Seeing & Serving Like Jesus

Introduction

Good morning. Phil, open in your New Testament’s with me to Mark chapter six. Mark chapter six. We’ll pick up the reading in just a moment in verse 30. Just want to share how thankful we are to be with everyone here this morning. Visitors, members, regular visitors, longtime members, we’re thankful for everybody. This morning, though, we’re going to have a lesson really with one major point. Sometimes it’s critical to have one thing so clearly that you need it put in front of your face, and that’s just the way it is. When you have poor vision like I do, scenes like most Saturday mornings in my house can happen. Kashka will be near the closet and she’ll say, which of these should I wear? And I’ll say, I can’t see that from here.

I don’t have my contacts or glasses in. And she’ll say, okay. And then the next week she’ll say, Which of these two should I wear? I’d say, even if I could see that, I wouldn’t know which one to tell you. And so one time, speaking of putting things in your face, I woke up and there was a cat one inch from my face. Kashka thought a good wake-up for me would be to see our cat Misty right here. If you want to know how to have a heart attack, put a cat right next to somebody’s face and see what they do with it. The truth is we have to confront tough issues sometimes. And we have to study through them and see what does God say about that.

It might mean condemning those that we’re close to. It might mean condemning ourselves, realizing I have done wrong, and needing to repent and to be better, to confront the truth. But a lot of times in Scripture, I think we’re going to see in Mark chapter 6 and verse 30, although we can’t do miracles, there’s something Jesus puts right before our face. It is right here. And if I’m honest, if we’re honest this morning, we are not very good at it. I think as a whole, as a collective, if we were to really confront our actions, we would see we might be failing. Or at least not doing as well as we could. Pick up the reading with me in verse 30 of Mark chapter 6. The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.

And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. Now when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.

But he answered them, You give them something to eat. And I said to them, Shall we go and buy two hundred and arei worth of bread and give it to them? And he said, How many loaves do you have? Go out and see. And when they had found out, they said, Five and two fish. Now I think you know where the story goes from there. We’ll pick up that reading momentarily. And I’m going to add a caveat one time this morning. I’m going to try my best to say that this was a miracle where Jesus sped five thousand men, because that is the specification. But if I say the five thousand, I promise you, I know that it is five thousand men. That means it could be much greater of a miracle that Jesus worked here.

But as we think about this, you see what is happening in verse 30. The apostles come back to Jesus and tell him what happened. Well, what happened? In Mark chapter 6, we have the terrible story of Herod allowing for John the Baptist to be slain. Of course, Herodias’ daughter is dancing in front of him, and he rashly makes a promise, I’ll give you anything up to half my kingdom. And shrewdly Herodias convinces her daughter to say, I want the head of John the Baptist. And at this point, Herod’s stuck, and John the Baptist is slain. That’s a problem, and it’s a terrible story for so many reasons, but think about the climate that Jesus is evangelizing in that he’s teaching in. The Pharisees and Sadducees have perverted the law and are living to please self rather than God, let alone serve other men.

1. Do We See and Serve Like Jesus?

King Herod is so wicked, he’s allowing Herodias’ daughter to dance before him and promising her rashly anything she wants, up to and including murder, and perhaps Jesus’ best ally, best asset in the teaching community is John the Baptist. And he has just been put to death. So it’s not a surprise in verse 34 that when he sees this grouping, he has compassion and sees them as, notice this designation, sheep without a shepherd. I wonder this morning, do we see and do we serve like Jesus? I think one of the most important things to do is not to serve. That’s a hard action, but if we could see it, I think a lot of times we’re better. If someone asks you to do something, you may begrudgingly do it, but you will do it because it’s been put in front of your face.

And you realize I gotta do it. I can, and so I will. But what about those times where we put our head in the sand, when we look away, when we don’t confront the issue. You notice Jesus in Mark chapter 6 in this miracle was not merely concerned with teaching them, although he was. He wasn’t merely concerned with establishing himself as the Son of God with signs and miracles, which he did. But he also had compassion for them, and that led into even feeding them. If you notice, if we’re going to see like Jesus in Mark chapter 6, we need to notice what’s happening. He’s being followed by the crowds. So Jesus isn’t just around one or two people, he’s around a large group. Of course, the apostles are there and they’re talking with him and recounting what’s happened.

Jesus is teaching them. He’s trying to get to a desolate place, but eventually, of course, the crowds are back and Jesus is dealing with them. But when he sees them, is Jesus annoyed? Is he perturbed? Perhaps in some small way that’s not designated, he was. But what the text says, when he sees them in verse 33, when they recognize him, they found him in 34. When he sees them, he just had compassion. Can we be honest for a moment about sight? If I was described as verse 32, trying to get to a desolate place, and verse 33, people saw me and followed me there. Do you think my first instinct would be, man, I gotta really take care of these people? I might say that, and what I mean is take you out of the picture.

