[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you could
join us again as we continue
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our journey
through the book of Mark.
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This is lesson number 8
of 13, and we're looking
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at "Teaching
Disciples," part number 2.
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We're glad that
you could be with us.
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Let's start with prayer.
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Father, we ask that You'll bless
our time together again today
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as we delve into Your Word
and seek to mine the depths of
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the book of Mark to learn
more about Your love for us
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and Your plans for our lives.
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We ask Your blessing upon
us today, and we thank You
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in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, we're happy also to have
with us once again this week
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the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson,
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Thomas Shepherd. He is
the senior research professor
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of New Testament at
the theological seminary,
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Andrews University. Tom, thanks
for joining us once again.
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>>Tom Shepherd:
It's good to be here.
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>>Eric: So we're
continuing our journey through
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"Teaching Disciples,"
and we get now down into--
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we've been through chapter
9, we're getting into chapter 10
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now of the book of Mark,
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and Jesus teaches
some things about marriage,
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about
relationships in this chapter.
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Help us to understand
the lessons that He wants us
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to learn here in
chapter 10 of the book of Mark.
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>>Tom: Right, so Jesus here
has left northern Palestine,
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left Galilee, and
He's come to Judea
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and beyond the Jordan.
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It's interesting or it's
important for the location
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where He is
because the Pharisees come
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and they question
Him about divorce.
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They say, "Is it lawful
for a man to divorce his wife?"
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Now, actually, in the
Judaism of Jesus' day,
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there were a
number of reasons for--
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that people
generally accepted for divorce:
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childlessness, material
neglect, emotional neglect,
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unfaithfulness.
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And so for them to ask
Him, "Is it lawful for a man
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to divorce his wife?"--a general
statement--is a little strange.
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Actually, hidden
underneath this is a trap.
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They--we know that John
the Baptist lost his head
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because he rebuked Herod
for marrying his brother's wife.
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And so they're asking
Him, "Is it lawful for a man
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to divorce his wife?"
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They want to maybe get
Him in trouble with Herod,
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who happens to have control
over this area where Jesus is
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at this time. So it's a kind
of a trap where they maybe think
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they've got Him--heads,
I win; tails, you lose--
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that they can trap him
with maybe whatever He says.
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But He slips out of
their fingers again.
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He says, well, "What
did Moses command you?"
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And we read their
answer in verse 4:
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"They said, 'Moses allowed
a man to write a certificate
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of divorce and
to send her away.'"
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All right, so this kind of thing
was set up actually by Moses.
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There's no command
in the Bible to divorce.
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The Bible never commands
that you have to divorce.
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The commands that were back in
the Old Testament were based on
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helping to actually protect
a woman from her being abused
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by men again
and again and again.
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The man had to give
her a bill of divorce.
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It was basically the
men who did the divorcing.
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He had to give
her a bill of divorce
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so that she could not be
accused of committing adultery
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when she married somebody else.
"No, here's my bill of divorce.
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You divorced me; you can't say
that I'm committing adultery,"
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you see. So, it was actually
made to protect the women.
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Divorce was already happening.
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And so the laws of divorce
were meant to protect the woman.
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However, as human
nature is, people twisted this
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to take advantage of it.
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You know, they rationalized--
you can rationalize around--
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they had certain rules where
they said, "Well, if this is
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"true for a woman,
then it's obviously
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"also true for a man,
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and if it's true for
this, then it's true for that."
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And so they got to a place
where they could do divorce
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for a variety of
different reasons.
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And it actually turned out
to be used to abuse a woman
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instead of protect
her. So they kind of--
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this all needed to be
uncluttered from that.
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So that's how Jesus
responds in verses 5 through 9.
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So why don't you
read those verses for us?
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>>Eric: "And Jesus
answered and said to them,
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"'Because of the
hardness of your heart
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"'he wrote you this precept.
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"'But from the
beginning of the creation,
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"'God "made them
male and female."
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"'"For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother
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"'"and be joined to his wife,
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"'and the two
shall become one flesh";
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"'so...they are no
longer two, but one flesh.
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"'Therefore what
God has joined together,
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let not man separate.'"
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>>Tom: Okay, so
it's interesting.
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Jesus said that the allowance
for divorce in the Old Testament
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was given for the hardness of
the heart, probably referring to
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the hardness of the heart of the
person who did the divorcing.
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And Moses wrote this
commandment actually to
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limit the damage that
occurred from divorce.
