DO WE REALLY UNDERSTAND THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION?

Mark 9:30-50  And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

We read Jesus did not want anyone to know He was passing through Galilee, because He wanted to teach something to His disciples.

• It was regarding the death of the cross.
• He would suffer, being put into the hands of men, and would be killed and rise again the third day.
• The disciples did not understand this.

Then we go on and read about Christ perceiving an argument the disciples had among each other.

• It concerned the issue of who would be greatest.
• They did not answer Him out of shame and embarrassment that they even argued about it.
• They thought that less of each other that they did not care.
• But for Jesus to know, they were embarrassed.

Jesus knew, anyhow.

• And  He said, the greatest one among them would be the one who makes himself last.
• The one who humbles himself the most and becomes a servant to all of the people.
• Not just to friends and favourites.
• To all.

Then  He took a child and put the child before them all.

• Then taking the child up into His arms, He told them that whoever receives a little one in His name, receives Him.
• In other words, the disciple who does humble himself, until he is so self denying that he is like a child… unimportant, not seeking grandeur… is so much like Jesus, the greatest, that receiving such a disciple in Jesus’ name is like receiving Jesus, Himself.

When a person receives a disciple in the name of Jesus, what that means is the person is considering a Christian and paying heed to him because they believe God will bless them because they serve Jesus.

Let me stop and explain what receiving someone in the name of Jesus means.

It means for a sinner to have such regard for Jesus, that they believe that by helping out a disciple because that disciple represents Jesus, they will actually receive a blessing from God.

Jesus is building up to something that we will deal with in a few minutes.

Jesus is speaking about UNION TO HIMSELF.

A person who truly is in union with Jesus and is a Christian, SHOULD ACT LIKE JESUS.

Jesus was the greatest.

And Jesus HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME SERVANT OF ALL.

He said the same thing when the last supper occurred.

• He told them wash each other’s feet as He proceeded to do the same.
• And the greatest is the servant.

We need to be humble, because people are going to want to be blessed.

• They are going to have enough faith in Jesus and enough concern to be blessed by Him, that they will seek out disciples to bless so that in return, they will be blessed by God.
• Jesus said the people will be receiving such humble people, and will be actually receiving Jesus, Himself.
• BUT ONLY WHEN THEY RECEIVE A HUMBLE DISCIPLE.

When these people receive a disciple, they receive Jesus.

• And In turn, Jesus was representative of the Father.
• So when they receive Jesus, they actually receive GOD ALMIGHTY.

Then John shows another error.

• John comes running and tells Jesus he saw a man casting out devils using Jesus’ name, who was not with their company, following them.
• So the disciples rebuked to man and told him to stop it.
• Jesus rebuked John, and told him to not forbid such people.
• If the man is using His name to do a miracle, then the man is certainly not going to speak badly of His name.
• He is certainly not going to hurt the cause.

Then He says that a person who gives a cup of water to a disciple in the name of Jesus, is going to be blessed.

• In other words, giving a cup of water to someone because they know someone is a Christian in hopes God will bless them for helping one of His preachers out, will be rewarded.
• And if doing something as small as giving a cup of water to a preacher will bring a blessing, then certainly performing a wonder in Jesus’ name should be allowed.

Don’t rebuke these people who are trying.

Leave them alone.

Then Jesus talks about offending.

Don’t dare offend someone.

Offending someone who is seeking God in sincerity, deserves a millstone around your neck and being thrown into the sea.

And then Jesus begins speaking about our hand offending us and our eye or our foot.

In other words, John had a problem in forbidding the person who was casting out devils.

• It was the same sort of problem they all had when they argued about who was greatest.
• It was SELF PROMOTION.
• Jesus was requiring SELF DENIAL.
• HUMBLING SELF.

Jesus then said that if there is some corruption in our lives that will rise up at times and offend another person, we had better CUT THAT PART OF OUR LIVES OFF.

• It’s the part of us that exalts self.
• It’s the part that will not allow self-denial to occur.

And then He says.

Mark 9:49-50  For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

In other words, everyone suffers one way or another.

Let your selfishness go wild and see the corruption rise up and not curb it in any form, then you’ll suffer later in good shape.

• But, allow a little bit of suffering right now by DENYING YOURSELF, so this corruption does not rise up and offend others, and you’ll be preserved forever and ever.

We sacrifice our lives when we come to Jesus.

