Good morning everyone, our topic today is "…Jesus teaching his disciples…" I believe this was one of the biggest challenges that Jesus faced.
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus had the problem of how his message would be taken to the world in such a short timeframe of approximately 3½ years. Although a popular person, he could only cover small ground, and when you take into consideration that in Jesus’ day, there was no printed books, newspapers, internet or television coverage, the only option Jesus has, is to cement his message in people.
The stakes are high – for if Jesus fails in his disciple making, his teachings and his work would soon be forgotten, and his mission would be a failure.
Mankind would never have the chance of being made right with God if he failed.
You would think that Jesus would have looked for the Bill Gate’s, the Socrates, the William Shakespeare’s, or the David Copperfield’s – people with money, brains and talent.
However, Jesus chose to invest his message and ministry to twelve ordinary people – mostly fishermen.
They were twelve ordinary men who were to change the world.
And almost 2,000 years later, the name of Jesus has not been forgotten or lost – his message and his ministry still goes on.
Lets turn to Mark 6 and once again, look at how it all happened.
But as we look at the disciples, lets remember that they have long been gone, and now its up Jesus’ followers of today (that’s you and me) to continue spreading his message. So this isn’t a history lesson, and I’m certainly not up here to entertain you. Rather, this is an important message for you today.
Our passage this morning begins shortly after Jesus is rejected by the people in his home town Nazareth. Not only had Jesus been rejected in his home town, but as we saw last week in Mark 3, he has also been rejected by the nation’s leaders, because they attributed his miracles to him being demon possessed. "… He is possessed by Beelzebub…" they said, "…By the prince of demons he is driving out demons…"
There is a change of direction in Jesus ministry from this point. From here on we observe:
* Jesus performing miracles for the individual rather than the general public, although the public will often benefit as a result.
* Faith will now the basis Jesus heals people. The statement "…your faith has made you well…" will be heard often from this point onwards.
* And we also observe Jesus beginning to speak in parables.
Despite being rejected by the nation’s leaders, the people had not fully rejected him. The phrase "…like sheep without a shepherd…" is mentioned occasionally (Mat 9:36, Mark 6:34), because it showed the people were indecisive. They didn’t know whether they should follow the old leaders or this new one.
So Jesus still has a ministry, and undeterred by his rejection in the synagogue, he goes about teaching from village to village.
Lets pick up the story in v7 of Mark 6. Read Mark 6:7-13
And if we turn to Matthew 10 (which has a more detailed account), we will make some more observations about this mission:
Read Matt 10:5-10
Firstly, we see Jesus giving some Instructions for Mission…
In v5-6 of Matthew, Jesus imposes a
1. Territorial Limitation. Mat 10:5-6
2. Jesus specifically instructs the twelve to limit their ministry to Jews only.
This is a special mission for the disciples; to prepare them for their future ministry after Jesus’ ascension to heaven.
But what is said by Jesus at this moment, is intended for his disciples only, and should not be assumed to be applicable to everyone. Just because it is in the Bible, doesn’t mean it is for all people of all generations (although there are certainly lessons we can learn). In fact, in Luke 22:35-36 we see Jesus instructing Peter the opposite of what he is saying here.
After his death and resurrection, Jesus will give a new commissioning to his disciples, which will be for all present and future followers, and will have no territorial limitation. But for now, this mission will be specifically for them to their own people.
3. Jesus also gives instructions regarding the Nature of their work Mat 10:7, Mark 6:7,12
Their priority is to proclaim the message he has given them. This message is the same as when Jesus first started his ministry, which is recorded in Mark 1:14, where Jesus went about proclaiming – "…The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news…" So here, he instructs the disciples to do likewise.
He splits them into pairs, to go out to the surrounding towns. Whether this was for safety reasons, moral support, or to validate each others testimony, we can only speculate, but Jesus meets the latter by giving them authority to authenticate their message by performing miracles. Notice that key word authenticate – the miracles were only act as a back up to the message. The message was the priority.
