Chapter # 10 Paragraph # 1 Study # 1
June 20, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis:  There is a severely dangerous "attitude" that keeps people from participation in the Kingdom of God.

Introduction:  In our last study we considered the "salt" issue in Jesus' correction of His disciples as they are committed to "wrestling in the mud" with each other over a completely flawed "value". We saw that He admitted that there are some legitimate times to generate conflict in order to hinder the progress of evil in one's setting, but they are never "ego" issues. That study was the conclusion of the larger issue of "the reward practices of The Kingdom", where Jesus makes it plain that The Kingdom's Response to people is to hold them accountable for their dealings with one another. In this setting, the large issue is "being cast into Gehenna", and the large problem is the attempt to subvert the Kingdom's "servant" character. The point of that study was to make it plain that one cannot participate in God's Kingdom while practicing the principles of the kingdom of darkness.

This evening we are going to move on into the next issue in Mark's chiasm.

• I. The Larger Context.
  • A. 9:1-13 -- Jesus Identified As the Kingdom's King.
    • B. 9:14-29 -- Identity Reinforced By Power.
      • C. 9:30-37 -- The Kingdom's Requirement Of Servanthood.
        • D. 9:38-50 -- The Kingdom's Practice Of Reward.
          • ** E. 10:1-12 -- The Attitude Which Blocks Participation (sklerokardian).
            • F. 10:13-16 -- The Attitude Which Enables Participation.
          • ** e. 10:17-27 -- The Attitude Which Blocks Participation.
        • d. 10:28-31 -- The Kingdom's Practice Of Reward.
      • c. 10:32-45 -- The Kingdom's Requirement Of Servanthood.
    • b. 10:46-52 -- Identity Reinforced By Power.
  • a. 11:1-11 -- Jesus Identified As the Kingdom's King.
• II. The Details.
  • A. "From Thence He Is Going...".
    • 1. There are only two texts in Mark that contain the words "thence" ("from there") and "is going".
      • a. The first is 6:1 which introduces the final paragraph of the "with Him" segment that begins in 3:14 that addresses the larger context of the issues of "faith" and "unbelief".
        • 1) This "from thence" text indicates His movement from the "faith" stories of the official of the synagogue with the dying daughter and the woman with the issue of blood to the "unbelief" of the hometown.
        • 2) The text of 6:1 is "kai exelthen ekeithen kai ercetai eis..." and the text of 10:1 is "kai ekeithen anastas erchetai eis..." (the 'from there' is identified as Capernaum in 9:33).
          • a) The relative "exactness" of these two phrases is not accidental.
          • b) The significance is the link between the "attitudes" of the home town crowd in 6:1-6 and that of the Pharisees in 10:1-12 (both seriously antagonistic).
      • b. The second is 10:1 where the paragraph is presented as a conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus over God's "permissions" because of "hardness of heart".
    • 2. Thus, He arose and departed Capernaum to go to "the regions of the Judea beyond the Jordan".
  • B. "Beyond The Jordan".
    • 1. This phrase is only found in 3:8 and 10:1.
      • a. In both texts, there "is coming together" a "crowd".
      • b. In 10:2, there have come "Pharisees" who were asking Him about divorce, and the text says they "were testing Him".
      • c. This is on the heels of 8:15 where these "Pharisees" are "leavened" with a dangerous "leaven" and prior to 15:10 where Mark reveals the reason for the deadly opposition to Him that has led to His "trial" before Pilate: "jealousy".
    • 2. This "beyond the Jordan" phrase simply records the extreme popularity of Jesus.
  • C. "He Was Teaching Them".
    • 1. This is a "habitual" response by Jesus to "crowds".
    • 2. That He was "teaching" signifies several things...
      • a. As at the very first, His "teaching" was significantly contradictory to that of the religious establishment.
      • b. As is always the case, a "teacher" has the potential to influence what those who hear him "think" in terms of "love" and "faith".
      • c. And, as is always the case, there are those who will lose their influence and, subsequently, their status -- and, potentially, their livelihood on multiple levels.
      • d. Additionally, that this was "habitual" indicates the primacy of understanding that God has placed upon all "ministry" efforts.

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This is article #412.
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