SEEING IS BELIEVING

This message was preached on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at Grace Baptist Church in Westlake, OH. If you would like to listen to an audio of this message, go to www.gbcwestlake.org and choose the listen now option on the left; and then choose this message title:

BELIEVING IS SEEING
Mark 8:1-21

Please turn in your Bible to Mark 8. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 872 or 890.

You might look at this title and think I have it backwards. Greg: shouldn’t it read: Seeing is believing? No. In our passages for today: Believing is Seeing.

This morning, we are going to see the closest followers of Christ there have ever been, the disciples, act as though they have no clue as the reality of who Christ is and what He has done. It reminds me of some of the stupid, but amusing things young children might do – things you hope people with adult understanding wouldn’t try. These are some things people wouldn’t believe until they actually saw them happen. I found an article entitled: Things our kids teach us:

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42-pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 10x10 ft. room.
4. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way. And: The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn’t stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
5. It don’t matter how much jell-o you put in a pool, you can’t walk on it.
6. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
7. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
8. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
9. VCR’s do not eject PB&J sandwiches.
10. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it’s already too late.

Today, we are going to see the stupidity or extreme immaturity, if you prefer, of the disciples. But, don’t get so focused on theirs this morning, that you forget about ours.

Mark 8:1-3- “In those days, again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”

Believing is seeing that:
Jesus has compassion on people, because of their physical needs.

Jesus is still in the Decapolis, a 10 city region. And, we have another large crowd gathering around Jesus; which was becoming the norm, it seems. One commentator I read suggested that one reason for the large crowds was that this was where the demoniac was from. This was the account in Mark 5, where Jesus cast out the demons and put them into the pigs. The man wanted to travel with Jesus, but:

Mark 5:19,20 – “And he (Jesus) did not permit him but said to him, go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”

I wonder: did this man have a great influence for Christ among the people in this 10 city region? We are not told for sure; but it was an interesting thought. Obviously, word had spread about what Jesus Christ could do. Somebody had spread it among the mostly Gentile region. And, according to Mark 5, that man did tell everyone he could about what Jesus had done for Him.

Here, in Mark 8, we are told that for three days, Jesus had been teaching this large crowd. We are not told exactly what He was teaching, but we do know the message He constantly taught wherever He went:
Mark 1:15 – “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus taught this and took time to explain to people that it was He that brought the kingdom of God near. He was THE WAY to Heaven. And He taught people, as described elsewhere in the gospels, how to get prepared for Kingdom living. HE had been teaching them for 3 days. The food had run out; and Jesus knew if they were sent home now, some of them wouldn’t make it, without collapsing from hunger.

Did you notice what Jesus said? “I have compassion on the crowd.” Now, we have heard this before, back with the feeding of the 5,000. But there, it says:

Mark 6:34 – “When He (Jesus) went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

But, in this case, why did He have compassion on them? Verse 2: “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.”

It is too easy to skip over this, but we can’t. In this case, he does not emphasize exactly what He was teaching. He emphasizes the fact that these people, to whom He is spiritually ministering, are now in need of physical nourishment; and He is going to do something about it. I want to spend a couple minutes here, because it is a weakness of mine and most of the churches I have even been involved with. I have found that we are so afraid of what has been labeled “the social gospel”, that we forget that part of being like Jesus is to meet physical needs. Steve Glick and I were discussing this a couple of weeks ago.

The social gospel, as it has been called, usually refers to those individuals or religious groups, that focus on meeting people’s physical needs and not on their spiritual need of knowing Jesus Christ and growing in Him. So, as it naturally goes with those of us who don’t want to go to that extreme, we tend to go to the other extreme! We neglect the real physical, emotional and mental needs of people, and we focus mainly on the spiritual need of knowing Christ. Would you agree?

SO WHAT?How do I know if I am seeing it, demonstrating that I believe? When you:
Become more Christ-like by caring for people’s physical needs
This would not normally be something to point out in this passage. But, we have seen it at other times in Mark already, and I know it is a weakness of mine. So, I make it an applicational point, to at least get us on the path of considering this – thinking about it, praying about it. What would God have us to, that would help care for the whole person.