They are also instructed to share what they had been given with others – "freely you have received, freely give". They had been given the message and the miracles, and they are to share it generously with others.
The Great Commission in Mathew 28, reflects a similar message, but makes no mention of authentication. The command being, to "…go and make disciples…"
3. Jesus also instructed them Not to be concerned about basic necessities of life. Mat 10:9-10
For this mission, he wants them to trust in God for daily provisions.
Jesus has a "do not take list" that he gives the Twelve. They are not to take gold, silver, travel bag, tunic, sandals, chauffeur, personal chef, or the executive secretary. The reason – v10 – is that the worker is worthy of his food. In this situation, God would prompt other people to support them for this ministry.
Once again, please realise that in Luke 22:35-36 that Jesus tells Peter to do the opposite – to take possessions. Some ministries are not to be run entirely on faith. Although trusting for daily provisions and commitment was still to be a key principle, as it also is today.
They were not to acquire anything along the way – they were to be totally committed to the mission, and not tied down with worldly concerns.
I hope you’ve got the picture so far – Jesus has a special mission, and the main aim is for the disciples to go and proclaim the good news, and in doing so, he is preparing them for future work. I hope you also realise by now, that not much as changed – we have a mission, and we are to take the message to others.
You may also notice that in Matthews account that the twelve are instructed NOT to take a staff, whereas in Marks account, they ARE instructed to take a staff. This appears a contradiction, but in Greek (the author’s language), three words are used for ‘staff’. Without getting into detail, in Greek, it makes perfect sense, but in English it appears a contradiction.
We must move on…
It is here that I would like to go slightly further than Mark goes, and look at Mat 10:16-28.
These were important instructions for the disciples back then, and I believe are crucial for us.
This is because they spell out how to meet rejection.
Instructions in View of Rejection - Mat 10:16-18
So we will continue reading from v16 of Matthew 10. (Mat 10:16-18, 22-28)
Regarding rejection, they are instructed:
1. Be wise, and pure. v16
They are going in as sheep against wolves. There is a negative connotation given, because of the rejection Jesus had already experienced. They must therefore use wisdom like the wisdom and cunning of a snake, but on the other hand, they are to be as innocent as doves.
2. They are to expect it. v17-18
Jesus warns them of coming trials. They are not to expect people to turn in masses at their preaching, but instead to expect widespread rejection. No celebrity status here.
He goes on to add that the rejection they experience now will continue into the distant future, since he makes references to the Gentiles even though the Gentiles aren’t included in the mission.
3.
Not only are they to expect rejection, they are to expect persecution. Paul mentions his sufferings in 2 Cor 16 – up to then he had been imprisoned frequently, received 39 lashes on 5 separate occasions, 3 times beaten with rods, stoned, constantly pursued, and the list went on. It was to be a fact of life for believers.
So we also shouldn’t be surprised, ashamed, or loose heart if it happens to us. In fact, we are to see it as a dangerous thing if all people speak well of us. Luke 6:26.
4. They are to… Stand firm - Proclaim message in spite what would happen to them – v22-25
They would be rejected on same basis as he was – If they were so bold to accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed, imagine what would accuse them of. (One thing I might add, - If they would crucify Jesus, imagine what they might do to his servants). They were to be on their guard regarding persecution, and in extreme circumstances, they should go somewhere else and start again. But they were not to give up.
Whatever your situation is, stand firm in proclaiming the message. Hardship, rejection and persecution are not to result in silence.
5.
6. They are to… Fear God not man – v26-31
Punishment inflicted by man was nothing compared to the punishment of God, who could put both body and soul in hell. Fear of man was therefore not to be an issue.
They were to boldly proclaim the message despite the dangers.
And since God is in control of all situations, they should have a different perspective on things when the going got tough.
Jesus wants his disciples to STAND in the situation they are in – however hard it may be.
Fulfillment
So, with these instructions in mind, the Twelve go out and fulfill Jesus’ commands.
It is at this stage that Mark recalls an important event that happened about this time - the death of John the Baptist.
