were in this area.^[12] There were times He needed transportation, or times like this where He needed it for safety. But they had to keep it ready.

This may have been more of an ask than we realize. The boat probably belonged to one of the fishermen, but you’d have to maintain and administrate it. Leaving it docked might have meant fees. It meant they couldn’t lease the boat to other fishermen to gain some passive income.

This illustrates an aspect of real discipleship. There are times when the Lord comes to us and says, “I want you to give this boat of yours toward the ministry of the Gospel. I want you to personally, financially, sacrificially contribute toward the work of the Kingdom.”

“But I don’t own a boat.” Neither did Matthew. The point is, the crowd comes demanding things from Jesus but brings no worship, no gift, no contribution to His ministry. They want from Him. The disciples give their lives to Him, and that included generosity with their resources.

Mark 3:11-12 – ¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² And he would strongly warn them not to make him known.

Ironically, the demons offer more honor to Jesus than the people in the crowd. They fall down before Jesus while the humans fall over each other, trying to be first in line.

Mark 3:13 – ¹³ Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him.

Now the focus changes from the crowd to the real disciples – specifically the group known as “The Twelve.” There were other people who believed Jesus and followed Him as disciples, but these Twelve were specially set apart and commissioned by the Lord.

Luke tells us that before this announcement, Jesus spent all night in prayer.^[13] But the crowds were still there. Try to imagine it! Jesus is trying to have this incredibly important time with the Father about the selection of these guys who would be instrumental in the founding of the church and 10,000 people are hanging around trying to get His attention and get Him to do stuff for them!

Mark tells us that Jesus summoned those He wanted. Not the top earners of the group. Not whoever had the highest GPA. Not the most well-connected elites. God’s callings are not about our achievements or abilities, they’re about His loving grace and kindness toward individuals.

And notice: The crowds came after hearing about Jesus’ miracles. The disciples here come after being summoned. They waited and listened to Him and answered His call.

Mark 3:14-15 – ¹⁴ He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.

The crowds came because they wanted power from Jesus – according to their own desires and designs. Ultimately, they became disappointed in Him. The disciples believed His Word and what’s the result? He gives them power! Not according to their desires or designs or their self-interest, but for the work of the Kingdom. For reaching the world. For saving souls and setting captives free.

He appointed them to do the things that He had been doing. Preaching, exorcising, going out with the Good News. They may have said, “So, if we’re going to be like You, does that mean that we’ll be crushed? That we’ll be hounded? That the Pharisees will be angrily confronting us, too?” Of course, we know the answer is yes. The world is going to treat disciples the way they treated Jesus. But what Jesus was giving was so much better than what the world would try to take away.

First, He gave them a new identity: An appointment and a new name. Now, we are not apostles, but God has appointed you for some work and gives you a new name. Christian. Salt. In eternity, we’re told we’ll receive another new name specially chosen by Jesus for us, written on a white stone.^[14]

The second thing He gave was communion with Him. He summoned these twelve to be with Him. He did not sit in first class while they stayed in coach. He was with them day in and day out.

This is such an important difference between the crowd and the disciples. The crowd didn’t care about being with Jesus. They just wanted from Him. But discipleship and relationship with God is about being with the Lord. That’s what qualified the Twelve to bear witness of Jesus and participate in His work, by the way – being with Jesus.^[15]

We’ve been enjoying a worship song that has a wonderfully tender chorus. The opening lines are, “You are our daily bread, You are our daily bread, and we will seek Your face before we seek Your hand.” A reminder that the point is being with Jesus. Communion before supplication.

Third, Jesus gave these guys a message to proclaim as He sent them out. Wait – how can we be with Him and be sent out from Him? The Lord is always with us. He dwells in our hearts. Emmanuel will never leave or forsake us. He goes with us as He sends us to speak His message.

Finally, He gave them the power of God to operate through their lives so people could be rescued and saved. To prove that Christ is the Messiah and He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Mark 3:16-19 – ¹⁶ He appointed the Twelve:^, To Simon, he gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, he gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”); ¹⁸ Andrew; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

The Twelve is an interesting group. We really don’t know as much about them as you’d expect since they are so distinct as a group. There were two sets of brothers, maybe three.^[16] Seven of them are never named again in Mark.^[17] Frankly, we know almost nothing about half of them.^[18] As an example, we don’t even know Bartholomew’s name! Scholars agree that that is not a first name – it’s a surname. Bar means “son of,” so we’re being told he was the son of Talmai.^[19] Iscariot was not Judas’ dad’s name. It was probably the town he was from. If so, that makes him the only non-Galilean in the group.^[20] Sort of interesting given the false following we just witnessed from all these crowds from Judea and Idumea and elsewhere who also did not really follow Jesus.

