MINISTRY IN MARK: JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES

Introduction:

It is my belief that can look into the Gospel of Mark and find there a double model on how to do Christian ministry. There is a double focus: how to do ministry correctly and how to do it incorrectly. Jesus is our model as to what our ministry should look like. The disciples become our model as to mistakes we will be tempted to or have already made.

I find it both interesting and encouraging that the disciples, who made so many mistakes, are still the way Christ has chosen to bring us the good news. It is interesting that Mark did not desire to portray an unrealistic view of who the first disciples were. Mark seemed to have felt no need to polish up the image of that first band of Jesus’ followers. The concern seems to be to help us see the disciples as real people, with real ego problems and with real misunderstandings. I find it encouraging to learn about the original twelve because it is so easy to fall into their same mistakes. Although they were corrected (at times harshly), the disciples were also forgiven. The proof of that forgiveness is that God kept them as apostles, as His key leaders. He did not remove their ministry.

The disciples became the leaders of the Christian movement, and it is their witness that has come down to us. They were the ones that wrote down Jesus’ words. Jesus left us no books, only eleven men. These men, despite their mistakes and lack of early understanding not only passed on the message and teachings of Jesus, but became examples of that message. Truly, the treasure they gave to us was in “earthern vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves….” (II Corinthians 4:7)

MARK 1:1

As we read the opening lines of Mark’s Gospel we see the author’s view of Jesus: Jesus is the Christ, the messiah, and He is the Son of God. Mark says all of this is “good news”. The Gospel means “good news”. As we see who Jesus is and what He does and that He is God, we will see that Mark is correct, it is good news. Jesus will teach the good news, but He also is the good news. He will be the message. We will learn as much about the Gospel by watching Jesus act, as we will by listening to His teaching. He is showing us that words, deeds, and attitudes must be the same as the message. It is to be same with us as His servants. People should be able to learn about God by watching our deeds and attitudes as much as they do by listening to our words.

MARK 1:2-8

John the Baptist announces Jesus’ ministry. All the Gospels mention this work of John. Perhaps, we can draw two simple insights from these verses. First, others should announce our ministry. Others should be able to see that God has given us ministry. If we are the only ones who see that God has called us, then maybe our ministry is not from God. Other godly men should recognize our calling. The same Spirit that was in Jesus was informing John. Second, John was a great man, but great men always know that true greatness is giving witness to and deference to Jesus. Great men are more concerned with the work of God then their own ministry.

MARK 1:9-11

In these verses, Jesus is anointed for His ministry. This anointing comes from the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not claim to be anointed, it was claimed for Him by the voice from Heaven. Our ministry is not our doing but God’s, and it is begun by God’s anointing, not by us.

So many of us in the ministry want to be recognized, and we are tempted to promote our ministry. It is the pride in us that is in all people and not to be aware of the possibility of such pride is dangerous. Sometimes we believe we have to promote ourselves or our ministry will not get started or be successful. The answer to such worries is found in this chapter. It has a beautiful promise. Jesus does not promote himself, but is willing to let John the Baptist speak in His behalf and the witness of the Spirit in verse 11. If we promote ourselves how can we know if God has ordained us for ministry? If our ministry is of God He will speak into the heart of other strong believers, like He did into the heart of John the Baptist, and we will receive the confirmation of the Spirit Himself as Jesus did. In the following stories notice the continuing witness of God to Jesus’ ministry. The disciples recognize His authority and leave their jobs to follow Him (16-20), will teach with astonishing power (21-22), have power over demons (23-27) and God will take care of promoting our ministry (28). God will give us power to heal and release people from the grip of Satan (29-34). In fact, we may have trouble with popularity rather than needing to seek it (45).

MARK 1:12-13

Notice, that the Spirit immediately drives Jesus into the wilderness. When the Spirit calls us to ministry it begins in the wilderness. A difficult time of testing in hard and desolate places is the prelude to effective public ministry. If God has truly called us He will take us into the desert, into dry times and difficult places. He did the same to Moses in Exodus 2. Moses was called but immediately was driven into the desert after he tried to help his people. Elijah spoke in I Kings 17, and then God took him into the wilderness for years. The same is true of the Apostle Paul. Perhaps, we need such times to clean our motives, learn trust, and to clarify our ministry’s direction. Nothing makes us clearer than experiencing dry and difficult times. Perhaps, one of the signs we are anointed by God’s Spirit and that He is pleased with us, is that He drives us into the desert. It is the beginning of a ministry that is anointed by God.

MARK 1:14-15

Circumstances changed with John’s arrest. It had been John’s witness that added to Jesus’ ministerial legitimacy. Things will change in our ministry. People who helped us will not always be around, but we must go on and do what we were called to do.