Mark recorded earlier in chapter 1:14 that John had been arrested but gave no explanation. If we look at the rest of the verse, we see that the arrest of John was simply the signal for Jesus to commence his public ministry in Galilee.
No sooner was Herod rid of one troublesome prophet than he was confronted by another.
And with the twelve going in pairs to the cities around Galilee, it would have appeared Jesus was active in many places at once to Herod.
I do not want to spend any time looking at Herod, or the death of John, although later we will look at a lesson to be learned from this incident.
I will however, draw your attention to the disciples, who, still slow to understand, were quite effective.
Notice that it is Jesus’ name and not the names of the twelve had become well known. Jesus never set foot in Herod’s home town of Tiberias as far as we know, but the mission of the twelve had taken Jesus’ fame all over Galilee, so that his name was on every lip.
We also should be lifting up Jesus’ name, and not our own. As we see from this situation, it doesn’t take a great deal of understanding to do it.
Jesus feeds the five thousand - v34-45
We now come to a unique miracle – the only one recorded by all four gospels.
The purpose of this miracle is to train the twelve – although others will benefit as a result. Here, Jesus tries to teach them the about the ministry they will have, and his ability to provide for their needs.
So let’s read Mark 6:30-44
The situation is clear – there are lots of people, it is late in the day, and they would soon be hungry.
In John 6:6, it states that Jesus already had in mind what he was about to do, so he purposely asks Phillip about giving the crowd some food.
The reason why he asks Phillip the question, is because it is Phillips territory (John 1:43 – Philip was from Galilee). So knowing the territory as he does, Phillip informs him about the surroundings:
* That there is no food available in the area to sustain the crowd. (would have to go to surrounding countryside and villages – notice the plural – no one town had sufficient resources.).
* Even if there was food in the immediate area, they didn’t have the money to buy it.
Quite a dilemma.
To this, Jesus inquires about what food is available, to which the answer is 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
Jesus instructs them to separate into groups. Put them in ranks – 100’s, 50’s.
And as we read, he gave thanks, broke it, and the food kept coming and coming. In fact, there was enough food to satisfy everyone, and with plenty of leftovers.
What was Jesus trying to get across? I believe at least three things. Firstly:
1. They are responsible to feed the people
Here we can see the different reactions of the disciples and Jesus.
The disciples said, "…Send the people away…"
What they were really saying was, "…Get rid of them and let someone else worry about them…"
But Jesus’ response was, "…You give them something to eat..."
In effect, Jesus said, "These people are tired and hungry. We must do something about it… We are responsible. We are our brother’s keeper. We must worry about our brother’s needs…"
This is to be the nature of the ministry. While at this stage it is a physical one, later it will become a spiritual one. Here the people will be fed physically, later they will be responsible for feeding them spiritually, with the Word of God.
2. They must realise they are totally incapable of doing it themselves. John 6:5-9
Again, two different reactions:
3. The disciples, said:
"…that would take eight months of a man’s wage…"
They really meant "…Anything we have got is no use at all…"
But Jesus response was, "…What have you got?…"
What Jesus meant was, "Little in my hands is much".
John 6:9 tells us they had barley loaves. Barley loaves were the food of the poorest of the poor. Barley bread was the cheapest and the coarsest of all bread, and two fish. It did not seem much. But Jesus took it and worked wonders with it.
We may think that we have little of talent or substance to give to Jesus, but that is no reason to have a hopeless pessimism as the disciples had.
The one fatal thing to say is, "For all I could do, it is not worth my while trying to do anything".
If we put ourselves into the hands of Jesus, even with the smallest resources and talent, there is no telling what he can do with us and through us.
4. Jesus is also trying to get across to them, that they are to distribute what he provides.
It says in v41, "… Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people…"
Jesus is the provider, but there is an important role for them as dispensers. That role is to take the physical food and eventually the spiritual food, Gods word to the people.
It is their job to feed the flock, to take food to them, and not to let the flock look for their food. They are to recognise the needs of the people and act accordingly.
Freely they had received, freely they were to give.