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God's desire is for our
homes to be healthy and happy.
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My wife and I will celebrate
50 years of marriage this year,
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and it's been a blessing.
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Gone by really quick.
>>Eric: Congratulations.
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>>Tom: Yeah, and He
wants our homes to be happy
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and healthy for a long term.
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The way Jesus describes it
here, He quotes, He says that
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the command that Moses gave
was a way to solve a problem
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that they were
already practicing.
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And He said, but that
wasn't God's original plan.
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He said--and Jesus goes
back to the Creation story.
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Now, interestingly
enough, He quotes from both
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Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.
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In Genesis 1 we have
the story of Creation,
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particularly focusing on
God as the Almighty Creator.
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And it's powerful, that
we are made in God's image.
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And He made us male and female.
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Now, either a man or a woman,
you don't have to have both
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to have the image of God.
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You have the image of God in a
human, in a male or in a female.
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You don't have to have
the two together to have
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the image of God.
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But they are both
made in the image of God,
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which deserves respect, but
He made them male and female.
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So there were two. Now, Jesus
quotes next from chapter 2,
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which is a retelling
of the Creation story,
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now focusing particularly on
the humans and their situation.
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And if you go back to Genesis 2,
you get this interesting story
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of the--God makes all the--
He makes the man and creates him
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from the dust of the
ground and the breath of life.
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And then He places him in
the garden, and then He says
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in chapter 2:18, "It is not
good for the man to be alone."
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Now, this is the first
time that something is not good.
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Although in chapter 1 everything
was good, it was very good,
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it's very good;
everything is very, really good.
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He says, "It's not good
for the man to be alone.
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I will make him a
helper fit for him."
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So what's--what comes next
in the story? Do you remember?
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>>Eric: Is that
where he falls asleep?
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>>Tom: That's what
people usually think,
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but that's
actually not the case.
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The next thing that happens is
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He brings to the man
all the animals to name.
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>>Eric: Yes. >>Tom:
And so you're kinda like,
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"Well, why is He doing that?
Why does He have all these--"
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now, often
what--we get this picture--
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not to mention in the
text-- we get this picture:
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"Well, he saw that it
was a male and a female deer,
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"and a male and a
female elephant, and he said,
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'There's only one of me.'"
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But that's not
actually what it says.
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It says he names them all,
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but no helper was
found fit for him.
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It's not a difference
of male and female there.
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It's a difference of kind.
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There's nobody
like him, nobody there.
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So, what God is doing
in that story is a miracle.
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He's creating a sense
of need in a perfect world.
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Just incredible, sense of
need, Adam feels this lack.
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So God puts him to sleep
then, the first anesthesia,
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takes the rib--
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not the bone from his
head, she's not to be above him;
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not a bone from his foot,
she's not to be below him.
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She's supposed
to be at his side.
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And so then He makes the woman.
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And Adam breaks into
this first love poem.
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He says, "At last." You
know, it's like satisfaction.
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"At last [this] is [now] bone of
my bones and flesh of my flesh;
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[she'll] be called Woman,
[for] she was taken out of Man."
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So Jesus takes these
two and puts them together,
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these two stories, and
He affirms that marriage
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is between a male and a female.
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This is a little bit of
a sleeper text for some,
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but this is
opposing same-sex marriage.
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Male and female is the proper
mode that God made for marriage.
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And He says the two,
the two that were made
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in Genesis 1, the
two now become one flesh.
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There's obvious
sexual overtones to that,
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but it's more than that.
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There's a relationship
that God has created, a unity
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between husband and
wife that He has made,
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and that's God's
plan for marriage.
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It's supposed to be settled
and set together for life.
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What God has joined together,
let not man separate by divorce.
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>>Eric: Very good.
So, strong marriages...
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what constitutes,
what are the ingredients
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in a strong marriage?
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He doesn't want us to
go down the way of divorce.
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He wants us to
have strong marriages.
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What does that look like?
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>>Tom: Sadly today,
many young people think that
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what they need to do is to sleep
together before they get married
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to find out if they're really
compatible with one another.
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It's a big
mistake. It's a big mistake.
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Your marriage is more
likely to last if you wait
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until you get married and
then experience it together
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in a context in which
you're committed to one another.
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Then, you see, you can
let the power of sex go free.
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It can be free because it's
confined to this relationship.
