Marks of a True Disciple (Mark 9.30-50)

I’m going to start by saying something, and I don’t want anyone to take it badly. What I’m going to say is true, but I’m not saying it to beat anyone down, but rather to illustrate what kind of text we’re seeing today.

One of the most difficult things for me as a pastor is to be up here, preaching from the Bible week in and week out, and to hear people say over and over again, “That was really encouraging,” or “That was really interesting”…only to leave these doors and continue their lives exactly the same as they were before. I know that I can’t change anyone’s heart—that’s God’s job, not mine, and he knows what he’s doing—but sometimes you just want to grab people by the shoulders, bring them in front of a mirror and say, “Do you see what you’re doing? Do you see that the life you’re living is so far from the life Christ calls you to live? Do you see?”

Of course I can’t do that.

Fortunately, the Bible does it for us.

This is one of those texts that serve as a mirror—a text that forces us to take a long, hard look at ourselves, and to realize that what God desires for us, and the way we’re living, are often very far apart.

Two weeks ago, in Mark 8.34-35, Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Everything we see in chapter 9 is an application of that. What does it look like to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow Christ? What does it look like to “lose our lives” for his sake and the gospel’s, in order to save our lives?

Well, we saw the first few things last week. If I am denying myself and taking up my cross and following Christ, there are a few qualities I will see in myself.

The first is a continual dependence on God, which shows itself in continual prayer. We know we can’t do it alone, that we need help, and so we turn to the God who can do it, and ask for help.

In turn, prayer builds our faith—it reminds us that Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was transfigured on the mountain, who lived and died and was raised for us, really does have what we need to follow him, and really can give it to us. So if we’re denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Christ, we will see an ever increasing faith in ourselves—an ever-increasing confidence that our Savior really is the glorious, powerful Savior who was transfigured on the mountain.

These are spiritual qualities. Dependence on Christ, prayer, faith, a clear vision of who Christ is… These are things that most people won’t be able to see, because—with the exception of prayer, sometimes—they are things that happen inside of us.

In today’s text, Jesus gives us several practical qualities—qualities that everyone can see, qualities that display our faith and our dependence on Christ to the rest of the world. They have their roots in the spiritual—they won’t work without faith in Christ, at least not in the way that Jesus intends—but they will work themselves out in the practical.

To put it another way, if we are truly and totally dependent on God, these are things we will see. The marks of a disciple of Christ that we see in this text are not exhaustive, but they’re not optional either.

The first is something that we’ve already seen, and that is:

A Ready Acceptance of Suffering for the Gospel (v. 30-31)

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

So once again, the disciples hear Jesus say he’s going to be killed, and then rise again, and once again, the disciples are unable to understand what he’s talking about. It’s just inconceivable to them that such a thing might happen to their Master.

And yet, just a few verses earlier, in Mark 8, he told them that something similar may well happen to them. If anyone would follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. It’s possible that the disciples didn’t think he was speaking literally here, but if it’s not clear yet, it would very soon be. Jesus doesn’t ask anyone to do something he didn’t first do himself. If he suffered for the kingdom of God, we should be willing to do the same.

Now, will that mean suffering to the point of death for everyone? Of course not. But all of us will suffer for our faith in one way or another.

Some will suffer because the gospel calls them to renounce certain sins which they actually enjoy. Some will suffer because they have become involved in a relationship—a friendship, or a romantic relationship—that the Bible calls them to reject. Some will suffer because they face ridicule from unbelieving friends or family who don’t understand their choices. And some will suffer in the ways the early church did: they will go to other nations to preach the gospel, and will face persecution, violence or even death for their faith.

The ways in which we suffer will differ; but if we are faithful disciples of Christ, there will be suffering. It’s inevitable when we are called to live against the grain of the world.

Our lives will be filled with choices that bring suffering—some of them even harder, some of them much smallerin which we will be called to do the difficult thing in order to follow Christ faithfully. But every time we do, we know that Christ did it first: the Son of Man was delivered into the hands of men, and killed by them, in order to save us all.

If we are dependent on God, we will be ready to accept suffering for the gospel.

Humility: Service and Unity (v. 33-41)

Secondly—if we are truly dependent on God, we will see humility, which will show itself in many different ways. V. 33:

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

This whole discussion between the disciples of who is the greatest might seem silly to us today, but it made a lot of sense back then. The political and religious leaders in Israel at the time were oppressive in their sense of self-worth: they spent much of their time pointing out the flaws in everyone else and tracing lines in the sand to distinguish the truly faithful from the not-so-faithful. So this kind of thinking was almost second nature to the disciples.

And it’s actually second nature to all of us, although we may hide it better. We’re always comparing ourselves with one another, and we always want to feel like we’re on top.

The only real difference between us and the disciples is that they’re speaking about it openly, while we hide it and prefer to put on a mask.

