Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
Hey, everyone. And welcome to the Eagle Community Church of Christ podcast. My name is John Gunter. This week, we are in sermon number 2 in the gospel of Mark. We're talking about what ministry looked like for Jesus.
John Gunter:I think sometimes we get it mixed up as far as what we'd like ministry to look like or evangelism. Jesus was with the outcast. He was with the people that the church folks didn't think he should be with. I think there's less than there for us. We hope it helps you.
John Gunter:Come see you sometime. Thank you, Tyler, for leading us in worship this morning. We began last week with a study of the gospel of Mark. We won't cover every verse or anything like that. I know if you are thinking that, you think, well, this will be done in 5 years or so.
John Gunter:But remember last week, we talked about, we think the Gospel of Mark was written to people who already knew the story. That they already knew what Jesus had done, but what they needed, just like we need today, is a reminder. It's constant reminders of what Jesus has done and who we should be because of that. And so that's why you get this abbreviated, kind of quickly moving, Mark says immediately a lot and immediately, and he went, and immediately there he goes. And it's it's like Jesus was, I don't know, this this fast sprinter that just immediately took off from place to play.
John Gunter:And so, it it ends up being kind of some weird things, some some weird stories that you think a lot of details get left out of. I'll show you that right now. We begin in verse 12. Right after Jesus' baptism, just like, the other gospels, Matthew and Luke, the spirit immediately drove him, being Jesus, out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild animals and the angels were ministering to him.
John Gunter:That's it. That's all Mark wants to tell you. Now you know the rest of the story. Don't you? Just like I think everyone else did.
John Gunter:Well, there's a lot to that. What what was the temptation? What did Satan do? Well, Mark doesn't care to tell you. That's what happened.
John Gunter:He was tempted and the angels ministered to him and all of a sudden the next verse, he is back in in ministry. He is beginning that work. But what I want you to notice this morning, a couple of things right here in these verses, that sometimes we have treated baptism like the end goal. Like, if we can just get them in the water, we got them. And then we don't know what to do after that.
John Gunter:And it's kinda like, okay, well, that's the end. And then, of course, baptism is very important. But baptism is never the end, it is the beginning. And in Jesus' life, not only is it the beginning, he shows you really what he is to be about, who he is to be on earth. Because at Jesus' baptism, remember, that has just happened, the the spirit had descended on him like a dove, the voice of god, this is my son.
John Gunter:And you think, okay. Well, it's all up from here. Right? Well, the first thing that happens is not a positive one. I don't think any of us would take as positive.
John Gunter:Yay. I'm baptized. How many of you remember the day of your baptism? Like, special day. Right?
John Gunter:It is it is in my memory. September 18, 1994 for me. I remember it. I remember who was there. I was shy, so I waited after a Sunday night singing.
John Gunter:I mean, all only the saints were there. Right? I mean, that was it. And just a handful of people because I didn't want a lot of people looking at me while I got baptized. I remember that like it was yesterday.
John Gunter:But it's not all up from there, from your baptism. That wasn't that was the case for Jesus too. Immediately, what happens is he spends 40 days back in the wilderness. Remember, we talked last week when John the Baptist came, when Mark tells you the story of John the Baptist, that what he's doing is, okay, a prophet has come. The good news of Jesus, the good news of God is that God is working again.
John Gunter:We we've we've wondered when God is gonna do something about our situation. Well, God is working again. There's a prophet out in the wilderness, and that's exactly what happens to Jesus. He doesn't ascend to a throne and start ruling. What he does is he gets taken back out into the wilderness, and did you catch it for 40 days?
John Gunter:Does the number 40 in wilderness mean anything to you? Of course, it meant something to them as well. That he was out there again, throwing you back to the Exodus, being in this situation that was not comfortable. He was out being tempted by Satan. And we know the rest of the story that Jesus did not give into any of these temptations.
John Gunter:He was out with the wild animals. He was out being tempted by Satan, and finally the angels ministered to him after all of that. I can't imagine that, but I can try to bring parallels into my own life, those times when I think, man, I am struggling. I am being tempted. I am out here and it doesn't feel like I've got maybe the support I need.
John Gunter:Right? Jesus is all alone. I I can't imagine for 40 days. I've walked in some of this desert area, which is where they're where they're at. I walked out there for an hour.
John Gunter:I didn't wanna be there any longer than that, I promise you. Much less 40 days because it is absolute desert wilderness. Well, that's what Jesus shows you. And what I tell people, I often tell people is when you are baptized, that is that is a moment to be celebrated, but it's also a moment to understand that that is when Satan's gonna come after you. Because beforehand, he had you.
John Gunter:And now you've made a decision, my allegiance is going to be towards Jesus. And guess what you get? That's when the temptation hits. That's when something happens. That's when you're confronted with something you've got to deal with because that's when Satan needs to get you again.
John Gunter:And that's exactly what happens with our Lord and Savior. Why would it not happen to us? Right? I get through ministry that way. If it happened to Jesus, why do I expect it to be different from me?
