Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Things That Jesus Knew, Part I - VIII*

*The Use of Omniscience by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark*

 January 23, 2000

*Introduction:*

 

          The inspiration for this topic came to me as a result of an article in the November 20, 1999, issue of WORLD magazine, page 27, entitled Marketing Heresy.

It calls into question the proposed action by Baker Book House, a before now traditionally conservative evangelical publisher, to publish a book by Gregory A. Boyd entitled, God of the Possible, whose idea is, "A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God".

This view basically holds "that God cannot know the future because we humans create the reality of our decisions by making them, and until we make them they don't exist."

This view, called open theism, attempts to shrink God and seriously undermines the truth of God's sovereignty.

Mr. Boyd is a theology professor at Bethel College and senior pastor at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN (Baptist General Conference).

I want to respond to this grossly erroneous view of God by looking at the things that Jesus knew, the use of omniscience by Jesus in the gospel of Mark.

It is my hope that much can be learned from such a study in the way that Mark portrays Jesus and his mission as God among men through his omniscience.

Anyone calling themselves a Christian must surely believe in the deity of Christ.

As God, then, we will see that Jesus certainly makes use of the omniscient prerogative of God in his ministry.

In other words, if the omniscience of God is to be proven, it must surely be proven in the most personal experience of man with God as seen in the ministry of Jesus.

"God knows all things (1John 3:20).

Jesus has this attribute of deity also, for Peter says, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you' (John 21:17).

God knows all inward thoughts and outward acts of humanity (Ps.

139).

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the one to whom we must give account (Heb.

4:13).

As omniscient, God's judgments are formed in the awareness of all the relevant data.

God knows everything that bears upon the truth concerning any person or event.

And Jesus is the primary expression of God's omniscience.

We shall see that he himself is omniscient in many interesting and unique ways throughout his ministry.

Of course, there were many times that Jesus chose not to exercise his godly prerogatives.

But that could be the subject of another study on the humanity of Jesus.

We must never forget that he was fully both man and God (Mk.

15:39).

Some of his statements were immediately proven true and many will yet be proven true.

But all his statements will continually be proven true as they bear proof of who he is through time and eternity.

And he will come again to disprove all who doubt

 

In these instances of omniscience, I have tried to stay away from those situations that were not clearly advance knowledge by Jesus that were proven later to be true.

In Mark 1:17, Jesus gives a command to the disciples to follow him in order that he might make them fishers of men.

Jesus did make them fishers of men, but it could be argued that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In Mark 10:52, it could be argued that it is an act of omniscience to perform a miracle since it comes immediately true as Jesus knew it would, but it could be discounted as more of an application of power.

I also tried to stay away from those instances where it could be argued that the surrounding circumstances imply the main thrust of what could be called omniscience, like Mark 10:15, where the experience with the people and the nature of the question implies hypocrisy and entrapment, or in Mark 10:43-44 where it could be as good a guess as any that the poor widow put in all that she had.

In another sense, it is also apparent that Jesus knew what he didn't know, such as the day or hour of his return (13:32), which lends to his credibility.

*Illustrations:*

 

Mystery is but another name for our ignorance; if we were omniscient, all would be perfectly plain.

Tryon Edwards (1809-1894)

 

God asks us to be holy, not omniscient.

-- Erik Johnson, Leadership, Vol. 15, no.

1.

When we come to God and say, "I love you, and I'm prepared to do your will whatever you want me to do," we can be sure that God is not going to make us miserable.

Rather he rejoices and fits our lives into his pattern for us, into that place where he, in his omniscience and love, knows we will fit hand in glove.

The one who is our Creator, who made us, who knows better than we will ever know ourselves, is the one we are talking to.

He knows the end from the beginning.

-- Paul E. Little, in Great Sermons from the 20th Century.

Christian Reader, Vol. 26, no.

1.

What can escape the eye of God, all seeing, Or deceive his heart, omniscient?

John Milton (1608-1674)

 

James Denney wrote, "The important thing in religion is not to believe that God is omniscient but to experience that God knows me.

The important thing is not that God is everywhere but that wherever I am, God is with me."

   -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

"God knows me" is different from "God is omniscient"; the latter is a mere theological statement; the former is a child of God's most precious possession.

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

 

Dr.

James M. Gray, former president of the Moody Bible Institute, was convalescing from a severe illness.

His physician, thinking that a change of scenery might bring the relaxation his patient needed, advised him to take an ocean voyage.

But just when arrangements for the journey were completed, Dr. Gray experienced an unexpected physical setback.

He was greatly disappointed and began to wonder why the heavenly Father had allowed this new affliction to come.

About a week later, he picked up a newspaper that carried on the front page the tragic account of a steamer that had sunk after striking a reef in St. John's harbor.

There were no survivors.

When Gray read that this was the ship he would have taken, he realized how perfectly the Lord had directed his way.

His temporary sickness had delivered him from certain death.

*I.

Knowledge of People's Inner Thoughts and Attitudes*

 

*          A.

His Opponents*

 

1.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic (2:5-12)

         

The first recorded instance of obvious omniscience in Mark's gospel had to do with the thoughts and attitudes of Jesus' opponents.

The text clearly says that the teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves.

And it goes on to say that he immediately knew in his spirit what was in their hearts.

He went on to expose them.

He healed the man by forgiving his sins and sent him on his way.

The issue of confrontation had to do with whether Jesus was blaspheming by pre-empting God's right to forgive sins.

But the visible evidence of the paralytic's ability to walk after his forgiveness proved Jesus' right to forgive sins.

But note that this was exactly the point Jesus wanted to make when he said, "son, your sins are forgiven," when those thoughts then occurred in his opponents hearts.

He knew those thoughts would occur because of his action even before he took that action.

He took this action because he knew their hearts and wanted to teach them that he did in fact have the power to forgive sins.

He was not just guessing.

This was early enough in his healing ministry for him to not yet have experienced a great deal of opposition to it.

In fact, his healing ministry was eminently popular.

And this healing was not on a Sabbath to stir that controversy.

As God, he knew that those who served God would have the hardest time accepting his incarnation.

We might assume that the reason for this was because those who consider themselves experts don't readily accept the expertise of anyone who does not fit their preconceived opinion.

After all, they are the experts so they think, and nobody consulted them.

Their self-presumption needed a wake-up call.

The best way for Jesus to teach his authority and expertise was to boldly apply it.

Bold truth has a way of exposing the condition of the heart.

Jesus already knows the condition of our hearts, and he takes action to let us know what he knows.

What will we then do with it?

Will our hardness crack or become harder still?

This healing from sin exposed more than the sin of the paralytic.

His was the easier case.

He came to Jesus with a prepared heart of faith.

It seems that faith always has its opponents.

But Jesus knows where they live.

He knows their hearts.

He knows their need of faith.

Now I believe it is OK to question God.

He is big enough to take it and stand our questioning.

But when he gives the answer we must receive it.