I gotta take care of the problem. I’m gonna go further. I’m gonna send them away. I’m gonna leave a false trail. I’m a great person like that. Jesus doesn’t worry about that. Jesus had compassion on their souls. He had compassion on their being. I wonder, do we see like that? Notice why he feels compassion. Of course, we’ve emphasized that they were like sheep without a shepherd, but also it comes to his attention that they need something to eat. In verse 37, in responding to the apostles, Jesus says, you take care of it. Don’t send them off into the village. Don’t make them go all that way, spend all that money, because after all, they’re coming to me, and what am I able to do? Well, the other gospels make it very clear as it does the end of verse 34.

Jesus has been teaching them. Why is it that the people are hungry and not having food? Because they are listening to the master teacher. As he is proclaiming to them the gospel message of the kingdom, as he’s teaching them undoubtedly facets of the law and what it truly means to follow after God, the hours rolled by. Could you ask for a better audience than some people who just keep listening no matter how hungry they are? I think if my sermon went more than 35 minutes this morning, everybody would be thinking about lunch. And don’t worry, I already know you’re already thinking about lunch. When Jesus sees here that there are people who need teaching, he teaches. And then when he finds out that they are hungry and the time is past, really, for this to be safe or efficient, he says, I will take care of them.

And let’s pick up that reading there. We see in verse 38, he said, Now, how many loaves do you have? And they said, We have five. We have five loaves, but we also have two fish. Then he commanded verse 39 them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties. And taking verse 41, the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. Verse 42. In fact, they all ate and were satisfied. They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish, and those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Yes, perhaps more people were there. Perhaps this miracle is even more stunning. But whether it’s 500 people or 5,000, Jesus took five loaves and two fish and fed the 5,000 men. That’s phenomenal because if you were there and you’re someone like me, you would only eat the loaves anyway. I’ll wait for that one to kick in. Jesus was able to do this miracle. Not only were the people filled and satisfied, but there were leftovers. This establishes Jesus is not some teacher, he is the teacher. He is not just some guy, he is God. He is in control of everything. And with that great power, with that great control, as the king of the kingdom that is at hand, notice Jesus takes the time to feed them.

There’s all kinds of symbolism here. You have the five loaves and two fish, and you have certainly notice how many baskets are left, twelve. And that’s powerful and interesting. And this sign undoubtedly showed Jesus as superior to other men, and that is undoubtedly important and interesting. But this all stems, every part of this story goes back to verse 34. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd. And he had compassion on them. Because they were like a sheep without a shepherd. And yes, note the first thing that he did was begin to teach them many things. I wonder, do I see, do I serve like Jesus? I think if somebody came up to me and just said, hey, I have this need, and it was somebody I knew and trusted that it was legitimate, all of those asterisks out of the way, and said, Hey, can you help me out?

2. Do I See People in Need of the Savior?

And I could, I have no doubt that I would, and most everyone in this room would. And that’s great. And I think if someone said, Hey, can I have a Bible study? I’d say, yes, that’s great. I love studying the Bible. Let’s do that. But what I am I looking like Jesus to where I see the need in people? That I can be the need they have without the vocalization. Because it wasn’t just that Jesus could teach, he could. It wasn’t that he could do the miracle and feed them, which he did. It was he was motivated by compassion. He cared for the people he saw. The truth we have to confront this morning is do I even see people in need of the Savior? It’s interesting, you can take this passage and focus on either side.

You can focus on the fact that he taught or the fact that he fed. But either way, you see both. And we’re going to confront both elements this morning. Do I see people in need of the Savior, or do I see people who in my mind I have determined will never listen? It’s a pretty easy way to tell. If I see people in need of a Savior, and I realize that I can get them to that Savior or teach them the words of life, what is the easy and obvious thing to do? Show them. Teach them. Invite them. Let me even take a step back. If that’s intimidating to you, let me ask a question. If you saw somebody and you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that somebody needs that good news, have you even stopped to pray for them?

Because certainly no one can disqualify themselves and say I’m unworthy or unable to pray on behalf of somebody else. We pray when we’re in need. When we have something going wrong, we pray, we pray fervently because we know God is there and God cares. But do I care about other people? You may know the magician’s pen and teller. Pen Gillette, famous atheist and famous half of that duo, pen and teller, is noted for mentioning how he is okay with Christians who try to proselytize, Christians who try to convert him. In fact, he takes it a step further. He says, How hateful is it to believe that there is eternal life or eternal damnation and not say anything about it? He said, How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that there’s eternal life and they’re going to miss out and refuse to talk about it?

