Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024034S
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00:12 [uplifting music] 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 We're glad that you could join us again as we continue 00:20 our journey through the book of Mark. 00:22 This is lesson number 8 of 13, and we're looking 00:25 at "Teaching Disciples," part number 2. 00:28 We're glad that you could be with us. 00:30 Let's start with prayer. 00:31 Father, we ask that You'll bless our time together again today 00:35 as we delve into Your Word and seek to mine the depths of 00:38 the book of Mark to learn more about Your love for us 00:42 and Your plans for our lives. 00:44 We ask Your blessing upon us today, and we thank You 00:46 in Jesus' name, amen. 00:49 Well, we're happy also to have with us once again this week 00:52 the author of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 00:54 Thomas Shepherd. He is the senior research professor 00:57 of New Testament at the theological seminary, 00:59 Andrews University. Tom, thanks for joining us once again. 01:02 >>Tom Shepherd: It's good to be here. 01:04 >>Eric: So we're continuing our journey through 01:05 "Teaching Disciples," and we get now down into-- 01:10 we've been through chapter 9, we're getting into chapter 10 01:13 now of the book of Mark, 01:14 and Jesus teaches some things about marriage, 01:17 about relationships in this chapter. 01:21 Help us to understand the lessons that He wants us 01:23 to learn here in chapter 10 of the book of Mark. 01:26 >>Tom: Right, so Jesus here has left northern Palestine, 01:32 left Galilee, and He's come to Judea 01:34 and beyond the Jordan. 01:36 It's interesting or it's important for the location 01:40 where He is because the Pharisees come 01:43 and they question Him about divorce. 01:47 They say, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 01:51 Now, actually, in the Judaism of Jesus' day, 01:54 there were a number of reasons for-- 01:57 that people generally accepted for divorce: 02:00 childlessness, material neglect, emotional neglect, 02:04 unfaithfulness. 02:05 And so for them to ask Him, "Is it lawful for a man 02:11 to divorce his wife?"--a general statement--is a little strange. 02:16 Actually, hidden underneath this is a trap. 02:20 They--we know that John the Baptist lost his head 02:24 because he rebuked Herod for marrying his brother's wife. 02:29 And so they're asking Him, "Is it lawful for a man 02:33 to divorce his wife?" 02:35 They want to maybe get Him in trouble with Herod, 02:38 who happens to have control over this area where Jesus is 02:42 at this time. So it's a kind of a trap where they maybe think 02:47 they've got Him--heads, I win; tails, you lose-- 02:49 that they can trap him with maybe whatever He says. 02:53 But He slips out of their fingers again. 02:56 He says, well, "What did Moses command you?" 02:59 And we read their answer in verse 4: 03:02 "They said, 'Moses allowed a man to write a certificate 03:05 of divorce and to send her away.'" 03:08 All right, so this kind of thing was set up actually by Moses. 03:14 There's no command in the Bible to divorce. 03:17 The Bible never commands that you have to divorce. 03:21 The commands that were back in the Old Testament were based on 03:28 helping to actually protect a woman from her being abused 03:33 by men again and again and again. 03:35 The man had to give her a bill of divorce. 03:38 It was basically the men who did the divorcing. 03:42 He had to give her a bill of divorce 03:44 so that she could not be accused of committing adultery 03:47 when she married somebody else. "No, here's my bill of divorce. 03:50 You divorced me; you can't say that I'm committing adultery," 03:52 you see. So, it was actually made to protect the women. 03:58 Divorce was already happening. 04:00 And so the laws of divorce were meant to protect the woman. 04:06 However, as human nature is, people twisted this 04:13 to take advantage of it. 04:14 You know, they rationalized-- you can rationalize around-- 04:17 they had certain rules where they said, "Well, if this is 04:20 "true for a woman, then it's obviously 04:25 "also true for a man, 04:27 and if it's true for this, then it's true for that." 04:30 And so they got to a place where they could do divorce 04:32 for a variety of different reasons. 04:33 And it actually turned out to be used to abuse a woman 04:39 instead of protect her. So they kind of-- 04:41 this all needed to be uncluttered from that. 04:46 So that's how Jesus responds in verses 5 through 9. 04:53 So why don't you read those verses for us? 04:55 >>Eric: "And Jesus answered and said to them, 04:57 "'Because of the hardness of your heart 04:59 "'he wrote you this precept. 05:01 "'But from the beginning of the creation, 05:03 "'God "made them male and female." 