Freely you have received, freely give.
Messiah’s Rejection of the Galilean’s to make him king
From here, the scene moves quickly – v45, Jesus immediately shuts up shop. In John 6:15, the reason being that the people were about to make Jesus king by force. (John 6:15).
Realising this, Jesus sends his disciples off to Bethsaida in their boat, dismisses the crowd and heads up into the hills to pray.
The Training through the Storm - v47-52
Lets carry on reading Mark 6:47-52 (4th watch = between 3-6am)
In v48, the disciples are in a dangerous situation on the Sea of Galilee. They are battling a strong wind and fatigue after spending nine hours in the water. They have only covered a few miles during that time.
As we have just read, it is during this time, they see Jesus walking on the water about to pass by them. They think he is a ghost, are terrified and cried out to him.
At this point Jesus comforts them – "…Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid…" he says. Once they realise it is Jesus, their fear is calmed.
Again, this is a teaching point for the disciples. They are to learn some lessons here. I would like to share four of the with you.
1. They have to call on him for help, especially when they were in danger of this kind. Maybe if they had never called out he would have passed by. But they did call out for help and he responded.
2. In Mathew’s account, Peter asks Jesus if he could step out on the water. Jesus tells him to come. Peter gets out and starts walking on water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could duplicate the miracle. But at some point, Peter turned his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind. When he saw the wind he became afraid and began to sink. The good thing for Peter (Mat 14:30) was that he cried out for help when he was beginning to sink, and did not wait until he was completely sunk.
Not only must you call on him for help; you should call out sooner rather than later.
3. They must start out in faith, and continually be walking in faith.
While getting out of the boat was the first great step of faith, the walk also required the same faith.
As in this story, whether we stand or sink depends on where we are looking. If we look to Jesus, we will never sink. Looking elsewhere will make us doubt.
4. They must realise that obedience does not automatically remove all obstacles.
Jesus commanded Peter to come but that did not mean the wind automatically ceased. Just because we obey Jesus’ commands doesn’t mean the obstacles magically disappear – they are just as big as ever.
Facing obstacles in our life does not mean we are outside Gods will or have misinterpreted his commands. Rather, we should continue in faith, and allow God to remove the obstacles.
4. They must depend on Jesus in all circumstances
If we look at the reactions of the Twelve, we see they were terrified when they saw Jesus. In v51-52 when Jesus climbed back into the boat, they were amazed, because they had not understood what had happened earlier when Jesus had tried to instruct them.
In Matthew 14:32, it tells us that the Twelve worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God".
This entire situation is an example of good theology but bad application. They have good theology – they clearly know who he is. "…Truly you are the Son of God...". What they have not learned is to depend on it, therefore it was a bad application.
While good theology is essential, good application is a must, in order to be effective.
I think that a lot of us could do a lot better in area, and I am very wary of my own shortcomings in this area.
When I first started work, I let myself be intimidated by other people’s opinions, and to my shame, I let some good opportunities go begging. Like the disciples, I was, in a sense, terrified at the surroundings. Rather, I should have been looking to Jesus, and depending on his power to keep me going.
I look for opportunities now, of which I believe there are plenty to exploit at this moment. For example, take the series on TV of "The Human Body". I purposely watch this and take mental notes on what the main evolutionary point they are putting across, and the points for creation. I spend the rest of the evening reflecting on this, and debate them over in my mind, preparing myself for the onslaught the next day in the smoko room, so I have some good words to say.
We had a great discussion on the first episode, where everyone but me seemed to agree with the theory where the baby in the womb goes through all the throes of the evolutionary stages, for example, the tail, the gills, etc. Early the next morning I woke up and couldn’t sleep, so I looked through one of my books, "The Lie Evolution" by Ken Ham, and discovered this belief was called the "Theory of Embryonic Recapitulation". At 5:45am, I got up, started the computer and spent the next 30 minutes downloading all I could on the Internet about the subject. I was excited as I went to work with this new knowledge, and even walked around with the printout in my pocket for the next ten days. Unfortunately for me, I was 24 hours too late, and the subject hasn’t arisen again. But if it ever does, I’ll be a bit more prepared.