He said, Can you imagine the contempt in your heart? He said, even I know he said, if I believed there was a truck coming for you, at some point I wouldn’t worry about the awkwardness and I would just tackle you. That’s the perspective of an atheist. Someone who rejects the fact that God is real, that heaven and hell are eternal realms of delight and punishment, respectively. When I look at others, do I see people who need Jesus? And if I see them, and I’m not doing anything about it, what does that say about me? See, there’s a flaw in one of three steps. If teaching isn’t happening, we’re either not seeing them, we don’t care about them, or we’re just doing nothing about it because of one of the two.

The breakdown is somewhere. And here is the good news. The good news is everyone in the building this morning has a unique blessing. God blessed us with health and an opportunity to be here, to study the Word of God, to remember the death and burial of Jesus, to know that we can be forgiven. That is an amazing blessing. Amen. We have to believe that and meditate on that, think about it, and know Jesus is real. Salvation is possible, and without him we are lost. If that fact grows tired or old, we won’t evangelize because we won’t care. But when I see others, then, and we’re focusing on the seeing aspect or the caring aspect. Am I even looking for an opportunity to teach? Or am I waiting for it to drop right in my face?

You know, God can do that. God is capable of setting us next to people that we have a unique opportunity for. But maybe it won’t be right in front of your face with God sending a sign in an Amazon Prime packet saying, hey, look up and teach. Sometimes we have to open our eyes. We have to look, we have to try. In the Bible, Manasseh is one of the worst people imaginable. In 2 Chronicles 33, he commits basically every type of sin you can imagine up to and including the sacrifice of his children to foreign gods. Could you try to make more sin involved in one action than sacrificing your own children to an idol or fake God? And yet God was able to bring him to repentance.

Paul, by the way, this might step on some 21st century toes, was literally a religious terrorist. He killed people for their faith that he viewed as wrong. And that terrorist became the author of many of the books in our New Testament. I and we are not qualified to judge who is worthy. Because the truth of the matter is, if we’re judging who is worthy, if no one ever taught me, I would never get a shot either. We have all, Paul says, sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But the good news to the answer of Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If we don’t think about that every day, we won’t spread it.

Do I care about people’s souls? If I care about souls, if I care about people, I will look and I will see and I will transcend social awkwardness because Jesus is worth it. Because nothing in this life is worth it. If I have to lose a friend, so be it. If I have to lose my family, so be it. Jesus isn’t rooting for that. But don’t you want people to be saved? What if you’re the only person who has a chance to reach out to them? Ken and Deedra do a fantastic job of having people into their homes. But they can’t get to everybody in Orlando. The elders, shepherd here very well. They’re all, as the qualifications say in 1 Timothy 3, able to teach. But they can’t talk to everybody.

3. Do I See People in Need of Physical Aid?

There’s just not enough time. You and I have to do our part. And it may not be doing all the teaching, it may be steering someone to the teaching. But we have to see people, which means looking. And I have to care for people, which means having compassion. But secondly, and perhaps more alarmingly, do I see, as Jesus did, people in need of physical aid? Look at me in the Proverbs. I want to see two interesting notes about vision and those in need. Proverbs chapter 22 beginning. Proverbs chapter 22. Beginning in verse 9. Notice Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 9. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Now, this is a normal proverb. The first half, you’re like, I don’t know exactly what that means, and then you read the second half, you’re going, okay, now we’re in context.

So, the end of verse 9, sharing his bread with the poor, someone who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, or a good eye, some of your translations may read. What does that mean? Someone who looks and takes care of others. You know how I know that we need to be better about physical aid? Because to my chagrin, you know what is popping up on every corner in America that proves we have a stuff problem? Storage places for our stuff. You want to know how you have too much stuff when I have to pay somebody to watch and guard my stuff for me. That’s materialism. I’m not judging anyone. We’re probably going to have to use one as we go forward here in the next couple months.

But can we really be honest and say if we’re having to pay that many places to watch all of our stuff, that we do have at least this world’s goods? And when you pair that with 1 John chapter 3, if you have this world’s goods and see your brother in need, the obligation out of love is to help him. But notice also in the Proverb, Proverbs chapter 28 and verse 27, not only should we have an eye to see and an eye to share, but Proverbs 28, 27 says, whoever gives to the poor will not want. But he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. You know, it’s very basic. I understand that it’s an easy lesson this morning to say, look out and see.

