It’s great to be with you. Thank you for joining us as we study God’s Word. The Bible is filled with truth that we can pattern our lives after. It does not matter which culture we are in; God speaks to all of us through this special book.
Last time, we discussed the authority of the servant, and today we will examine a few practical areas of his ministry that are worth considering and applying to our lives. Jesus was here on earth and lived among us. Others observed his habits and saw what he spent time doing. Today’s lesson is about some of the things He did, which we can also do.
Turn to the end of Mark 1 and let’s look at “The Ministry of the Servant” together.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word ministry or minister? The primary word in the New Testament is the word diakanos or some variation of it. It’s most often translated into English as the word servant. It’s transliterated from Greek to English as the word deacon.
In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” In this episode of our study from Mark’s Gospel, we’ll be looking at Mark 1:35 to 45. I’ve titled our study, “The Ministry of the Servant.”
35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.
37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out demons.
40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,
44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
In this text, Mark’s record of Jesus’ early ministry in Galilee provides a TEMPLATE for us to follow in our service for Christ.
The First Part of the TEMPLATE (for ministry) is,
Cultivated By Prayer
Just before our text, Jesus had healed many people and cast out many demons. Since this healing service only began after sunset, the meeting likely didn’t break up until late that night.
So, after a long day of intense ministry, Jesus probably went to bed late. Despite that, the text tells us that He was up very early the next morning before dawn to spend time alone with His Father. He went to a deserted place to pray. This pattern will become a recurring theme in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus fostered the effectiveness of His ministry through prayer. That’s cultivation. He wanted His work to be as fruitful as possible.
When the disciples awakened that morning, Jesus was nowhere to be found, so they went looking for Him. Eventually, they found Him and said, “Everyone is looking for you.” We don’t know precisely what the disciples meant, but think about what had happened the night before. It’s likely that those who were part of the crowd the previous evening came back and brought others with them. They were expecting Jesus to repeat the events of the previous evening.
In response to the disciples, Jesus didn’t say, “Great, I’ll go back with you, we had such a successful ministry there last night. Wasn’t it great?” Instead, He said, “Let’s go to the next towns so I can preach to them. That’s what I came to do.”
I believe a couple of things motivated Jesus’ prayer time. First, a thriving ministry is like a two-edged sword. It is wonderful to see people saved, healed, forgiven, set free, and transformed. When that happens, and we’re privileged to be part of it, there’s always that temptation to think that it happened because of us. That’s pride. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that “He [Jesus] was tempted in every way, just like we are, yet without sin.” Pride was one of those temptations!
In addition, Jesus pointed out later, in Mark 9, that His ministry was dependent on prayer and sometimes fasting. Jesus knew that fellowship with His Father was more important than a whole night’s sleep. I’m not suggesting we abuse our bodies and endanger our health by neglecting adequate rest, but do we understand the connection between prayer and power?
If Jesus felt the need to have fellowship and communion with His Father, how much more do you and I need them? Yet, I find that this is the most challenging part of this template to follow. Do you find it the same? Will you join me in a renewed commitment to make this first part of the ministry template an integral part of your life? Let’s cultivate our service for the Lord through prayer.
The Next Part of the TEMPLATE (for ministry) is,
Communicated By Preaching
After the disciples told Jesus that everyone was looking for Him, He said, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” Did you catch the primary reason for Jesus’ ministry? It wasn’t to heal diseased or disfigured bodies. It was to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. The purpose of the miracles was to draw the people so they could hear the Good News!
Jesus’ goal was to preach the Gospel as far and as wide as possible. So, He went all over Galilee preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. Later, He turned that same responsibility over to you and me as His followers. The focus of our ministry is to go and make disciples of all peoples. That ministry is communicated through preaching, proclaiming, teaching, and living out the message of the Gospel.
Preaching has fallen out of favor somewhat in our time. Many worship services today prioritize music over the preaching and teaching of the Word. Singers and worship leaders become celebrities, and the teaching of the Word is relegated to the end of the service. Often, ministry is centered on how it makes people feel rather than how the Word of God should impact their lives. Much of the preaching is man-centered rather than Gospel-centered. As a result, the church is weak and powerless.
