Gospel of Mark: Wonder Worker

Life’s most important question is, “Who is Jesus Christ?” How a person answers that question has eternal implications. Nothing is more essential, either for this life or the life to come, than knowing the truth about Jesus. Unfortunately, many people in our society seem seriously uninterested in that question. Tragically, many people blindly assume that Jesus was merely a good teacher, a moral idealist, or a misunderstood social activist whose activities ran afoul of the both the religious and secular authorities of his day. ILLUS. Along that same train of thought, C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity gives us one of the most thought-provoking statements about Jesus ever penned. Lewis writes, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. . . . Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”

Our text for this evening illustrates the sovereign authority of Jesus — that he is God come in the flesh. He is a wonder worker, and through his miraculous powers reveals himself to be the divine Son of God who came to change the lives of sinners.

I. THE WONDER WORKS OF CHRIST REVEAL HIS LOVE & COMPASSION FOR HURTING PEOPLE

1. according to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus never met a sick person He didn’t heal

Mark 1:32-34 "When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was." NASB95

a. blind men came to Him and went away seeing

b. deaf women who approached Him went away hearing

c. demon possessed souls who were brought to Him went away delivered

2. to put it simply, Jesus cares

ILLUS. Historians tell us that when Marie Antoinette was on her way to Paris to become Queen of France, that orders were given that all the sick and infirm people of the nation be kept away from the road along which the future queen was to travel. The French nobles did not want her to be bothered by the nation’s poor and disabled.

a. I’m so glad that no such command was ever given when Jesus passed along a road

1) the wayside and byways of that day were frequently thronged with sufferers who came or were brought out in the hope that some benevolent soul might offer help

b. Jesus is that benevolent soul

1) are you hurting because of a broken relationship? – Jesus cares

2) are you in distress because of a situation you find yourself in? – Jesus cares

3) are you experiencing anxiety over whether you’ll have a job next Monday? Jesus cares

A. JESUS WAS A SERVANT OF ACTION

1. Jesus summed up His entire ministry on Earth in one simple statement . . .

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, NASB95)

2. our Lord never grumbled about the tasks the Father asked Him to do

a. He was a model servant

b. He shows His disciples how to actively serve from a loving heart

3. the Gospel of Mark shows our Savior as a man-on-the-go

"He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons." (Mark 1:38-39, NASB95)

4. in the first eleven chapters of Mark’s gospel, we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ almost frantic pace of life

a. each chapter contains an account of at least one miracle

1) we see Him casting out demons

2) we see Him healing Peter’s mother-in-law

3) He touches lepers and makes them well

4) He makes the lame to walk and the blind to see

b. His ministry astounds all who witness it

"They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (Mark 1:27, NASB95)

5. serving others was a central part of our Lord’s life-style and ministry

a. the healings and miracles were a way He could communicate God’s love to hurting people

II. THE WONDER WORKS OF CHRIST REVEAL HIS AUTHORITY OVER DEMONIC REALM

"Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him." (Mark 1:23-26, NASB95)

1. since the dawn of recorded time, mankind has sought mastery over the world around him — including the spirit world — and almost always lost

a. the natural elements have a power that man is impotent to contain or thwart

1) we erect dams and they burst

2) we build levees and their breached

3) we build cities and earthquakes level them

4) we build multi-level health cares systems and people still die

b. the spiritual realm also has a power that man is impotent to contain or thwart

1) we live in a world dominated by cosmic rulers, authorities, powers that are dark and evil

2) without the spiritual armor of God, men are helpless to resist the spiritual influences of those dark powers

2. yet Jesus’ power included authority over sickness and disease, the winds and the waves

a. but more importantly, His authority extended to the spiritual realm

1) He even had authority over forces of wickedness

A. BECAUSE HE IS THE AUTHOR OF CREATION, JESUS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SIN

1. our Heavenly Father put into the hands of His only begotten Son, the authority to intercede in the created order of the world

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18, NASB95)

a. that authority includes the ability to ...

