How Do You Approach Jesus?

How Do You Approach Jesus?
Series | Mark: Who is this Man
Mark 10 

Read: Mark 10: 1-12 - And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them. And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

We are going to look at the entire chapter today, but before we move on and see how it all ties together, I want to take a moment to discuss divorce.  This is one of those sections of text that is hard in many ways, but it isn’t hard to understand.  A couple of quick points:

• Divorce was man’s idea, not Gods. “And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.”
• Divorce is like a death. “…a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
• There are long term effects when you chose divorce.  “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
• Divorce never happens because of righteousness; it happens because of sin and selfishness.
• Grace is available.
 

Main Idea: A proper understanding of our own desperation leads to coming to Jesus for the right reasons.

Today, we are going to look at five different ways people approached Jesus and learn to approach Him the right way. 

I: The Pharisaical Approach.  

This approach comes to Jesus looking for “holes” in the story.  This is why they were asking Him about divorce, they were seeking to trap Him.

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

Think about political debates, one candidate (or news source that is biased), will ask certain questions, in certain ways trying to trap the other one. Or maybe an attorney who has someone on the stand…

A. The way Jesus answered wasn’t likely to convince the Pharisees of His Divine nature. He was showing them the hardness of the fallen man’s heart.
B. The Pharisees did this a lot:
• Matthew 22:15-22 - Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
C. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their leadership.  So, they saw Him as an enemy to be stopped.  
D. How does this apply to us today? In what way are we at risk of coming to Jesus like the Pharisees? There are people in this world, many of them, perhaps some in this room, who have made up their minds that Jesus isn’t God. That decision to not believe then informs everything they see or hear and causes them to be skeptical and sinical.  
E. And frankly, they underestimate their own desperate state. The Pharisees believed their adherence to the Law was enough.

Main Idea: A proper understanding of our own desperation leads to coming to Jesus for the right reasons.

For the second incorrect approach to Jesus, we are going to skip ahead to the story of the rich young ruler.

II: The Partially Committed Approach.

Ever been on a diet that wasn’t working at all? Man, I’ve been on several, but there have been things I want to keep eating and gyms I want to keep avoiding…

Mark 10:17-22 - And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

A. This rich young guy sounds like a pretty good guy. He is successful, he does his best to honor the Law…
B. But there was something he wasn’t willing to give up and Jesus, because of His Divine power knows exactly what that is.
C. Is there something that is too precious to you to give up to follow Jesus?
D. By the way, it’s important that we understand this text, because there is some confusion about it.  Is Jesus really saying that if you are rich you are out of luck?
Mark 10:24-27 - And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

E. The poor, the rich, the middle class – all need to rely on Jesus for their salvation…. We need to be all-in surrendered to Christ…
 

Main Idea: A proper understanding of our own desperation leads to coming to Jesus for the right reasons.

The third incorrect approach to Jesus is found in a conversation between James and John:

III: The Selfish Approach.

I bring this up a lot, but it’s because it drives me nuts – the social media guys who film themselves giving money or help to homeless people…. Selfish gain.

Mark 10:35-37 - And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

A. Even reading this without context, you can see this is a pretty selfish request, but when you see what this comes after, it gets even worse…
B. Mark 10:32-34 - And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.
C. So, immediately after hearing this, James and John have a demand…
D. Do we ever come to Jesus with these kinds of demands and expectations?  How about the prosperity doctrine? It argues that if you have enough faith, God is compelled to give you health, wealth and prosperity.
E. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach His disciples something important:  Mark 10:41-45 - And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
F. We need to die to ourselves and serve others – that’s what Christian leadership looks like… 

Main Idea: A proper understanding of our own desperation leads to coming to Jesus for the right reasons.

Now, it’s time to look back a little and see the first of two correct ways to approach Jesus:

IV: The Childlike Approach.

At my house we are blessed with four grandkids that come over to visit me, Kelli and two teenage boys.  My boys understand something, little kids are trusting.  And instead of appreciating the beauty of that trust, they exploit it.  

Mark 10:13-16 - And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

A. With so many people approaching Jesus with an agenda, the kids just came to Him because they trusted Him.  
B. They weren’t seeking to prove Him wrong; they had nothing to give up, and didn’t have an agenda to make themselves great.  In fact, they had nothing to give but faith. And it’s the way we are to come to Him.
C. Coming to Jesus like a child requires two important things: faith and humility.
D. Faith that Jesus can and will do what He says. And Humility in that the children have no agendas, and they have nothing to bring. It’s how we should come to Him. 

Main Idea: A proper understanding of our own desperation leads to coming to Jesus for the right reasons.

This fifth way of approaching Jesus is perhaps the most important way to come to Him: 

V: The Desperate Approach.

Have you ever been desperate?  Maybe something serious like a sick loved one or a lost child? 

Mark 10:46-52 - And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

A. Walking down the road with an entourage and this man begins to yell out – he is rebuked for yelling out.  Who was he to talk to Jesus?
B. Bartimaeus – likely a Canaanite or Samaritan, cries out over the self-righteous Pharisees who were always around, over the disciples who had been travelling with Jesus. Over the crowd of onlookers.
C. He is poor, he is a beggar, and he is blind.  His condition is dire and he has no possible way to change it.  And he knows it.  He is desperate.  
D. And he demonstrates exactly what it looks like to approach Jesus appropriately.  The Pharisees were Bartimaeus.  The rich young leader was Bartimaeus.  James, John and the rest of the disciples were Bartimaeus. And we are Bartimaeus.  
E. We bring nothing, have no way of changing our desperate situation and need Jesus to save us.