But do you notice what Proverbs warns us against? Hiding our eyes. That means not looking on purpose. That means not looking out of ignorance or accident. You have to either be looking proactively or not at all. If you’ve owned a home or even an apartment with multiple rooms, you’ve had this happen in the middle of the night. And someone looks at you, and when you’re the husband, you get the bad words. You’ve got to go look at that. You gotta get out of bed. If it’s someone with a gun, I want you walking down that hallway, unarmed, ready to face them. Because when we’re concerned about something, what do we do? We gotta check. Our conscience isn’t gonna be good. I’m not gonna be able to sleep until I know nobody’s out there ready and looking to kill my husband who’s wandering aimlessly in our house now.

When we care about things, we pay a lot of attention. Maybe after a moment like that, you install a security system. Maybe you make sure you’re ready for an intruder in other ways. We take care of the things we’re concerned by. But if we have this world’s goods and we refuse to proactively be looking, that says 1 John chapter 3, that says Mark chapter 6, we don’t have compassion, we don’t have love, and we’re not serving and looking like Jesus. And so I want to ask this morning, just on the seeing side, we’re going to conclude in a moment with the serving side. When I think about my past month, really month and a half, we’ll take it to the beginning of 2020. Have I been looking for opportunities for souls in need of a Savior?

4. Serve by Pleading the Widow’s Cause

By the way, that one’s easy. You look, you see somebody, they need Jesus. You look, you see me, I need Jesus. That one’s easy. The question is, will we do anything about it? But with regards to physical aid, do I look for opportunities? Or do I wait till they’re thrown in my face? And by the way, when opportunities are in your face, take care of them. That is a good opportunity to make sure, hey, don’t let this one pass. But am I taking proactive steps? Or am I being reactive? On the serving side, Jesus served in every way. Well, I serve by pleading the widow’s cause. Look at me at Isaiah chapter 1. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 1. As Jesus is decrying the state of leadership, perhaps, in Mark chapter 6, by saying they are sheep without a shepherd.

The rulers had failed. Pharisees and Sadducees were corrupted. Herod was evil. John the Baptist had been slain. It was not a good scene. But perhaps it wasn’t worse than Isaiah chapter 1, which the people are described as so wicked in verse 6 of chapter 1. They are from the soul of the foot even to the head, there is no, that is zero soundness in it. You want to talk about a people with problems, look at Isaiah chapter 1, look at verse 14. Your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hates. They have become weary to me. What about when they pray, verse 15? Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood. This is a low point for the people Isaiah is prophesying to.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes. Now stop there for a moment. This is a people described as wicked from head to toe. So wicked they would pray and God would not listen. So let’s listen to these very important words of advice. What should these totally corrupt and wicked people do to make themselves right before God? In verse 16, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, and notice these last two. Bring justice to the fatherless and plead the widow’s cause. Translation, take care of, have compassion for orphans and widows and their affliction. Heard that before in James chapter 1. We see that exact point. But notice the language here, ceasing to do evil, learning to do good.

We would all agree with that. It’s axiomatic. If you’re going to do something that’s pleasing to God, you stop doing wrong and start doing right. That part’s easy. But notice when Jesus saw people in need, he took care of them. But notice that the apostles first talked to him. They said, send them away. And what did Jesus say? I will take care of them. Whether as an opportunity for a sign or simply out of compassion for their physical need, he did that. But notice the end of 17. Bringing justice to the fatherless, pleading the widow’s cause. This is not just helping somebody the one time you see them. This is proactively caring for and championing the rights of the voiceless. We care about a lot of things.

Good things, neutral things. Probably, if we’re honest, first John chapter 2, things of this world that are not good because they’re passing away along with the world and its desires. But we are called to be a voice for those who can’t stand up for themselves. These two groups of people who in biblical times were at the most vulnerable and needy. He doesn’t just say help them. He says plead their cause. When I think about all the talk that I see on social media and on the news and everything else about all the politics, shouldn’t we be talking more about people needing the good news of Jesus? By the way, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Maybe we can do both. But I will add this warning.

If something we’re posting alienates the causes God says to rally behind, or alienates people who would otherwise listen to God’s causes, don’t you think we should knock it off? God’s word is all that matters. If I have compassion for people, I won’t be content to be silent. I will be screaming in the streets, not as an American citizen, but a child of God who recognizes the worth in others. That’s what moves people. Seeing that you are changed. Jesus says in Matthew 5, 16, let your light shine before men. Why? That they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. If I am going to serve like Jesus, I don’t just help people, I plead their cause. I show that there is a need, and I go and help, and I bring people with me because that’s what my God wants.