According to commentator Barclay: “One of the most joyous of all Jewish feasts is the Feast of Purim. It falls on March 14th and commemorates the deliverance of which the Book of Esther tells. Above all it is a time of giving gifts; and one of its regulations is that, no matter how poor a man is, he must seek out someone poorer than himself and give him a gift. Jesus has no time for the spirit which waits until all the circumstances are perfect before it thinks of helping.”

God help us to see the whole person and all of their needs – just like Christ did!
So, Jesus wants to make sure this large crowd has food. Let’s continue:

Mark 8:4 – “And his disciples answered him, How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

Does this question strike you as strange as it strikes me? When you read about this situation does it remind you of anything that we have already read – about what Jesus did when there were thousands of hungry people? But, they asked the question anyway: How could anyone possibly feed all these people. Jesus is with them, and throws out this problem of people needing food, just like he had done with the previous feeding. He is giving the disciples an opportunity, once again, to see what resources they have.

Mark 8:5-7 – “And he asked them, How many loaves do you have? They said, Seven. And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.”

Insufficient in themselves? Yes. But, with Jesus there, regardless of the amount of food, would they be able to feed this many hungry people? The answer was of course, yes, but the disciples still had more to learn. Jesus took the bread and the fish, and just as before, He gave thanks to God the Father, broke them and gave them to the disciples to hand out to the multitudes.
This should have been déjà vie for the disciples. This has happened before, hasn’t it? There are several parallels here to the previous feeding of the 5,000. So, the disciples do as they were told; and in a sense, they had a part in feeding these people, just as Jesus had directed them to do. But, once again, we are reminded that this was not just a little snack.

Mark 8:8-10- “And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmunutha.”

Believing is seeing that:
Jesus performs miracles with little resources

Very succinctly, Mark gives us the facts, that are very similar to the previous feeding. They ate until they were full. There were broken pieces left over, this time 7 baskets. And don’t think this was a lot less than the 12 baskets left over last time. There is a different word used here for basket, because it was a different basket. These were, according to scholars: “rope or mat baskets sometimes large enough to carry a man.” It is also interesting to note that this was a type of basket used by many Gentiles. Could it be, that part of what was going on here, was that Jesus was responding to the rejection of the Jewish people by presenting the “Bread of Life” to the Gentiles?

And there were four thousand people. Back then, they would count in terms of the adult men present. But, we know, from Matthew, who gives the same account, that this 4,000 count was beside the women and children that were there. When the feeding was over, Jesus sent them home, got into the boat with the disciples and they were on their way to the next place, which was also sometimes called Magdala.

This, I believe, emphasizes our previous point. After he fed them, there were no more miracles, no more teaching. He was concerned that these people were also cared for physically before he left them. And then, His ministry to them was over. He didn’t feed them and then teach them more. He had already been teaching – for 3 days! They needed food, and He had compassion on them in this regard.

Jesus didn’t have much to work with; but He was able to do miracles with it. His followers should have been able to already believe and thereby see what God could do. SO WHAT? How do I know if I am seeing it, demonstrating that I believe? When you: Understand what God can do, even before He does it

So, Jesus left there, once the people were fed; and He lands in this new region, and faces an immediate challenge from the religious leaders:

Mark 8:11 – “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.”

According to Josephus, the first Century historian, the Pharisees were one of the main religious parties within the Synagogue. They were know for what they looked like, what they knew, and the rules they kept and held everyone else to. They were highly respected for their religious discipline. However, Jesus looked at most of what they did, simply as outward show, and having nothing to do with a heart following after God. Back in Mark 7, we saw Jesus rebuke the Pharisees for holding tradition above God’s Word – saying the right things when their hearts were far from God.
In that day when Jesus lived, the Jewish people were waiting, they thought, for a Messiah that would do all kinds of signs, that would make it clear to them who He was. According to Barclay: “When false Messiahs arose, as they frequently did, they lured the people to follow them by promising astonishing signs. They would promise, for instance, to split the waters of the Jordan in two and leave a pathway thorough it, or they would promise, with a word, to make the city walls fall down.”