1) change the course of nature

2) but more importantly, to change the life-course of all those who come to Him by faith

ILLUS. One of my favorite holiday movies is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life staring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It’s the story of a man named Harry Bailey. All Harry wants to do is get old enough to leave the small hic town of Bedford Falls. But due to a number of unforseen circumstances, Harry never gets to leave the town he grew up in, and he is forced to take over the family business. Due to some financial reverses Harry wishes he’d never been born. His guardian angel — Clarence — makes that very wish come true, unbeknownst to Harry. Harry Bailey has the opportunity to see what has happened to all the lives which were not touched by his presence. Because Harry Bailey had never been born, lives were irrevocably changed for the worse. Their life-course is different because Harry Bailey was not there to make it different.

b. in 2008 James D. Kennedy wrote a book entitled, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?

1) Kennedy says that if Christ had never been born, nearly every facet of human life would be much more miserable than it is today

c. if Jesus had never been born ...

1) we would not know what God is like — His nature would remain a mystery

2) we would have no personal victory — there would have been no salvation from sin

3) we would have no universal victory — there would be no eternity in heaven

2. when Jesus touches a life, it is irrevocably changed

a. it is changed for the better because the presence of Jesus makes a difference

b. he changes our lives, but more importantly, He changes our eternal destinies

ILLUS. The story of the Paralytic Man in the second chapter of Mark teaches us many good lessons. We learn about the commitment of good friends, persistence to accomplish a task, and faithfulness. But the real thrust of the story is our Lords’ authority to forgive sin. Jesus has told the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The teachers of the law — who have come to check Jesus out — are outraged. “Who does this fellow think he is anyway? He is blaspheming God. No one can forgive sin but God alone?” Jesus responds to their critical evaluation, “... Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home?” Well, the man got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. Everyone is amazed and they praise God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

3. the wonder works of Christ reveal His authority over creation, his authority over disease, His authority over evil forces, His authority over our sin and His ability to change our lives

III. THE WONDER WORKS OF CHRIST AUTHENTICATED HIS MINISTRY AND HIS TEACHINGS

1. phonies are usually pretty easy to recognize

a. they have the habit of making grandiose statements that they never live up to

2. Jesus lived up to every claim, every word, every teaching He ever uttered

ILLUS. Most of you have heard the old adage, The proof is in the pudding.” We use that saying when we talk about someone’s ability to do something well. Rather than take their word for it, we look to the actual finished results rather than merely accepting their word on the matter.

3. the proof of the pudding regarding Jesus’ Messiahship rested in the miracles

a. the wonder works of Christ reinforced His words

b. when your preaching about the Father’s love for hurting people, what better way to prove that love than to make a blind person see?

A. THE MIRACLES OF JESUS REVEAL THE HEART OF A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER

1. everything Jesus said or did was meant to disclose the nature of God to men

2. the miracles Jesus did had a two-fold purpose

a. 1st, they were meant to reveal the character, the power, the glory and the grace of God

b. 2nd, they were performed so that people would believe that Jesus was who He said He was

“But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me." (John 5:36, NASB95)

3. the wonder works of Jesus authenticated His ministry

IV. THE WONDER WORKS OF CHRIST UNVEIL A TRUE SERVANT’S HEART

1. it is significant that all of the miracles that Jesus ever performed were for the benefit of others

a. when He was hungry, Jesus did not turn stones into bread

b. when He was tired, He never materialized a craft-matic bed and downy pillows

c. when He was thirsty, He never turned stagnant water into a wine cooler

d. when He was dying on a cross, He didn’t call down legions of angels to retaliate against those who had crucified Him

A. THE MIRACLES AUTHENTICATED HIS CLAIMS; HIS SERVANT’S HEART AUTHENTICATED HIS LOVE

1. our Lord’s servant heart is no where better exemplified then during His last Passover meal with His disciples

a. there He removes His outer garments and begins to wash the feet of the disciples

1) the story is found in John 13:1-17

2. He performs this humble task as a lesson

“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." (John 13:14, NASB95)

Here now, is the application: We may not be able to do the wonder works of Christ, but we can have the same love and compassion for hurting people as Jesus did. He has given us an example to follow – we are to think of others before we think of ourselves.

Related Media

Related Sermons