But dependence on Christ removes that option from us. Jesus flips our idea of what it means to be “great” on its head. If you want to be first, you need to be last. True greatness, he says, is seen in service—especially in the way we serve the weak and the small.

The disciples would stumble over themselves to serve Jesus, or to serve an important person visiting Jesus, or to serve someone in full view of a crowd, like they served the crowds the food that Jesus multiplied. But would they be so quick to serve someone who could do nothing for them?

The example Jesus gives is so refreshing for me, as a parent. He takes a child in his arms and says, if you serve a child like this, you’re serving me.

The reason this is refreshing is because parents know all too well how easy it is for adults to simply not see their kids when they come to church, and how good it feels to see an adult treating their kids like human beings. I feel really blessed in this church, because at least in my experience, many of you pay a lot more attention to our kids than in a lot of other churches.

But the same thing applies to those people in the church who may not be so rewarding. People who are shy or alone. People who are handicapped. People who need us, and who may not be able to give much to us in return. Every time we, for the sake of Christ, engage in service to those who can’t give to us in return, we need to remember Jesus’s words: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” When we serve the weak, we’re serving him.

This humble service to the weak and the needy is exactly what Christ has been highlighting for the disciples, every time he has told them that the Son of Man will soon be delivered over to men and be put to death. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ is the supreme act of humble service—he took our sin on himself, and was punished for our sin, in order that we might live. The disciples didn’t understand that yet, but they would very soon.

Next we see an interaction that highlights another aspect of the humility that dependence on Christ brings—and it’s a bit trickier, because it’s harder to notice. V. 38:

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The disciples try to stop someone from doing something they weren’t able to do not so long ago. And why are they trying to stop this man? Because “he was not following us.” Let’s be clear; they’re not calling into question the idea that this man believed in Jesus; rather, they try to stop him because he wasn’t part of their group.

To this, Jesus rebukes the disciples instead. And he does it by saying something that’s easily misunderstood. V. 39:

39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Now, we need to see here that Jesus is using hyperbole—that is, he’s exaggerating to make a point, which he does often. Jesus isn’t saying that literally everyone who is not against us is “for us”—plenty of people are tolerant of Christians without being Christians, and plenty of people say they’re Christians when they’re not.

Rather, he’s telling the disciples not to rashly consider someone an enemy. Attempting to disqualify someone because they’re not “one of us” is always motivated by pride. And Jesus is humble enough to not be threatened by this man, but actually to applaud him. This man is doing what his own disciples couldn’t do—if we take Jesus seriously when he said in last week’s text that the disciples lacked faith, and that they couldn’t cast out the demon because they needed to pray, it would appear that this man has more faith in Jesus than Jesus’s own disciples!

He’s showing the disciples that they need to be careful not to divide believers for non-essential reasons, but to recognize the unity of believers in Christ unless we have a very good reason to do so.

We see this all the time in denominations. There are a lot of denominations—other types of Christian churches—with which I have a lot of issues, with whom I disagree on a lot of subjects. But much of the time, the subjects in question are not at the center of the gospel message—even if they’re saying things I disagree with on a number of secondary matters, they’re still preaching Christ crucified, and people are still coming to know Christ.

What Jesus says here is similar to what Paul said in his letter to the Philippians. People had told him that some were preaching Christ in order to hurt Paul, in order to steal some of his glory, so to speak. Paul’s response to this is both humble and brilliant—he says that it doesn’t matter why they’re preaching Christ; if they’re preaching Christ, then people are hearing the gospel, and he’s happy about that.

So we mustn’t rashly call people enemies simply because they’re not a part of our group, just because they don’t do things like us, just because they don’t have the same convictions we do on secondary issues. Do we really think God isn’t strong enough to work through their mistakes? Is he not strong enough to work through ours? God does his work far better than we do, and he does it even through people with whom we have disagreements.

The disciples have a specific task in front of them, and that is to follow Jesus. They can be humble, trust God to do his work well, and not be threatened by someone who isn’t a part of “their group”.

The last thing we see in this text is maybe the hardest for us to accept—and that is, if we are truly dependent on Christ, we will be radically committed to holiness.

A Radical Commitment to Holiness (v. 42-50)

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

V. 42 is actually a sort of transition verse, and I hesitated whether to put it in the previous section or in this one, because in reality it belongs to both. Jesus says we should be radically committed to protecting our brothers and sisters from sin. Notice, he doesn’t say anything here about pointing out sins we see in our brothers and sisters (though that does have a place); Jesus puts the accent on causing someone else to sin. He says if anyone causes another Christian to sin, “it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” Now of course he’s using hyperbole once again—there is redemption available for all—but he’s showing us the seriousness of causing someone else to sin.