The important thing, is that we look for the opportunities. And people, the opportunities are all around us. Prepare yourselves - think about the issues, look for the opportunities.
Lets work on good theology and good application. Lets look to Jesus, depend on him and not let anything terrify us, or hold us back.
Before I close, I would like to bring one point from the death of John the Baptist. There are many things we could learn, but in light of today’s subject, I want to leave you with one. (turn OHP off)
That is:
* Little worldly reward for some of God’s best servants.
An unjust imprisonment and a violent death were the last fruit that John the Baptist reaped in return for his labor. He sealed his testimony with his blood.
Stories like this are meant to remind us that for Christians, the best things are yet to come. Their rest, their crown, their wages, their reward are all on the other side of the grave.
Here in this world they must walk by faith and not by sight; and if they look for human praise they will be disappointed. Here in this life they must sow, and labor, and fight, and endure rejection, possibly even persecution; and if they expect a great earthly reward, they expect what they will not find.
But this life is not all. Heaven will make amends for everything. No eye has seen, no ear has heard the glorious things that God has prepared for those who love him. The value of real Christianity is not to be measured by the things seen, but by the things unseen.
But right now, it is all up to us. The apostles have been and gone.
The message and ministry has been passed to us, and it is our job to faithfully pass it. Last week, Ken stood up and talked about the funeral service of Charles Hodgkinson, and how one of his sons put a baton on the casket and challenged anyone who felt the call to live for Jesus as Charles did, to later come up and take hold of the baton. If you were there, would you have picked up the baton? I haven’t got a baton with me today, but I hope that in your heart, you accept the challenge, and take hold of the baton.
2000 years ago, Jesus recruited 12 ordinary people who took up the baton, and the world has never been the same. Freely they had received, freely they gave.
Let us consider the cost of being a true disciple, to step out further in faith, proclaim his name, and to serve. May his message and ministry never be far from our words and actions.
Jesus teaches his Disciples… Proclaim
Instructions for the Mission
1. Territorial Limitation. Mat 10:5-6
2. Limit ministry to Jews only.
3. Nature of their work. Mat 10:7, Mark 6:7,12
4. They are to declare the message "…the kingdom of Heaven is near…"
Preach repentance "…repent and believe…"
Authenticate
Share "…freely you have received, freely give…"
5. Not to be concerned about basic necessities of life. Mat 10:9-10
Do not take…
Do not acquire…
Jesus teaches his Disciples… Stand
Instructions in View of Rejection
1. Be wise, but be pure. Mat 10:16
Shrewd as snakes.
Innocence as doves.
2. To expect it. Matt 10:17-18
Expect rejection.
Expect persecution.
3. Stand firm. Mat 10:22-25
You will be rejected like the master was.
You should stand firm like the master did.
4. Fear God not men. Mat 10:26-28
Don’t be afraid
Boldly Proclaim
Jesus teaches his Disciples… Serve
(Jesus feeds the five thousand - v34-45)
1. They are responsible to feed the people
Disciples Response:
"…Send the people away…"
"…Get rid of them and let someone else worry about them…"
Jesus’ Response:
"…You give them something to eat..."
"…We must do something about it. We are responsible…"
2. They must realise their incapability of doing it themselves
Disciples Response:
"…that would take eight months of a man’s wage…"
"…Anything we have got is no use at all…"
Jesus’ Response:
"…What have you got?…"
"…Little in my hands is much…"
3. They are to distribute what he provides.
"… Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people…"
Jesus is the provider "…Freely you have received…"
Disciples are the dispensers. "…Freely give…"
Jesus teaches his Disciples… Depend
(The Training through the Storm - v46-53)
1. They have to call on him for help
Call out or he may pass by
Call out sooner rather than later
2. They must start out in faith, and continually walk in faith.
3. They must realise that obedience does not remove all obstacles.
4. They must depend on Jesus in all circumstances
Good theology required
Good application required.