So, once again, we have these religious leaders coming to Jesus, to argue with Him and to test Him. They were continually looking to trap Him, hoping that He would fall out of favor with the people, or that they would have some legal way to get rid of Him. So, this time they were asking for a sign, that would somehow prove that His authority indeed came from God. They didn’t believe that it did. In fact, earlier in Mark, the scribes of the Pharisees accused Jesus of having a very different authority:

Mark 3:22 – “…saying, He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

They were trying to bait Him to get into a argument – to show a sign that they would never believe anyway. All of His previous miracles were not enough of a sign to them; so Jesus refused.
Mark 8:12,13- “And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.”

Believing is Seeing that:
Jesus was who He said He was.

God’s own people, represented by the religious leaders, had rejected Him.
This is really one of the main things that is going on here. It is not just that the Pharisees continue to reject Him. They are seen as the representatives of the Jewish people, who, as a nation were rejecting the very Messiah they said they were looking for. Jesus sighed, probably showing his frustration, out of great love for God’s chosen people. He asked, rhetorically: Why does this generation seek a sign? The answer was obvious. They sought signs because they refused to accept the truth Jesus was teaching: That He was the Son of God – God in the flesh – the promised Messiah – NO WAY they would accept that.

They rejected Him, His own people, His own home town, as we read earlier in Mark; and Jesus said: NO – you don’t get any more signs. In fact, Jesus was the sign. And they didn’t get it. So, he got into the boat once again, with His disciples, and they went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. SO WHAT? How do I know if I am seeing it, demonstrating that I believe? When you:

Accept everything the Bible claims about Jesus Christ

You have never seen Jesus. You weren’t there when Jesus spoke these words. This demonstrates a heart of faith. When you, by faith, accept everything the Bible claims about Jesus Christ, and tell others about it – before you ever meet Him face to face.

A number of years ago there appeared in the New Yorker magazine an account of a Long Island resident who ordered an extremely sensitive barometer from a respected company, Abercrombie and Fitch. When the instrument arrived at his home he was disappointed to discover that the indicating needle appeared to be stuck pointing to the sector marked “Hurricane”. After shaking the barometer vigorously several times – never a good idea with a sensitive mechanism – and never getting the point to move, the new owner wrote a scathing letter to the store, and, on the following morning, on the way to his office in New York City mailed it. That evening he returned to Long Island to find not only the barometer missing but his house as well! The needle of the instrument had been pointed correctly. The year was 1938,the month was September, and the day was the 21st – the day of the terrible hurricane that almost leveled Long Island.”

Here was a man who would not trust the sensitive device that he had purchased for just this reason: to be safe when weather trouble might come. But, he didn’t trust it, not willing to see in advance what the barometer was trying to tell him – and he could have lost his life because of it. Much more important than putting faith in a barometer is to put your faith in the only person that can be trusted to be right every single time and in every single circumstance: Jesus Christ. To not trust what you know to be true about Him can bring possible destruction – spiritual devastation. We are about to see how the disciples were not willing to trust what they knew to be true about the most trustworthy person in the world.

Moving on: Instead of arguing more with the Pharisees, Jesus was going to invest Himself some more in teaching His disciples. As soon as we find out they had crossed the lake again, Mark tells us:

Mark 8:14 – “Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.”

Their quick departure probably was the reason for not bringing enough food with them. But, Jesus is going to use this as a teaching opportunity.

Mark 8:15 – “And he cautioned them, saying, Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

With the confrontation of the Pharisees just taking place, Jesus used the loaf of bread as an illustration to warn His disciples. He said: Be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees. The leaven of the bread refers to the yeast. A small of amount of yeast can affect a large amount of dough. The Jewish people often used the term “yeast” or “leaven” to describe something that had an invisible but strong influence on something else. Most of the time leaven was used as a negative illustration. Here the unbelief and critical attitude (legalism) demonstrated by the Pharisees had a way of spreading quickly to many others, who viewed the Pharisees as religious leaders and examples.

