Great Lessons from the Life of Christ #4
Jesus Was Just Different
(Mark 2:13-3:6)
If I asked you, or any group of Christians to describe Jesus, what would I hear - I would hear words like gracious, loving, compassionate, perfect.
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Do you think anyone would describe Jesus as scandalous, or contentious, or egregious? Read the gospels - that is exactly the way the religious folks in the first century would have described Jesus, because it seemed that everywhere He went a scandal ensued, a problem arose.
Of course, His followers were accused of the same thing. In Acts 17 we are told that they “turned the world upside down.” – the truth is they were trying to turn it right side up, but when you challenge the moral and religious culture of your day as they did, there will always be problems.
I have read and re-read Mark 2:13 – 3:6, and there are a series of events that take place over a seemingly series of days, all of which involve Jesus and each of which result in a controversy and a clash with the religious crowd – because the religious crowd have a real issue with Jesus and what He is doing.
Bottom line – everywhere Jesus went, a scandal seemed to follow. And here are the four things I see in this text, and while this will be a broad overview of this text, there are just some things that are obvious and are lessons for us.
• Jesus chose people that no one else would have chosen. (This one we have already seen, but we have to mention it again).
• Jesus hung out with folks that religious people or leaders would not have hung out with.
• Jesus challenged the religious customs and traditions of His day.
• Jesus often offended the religious crowd in order to meet the needs of others.
We will cover a lot of ground in this text, but there is a picture painted of Jesus in these events that we need to see and apply to our lives.
Jesus did choose people no one else would have chosen - He chose Matthew.
We have already seen this in the choosing of Peter, Andrew, James and John, but even more so now in the choosing of Matthew.
Before looking at His choosing Matthew, let me ask a simple question: What is a disciple of Jesus? We use the word Christian much more than the word “disciple,” but that word disciple is the word most often used to describe followers of Jesus.
Vs. 14 - Jesus said to Matthew “follow Me” – that is exactly what a disciple is – one who follows Jesus – one who decides, who commits, resolves to be like, act like, live like, love like, talk like, serve like Jesus.
Matthew becomes a follower – but when you realize who he is, he is a follower most would not have chosen, because of what he does for a living. Matthew is a tax collector…a man who collected money for the Roman government. In the eyes of Jews a traitor. In the eyes of everyone else, a crook. Rome just wanted their money and gave certain men the power to collect it – how a tax collector got it or how much extra he charged was of no concern to Rome.
Here is what I want to say – Jesus was not concerned about who Matthew had been or who he was. Following Jesus is all about who you want to be and who you will become. That has never and will never change. For each of us – following Jesus is about who we become…about who we will allow Him to change us into. Has nothing to do with your past.
Two of my favorite verses and least favorite verses are I John 4:4 & II Corinthians 3:18 – I John 4:4 says “Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” I would like to use satan or the pressures of the world to explain to you why I’m less like Jesus than I should be, but this verse tells me I have the power within me to become like Jesus – I have God in me.
And II Corinthians 3:18 tells me how to become like Jesus – “but we all with unveiled face, beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord are transformed into His same image.” I become like Jesus by looking at Jesus – by taking my focus off the things of this world and focusing on Him.
And while you past may affect you, Jesus would say to you - it does not have to define you.
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Jesus chose Matthew – one with a horrible reputation and one hated by his countrymen - and so directed and channeled his life that eventually he would write one of the four gospel accounts that today, over two thousand years later tells the story of Jesus and impacts the world.
That is what Matthew allowed Jesus to do with him - here is a question for you: What are you allowing Jesus to do with you? I think about the songs we have sung through the years…I want to be more like Jesus and follow Him day by day, I want to be true and faithful and every command obey…Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior…Oh to be like Thee blessed Redeemer this is my constant longing and prayer….
Follow Me…that was the challenge this tax collector accepted…it had nothing to do with who he had been or even who he was…then and now, it is all about who we want to become, and the challenge, the calling, the commitment is to be like Jesus.
The second thing I see here in this text is the fact that Jesus hung out with folks that no one else (at least no respectable person) would have hung out with.
