Introduction:
A. If you would humor me, I’d like to start with a little bit of “road” humor.
1. Why did the chicken cross the road? I don’t know, why? I don’t know—I asked you first!
2. What do you call a chicken crossing the road? Answer: Poultry in motion.
3. Why did the bubblegum cross the road? Answer: Because it was stuck to the chicken's foot.
4. Why did the rubber chicken cross the road? Answer: She wanted to stretch her legs.
5. Why did the clown cross the road? Answer: To get his rubber chicken!
6. Why did the fox cross the road? Answer: To look for the chicken.
7 So, If you’re on a hike and find a fork in the road, what do you do? Answer: Stop for lunch.
B. Most of us are familiar with Robert Frost’s famous poem called “A Road Less Traveled.”
1. In that poem, Frost describes two roads: one that is well-worn by much use and the other that “was grassy and wanted wear.”
2. The person in the poem took the road less traveled and it made all the difference.
C. As we explore today’s section from the Gospel of Mark, we will see that Jesus was traveling on the road to Jerusalem.
1. Jesus was on a physical road that had been traveled on by millions of people for centuries, but symbolically, He was forging a new path that had never been traveled by anyone before.
2. But since Jesus first blazed that new spiritual road, it continues to be the road less traveled.
3. Yet, Jesus calls you and me to follow Him, to walk in His steps down the road less traveled.
D. Today, as we walk with Jesus as He headed toward Jerusalem, we will be taught several important lessons about following Jesus on the road to Jerusalm – the road less-traveled.
I. Jesus’ Prediction (Mk. 10:32-34)
A. Mark began this section with the words: 32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid. (Mk. 10:32a)
1. Aren’t you amazed by the way the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to reveal the life of Jesus with such vivid images and deep emotions?
2. Almost as a matter of fact, Mark informs us that Jesus, along with His disciples and a crowd of followers, were on the road heading toward Jerusalem.
3. Can you picture the procession? Jesus was in the lead, followed by His disciples and the crowd.
4. Nothing seems unusual about the scene – I’m sure Jesus often walked ahead of the crowd.
5. Yet, there must have been something special about the way Jesus was walking ahead of them that day.
6. Mark reports that the disciples were astonished and those who followed him were afraid.
7. Jesus’ disciples and the crowd with Him knew where He was going and knew why He was going there – that’s why some were amazed and others were fearful.
8. There must have been something about the way Jesus was walking ahead of them that day that communicated determination and resolve, courage and calmness.
9. Knowing that He was heading toward suffering and death didn’t weigh Him down, His steps didn’t become heavy, He didn’t fall behind the crowd, and didn’t have to be dragged along.
B. Then Mark tells us: Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. 33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.” (Mk. 10:32b-34)
1. This is the 3rd time in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection.
2. Jesus’ first prediction came in Mark 8 and He simply said that he would be rejected, killed, and raised on the third day.
3. Jesus’ second prediction came in Mark 9 and there He added that this would all be the result of a betrayal.
4. In this third prediction, all the details were now communicated: It will take place in Jerusalem, He will be betrayed, condemned by the Sanhedrin, transferred to a Roman court, be subjected to mocking, spitting, and scourging, then be crucified and then resurrected on the 3rd day.
5. For a Jew, the ultimate disgrace was to be rejected by your own people and then to be humiliated by the Gentiles.
C. Thankfully, none of us will ever face all that Jesus faced in His “Jerusalem,” but as we follow Jesus, all of us will have to face a “Jerusalem” of our own.
1. I pray that all of us will face our “Jerusalem” with the courage and determination that Jesus faced His.
2. I pray that we won’t allow fear to keep us back in quiet “Galilee.”
3. I pray that we will be willing to exit our comfort zones and risk failure or risk being labeled as a fanatic or extremist by others.
4. Jesus calls each of us to follow Him to “Jerusalem” – to take up our cross and follow Him, losing our life in order to save it.
