Heart attack (Mark 3:1-6)

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’

Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Mark 3:1-6

1. Two routines

What is your Sunday routine? Do you wake up late and have a big breakfast or wake up early to play football?

This passage tells us what Jesus does every Sabbath day. He preaches in the synagogue and heals the sick. Verse 1 begins with “Another time ( or As usual or Again), Jesus went into a synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there.” And Jesus heals the man. That’s his routine.

But did you notice a second routine in verse 2? “Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.” It says, “they watched him closely”. Not to hear him teach but “to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.” In other words, to catch Jesus in the act. “No work allowed, Jesus, not on the Sabbath!”

So we see two routines. Jesus teaching God’s word and doing God’s work. That’s one routine. But another thing we see is rejection. Turn back to Mark Chapter 2 and there Jesus is called a blasphemer, his friends are called sinners and his disciples are called Sabbath law-breakers - all in Chapter 2 alone. Rejection has become routine. They come every week to church but they’ve come in order to reject Jesus; to find a reason to accuse Jesus.

It’s interesting how this happens again and again in Mark’s gospel. The more they knew Jesus, they more they rejected him.

2. Two responses

But something different happens in Mark Chapter 3 and verse 3.

Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’
Mark 3:3

Remember, they are watching Jesus closely to catch him in the act. But Jesus says, “Stand up in front of everyone”. Meaning, he wants them to see. To see this man with his shrivelled hand. To see his miraculous healing. Even to see his obedience. It’s not Jesus who is hiding something but those who have come with a hidden agenda; those looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.

Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent.
Mark 3:4

What is a mark of a good bible study leader? Good conversation. Everyone says something. If that is true, Jesus Christ is a lousy bible study leader. No one is saying anything! What is worse, Jesus gets angry with his bible study group for keeping quiet!

He looked around at them in anger and (was) deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.
Mark 3:5

What’s going on? Jesus sees their stubborn hearts - literally, their hard hearts. If you remember the book of Exodus; you will remember how Pharaoh hardens his heart against God each time he meets Moses. The same thing happens to us when we reject Jesus, again and again. We are harden our hearts, making it harder to hear him. Making it harder to respond to his grace. That’s why they remained silent.

Do you choose good or evil? Do you save or kill someone? It’s not a hard question, is it? You don’t split the group into two and discuss the merits of doing evil versus doing good. Of course it’s better to do good and save life!

But to be fair, verse 4 begins: Which is lawful on the Sabbath? Meaning: He’s not asking, “What do you think?” but, “What does God say?” And this is where they got stuck. They knew what God said not to do: Don’t work on the Sabbath. Hence, healing on the Sabbath was breaking the law. But Jesus asked them what God wanted them to do. He rescued them from slavery from Egypt and gave them the Sabbath so that they could serve him.

And if look back to the end of Chapter 2 to the last verse, Jesus says, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Connecting the dots, Jesus is saying: The Sabbath is about me. I have come to do good, to save life, to bring salvation. But all they were thinking was, “I don’t care.” They hardened their hearts against Jesus.

Silence can be a very useful thing in a bible study. It can mean people are thinking. It can also mean that people are hardening their hearts. Either way, silence is a response. You are repenting towards God or rejecting God. You can hear God’s word or harden your heart. Most of you are silent right now. I wonder which response is happening in your heart?

Two routines. Two responses.

3. Two results

Finally, two results - life and death.

(Jesus) said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Mark 3:5-6

That’s ironic, isn’t it? They accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath yet immediately after church, they planned to kill him. The experts condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath but didn’t see anything wrong with killing on the Sabbath.

Jesus says (in Mark 2:17), “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Who are the sick? Obviously, it’s that old auntie in hospital. Obviously, it’s my friend who’s struggling with sin. I’d better pray for them.

Friends, if that’s what you think, you’ve missed the point. When Jesus tells the sick man to stand up, everyone could see he needed help. None of them thought, “I need Jesus to help me.” Yet Jesus was filled with anger and grief when he looked at their hearts.

To have a doctor tell you, “You are sick,” is bad news. But for Jesus to show me my sin is good news because Jesus came for sinners. That’s the wonderful news of the gospel. At the cross where he suffered and died, I can see how much God hates my sin and how much God loved me while I was still a sinner. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Conclusion

What does this mean for us? Routine, response and results.

Routine means it’s not just that one big decision to follow Jesus but your day by day, moment by moment living for Jesus. Why not have a daily routine, weekly routine of prayer and reading God’s word. Always start small. The point is to keep going and to keep growing.

Response is always, always talking about the gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He rose for our justification. I must never be too old or too proud to bow my knees before the cross and say, “I am sorry, Jesus. Please forgive me. I am a sinner saved only by your amazing grace.”

Finally, the result is life or death. Eternal salvation in the fullness of God. Or eternal condemnation under the wrath of God. Friends, do you know the difference? More importantly, do you know Jesus?

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Romans 5:8-9

Ultimate Sunday School (Mark 4:1-34)

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.

Mark 4:1

My church in Singapore has eight hundred children. Can you imagine Sunday School with eight hundred kids? That’s a lot of lesson plans and toilet breaks.

Here, Jesus speaks to a crowd so large they almost crush him (according to Mark 3:9) so he gets into a boat and speaks to the crowd from the middle of a lake. And verse 2 says, “He taught them many things by parables.”

I call this Ultimate Sunday School. It’s Jesus plus a crowd by the lake and he’s teaching them parables. And verse 3 begins with Jesus telling them to listen.

‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’

Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’

Mark 4:3-9

Notice, there are four soils. It’s the same seed but four different soils.