Jesus goes into Galilee and preaches the Gospel of God. He preaches the good news. His ministry is summarized: God’s reign is near, and it is possible to enter into it. What humans need to do is repent and believe. If we are willing to repent and believe we can experience the reign of God in our lives and over our lives. Where God is King, the Kingdom of God is present. He becomes King when we admit we are wrong and turn from evil and believe the Gospel.

MARK 1:16-20

Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James and John into the ministry. Jesus is modeling for us that if we are going to have all the impact we should have, we need to get helpers, to add staff.

Jesus calls them to become fishers of men. To help others we first have to follow Him. We should be so focused in our ministry practices that we can call others to follow what we do. Paul would later say follow me because I follow Christ. People should learn how to do ministry by watching our lives.

Notice that all four men left everything. We should not call people to ministry who are not willing to leave everything behind. The work that they were doing was honorable and good work. Jews had great respect for those who worked with their hands, but when God calls we are to leave everything. Elisha, sacrificed his oxen when he was called by Elijah. He was a farmer, also a worthy and honorable vocation, but when called to ministry he had to leave all behind.

MARK 1:21-28

Notice, Jesus went into the synagogue to teach. Mark will emphasize this aspect of Jesus’ ministry several times. He taught, and He taught with authority and it amazed them. He was not like the other teachers, the scribes.

Jesus is interrupted by a demon possessed man and Jesus is not only a bold teacher, but a man with spiritual authority. He casts out the demon with a word. If our ministry is to be like that of our master then we are to be bold teachers and teachers with spiritual authority. If either of the two is missing then something is wrong with our ministry.

MARK 1:29-31

Jesus teachers boldly in public and is compassionate in private. Simon’s mother-in-law was not only healed of her illness, but allowed to serve her guests and therefore to have honor. How embarrassing it would have been to have had the famous rabbi Jesus come to your house and you were not a good host because of your illness. She was healed by a touch and given the opportunity and distinction of serving her guests. Jesus gave her more than health.

MARK 1:32-34

Again, we see that Jesus has power to heal and cast our demons. He is tremendously popular, but He is not willing to have just anyone praise Him. He refuses the witness of the demons by not allowing them to speak.

MARK 1:35-39

Jesus is very successful (in verse 33 the whole city has gathered at His door), but He arose early to pray. We often pray when our ministry is not successful, but Jesus arises early when it is going well. When we are successful, then we need to arise early in the morning, or stay up late at night and spend time with God.

His staff, the disciples are frustrated, wondering where He was when He was in such popular demand. However, Jesus is not affected by this because He spent time in prayer, and He knew He needed to leave the place of great ministerial success. He knew He was to teach, not just do miracles. Notice, teaching is mentioned three times in this chapter (14,21,38).

MARK 1:40-45

Jesus is very successful and very popular, but again He is interrupted or inconvenienced. When He was teaching and amazing everyone with His teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, He was interrupted by the man with the unclean spirit, now He is interrupted by a man with an unclean body.

Many successful ministers do not want to be bothered with people such as lepers, but Jesus is moved to compassion. He is not only willing to help the man, but He touches the leper. The man is immediately healed, but Jesus is now defiled. Jews were not allowed to touch lepers without being declared unclean.

Jesus is not worried about how it will look. He is free of worrying about how people will perceive Him, and He shows us how to be free of such worry. Instead of worrying about His reputation, He is worried about the spiritual condition of this physically sick man. The word in verse 43 in Greek means Jesus spoke with anger to the man when He warned him to keep his mouth shut and go to the priest so that the priest can declare him as clean. If the priest declared him clean, he could reenter society. Jesus did not heal for ministerial affect. He healed because of compassion and to do the man as much good as He could. He wanted the man healed physically and socially. By being declared clean by the priest, the man could resume a normal and healthy social life. Lepers were quarantined as outcasts and not allowed to live in normal society, but kept outside of villages and towns. Lepers lived a lonely, isolated life, Jesus wanted to change that.

Perhaps, there is something else being done here. It is one thing to receive a gift from God, but it is another thing to obey the voice of God when it speaks to us. This man was sternly (angrily, the original Greek says) so he took the warning seriously not to talk about his healing, but to obey Jesus and go to the priest. The man was given an opportunity for obedience. We should do the same for those we minister to.

The man disobeys, and it has a negative affect on Jesus’ ministry. Jesus can no longer enter a city, but was forced to stay in unpopulated areas because of the crowd. The man failed the test and disobeyed. Nothing is said about Jesus reversing the physical healing, but Jesus suffered the consequences of the man’s disobedience. We too should be willing to see instruction ignored. If it happened to Jesus, it could happen to us.