HE TAUGHT THEM AGAIN

September 25, 2011

Jesus taught them again so said Mark in the tenth chapter of the story of the life of Jesus. He taught them again. Everything in this chapter that He taught was a rerun of what He had already told them before in Matthew and Luke. There are some things that the Lord taught that He taught over again. We can do no less. There are some things the Bible teaches that needs repetition. Some wonder why we repeat over and over again the words of Peter in Acts 2:38 regarding the command to repent and be baptized for the remission sins and for the reception of the Holy Spirit?
The reason we repeat and repeat and repeat is because most every other preacher on the air waves repeats over again and again and again, the bogus plan of salvation to just bow your head and ask Jesus to come into your heart. If other preachers can tell you what Peter did not say on the day of Pentecost to be saved over and over again then why should any marvel that it is repeated again and again on this program? He taught them again.

MARRIAGE

 The first teaching of the Lord in this chapter of Mark regards marriage. The Apostle Paul reminds us of the great compliment that the Holy Spirit gives to marriage. In Ephesians Paul compares the union of a man and woman in marriage to the union that exists between the Lord Jesus and His church. The church is the Bride of Christ. A healthy city, state, or nation walks on two legs, the family and the Church. Disaster will fall upon the city, state, or nation that breaks those legs.
Now Mark says some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked a question about marriage. Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? We must remember that this is a loaded question. John the forerunner of Jesus got himself in an awful lot of trouble over this question. He preached a sermon wherein he said regarding King Herod who had stolen his brother Philip’s wife; it is not lawful for thee to have her. Because of that sermon he lost his head. A lot of preachers have lost their jobs over it today.
According to Matthew they said, "Put her away for every cause." Jesus asked them a question, "What did Moses say?" They said, "Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away. " The Lord’s answer was, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning it hath not been so."
Before we go any further we might point out, there are a lot of things that are done in church work today that were not so in the beginning. A few suggestions for your edification would be denominational names for the name of the Church of Christ, from the beginning it hath not been so. Sprinkling instead of immersion for baptism, from the beginning it hath not been so. The Lord’s Supper once a month instead of every Lord’s Day, from the beginning it hath not been so. Bingo for raising money for church work instead tithes and freewill offerings, from the beginning it hath not been so.
Then Jesus answered their question when He said, that if either husband or wife put away the other and marry another they commit adultery. It is necessary to say that according to Matthew at this same time Jesus said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication and marry another committeth adultery." Jesus made this exception and who are we to say there is no exception. We do not have the luxury of accepting Mark and rejecting Matthew any more than we can accept believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and reject he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. The scripture is a unit and all is to be believed to get the true picture. By using both accounts He taught them again.

CHILDREN

 Then He taught them again on the subject of children. Mark tells us they were bringing unto him children that He should touch them. Some jump to the conclusion that this proves infant baptism. In the first place it would not have done any good to bring children for baptism because Jesus never baptized anyone. The disciples did it for Him and in this case the disciples tried to get rid of them. We find babies mentioned in scripture and baptism mentioned in scripture, but we never find them mentioned together.
However there is much teaching here in this story. Matthew says that He not only rebuked the disciples for trying to get rid of the children, but that of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. That is one reason an infant or a small child does not need to be baptized until they are old enough to understand. Jesus says of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. That statement of the Lord makes the child a type of what the Christian ought to be like. Childlike but not childish. They don’t need to be saved, because they are safe. Remember Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." There is no baptism without belief, and an infant cannot believe.
We need to have the trust in the Heavenly Father that we had in our earthly father. I was a small child during the Great Depression. My dad at one stretch of that time was out of work for five months. There was no social security at that time. I cannot imagine what pressure there was for my parents as to what would happen to us. However I was completely unconcerned. I never worried one bit. I knew that we no longer ate bacon and eggs and biscuits for breakfast and that gradually breakfast was cut back to biscuits only. And then later the biscuits were not browned, just barely cooked enough to save kerosene for the stove. But I was not worried one bit. There was no time during those days when I did not come to the table for meals three times a day. I never worried. I trusted my father. As an adult it is sometimes difficult to trust my Heavenly Father.
Then think of the Apostles as they tried to hinder children from coming to Jesus. Jesus has said that it is better for a mill stone be tied about your neck and cast into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Sometimes it is the parent who may be the one who causes the child to stumble. They may give that child the best of everything, save money, send them to college, provide the best house to live in, designer clothes to wear, but if by example keep them from knowing about Jesus and His church; that may very well be the same as putting them on a toboggan slide into hell fire.
Mark concludes his telling of this incident by informing us that Jesus took the children into His arms, and blessed them, laying His hands upon them. There is an old hymn that says it well.

I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men.
How He called little children as lambs to His fold,
I should like to have been with Him then.
I wish that His hands had been placed on my head,
That His arms had been thrown around me;.
And that I might have seen His kind look when He said,
Let the little ones come unto Me.

