MARVELOUS MARVELS

                                                            MARK THREE
Ladies and gentlemen, in the third chapter of the gospel according to Mark there are five marvels of gospel truth. The first is the occasion when Jesus got mad, the second is when the Devil told the truth, the third is when Jesus prayed all night, the fourth is when Jesus tied up the Devil, and the fifth is when the family of Jesus thought He was beside himself.
                                                     WHEN JESUS GOT MAD
Number one is when Jesus got mad. Jesus was in the synagogue on a Sabbath day; and there was a man there who had his hand withered. He was not born with a withered hand, he had his hand withered. Luke who was a doctor takes a pathological look at the man and informs us in his account of the story that it was his right hand that was withered. The Pharisees were there in attendance that day and Mark tells us they were watching Jesus, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day that they might accuse Him.
The withered hand is a modern day malady among most church members. Usually it is the left hand that is withered. The left hand is the hand that men use when the offering is taken. They have a difficult time twisting their hand around to reach their billfolds. Two percent has been estimated as the national average of giving for all churches. The bane of the withered hand still afflicts us even to this day.
Jesus met the impending problem head on. He told the man to stand forth. Then He said to the Pharisees is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life or to kill? But they held their peace. And when He looked round about on them with anger being grieved at their hardness of heart, He saith unto the man, "Stretch forth thy hand." And he stretched it forth; and his hand was healed. Matthew tells us in his account of this event that he was told to stand forth in the midst. Jesus is calling on every Christian to do that today. Stand forth in the midst. Let the world know where you stand on the church in the New Testament, let them know where you stand on the plan of salvation.
Be like the man I know in New York City who moved to San Antonio and became a Christian. He went home to New York for Christmas and all his relatives and friends who were not Christians were drinking toasts to various things and people, and when they asked him to make a toast he poured some Coca Cola in his glass and raised it up and said, "Here’s to Simon Peter who said, 'Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" He made a stand, he stood forth, he stood forth in the midst, and ladies and gentlemen, I’ll drink to that. In fact I drink to that every Lord’s Day at the Lord’s Table, when I raise my glass with the fruit of the vine and drink a toast to the One who said, "This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins. This do in remembrance of Me." Let the world know where you stand. Stand forth in the midst.
Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, but there was no way He could heal the men with withered hearts. The Pharisees went out and took council how they might destroy Him. In spite of all Jesus could do or say their hearts were hardened and that is why Jesus got mad.
                                   WHEN THW DEVIL TOLD THE TRUTH
Number two of the marvels of Mark three is when the Devil told the truth. From the synagogue the Lord Jesus borrowed a fishing boat to use as a pulpit, and preached to the multitudes, and then healed many that were sick and cast out evil spirits. Whenever the Lord cast out evil spirits Mark says they fell down before Him and cried saying, "Thou art the Son of God." Notice it was the confession. They cried out loud and clear, "Thou art the Son of God." The evil spirits were not shy about the confession they cried out. Most of the time when I hear a convert make the confession it is not heard beyond the first two rows. They would no doubt say they don’t have a big voice like some loud mouth preacher. May I make this suggestion? If you ever stand before an assembly and make the confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God lift up your voice like you would if someone scored a three pointer in the last second to win the game of your favorite basketball team. When you make the confession yell it out like the Devil. If the Devil could yell it out and still be the Devil, how much more should the person who is going to live like the Lord cry out, "Thou art the Son of God." The Devil indeed told the truth when the evil spirits confessed the Lord as the Son of God.
That confession of the Devil should be enough proof that when that day comes and we all stand before the throne of Judgment there will be no lies told to the Lord Jesus. On that day when the unforgiven stand face to face with the eternal Christ, the confession they make will reverberate throughout the universe. Paul tells us in Philippians that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Not only will they confess that Jesus is Lord of all, but no sin will be kept secret or denied. When demons are in the presence of Jesus they tell the truth and so shall it be on that day for the unsaved. A full confession will be made. No excuses given. I did fornicate, I did blaspheme, I did steal, I did abort, I did lie, I am a sinner, I am guilty, and I do deserve to go to hell and spend eternity with the Devil. I did it, I did it, I did it.
When the evil spirits told the truth about Jesus the Lord told them that they should not make Him known. The Lord does not need the Devil’s advertising. This is a true principle whether it be the Devil, or any of his assistants. It would not be a good idea for a Christian who is on the golf course at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning, holding a cold one in his hand, during the communion hour to announce that he is a member of the local Church of Christ and or Christian Church. Does any one really think the Lord needs that kind of advertising? Hold thy peace.
                                   WHEN JESUS PRAYED ALL NIGHT
Number three of the marvels of Mark three is the incident when Jesus prayed all night. Mark says, "And He goeth up into a mountain and calleth unto Him whom He would." It is Luke who furnishes the detail of why the Lord climbed the mountain. He went up into a mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer unto God.
The reason He prayed all night was because the next day He would choose twelve of all His disciples to be named as Apostles. That all night prayer of Jesus is not recorded, but considering what He did the next day we can be sure He was praying over the decision He would make, and also for each one of the choices.
One of His choices was Judas Iscariot. One wonders how much prayer was made over that decision. Much prayer must have been made over the impulsive Simon who is called Peter. He told Peter later on that the Devil would sift him as wheat. How many times has the Devil sifted you? Pray that the Devil will not be successful in sifting your preacher. He must have prayed fervently over James and John because He named them Boanerges, which is, Sons of Thunder. They were well named. One time when the Lord could find no hospitality in a Samaritan village it was James and John who asked the Lord if they could call down fire out of heaven and burn the town down. Jesus rebuked them. Of course we can understand why they said it. When you have no certain place to sleep at night and be at the mercy of the elements in cold weather, a little fire may be what is needed to warm the hearts of the inhospitable Samaritans.
