Transcription

Chris
So a lot of our listeners don’t know this, but last Sunday we our power went out. Yeah, yeah. And so

Jeff
Only at our church, at our church, Sterling Heights campus building.

Chris
Yes, at Heritage Church. And so we were forced to try to stream something. Yeah. And so actually we brought the crew to this podcast. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So instead of having 4000 people totally engaged with our service, we ended up, uh, putting something online, uh, after the deadline. Yeah. And so I think it ended up being like 700 people. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. Which is still.

Jeff
A lot of people, but not not what we’re accustomed to for.

Chris
Sure. So. So we lost a great crowd that day.

Jeff
Yes we did. We a huge crowd that day.

Chris
Yeah. So today we’re talking about the idea that large crowds start to follow Jesus. Yeah. Uh, which is, uh, a big, huge milestone for him.

Jeff
Yeah. And, uh, the crowds just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and he’s kind of turning into a rock star in northern Israel. So as we’re talking about today, he’s Chris and I’m Jeff and we’re the Bible guys.

Chris
All right. So Jeff today is Friday on the podcast. And so our segment today is a brand new segment called Fun Friday. Cool. And Desiree has typed in new segment. Yes.

Jeff
Should we sing a song.

Chris
Fun Friday. Fun Friday. Yeah, we’ll think about that. Okay. Maybe next time. All right. Uh, it says let’s go into the weekend on a high note. One of you share a funny story that happened to you recently. Oh, yours is way funnier than mine. I thought it was going to be both of us.

Jeff
Oh, well. No, no, no. Funny story. You should tell it. No, no, no. Hey, Desiree is not in charge. She’s not the boss of us.

Chris
She’s not the boss of us. Well, actually, believe it or not, mine’s like 30s. Okay, okay. Um, uh, every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I order you go to Italian restaurants. What? What? I order meatballs? Yes, on the side.

Jeff
I’ve been to restaurants with you. With meatballs? Yes.

Chris
Yeah, yeah. So I have to order meatballs number one, because I like them. But. But way more important than that is I have to decide whether or not it’s a good restaurant. And the measure is the sauce and the meatballs for me. Oh, really? I mean, the pasta al dente, all that stuff’s important. But for me, it’s it’s it’s they get it wrong sauce.

Jeff
And now, do you like sweet sauce or savory sauce.

Chris
Yes.

Jeff
Do you like both sauces?

Chris
Yes. Yeah. So, uh, so anyway, uh, so I ordered the meatballs and they were huge. And there’s a massive meatball comes and I always say extra sauce. You get extra sauce, you know. So she brings me sauce and I say, no, no, no, I want extra sauce. So I make her go back and she brings it back because she didn’t bring it, you know. Yeah. Yeah. You know. So so I pour it all on there and uh, and I get, I get on the fork and I lift it up and, uh, my kids say, uh, dad, that is just a that’s just a gross amount of sauce, you know, on my plate, you know, for this big meatball. And I say you’re just jealous because I’ve got a meatball and you don’t. And as soon as I say that, I go to put the meatball in my mouth. It drops off my fork, lands in the sauce and covers my shirt.

Jeff
Oh, no.

Chris
And so sauce ruins everything, right? Just completely covered in sauce. Couldn’t get it out. There’s my funny story.

Jeff
Was it good sauce?

Chris
Yes.

Jeff
Was a good meatball.

Chris
Yes. Yeah.

Jeff
Okay. Well, then it was worth it.

Chris
Yeah. Yeah for.

Jeff
Sure. Yeah. That’s how you know, you loved it. It was all over you. That’s how I.

Chris
Feel, right? Right.

Jeff
So here’s my funny story. Uh, so, uh, man, I’m an old guy now, so I have my old. My grandson, uh, is Rowan. He’s four, and, uh, he’s the sweetest little kid. I’m not just saying this as a grandparent. Uh, I’ve been around a lot of little kids, used to serve in children’s ministry and stuff, and he’s just naturally, instinctively, a really sweet kid. He wants to make sure everybody’s having fun time. He wants to make sure everybody has, uh, you know, gets to share all these kinds of things. Uh, but he doesn’t get a lot of sugar. And so Bonnie and I, my wife and I, uh, we decided to go to a donut shop on a Saturday morning. We had him we went to go get donuts, and, uh, we got him all sugared up, which was, hey, you know, what’s this going to be like? And so he ate a couple of donut holes and then a sprinkle donut and starts trash talking. Me. Now he’s he’s he’s sweet, but he likes to wrestle. So we’ll we’ll get in there and and we’ll, we’ll throw some punches and we’ll wrestle, roll around and stuff. And he’s kind of that kid anyways. But, uh, so he’s really rugged little kid. But on sugar, it wasn’t just rugged. Now all of a sudden he picked out the biggest guy in the room, decides he’s going to fight him. You ever you ever. A guy drinks too much. Sometimes he thinks he’s the toughest man in the world. Wants to fight. Yeah, yeah. Well, we got our our grandson all sugared up.