We see that in vs. 15-17 where Jesus joins Matthew for a meal and in the words of the text, there were tax collectors and sinners present. If Matthew is a social reject, who do you think his friends are?
Jesus simply goes and hangs out with Matthew’s friends. These were Matthew’s friends because the so called good folks, the religious folks, respectable folks, would have nothing to do with him. They are the guys standing outside pointing out how terrible this is – and their question for Jesus’ disciples is, “How can He eat with this kind of folk?”
I love Jesus’ answer – vs. 17 – “Those that are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
You do understand that you cannot impact others from a distance. You can influence from a distance…we all have been influenced by speakers and writers and those we know casually…but the impact on our lives has been made by those we know, trust, love and are close to. If you are going to impact people – which by the way is what you are called to do – you are going to have to get close to them.
A statement I heard a preacher make a number of years ago has had a big impact on me – when asked why the church where he preached was involved in some of the things in the community they were involved in, here was his answer – “We don’t complain about the stream being dirty. We just wade in and do our part to clean it up.”
I love a comment by C.T.Stubbs, a life long missionary – “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
To be a change agent you have to be where there is a need for change.
That is what Jesus did – I guess here is the question I ask myself when I read this text: “How much time do you spend with non-Christian people with the express/intended purpose of being an influence for God and for good?” Coming together on Sunday and talking about what is wrong with the world, condemning the sins of the world, while at the same time not going out and rubbing shoulders with and impacting the world for Christ seems a bit, would you say, un-Christlike.
As you begin reading chapter 2 – Jesus is no longer teaching in the syngagoue – He is out among the people – that is where He will have the most impact. That is where you have the most impact.
Question: How much time do you spend with non- Christians”
The third thing I find in these verses is the fact that Jesus challenged the religious customs and traditions of His day.
As you read the remainder of chapter 2, the religious leaders point out two issues they have with Jesus – first of all they point out that Jesus and His disciples do not fast like they do (vs. 18-22) and secondly, they point out that Jesus and His disciples were breaking the Sabbath law by picking grain on the Sabbath.
There is a lot here but let me make it as simple as I can. When it came to a law about fasting the OT demanded one day a year – Numbers 29:7 - the Day of Atonement was the one day each year the nation of Israel was to fast. It was a day of fasting and mourning when a sacrifice was to be offered by the High Priest for the sins of the people. That was it – that was all the law demanded.
Fast forward to Jesus’ day and the religious folks had decided that in order to be a faithful Jew, you had to fast not once each year, but twice each week - every Monday and Thursday – they taught that this is what a faithful Israelite did.
Jesus was not against fasting…but these folks had made a law where there was no law and Jesus doesn’t buy into their made up tradition. While they are fasting, Jesus and His disciples are whoofing down pizza and sub sandwiches. Please hear this - Jesus never equated being spiritual as being sad and pathetic – but to Him, living for God was living a life of passion and purpose.
As to the Sabbath – the law stated – remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and there were some general laws as to how to do that. But like fasting on Monday and Thursday, the religious leaders of that day had taken those laws and added their own special interpretation to them – and rather than a day of rest and a day to focus on God, the Sabbath had become a burden, because of the requirements and restrictions they had imposed. One of which was you were not to pick any grain on the Sabbath.
Even today it is easy to point fingers at religious customs and traditions of others and condemn then, when our time would be better served asking if we are ever guilty of such things.
I often think of I Peter 3:15 and what I was taught growing up regarding this verse. It says, “Santify God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you”
And I was taught that need to study my Bible because I was responsible for answering the questions people have about my faith. Is that what that verse teaches? That is a heavy burden to bear. To be ready, always, to answer every question anyone has. Is there anyone here that can do that?
If my hope is based on my ability to answer every question someone might have – I’m in trouble. Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, it is easy to make a verse say what it doesn’t say.
Question: What is your hope based on – Is it based on your ability to answer every Biblical question someone has, or is it based on what Jesus did for you at Calvary? When Peter wrote this, these early Christians did not have the Scripture as we have it. If they were asked a question they could not say, “That is addressed in Colossians 4.” Their hope, our hope, is our faith in what Jesus did for us on Calvary.