There are a multitude of ways in which this happens. Some influential people still harbor sinful attitudes in their own lives, and because they are influential, the people around them, who are maybe younger in their faith, will imitate these sinful attitudes because they see it in someone they trust. Some people, wishing to do well, will advise a brother or sister in the faith to not have such a sensitive conscience, and cause them to go against their conscience. In more serious cases, some people will be actively seeking to sin, and will deceive other Christians into giving them what they want, convincing them to sin with them.

Whatever the situation may be, Jesus calls us to pay close attention to the kind of behavior we encourage in other people. Which means, of course, paying close attention to the behavior we nurture in ourselves.

V. 43:

43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

I don’t think I need to say that Jesus is once again using hyperbole—he’s not expecting us to literally cut off our hands or feet or eyes; he’s using an extreme image to show us how serious it is.

His point is simple. Being holy is the single most important consideration in our lives, once we come to know Christ. Being holy is more important than being right. Being holy is more important than feeling well. Being holy is more important than being fulfilled. Being holy is more important than not suffering.

Why? Because a lack of holiness—that is, a refusal to do everything we can to put sin to death in our lives—is why we deserve hell.

People may be upset with the idea of hell, but you simply cannot read the Bible and not confront this subject. Hell is real, and it is a place of eternal torment under God’s condemnation. Hell is what we all deserve.

And hell is what Christ died to save us from. Let’s be clear: we don’t pursue holiness in order to be saved. We don’t pursue holiness in order to get out of hell.

We pursue holiness because if we have been saved, if we are dependent on Christ, then holiness is now the road he has put us on; sin—that is, disobedience to God’s commands—is simply no longer compatible with who we are.

If Jesus died in order to free us from hell, how can we possibly continue to nurture the sin which, by all rights, should have sent us there?

A dependence on Christ means recognizing why he came—why he lived, why he died, why he was raised—and knowing that it is only by trusting in his finished work on the cross that we are rescued from condemnation. If that truth is the central truth in our lives, then we will be willing to do anything to not pursue the sin Jesus took on himself.

What does this look like practically? It looks like doing whatever we have to do—taking whatever measures we need to take—to not let sin get a foothold. It may mean severing certain relationships that are dangerous for us. It may mean giving up certain habits that make sin easier. It may mean being extremely strict with ourselves, with the time we spend, who we spend it with, what we watch, what we listen to, with whom we allow ourselves to be alone.

We will grow in this area for the rest of our lives, because the holier become, the more we’ll realize how unholy we actually are. The more like Christ we become, the more we’ll start to notice areas of our lives which still have sin lurking in the corners. But when we notice those areas—when we see sin in our lives—we get to work putting it to death. We do whatever it takes.

It’s better to suffer for holiness and see our faith proved in practice than to maintain an easy life and realize one day that we never had faith to begin with.

Conclusion: "Have Salt In Yourselves” (v. 49-50)

I know all of this sounds like a lot of weight to put on people. I wouldn’t let myself say it if that weight wasn’t first put on me. But I would rather be too strict than not strict enough. I’d rather lose an eye or a hand or a foot than go to hell with all my members.

What Jesus says here is serious, and it is heavy.

Jesus is aware of that, which is why he concludes this section the way he does. He reminds us of the seriousness of the situation, and encourages us that it will be worth it. V. 49:

49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

V. 49—in which Jesus says “everyone will be salted with fire”—is a tricky verse, and there are a lot of different interpretations about what Jesus means. But there is one interpretation that seems to stand out as the best.

God commanded that salt be used in Old Testament sacrifices, because salt has a purifying quality that symbolizes what these sacrifices were meant to do: to make the person who offered the sacrifice pure before God. So what is the “fire” in this verse? If we take the verse in the context of the whole passage, it seems as if the “fire” in question is the fire of suffering and hardship for the gospel—the willingness to do everything we need to do in order to follow Christ.

For those who refuse to accept this life of difficulty to follow Christ, they will be “salted with fire” in hell. For those who do accept it, they will be “purified”—that is, they will be made to be more like Christ.

Then he changes the image a bit and talks about another positive quality of salt, which is to add taste to food.

The true disciple of Christ, the disciple who is wholly dependent on Christ and focused on him for his salvation and progress, will have a certain “flavor”. Through his willingness to accept hardship for Christ, he will show the courage of Christ. Through his willingness to serve those who are weak and needy, he will show the humility of Christ. Through his willingness to do whatever it takes to put sin to death in his life, he will show the holiness of Christ.

Everything the true disciple of Christ does will show Christ to the rest of the world.

So in conclusion, Jesus asks us a simple question: Have we “lost our saltiness”? Will people see Christ when they look at us? Or will they see people who look like everyone else, only who go to church on Sundays?

Be true disciples, he says. Do everything you must to follow after me—even if it’s hard, even if it’s humiliating, even if it feels like it’s never-ending. Have salt in yourselves.