Afraid to Ask! Mark 9:30-32 (NLT)
30 Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, 31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” 32 They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
On Thursday I was in the office reading this passage of Scripture in preparation for today’s sermon.
• Like most preachers reading this passage, my intention was to read it several times and plan on preaching a sermon about what happened after v.32 – where Jesus and the disciples come to a home in Capernaum and there Jesus asks the disciples what they had been arguing about earlier.
• None of them would answer Jesus because they had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest disciple.
• So, Jesus, already knowing what the argument was about, takes a child in His arms and says in v. 37 “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
• That’s my plan on what the sermon was going to be this morning.
But we know that there are times when God changes our plans.
• I began reading the passage and when I got to v.32, God said, “Stop right there.”
• Before we can go any further, we have to get a little backstory.
• Jesus had just driven a demon out of a young boy, because the disciples couldn’t do it.
• They are way up north of Israel – actually they were the farthest Jesus had ever been from Jerusalem.
• Now it’s time to head back – not to get themselves home, but so that Jesus can fulfill His mission (which was what? To be crucified and die for our sins, and then to rise from the dead).
I). Let’s look at part of our text again: 30 Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, 31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them.
A). So Jesus and the disciples (we could say) are sneaking through Galilee, trying to go unnoticed.
• Now, this is the last mention of Galilee until after the resurrection.
• Jesus is done with Galilee - they had their chance to believe in Him and blew it.
• From now until he gets to Jerusalem will be a traveling classroom where the disciples get their final semester of training. And you’ll never guess what the topic is (let’s look at the rest of v.31
B). “He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.’”
• Now, this isn’t the first time that Jesus has talked about His coming death and resurrection.
• So, some of the disciples might have been thinking, “Her we go again – He’s talking about dying again. Not only that, but this crazy idea that He is going to rise again three days later.”
• He had just told them that part on the last chapter (8), v.31 – and v.32 tells us that He talked openly about it.
• So much so that Peter took Him aside and sort of chewed Jesus out about it (look it up – it’s in there). That’s when Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!”
C). But this time, Jesus gives them (and us) another detail of what is going to happen: For the 1st time Jesus mentions His betrayal and His being delivered into the hands of His enemies.
• Jesus is going to be betrayed and turned over to the people who hate Him and have been wishing (and planning) to see Him dead.
D). I want you to understand how bad it is for a man of God to be delivered into human hands.
• They would have known the account of King David, in 2nd Samuel 24.
• David took a census of the people without the Lord’s permission – which was a sin. God sent the prophet Gad to David and offered King David a choice of punishments.
• 2nd Samuel 24:11-14, 11 The next morning the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.” 14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
• (So the Lord sent three days of plaque on the land which killed 70,000 people.
E). So, why is being turned over to the mercy of human beings is a horrible fate?
• We humans, once we feel justified in hurting you, there are no restraints.
• It turns into a mob mentality, conscience disappears, and it’s a feeding frenzy with no mercy.
• And it’s more painful than other suffering because of the hatred behind it—people hurting you on purpose because they hate you.
• Thank about the crucifixion of Jesus – the gospels tell just as much about the spitting and the mocking as they do about the physical torture. That hatred makes the suffering so much worse.
• And, of course, in Jesus’ case the anguish was infinitely worse because of how much Jesus loved those people who were mocking him.
F). Jesus wants his disciples to know that’s what’s coming - He won’t get the three options David got - He gets him the one that King David said, “No thanks. Definitely not that one.”
• Jesus will be thrown to a pack of vicious, hateful men insane with jealousy. And there will be no restraints.
• The twelve legions of angels protecting Jesus will be told to stand down. When Jesus cries out to the Father to let the cup pass from him the answer will be no.
• Everyone will forsake him and God will allow Jesus’ enemies to do their worst.
II). And the Disciples Don’t Understand ~ v.32a, “They didn’t understand what he was saying,”
A). The disciples are now 0 for 3 in their ability to get this.
• The more clearly Jesus says it, the more confused they get.
• I am colorblind - I can see most colors but have trouble making out some colors and shades.
B). The problem is that the disciples didn’t understand.
• That’s what it says, “They didn’t understand what He was saying”
• The KJV says, “They understood Him not”
• The meaning of the Greek word here means, “not to know (through lack of information or intelligence)” – well, we know that Jesus gave them the information – and I think it wasn’t a lack of intelligence.
• So, the only thing left in the Greek translation of the word here is to ignore.
• Maybe that was it, they were hearing Jesus talk – but ignoring what Jesus was saying!
• Maybe they had some willful blindness or deafness going on.
III). And here is where God stopped me – the end of v.32 – “and they were afraid to ask Him what he meant.”
A). What a sad, sad statement – ‘they were afraid to ask Jesus.”
• That catches our attention because it’s different from what we’ve previously read.
• Up to now, the main difference between the crowds and the disciples was whenever Jesus said something hard, the crowds went away confused, but the disciples asked Jesus what it meant.
B). But not here because, why?
• Maybe it’s because they are afraid of the answer.
• Maybe they weren’t listening completely, but they heard and understood enough to know they didn’t want to hear or understand any more.
• Maybe they were afraid to ask Him about it, not because they were afraid of how He might respond to them not listening, but again, because they were afraid of the answer.
IV). Maybe we sometimes have the same issue:
A). We don’t listen to the Word as closely as we should be – or maybe we just don’t understand – especially when it comes to applying God’s Word to our own lives – we’d like to know more – but we are afraid to ask.
• But why are we afraid? Isn’t God our Father? Don’t we believe His love for us?
B). The word “ask” is found 63 times in the New Testament – 33 of those times Jesus is telling us to ask Him, or God the Father.
• A very important one is in Matthew 7:7-11 where Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
• “HOW MUCH MORE will you Father…” Who is your Father? GOD who loves you and sent His only Son Jesus to come and die for your sins so that you can not only have an eternal home with Him ~ but also an eternal relationship with Him.
C). So, if we have a need – a question – or any other issue – why would we be afraid to ask???
• Hebrews 4:16 tells us this, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.”
• I need to share this with you: That word, translated ‘boldly” there in Hebrews 4:16 also means, “with all out-spokenness, frankness, bluntness, assurance, confidence and freedom.”
• Our Father, our God, is inviting us to come right into the Throne room of Heaven in our prayers and ask Him anything!
• The apostle John tells us, in 1st John 5:14-15, “14 And we are confident that he hears us [not just hears but is listening] whenever we ask for anything that pleases him [is according to His will for us – “Thy will be done”]. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
Friends, never be afraid to ask GOD!
• If you are a sinner – ask Him for forgiveness through Christ Jesus.
• If you are having trouble with a habit or an addiction – ask Him to take it out of your life.
• If you are sick – ask Him for healing.
• If you are doubting – ask Him to increase your faith.
• If you are in need of direction in your life – ask Him for wisdom.
• If you are grieving – ask Hom for comfort.
• If you are weak or afraid – ask Him for strength.
• If you need to feel His presence – ask Him to bring more of the Holy Spirit into your life.
He is your loving Father – don’t be afraid to ask