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They've actually found
in studies that the people
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that experience the
greatest sexual satisfaction
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are conservative
Christian women. [chuckles]
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People that--now Hollywood would
tell you that they're the prudes
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and that they don't know, but
that's not actually the case.
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Why is it that they experience
more joy in their sexual life?
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It's because they're in
a committed relationship.
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They're in a
secure relationship,
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and that's where it
can be let go of free,
00:11:28.32\00:11:30.95
and it has more power. You know,
00:11:30.99\00:11:33.29
God doesn't want less passion
in our lives. He wants more.
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And yeah, that's why He
says, don't commit adultery.
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That's why He says,
stay committed in marriage
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to one another.
00:11:41.46\00:11:42.90
>>Eric: So we've
talked about marriage
00:11:42.93\00:11:45.23
and what
constitutes a strong marriage.
00:11:45.27\00:11:47.60
What about children? What
does Jesus teach about children?
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How does that all
come into the picture?
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>>Tom: Well, it's
a beautiful passage.
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It's found in
verses 13 through 16.
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It says, "And they were
bringing children to Him
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"that He might touch them,
and the disciples rebuked them.
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"But when Jesus saw it, He
was indignant and said to them,
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"'Let the children come
to me; do not hinder them,
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"'for to such
belongs the kingdom of God.
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"'Truly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive
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"the kingdom of God like
a child shall not enter it.'
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"And He took them in
His arms and blessed them,
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laying His hands on them."
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I like that
Jesus loved children.
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And children
evidently loved Jesus.
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They didn't have
a problem with Him.
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I'm a little scared of people
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who children find--are
afraid of, but not Jesus.
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And when the disciples
wanted to keep them away,
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He was indignant.
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He was like, "No, this is--
these are exactly the people
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for whom the
kingdom of God is made."
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It's a beautiful
picture, actually.
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>>Eric: It is a
beautiful picture.
00:12:43.32\00:12:44.79
We're going to come back
in a moment and talk about
00:12:44.83\00:12:46.93
the church's
responsibility toward children.
00:12:46.96\00:12:49.70
But before we go to our
break, I want to give you
00:12:49.73\00:12:51.70
an opportunity to share a little
bit about that companion book.
00:12:51.73\00:12:54.57
What's in there
for this chapter?
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>>Tom: Yeah, so there's the--
00:12:55.97\00:12:57.27
this book is geared
towards the lessons.
00:12:57.31\00:13:00.31
Each chapter has the same title.
00:13:00.34\00:13:02.34
This one is titled
"Teaching Disciples, Part 2."
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And there's a description
in there about a healthy home,
00:13:06.68\00:13:10.89
Jesus and children, rich
man, and following Jesus,
00:13:10.92\00:13:14.29
and what it means to do that.
00:13:14.32\00:13:16.36
"What do you want--what do
you want me to do for you?"
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is the last section
where it describes the request
00:13:18.83\00:13:21.73
that James and John had of Him.
00:13:21.76\00:13:23.23
So yeah, there's material extra
00:13:23.26\00:13:25.23
beyond what you find
in the lesson quarterly.
00:13:25.27\00:13:27.34
>>Eric: So if you are interested
in strengthening your marriage,
00:13:27.37\00:13:31.27
strengthening the relationship
that you have with children,
00:13:31.31\00:13:35.41
maybe finding how children
can be helped and encouraged
00:13:35.44\00:13:39.08
by the church,
this chapter deals
00:13:39.11\00:13:41.15
with all of that and much more.
00:13:41.18\00:13:43.59
Where do you find the book?
00:13:43.62\00:13:44.95
At itiswritten.shop,
00:13:44.99\00:13:46.99
itiswritten.shop.
00:13:47.02\00:13:48.46
You'll find the companion book
00:13:48.49\00:13:49.79
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:49.82\00:13:52.06
And we're gonna continue
going through the latter part
00:13:52.09\00:13:54.50
of this chapter when we
come back from this break
00:13:54.56\00:13:57.10
in just a moment.
00:13:57.13\00:13:58.60
[uplifting music]
00:13:58.63\00:14:00.64
>>John Bradshaw: It's the
happiest day of your life.
00:14:02.74\00:14:05.37
Surrounded by friends
and family, you declare
00:14:05.41\00:14:08.34
your love and commitment
to the most important person
00:14:08.38\00:14:11.28
in your world.
00:14:11.31\00:14:12.78
You say those
all-important words: "I do."
00:14:12.81\00:14:16.55
Two become one, and
they couldn't be happier.