• Living sacrifices.
• We live a lifestyle of Christianity.
• And salt is always sprinkled on sacrifices.
• It represents PRESERVING THE SACRIFICE.
• It’s a message in symbol form of actually MAINTAINING THE ATTITUDE OF SACRIFICE.
• Not letting your flesh go wild and do its own thing.
• Realizing that, yes, pleasures of sinfulness are enjoyable, but we need to be servants of Jesus.
• And self denial is absolutely a must!

This is the reason we read of these things after we find they could not understand the teachings about Jesus dying and rising again.

• People who do not humble themselves in self-denial, simply do not understand the cross.
• There is a salvation by the cross, and then a LIFE OF THE CROSS AFTERWARDS.

John just made an error before Christ spoke of this issue.

• He had to cease offending others as he just did.
• And that would require self-denial.
• The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
• Corrupt manners will rise up in our lives if we do not deny ourselves.
• Cut off that part within our lives that causes offense in others.

Jesus taught them how He must be killed and rise again the third day.

• They understood Him not.
• And then we read of two bad events the disciples experienced due to their lack of understanding the need of their own suffering in self-denial.
• The ideas here are linked.
• If you cannot understand your need of self-denial, it is because you simply did not comprehend the meaning behind Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• You might understand the words and the historical fact of the death of Jesus.
• But the true understanding is that we are in union with Him.
• We must live a spiritual life of the cross.
• We’re saved the moment we’ve obeyed Acts 2:38.
• But a lifestyle of the cross comes next.
• A salting of the sacrifice we made through Christ.
• Maintain a Christian attitude of self denial.

Moses experienced a parallel event as this of our text.

Numb 11:4-9  And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

Manna speaks of the Body of Jesus Christ.

John 6:31-33  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

He described His manna as His body which He gave for the life of the world.

• And that spoke of the crucifixion.
• Manna speaks the same message as the bread and wine of communion.
• So when the people loathed the manna, and wanted flesh of Egypt instead, it is a picture of detesting the truths of the CROSS, and desiring FLESHLY LIVING INSTEAD.
• It speaks of refusing to deny self as Christ.
• A desire to live like the world lives.

So God gave them what they wanted.

However, before the FLESH arrived, we read an interjecting event.

• God appointed 70 elders to help Moses in His ministry.
• (Jesus had 70 disciples).
• And the spirit of Moses came upon the 70 and they all prophesied.

Numbers 11:25-29  And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

Just like John, Joshua told Moses to forbid the two elders from prophesying in the camp!

• John told Jesus he forbid the stranger from casting out devils in Jesus’ name.
• Jesus rebuked John and Moses rebuked Joshua.

So we see a parallel in the thought that Jesus spoke of the death of the cross, and the people could not understand Him.

• Similarly the people did not want MANNA any more (representing preaching of the cross), but desired flesh instead (representative of life like the world).

And then envy occurs among the disciples, as they wonder who is the greatest, and then John forbids a man from casting out devils.

• The seventy elders of Moses are chosen and Joshua envies their ministry.

And then Moses’ story continues regarding the manna.

Numbers 11:31-33  And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

God strikes the people who desire flesh with death.

• Rather than feast on manna, they feasted on flesh and died.
• Rather than learn the truths of the life of the cross, and self -denial, those who choose to instead gratify the flesh and feast on the ways of the flesh, will die and suffer the worse suffering.
• We need to choose to deny self now, and not have to suffer the worst later.

Feasting on Manna and the truths of the cross, is believing and living the life of knowing Christ’s death is ours, and we must live a life of self denial afterwards, and not live to ourselves.

2 Corinthians 5:15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

When Jesus spoke beforehand of people receiving us as Himself, He also said this:

Matt 10:38-39  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Losing our lives now means living a life of self denial, where we do not please every whim of the flesh.

• We will have continue in eternal life if we maintain this attitude.
• But if we keep our lives right now, by enjoying all the pleasures of sin, we shall lose our lives permanently in the end.
• Lose suffering of self denial permanently in the end, or lose life permanently.
• It’s our choice.
• God will give us flesh to eat and feast on if we want.
• But we will suffer in the end.
• But if we deny ourselves right now, so that the cruel offences that rise from fleshliness are curbed and cut down, God will grant us eternal joys and pleasures in glory!

If we truly understand the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we see that OUR LIVES are in union with Him, and we must LIVE IN SELF DENIAL, so as not to offend others through the outcroppings of fleshly selfishness.