Jesus, the Rabbi
(Mark 6:1-13)
1. Jewish Rabbis often play the role of settling disputes.
A poor Jewish man finds a wallet with $700 in it. At his synagogue, he reads a notice stating that a wealthy member has lost his wallet and is offering a $50 reward to anyone who returns it. Quickly he locates the owner and gives him the wallet.
The rich man counts the money and says, "I see you have already taken your reward." The poor man responds, "What are you talking about?" The wealthy man continues, "This wallet had $750 in it when I lost it."
The two men begin arguing, and eventually they come before the Rabbi. Both men present their case. The poor man first, then the wealthy man who concludes by saying, "Rabbi, I trust you believe me." The Rabbi says, "Of course." The rich man smiles, and the poor man is devastated. Then the Rabbi takes the wallet out of the wealthy man's hands and gives it to the poor man who found it.
"What are you doing?" the rich man yells angrily. The Rabbi responds, "You are, of course, an honest man, and if you say that your missing wallet had $750 in it, I'm sure it did. But if the man who found this wallet is a liar and a thief, he wouldn't have returned it at all. Which means that this wallet must belong to somebody else. If that man steps forward, he'll get the money. Otherwise, it stays with the man who found it."
"What about my money?" the rich man asks. "Well, we'll just have to wait until somebody finds a wallet with $750 in it!"
2. The modern Rabbi plays a very different role from rabbis in Jesus’ day, who were also called “teachers of the Law.”
3. In Jesus’ day, hundreds of rabbis roamed the countryside with their bands of disciples. Being a rabbi was not a vocation, one supported himself in a trade and then took weeks or months off to train others, eventually returning to work.
4. Most devout Jewish men would take time off to follow a rabbi, usually for weeks or months. If a married disciple planned to leave home to follow a rabbi more than 30 days, he could only do so with the permission of his wife.
5. The main job of a disciple was to literally memorize his rabbi’s teaching, and then, in time, to repeat and share that teaching with others.
6 The reason for similarities between portions of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
7. Disciples would have a study partner, called a haver, or haverim for plural.
8. After being trained, these disciples would go to villages to share the rabbi’s teaching in the more remote places, while the rabbi himself would speak in the larger villages.
9. The Jews were trained to offer hospitality to rabbis and their disciples as they traveled., thus they depended upon this ethic as they journeyed.
10. It was not at all unusual for a man to leave his work and family and follow a rabbi for training for a period of time, depending upon the hospitality of strangers.
Main idea: Jesus did what others rabbis did, only in more powerful ways; yet ministry is only effective when people have receptive hearts.
I. Like Other Rabbis, Jesus Taught and Ministered, But in a More POTENT Way (1-6)
• Background to Nazareth (Netzer)
A. Hometown: familiarity breeds CONTEMPT (1-4)
1. What we can surmise: Jesus family
2. Had not travelled with notable rabbis – process vs. result
3. Although in our day some people dote on their children who run the home, it is more natural to undervalue their capabilities and skills
4. Everyone has “human capital” —because you know them does not reduce
B. He worked few MIRACLES there as a judgment for their unbelief (5)
1. Was Jesus dependent upon their faith? I think not.
2. Jesus worked miracles by permission of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit; the Father withheld Jesus from miracle working — act of judgment
3. Faith is not our God, God is; faith or disbelief is our response toward God
4. Short version, power from faith; whole truth, power comes from God who honors faith… big difference
C. They MARVELED at his teaching, he at their UNBELIEF (6a)
• One of the main ways people were to identify Messiah was by his teaching
D. But he continued to minister to those who were RECEPTIVE (6b)
Therein lies the key to a right philosophy of ministry… work with the willing, leave the others behind, praying that one day they, too, will be willing…
II. Like Other Rabbis, Jesus Trained and Sent Off His Disciples — But With More POWER
A. He sent HAVERIM (study partners) together (7)
• When you study together, you build bonds; fellowship = in common (Bible)
B. Like other disciples, they were to use the HOSPITALITY ethic Jews were taught to exercise toward disciples (8-11)
• Not receiving hospitality would be a great insult and may not have happened
C. Their message was like John the Baptist’s: PREPARE for the Messiah (12)
• They did not yet understand the atoning work of Jesus and his resurrection
D. They enjoyed a SUPERNATURAL ministry, unlike other disciples (13)
• This was God’s way to make the point that the Messiah had come
• They had authority to raise the dead, but did not at this time (Peter, Paul)
Application: We are to be like other people, but if we walk with the Lord, there will be something special about us; we won’t have to contrive or manufacture it.
III. Most People Did Not Respond to Jesus Because Their Hearts Were HARD
A. Did Jesus know what he was DOING?
1. Was Jesus a competent rabbi? Yes.
2. Were the 12 mostly faithful disciples? Yes
B. Evangelism and ministry are not MECHANICAL
C. People are not ROBOTS
• Your children, spouse, friends, relatives cannot be programmed
D. It takes a work of God to make a person RECEPTIVE to the true God
E. Our job: to FAITHFULLY serve and work with those who RESPOND
Application: Are we responders, or like those left behind? If we have not grown much in the last 5 or 10 years, we need to fast, pray, humble ourselves before God, grieving. And then we need to READ THE WORD and implement it in our lives.