00:14:16.58\00:14:20.02
But then, the honeymoon is
over, and everything changes.
00:14:20.06\00:14:24.59
Instead of love,
joy, and companionship,
00:14:24.63\00:14:27.83
there's anger and resentment.
00:14:27.86\00:14:30.37
Love dies, and
the marriage is over.
00:14:30.40\00:14:34.07
It's an
institution under attack.
00:14:34.10\00:14:36.60
The divorce rate is
high, and children often bear
00:14:36.64\00:14:39.67
the brunt of
their parents' actions.
00:14:39.71\00:14:41.81
So join me for
"Saving Marriage."
00:14:41.84\00:14:44.58
We look at ways you
can safeguard your marriage
00:14:44.61\00:14:46.92
and ensure marital
happiness and success.
00:14:46.95\00:14:49.92
Learn how
bringing God's principles
00:14:49.95\00:14:52.09
into your relationship will
strengthen individuals, couples,
00:14:52.12\00:14:55.36
and families.
00:14:55.39\00:14:56.73
"Saving Marriage,"
00:14:56.76\00:14:57.96
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:57.99\00:15:00.46
>>John: You know know at
It Is Written we are serious
00:15:03.23\00:15:06.37
about the study
of the Word of God,
00:15:06.40\00:15:08.64
and we encourage you to be
serious about God's Word also.
00:15:08.67\00:15:12.64
Well, I want to share with
you another way that you can
00:15:12.67\00:15:15.38
dig deeper into the Word of God.
00:15:15.41\00:15:17.71
And here it is:
itiswritten.study.
00:15:17.75\00:15:22.35
Go online to itiswritten.study,
and you can access
00:15:22.38\00:15:26.86
the It Is Written
Bible Study Guides,
00:15:26.89\00:15:29.46
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:15:29.49\00:15:32.29
that will walk
you through the Bible.
00:15:32.33\00:15:34.76
It's going to be good for
you, and it's the sort of thing
00:15:34.83\00:15:37.77
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:15:37.80\00:15:41.27
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:15:41.30\00:15:43.97
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:15:44.01\00:15:47.74
As you get into the
It Is Written online
00:15:47.78\00:15:49.84
Bible Study Guides,
you'll understand the prophecies
00:15:49.88\00:15:52.28
of the Bible, the plan
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00:15:52.31\00:15:55.25
So don't forget
itiswritten.study,
00:15:55.28\00:15:58.15
itiswritten.study.
00:15:58.19\00:16:00.62
[uplifting music]
00:16:03.99\00:16:07.96
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:16:07.96\00:16:09.76
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:16:09.80\00:16:11.43
We're on lesson number 8
of 13, moving our way rapidly
00:16:11.47\00:16:14.50
through the book of Mark.
00:16:14.54\00:16:16.30
We're looking at
"Teaching Disciples, Part 2."
00:16:16.34\00:16:19.77
Tom, a few minutes ago, we
were talking about relationships
00:16:19.81\00:16:23.35
and marriage and children,
00:16:23.38\00:16:25.38
and we kind of left
off with the question:
00:16:25.41\00:16:27.72
What about the church's
responsibility toward children?
00:16:27.75\00:16:30.79
We know that Jesus
cared about children.
00:16:30.82\00:16:32.82
They were drawn to Him.
00:16:32.85\00:16:34.46
What about the church?
00:16:34.49\00:16:35.62
What is our role
when it comes to children?
00:16:35.66\00:16:37.56
>>Tom: Okay, so first
of all, Jesus indicates
00:16:37.59\00:16:40.30
that the paradigm for
Christian faith is a child.
00:16:40.33\00:16:43.03
Now, not that we are to
be immature like children,
00:16:43.06\00:16:46.17
but one thing about
children is they trust you.
00:16:46.20\00:16:51.04
And if you put them up on
a wall and tell them to jump,
00:16:51.07\00:16:54.04
they'll jump into your arms.
00:16:54.08\00:16:56.41
And I've found working
with children--I've worked
00:16:56.44\00:16:59.55
in kindergarten with
the camp meeting group,
00:16:59.58\00:17:02.95
and little children
are so sweet, you know;
00:17:02.98\00:17:05.35
they're just
open and everything.
00:17:05.39\00:17:07.39
That's kind of the paradigm
for what it's to be like.