He also warned them about Herod Antipas, who also had an incredible, negative influence on the people of Israel. Both the Pharisees and Herod thought the important things were the external things: money, power, fame (even religiously speaking). Because of that, they were like leaven that can corrupt the whole loaf. He did not want His disciples thinking that way.

This unbelief had affected the nation of Israel as a whole, and Jesus was warning His disciples against it. So, I wonder what great question or statement of faith the disciples are going to respond to Jesus with. Let’s find out:

Mark 8:16 – “And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.”

I laughed out loud when I first read it. Are you kidding me? This is the kind of thing that makes you say to someone: “Hello – were you listening to me?” Jesus had just warned them about something, using the bread as an illustration; and how do they respond?

“Hey, guys, what are we going to do about our lack of sustenance here? Yea, who forgot to bring the rest of the food anyway – wasn’t Philip supposed to do that? Not me. What are you complaining about Peter – you don’t look like you need any more bread (pointing to his stomach). Hey Thaddeus – you had the bread that was left over from the feeding of the 4,000- what did you do with it? What was I supposed to do guys – we didn’t have time. Jesus said – let’s go; and we all went. Judas, didn’t you think to tell us that we only had one loaf before we left – you are supposed to keep track of these things. Come on , Peter, James and John, you guys are the special three – the inner circle – you are responsible for this. Are not! Are so! Are not! Are so!

Can you just see Jesus’ face, and feel his frustration? I have the 5 world’s greatest children; but there have been times when Teresa or I will try to use some life circumstance with them to teach them something, and it will go like this:

Ok, kids, so you are complaining that there is not enough bread for you to have your 4th piece, like everyone else. That is sad, but aren’t you thankful for the bread you have already had. No, you didn’t have as many as the others, what about the great 3 pieces you did enjoy. And you know what else? We need to remember that there are people in this world, even children, who don’t have everything you have; and sometimes don’t even get one piece of bread. How about we spend some time praying – thanking God for His provision for us and asking Him to care for those people who are truly in need.
Dad – after we pray, can you go to the store and get me more bread – I’m soooooo hungry! [frustrated sigh] Any of you ever experience that, or is it just the pastor’s family?

Jesus gave his illustration, and the disciples go right back to discussing what they are going to do about the lack of food. Unbelievable! And Jesus confronts them:

Mark 8:17 – “And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?”

Believing is Seeing that:
When Jesus is present, there are no hopeless circumstances

Jesus said: What are you talking about? Don’t you get it? Are your hearts hardened, once again? Jesus was not as concerned about them not understanding the warning about the Pharisees, as He was their not understanding what His presence should mean to them in every circumstance, including the lack of food.

His question about them having hardened hearts should remind us of something we studied not long ago. In Mark 6, following the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples were out in their boat on the water, when Jesus walked on the water to them. They were terrified, thinking it was a ghost. He got in the boat and the wind immediately died down. They were amazed, and Mark explains why:

Mark 6:51,52 – “…and they were astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

They hadn’t learned what they should have learned about Jesus from the feeding of the 5,000, and so they were described as having hard hearts. The lessons learned should have been very clear:

Lessons to learn:
1. God cares for the physical and spiritual needs of people
2. God is in control
3. God performs miracles
4. God can do a lot with a little

But, they just couldn’t make the connection between the miracles Jesus had just performed and their present circumstance of being tossed about on the water in the boat. Instead of a heart of faith, they demonstrated a heart of fear.

So, in this case, Jesus asked them this question: Are your hearts hardened again? Can’t you see who I am and what I am able to do? Why can’t you make the connection? Jesus continues the rebuke:

Mark 8:18 – “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”

These were things Jesus would say to the unbelieving religious leaders. In fact, when Jesus was sharing the meaning of one of his parables, he explained that the parables were for them to understand, not the outside non-believers. He said this:

Mark 4:11,12 – “And he said to them, to you have been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand…”

Do you know what Jesus was saying to them? You are acting just like non-believers when you don’t trust in who I am and what I have already done. And then Jesus gives them some specific examples of what should have gained their trust in Him. At the end of verse 18, he asked: “And do you not remember?”

