Adopting The Mind Of Jesus / Part 2

REACTIONS OF JESUS IN MARK’S GOSPEL
Adopting The Mind Of Jesus – Part 2

4. Jesus reacts to a sincere seeker.
As Jesus was leaving Judea, a young man ran up to Him. Like the Pharisees and Scribes, he also had some questions for Jesus. But his heart was different. He asked to learn – not test, judge or debate. Like the Pharisees, he had adhered to the Law since he was a boy. He had a sincere, outward keenness to obey. And Jesus spotted that important difference. The Lord felt anger towards the Pharisees, but as to this young man “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mk. 10:21). The Lord gently made him aware of his heart’s deficient condition: his seeking lacked a needed sense of despair. His obedience to God-given outward forms dulled his hunger for reality.

Much of the young man’s security and self-esteem rested on his savings, his farm, his stocks and his pension plan. Deal with that first, the Lord explained, “then come, follow me” (10:21). The message is clear: keeping rules and following traditions combined with some self-sacrifice can make a person feel good about himself. But the Lord seeks something deeper. The driving passion of our heart is what really matters, and a God-oriented passion is willing to give everything.

Two chapters later, Jesus had a happy encounter with a thinking Scribe. He asked Jesus: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” In the dialogue that followed, it became evident that this Scribe was different from his religious friends. Behind the God-given forms and externals, he acknowledged the supremacy of spiritual reality. To “love the Lord with all your heart and ... love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices” (12:30-33). The Lord must have loved him too as he said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (12:34).

Sadly, like the Pharisees, we are prone to defend externals and procedures. Structures and traditions make us feel comfortable. They provide continuity and, some think, visible evidence of spirituality. Jesus warned His disciples against rigid emphasis on externals: “Watch out for the teachers of the Law. They like to walk around with flowing robes (concern about dress) and be greeted in the market places (concern about protocol and status), and have the most important seats in the synagogues (concern about authority and seating arrangements) and the places of honor at banquets (concern about position and influence). They devour widows’ houses (no concern for the weak) and for show make lengthy prayers (concern about image)” (12:38-39). The New Testament does prescribe some symbols and behavioral principles in keeping with the new life in Christ. But let’s never be satisfied with outward form, however biblical. Our ongoing passion should be the same as that of Paul: “My determined purpose is that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly” (Phil. 3:10 Ampl). Jesus still loves sincere seekers.

5. Jesus reacts to a faithless generation.
I wonder how Jesus felt about this nostalgic visit to Nazareth, His home town (6:1). Many memories and emotions must have come to Him as He passed the local well, market place and well-known faces. On the Sabbath He entered the familiar synagogue and began to teach. Having known Jesus since He was a boy, locals were surprised with His words, His wisdom and the fact that He could even do miracles. It was difficult for them to bridge the gap between the human and the divine. They insisted on putting Jesus in their local setting: “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t He Mary’s son and the brother of James ... aren’t His sisters here with us?” (6:3). Similarly, Christians in our current secular culture find it difficult to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds. We believe in the reality of the two worlds, but wish to keep them apart. We have problems where the material and the spiritual meet, where the visible and the invisible interact. We are happy to spend hours studying the Bible, organizing doctrines, arranging prophetic charts, singing and teaching lessons from past dealings between God and man. But the reality of God interacting with us today is more difficult.

Those in Nazareth were unable to allow, in their minds, the possibility that their local carpenter really was the Messiah. How did Jesus feel about this? In other towns, people would bring out their sick for Him to heal. But very few did in Nazareth. We read that Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith” (6:6). He expected something different from those who were expecting a Messiah. He expected something different from those who prided themselves in worshiping the only true God, a God of miracles and wonders. Does your faith allow God to do something in your physical world today?