Chris
And that’s that big to me. Exactly.

Jeff
And this kid lost his mind. He’s sitting in his car seat behind me, trash talking me. He’s not trash talking my daughter. He’s not trash talking. My wife. Me. I’m going to beat you up when we get to the house. And he just started hitting like a rocket took off all this energy and aggression towards me. Over sugar. It’s just over sugar. And finally he says, I’m going to take the door off the hinges and I’m gonna beat you with it, and I’m gonna get me a new. He calls me GP, I’m gonna get me a new GP, and I’m like, where did this come from? And then he leans over to Bonnie and this just little naughty little look in his eye. He goes, I’m not really gonna get a new GP. And then it goes back.

Chris
That’s how you know he’s. Yeah.

Jeff
So he just messing around, but he just starts trash talking. I get him out of the car seat, he begins jumping all over me in the front yard, going nuts. So, uh, the what I discovered is. So that was a long story to say. What made me happy this week or what was my funny thing? My funny thing is how much fun it is to get the grandkids sugared up, losing their minds, and then send them home.

Chris
Yeah, send them back. I get to send them to.

Jeff
Their parents because that’s what my parents used to do with my kids. Yeah, and now I get to do the same thing. Send them back to his parents and go, hey, he lost his mind today. I don’t know why.

Chris
I don’t know why.

Jeff
That’s just sugar all day long, man. That kid was losing his mind. He can.

Chris
Get himself a new.

Jeff
GP.

Chris
So. Well, hey, today we’re talking about. Ooh, a story. Goodness gracious.

Jeff
It must be an exciting story.

Chris
It’s so fun. You’re so. It’s so riveting. Uh, it’s found in Matthew 12, Mark three and Luke six, and we’re talking about Followers of Jesus,

Jeff
A really good podcast today.

Chris
I can’t help it. There’s there’s we have spotlights on us, but it’s otherwise low lighting in here. And, uh, I just have a tendency to.

Jeff
Really react to the.

Chris
I do all the time. Yeah. By the way, often times when the camera just goes on you. Yeah. You’re yawning. Uh, the people don’t really realize I’m yawning all the time.

Jeff
Yeah, all the time. All the time. Well, it’s because I bore you mostly to death.

Chris
I get good sleep before these podcasts. I’m well rested today. I slept 7.5 hours. Wow. And, uh. But it doesn’t matter. You put me in low lighting, I yawn, and.

Jeff
Then my talking just puts you to sleep anyway, right?

Chris
It’s just like it’s both.

Jeff
You can barely pay attention. Your eyes start crossing.

Chris
You. Remember that scene in Mary Poppins where she’s like, go to sleep. That’s.

Jeff
That’s what my voice does for you.

Chris
Does it.

Jeff
Just kind of lulls you.

Chris
To sleep, nod and dream? Yeah. That’s me, Mary Poppins.

Jeff
Did you just make a Mary Poppins reference?

Chris
Our family loves Mary Poppins, I believe you, I believe.

Jeff
You. Yeah, I believe you. I like Mary Poppins, I believe you. I just don’t think I’ve ever made a Mary Poppins reference. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Chris
I’m not. I’m proud of.

Jeff
Braveheart.

Chris
I’m proud.

Jeff
Of it. Mission impossible.

Chris
I’m secure in my manhood, Jeff. Okay.

Jeff
Yeah. That’s fine. I wasn’t saying you shouldn’t be. So here we go. Jesus.

Chris
Super calibrate. Okay. Go ahead.

Jeff
Jesus has large fruit, large fruits. Calling him is what I said. Uh, large crowds following him. So this is in Matthew, Mark and Luke, am I correct? Yes. Matthew, Mark and Luke, it says, But Jesus knew what they were planning, so he left that area. Remember, they were looking to kill him because he healed the guy on the Sabbath, right? So he knew what they were planning. So he left that area and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him. Look at my servant whom I have chosen. He is my beloved who pleases me. I will put my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally, he will cause justice to be victorious and his name will be the hope of all the world. So that was the prophecy that Isaiah gave about Jesus.

