Chapter # 3 Paragraph # 1 Study # 3
September 17, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Jesus met the hardness of the Pharisees' hearts with a determination to render to them what they deserved.
Introduction: In our last study we saw that "they" watched Jesus like a hawk to see if He would heal a man with a withered hand on the sabbath so that "they" could bring legal charges against Him. We also saw that Jesus
fairly addressed the "issue" of whether "sabbath loyalty" included "doing good" and/or "doing harm". He called it, "saving a soul" or "killing one". And we saw that His "fair" address was rooted in "their" accepted practices within the realm of "sabbath loyalty": they had no problem addressing "emergency" issues of "good works" on the sabbath as well as "non-emergency" issues, nor did they have any problem with "killing" on the sabbath as they had accepted the "logic" of the Maccabeans regarding waging war on the sabbath for self-defensive reasons. And, we argued that the "they" were the Pharisees that are mentioned in
3:6, but we probably ought to include a "Herodian" or two in that "they".
This evening we are going to look further into Mark's record so that we may understand his "answer" to the large question of how Jesus could be God's Messiah and not be accepted as such by the majority of those whose task it was to lead the nation.
- I. The Refusal of the "They" to Answer Jesus' Question.
- A. The refusal proves Mark's contention that the "they" were not interested in working through the "truth" issues involved.
- 1. It is one thing to have "issues" with a person who exercises phenomenal powers and teaches "new" doctrine while also violating accepted, standard definitions of what the words of God mean.
- 2. It is another thing to have already made up one's mind on the "issues" without dealing with legitimate factors.
- 3. The text declares that "They" were looking for an excuse to bring legal charges against Him, not for answers to the puzzles with which they were faced.
- B. The refusal also reveals that "they" had immediately grasped the corner into which He had backed them (Note Mark 11:30 and following).
- II. Jesus' Consequential "Look" At Them.
- A. It was because "they" would not answer Him that He "looked around at them".
- B. The word Mark used is a composite word made of a prefix (intensifier) and a verb (identifying the action): periblepo.
- C. This word is only used in 7 texts of the New Testament and six of them are in Mark (the seventh is in Luke 6:10, which is a companion record of this same event).
- 1. Mark's use of this word in 5:32 is revealing as to what it means.
- 2. Mark's uses strongly indicate that Jesus sent a "searching look" in the direction of each of the "silent" adversaries, more than likely looking directly into their eyes to see what their eyes revealed.
- 3. With each "look" His "anger" grew.
- a. Mark's choice of words for "anger" means that he was presenting Jesus as making a solid determination to bring these men to the fruits of their attitudes and actions (Note Paul's use of the same term in Romans 2:5, and John's use in Revelation 6:16-17).
- b. Mark's record indicates that as Jesus looked into the eyes of each man, He saw the same wickedness and determined to exact vengeance upon them at some future point.
- 4. The reason for the growth of Jesus' determination to hold them strictly accountable.
- a. He saw, in their eyes, a level of "depravity" that indicated a "point of no return".
- 1) The "hardness" He discerned was significant (Note 3:6 compared with 3:29).
- 2) This concept of "hardness" needs to be understood.
- a) We have a concept in our "theology" that is called "total depravity".
- b) But "total" does not mean "fully developed"; it means "present in every aspect of man" (body, soul, and spirit).
- c) There is a biblical teaching that this "depravity" is both "incipient" and "progressive" and will, if unchecked, bring a person beyond every possibility of redemption (1 Corinthians 11:32).
- d) The doctrine of "redemption" clearly declares that "total depravity" can be overcome and will, in the future, be eradicated.
- e) But, this doctrine "proscribes" man's innate (depravity affected) capacities, but leaves the door open to divinely imparted capacities (Grace).
- f) Thus, all men are "redeemable" until the "incipient" and "progressive" growth of the innate depravity develops beyond redemption: Jesus was looking to see whether the "they" were beyond the pale.
- b. What He saw was that they actually were beyond redemption, so He let His eyes tell them that He was "angry" -- i.e., determined to bring them to judgment.