Mark 8:19,20 – “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up? They said to him, Twelve. And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up? And they said to him, Seven.”

I love this. This is like the child who is playing in the backyard for a little while and then comes inside. Outside, he has the latest playground equipment, including a trampoline and small pool. He has all kinds of sports equipment. Inside, he has great books to read, and the latest in entertainment technology. He comes in after playing a few minutes outside, sits down and announces: “I’m bored.” And the frustrated parent wants to say: What? Don’t you see what you have out there to play with; and in here? How in the world can you say you are bored?

Jesus said: Don’t you remember? I fed the 5,000. I fed the 4,000. You were there – you helped pass out the food until people were full, and then collected all the extra. Weren’t you there? [shaking their heads in embarrassment]: Yes. Why don’t you get it?

I am Jesus Christ, Son of the most High God. I can do anything. I care about your physical and spiritual needs, and I have proved that over and over and over. There is nothing too hard for me. My presence changes everything. Why haven’t you figured that out yet?

Mark 8:21 – “And he said to them, Do you not yet understand?”

SO WHAT? How do I know if I am seeing it, demonstrating that I believe? When you: Act according to the impact Christ has had on your life

I joke about the disciples being like the little kids who don’t have a lot of understanding – the ones who tie things to ceiling fans and see what happens when you flush objects down toilets. But, the fact is: we are no better. The heart of faith is going to make decisions based on what it already understands to be true about Jesus Christ. However, if you are like me, then you would admit that you often fail in this regard.

I often respond like the disciples did, in the midst of every day challenges. I am so focused on the problem and how I can fix it, that I fail to remember that God knows all about it, and has the solution. In fact, if He chooses to not fix the problem right away, I know the truth that it is for my spiritual good. And yet I worry, I get anxious, and I rely on my own strength. How about you?

Let me close with some specific examples, and one choose one of these (or fill in the blanks with your own) that will challenge you to grow in your walk with Jesus Christ today. What are things we already know to be true in our lives, as it relates to God; but often fail to apply to our present circumstances?

· We know Jesus saves ungodly people (The Apostle Paul, formerly murderous Saul), including our own testimonies – did we deserve salvation? NO. And yet, even though we know God does this, we have labeled some people “unsavable” and have no desire or motivation to share Christ with them or to pray for their salvation. Is there someone in your life like that?
· We know that God promises to meet our real needs (Philippians 4:19); and yet we act as though we are not sure that He is going to be able to do it for us this week. Of course, we tend to have a different definition of real needs than God does. But, if truly believe His promises about meeting our true needs, then our seeing it before it happens will keep us from worry and anxiety. Do you have something you need to confess to God about this area?
· We know God likes to use weak people. We know God used the disciples even though they failed all the time. And yet, we forget that truth, and don’t think that God can use us in any significant way. Somehow, we think God only uses great people of faith, like described in Hebrews 11; and we fail to remember that those people listed in Hebrews 11’s Hall of Faith were often miserable failures, as described in Scripture – just like us. Are you willing to apply what you know to be true to your life? Are you willing to jump in and get involved in ministry here – volunteer even though you are afraid to fail? Are you willing to allow God’s power to work through you?
· We know God has in the past and can in the future, do the impossible. What is the impossible thing that you are doubting that God can do? Is it related to finances? Is it concerning what you consider to be an irreparable relationship? If you “get it”, if you have the spiritual understanding, the heart of faith that we have been looking at, then: You can confess your doubt, and you can see what God can do, even before He does it. You can believe that God will do the impossible, as it fits His will for your life; and as it relates to bringing Himself the most glory.
· You put in your situation that is challenging you right now; and respond to Christ today, with spiritual understanding.

Take some time to pray and consider these things silently.

Closing: God Will Make A Way