5. Our difficult, less-traveled road to “Jerusalem” may involve loving the unlovable or serving our enemy.
6. Our difficult, less-traveled road to “Jerusalem” may involve carrying challenging spiritual responsibilities or faithfully developing our spiritual gifts - learning how to serve, teach, or evangelize.
7. Our difficult, less-traveled road to “Jerusalem” may involve battling against life-long economic difficulties or chronic ill-health or persistent sin and addiction.
8. The borderline between Galilee and Jerusalem is the most important borderline in life.
a. It tests the reality of our profession and shows our commitment to trust in the Lord.
b. To take the road less-traveled means pain, effort, and sacrifice, but it is the only road that leads to peace, blessing and fulfillment.
c. Incidentally, even secular researchers have discovered that those who give and serve are more happy and fulfilled than those who don’t – that’s how God has created us.
II. The Apostles’ Petition (Mk. 10:35-45)
A. Interestingly enough, each of the three passion predictions given by Jesus are followed by an inappropriate rebuke or request from one of the three disciples from Jesus’ inner circle.
1. Peter rebuked Jesus after the first announcement of His suffering and death.
2. John spoke up after the second prediction and told Jesus that he had stopped a man who was exorcising demons in Jesus name because he man wasn’t an apostle.
3. And now, following the third prediction, we will see the request of James and John.
4. Keep in mind that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and His mind was on the cross, but these two disciples who were traveling with Him had their minds on something far different.
B. Mark tells us: 35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them. 37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.” (Mk. 10:35-37)
1. In some respects, it’s hard to imagine the audacity and presumptuous nature of the request of James and John – how could they ask such a thing?
a. But on the other hand, we can all likely relate to wanting to be chosen first, or to get the seat of honor, or to be the first to call the front seat of the car.
2. What James and John said to Jesus is like going up to the bank manager and saying, “I want you to give me as much money as I ask for, okay?”
a. Or can you imagine praying to God saying, “Dear God, I want you do to exactly what I tell you to do”?
3. In Matthew’s account, he tells us that James and John’s mother came with her sons and actually made the request on their behalf.
a. It’s not hard to imagine how a mother would want the best for her sons and that both sons and their mother were involved in the plan and the plea.
4. How sad that all they could think of was earthly power and honor, while all Jesus was thinking of was His approaching self-sacrifice and humiliation.
a. What James and John were saying was, “When your seated on your throne, we want the positions on your right and your left.”
b. We would like to be your prime minister and chief of staff.
c. Although their request assumes that either of them would be satisfied with either position, the fact is that a battle would follow and one would likely feel better about their position than the other – for sitting on the right hand is better than sitting on the left.
C. Amazingly, Jesus did not rebuke them, rather He handled them gently but clearly.
1. Mark wrote: 38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We are able,” they told him. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. 40 But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” (Mk. 10:38-40)
2. They truly didn’t know what they were asking for or what the cost entailed.
3. Jesus spoke to them about the cup and about a certain kind of baptism.
a. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the cup is almost always a metaphor for the just judgment of God against evil and the word baptism conveys the idea of being immersed either literally or figuratively.
b. Jesus was about to drink the cup of suffering, sorrow and shame and Jesus was about to be immersed in death itself.
c. You will recall that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that the cup might pass from Him, but in the end Jesus submitted to God’s will and drank the cup and underwent the baptism.
4. James and John foolishly answered immediately, “We can drink the cup and undergo the baptism. Sure, Jesus, bring it on. No problem! Piece of cake!”
a. Jesus confirmed that they would indeed experience those things.
b. James was the first apostle to die and Acts 12 tells us that he was beheaded by King Herod.
c. John was the last of the apostles to die after being exiled to a criminal settlement on the island of Patmos.
5. But in spite of their suffering and faithfulness, Jesus said that those positions of honor were not His to give away, but were reserved for those for whom it has been prepared by the Father.