First, there’s the seed along the path. It’s like food you’ve dropped on the floor - the birds come and eat it up. Second, there’s the seed on rocky places, meaning, there’s a layer of rock underneath the soil. The plants spring up quickly but then dry up in the heat of the sun. Thirdly, there’s the seed amongst the thorns. The plants fight against the thorns for soil, for sustenance, but the thorns win. The fourth soil is good soil. It multiplies thirty, sixty and a hundred times, producing more seed than was sown in the first place.

It’s a parable about growth. We’ll see how every parable in Mark Chapter 4 talks about growth in God’s kingdom. How it grows slowly. How it grows surely. How God’s kingdom grows surprisingly.

1. Slow growth

Jesus explains in verse 14: “The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” The word. The word. The word. Jesus sows the word but Satan snatches the word from our hearts.

Verse 16: “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.” “But,” verse 17, “since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Notice, it comes because of the word. When trouble comes, will we hold on to the word or fall away?

Verse 18: ”Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word,” but, “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” The number one excuse for missing church or coming late for bible study is, “I’m busy.” Jesus says the problem is deeper than that. We have given our hearts to other things - career, money, happiness - things which look more attractive than the bible. Things which choke our love for God’s word.

Verse 20: “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Seeds that produce more seeds. That’s the mark of good soil. Believers who encourage growth in others, not just themselves.

The question is: Which soil are you? Jesus warns us: Three out of the four soils are bad. Not because there’s no growth. There’s lots of growth - of Satan, trouble and weeds - but there is zero growth in God’s word. When we are tempted to look at a megachurch and wish we were like them, remember, what makes the good soil good is maturity, not numbers. Seed producing more seed. It is long-term gospel growth of mature believers growing in Christ.

That takes time. It is no accident that Jesus uses plants in his parables. Growing in God’s word is slow. As he looks at the vast crowd before him, it is no accident he tells them a parable where most of the seed die, most of them fall away, most of them bear no fruit. It’s a warning to them and to us.

Even to his own disciples he says, “Don’t you understand?” Yet, there is a big difference between the disciples and the crowd. Verse 10: “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything is said in parables.” He explains it to them, again and again. He keeps sowing the word.

Which soil are you?

2. Sure growth

Verse 21:

He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

Mark 4:21-22

It sounds foolish. Like turning the TV backwards or microwaving ice-cream. But Jesus says we are that foolish when it comes to God’s word. When we ignore God’s word. The problem is not with the pastor or the PA system. The problem is we don’t like hearing God’s word preached to our ears.

‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’

Mark 4:24-25

Elsewhere, the bible condemns false teachers but here Jesus condemns false hearers. Remember the first parable? Jesus doesn’t say to the farmer, “Why are you throwing seed on the pavement, rocks and thorns?” Instead, he condemns the soils. “Consider carefully what you hear.”

To hear is to obey because in the bible we meet a speaking God. We meet God in his word. Hearing is a mark of obedience. When Jesus begins his parable with “Listen!” (Mark 4:3) it reminds us of Moses who said, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one,” (Deuteronomy 6:4) commonly known as the shema (Hebrew for “Listen!”). Jesus is saying: God will hold us account for the attitude in which we listen to his word.

He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn – first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’

Mark 4:26-29

It’s the same parable this time from the perspective of the farmer. He wakes up, scatters the seed, then takes a nap, has lunch and watches TV. Yet all this while, the seed grows. Verse 28: “All by itself the soil produces corn.” Elsewhere, Paul writes, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God has been making it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6) I wonder if Paul was thinking of this parable. Paul did the easy bit - sowing the seed of the gospel. It’s God who causes the seed to grow and bear fruit.

If you are a Sunday School teacher, this means you can sleep! Even if you have to get up to teach eight hundred kids at Sunday School. Why? Because God gives the growth. Your job is to scatter the seed. It’s God’s job to grow his kingdom. What an encouragement to invest in this word!

3. Surprising growth

Verse 30:

Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?

Mark 4:30

Jesus goes, “Hmm, which parable should I use next?”

It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’

Mark 4:31-32

It’s Mother’s Day today. What does growth look like to a mum? Suffering! You suffer today so your children will be happy tomorrow. You invest today for your children’s tomorrow.

Jesus points to the smallest of all seeds and says this is God’s chosen investment. He connects the smallest seed with the biggest result: The word of God with the Kingdom of God. “It grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants.” If God sent us a photograph of heaven, we would say, “That is what I want - the Kingdom of God!” Instead, God sends us his word and says to us, “This is what you need - my Word.”

God’s growth is surprising. Surprising not just because it will big and awesome in the future. Surprising because it looks so small today.

Jesus once said, “I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24) Jesus calls himself a seed (same word used here for mustard seed/grain) - a seed that dies so that there might be many seeds. Meaning: We come to him at the cross in order to be received by him in his kingdom. We come to him in his death in order to receive from him eternal life.

To many, this looks foolish, small, insignificant. But Jesus says this is God’s chosen investment.

Jesus’ Ultimate Sunday School

How does God’s kingdom grow? Slowly, surely and surprisingly.

It grows slowly - not through popularity or programmes - but through the preaching of God’s word. It grows surely. God gives the growth. Our job is to keep planting the seed.

It grows surprisingly. One day, we will see the results but today, what he hear is his word. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Yes, it would be marvellous to have eight hundred children in Sunday School but can you imagine eight hundred children walking away from Christ? Friends, that’s what happened to Jesus. Everyone in the crowd that day left him at the cross.

But Jesus kept planting the word. Sowing the seed.

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Mark 4:33-34

This was Jesus’ Ultimate Sunday School. A small bible study with his friends gathered around his word. “Alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”

What about you? Which soil are you? The one that never gets it or the one that falls away or the one that bears no fruit? Or the one that receives the word, grows and encourages others to grow in the word of our Lord Jesus Christ?

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”