One other fun piece of trivia: As far as scholars can tell, the Greek word Jesus used to nickname Peter had never been used as a name before.^[21] I wonder how Simon felt about that.

Why don’t we know more about the Twelve? For one thing, it’s not really about them, it’s about you! Your discipleship. God’s tender conforming of your life. What He has called you to do. We can take what we do know about the disciples and use their examples as a litmus for our own discipleship.

It’s like the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. It doesn’t matter that we don’t actually live in first century Smyrna. The point is we can see the examples and evaluate ourselves to determine if any of those letters currently describe or apply to our circumstances and to adjust where necessary.

So, think about the Twelve. Which sort of disciple are we tonight? Hopefully none of us are like Judas – a man who never actually believed – he was a thief and a counterfeit even though he ran with the group and looked a lot like a believer.

Or are we like Thomas the Twin, a bit cynical, unwilling to believe without first seeing? Or are we like James and John, lashing out at people who treat us poorly? Are we like Philip, always trying to bring people to Jesus? Are we Simon the Zealot, full of passions and opinions, but willing to be conformed into the image of Jesus, setting aside our old, revolutionary ways when the Lord asks?

There are a lot of ways we can see their examples and measure our own discipleship as we follow Jesus. As we join His group, He doesn’t demand deindividuation like we see happening in crowds. It’s not that you no longer exist as an individual – you do. Look at the tenderness of Jesus renaming these guys and having a relationship based on closeness and kindness. But disciples listen and learn and conform to Christ’s image.  His words become our words. His reactions become our reactions. Our future is put in His hands. That’s the difference between the crowd and the disciples. The crowd wanted Jesus for now. Disciples want Jesus forever, for everything. That’s what we want. Let’s follow Him like that. Listening to Him, giving ourselves to Him, staying with Him not because we just want Him do things for us, but because we understand Who He is and what He’s offering now and forever.

Every Rule You Break, We’ll Be Watching You (Mark 3:1-6)

Would You Rather is a staple in our house. Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible? Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck? Would you rather always have bad breath or always have BO? These are hard choices kids love to wrestle with at the dinner table.

I’ve got a different Would You Rather for us tonight: Would you rather have a hobbled hand or a dead heart? Both of those maladies are put on display in this text. But this story isn’t just about a physical healing. It’s about spiritual condition and whether you and I will respond to the Great Physician with obedience and faith or with resentment and fury.

Mark 3:1 – Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand.

This is the last of five stories Mark put together which show the growing conflict between Jesus and those Jews – particularly the religious leaders – who did not like what He was all about.

We would say Jesus went to church that Saturday.^[1] Obviously this is a Jewish gathering, not a Christian one, but in many ways a synagogue service was similar to a normal church service.^[2]

Worship in synagogues was not the same as worship in the Temple. There was no animal sacrifice in the synagogues, no priests there giving atonement. The Temple was in Jerusalem, synagogues were in any city where there were at least ten Jewish men. They developed during the Babylonian exile and were local gatherings for education, prayer, worship, and fellowship.^[3]

That’s what they were supposed to be. Sadly when Jesus went to synagogue, conflict and tension usually followed. In chapter 1, Jesus goes to synagogue and a demon confronts Him, saying, “What are You doing here?!?” In chapter 6, Jesus is in a synagogue teaching wonderful things unlike anything they had ever heard and the people say, “Isn’t this that Nobody from Nazareth?”

And yet, despite the problems, Jesus kept going to services, week after week. He wanted to be there and, as always, He conducted Himself with patience and grace despite being misunderstood.

Churches are not perfect and some churches should be avoided because of the kind of damage they do to hearts and lives. But no matter where we go, we’re called to be a part of the regular gathering of God’s people, knowing that they bring their shortcomings with them and we bring our shortcomings with us. God commands us to dwell together in peace and harmony and growth.

That Sabbath, there was a man in the crowd with a shriveled hand. Luke says it was his right hand.^[4] It seems that, as a result of disease or an injury, his hand had become shrunken and paralyzed.^[5]

Mark 3:2 – ² In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath.

The “they” will be identified as Pharisees down in verse 6. Mark has shown us a withered hand, but from the start of this scene, the diseased paralysis of their hearts is absolutely astounding.