05:05 "'"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother 05:08 "'"and be joined to his wife, 05:10 "'and the two shall become one flesh"; 05:12 "'so...they are no longer two, but one flesh. 05:15 "'Therefore what God has joined together, 05:18 let not man separate.'" 05:20 >>Tom: Okay, so it's interesting. 05:23 Jesus said that the allowance for divorce in the Old Testament 05:29 was given for the hardness of the heart, probably referring to 05:32 the hardness of the heart of the person who did the divorcing. 05:35 And Moses wrote this commandment actually to 05:41 limit the damage that occurred from divorce. 05:46 God's desire is for our homes to be healthy and happy. 05:51 My wife and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage this year, 05:56 and it's been a blessing. 05:57 Gone by really quick. >>Eric: Congratulations. 05:59 >>Tom: Yeah, and He wants our homes to be happy 06:03 and healthy for a long term. 06:06 The way Jesus describes it here, He quotes, He says that 06:10 the command that Moses gave was a way to solve a problem 06:17 that they were already practicing. 06:19 And He said, but that wasn't God's original plan. 06:23 He said--and Jesus goes back to the Creation story. 06:26 Now, interestingly enough, He quotes from both 06:29 Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. 06:32 In Genesis 1 we have the story of Creation, 06:35 particularly focusing on God as the Almighty Creator. 06:39 And it's powerful, that we are made in God's image. 06:44 And He made us male and female. 06:46 Now, either a man or a woman, you don't have to have both 06:50 to have the image of God. 06:52 You have the image of God in a human, in a male or in a female. 06:55 You don't have to have the two together to have 06:57 the image of God. 06:58 But they are both made in the image of God, 07:01 which deserves respect, but He made them male and female. 07:05 So there were two. Now, Jesus quotes next from chapter 2, 07:09 which is a retelling of the Creation story, 07:12 now focusing particularly on the humans and their situation. 07:16 And if you go back to Genesis 2, you get this interesting story 07:21 of the--God makes all the-- He makes the man and creates him 07:27 from the dust of the ground and the breath of life. 07:29 And then He places him in the garden, and then He says 07:35 in chapter 2:18, "It is not good for the man to be alone." 07:39 Now, this is the first time that something is not good. 07:44 Although in chapter 1 everything was good, it was very good, 07:47 it's very good; everything is very, really good. 07:49 He says, "It's not good for the man to be alone. 07:53 I will make him a helper fit for him." 07:56 So what's--what comes next in the story? Do you remember? 07:59 >>Eric: Is that where he falls asleep? 08:01 >>Tom: That's what people usually think, 08:03 but that's actually not the case. 08:05 The next thing that happens is 08:07 He brings to the man all the animals to name. 08:10 >>Eric: Yes. >>Tom: And so you're kinda like, 08:12 "Well, why is He doing that? Why does He have all these--" 08:17 now, often what--we get this picture-- 08:19 not to mention in the text-- we get this picture: 08:22 "Well, he saw that it was a male and a female deer, 08:25 "and a male and a female elephant, and he said, 08:27 'There's only one of me.'" 08:28 But that's not actually what it says. 08:29 It says he names them all, 08:31 but no helper was found fit for him. 08:34 It's not a difference of male and female there. 08:37 It's a difference of kind. 08:39 There's nobody like him, nobody there. 08:41 So, what God is doing in that story is a miracle. 08:46 He's creating a sense of need in a perfect world. 08:51 Just incredible, sense of need, Adam feels this lack. 08:56 So God puts him to sleep then, the first anesthesia, 08:59 takes the rib-- 09:01 not the bone from his head, she's not to be above him; 09:04 not a bone from his foot, she's not to be below him. 09:06 She's supposed to be at his side. 09:07 And so then He makes the woman. 09:09 And Adam breaks into this first love poem. 09:12 He says, "At last." You know, it's like satisfaction. 09:16 "At last [this] is [now] bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; 09:19 [she'll] be called Woman, [for] she was taken out of Man." 09:21 So Jesus takes these two and puts them together, 09:24 these two stories, and He affirms that marriage 09:29 is between a male and a female. 09:33 This is a little bit of a sleeper text for some, 09:35 but this is opposing same-sex marriage. 09:38 Male and female is the proper mode that God made for marriage. 09:42 And He says the two, the two that were made 09:46 in Genesis 1, the two now become one flesh. 