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May 10, 2011
Who was the most notable figure of the last century? Our answers may vary, but our criteria seldom do: typically, we look for power, status, or achievement. Rico Tice takes us to Mark 9 and 10, where Jesus’ disciples displayed the same kind of thinking. Eager to gain superiority, they made requests for positions of power that stood in contrast to the selfless, sacrificial message Jesus proclaimed. Are we, like the disciples, seeking status rather than seeking to serve like Christ?
1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ltaste death muntil they see the kingdom of God after it has come nwith power.”
2oAnd after six days Jesus took with him pPeter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was qtransfigured before them, 3and rhis clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one1 on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, s“Rabbi,2 it is good that we are here. Let us make three ttents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For uhe did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7And va cloud overshadowed them, and va voice came out of the cloud, w“This is my beloved Son;3 xlisten to him.” 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9yAnd as they were coming down the mountain, zhe charged them to tell no one what they had seen, auntil the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10bSo they kept the matter to themselves, cquestioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say dthat first Elijah must come?” 12And he said to them, “Elijah does come first eto restore all things. And fhow is it written of the Son of Man that he should gsuffer many things and hbe treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ithey did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
14jAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, kwere greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has la spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and mthey were not able.” 19And he answered them, “O nfaithless generation, nhow long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it oconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But pif you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, p“‘If you can’! qAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried out4 and said, “I believe; rhelp my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that sa crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, t“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and oconvulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus utook him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had ventered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”5
30wThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, xafter three days he will rise.” 32yBut they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
33And zthey came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ahe asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way bthey had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, c“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and dtaking him in his arms, he said to them, 37e“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ewhoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
38fJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone gcasting out demons in your name,6 and hwe tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40iFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, jwhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
42k“Whoever causes one of lthese little ones who believe in me to sin,7 mit would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43nAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ohell,8 to pthe unquenchable fire.9 45qAnd if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ohell. 47rAnd if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into shell, 48‘where ttheir worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49For everyone will be salted with fire.10 50vSalt is good, wbut if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? xHave salt in yourselves, and ybe at peace with one another.”
1zAnd he left there and went ato the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
2And Pharisees came up and in order bto test him asked, c“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, d“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ehardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6But ffrom the beginning of creation, ‘God made them gmale and female.’ 7h‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,1 8and ithe two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9jWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11And he said to them, k“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12and lif she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
13mAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples nrebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, o“Let the children come to me; pdo not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15qTruly, I say to you, whoever does not rreceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16And she took them in his arms and blessed them, tlaying his hands on them.
17uAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and vknelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to winherit eternal life?” 18And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19You know the commandments: x‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20And he said to him, “Teacher, yall these I have kept from my youth.” 21And Jesus, zlooking at him, aloved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, bsell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ctreasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22dDisheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23And Jesus elooked around and said to his disciples, f“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter gthe kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples hwere amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, i“Children, jhow difficult it is2 to enter gthe kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter gthe kingdom of God.” 26And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,3 “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus klooked at them and said, l“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28Peter began to say to him, “See, mwe have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, nthere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and ofor the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold pnow in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, qwith persecutions, and in rthe age to come eternal life. 31But smany who are first will be last, and the last first.”
32tAnd they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and uJesus was walking ahead of them. And vthey were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33saying, “See, wwe are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will xcondemn him to death and ydeliver him over to the Gentiles. 34And they will zmock him and aspit on him, and flog him and kill him. And bafter three days he will rise.”
35cAnd James and John, dthe sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ewhatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, f“What do you want me to do for you?” 37And they said to him, “Grant us gto sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, hin your glory.” 38Jesus said to them, i“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able jto drink the cup that I drink, or kto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, l“The cup that I drink myou will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, nyou will be baptized, 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, obut it is for those for whom it has been pprepared.” 41And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42qAnd Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles rlord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But sit shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,4 44and whoever would be first among you must be tslave5 of all. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but uto serve, and vto give his life as a ransom for wmany.”
46xAnd they came to Jericho. And yas he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, za blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was aJesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48And many brebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, c“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50And throwing off his dcloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus said to him, e“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, f“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; gyour faith has hmade you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