D. As you could have predicted, when word got out that James and John were conspiring for the top positions in Jesus’ kingdom, the other ten apostles became indignant – including Peter!
1. They were likely upset because they also wanted those positions and hadn’t acted first.
2. Mark wrote: 41 When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:41-45)
3. Put yourself in Jesus’ position…He was on His way to Jerusalem and He would be on the cross in a little over a week.
a. This problem among His disciples could destroy all the work done up until this point.
4. So, Jesus called everyone together and addressed the problem immediately.
a. Jesus started with a discussion of the standard use and abuse of power by the Gentiles – which must have really hit home because they were living under Roman oppression.
b. The Gentiles used their power to “lord it over them as tyrants, but Jesus said the same would not be with them – “But it is not so among you!”
5. Jesus was explaining that the kingdom of God wasn’t going to be about positions of power and people ranking over each other.
a. No, the greatest in God’s kingdom are going to be those who serve – whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.
b. Here we go again, it is the same song, second verse – in the last chapter Jesus made the same point when they were arguing about who was the greatest and He corrected them saying: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (9:35)
c. The title of the greatest is awarded to the person who serves others the most.
6. This is so backwards and upside down from the world we live in and what is natural to humans.
a. It’s so easy to be worldly and to get wrapped up in our elevated positions, and how it makes us look, and what other people think, and about what we are going to get.
7. But then comes the clincher: Jesus pointed to Himself as the greatest example: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
a. Jesus came not to be served but to die as a ransom for everyone.
b. This sets Jesus apart from the founder of every other major religion.
c. Their purpose was to live and to be an example, but Jesus’ purpose was to die and be a sacrifice.
d. Jesus came as a ransom for many – He was a substitutionary sacrifice.
e. We think of paying a ransom in the case of a kidnapping, in Jesus’ day the ransom had to do with buying the freedom of a slave or a prisoner.
f. The ransomer would make a huge sacrificial payment that matched the value, or paid the debt of a slave or prisoner in order to procure his or her freedom.
8. We are saved by His sacrifice, but we bring Him glory and honor when we follow in His footsteps and follow His example of serving rather than being served.
a. Jesus took the “road less-traveled” to “Jerusalem” and we must do the same.
III. Bartimaeus’ Plea (Mk. 10:46-52)
A. Mark had one more story to tell before Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
1. Mark wrote: 46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. (10:46)
2. Mark sets the scene by saying that Jesus was leaving Jericho and was on the last leg of His journey to Jerusalem, just 15 miles away.
3. Passover was approaching and the road was already jammed with pilgrims chanting on their way to Jerusalem.
4. Alongside the road was a crowd of locals who might travel to Jerusalem later – they were parade watchers, curiosity seekers, and those who were too poor, sick or handicapped to make the journey – including at least one blind man named Bartimaeus.
B. Mark wrote: 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” (Mk. 10:47-48)
1. Being blind, Bartimaeus could hear the procession but could not see who was passing by.
2. When someone told him that Jesus was passing by, blind Bartimaeus saw something that no one else saw and he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
a. The phrase “Son of David” was a Messianic designation and was synonymous with “Son of Man” which Jesus often called Himself.
b. For the first time, Jesus was being publicly called the Son of David, and whether Bartimaeus knew it or not, He was introducing Jesus to Jerusalem and starting the song that would carry Jesus into Jerusalem in the triumphal entrance.
3. Bartimaeus’ cries were an embarrassment and an irritation to those around him and they tried to silence him, but it was counterproductive, because they more they tried to silence him the louder he cried out.
a. Incidentally, we must realize that there will always be someone who will try to suppress our testimony and our zeal for the Lord, but we must not let them stop us!
C. Praise God that the cries of Bartimaeus stopped Jesus in His tracks.
1. Mark wrote: 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” (Mk. 10:49-51)
2. We might have presumed that Jesus’ healing ministry was over and that all His attention would be focused on His suffering and death.