5. Serve by Teaching the Unpopular

And that’s what Jesus did. He saw needs. He cared enough to act. And by the way, to teach his followers to do likewise. That’s what Jesus did. He didn’t just say, get out of your way, let me do it. He taught them, you go and do likewise. Care for their souls, of course. But taking care of needs is not just waiting until it’s popped in your face, it’s looking. It’s not just having a care. That’s part of it. It’s acting on both of those actions. Look, care, and do. Plead the widow’s cause. Well, I also follow after Jesus and serve by teaching the unpopular. I mean this in two different ways. Turn with me in Acts chapter 17. Teaching the unpopular, both in terms of message and to the audience.

But in terms of message, perhaps no passage illustrates this better than Acts 17. In Acts chapter 17, our reformed religious terrorist Paul, who has been forgiven by God, who became one of the greatest Christian teachers there has ever been.

And notice the description in verse 16. As he’s walking around, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. By the way, do you notice something? Paul sees he cared. And you know what’s about to happen, right? He’s going to do something about it. Verse 17, so because he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happen to be there. Some of the epicurean and stoic philosophers also converse with him, and some said, What does this babbler wish to say? Others says he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Of course, what best describes these people in verse 21?

The Athenians and the foreigners there live for what? Hearing or telling something new. If we’re honest, who really wants, there’s probably a few of us, but how many of us really want to go and talk to the people who all they’re preoccupied with is something new? Is that the audience you say, that’s who I want? The ones who have heard of every other God, and the only reason they think Paul’s interesting is because they’ve never heard of him before. They’ve never heard of that God. They’ve never necessarily heard of that idea of the resurrection. But when you continue down, you see in verse 32, what is the reaction of some? Some listen to this great message that Paul would teach. In chapter 17, you see he can’t he continues on, he says, look, we’re going to start in a place of where we’re in common.

You say you have an idol to the unknown God. I say I know who that God is. And that God surpasses the value of something made with human hands. Idols are nothing. They reply, they rely on man. God doesn’t need you. In fact, God made you. And there’s going to be a judgment. There’s going to be a reckoning. Repent, because Jesus will judge. But in verse 32, what is the reaction of some of the crowd? Some mocked because of the resurrection. We read that and we think Paul has broad shoulders, which he did. And it probably didn’t bother him, which it probably didn’t. But in verse 32, some wanted to hear him again. But some did mock him. The message of the resurrection was unpopular, but Paul taught it anyway.

Why? Because it was necessary. If an atheist can realize that the stakes are eternity to those who believe in God, why do we act like an atheist who doesn’t believe there is one? If you believe heaven is real, that hell is real. And Paul says, by the way, in verse 31, there’s a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, an assurance because of the resurrection of Jesus. Then why aren’t we telling everybody who will listen? How could we let anybody slip through our fingers like sand from the shore? What kind of lack of vision, care, or concern would we have to have to be concerned about how someone will hear the message over someone who would respond to the message? Whether you think someone won’t listen or not, that’s God’s judgment to make.

Conclusion

But the message of God is clear. We don’t get to alter it, soften it, toughen it up. You teach what’s real. Teach God, teach Jesus. Jesus crucified and resurrected. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Serve and look like Jesus. The question this morning is not one that’s complex. It’s simply, will I serve? See? Will I look? Will I serve like Jesus? Perhaps what gets in the way of our vision and service, though, is that compassion. But I do think there’s an easy answer for the compassion we haven’t shared yet. Reading these words and looking at how Jesus viewed people and choosing to look, and you’ll see. If you open your eyes, you’ll see there are people hurting in every conceivable way, and then some. Hurting in this life with physical problems, with pain, with loss, with feeling alone.

And that should move you. But if we also look, you’ll see people have pain because without Jesus we are stuck in our sins. And what could matter more than that? Jesus saw people like a sheep without a shepherd, but he is, as Peter would write, the chief shepherd. He is the one who can take care of all our needs. And so if you’ve never become a Christian, I want to point out to you there is someone who will take care of you. I couldn’t if I tried in the ways that God has ordained. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, though. If you believe that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, if you’re willing to confess Him as Lord and Savior in your life and obey Him as that King.

If you repent of your sins, recognizing on our own we can’t do it, but trusting in God’s way, it is better. It is worth it, it is lasting. You can be forgiven if you’re baptized, sharing in that pivotal moment of death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, rising to walk in newness of life. Or maybe you’re a Christian this morning and you’re like me, you haven’t looked the way we should. Maybe you haven’t had compassion the way Jesus did. Or maybe we have the first two, but we haven’t got over the first hurdle to serve. You can be forgiven, but let’s make it right. Let’s change, let’s be better, let’s look and serve like Jesus. If we can help you in any way, come forward as we stand and sing the invitation song.