Mark-Lesson 15...Continued from page 5
Thomas Klock
DAY SIX
Following Christ
So much is contained in Mark 10 that we might have missed if we didn’t slow down to take a more intense look at it. This week we can see several things that apply to our lives in general, and no doubt you took home something that spoke to your life personally. Think about the following questions, record your thoughts, and share your answers with your group so you can help build each other up in Christ.
1. Amazement and fear often are intertwined with each other. Jesus no doubt shocked His men with the news of His coming suffering. Yet without this suffering there is no hope for us to escape the penalty of our sins. Sometimes though fear will short-circuit our logic and keep us from effectively following Christ. What are some things that you have found helpful in dealing with fears in your own life, real or imagined? What is it that makes you the most fearful, something that you dread? Please read the following truths that Oswald Chambers shared, then record your thoughts:
At the beginning we were sure we knew all about Jesus Christ, it was a delight to sell all and to fling ourselves out in a hardihood of love; but now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is on in front and He looks strange. “Jesus went before them: and they were amazed.”
There is an aspect of Jesus that chills the heart of a disciple to the core and makes the whole spiritual life gasp for breath. This strange Being with His face set like a flint and His striding determination strikes terror into me. He is no longer Counsellor and Comrade, He is taken up with a point of view I know nothing about, and I am amazed at Him. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize there is a distance between Jesus Christ and me; I can no longer be familiar with Him. He is ahead of me and He never turns round; I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely far off.
Jesus Christ had to fathom every sin and every sorrow man could experience, and that is what makes Him seem strange. When we see Him in this aspect we do not know Him, we do not recognize one feature of his life, and we do not know how to begin to follow Him. He is on in front, a Leader Who is very strange, and we have no comradeship with Him.
The discipline of dismay is an essential necessity in the life of discipleship. The danger is to get back to a little fire of our own and kindle enthusiasm at it (cf. Isaiah 50:10-11). When the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come that following of Jesus which is an unspeakable joy.[xiv]
2. We are surprised that James and John would have the audacity to ask Jesus to make them number two men in His coming Kingdom. The other ten disciples were upset by this, probably because they hadn’t thought of it first! We must remember that there is nothing wrong in seeking to have a place of leadership in the kingdom; “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1, nkjv). But Jesus’ definition of a leader is to be a servant, to deny one’s self and humbly serve others. Talk about the opposite of the world’s definition! How did this strike you personally? Do you think you fit Jesus’ definition of a leader, or are you seeking to be preeminent over others? Share your thoughts here.
In order to obey our Lord we must accumulate all possible circumstances to reinforce the right motive. It is easy to sit in a drawing-room and think about the terrible condition of things in the world, and pray and sentimentalise over it to further orders;? but Jesus says, “?I have given you an example, that you should go and do to others what I have done to you.?” If all Jesus Christ had done was to have sat before His Father’s throne and prayed for us, we would have been exonerated for leaving things undone, but He has given us an example to follow. Never allow that your circumstances exonerate you from obeying any of the commands of Jesus. The lessons which have to be repeated are those we have not bothered our heads to learn.[xv]
3. "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." (Mark 10:49, niv). What a great way to close out our study this week. Jesus is calling for you; it is time for you to leap up, arise from your state of spiritual deadness and come to life, get on your feet and serve and honor the one who alone healed us from our most deadly disability, sin. What will you do with the advice the crowd gave the poor blind beggar that day?
When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17, tlb)
Scripture Memory: Hopefully you now can write out this week’s passage completely by memory. Do so now, and keep on reviewing it so you will be ready to share it with others in your group time.
Mark 10:45:
[i] Larry W, Hurtado, Mark. In W. Ward Gasque ed., New International Biblical Commentary New Testament, Vol. 2 (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1983, 1989), p. 175.
[ii] James A. Brooks, Mark. In David S. Dockery ed., The New American Commentary Vol. 23 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), p. 166.
[iii] John D. Grassmick, Mark. In John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament (Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, 1983), p. 152.
[iv] John D. Grassmick, Mark., p. 152.
[v] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1932, 1933, 1997).
[vi] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1 (Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, Inc., 1989), p. 147.
[vii] Unless elsewhere noted, all Greek word/phrase translations are based on the following: A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1932, 1933, 1997); James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order, Electronic Edition (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996); M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2002); Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1984, 1997); and Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, Electronic Edition (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1992, 1993, 2000).
[viii] John D. Grassmick, Mark., p. 154.
[ix] James A. Brooks, Mark. In David S. Dockery ed., The New American Commentary, Vol. 23 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), p. 172.
[x] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1, p. 148.
[xi] John D. Grassmick, p. 155.
[xii] J.H. Charlesworth, The Son of David: Solomon and Jesus. In Peder Borgen and Soren Giverson eds., The New Testament and Hellenistic Judaism (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1995), p. 79-87.
[xiii] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1984, 1997).
[xiv] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year(March 15th) . Discovery House Publishers: Grand Rapids, 1935, 1993.
[xv] Oswald Chambers, Biblical Ethics (Haunts, U.K.: Marshall, Morgan, & Scott, 1947; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).
© 2006 by Harvest Christian Fellowship. All rights reserved. Written by Thomas Klock for Men’s Bible Fellowship, 2005-2006.
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