3. But His determined journey to Jerusalem was interrupted by the cry of a needy man for mercy.
4. Here we see Jesus practice the very lesson He just got through teaching and that is that He is ultimately a great servant.
5. Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him.
a. Those around Bartimaeus said: “Cheer up, Jesus is calling you.”
b. I wonder if for an instant Bartimaeus thought it was a cruel hoax, but he had no place to go but up, so he put his faith in Jesus and came to Him.
c. Mark added a detail that pointed to Bartimaeus’ faith by saying that he threw his cloak aside – this garment was likely used for catching coins people threw his way, but he was hopeful he wouldn’t need it anymore.
6. Jesus met the ready faith of Bartimaeus with an open-ended question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
a. Remember, not long before this incident James and John had asked Him to grant whatever they asked.
b. The difference between Bartimaeus’ answer and the disciples’ request is the difference between faith and ambition – faith asks for needs, ambition begs for wants.
7. Jesus exempted Himself from responding to the disciple’s selfish wants, but Jesus wasted no time meeting Bartimaeus’ desperate need.
a. Mark wrote: Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road. (Mk. 10:52)
b. This is the final miracle that Mark would record in his Gospel, but it is just as amazing and wonderful as all the rest – Jesus continued to do what was humanly impossible – with a word He instantaneously gave sight to a blind man.
c. Can you imagine Bartimaeus’ joy and his heart of gratitude?
d. He went from being an outcast, blind beggar to being a beloved follower of Jesus who could see.
D. We can learn many lessons from both Jesus and Bartimaeus.
1. From Bartimaeus, we learn lessons about persistence, faith, and gratitude.
2. From Jesus, we learn to always listen for the cries of those in need.
a. We must never be too busy to take the time to meet the need of the moment.
b. Jesus lovingly and humbly served whoever was in need from the least to the greatest.
Conclusion:
A. As we bring this sermon to a close, I hope that we will fix in our minds and hearts this picture of Jesus, our Lord and Savior on the uphill and rugged road to Jerusalem.
1. He knew what this road less-traveled had in store for Him, yet He did not shrink back from it.
2. Jesus calls us to follow Him on this road less-traveled that includes a cross and a servants towel and basin.
3. Jesus has shown us what true greatness is all about – it’s about loving and serving.
B. I want to end with a story about a man named Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf.
1. He was a German nobleman who was born into great power and privilege.
2. He loved from 1700 to 1760 and was one of the founders of the Moravian church.
3. Over the years, Nicholas spent his wealth down to practically zero doing good deeds and pouring himself out for others.
4. What was it that had caused him to put aside his power and privilege and to serve others?
5. When he was 19 years old, he was sent to visit the capital cities of Europe in order to complete his education.
6. One day he found himself in the art gallery of Dusseldorf gazing at Domenico Feti’s famous painting called Ecce homo, which is a portrait of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.
7. This image of the suffering Lord captivated Nicholas and wouldn’t let him go.
8. Underneath the painting, the artist had penned an inscription – they are words that Jesus might say to all of us: “All this I did for thee; what doest (do-est) thou for me?”
9. Nicholas took that question to heart and lived out his answer by serving others in Jesus’ name.
C. Like Nicholas ZinZendorf, the apostle Paul really got it and expressed it this way: 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
1. I pray that all of us are compelled by Christ’s love and His sacrifice.
2. I pray that we are compelled to give our lives to Him and to serve like He served.
3. All the while trusting that God’s power can make us what we ought to be as we travel on the road to Jerusalem – the road less-traveled.
Resources:
• Truth for Today Commentary: Mark 1-8 and 9-16, Martel Pace, Resources Communications.
• On the Road to Jerusalem, Sermon by David Owens
• Mark – Be Diligent, The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe, Victor Books.
• Mark, The Communicator’s Commentary, David McKenna
• Jesus the King, by Timothy Keller, Riverhead Books, 2011