Chris
Isaiah 42, by the way. Yeah.

Jeff
And then in Mark three and verse seven, it says, Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. And they came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him. Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. Whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him, shrieking, you are the Son of God! But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was. And then in Luke six it says, when they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem, as far north as the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him and he healed everyone.

Chris
Boom!

Jeff
Neat.

Chris
Yeah. You know, it’s, uh, it’s, to be honest with you, it we can all. I mean, none of us in one hand can relate to any of this, right? Like, none of us are going to be having the experience of Jesus, uh, going around and, you know, being able to perform miracles upon miracles and people far and wide come to us, you know, with this great big healing fest, uh, however, we can all relate to what it means to if you’re ministry minded and you love people and all you want to do is serve people and bless people, it really doesn’t matter what what it is. You can you can serve in a food pantry, or you could you could, uh, be a be a counselor. You could be just on Sunday morning at any church service, just trying your best to serve others or in any environment. After a while, man, I’m telling you, great crowds of people, no matter how good you do it is draining. Yeah, right. And so and so, you know, Jesus had his moments and it’s not listed here, but where he is, uh, you know, uh, tired. And he goes off to pray, he goes off to be alone. But, uh, you know, here can you just imagine when the Bible calls that great crowds, uh, great crowds weren’t that wasn’t a terme. Used to mean a dozen people know. Right? Right, right. It was. It was thousands. Yeah, right.

Jeff
Well, the Bible says that they counted in a little while. We’re going to read about this. They counted 5000 men. Right. So if you want to know what a great crowd is, I think it’s more than that because they took the time to count them. They divide them into groups of 50 and 100. Right. Remember that. So this crowd was really, really big to the point where they didn’t want to take the time. So I’m not saying it’s more than 5000 people. What I’m saying is it was so big they didn’t want to count it. Right? Right.

Chris
Yeah. So so I can’t even imagine all the people who needed healing, uh, both with sick disease and then those, you know, with evil spirits. Yeah. So, I mean, can you even imagine being a part of that or however long that season lasted? And so it is pretty darn clear that Jesus is one who is able to perform miracles. Uh, there’s there’s no doubt. Yeah. And, uh, and yet still, what he’s doing is he’s saying, don’t tell anybody else, uh, you know, let it be contained with this group, you know? But but word gets out, doesn’t it?

Jeff
So there’s there’s some. Remember I mentioned yesterday, I thought his his response to the accusation or to the concerns about healing on the Sabbath was genius because he didn’t actually announce that he was healing or giving any real direction other than just stick your hand out. It’s not against the law to stick your hand out. Jesus was really, really good at leveraging the systems that were in the world around him. I think there’s, you know, it’s not a mistake that we read like 3 or 4 days in a row. Now, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. He killed people in other days, but man, did it capture people’s attention when he was healing on the Sabbath. Right, right. That creates a buzz not only with his fans, but with his enemies.

Chris
Right?

Jeff
Right? Yeah. For sure. So that’s ingenious. I think it was. I think Jesus did it on purpose that he was doing those things personally. It was brilliant. And then you’ll notice it. Only Matthew says it. Matthew says, But Jesus knew what they were planning, so he left the area. Okay, so he avoids the fact that they’re trying to execute him, but he’s not really affected by the fact that he has enemies. And I think in in the culture we live in today, where there’s so many people are afraid of cancel culture, they’re afraid of saying something and getting canceled, something they genuinely believe, something that they actually at the core of who they are, believe. But they hold back, self-censor because they’re afraid of getting canceled by some, by the mob. Right. And you don’t find that with Jesus. Jesus says what needs to be said? He does what needs to be done. He does it in a way that is according to Matthew. Um, uh, he’ll not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He does it as a gentleman, and he’s pretty clever in the way that he navigates. But he’s getting his message out, and then he doesn’t seem to care. He doesn’t care that he has critics. As a matter of fact, I think he leveraged his own critics. He leveraged their platform, uh, by getting them angry at him. So he’s got the Pharisees mad at him and the religious leaders mad at him. And then the the his fan base grows. So he’s not he’s not worried about his detractors. He’s moving with the movers, the people who want to go with him. He just walks among them. He keeps healing them. He’s meeting their needs. And he’s actually, I think, playing the Pharisees in the religious leaders.

Jeff
He’s taking advantage of their outrage, too. So now everybody’s paying attention to Jesus, not just this little cluster around Galilee.