That does not mean I should not be searching the Scriptures. Faith comes from hearing the word (Romans 10:17). Paul tells us in II Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, instructing, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” One day each of us will stand before our Maker and we will be judged by His word (John 12:48).
But James says chapter 1, God’s word is first and foremost a mirror used to first look at ourselves. And having looked at self and applied its teaching to my own life, I can then share it with others.
It is easy to read Scripture and point at others – first look at yourself. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, it is easy to think we know more about others than we do – we know their motives and intentions – we know their heart. No we don’t. My encouragement – work real hard on yourself before rendering judgment on another.
Amazing what we expect of others. Truth is, when we stand before God, none of us will have done it perfectly. None will have obeyed every command. None will have done everything just right. If we could, we wouldn’t need a Savior.
I guess here is the question: Do you primarily use Scripture to challenge yourself or do you use it to correct others?
The final thing I see in this text is the fact that Jesus often offended the religious crowd to meet the needs of others.
That is what you find in the first six verses of chapter three.
I have struggled all week as to what to say about this point. I run the risk here of sounding soft on Biblical truths, but the fact is, Jesus never told me I was to be known for figuring out every biblical truth. He told me I was to be known for loving others (John 13:35).
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I’ve asked this question before: What are we as a body of Christians, as followers of Jesu, known for? If I started knocking doors and just asked, “What do you know about the White House Church of Christ?” – what do you think the answer would be? What is this church known for in this community?
What are you as an individual Christian known for? Is loving people what you are known for? If I gathered your closest friends and acquaintances together and asked them to describe you – would one of the things they say be – he/she really loves people.
I’ve often described calling myself a Christian and not loving others like putting on an Olympic track shirt and telling folks that I ran in the Olympics. It would take about 30 seconds of watching me run to debunk that myth. We are quick to cut, condemn and criticize…we like the priest and levite in Luke 10 pass by obvious needs on a daily basis and then come together on Sunday and proclaim to other likeminded folk that we are on God’s track team.
My job is not to condemn the world – that’s God’s job. My job isn’t even to change the world – I can’t even change my own heart. My job is to get as much of Jesus as I can in my life and go out and be Jesus to the world, to share Jesus with the world, and then let the world decide for itself what it will do. It is easy to argue a point – but it is hard to argue with a kind, loving, gracious, gentle, compassionate, Christ-like spirit.
And the fact is, the only way you will ever get to have a conversation with another about the differences we hold in our understanding of scripture, is to build a relationship with them based on love and respect.
In the first six verses of chapter 3, the religious leaders get upset with Jesus because he heals a man on the Sabbath. Their made up rules regarding the Sabbath took priority over a sick man.
Everyone in this room could study this and come away with a different view of exactly how to apply this. Years ago a friend of mine asked me a question I still have a problem answering – He asked, “Is God going to judge you harder based on your doctrinal understanding or your Christ like disposition?” How would you answer that? Matthew 25 paints a vivid picture of the judgment scene, where it is made clear we are going to be judged based on what we do for others – but what we do for others is based 100% on the love we have for others.
This I know from a lifetime of experience – it is easier to argue doctrine than it is to develop a Godly heart. It is easier to argue Bible than it is to always do the Christ like thing. It is easier to debate points of view than it is to love and serve the least, lost and lonely among us. It is easier to feel good about who I am based on what I believe and teach than it is to take up a cross and follow Jesus in serving others.
But I would argue that it is in having that Christ like spirit, and loving and serving others, that you will have the opportunity to share the Biblical message with them.
Conclusion: Let me ask you.
• Are you committed to following Jesus – to being a disciple of Jesus?
• Is it time you hung out with some folks who do not know Jesus – and let your Christ like life rub off on them.
• Need to ask: How do I use Scripture – to challenge myself to be more like Jesus or to find a way to correct others?
• And finally – how much do you love people – not based on words, but on what you do each day in serving others?
Jesus was different – that is why He made a difference. The day we choose to live such Christ-like lives – we too will make the difference we have been called to make.