They knew Jesus could heal. They weren’t watching to see if He could heal the man, but whether He would on Saturday.

They were at synagogue that day, not to worship, not to pray, not to hear this historic Rabbi, Whose fame filled the whole region – they didn’t care that He was a miracle worker. No, they had seen and heard all they wanted, now all they wanted was for Him to go away.

In John 10, Jesus is talking to a group like this and He says, “Listen, if you don’t want to believe Me, at least believe the works I do.”^[6] But the Pharisees had made up their minds and closed their hearts to anything Jesus might say or do. They only watched Him in order to find fault. And the term used there suggests they kept watching Him, dogging His steps.^[7]

Has anyone followed you so closely they give you a flat tire? Or in the store, they bump the back of your ankles with their shopping cart? That’s what the Pharisees are doing here.

This passage is not really about a broken hand, it’s about broken hearts. It always comes back to the heart. Will we let the Lord in? Will we allow Him to remove the heart of stone within us and give us a new heart, soft and alive?

Here we are – at church – dedicated to studying the Word and doing what’s right. That’s how the Pharisees would’ve described themselves. The question is: Have we so made up our minds about everything in the Word, in the spiritual life, that we’re unwilling to hear anything new from the Lord?

I’m not suggesting the essentials of doctrine ever change – they don’t. The Scriptures are complete and have been delivered once for all. But are we willing to accept that the Lord might say, “Cast your nets on the other side of the boat?” That He might have a new directive for our lives?

Now, the Pharisees knew Jesus did a lot of healing. But they said you can’t heal on the Sabbath. Of course the Law doesn’t say that – just their convoluted interpretations of the Law. Actually, the Pharisees didn’t fully agree. Some Pharisees allowed for medical treatments on the Sabbath, others didn’t.^[8] They even disputed whether you were allowed to pray for sick people on the Sabbath.

They thought these rules made you right with God. Meanwhile, think about the absurdity of fallen men telling God what He could and couldn’t do! They didn’t think Jesus was God, which is why Jesus told them, “I’m the Lord of the Sabbath.” Still, they wanted Him to bend to their system.

We do not tell God what to do. It’s popular for people fighting on social media these days to talk about what Jesus would and wouldn’t do. Wouldn’t you know it, Jesus always aligns with the views we already hold! At least that’s the message you get from people. But we don’t tell God what to do. Not my will, but His be done.

Mark 3:3 – ³ He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.”

Jesus knows exactly what was going on. He knew what the Pharisees were thinking. He knew their scheme. He knew in the crowd there was a man who needed healing. He knew it all.

We’ve all seen the scenes where a person who is being followed turns the tables on the watchers. The walk up to the surveillance van and knock on the window. That’s essentially what Jesus does. He asks this fellow to come stand right in the middle of the meeting so everyone can see him.

Now, from what we can tell, this man did not expect to be healed. He didn’t ask to be healed – he just went to church. But the Savior met him there and was about to change his life and use his life.

Most of us are regular attenders of church. Life-changing things don’t necessarily happen to us every single Sunday or every single Wednesday, but the encouragement here is that God might change our lives today. He wants to interact with us, He wants to transform us, and He works in a special way when His people gather together.

I’d like to share part of a testimony we received just this week that illustrates this very thing: “I used to go to church with my step mom…after a while I stopped going and it always left me with this feeling of something missing. But…I remember waking up on a Sunday morning and I felt like asking my stepmom if I could go to church with her. Of course, she said yes. So I got dressed and off I went to church and as soon as I stepped into the church and sat down that feeling of something missing immediately lifted off of me and I knew that what I was missing was Christ.”

That didn’t happen because of something we did. It was God’s doing. God wants to work in your life. And, like this fellow in Mark 3, He wants to use your life as an object lesson for others. Jesus spoke directly to him, but it’s obvious that He was also speaking to everyone else. Teaching them. Showing them His power and His compassion through this man’s life.

He asked the man to come to the middle.^[9] It would’ve been a scary moment, but the Lord wasn’t going to embarrass or take advantage of him. He only had good planned for him. But for this wonderful object lesson to play out, the man would have to trust and obey. Which is what he did.

Mark 3:4 – ⁴ Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

The Pharisees cared about the Talmud, Jesus cared about the Torah. The Torah is the five books of Moses. The Talmud is a huge collection of rabbinic discussions and interpretations of the Torah.