09:48 There's obvious sexual overtones to that, 09:52 but it's more than that. 09:53 There's a relationship that God has created, a unity 09:56 between husband and wife that He has made, 09:59 and that's God's plan for marriage. 10:01 It's supposed to be settled and set together for life. 10:05 What God has joined together, let not man separate by divorce. 10:10 >>Eric: Very good. So, strong marriages... 10:15 what constitutes, what are the ingredients 10:18 in a strong marriage? 10:20 He doesn't want us to go down the way of divorce. 10:22 He wants us to have strong marriages. 10:23 What does that look like? 10:25 >>Tom: Sadly today, many young people think that 10:28 what they need to do is to sleep together before they get married 10:33 to find out if they're really compatible with one another. 10:35 It's a big mistake. It's a big mistake. 10:38 Your marriage is more likely to last if you wait 10:41 until you get married and then experience it together 10:46 in a context in which you're committed to one another. 10:50 Then, you see, you can let the power of sex go free. 10:54 It can be free because it's confined to this relationship. 10:58 They've actually found in studies that the people 11:04 that experience the greatest sexual satisfaction 11:07 are conservative Christian women. [chuckles] 11:11 People that--now Hollywood would tell you that they're the prudes 11:14 and that they don't know, but that's not actually the case. 11:18 Why is it that they experience more joy in their sexual life? 11:22 It's because they're in a committed relationship. 11:26 They're in a secure relationship, 11:28 and that's where it can be let go of free, 11:30 and it has more power. You know, 11:33 God doesn't want less passion in our lives. He wants more. 11:37 And yeah, that's why He says, don't commit adultery. 11:39 That's why He says, stay committed in marriage 11:41 to one another. 11:42 >>Eric: So we've talked about marriage 11:45 and what constitutes a strong marriage. 11:47 What about children? What does Jesus teach about children? 11:50 How does that all come into the picture? 11:51 >>Tom: Well, it's a beautiful passage. 11:53 It's found in verses 13 through 16. 11:57 It says, "And they were bringing children to Him 12:00 "that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 12:03 "But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, 12:06 "'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, 12:09 "'for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 12:11 "'Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive 12:14 "the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' 12:16 "And He took them in His arms and blessed them, 12:18 laying His hands on them." 12:20 I like that Jesus loved children. 12:22 And children evidently loved Jesus. 12:24 They didn't have a problem with Him. 12:26 I'm a little scared of people 12:27 who children find--are afraid of, but not Jesus. 12:31 And when the disciples wanted to keep them away, 12:35 He was indignant. 12:36 He was like, "No, this is-- these are exactly the people 12:39 for whom the kingdom of God is made." 12:41 It's a beautiful picture, actually. 12:43 >>Eric: It is a beautiful picture. 12:44 We're going to come back in a moment and talk about 12:46 the church's responsibility toward children. 12:49 But before we go to our break, I want to give you 12:51 an opportunity to share a little bit about that companion book. 12:54 What's in there for this chapter? 12:55 >>Tom: Yeah, so there's the-- 12:57 this book is geared towards the lessons. 13:00 Each chapter has the same title. 13:02 This one is titled "Teaching Disciples, Part 2." 13:06 And there's a description in there about a healthy home, 13:10 Jesus and children, rich man, and following Jesus, 13:14 and what it means to do that. 13:16 "What do you want--what do you want me to do for you?" 13:18 is the last section where it describes the request 13:21 that James and John had of Him. 13:23 So yeah, there's material extra 13:25 beyond what you find in the lesson quarterly. 13:27 >>Eric: So if you are interested in strengthening your marriage, 13:31 strengthening the relationship that you have with children, 13:35 maybe finding how children can be helped and encouraged 13:39 by the church, this chapter deals 13:41 with all of that and much more. 13:43 Where do you find the book? 13:44 At itiswritten.shop, 13:47 itiswritten.shop. 13:48 You'll find the companion book 13:49 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:52 And we're gonna continue going through the latter part 13:54 of this chapter when we come back from this break 13:57 in just a moment. 13:58 [uplifting music] 14:02 >>John Bradshaw: It's the happiest day of your life. 14:05 Surrounded by friends and family, you declare 14:08 your love and commitment to the most important person 14:11 in your world. 