Chris
Yeah. That is, uh, you know, I’m a movie guy, so that strategy fits in with Mockingjay. Uh, you know, uh, yeah, it’s continuation of The Hunger Games. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, it’s the movement of the people against the authorities. Yeah, yeah. And actually, the more you’re against the authorities and that’s well known, uh, the more the more momentum the movement is. Right? Right? Right, right. Yeah. That’s the strategy there. Hey, look, uh, Matthew, chapter 12, verse 16, where it talks about, um, Jesus saying, uh, don’t tell anybody. Yeah. Uh, there’s a note here that says in the In the Life Application Bible, one reason could be Jesus did not want those, uh, he healed to tell others about his miracles because he did not did not want people coming to him for the wrong reasons. That would hinder his teaching ministry and arouse false hopes about an earthly kingdom. But the news of Jesus miracles spread anyway, and many came to see for themselves. Uh, you know, it’s interesting because, uh, Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah to the woman at the well and says, tell everybody. Yeah, right. Uh, but I’m only telling you and nobody else knows this, right? And then then he does things like this and he’s like, but don’t tell anybody. And so he had reasons for you know, for this and, and so, yeah, this is one, uh, probably plausible reason why he didn’t want that. Because we all know that people came out to hear him a lot of times just because they were hungry. Yeah. Yeah. Because Jesus fed great crowds. Yeah. Right. Miraculously. Yeah. And they were just following him. Not because they really believed he was the Messiah, but they followed him because they were hungry.

Chris
Right. So anyway, all that to say, another sermon that can come out of this passage is, uh, don’t follow Jesus for the wrong reasons. Yeah. Right.

Jeff
Right. So the woman at the. Well, uh, go tell everybody, um, it was based on the message, right? But on the healings, people might have the wrong reason for coming. Right? Um, some of the people, he cast out demons from them. He said, don’t tell anybody. But the maniac of Gadara wanted to travel with him. He said, no, go back to your town and tell everybody. Right. And but that that demon possessed guy, the Bible says he was out of his mind and famous for being out of his mind and full of demons. And then next thing you know, he’s clothed and sitting in his right mind. That transformation was so, uh, it was so prominent already. He was already. He was howling at the moon out in the graveyard, you know, running naked. They couldn’t even chain him up. So he was well known in that area. He gets transformed by Jesus. Now he’s sitting there in his right mind. And Jesus said, your greatest ministry is going to be the fact that you are sane and in your right mind. Go back home, right? And so in, in, in the woman at the well, it was the words, uh, the preaching of Jesus that transformed her. The other was he was out of his mind. Now he’s in his right mind and he was well known. So now go back to your towns. But all the rest of them, it would have been, uh, it was the transformation is what he wanted to highlight, not the healing. Right. I think I think that was the difference because you you almost never find Jesus saying, go tell people about the healing that happened. But he does want them telling other people about the transformation in their life that happened.

Jeff
And I think that that would be it. So sometimes we we over. Glamorize the blessings of God in our life and we. But we miss out on the fact that our biggest ministry is in the transformation.

Chris
Yeah, yeah, there’s another sermon right there.

Jeff
Oh, yeah, I’m full of them today, Chris. Yeah, they just they’re just. I’m not even thinking. I’m not even thinking about them. They’re just rolling up, not even thinking. Now I’m just talking. It’s not even I’m not even having to think about it. It just comes out of my mouth.

Chris
That’s so funny.

Chris
I was thinking that that’ll preach. Right? That that comment. Yeah. Yeah, that’s that’s great. And, um.

Jeff
Most people can tell I’m not thinking and stuff’s just coming out of my mouth, by the way.

Chris
Yeah. There you go.

Jeff
I set you up and you didn’t knock it down.

Chris
Sorry. That’s okay. I was just I was just so moving.

Jeff
So you keep yawning today. So blown.

Chris
Blown away.

Jeff
By. By the brilliance.

Chris
Yeah. And the yawning. Um, you know, I think that I think that the exploring, that thought of serving God for the wrong reasons, uh, that’s a danger, no matter who you are. Yeah. Right.

Jeff
Absolutely.