John Gunter:Have you ever done that? Right? We can get down on ourselves and feel pity, self pity, and all that stuff, like wait, Jesus had it way worse than I did. Why would I worry about that? That is Jesus' story as He begins His ministry, not in some pomp and circumstance, but in the desert, in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.
John Gunter:And it says, right after this, now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel, again, the good news of God. What is that good news? God is working. You expected him. You wanted him to.
John Gunter:God is working. He sent John to prepare the way. His son is now on earth. The good news of God and saying, the time was fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand or near. The word you mean.
John Gunter:Repent and believe in the good news, in the gospel. God is doing this and Jesus would spend the rest of his ministry trying to do this exact thing, trying to convince people that this is what God is doing in the world. As we talked about in class, they were trying to figure it out. Right? What what exactly is happening?
John Gunter:Is he lying? Is he blasphemous? Or is this something that we need to pay attention to because the way Jesus taught, the way he acted was very different. Not what they were used to. And so, all of a sudden, here we go.
John Gunter:He said, The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Because it doesn't matter if I just say, I believe in this or that. Repentance calls me to change. I've seen a lot of people in my time in church that have been baptized and would claim Jesus, but I'm not sure they've changed.
John Gunter:Do you understand that? That's not foreign to you? That I claim Jesus, that I claim to be a saved person, but my life shows something very different. That maybe I I said I repented back then, but there's been nothing, no major change since. And that's not what it means to follow Jesus, is it?
John Gunter:To follow Jesus means I have to constantly be looking and saying, am I following him? And so, he calls us back to him, Repent and believe in the good news of God. Skipping down to verse 21, and they went into Capernaum and immediately, catch that in Mark, you're gonna you're gonna be bored with that by the end of it. And immediately, on the Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribe.
John Gunter:So Jesus taught with a way that, you don't have to listen to anybody else. I'm not referencing some other rabbi. I'm not doing any of that. He had the authority and the power and the teaching and they saw that as, oh, this is different. There's something different about this this guy.
John Gunter:And immediately, there was in their synagogue, a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy one of God. That that that sentence right there would make a good horror story right there. You can imagine, like, this creepy demon voice that we've heard in movies.
John Gunter:Right? You imagine that being in church this morning. I don't have anybody set up to do that and freak you out. I wish I did. But can you imagine, we're trying to have worship and all of a sudden this kind of thing goes on.
John Gunter:I know who you are, the holy one of god. And Jesus rebuked him saying, be silent and come out of him. And the unclean spirit convulsing, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. Jesus' ministry is not going to be one of just hanging out with the elites in society. Jesus ministry is going to be about the down and dirty ministry.
John Gunter:Going to people, dealing with things we don't want to talk about, we don't want to think about, the people who need him. And that's what we see in Mark, and I think that's what Mark is trying to tell the people that know about Jesus already. What should you be doing? How should you be going to other people? A lot of times, we spend, we only spend time with people we already get along with or people in our same kind of socioeconomic class or things we're going through.
John Gunter:You have children, I have children. Right? The ministry is done with things that aren't really very comfortable. Any of you done any ministry where a demon showed up? I don't even raise your hand.
John Gunter:We will talk about it later. We don't even want to think about those things, right? But Jesus had the authority, he had the power, not only to teach, but to cast out these things. And what I want you to notice in every gospel, something that the gospel writers are pointing out, maybe subtly, maybe not, but it's always the others in the story that know who Jesus is. It's always either the marginalized, the people you would never expect, even the demons who know exactly who Jesus is, but the people claiming to know God are the ones that seem to not get it.
John Gunter:And that's a sad commentary on us as church folks, isn't it? Because we can still miss it, can't we? I don't know if it's because we're too close, maybe we're closed off, we're hard hearted, we're our mind isn't open, but all these people following Jesus remember, even the the Pharisees, the church folks, are trying to trap him constantly. And here it is, a demon, an unclean spirit. I know who you are, the holy one of god.
John Gunter:Where everybody else is going, he's blaspheming. That's not who he is. And the demon knows, and he tells the demon, he's silent. I don't care if you know who I am. You be quiet.
John Gunter:That evil has no place here. In verse 35, And rising early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, 'Everyone is looking for you.' And he said to them, 'Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.' And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. Do you see what Jesus is doing in his ministry? Jesus has a ministry such that he has to sneak out in the morning before everybody gets up and go out to a deserted place even to be able to pray.
John Gunter:And when they say, hey, everybody's looking for you. They'll say, alright, good. I'm getting that fame I always wanted. He said, on to the next town. Because they need to hear this.
John Gunter:And again, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. In verse 2, in chapter 2 verse 13, he went out again beside the sea and all the crowd was coming to him and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
John Gunter:I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Amen, church? Do we spend time taking the good news of God to these people? Are we spending time trying to take the good news of God to people who we're comfortable with? Because what Jesus does is make a lot of people very uncomfortable.
John Gunter:Because to eat with tax collectors and sinners was to show some sort of acceptance to them, that we can sit down and we can have a meal and I accept you. Now, that doesn't mean that He accepted all the things they did, but at some level, I accept you as human. I accept you as someone worthy of my time. This is a time we've talked about in class was an honor and shame culture. And you wanted to pursue honor for yourself and your family, and I wanted to be around the elites.
