Pastor Shaun Marksbury

Our Lord commands in Mark 9:50 to  “ be at peace with one another.” We must beware becoming too enamored with our particular corner on Christianity.  Note one commentator ’ s understanding: Bill Leonard takes the title of his book God’s Last and Only Hope from a convention sermon delivered in 1948.  The preacher had no doubt that God could work only through his group: ‘I am more tremendously Convinced than ever before that the last hope, the fairest hope, the only hope for evangelizing the world on New Testament principles is the Southern Baptist people represented in that convention.’  Those who are not Southern Baptists may demur. Mark’s text should cause us to reflect on our role and other’ role in God’s plan with greater humility.  We must recognize that God’s mission in the world is bigger than we are.  We need to recognize who the real enemy is who must be exorcised from our midst and from others. [1]    I can appreciate this—after I e...

The disciples have been full of themselves, but Jesus provides the corrective.  He tells them that they need to serve all and receive all (vv. 39–41).  He also told them that they need to do everything they can to avoid being stumbling blocks to other believers and even themselves (vv. 41–48).  Now, as He’s finishing His lessons on discipleship in this section, He’s going to admonish them to live sacrificially. Disciples become living sacrifices (v. 49).  Salt was required on all meat offerings (Lv 2:13), and both salt and fire appear together in the sacrifices (Ezr 6:9; Ez 43:23–24).  God also scatters His fire like salt in judgment (cf. Job 18:15; Eze 10:2).  In other words, God gives us an image of sacrifice in Scripture and one of judgment. Jesus died once-for-all sacrifice for all believers (Hb 10:1–18).  Disciples are called in Him to be living sacrifices, which can be painful at times (Rm 12:1).  If one is a believer in Christ, tho...

The disciples are in a spiritually dangerous spot.  They were arguing with one another which was the greatest (vv. 33–34), and when they encountered an outsider working in the name of Christ, they tried to shut him down (v. 38)!  They’ve become arrogant, so Jesus teaches essential discipleship principles that He continues here. Christ’s disciples must avoid creating stumbling blocks for others (v. 42).  To “stumble” means to entice someone to sin, to somehow lead those “who believe” away from God.  It’s been posited that we should protect children in this way—attach a rapist to a large stone and toss him off a ship.  However, Jesus calls us to this kind of personal zeal against our personal sins; we should rather be drowned than cause another believer spiritual harm. Christ’s disciples avoid creating stumbling blocks for themselves (vv. 43–48).  Considering v. 42, it’s necessary for disciples to examine themselves.  We must take steps to avoi...

Jesus now returns to their Capernaum home for the last time.  He seeks to remain incognito due to judgment against the region.  The main reason, though, is to instruct the disciples, and we can learn important lessons about discipleship from this time. Disciples must understand the preeminence of the gospel (vv. 30–32).  They must understand His work, so He’s been teaching them plainly (8:31–32).  He even mentions the resurrection again after the Transfiguration (9:9).  They don’t understand yet (v. 32), and He will keep telling them (10:33–34).  Disciples are accountable for their disputes (vv. 33–34).  Instead of discussing what Jesus meant, they were arguing on the road about which of them was the greatest!  However, now they’re silent; this wasn’t a discussion that they should have been having.  Perhaps after the failure of the nine (vv. 14–29), Peter, James, and John argued they were greater, considering what they saw on the ...

14  And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15  And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16  And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17  And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18  And 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 they were not able.” 19  And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20  And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21  And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “F...