00:17:07.42\00:17:10.33
The church's responsibility
to children is to protect them,
00:17:10.36\00:17:14.40
is to raise them up
to be disciples of Jesus.
00:17:14.46\00:17:17.77
A church without children is
the church that is declining.
00:17:17.80\00:17:22.60
I'm thankful that the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:17:22.64\00:17:25.71
has made it an important aspect
of its ministry to children.
00:17:25.74\00:17:29.98
I think three of the best
things that we've ever done
00:17:30.01\00:17:33.11
are Sabbath school,
Pathfinders and Adventurers,
00:17:33.15\00:17:37.22
and student missions.
00:17:37.25\00:17:38.65
And you think about
all three of those things--
00:17:38.69\00:17:40.96
they all focus on young people:
children and young people.
00:17:40.99\00:17:43.69
So that's really
good because we need--
00:17:43.73\00:17:46.70
those young people are
the future of the church.
00:17:46.73\00:17:48.66
I remember traveling--
I'm a cellist, and I had
00:17:48.70\00:17:52.57
a string quartet when I
taught at Union College.
00:17:52.60\00:17:54.57
We used to travel
all over the place
00:17:54.60\00:17:56.54
giving programs in churches.
00:17:56.57\00:17:58.91
And I remember an old gentleman
coming to me one day at the end
00:17:58.94\00:18:03.75
of our program, and he said,
00:18:03.78\00:18:06.08
"These young people
are an inspiration to us."
00:18:06.11\00:18:10.29
And I didn't quite
catch it then, I don't think,
00:18:10.32\00:18:14.32
what he meant.
00:18:14.36\00:18:15.66
But, you know, those of us who
are older, and I'm getting older
00:18:15.69\00:18:18.66
and older, we all are,
but I'm officially retired.
00:18:18.69\00:18:24.80
I look, and I say, you
know, the future of the church
00:18:24.83\00:18:27.70
is the young people.
00:18:27.74\00:18:29.40
And if we don't have young
people, we don't have a church.
00:18:29.44\00:18:32.17
So seeing them,
the young people,
00:18:32.21\00:18:35.84
giving their hearts to Jesus,
00:18:35.88\00:18:37.48
being faithful to Him,
it's deeply encouraging,
00:18:37.51\00:18:40.72
and we have a
responsibility to disciple them,
00:18:40.75\00:18:42.95
to teach them the way.
And that's our responsibility.
00:18:42.98\00:18:47.69
>>Eric: It's interesting when
you look at Mark, chapter 10--
00:18:47.72\00:18:50.29
we go straight from that
story of Jesus with the children
00:18:50.33\00:18:54.10
right into the story of a
rich young man who is invited
00:18:54.13\00:18:59.10
to follow Jesus.
00:18:59.13\00:19:01.54
What lessons do we
learn from this story?
00:19:01.57\00:19:04.44
>>Tom: Yes, interestingly
enough, in my Bible,
00:19:04.47\00:19:08.51
the story is titled
"The Rich Young Man."
00:19:08.54\00:19:11.21
He's never called
young, actually, in Mark.
00:19:11.25\00:19:13.95
I think that's over in Matthew
he's described as a young man.
00:19:13.98\00:19:17.25
What's interesting
is this fellow runs up,
00:19:17.29\00:19:20.02
and he kneels before Jesus.
00:19:20.06\00:19:22.02
Now, maybe that's
what a young man would do.
00:19:22.06\00:19:24.16
My knees are a little bad, and
I don't know that I could kneel,
00:19:24.19\00:19:27.13
run up quite so much.
00:19:27.20\00:19:28.93
He runs up, he kneels
before Him, and he says,
00:19:28.96\00:19:31.30
"Good Teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life?"
00:19:31.33\00:19:34.60
Well, you know,
that is a great question.
00:19:34.64\00:19:37.34
"Jesus said to him,
'Why do you call me good?
00:19:37.37\00:19:39.97
"No one is good
except God alone.'
00:19:40.01\00:19:41.48
Do you recognize who I am?
"You know the commandments."
00:19:41.51\00:19:44.28
So He lists off
some of the commandments:
00:19:44.31\00:19:45.95
"'Do not murder, do not
commit adultery, do not steal,
00:19:45.98\00:19:49.05
"'do not bear false witness,
00:19:49.08\00:19:50.72
"do not defraud, honor
your father and mother.'
00:19:50.75\00:19:53.09
"And he said to Him,
'Teacher, all these I have kept
00:19:53.12\00:19:56.46
from my youth.' And Jesus,
looking at him, loved him."