14:12 You say those all-important words: "I do." 14:16 Two become one, and they couldn't be happier. 14:20 But then, the honeymoon is over, and everything changes. 14:24 Instead of love, joy, and companionship, 14:27 there's anger and resentment. 14:30 Love dies, and the marriage is over. 14:34 It's an institution under attack. 14:36 The divorce rate is high, and children often bear 14:39 the brunt of their parents' actions. 14:41 So join me for "Saving Marriage." 14:44 We look at ways you can safeguard your marriage 14:46 and ensure marital happiness and success. 14:49 Learn how bringing God's principles 14:52 into your relationship will strengthen individuals, couples, 14:55 and families. 14:56 "Saving Marriage," 14:57 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 15:03 >>John: You know know at It Is Written we are serious 15:06 about the study of the Word of God, 15:08 and we encourage you to be serious about God's Word also. 15:12 Well, I want to share with you another way that you can 15:15 dig deeper into the Word of God. 15:17 And here it is: itiswritten.study. 15:22 Go online to itiswritten.study, and you can access 15:26 the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 15:29 25 in-depth Bible studies 15:32 that will walk you through the Bible. 15:34 It's going to be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 15:37 that you will want to tell somebody else about 15:41 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 15:44 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 15:47 As you get into the It Is Written online 15:49 Bible Study Guides, you'll understand the prophecies 15:52 of the Bible, the plan of salvation, and more. 15:55 So don't forget itiswritten.study, 15:58 itiswritten.study. 16:03 [uplifting music] 16:07 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 16:09 brought to you by It Is Written. 16:11 We're on lesson number 8 of 13, moving our way rapidly 16:14 through the book of Mark. 16:16 We're looking at "Teaching Disciples, Part 2." 16:19 Tom, a few minutes ago, we were talking about relationships 16:23 and marriage and children, 16:25 and we kind of left off with the question: 16:27 What about the church's responsibility toward children? 16:30 We know that Jesus cared about children. 16:32 They were drawn to Him. 16:34 What about the church? 16:35 What is our role when it comes to children? 16:37 >>Tom: Okay, so first of all, Jesus indicates 16:40 that the paradigm for Christian faith is a child. 16:43 Now, not that we are to be immature like children, 16:46 but one thing about children is they trust you. 16:51 And if you put them up on a wall and tell them to jump, 16:54 they'll jump into your arms. 16:56 And I've found working with children--I've worked 16:59 in kindergarten with the camp meeting group, 17:02 and little children are so sweet, you know; 17:05 they're just open and everything. 17:07 That's kind of the paradigm for what it's to be like. 17:10 The church's responsibility to children is to protect them, 17:14 is to raise them up to be disciples of Jesus. 17:17 A church without children is the church that is declining. 17:22 I'm thankful that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 17:25 has made it an important aspect of its ministry to children. 17:30 I think three of the best things that we've ever done 17:33 are Sabbath school, Pathfinders and Adventurers, 17:37 and student missions. 17:38 And you think about all three of those things-- 17:40 they all focus on young people: children and young people. 17:43 So that's really good because we need-- 17:46 those young people are the future of the church. 17:48 I remember traveling-- I'm a cellist, and I had 17:52 a string quartet when I taught at Union College. 17:54 We used to travel all over the place 17:56 giving programs in churches. 17:58 And I remember an old gentleman coming to me one day at the end 18:03 of our program, and he said, 18:06 "These young people are an inspiration to us." 18:10 And I didn't quite catch it then, I don't think, 18:14 what he meant. 18:15 But, you know, those of us who are older, and I'm getting older 18:18 and older, we all are, but I'm officially retired. 18:24 I look, and I say, you know, the future of the church 18:27 is the young people. 18:29 And if we don't have young people, we don't have a church. 18:32 So seeing them, the young people, 18:35 giving their hearts to Jesus, 18:37 being faithful to Him, it's deeply encouraging, 18:40 and we have a responsibility to disciple them, 18:42 to teach them the way. And that's our responsibility. 18:47 >>Eric: It's interesting when you look at Mark, chapter 10-- 18:50 we go straight from that story of Jesus with the children 18:54 right into the story of a rich young man who is invited 18:59 to follow Jesus. 19:01 What lessons do we learn from this story? 