MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St. Mark

St. Mark 3:7-19

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WE HAVE in this section of Mark's Gospel the contrast between the chief concern of Jesus for people, made clear in his commission to the twelve apostles he had chosen, and the crowd who were always following him and seeking him out. Jesus' commission to the disciples is spiritual and the concern of the people is temporal.

Jesus was always seeking to get some privacy, here to be with his disciples and then later to be alone with the special twelve he chose as apostles. This was almost impossible because of the attention of the crowd. However in verse 13 he seems to have been successful and is alone with the twelve he had specially chosen to minister in his name.

Jesus chose them firstly that they may be with him. There is a deep lesson that we can learn here. It is that Jesus chooses and saves us for himself to have fellowship with him. We are meant to dwell in his love, and this is the joy of being a Christian. It is amazing that Jesus wants the love and company of such weak and failing sinners as we are, but he does. Notice also that the minister of the Lord is one who is much with Jesus, and comes out of the presence of Jesus to minister, so that his ministry issues out of close communion with his Lord. The minister and the witnessing and effective Christian is one who so dwells in Christ's presence, that their lives and conversation show forth the glory of Jesus they behold in his presence.

Then the disciples were given the ministry of preaching, and authority over Satan's kingdom to cast out demons. This, no doubt, in New Testament times involved the deliverance of demon possessed people, but also must include such authority over Satan's kingdom, that preaching became an effective vehicle of delivering souls from Satan's kingdom and bringing them into Christ's Kingdom. New Testament ministry is chiefly such a spiritual ministry, and temporal needs of people must always take second place to this. Although Jesus healed the body, he was more concerned for the spiritual health of people. Notice that we are told here that Jesus wanted these apostles to be with him that he might send them out to preach. He sends people out who dwell in his presence.

As we are only saved from our sins by divine election and sovereign grace, so we can only engage in ministry when we are sent out by Jesus from his presence to preach. To take on spiritual office without the sending forth of Jesus is not only folly, but also wrong. If we are one that longs to have a ministry in sharing the Gospel, and feel somehow shut off from opportunity, we need to remember it is the Lord who sends out to preach, and if there is no opportunity, even though we look for it, then the signs are that at the moment at least the Lord is not sending us forth, and we must submit to his gracious and wise will. What is even more important to the Lord than ministry in his name, is that we love him and dwell with him and glorify him in our lives. He saves so that we may be with him and have fellowship with him. There is no greater joy or blessing than this.

From the sublime purpose of Jesus to bless people with eternal life and spiritual health, we come, in the first part of the section of Mark before us, to the earthly preoccupations of the people. As we read we may feel at first how wonderful it was that people were crowding to see Jesus, until we notice in verse 10 what seems to be the sole reason for their interest in Jesus. The thing that causes the people to seek Jesus so urgently is because he has healed many people, and they want to benefit from this healing also.

It is quite natural for people to be like this. In those days there was very limited medical knowledge. There must have been many complaints which destroyed the quality of life, even if they did not kill, of which there was no remedy. Suddenly there was someone who could heal even the worst diseases, so it was to be expected that people should seek such relief. Look today at how important health matters are in our society.

However this natural desire has its sad side. There is a more dangerous sickness which we are all afflicted with from birth, and it is deadness of soul, and a bias towards evil and away from God. Bodily sickness is but for time and for this life, the sickness of the soul has consequences for eternity. If we are not healed by Jesus, we must experience an eternity in hell when this life is over. Jesus grieved over this. He wept over Jerusalem where the people were so bound by this world that they had no time for their souls. We find Jesus complaining sadly in John 6 as people followed him after the feeding of the 5000. He complains they followed him because they had been fed with the loaves and fishes. Jesus expresses his concern in John 6:27 where he says "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give you."

The tragedy is that society is no better today. As people missed their Saviour in Jesus day because they were not ready for his coming, so people today are missing the salvation in Jesus because the desires and wisdom of this world occupies all their attention, and they have no time to realise the desperate need of their souls.

There is one very salutary lesson we can learn for today, and it is this. In Jesus' day the healing of the body by Jesus rarely led to people seeking him for healing of the soul. Even where healing was accompanied by forgiveness in the few, this did not change the attitude of the majority, who sought Jesus for bodily and temporal relief, but not for their souls. In caring for the body and earthly needs we show the love of Jesus, but we must never make the mistake of supposing that this will, on its own, change the heart. Preaching out of communion with Jesus is the given and chief activity of the church, for this is the way to eternal life for people.