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Home , Mark 10

Servant, Savior, Mark 10:45

For the past year, we have been reading and studying the of Mark. This morning I want to summarize the entire book in less than 25 words. I like short summaries. When I pick up a book I read the blurb to get the author or editor’s summary of the contents. Though I rarely use CliffNotes or SparkNotes, they are good alternatives for summaries and study guides for books that are very long or difficult to understand.

Right now, my favorite book summaries are by John Atkinson, a Canadian cartoonist who sums up some of the great works of literature with a drawing of the book and a few-word synopsis. For instance, His summary of Moby Dick is, “Man versus whale; whale wins.” War and Peace: “Everyone is sad, it snows.” The Canterbury Tales: “Medieval version of 99 bottles of beer.” Macbeth: “Old ladies convince a guy to ruin Scotland.” Pride and Prejudice: “Girl hates wealthy aristocrat; wait, no she doesn’t.”

I’ll get to my summary of Mark in a moment. But first, I don’t know what your favorite gospel is, but for 40 years, Mark has been my go-to gospel when I want to talk about with others, Christian or non-Christian. It’s short and easy to follow. It is unique in that it is much more about what Jesus does than what He teaches.

One of Mark’s favorite words is immediately. He uses it 39 times. To us, that word implies a sense of urgency and quick action (like when you feel you’re about to throw up, you immediately rush to the bathroom). Mark uses the word immediately to let us know there is a divine purpose for everything that occurred in Jesus’ life. Every event, every miracle, and every move He makes are all linked together as one immediately follows another. In fact, Mark packs 18 of Jesus’ miracles into 16 chapters (John only records seven in his gospel). And if you remember, two of Jesus’ 18 miracles include spit. That’s why I liked teaching Mark to junior high boys who always seem to be interested in spit and have plenty of it.

If Mark is my go-to gospel then Mark 10:45 is my go-to verse. It not only sums up the book of Mark, it sums up the person and work of our Savior. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” And it’s with this verse that I want us to take one final look at the this morning. I want us to remember what Jesus says about Himself and what it means to us. Here is the context.

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45

When Jesus says these things, He is about to enter riding on a donkey while people shout and sing, “Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” All of His healing miracles, save one, are over and done. He’s just told His disciples that He will be delivered into the hands of the chief priests and scribes; they will condemn Him to death and turn Him over to the Romans. He will be mocked, spit on, and whipped, and put to death. All that will happen within the week of the hosannas. Right before Jesus says that He didn’t come to be served but to serve, two of His disciples, James and John, asked Him a favor. “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking …”

Never underestimate our ability to be insensitive. Jesus had just told them He was going to be put to death, and these two disciples want something. I’d compare their request to a kid asking his dad, who’s just told all his children he has but a few weeks to live, to make sure that he gets the lion’s share of the inheritance and his dad’s vintage 57’ Chevy.

We live in a first come, first serve world. These two brothers want to be first. Matthew tells us their mom put them up to it and that she did the asking. She is like a sports mom who tells her sons, “Hey boys. Go tell the coach you want more playing time. Never mind, I’ll do it myself!” Jesus responds by telling them, “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

I wonder how often we ask to do something for us without understanding what all is involved; what we must go through to gain what we’re requesting or what burden we will bear when God grants it. Jesus had just told His disciples, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

It’s no surprise that their request stirs up contention. The other ten want to punch them in the face. I can see why. They’re smoked because they wished they’d have asked first. They had just been arguing about which of them was the greatest (:33-34). Jesus uses their sour mood as a teachable moment. He tells them, “If you want to be the head honcho, you need to be the errand boy. If you want to be the VIP you must be the VHS (very humble servant).” The path to greatness in God’s kingdom as well as the church, isn’t through bossing people around, but though serving them.

That is the opposite of how earthly politics work. Rulers, even elected ones, at every level tell others what to do and how things are going down. They are the boss. They make the rules. “They lord it over them.” It happens all the time in government, and we’ve seen it this year in how those in power enact rules that fit their viewpoints as they have issued conflicting proclamations and mandates concerning where and when to wear face masks.