It doesn’t matter if you have a formal title as a preacher or teacher. Every believer is engaged in ministry, and part of our work is to communicate the truth of God’s Word to those we interact with. Coworkers, family, neighbors, friends, and people God brings across our path can all be ministered to through our service and witness. Jesus shows us how to do it.
Like Jesus, we must be willing to speak when the opportunity arises. How are you “preaching” the Word in your ministry?
The Final Part of the TEMPLATE (for the ministry of the servant) is,
Confirmed By Compassion
The final vignette in our text is this healing of the leper. As Jesus travels through the towns of Galilee, a leper approaches Him. He falls on his knees before Jesus, the highest form of homage in the Eastern world. He pleads with Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” He doesn’t question Jesus’ ability; he doesn’t say, “If you can make me clean.” No, he says, “if you are willing.”
Notice that the leper didn’t ask for healing but for cleansing. The Bible treats leprosy as an emblem of sin. So, leprosy is never spoken of as being healed; rather, it is considered to be cleansed. Think of Naaman bathing in the Jordan River in Second Kings chapter five.
It seems there was no doubt in this man’s mind that Christ had the power to cleanse him. But he wasn’t sure whether Jesus was willing to exercise that power on his behalf. Would Jesus stoop so low as to touch and cleanse him?
Imagine his surprise and the horror of the onlookers when Jesus, in compassion, reached out and touched him! This was the ultimate defilement and social suicide. And then He used the leper’s own words to announce the cleansing: “I am willing, be made clean.” At once, the leprosy was gone, and he was cleansed. The contact, the command, and the cure followed each other in rapid succession. Jesus, the Creator, could touch the unclean without becoming unclean Himself.
We have no record in the Scripture of any Israelite leper cleansed in the 1500 years since the procedure for cleansing had been given in the book of Leviticus. Jesus attested to this fact in Luke 4:27. “[There were] many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” So, when this man presented himself at the Temple with the sacrifice for cleansing, it was proof that God was present among His people in the person of Jesus Christ. Messiah was here!
Jesus’ instructions to this man to be quiet about what happened reemphasize the fact that He didn’t want crowds to come primarily for healing, because it would hinder His primary ministry to preach the Kingdom of God.
However, this man disobeyed Jesus’ command and announced publicly what Jesus had done. I’m sure his intentions were good, but they had negative consequences for Jesus. He could no longer openly enter the towns and preach because people thronged Him for healing.
This text gives us a template for ministry. It must be cultivated by prayer if we want it to be effective. Genuine lasting change in a person’s life can only be accomplished by the power of God, not any programs or plans we may use.
Further, the Gospel must be communicated by preaching. When we spend time in fellowship with God in prayer, we will speak the Word of God empowered by the Spirit of God.
Prayer and preaching will equip us to be moved with compassion for those around us. We can touch those deemed untouchable without becoming polluted by their sin. We can offer them cleansing through Jesus.
Let’s recommit ourselves to following this template demonstrated so effectively by the ministry of the servant, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks, J. Mark, for sharing this teaching with us. I was challenged by Jesus’ commitment to spending personal time with His Father. In this lesson, he got up before daylight and went to a solitary place to pray. As J Mark said, if Jesus felt this was necessary for him, how much more will you and I need to spend time with God? This is entirely up to us. I can’t expect anyone else to do this for me; I must get up early or stay up late. Those who are serious will spend time with their Father, just as Jesus did.
If you have any questions about today’s lesson or if you would like to contact us, please don’t hesitate. You can reach us by email or the internet. Our email address is [email protected], and our website is heraldsofhope.org. There, click on the “contact us” which is on the top right, and there you can send a message directly to us. We’d love to hear from you, so please contact us in the way that works best for you.
Thanks so much for joining us today. We wish you God’s best as you put these practical areas into action. Jesus told us, “I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit.” Go and serve while you abide in him.