00:19:56.49\00:19:59.86
Now, that--this is the
only Gospel that says that.
00:19:59.89\00:20:03.20
And Jesus looked
at him and loved him.
00:20:03.23\00:20:04.63
Why did He love
him? He was an idealist.
00:20:04.67\00:20:07.84
You know, this is
what I see in young people.
00:20:07.87\00:20:10.04
They're idealistic. And I've
been a teacher for many years.
00:20:10.07\00:20:14.21
And I remember when I was
teaching undergraduate college,
00:20:14.24\00:20:17.61
and the young people came
to class, they never said it
00:20:17.65\00:20:21.78
out loud, but I sensed that they
were looking at their teacher
00:20:21.82\00:20:26.42
and saying, "Teacher, do
you have a dream worth living?
00:20:26.45\00:20:31.43
You know, do you have a dream
worth me giving my life for?"
00:20:31.46\00:20:34.60
And that's always the challenge,
I think, for us as leaders,
00:20:34.63\00:20:38.03
as adults is, are
we living the dream?
00:20:38.07\00:20:41.50
Are we living before
these young people that idealism
00:20:41.54\00:20:45.27
that they, they'll grab onto?
00:20:45.31\00:20:47.31
"All these things I
have kept from my youth."
00:20:47.34\00:20:50.58
And so Jesus looks at him;
00:20:50.61\00:20:51.95
He says, "'You lack
one thing: go, sell all
00:20:51.98\00:20:55.12
"'that you have and give
to the poor, and you will
00:20:55.15\00:20:57.75
"have treasure in
heaven; and come, follow me.'
00:20:57.79\00:21:00.79
"Disheartened by the
saying, he went away sorrowful,
00:21:00.82\00:21:04.79
for he had great possessions."
00:21:04.83\00:21:07.40
Boy, what a story, you know?
00:21:07.46\00:21:11.00
"You lack one thing: get
rid of all your possessions."
00:21:11.03\00:21:14.84
Now, Jesus doesn't
ask everybody to do that.
00:21:14.87\00:21:19.91
Zacchaeus is the next
story in the Gospel of Luke,
00:21:19.94\00:21:23.61
and, or, you know,
shortly thereafter in Luke.
00:21:23.65\00:21:26.98
He only has to
give away half [laughs]
00:21:27.02\00:21:30.19
of his possessions.
00:21:30.22\00:21:32.02
So it's like
heaven at half price.
00:21:32.05\00:21:34.16
So Jesus doesn't ask everybody
to give up their possessions,
00:21:34.19\00:21:37.43
but this man did have a problem.
00:21:37.46\00:21:40.43
He had kept the commandments
that he had mentioned,
00:21:40.46\00:21:43.40
but there was
one that he wasn't.
00:21:43.43\00:21:45.17
He had an idol in his
life, and that was his money.
00:21:45.20\00:21:48.74
And it's obvious that it
was an idol because he kept it.
00:21:48.77\00:21:53.34
You know, whenever Jesus
touches an idol, watch out,
00:21:53.38\00:21:57.18
because idols are precious to
people, and He touched this one,
00:21:57.21\00:22:00.35
and the young man went away.
00:22:00.38\00:22:02.08
It's sad. >>Eric:
So it's a sad story.
00:22:02.12\00:22:05.62
He could have made a
huge impact if he had come--
00:22:05.65\00:22:09.86
if he had been
converted and come in.
00:22:09.89\00:22:12.53
But if he had remained
unconverted and been brought in,
00:22:12.56\00:22:16.10
well, that would
have caused disaster.
00:22:16.13\00:22:18.20
>>Tom: Yeah. >>Eric: Sad story,
00:22:18.23\00:22:19.93
one to learn from.
We keep going reading
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.17
down through here in chapter 10,
00:22:22.20\00:22:24.94
and Peter notes
some of the things that
00:22:24.97\00:22:27.41
he and others have
left to follow Jesus.
00:22:27.44\00:22:30.95
How badly should we rake
Peter over the coals for this?
00:22:30.98\00:22:35.35
Or is there a
lesson here for us, maybe,
00:22:35.38\00:22:37.45
to pull away from it as well?
00:22:37.49\00:22:38.92
>>Tom: Well, okay, so, you know,
Jesus, after this young man
00:22:38.95\00:22:42.86
or this man goes away, Jesus
talks about how difficult it is
00:22:42.89\00:22:46.06
for those who have
wealth to enter the kingdom.
