Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 5 Study # 4
February 22, 2022
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Jesus
will bypass those in whom He sees a "determined" resistance to what He has demonstrated to be "truth".
Introduction: The focus of our last study was upon Jesus' "deliberate timing" as a matter determined not by
our perception of our need, but of
His.
Our study this evening is going to be focused upon Mark's statement that Jesus "was willing to pass them by". This is an exclusive revelation in Mark's record; no other Gospel writer mentioned it. For this reason, we must attempt to discover what it means and why Mark included it.
- I. The Confusion Of The Translators.
- A. There is a site on the internet called "The Bible Hub" which has, as its majority focus, the recording of the words of many of the translations that exist in our world (its initial offering is the words of 27 different translations).
- B. One edition of the NASB translates, "He intended to pass by them"; the Authorized Version translates, "He would have passed by them"; the older NASB established the translation, "He intended to pass by them"; the NIV translates, "He was about to pass by them"; the New Living Translation says, "He intended to go past them"; the ESV translates, "He meant to pass by them"; etc..
- C. None of the translation options give the sense that the text, and character of Jesus, demands.
- 1. The text demands that we understand that Jesus' "attitude" of "willingness" was to be considered "contingent" ("determined by conditions or circumstances that follow": The Sage).
- a. The word Mark chose to use (thelo) is widely misunderstood to mean "intention".
- 1) It cannot mean "intention" (1 Timothy 2:4).
- 2) It has to mean "willingness" if there are no contradicting considerations of greater importance.
- 3) This is not "rocket science"; it is merely "interpretive science -- following a legitimate process".
- b. Thus, the text demands that we put Jesus' "willingness" into the context of the situation in this record of Mark and look for "contradicting considerations of greater importance" (especially since He did not "pass them by"; i.e., there were some contradicting considerations that overrode His "willingness").
- 2. The character of Jesus demands that we see no "pretend" (deceptive activity) or "settled determination" ("intend" implies that this was a dominant predisposition).
- a. Jesus was not "pretending to pass them by"; this would be deception.
- b. Jesus had no "determination" ("intention") to pass them by; this would be the "dominant predisposition".
- 1) There was a "dominant predisposition", but it was not "to pass them by".
- 2) The "dominant predisposition" was to let His decision be made by what He found to be the disciples' "attitude".
- II. The "Attitude" That Would Be "Determinative".
- A. It is a characteristic of Mark's "method" of revealing the truth about Jesus Christ that he would record "couplets" of "examples" that revealed what he wished his readers to grasp.
- B. In this case, the first of this "couplet" was given in chapter four where a storm of wind upon the sea caused The Twelve to be terrified of their potential loss of life and then be amazed at Jesus' ability to calm the storm by "command".
- C. Thus, this record is the second record of this couplet.
- 1. It is a couplet by reason of the similarities involved; mainly a "storm of wind" with which the disciples had to deal by reason of Jesus' instructions to them to "go somewhere in the boat".
- 2. As a part of a couplet, there is a progression of expectation on Jesus' part that was not met.
- a. Jesus "expected" The Twelve to exercise some "faith" in the first couplet because they considered their lives to be at stake.
- b. Jesus "expected" The Twelve to exercise some "insight" in this second couplet as they found themselves totally frustrated by the wind in the accomplishment of their pursuit of "forcing the boat to proceed to Bethsaida".
- D. The revelation of the "attitude" taken by the disciples that was "intended" by Jesus to be the root of His decision to "pass them by" or to "get into the boat".
- 1. One part of Mark's "revelation" is the difference between the issues of the two records.
- a. In the "hurricane" of the first record, Jesus is in the boat and the disciples are terrified of their impending doom.
- b. In the "oppositional wind" of the second record, Jesus is not present and the disciples are frustrated by their lack of progress.
- c. These differences indicate that the disciples' "attitude" in this second record is one of "determination in spite of great weariness".
- 2. Another part of Mark's "revelation" is the various words Mark used to record the event.
- a. In this "event", the pictorial elements are of a far greater magnitude of "ability" revealed by Jesus.
- 1) Jesus' "walk upon the water" is of several levels of magnitude above His command of the winds.
- 2) Jesus' "walk upon the water" is strongly suggestive of a future reality given in the Bible.
- a) That the "sea" was "beneath His feet" is a pictorial of Paul's concept of the subjection of all things under the feet of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:26) because the "sea" in Mark's record is a primary "instrument of death".
- b) That the believers of Revelation 15:2 are standing upon a "sea of glass mingled with fire" is another "pictorial" because the "sea of glass mingled with fire" is actually The Lake of Fire and the believers are able to stand upon it without sinking into it (Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 19:20); thus indicating that they, like Jesus, are now victors over "the last great enemy", Death.
- b. In this "event", the disciples are terrified by the appearance of what they decided was a "phantasm", but was, in reality, Jesus Himself.
- 1) A "phantasm" in the world of The Twelve was a demonic spirit whose "intention" was to do serious damage to them and they "cried out".
- 2) But Jesus, Himself, is "the compassionate Shepherd" whose "intention" is to bring "Life" as, primarily, the victory over "Death".
- c. In this "event", the disciples are "troubled"; a word that means that the expectations of the soul are in opposition to one another [They "wished" to "live" but they expected to "die"].
- d. In this "event", the disciples "had no courage" because they interpreted what they saw as a demonic enemy who greatly desired, and had power, to do them great damage.
- e. In this "event", the disciples were "afraid".
- f. Taken together, Mark's recorded words indicate that the disciples were on the verge of collapse.
- g. This strongly suggests that the "attitude" which Jesus had determined would be a legitimate reason for His "by passing of the disciples" was their determination to continue to attempt to force their boat toward Bethsaida.
- 1) Jesus had waited until the fourth watch of the night to come because He knew that the disciples' determination to depend upon their abilities would be seriously weakened by that time.
- 2) Jesus presented Himself to them in a form that He knew would be taken to be the very opposite of what He was because He knew that their lack of courage and fear would combine together to make them willing to stop their fruitless determination.
- 3) Jesus presented Himself, at last, as He had presented Himself to them earlier in the series of events: the Compassionate Shepherd.
- 4) The problems were two: a lack of "insight" into His actual identification; and a gut level commitment to "doing" what they were confident they could do.
- 4) If the disciples had proved to be intransigent, He would have "passed them by".