In comparing Christian gatherings in Europe and Latin America, I notice that in Latin America mid-week prayer meetings are better attended than Bible study meetings. In Europe it is often the opposite. Some cultures have a deeper sense of need and a stronger desire for God to interact with their present reality. Most of the prayer requests are very clearly defined: “Lord I need a job.” “Lord, heal my wife.” “Convert my friend, Lord.” There is a vibrant expectation that God will actually do something. Such prayers are contagious. Luke tells us that Jesus was amazed at the “great faith” of the Centurion (Lk. 7:9). How does Jesus feel about our faith?

6. Jesus reacts to exclusive behavior.
We probably all have ideas of what Christianity should look like, what is acceptable and what is not. Some of our expectations are based firmly on Scripture, some weakly, and some simply reflect our social background, and our likes and dislikes. In practice, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between these three. Most religious traditions have noble origins, but the great danger is to insist on them as if they were Scripture. As we have seen, the Pharisees had an exclusive mind set. But we humans are all bent in this direction. It makes us feel secure knowing we are “in” while others are “out.” This exclusive behavior surfaces early in life: Have you noticed this excluding behavior among some children at school?

The disciples also had their ideas on who could come close to Jesus. John approached Jesus with enthusiasm and told Him how he had spotted and stopped some independent person driving out demons in the name of Jesus. One gets the impression that John expected Jesus to pat him on the back and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Why did John stop this man? Because he was “not one of us.” Jesus did not agree with John’s exclusive behavior and was quick to correct him: “‘Do not stop him’ Jesus said ... for whoever is not against us is for us” (9:38-39).

In Mark 10 we find the disciples stopping another group of people, those who were bringing their children to Jesus. In the disciples value system, happy, noisy children and their enthusiastic mothers were a nuisance. The disciples were enjoying the mental stimulus of Jesus’ profound teaching. Who could join them? The serious, spiritual, God-fearing, Scripture-loving and teachable people were welcome. But clearly not those immature children. “They can’t understand theology. They are not even interested in our doctrinal debates. The only thing they want is for Jesus to touch and bless them.” So the disciples rebuked them. How did Jesus feel about this embarrassing drama? Was He frustrated when the children interrupted His discourse on divorce? No. “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant” – not with those wanting Him to touch and bless them, but with the disciples who wanted to exclude them. I suspect many listeners forgot His teaching on divorce, but I am sure the families never forgot that special moment when “He took the children in His arms ... and blessed them” (10:13-16). Meeting and being with Jesus is the essence of true Christianity.

7. Jesus reacts to the cost of redemption.
The author of Hebrews encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). Jesus looked forward with joy to the fruit of His suffering. Amazingly, that divine joy is generated in redeeming odd, problematic, inconsistent people like you and me. But how did Jesus feel while facing the pain and reality of the cross? “They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ He said to them” (14:32-34). Would Peter ever forget this scene? He had never seen Christ like this before. How many times did he tell this story to John Mark as they travelled together?

Perhaps those brought up in Christian homes, who have heard the crucifixion story again and again, overlook the pain involved. We may be tempted to reason that since Jesus is God, and God can do everything, salvation was easy for Him to accomplish. Have you ever felt deeply hurt, rejected or distressed? In the process of redeeming us, Christ felt this more than anything you can imagine. Imagine Him “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” This was just the beginning. For us, He died. This is how much He values us! Perhaps this glimpse into the heart of our blessed Savior will help us love Him more and value more such a great salvation. “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like My suffering that was inflicted on Me?” (Lam. 1:12).

How do we react?
Christ has not forgotten His time on earth: “Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). We have a Lord who understands how we feel, who knows the pain of living with the consequences of other people’s sin, and the frustrations of living in this fallen world. Yet there is more. As we put on the mind of Christ, we shall also begin to experience the feelings expressed by Christ: His compassion towards the needy, His mercy towards those who suffer demonic oppression, His love towards sincere seekers, His indignation towards exclusive behavior, and perhaps even His anger against Pharisaic attitudes and practices. If we can think and feel more like Christ, we may behave more like Him. This was the apostle Paul’s goal in ministry: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).

By Philip Nunn

Next month look for a new series to begin.