This also occurs in the church. Christians in leadership roles may push their agendas and push people to follow them. It isn’t supposed to be this way. According to Christ, greatness isn’t won by a popularity contest or gained by vote. It’s not determined by how many listen to your sermons, buy your book or follow your blogs. Jesus says it comes through serving; seeing a need and meeting it without a thought of being noticed, commended, applauded, promoted, or even given a thank you. The best advice on serving others is this: “Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due when it’s in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27.

Mark lets us know how Jesus served others with a hands-on approach. He healed the sick. He cast demons out of the oppressed. He fed hungry people. He calmed storms and fears. He did not play favorites or discriminate. His compassion was directed toward everyone; men, women, children, Jew, , the healthy, the sick, the rich, the poor, the scholars and those with little education. Here are seven examples of how Jesus served others. 1. The healing of the paralytic let down through the roof (). Kudos to this guy’s buddies to go to this length of friendship and cut a hole in someone’s roof to get him to Jesus. But before He heals him, Jesus says, “My son, your are forgiven.” The scribes think Jesus is way out of line, but He asks them which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven or rise, take up your pallet and walk?” Then to let them know He has authority to forgive sins, He tells the paralyzed man to rise and walk. Depending on the situation, we may ask, “Who is in charge?” Throughout His miracles, Jesus lets us know that wherever He goes, whatever He does, whatever He says (““Your sins are forgiven”), He is the one in charge. He has authority over all creatures and all creation.

2. The healing of the man with the withered hand (). This is one of the few times that we are told Jesus gets angry. The are watching Him to see if He will heal a man with a deformed hand on the Sabbath. Jesus asks them if it’s lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath, but they don’t answer him. And Mark tells us that Jesus is both angry and grieved at the hardness of their hearts. And even though they won’t answer, He heals the man. Therein lies the danger of man-made religious rules: They will eventually get in the way of living by faith, following Christ, and understanding what is good.

3. The calming of the storm on the Sea of (). At least four of his disciples were seasoned fisherman, yet the fury of this storm on the scared the socks off of all 12 men, even with Jesus in the boat. Jesus, on the other hand, was asleep as it stormed. As they woke Him, they asked why He didn’t seem to care that they were perishing. He responds by telling the winds to hush and asks them why they are so timid. And maybe for the very first time, because of their fear and His ability to silence a raging storm, the disciples begin to wonder about the divine nature of the One they are following.

4. The casting out of demons from the man among the tombs (). Jesus has demonstrated He has the authority to forgive sins and the authority to speak to creation to calm storms. And even though He has already cast out demons, what He does with this man who is possessed by a multitude of demons proves that He is stronger than the devil and all his fallen angels. He has authority over the powers of darkness and evil. Based on what happens with the pigs, think of what this man must of have been going through. Afterwards, he wants to follow Jesus, but Christ tells him to stay put and let his people know what great things the Lord has done for Him. We may not have the testimony of this man, but all of us can let our families, friends, neighbors know what Jesus has done for us.

5. The feeding of the 5,000 men (). While this miracle shows the power of Jesus to feed and satisfy the hungry (and to feed and satisfy hungry souls), it begins by saying that Jesus felt compassion for the multitude for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Statements like that are made throughout the . They let us know that our Savior’s power to do the miraculous is always accompanied by His love and compassion for us.