00:22:46.09\00:22:48.43
And He says it's
"easier for a camel to go
00:22:48.46\00:22:51.90
"through the eye of a needle
00:22:51.93\00:22:53.03
than for a rich [man] to
enter the kingdom of God."
00:22:53.07\00:22:55.24
So this is hyperbole again.
00:22:55.27\00:22:57.01
He's not talking
about a little gate.
00:22:57.04\00:22:58.51
People get this
idea it's a little gate,
00:22:58.54\00:23:00.18
camels to take
everything. No, no, no.
00:23:00.21\00:23:02.31
It's a little tiny hole [laughs]
in a needle, and the big animal
00:23:02.34\00:23:07.42
is trying to put
it through a needle.
00:23:07.45\00:23:09.48
And the disciples get the--
they understand this. [chuckles]
00:23:09.52\00:23:12.62
They understand the
hyperbole, and they say,
00:23:12.65\00:23:13.96
"Then who can be saved?"
00:23:13.99\00:23:15.29
And the punch line is,
00:23:15.32\00:23:16.62
"With man it is
impossible, but not with God.
00:23:16.66\00:23:19.36
For all things are
possible with God."
00:23:19.39\00:23:22.00
Peter pipes in: "We have left
everything and followed You."
00:23:22.03\00:23:25.77
And Matthew, he fills
it out a little more so:
00:23:25.80\00:23:28.00
So what's in it for us? [laughs]
00:23:28.04\00:23:30.51
And we're kind of
like, "Peter, Peter, Peter,
00:23:30.54\00:23:33.58
"no, no, no, no, no.
00:23:33.61\00:23:34.94
You should be--it's
good just to be with Jesus."
00:23:34.98\00:23:38.51
But Jesus says that there--
you read down here that you--
00:23:38.55\00:23:42.98
have you left all this
for me-- remember the cost
00:23:43.02\00:23:45.32
of discipleship--"...who will
not receive a hundredfold"--
00:23:45.35\00:23:47.79
verse 30--"a hundredfold now in
this time, houses and brothers
00:23:47.82\00:23:50.66
"and sisters and
mothers and children and lands,
00:23:50.69\00:23:52.99
"with persecutions, and in
the age to come eternal life.
00:23:53.03\00:23:56.26
But many who are first will
be last, and the last first."
00:23:56.30\00:24:00.04
So He says, "You
gave up everything for me?
00:24:00.07\00:24:03.54
You'll get a rich
reward," you know.
00:24:03.57\00:24:06.11
Jesus isn't opposed to
a reward for His people.
00:24:06.14\00:24:10.21
Now, that reward
is based on His grace.
00:24:10.25\00:24:13.65
You only are saved
by grace through faith.
00:24:13.68\00:24:16.65
It is not something that
you earn, but still you receive
00:24:16.69\00:24:21.62
a reward for
giving your life to Jesus.
00:24:21.66\00:24:24.53
So it's a wonderful--just
think about the difference
00:24:24.56\00:24:27.60
between this rich man
who kept his money and died
00:24:27.66\00:24:32.43
away from Jesus, versus His
disciples who gave up everything
00:24:32.47\00:24:36.27
and will be in
heaven. What's better?
00:24:36.30\00:24:38.94
Well, obviously, the
disciples made the right choice,
00:24:38.97\00:24:41.78
and Jesus affirmed that.
00:24:41.81\00:24:43.81
>>Eric: Let's continue
learning some lessons here,
00:24:43.85\00:24:46.15
maybe things that were said
that shouldn't have been said
00:24:46.18\00:24:48.95
or at least that
we can benefit from.
00:24:48.98\00:24:50.75
We come down just a few verses
and we've got James and John,
00:24:50.79\00:24:54.19
and they have some
desires-- we'll put it that way.
00:24:54.22\00:24:57.66
What were they
hoping to get out of this,
00:24:57.69\00:24:59.79
and what did Jesus offer them?
00:24:59.83\00:25:01.60
>>Tom: Yeah, they said, "Grant
us to sit, one at Your right...
00:25:01.63\00:25:03.57
and one at Your left,
in Your glory." [laughs]
00:25:03.60\00:25:05.77
So they had seen Him on
the Mount of Transfiguration.
00:25:05.80\00:25:08.37
And they expected
that in some way or other
00:25:08.40\00:25:10.91
the messiah is
going to be a king.