19:04 >>Tom: Yes, interestingly enough, in my Bible, 19:08 the story is titled "The Rich Young Man." 19:11 He's never called young, actually, in Mark. 19:13 I think that's over in Matthew he's described as a young man. 19:17 What's interesting is this fellow runs up, 19:20 and he kneels before Jesus. 19:22 Now, maybe that's what a young man would do. 19:24 My knees are a little bad, and I don't know that I could kneel, 19:27 run up quite so much. 19:28 He runs up, he kneels before Him, and he says, 19:31 "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19:34 Well, you know, that is a great question. 19:37 "Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? 19:40 "No one is good except God alone.' 19:41 Do you recognize who I am? "You know the commandments." 19:44 So He lists off some of the commandments: 19:45 "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, 19:49 "'do not bear false witness, 19:50 "do not defraud, honor your father and mother.' 19:53 "And he said to Him, 'Teacher, all these I have kept 19:56 from my youth.' And Jesus, looking at him, loved him." 19:59 Now, that--this is the only Gospel that says that. 20:03 And Jesus looked at him and loved him. 20:04 Why did He love him? He was an idealist. 20:07 You know, this is what I see in young people. 20:10 They're idealistic. And I've been a teacher for many years. 20:14 And I remember when I was teaching undergraduate college, 20:17 and the young people came to class, they never said it 20:21 out loud, but I sensed that they were looking at their teacher 20:26 and saying, "Teacher, do you have a dream worth living? 20:31 You know, do you have a dream worth me giving my life for?" 20:34 And that's always the challenge, I think, for us as leaders, 20:38 as adults is, are we living the dream? 20:41 Are we living before these young people that idealism 20:45 that they, they'll grab onto? 20:47 "All these things I have kept from my youth." 20:50 And so Jesus looks at him; 20:51 He says, "'You lack one thing: go, sell all 20:55 "'that you have and give to the poor, and you will 20:57 "have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' 21:00 "Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, 21:04 for he had great possessions." 21:07 Boy, what a story, you know? 21:11 "You lack one thing: get rid of all your possessions." 21:14 Now, Jesus doesn't ask everybody to do that. 21:19 Zacchaeus is the next story in the Gospel of Luke, 21:23 and, or, you know, shortly thereafter in Luke. 21:27 He only has to give away half [laughs] 21:30 of his possessions. 21:32 So it's like heaven at half price. 21:34 So Jesus doesn't ask everybody to give up their possessions, 21:37 but this man did have a problem. 21:40 He had kept the commandments that he had mentioned, 21:43 but there was one that he wasn't. 21:45 He had an idol in his life, and that was his money. 21:48 And it's obvious that it was an idol because he kept it. 21:53 You know, whenever Jesus touches an idol, watch out, 21:57 because idols are precious to people, and He touched this one, 22:00 and the young man went away. 22:02 It's sad. >>Eric: So it's a sad story. 22:05 He could have made a huge impact if he had come-- 22:09 if he had been converted and come in. 22:12 But if he had remained unconverted and been brought in, 22:16 well, that would have caused disaster. 22:18 >>Tom: Yeah. >>Eric: Sad story, 22:19 one to learn from. We keep going reading 22:22 down through here in chapter 10, 22:24 and Peter notes some of the things that 22:27 he and others have left to follow Jesus. 22:30 How badly should we rake Peter over the coals for this? 22:35 Or is there a lesson here for us, maybe, 22:37 to pull away from it as well? 22:38 >>Tom: Well, okay, so, you know, Jesus, after this young man 22:42 or this man goes away, Jesus talks about how difficult it is 22:46 for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom. 22:48 And He says it's "easier for a camel to go 22:51 "through the eye of a needle 22:53 than for a rich [man] to enter the kingdom of God." 22:55 So this is hyperbole again. 22:57 He's not talking about a little gate. 22:58 People get this idea it's a little gate, 23:00 camels to take everything. No, no, no. 23:02 It's a little tiny hole [laughs] in a needle, and the big animal 23:07 is trying to put it through a needle. 23:09 And the disciples get the-- they understand this. [chuckles] 23:12 They understand the hyperbole, and they say, 23:13 "Then who can be saved?" 23:15 And the punch line is, 23:16 "With man it is impossible, but not with God. 23:19 For all things are possible with God." 23:22 Peter pipes in: "We have left everything and followed You." 23:25 And Matthew, he fills it out a little more so: 23:28 So what's in it for us? [laughs] 23:30 And we're kind of like, "Peter, Peter, Peter, 23:33 "no, no, no, no, no. 23:34 You should be--it's good just to be with Jesus." 