Please read Mark 3:1~19.
Jesus called a man to the front of the service to heal him. He called other men to serve. He called fisher men to be fishers of men. He called you and myself to share His Love. Don’t think so? Read it again: Matthew 28: 18-20. “AS YOU GO.” Who is going? Who is the YOU? Can’t escape the call. You are to share. You are to tell. You are to live this Christian life out each and every day. And you are to be calling on Him for the power to do it.
He will give the Power. That Power is called His Holy Spirit. How does it work? You allow Him to come into your life. By saying “I want to trust You with my life” starts the new life. The Bible says that when a person becomes a Believer, they become all new.
ILLUSTRATION: Caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
We are called to follow.
There is a nice quite song about this calling…
I have a maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hand
Chorus: He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And hears me when I call
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
Chorus: He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And hears me when I call
Jesus must have felt like He was in a fish bowl whenever He went out. He went to worship and there were people there looking for a fight. Looking for some reason to accuse Him. He might even heal on the Sabbath! My goodness, is that a bad thing? Sounds like those men would be against Him no matter what He did—or said. They hated Him that much.
There are many people around today that feel the same way about Jesus and His Followers. We read that certain countries are the most persecutors of the Faith. Saudi Arabia, North Korean, Egypt, some parts of Latin America and Africa. Maybe even in your office or your school or neighborhood. Or members of your own family. People really hate Jesus! They would do anything within their power (or outside the law) to bring Him down.
Here was Jesus inside a Synagogue. Unlike the Temple, people with a shriveled hand could worship here. That man could not take his worship to Jerusalem but he could go here. And here he would find people—within the worshiping community—who would want him NOT to be well—they would want him not to be made well. It suited their anger well for him to stay handicapped.
But Jesus had another idea. He sought the man out and asked him to stand up in front to everyone. Read with me verse 4. 4 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 was reaching out to the people to find compassion in their hearts but could not find any. As evidence of that, look at verse 5. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts He was very angry NOT to find open hearts. All He could find were stubborn hearts. All there were unwilling to be open. They were hard hearted. Jesus was angry. Deeply distressed in His heart. Even in this angry state, His Authority broke through. He called the man to stretch out his hand. “He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”
What was the response of the worshiping community? They responded in hate toward Jesus. They went out angry. Why angry? Because I believe they really knew their time of control was coming to a close. This Jesus had the authority to do this and more. And they did not like that! They did not want that! They wanted to say in darkness.
They were so angry, they sought ways to join the ‘other’ side. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Wanted to join up with Herod (Not a friend of the Jews) and his gang of henchmen.
So He called this man to be healed and to show He had the authority to heal him—even on a Holy Day.
Verses 7~12 deal with Jesus dealing with many people. Some had heard about Jesus and now they wanted to see Him for themselves. Some had been healed and now others wanted that healing as well. So they pushed and shoved and gathered around Jesus to see Him in action.
Jesus felt the crowds around Him and got into a boat so Him, “to keep the people from crowding Him. 10 For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him.
He would not accept the witness of those who were filled with demons. He wanted His witness to be one of righteousness.
Then, He called 12 men.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. We look at the list and we find people from all walks of life. Some educated, like Matthew, others were fishermen like Peter, James and John. Another was of a political group who wanted the downfall of Rome: Simon, the Zealot (also known as the Canaanite). Later, one was voted in to replace Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and still later, Paul stepped into the role as an apostle.
The Messiah's Apostles had Hebrew names and since there is no letter "J" in the Hebrew alphabet it is difficult to know what their real names were. In the book of Mark, the Messiah is called "Jesus" but His real name began with the letter "Y" as is found in the Manga Messiah.
And why did Jesus call these men? Makes a great ball team or football team with some replacements? No, He had some real plans for them and here we see some of them.
Reason #1:That they might be with Him. That they might see the things He did and hears the things He said and witness the change of a religion to a relationship.
The second reason He had them was so that He might send them out to preach. A few times in the Gospels, Jesus sent out His followers, 2X2, to do that very thing. Preach and give testimony of God’s Grace on Earth.
He also had a third reason: and to have authority to drive out demons. That is something you don’t hear very much about today. But it was one of the reasons Jesus called these men together. To be His Band. To go and tell and do and demonstrate the Power of His Word in the lives of those He sent them. To the Greeks, to the Romans, to the Asians, to those who lived beyond Rome’s control and into the outermost.
Three reason:
· To be with Him
· To be sent out
· To have authority to drive out demons.
Do we pick and choose which of these is our calling? Don’t believe that for a moment! To be with Him means to be IN HIM. To hear the things He says and to follow them. To be grafted into His vine of ministry.
To be sent out by Him means to go into other areas of the surrounding areas—some overseas—to take what we heard Him say and share that with others. To be witnesses. To your grandchildren, your wives, your husbands, your parents, your friends, those whom you do not know yet. We are the “sent out ones”. It is not a professional role. It is not only for the ordained. It is for everyone who calls Him Lord.
Great news today. He has the authority to call people into His Service. He calls those He wants. You are those people. Won’t you respond?
He has called you by name.
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