John Gunter:I wanted to show myself as one of those people because it's really a have and have not society. And what Jesus is doing is he is associating himself with the lowest of the low. A lot of our churches, if the preaching minister was to do exactly what Jesus did, let's say, He's out there hanging out with sinners. We got to let him go. He's out there just associating with these people.
John Gunter:We know they're bad people. We know they are. Obviously, they are sinners, tax collectors. You know what they do. We need to let him go.
John Gunter:And Jesus looks at these people because the question, he hears the question, why does he eat, or you have a footnote in your Bible, eat and drink, with these tax collectors and sinners, and his comment here is, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Jesus has come to bring the good news to people who need it. We can read another gospels about what it means to be righteous. You remember the parable Jesus tells about the tax collector and the Pharisee.
John Gunter:Right? We've got these people who stand before God. One says, I'm glad I'm not like this guy. The other guy says, Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. And what it means to follow God, what it means to be righteous is to put yourself before God saying, I can never achieve per you know, this perfect place.
John Gunter:Right? I can never achieve that, but, god, I know you can and I'm gonna give myself to you. And that's what it means to follow god, is to put yourself before him because if we walk around saying, Well, I'm better, and you're not, you've missed it. Because that's exactly what they were doing as they looked at this situation. I deserve Jesus to come to my house because I'm not a sinner.
John Gunter:I asked in class this morning, because we had this same situation, which person's house could they have gone to where they said, But he is not eating with a sinner? Nobody. There is no one in this crowd, there is no one around that if Jesus had eaten in their house, you could say, Oh, good, they are perfect. That's where He needs to eat. What's different is and what the problem is, is that my view of me is perfect.
John Gunter:My view of you is, I can't believe you're that kind of person. But Jesus doesn't see like that, does He? Praise God. Jesus sees the person, and Jesus sees someone who needs to come to God. Jesus sees someone who needs that relationship with God, and that's exactly who he goes to.
John Gunter:But he understands, and what we've pointed out this morning is a lot of times the church folks don't get it. But the person whose heart is open, the person who is looking, the person who understands their own sin often is a person that goes, oh, that's what I want. That's what I need. And they come to God. And hopefully, we are not the kind of people that reject those people.
John Gunter:Because what we need in our lives really is to interact with others. I had a conversation, I don't even plan on talking about this, between classes with Ryan, talking about changing of perspective. We don't even realize how insulated we are. Do you know that? Have you ever been in a situation where all of a sudden you are around a lot of people and you go, oh, this is different?
John Gunter:Two situations were like that for me when I was involved in homeless ministry and when I was involved in preaching in prison. All of a sudden, it is very different than preaching to you people, only because you hadn't been caught yet, most part. But it was a different crowd, it was a different outlook on life, it was a different life experiences for the most part, and all of a sudden, you can see the world in a much different way than only hanging around church folks. There is nothing wrong with hanging around you guys, for the most part. Some of you are kind of, you know.
John Gunter:There is nothing wrong with that, but if we never go to the other people, those people we see as the marginalized, which is what these people are doing, right? You're you're on the fringes, why are you why are you going to them, Jesus? Those are the outcasts. Those are the people we don't talk to. Those are the people we don't hang out with.
John Gunter:If you never do that, are you in ministry? Because we think about evangelizing, I think when we think about talking to people about Jesus, we think about talking to people that look and act exactly like us. And I think that's a good family, you know, they've got a couple of kids. You know, they they make a good they make a good Christian family. They're they're already nice.
John Gunter:Right? That's kinda our our standard. Long as you're nice, come on, be with us. What about people who need Jesus? Period.
John Gunter:People who have lived a rough life, maybe you don't understand it. They need Jesus? They need you to talk to them about Jesus? Yeah? And that's exactly what Jesus did, and he got in trouble for it over and over again.
John Gunter:By church people who claimed God. So I pray that our church, we can be a group of people who look out for those, who look for opportunities to share the gospel, the good news of God, and show people what God is doing in our lives and in theirs. But we don't do that if all we do is insulate ourselves, if all we do is come and hang out for an hour on Sundays, maybe 2, we're never going to get the gospel to those people, are we? In a church that says we want to grow, are we going to grow this church? Are we going to talk to people about Jesus, to bring them in?
John Gunter:Let's talk to them more about how they should live their life, what Jesus has done for us. Are we just going to be content hanging out and making this a country club? People who are a lot alike, people who are generally nice. Are we gonna go out to the people? That's our question this morning.
John Gunter:I pray that for all of us, that we are open minded, open hearted, and decide to join Jesus on this ministry. Because ministry for all of us is the down and dirty, just like it was for Jesus. It's not gonna be pretty a lot of times. It's not going to set you on a pedestal. It's going to require you to go to places that you never thought you would go.
John Gunter:It's gonna require you to talk to people maybe you're not used to talking to. That's ministry. We need to take the good news to all the world. Amen?