Sons of Thunder was a good name for James and John for another reason. The sound of thunder comes from heaven. The preaching of the gospel is the preaching of a message that comes from heaven. The thunder of the gospel comes to us by the power of God and not from the power of men. The gospel of Jesus is the only message that has come from heaven. One time Jesus prayed, "Father glorify thy name." A voice from heaven was heard to say, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Some that stood by said it thundered. A gospel message that will lead a person to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God is like thunder to the soul.
That may very well be the reason James was the first Apostle to die for his faith. Herod singled out that son of thunder and cut off his head. Although John survived as the last Apostle to die and is regarded as the Apostle of love, even so some of the old thunder remained even into his nineties. Consider some of his statements in his epistles. Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? How about, if we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us? And this, if a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. There is also the tradition mentioned by the historian Eusebius about the Apostle John in his old age going into the baths of Ephesus and learning of the presence of the heretic Cerinthus leaped out of the place and fled from the door saying, "Let us flee lest the bath fall in, as long as Cerinthus, that enemy of the truth, is within." One son of thunder suffered red martyrdom and the other white martyrdom. It is no wonder that the Lord climbed a mountain and prayed all night over His choice of Apostles.
                                   WHEN JESUS TIED UP THE DEVIL
Number four of the five marvels is the time that Jesus tied up the Devil. The scribes from Jerusalem came down and accused Jesus of working His miracles by the power of the Devil. They said He hath Beelzebub and by the prince of demons casteth He out demons. Jesus gave them a good lesson on the evil of denominationalism when He said, "If Satan is divided against Satan how then can his kingdom stand?" Even the Devil knows division will not work. By way of example, as long as people insist on wearing their sectarian names the Kingdom of God is stymied. Isn’t the name Christian good enough? Even the Devil knows that.
Then Jesus promised to tie up the Devil. He said, "But no man can enter the house of the strong man and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man and then shall he spoil his goods." The strong man is the Devil and his most valuable things are the souls of men. Who is able to bind the strong man and spoil his house? Who else but Jesus has the power to enter the strong man's house and spoil his goods? Peter tells us in the first gospel sermon how He did it. Him being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hands of lawless men did crucify and slay; whom God raised up for it was not possible that the bonds of death should hold Him.
Jesus entered into the strong man's house, into Hades, the spirit world, and did something no one else had ever done. He came out, never to die and go back again. The writer of Hebrews tells us in the second chapter that Jesus through death brought to naught him that had power over death, that is the Devil. Jesus by His death, burial, and resurrection bound the strong man by the chains of the gospel. And now the Lord through the preaching of that gospel can spoil the strong man's house and set the sinner free. When this was first preached on the day of Pentecost the people wanted the apostles to tell them what to do. And Peter said, "Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Three thousand escaped from the strong man's house that day. Jesus has been spoiling the strong man's house ever since. Every time we preach a sermon on this broadcast we enter into the strong man's house and rescue a few more.
Jesus is stronger than the strong man for Paul says be strong in the Lord. How strong is he Lord? He is strong enough to keep the earth and all the planets spinning in their places because He upholds all things by the word of His power. How strong is he Lord? He is strong enough to withstand the power of gravity; He walked on the water. How strong is the Lord? He is strong enough to carry all the sins of the world at one time. Luke speaks of Jesus casting out evil spirits by the finger of God. God's finger is stronger than the strong man and all his demons.
And then the Lord mentioned the unpardonable sin. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit." In this particular verse Jesus identified the unpardonable sin as saying the Lord performed His miracles by the power of Beelzebub. When you can say that the Holy Spirit and Beelzebub are in cahoots and working together you are in real trouble.
The biggest question however, is not the unpardonable sin, but the sins in our lives that are pardonable. Every sin will be unpardonable on the Day of Judgment if we don’t repent while we are in the here and now.
     WHEN THE RELATIVES OF JESUS THOUGHT HE WAS BESIDE HIMSELF
The fifth marvel of Mark three is when His family thought He was beside Himself. Mark says, "And when His friends heard it they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said He is beside himself. And then there come His mother and His brethren; and standing without they sent unto Him, calling Him." The members of His family thought He was over zealous. He was pushing too hard, he will get burned out, He needs to get more rest, and beyond that the scribes may kill Him. Ease up Lord and take our advice.
According to some the Lord Jesus Christ will listen to His mother. She knows what is best for Him. He will listen to her when He will listen to none other. But the strange thing about the whole episode is that Jesus ignored His mother. He paid no attention to her pleas. He turned to those around Him and said, "Who is My mother? And who are My brethren?" And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples and said, "Behold My Mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in heaven the same is My brother and sister and mother." Now think of that. When we do the will of the Father, Jesus looks upon us as his brothers or His sisters. That means that we are a part of the same family, Jesus is our elder Brother and God is our Father.
Jesus does not need the advice of Mary or anyone else. He never asks us for our opinion on anything. One time it may look like He asked for advice when He asked Philip before the feeding of the 5,000, "Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?" John quickly adds: This He said to prove him for He, Himself, knew what He would do.
We repeat, Jesus does not need anyone’s advice. Paul told Timothy, "For there is one God, one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom for all."
Paul sums up the futility of giving Jesus advice when he told the Romans, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been His counselor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him. and through Him, and unto Him, are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen."