Unwanted Series

Mar 3:6-12 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. 7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

I. Unwanted Antagonism (7)

• Last week, we talked about anger.

• Anger comes on like a storm, but will subside over time.

• It will either be released, or sour into bitterness, kind of like from a flash fire to a slow burn.

• Today we look at Jesus response to the anger of others.

• If someone is in the throws of anger, how should you respond?

• Pro 22:24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, 25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

• Here is my translation. “When somebody is white hot with anger, get away from them.”

• Look what Jesus did when the anger of men was white hot against Him.

• The Pharisees were outsmarted by Jesus in the Synagogue.

• They left Church murderous. They were even so mad, they conspired with their enemies.

• They made plans to kill Jesus, violating their own major laws because someone (Jesus) violated a minor rule.

• Look at verse 7, how Jesus responds.

• 7 “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea”

• When someone is blinded by anger, they will run over you.

• When someone is enraged, they cannot think beyond themselves.

• Get away from them and give them some time.

• Some of us have this obsession to deal with every issue right here and right now.

• Sometimes we just need to give someone time to cool down.

• This, I believe, is what Jesus did.

• Sometimes, we need to get away so we can cool down a bit before we do or say something stupid.

• Abraham Lincoln's secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, was angered by an army officer who accused him of favoritism. Stanton complained to Lincoln, who suggested that Stanton write the officer a sharp letter. Stanton did, and showed the strongly worded missive to the president. "What are you going to do with it?" Lincoln inquired. Surprised, Stanton replied, "Send it." Lincoln shook his head. "You don't want to send that letter," he said. "Put it in the stove. That's what I do when I have written a letter while I am angry. It's a good letter and you had a good time writing it and feel better. Now burn it, and write another."

II. Unwanted Audience (8-10)

• Despite the fact that Jesus tried to get away, people came from every where.

• Verses 7 and 8 tells us they came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, Tyre and Sidon.

• If you took a Bible map and pinned these locations, you would see that they came from every direction, North, East, South and West.

• Mark calls it a “great crowd”, which indicates to me it was beyond what they were expecting or prepared for.

• We know that because Jesus prepared an escape route. (9-10)

• “And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.”

• Jesus, trying to get away from the adversaries, found himself with a crowd-control problem.

• Do you catch the irony of that statement?

• The one who created the universe, the one who sustained all things by His words and power, was planning an escape route because of crowd control.

• The beings He created perfect, who fell into sin, needed Him in such a demanding way, that they thronged upon Him just to simply touch Him.

• Oh, I would that this was our problem today.

• I pray that our Church would display the power and love of Jesus, our Head, that people would throng to this place.

• I pray that your life, as well as mine, would reflect the life of Jesus so much, people would be coming here from every direction.