THE GOSPEL OF MARK "Behold My Servant"

The disciples lack of spirituality       Mark  9v11-50

The main purpose of these events is the spiritual teaching by Jesus of the disciples who would later evangelise the world.   It is important to develop spiritual graces in the service of God and this chapter deals with four areas where the disciples were deficient.   As participants in the future kingdom they had to learn the decorum of what it is to be a Christian.

• Lacking in understanding        verses 11-13
• Lacking in spiritual power       verses  14-32
• Lacking in humility                 verses  33-37    
• Lacking in spiritual grace        verses  38-50

Verses 11-13      Lack of understanding    Jesus had to be very patient with His disciples.   They were chosen for a global enterprise which still stands today, and mostly they were from the working classes.   None taken from the colleges or the elite, they had to be trained in His ways and much of the gospel records are about their training.   The book by A.B. Bruce entitled "the training of the twelve" deals with this comprehensively and space forbids us to elaborate here;   suffice to say this chapter records a number of ways in which Jesus was preparing them for greater work.   In verse 10, it is clear they did not understand the resurrection, since they had not perceived that their Messiah was to be killed.   Their perception of future events and present trends was exposed in verses 11-13.   They were still focused on the glory of the Messiah to set up His kingdom, not fully understanding He must also suffer death beforehand.   The Jewish people were reared on the scriptures yet their understanding was faulty.   The lesson is obvious that a good heritage does not always guarantee true understanding;   rather do we focus on what we want to be the truth...what we want to believe, becomes the truth and Jesus had to enlighten them.   The scribes, the professional interpreters of old testament scripture, taught (correctly) that Elijah must first come before Messiah returns(Malachi 4v5-6).   They had the scriptures but not the discernment for Elijah had come in the shape of John the Baptist (Matthew 11 v14), but the people had not turned to the Lord and John was martyred.   Elijah will yet come before "the great and terrible day of the Lord"( Revelation 11 v3-6).   Possession of Holy Writ does not mean understanding of them.   Their misunderstanding was highlighted in verse 32

Verses 14-32     Lack of spiritual power      The evidence that Jesus was the Messiah was demonstrated before their eyes in the healing of the young man with a dumb spirit.   The portion centres around the condition of this boy, which Jesus uses to illustrate the spiritual condition of the multitude, of the scribes, of the disciples.   He was dumb, he could not speak;   he was deaf, he could not hear.   This tragedy was symptomatic of the spiritual malaise of most in Israel at this tine....cannot hear God's words, cannot speak His true words, cannot wield His power.   The reason was because of unbelief.

• Verse 19   "Oh faithless generation, how long shall I be with you, how long shall I suffer you"?   His disciples could not cast the demon spirit out, but He  addresses not only the hapless disciples, but the entire generation who were faithless because they had stopped hearing God's word and they could not discern God' work.
• Verse 23   "Jesus said unto him (the father of the troubled boy), if thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believes".   Speaking to the father, He was speaking to all of them, the multitude, the scribes, the disciples, the father, and, indeed, to all of us today.   For a long time the boy had this disturbing condition, which caused abnormal and harmful behaviour.   All it takes is simple belief in the Son of God.   All other activities were in vain.
• Finally the father grasps His meaning Verse 24 "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief!".   The title "Lord" stands out in the chapter, where three times  others have addressed Him as "Master" (v5, v17 and v38).   This title of Master is a respectful  term but demeans the reality of who He is.   The father realises that before him is the Sovereign Lord, but confesses he has to overcome his doubts, as we have today.
• Behind the doubt and dullness of hearing is the demon spirit, who from the beginning cast doubt on the word of God, on the goodness of God, on the judgment of God.   Interference by demons in this world is the source of all our problems ("...the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience" Ephesians 2v2).   Even if we won't believe the power of Jesus the demon spirits do, and immediately they saw Jesus they sent the boy into convulsions.
• The Lord demonstrates His Sovereign power over the power of demons who inflict such torment on humans, yet the disciples were perplexed, "Why could we not cast him out?"   Disciples today similarly bemoan lack of power and the answer is unbelief.   The solution was to seek the power of God through fasting and prayer, that is by closing down the material and opening the spiritual.

For all who lack spiritual power, the answer lies in this story.   All things are possible if we believe, and we need to be committed even to the extent of cutting off necessities.   The book of Daniel would illustrate this.