In my Bible, the Torah is about 270 pages. The Talmud, by contrast, is more than 2,700 pages!^[10] Ten times as long! They were convinced they had figured out spirituality through systems and boxes. It didn’t seem to bother them that God had been silent for 400 years. “What do we need to hear from God for? We’ve solved the equation.” But what a terrible irony that the people in the room who spent the most time and effort being religious were furthest from the Lord.

Jesus asks this question in an effort to show them that their whole perspective on spirituality was skewed. They broke everything down into the minutiae of how many steps you can take and how many pounds you can carry and how you need to portion out your spices in order to please God. But here Jesus says, “Zoom out. Let’s not talk about cumin or sewing needles. Does God want you to do good on the Sabbath or do evil?”

This line about saving life or killing is interesting. Pharisaism developed from the Maccabean revolt. One of the major incidents of that time was when a thousand Jews were slaughtered because they would not fight on the Sabbath. After that, Jewish leaders decided you can kill on the Sabbath if you’re being attacked.^[11] The group that became the Pharisees were a key part in that fight.

So Jesus tries to get them to think about the heart of the issue and, more importantly, the heart of God. Not what they think is best, but what does God intend? But they remain silent.

Their silence is absurd. They’re supposed to be the deciders of all Sabbath debates! They’re the ones that exist to answer these questions. But they refuse to respond. Why? Because they can’t answer. Any answer they give will betray their jealousy, their self-righteousness, their inconsistency.

By the way, if your doctrine can’t stand up to questions, that’s a red flag. The Pharisees frequently could not answer the questions Jesus posed to them because it was about tradition not truth.

Mark 3:5 –  ⁵ After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Jesus was angry, He was grieved, He was moved with compassion. This verse makes it crystal clear that the Lord cares about what’s going on in our lives, He cares about what’s going on in our hearts, and He cares about our choices. He is actually, personally, emotionally invested in your life.

Now, the man was also silent in this text, but he acts with obedience and faith. Jesus told him to stretch out his hand. That’s the one thing he can’t do – not naturally, that is. But he believed Jesus had the power to do the impossible for him. So he stepped out in faith, cooperating with God.

His hand was restored. Sadly, the Pharisees’ hearts remained hard. The term there refers to a kind of marble.^[12] Stone. Calcified and callous.^[13] That’s the one thing you don’t want your heart to be.

The saddest part is that their hearts could’ve been healed just like the man’s hand. They could’ve been like the Grinch, whose heart grew three sizes. They were also given a chance to believe.

The difference was they didn’t think they needed healing. The man knew his hand was withered. But they thought their hearts were fine. They felt no need to have anything restored.

They needed to reckon with the fact that they were wrong. Their righteousness, their religious efforts, their intellectual dedication could not save them. They needed to stretch out their hearts toward Christ. That term also refers to casting out an anchor.^[14] Anchoring your life on what? On the Lord Jesus Christ. On His truth. On His command. On His restorative, redemptive work. Choosing to build our lives not on our best ideas or our traditions but on His leading and revelation.

Mark 3:6 – ⁶ Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.

You know what was definitely not lawful? Conspiring to murder on the Sabbath! But that’s how hard their hearts were. Luke tells us they were full of rage at what they had seen.^[15] They were so upset they made a partnership with Herodians. That was a group that supported Roman occupation and thought Herod was a great guy.^[16] Seriously? You support Herod? The Pharisees would rather join them than admit that they needed adjustment – that God still had something to say to them.

And so we see this dramatic movement. The crippled man is drawn to Jesus and his life is restored. The Pharisees retreat from Jesus and toward death. Why? Because of the hardness of their hearts. It’s always about the heart. That’s what was fueling their choices, their emotional responses, their anger, their unkindness, their compromise, their behavior. Hard hearts that would not surrender.

So here we are, at church. Though Christ isn’t bodily in front of us, He promises to be with us in a special way, walking in our midst. And here He is, speaking through His eternal Word.

The questions are: Why are we here and what are we watching for? Are we here because it’s our tradition or do we believe that the God of heaven and earth also attends church so He can change us and bring change through us? Do we believe that God might transform us when we gather together?

And, as we come into the Lord’s presence, what are we watching for? The Pharisees were watching for all the wrong reasons. We don’t want to be like them. So what are we watching for? Are we watching for the commands of God and the diagnoses and the changes that God wants to work in our lives? The restoration He wants to accomplish as we anchor ourselves onto Him?

Faith and obedience was the difference in this text. That’s always the difference. So whether you need a hand healed or a heart healed tonight, respond in humility and faith and obedience. God can do the impossible. He wants to change your life and use your life. Would we rather be restored or full of rigor mortis?