6. The healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (). This woman is a gentile. And when she asks Jesus to cast a demon out of her daughter, He says that it’s not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. Now that sounds rather insulting, but this woman persists and says that even dogs get the crumbs that children drop on the floor. Matthew tells us Jesus commends her faith. What He does for this woman shows that He is the servant and Savior not just of the Jewish people, but for all of mankind. 7. The healing of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10). This is one of two miracles in Mark that occur after His words in Mark 10:45. It is the final healing miracle. Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus for help, and just about everyone around him tells him to pipe down except for Jesus. Jesus tells us to come to Him, to ask, seek and knock. What a blessing to know that we can bring any and every need to our Lord, no matter what others tell us,

Here is my point: Everywhere Jesus goes His greatness is observed by the way He cares for the needs and wellbeing of those who seek Him. His authority is definitely evident in His teaching, but even more so in the manner in which He comes to the aid of those who call upon Him. Jesus doesn’t just tell us it is good to serve others, He demonstrate what it means. In fact, Paul tells us Jesus is the perfect example of what servanthood is all about.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant. Philippians 2:3-7

Jesus is our perfect example of what it means to serve God and others. We were created to serve God, not ourselves. That is clearly seen in Genesis 2. The word serve is used to describe Adam’s responsibility to care for the Garden of Eden. Throughout the , those who live by faith in the Lord are called His servants. One more thing: Serve is a worship word. Worship may take place in this room on Sunday mornings when we are all gathered together, but we are here for one hour of the week. We worship our Lord when we serve Him by serving others. And that is to be a daily occurrence, not once a week for an hour.

Also, we have been gifted to serve. We’re told that throughout the in places like Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. God has given each of us spiritual gifts so that we can serve others in special ways of giving, showing mercy, helping, teaching, encouraging, sharing wise counsel and the list of ministries goes on. I love it when someone asks me, “If there is anything I can do to help out around here?” But I love it even more when believers see a need and without a word find a way to help.

I call this the Clint Landis school of problem solving. Years ago, when I first became the principal of Cedar Valley Christian School, many people pointed out problems that needed “immediate” attention. It was a bit overwhelming. One day I saw Clint in the hallway and he told me that several of the bulbs in the emergency exit signs needed replacing and I said I would get someone on that right away. Clint looked at me puzzled and replied, “I’m not asking you to do anything. I’m just telling you I am here to replace the bulbs.” As I looked down the hallway, he had already set up a ladder to get to the first exit sign. He saw a need and knew how to find a way to help.

The apostle John, the very one who wanted to be a big cheese, tells us that right before Jesus went to the cross, He laid aside His robe, took a water basin and a towel and washed the feet of His disciples. But it’s the apostle Paul that lets us know what Jesus laid aside when He came to earth. He laid aside His equality with God the Father, His glorious nature and appearance, to serve us, to go to the cross to ransom us from slavery to .

What is your favorite name for Jesus? Sue has been creating crafts for this year’s VBS and she went looking for lists of the various names of Jesus. She found a couple of long lists that included Christ, Savior, Son of God, The Word made flesh, Immanuel, Lamb of God, Redeemer, The Good Shepherd, Lord, King of Kings and many more. It was curious that neither list contained the name He used most often of Himself: Son of Man.

When Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, some think He was making a statement about His human nature and maybe He was. But based on what He says to the in , “You shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven,” it seems that Son of Man is also a title, synonymous to or Christ, designating His authority and dominion to rule and reign over all.

And that brings me to the second part of what Jesus says in Mark 10:45. Jesus told His disciples the ends He would go to serve. The Son of Man, the one with the authority over all creation, will give His life as a ransom for mankind.

The first part of Mark, chapters 1-10, deals with how He served individuals in numerous ways (think of all those miracles). The second part of Mark, chapters 11-16, is about how He served us all in one way – as the ransom for our sins. This word, ransom, is a common term that Jesus used in an uncommon way. We hear the word ransom in the news when hostages are taken and some sort of payment is required for their release. Now days, due to computers, hackers can hold a gasoline pipe line hostage and demand a ransom to unlock the code to allow it to flow again.

In Jesus’ day, this word, λύτρον, was the term used for the money spent to set a slave free; to emancipate or liberate them. Λύτρον (ransom) comes from a simple Greek verb. It is the word λύω, which means to loose, or to untie. λύω is the first verb I learned to parse or conjugate in first-year Greek. At the time, I had no idea of the depth of meaning it’s derivative, λύτρον, had regarding the death of Jesus.