00:25:10.94\00:25:12.11
They want to be on
the right and the left.
00:25:12.14\00:25:13.64
Now, that really gets the
other disciples up in arms.
00:25:13.68\00:25:17.58
But Jesus asked them a question:
00:25:17.61\00:25:19.65
Do you know what you--
00:25:19.68\00:25:20.65
"'You do not know
what you are asking.
00:25:20.68\00:25:22.75
"'Are you able to drink the cup
that I drink, or to be baptized
00:25:22.78\00:25:26.05
"with the baptism
with which I am baptized?'
00:25:26.09\00:25:28.49
...They said to
Him, 'We are able.'"
00:25:28.52\00:25:29.89
He says, "The cup that
I drink you will drink."
00:25:29.92\00:25:32.23
He says, "The
baptism... I am baptized,
00:25:32.26\00:25:34.20
you will be
baptized"-- that's the cross--
00:25:34.20\00:25:36.93
"but to sit at my right hand or
...my left is not mine to grant,
00:25:36.97\00:25:40.10
but it is for those for
whom it has been prepared."
00:25:40.14\00:25:42.87
Well now, when the other
10 disciples heard about this,
00:25:42.90\00:25:45.11
they were incensed. You know,
00:25:45.14\00:25:46.81
these two were "trying to get
ahead of all the rest of us."
00:25:46.84\00:25:49.08
You know, they were always
fighting: Who's number one?
00:25:49.11\00:25:52.78
So, Jesus has a great
teaching for them at this point.
00:25:52.81\00:25:56.55
He says, starting in verse 42,
"And Jesus called them to Him
00:25:56.58\00:26:00.59
"and said to them, 'You know
that those who are considered
00:26:00.62\00:26:03.96
"'rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their great ones
00:26:03.99\00:26:07.60
"'exercise authority over them.
00:26:07.60\00:26:09.36
"'But it shall
not be so among you.
00:26:09.40\00:26:12.93
"'But whoever would be great
among you must be your servant,
00:26:12.97\00:26:16.47
"'and whoever would be first
among you must be slave of all.
00:26:16.50\00:26:20.04
"'For even the Son of
Man came not to be served
00:26:20.08\00:26:23.28
but to serve, and to give
His life as a ransom for many.'"
00:26:23.31\00:26:27.15
So here's the great
lesson of Christian life.
00:26:27.18\00:26:31.19
You are called
not to be a master;
00:26:31.22\00:26:34.36
you are called to be a servant.
00:26:34.39\00:26:37.33
Peter learned this lesson, and
over in his book he talks about
00:26:37.36\00:26:41.76
that you're not
supposed to be in it
00:26:41.80\00:26:43.40
from the push of men
but rather the pull of God,
00:26:43.43\00:26:45.97
not for the money
but for the mission,
00:26:46.00\00:26:48.54
not to be a master
but to be a mentor,
00:26:48.57\00:26:50.81
over in 1 Peter, chapter 5.
00:26:50.84\00:26:53.31
So they got the
lesson; eventually it sunk in,
00:26:53.34\00:26:56.34
that Jesus is--
came to serve us,
00:26:56.38\00:26:59.51
and He's the master. So
if He serves, so should we.
00:26:59.55\00:27:03.08
>>Eric: So that's a job for us.
00:27:03.12\00:27:05.25
That's an opportunity for us.
00:27:05.29\00:27:06.59
That's a calling for us, not
to be the masters of everything
00:27:06.62\00:27:10.46
in this world, but to
be servants so that we can,
00:27:10.49\00:27:13.90
by the grace of God,
reflect the character of Christ
00:27:13.93\00:27:16.43
in the way that He served.
00:27:16.46\00:27:17.93
He was a servant leader,
and so also should we be.
00:27:17.97\00:27:22.74
And as we continue our journey
through the book of Mark,
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we're going to look at
this leader and how He served
00:27:24.87\00:27:27.51
and how He led.
00:27:27.54\00:27:29.64
And by God's grace,
the example that He sets
00:27:29.68\00:27:32.35
will permeate our
lives so that others may get
00:27:32.38\00:27:35.05
to see Christ's
character in us as well.
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.75
We look forward to seeing
you again next week as we begin
00:27:38.79\00:27:42.12
lesson 9 of 13 here
on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:42.16\00:27:45.56
brought to you by It Is Written.
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[uplifting music]
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