23:38 But Jesus says that there-- you read down here that you-- 23:43 have you left all this for me-- remember the cost 23:45 of discipleship--"...who will not receive a hundredfold"-- 23:47 verse 30--"a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers 23:50 "and sisters and mothers and children and lands, 23:53 "with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 23:56 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." 24:00 So He says, "You gave up everything for me? 24:03 You'll get a rich reward," you know. 24:06 Jesus isn't opposed to a reward for His people. 24:10 Now, that reward is based on His grace. 24:13 You only are saved by grace through faith. 24:16 It is not something that you earn, but still you receive 24:21 a reward for giving your life to Jesus. 24:24 So it's a wonderful--just think about the difference 24:27 between this rich man who kept his money and died 24:32 away from Jesus, versus His disciples who gave up everything 24:36 and will be in heaven. What's better? 24:38 Well, obviously, the disciples made the right choice, 24:41 and Jesus affirmed that. 24:43 >>Eric: Let's continue learning some lessons here, 24:46 maybe things that were said that shouldn't have been said 24:48 or at least that we can benefit from. 24:50 We come down just a few verses and we've got James and John, 24:54 and they have some desires-- we'll put it that way. 24:57 What were they hoping to get out of this, 24:59 and what did Jesus offer them? 25:01 >>Tom: Yeah, they said, "Grant us to sit, one at Your right... 25:03 and one at Your left, in Your glory." [laughs] 25:05 So they had seen Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. 25:08 And they expected that in some way or other 25:10 the messiah is going to be a king. 25:12 They want to be on the right and the left. 25:13 Now, that really gets the other disciples up in arms. 25:17 But Jesus asked them a question: 25:19 Do you know what you-- 25:20 "'You do not know what you are asking. 25:22 "'Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized 25:26 "with the baptism with which I am baptized?' 25:28 ...They said to Him, 'We are able.'" 25:29 He says, "The cup that I drink you will drink." 25:32 He says, "The baptism... I am baptized, 25:34 you will be baptized"-- that's the cross-- 25:36 "but to sit at my right hand or ...my left is not mine to grant, 25:40 but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 25:42 Well now, when the other 10 disciples heard about this, 25:45 they were incensed. You know, 25:46 these two were "trying to get ahead of all the rest of us." 25:49 You know, they were always fighting: Who's number one? 25:52 So, Jesus has a great teaching for them at this point. 25:56 He says, starting in verse 42, "And Jesus called them to Him 26:00 "and said to them, 'You know that those who are considered 26:03 "'rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones 26:07 "'exercise authority over them. 26:09 "'But it shall not be so among you. 26:12 "'But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 26:16 "'and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 26:20 "'For even the Son of Man came not to be served 26:23 but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.'" 26:27 So here's the great lesson of Christian life. 26:31 You are called not to be a master; 26:34 you are called to be a servant. 26:37 Peter learned this lesson, and over in his book he talks about 26:41 that you're not supposed to be in it 26:43 from the push of men but rather the pull of God, 26:46 not for the money but for the mission, 26:48 not to be a master but to be a mentor, 26:50 over in 1 Peter, chapter 5. 26:53 So they got the lesson; eventually it sunk in, 26:56 that Jesus is-- came to serve us, 26:59 and He's the master. So if He serves, so should we. 27:03 >>Eric: So that's a job for us. 27:05 That's an opportunity for us. 27:06 That's a calling for us, not to be the masters of everything 27:10 in this world, but to be servants so that we can, 27:13 by the grace of God, reflect the character of Christ 27:16 in the way that He served. 27:17 He was a servant leader, and so also should we be. 27:22 And as we continue our journey through the book of Mark, 27:24 we're going to look at this leader and how He served 27:27 and how He led. 27:29 And by God's grace, the example that He sets 27:32 will permeate our lives so that others may get 27:35 to see Christ's character in us as well. 27:38 We look forward to seeing you again next week as we begin 27:42 lesson 9 of 13 here on "Sabbath School," 27:45 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:47 [uplifting music] 28:24 [uplifting music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-08-14