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

He taught them again. The next teaching regards the coming of a man that Mark identifies as having great possessions. He asked Jesus, "What must I do that I may inherit eternal life?" That is the most important question that anyone can ask and he came running to Jesus and kneeled down before Him to ask it. If you want to go to heaven it is worth running for to do it. Paul later admonishes us to run with patience the race that is set before us. Jesus reminded him to keep the commandments. According to Matthew the man said, "Which?" He had a bad case of Whitchitus. Jesus gave him the list he needed to keep and the rich man said, "I have done all that from my youth up." Jesus said, "One thing thou lackest. Go sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come follow Me." This man had everything that everyone wants in the world today. Most people think if they had everything this man had they would be happy. He had it all and was not satisfied. Something was missing. That something that was missing was Christ. Jesus said, "Sell out and follow Me." He went away sorrowful. He was like a lot of people today. He wanted to go to heaven but he did not want to go that much.
The rich young ruler had lived an exemplary life; we see them all around us. For a person to live a good life today, stay out of jail, vote in every election, never get drunk, be a good neighbor, and then leave Christ out of his/her life; this is the most respectable way there is of going to hell. That person needs the Lord to go to heaven just as much as the most godless reprobate. One thing thou lackest and that one thing is Jesus Christ.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

He taught them again. Another thing He taught them again was the way of the cross. And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was going before them. When you go with Jesus to Jerusalem you always go up. This is true geographically, but also true morally, and it is true doctrinally. It was at Jerusalem where the Lord went up to be crucified. It was at Jerusalem where He was raised from the dead. It was at Jerusalem that the church was started. It was at Jerusalem that Peter gave the terms of pardon when by the authority of Jesus Christ the believers were told to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus goes up before us. He goes up before us into Heaven from the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem as the first born from the dead. Follow Jesus up to the New Jerusalem.
Mark says that the Apostles followed and they were amazed and they were afraid. I am amazed and afraid today. I am amazed at the number of churches that used to be faithful to the Jerusalem gospel and who have fallen away. People listen to this broadcast and write to ask where they can find such a church. I send them a list of churches in their area and they write back and say that wasn’t it. I am also afraid. Afraid like Elijah who thought he was the only faithful preacher left. However the Lord assured him that there were 7,000 who had not yet bowed the knee to Baal. There will always be a remnant that will follow Jesus as He goes up before us to Jerusalem. He always leads the way as He goes up before us.

THE REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN

 He taught them again. He taught them in the unusual request of James and John. They came to Jesus and said, "Master, we would that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we ask." And He said unto them, "What would ye that I should do for you?" And they said unto Him, "Grant unto us that we may sit one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left in Thy glory."
When the ten heard this request they had great indignation. What do you think Peter said about this? He and the two brothers had been with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration and Peter before that was the one to whom the Lord said, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona," when he made the good confession. When Peter heard how the two brothers were trying to undercut him, he probably said, "I can’t believe this."
Now the Lord always answers our prayers. Sometimes He says yes. Sometimes He says no. In this case when they asked for the first two places in heaven He might have said, "You gotta be kidding." Mark records it this way; "Ye know not what ye ask."
This was without any doubt the greatest ambitious desire that anyone ever asked for or had. It is a greater ambition than Alexander the Great, or Napoleon, ever dreamed of making. They only wanted to rule the world. James and John wanted to be the Lord’s chief executive officers in running the universe.
Jesus told them that it was not for Him to grant the request. That decision would be up to the Father. If a modern day poll could be taken as to just what two persons will sit on the right or left hands of Jesus in His glory, the polls would probably reveal the names of the batting champion and the Heisman trophy winner of that particular year.
In one way of looking at it, I believe that I might be able to pray that prayer without the rebuke of the Lord. I would like to pray, "O Lord let me sit on thy right hand with the sheep on the Day of Judgment." That is a worthy ambition for us all and there is room for us all on His right hand on that day.
Jesus inquired about their qualifications if by chance they were considered. "Are ye able to drink the cup I am about to drink and are ye able to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" Note that the meaning of baptism in scripture is to be plunged, dipped, and immersed. Can you be saturated and completely overwhelmed with the suffering of the cross where I am crucified? In this metaphoric baptism only immersion would make any sense. Surely the Lord did not ask can you be sprinkled with the baptism I am sprinkled with.

BARTIMAEUS

 He taught them again. Here is one more element where Jesus taught them again in Mark ten. Jesus comes to Jericho on His way to the cross. A blind beggar hears the tumult and inquires what it means? Luke gives an answer that touches our imagination. Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. There is more to this than meets the eye. This is the first time that Jesus is ever said to be in Jericho. He is on His way to the cross and He will never be back this way again. Jesus of Nazareth passes by. Bartimaeus did not know it, but this was his first and only chance he would ever have to meet Jesus. It could be that this day is the last time you will ever have. Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. I heard a missionary say many years ago that no man has a right to hear the gospel twice until every man has heard it once.
Bartimaeus was blind. Now there are three types of blindness. One is mental blindness. We call it idiocy. A second is physical blindness. A third is spiritual blindness. One time I opened the Bible and showed a man where Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" He read it and said, " I don’t see it." I will never forget the man one time that was physically blind that told me, "When I could see I was blind. Now that I am blind I can see."
Bartimaeus cried out, "Jesus, Thou Son of David have mercy on me." The multitudes told him to hold his peace. He cried out again and this time in the original language his cry was like the croak of a raven, a cry that was almost unintelligible. "Jesus, Thou Son of David have mercy on me." This time Jesus stood still and said, "Call ye him." That was the Great Commission in advance. Call ye him. Later on Jesus put it this way for us. All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations. Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world.
Bartimaeus arose and cast off his garment and sprang up and came to Jesus. His cloak was a covering from the cold. He may never find it again, but it slowed him down in coming to Christ and he cast it away. You never see an Olympic runner wearing an overcoat and carrying two pieces of luggage in a race. Everything must be sacrificed if it impedes our progress in the Kingdom of God. Bartimaeus came to Jesus and was healed and followed Him in the way.

Again He comes from place to place, His holy footprints we can trace.
He passes at our threshold, nay, He enters condescends to stay.
Shall we not gladly raise the cry; Jesus of Nazareth passes by.
Ho, all ye weary laden come! Here’s pardon, comfort, rest and home!
Ye wanderers from the Father’s face, Return accept His offered grace,
Ye tempted ones, there’s refuge nigh, Jesus of Nazareth passeth by!
HE TAUGHT THEM AGAIN!