“A ransom for many.” The word “for” might be translated, “in the place of.” A few weeks ago, we read how the criminal, Barabbas, was set free, and Jesus, the one Pilate declared innocent, went to the cross. Likewise, Jesus was our substitute. It was His life for ours. The innocent for the guilty. In other words, He not only paid our ransom. He was our ransom. An old hymn sums it up well. “He was wounded for our transgressions. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. From our guilt He gave us peace, from our bondage gave release.”

Just as it is important to know that Jesus spoke of His death in terms of paying a ransom, it is important to know it didn’t happen by accident or take Him by surprise. He knew He would be crucified, and He knew He would rise from the dead. Take another look at some verses in Mark I put on the screen last Sunday.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, the scribes, be killed, and after three days rise again. :31

For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” Mark 9:31 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” Mark 10:34

But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Mark 14:28

Jesus knew the extent He would serve us and He didn’t keep it a secret from His disciples. He knew His role in God’s plan of redemption: He paid the ransom for our sins by dying for us on the cross. His death may have come at the hands of the Jewish leaders, Pilate, and the Roman soldiers, but it was ordained by God for our benefit; to atone for our sins, reconcile us with God, restore the blessing of eternal life and undo the curse upon creation

The curse of sin upon creation … The crown of thorns placed on His head showed Him bearing this curse. We all like gardens, but we live in world filled with thorns, weeds, and sand burrs. Such things are part of the curse of sin. When Jesus returns, He will set creation free from slavery to sin (Romans 8). In the meantime, we live among thorns, literal one and spiritual ones.

When I grew up, our back yard was the Realm of Sand Burrs. To make our yard more attractive, my Mom tried to grow iris in a few places around the house and my dad kept mowing them down before they bloomed. He claimed he couldn’t see them. His eyesight was bad, but not that bad. She got fed up, dug up the bulbs and threw them in the field by our house. Each spring after that, beautiful iris grew in that field. Even in a world of thorns and sand burrs, God has a way of allowing us to see the beauty of His creation; what it looked like at the beginning and will again one day. When we serve others in His strength and with His love, we show the world the beauty of His creation as He intended.

From one garden, Eden, death began to reign. In another garden, where Jesus was entombed, death was defeated. Mark makes sure like the other gospel writers to tell us Jesus rose from the dead. Last Sunday I said this: Just as Jesus’ is an essential part of the gospel, so is His resurrection from the dead. It reveals the power of God over death and assures us of Christ’s promise to give eternal life to all who trust in Him.

While we wait for our resurrection bodies, He has given us the power to serve Him in these mortal bodies. But we are to keep this truth in mind: Any desire to be great in God’s kingdom must be steered by a humility, a willingness, and a commitment to serve all others; no matter whom, when, where or what the cost. We must follow the example of Jesus. Here is a very serious application of it: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for fellow believers.” 1 John 3:16

I spoke on Mark 10 around Christmas and mentioned that from grade school through high school I played the French horn. I don’t miss it. Do you know why the French horn is a divine instrument? Because when a person blows into it, only God knows what comes out of it. I played in many bands and orchestras and in a lot concerts – and they always began the same way. The oboe or the first chair violin, the concert master, would sound an A, and section by section the rest of us tuned our instrument to that note. FYI: Just about every instrument can and will go out of tune and needs retuning. In Mark 10, the Lord sounds His A that we’re all to tune our instruments to. It’s the sound of servanthood.

We are not put on this earth to be served, but to serve. That is His A. And the question each of us have to ask ourselves is, “Am I tuning and retuning my instrument, my life, to His note?” It is the note of a servant willing to lay down His life for others.

There’s my synopsis of the Gospel of Mark. Go ahead and forget it. But please never forget Mark 10:45. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” That truth not only sums up the book of Mark, it sums up the person and work of the Lord Jesus; Servant, Savior, Son of Man.