Verses 33-37         Lacking in humility                    

"What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?"   The besetting sin of human beings, pride of life, that sin which brought Satan down.   They were in the presence of Majesty, so great that demon spirits succumbed to Him.  Three of their number had witnessed the transfiguration with Moses and Elijah discussing His death, yet they are still focused on the glory and the place they will have.   Great or greater had little meaning in relation to His Lordship.   Even the fact that in walking ahead of them He was aware of their secret disputes....by the way He hears every word!   In verses 31-32 , in the house He told them of His suffering and resurrection, and all they could argue about was their position!    He sat down and called the twelve together and gave them the most humbling lesson they would ever hear.   "If any desire to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all."   It is the humility before the glory. Heaven's estimate of greatness is opposite to ours!   By object lesson He took a little child and  set it among them.   "Whosoever will receive one such little children in my name receives me...."     A humble attitude is required for this, for a child has no accomplishments, normally no possessions, certainly no status but because they are His we receive them.   LAST OF ALL, SERVANT OF ALL, this is the formula for greatness in the kingdom of God.  

Verses 38-50         Lacking in spiritual grace

"Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name and he followeth not us, and we forbad him because he followeth not us ."   This portion is a strong lesson for the disciples and also today, that no group however faithful can claim exclusive rights to Divine power, regardless of how much more faithful to the Lord they deem themselves to be.   This attitude drew deep rebuke from the Lord, who calmly said "forbid them not".    The reality is that in this great global work of evangelism there will be many who do things differently, but if the Lord is pleased to work with them and through them, then who are we to forbid?   This outlook by John is typical of many Christian groups who think they hold a divine right to God's blessing, that because they do things better, others who don't follow them have no approval from above.   This is a legalistic, arrogant, and self sufficient attitude and is held by many diverse groups in the work of God.    He is pleased to bless their work and we should have the grace to acknowledge it.   Jesus' explanation is far reaching ""Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me, for he that is not against us is on our part".    Orthodoxy is not the test of spirituality, and we have vital links with all God's people.   The balance to this is found in Luke 11v23 "He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."   God doesn't want His people all gathering in different ways, but in the reality that it will happen, we must shew grace to others whom God is pleased to use.   The fallacy here is that the disciples who prided themselves in their position, were not in a condition to be used in power.   They could not cast out the devil, but they wouldn't have anyone else do it!   We need to develop the grace to recognise the gift of God to others.   We must lose the air of political correctness, and imbibe the freedom of the Spirit to use whom He will.
The Lord then drives the lesson home.  "Whosoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward."   The issue of reward in the things of God is that the smallest thing given if it be done in His name will be rewarded.   The perspective is "because ye belong to Christ", not how they follow.   We are starkly reminded here that we have vital links with all Christians.   This legalistic tendency was seen again in John and his brother James who wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans (Luke 9v54) and again received His rebuke "...ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of " ...(Luke 9v55).

The remaining verses focus on offences, and the Lord turns from  the offensive behaviour of the disciples to warn them not to be placing a stumbling block before any of His children, rather they were to be more concerned with the their own offences and the very real forces that present themselves.   In verses 43-48 He reminds them there were things very close to them that could hinder their spiritual life....the hand....the foot...the eye.   These, if not personally regulated would seriously affect them, just as sin leads inevitably to eternal punishment.   Unquenchable fire is eternal fire and is the end of all who live in sin.   He is reminding them of the seriousness of sin, and the closeness of sin, the propensity to sin in every human being.   Rather than list the sins committed, He lists the body parts which are the instruments of sin, and which will lead many to Gehenna, symbolic of the eternal dwelling place of the sinner.

He closes this solemn section by referring to the use of salt in the physical world and applies it to the spiritual.   "Everyone will be salted with fire", that is put to the Divine test, whether believer or unbeliever.   Sin brings consequences and the severity of the language is to focus the mind on avoiding it at all costs.   We are sometimes too concerned with the faults of others, and we need to pay attention to ourselves.   It was mandatory for every offering to God to be salted (Leviticus 2v13, Ezekiel 43v24).   The salt was called "the salt of the covenant of thy God."   Because of the presence of impurities, just as we salt our food, so God required the sacrifices to be palatable to Him.   His advice in closing was to have salt within themselves (deal with personal sins), and have peace one toward another (live in harmony with others).   This has been a humiliating series of rebukes for the disciples but it would profit them in future.