Chris
So, you know, like, uh, I have a good buddy, uh, who who? I led to Christ in the eighth grade, and then he was sort of my disciple. And then eventually he became a peer and then a fellow pastor and worked on the church with me for years and years. And, uh, and then he had a lot of home trouble. And, uh, you know, his wife had a lot of struggles, and he tried to save his marriage, and he stepped out of ministry and tried really, really hard. And that, that, that could not be salvaged, got divorced, remarried. And he decided that after 20 years, he wasn’t going to do full time ministry anymore. And so, um, so he, he owns his own businesses now and he’s, you know, trying to make ends meet, but he’s still in the area, so. And you know who this is? So anyway, uh, here’s my point is that he talks about how. When you’re on the stage and you’re in front of thousands of people. Uh, he didn’t recognize it in himself. How much he was doing that for the wrong reasons, right? Because he says, you know, he says, like it or not, he goes, it’s really hard to combat the popularity contest. He goes, so I go out. I used to go out to restaurants all the time. People come up and say, hey, I recognize you. He goes, now I go out to restaurants and I’m lucky if one person recognizes me in six months. He said, nobody recognizes me, right? And he said, and he goes, and that’s fine. He goes. But it’s a reminder of like, why should that mean anything to me? Right? Right. And he says in the bottom line is, is it connects to the it connects to the part of me that that gets caught up with doing ministry for the wrong reasons.

Chris
Right. So anyway, all that to say, like it doesn’t matter who you are and I don’t care, you know how good of a intentioned person you are. You can end up, uh, giving giving money because it makes you feel good, right? Right. You can end up helping a person. Uh, and then you can’t help but to put it on social media. Right? Right. I see people do that all the time. They’ll help a homeless person, and then. And then they’ll take a social media video or something like this, and it’s like, really? What’s the motivation for helping somebody? Yeah. You know. Yeah.

Jeff
Well, sometimes you can tell, you can tell. Sometimes it’s to motivate others to do good.

Chris
Yes.

Jeff
Look how great you feel when you watch this. Go do it. Others it’s look how great I am because I did it.

Chris
Right, right.

Jeff
Right. And so click like.

Chris
Right click click click like that’s so great.

Jeff
Right. Um yeah. So it’s one of those things Jesus. We’ll talk about this shortly too, when he begins to teach in the sermon on the Mount. But um, he talks about that, that be careful what your motive is. Motives matter. And I think for a lot of us, we come to Jesus for what he can do for us, what we want. And I did a message several years ago about the difference between the gift and the gift giver. Most of us desire more than anything, the gifts. More than anything. We want him to fix our marriage. We want him to. We want him to give us more money. We want him to prosper us and all those things we. Yeah.

Chris
And or even give us a blessings.

Jeff
Yeah. And it’s tempting for preachers to preach that way. That’s his whole goal. His whole goal is to give you good gifts. And we forget to fall in love with the gift giver. So I think that Jesus healing drew crowds well. Hey. Would you rather preach to five people or 5000 people?

Chris
5000?

Jeff
I’d rather preach to 5000. So would Jesus. Sure. So? So doing the miracles did a great thing. And that was it. Drew huge crowds. Not everybody believed, but he had an opportunity to preach to more people. Right. So but many of those people, there are times when Jesus gets frustrated, he turns to the 12 and he goes, are you guys going to leave me too? Because they leave. And it was because they were in love with the gifts, but they never met or never really understood who the gift giver was. So his disciples did. And man alive. You want to go to that? We’ve talked about this before. You know, in the kung fu world, in the kung fu movies, usually there’s some kind of sensei or some kind of guru who is implying to the young student, there’s a whole other level. There’s this other level up, get to that next level, and all of a sudden the fight slows down. All that kind of stuff, you know? And I think it’s the same thing with Jesus. I think that with his disciples, they leveled up. They fell in love with the gift giver. And then they still had all the benefits of the gifts. They got to eat the free lunch, too. They got to heal people and be a part of all those things. To Peter’s mom got his mother in law healed and she got up and made lunch for him, right? So they got all the benefits of the gift giver, but they learned to love the gift giver. And then he used those 12 to change the whole world. Yeah. And I think, man, if we can level up to being more concerned and focused on the gift giver, we still benefit from all the gifts.

Jeff
But it changes our walk and it takes the view, the narcissism of some Christians off of themselves. And instead it puts the focus on Jesus. And it’s a transformative thing. And I think that’s next level Christianity.

Chris
That’s great.

Chris
Well, hey, I think that’s a great place to end. Okay. And, uh, so I think that, uh, uh, let’s be reminded to love the gift giver and not the gift, uh, to serve Jesus for the right reasons. Uh, because Jesus is enough, right? Yeah, absolutely. He’s enough. Uh, Jesus. Plus, nothing is enough. So. All right, we’ll see you hopefully on Monday on The Bible Guys.