The Story of Jesus: "It's a Radical Story!"

 

April 7, 2024                NOTES NOT EDITED
The Story of Jesus  “It is a Radical Story”
Mark 1:1-8; 6:14-29

SIS: Following Jesus is a radical way of life.

The word, “radical,” in common usage means, “extreme, or beyond the norm.”  It is interesting how this meaning has come about. The original meaning of the word was, “root,” as in “radish.”  What is the connection between the word, “root,” and the idea of “extreme?”

Roots are vital to the life of the plant.  As the roots go, so goes the plant.  Jesus said this in Matthew 3:10:

¹⁰ Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

So, when you get to the “root” of an issue, you are getting to the most fundamental and essential element of a thing.  As time goes by, organizations tend to get away from their roots.  It requires a “radical” agenda to move them back to what they should be.  It takes an extreme effort to restore a church to her fundamental essence.

I want us to get back to the “Root” of our faith, which is Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, (Isa 11:1)

Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch  from his roots will bear fruit. ² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him —root out of Jesse.

Remember that Jesse was the father of King David through whom the Messiah (that is Jesus) would be born—and was born.

So, in viewing the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Mark and as inspired by the Holy Spirit, we will be returning to the roots of our faith.  Returning to the roots of our faith—that is Jesus—will cause us to become “radically disciples of Jesus Christ” living our faith to the extreme. There is nothing “cozy or comfortable” about living a life of devotion to Jesus Christ.

Mark gives and action-packed, cosmopolitan image of Who Jesus is by showing that Jesus is, “God Among Us.”  The Presence of God in our lives through Jesus Christ should radically alter how we live. Beginning with verse one, Mark will consistently identify Jesus Christ as “God Among Us” throughout his gospel.

READING:  Mark 1:1–8 (NIV84)

1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

As Mark begins to lay the groundwork for discovering Who Jesus is, He introduces us to a “radical reformer” named, John the Baptizer. Everything about John the Baptizer shouts, “radical.” 

1.  John followed a radical LEADER (7-8)

Everything that is.  Everything that was.  Everything that ever will be.  Everything in everyway descends from and depends upon Jesus Christ.  Among great figures in history, He is the greatest.  Among great discoveries in science, He exceeds them all.  It is impossible to string enough superlatives together to describe Who Jesus is.

No man born of a man and woman was or has ever been greater than John the Baptist.  Jesus said, (Mt. 11:11),

Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

As great as John the Baptizer was, he said of Jesus, (vv 7-8),

He was preaching: “Someone more powerful than I will come after me.  I am not worthy  to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals.  ⁸ I have baptized you with  water,  but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

That’s a “radical” description of Jesus by the greatest man ever born of earthly parents.  Notice how radical John’s Leader was.  He baptizes “with the Holy Spirit.”  Now here’s where the real “radical roots” of the gospel lie.  Every believer is “baptized” (fully immersed in, by, and through) the Holy Spirit of God.

We not only “follow” a radical Leader, but we have His very Spirit residing in us.  And, there has never been, nor will there ever be a more “radical” Spirit than that of Jesus Christ.

One of the most beautiful descriptions of Jesus Christ outside of the Bible is called, “One Solitary Life.”  You may of heard this poetic narrative of the significance of Jesus Christ first recorded in a sermon by Dr. James Allan Francis.

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.  He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.  While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.  I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

The most fundamental issue of the Christian life is this:  we follow a radical Leader.  Let’s review Mark’s description of Jesus right from the very first verse:  The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The gospel is His Story—it is God’s Story.

2.  John lived a radical LIFE (1-6)        

His MISSION was radical.  (1-3)

The beginning  of the gospel  of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  ² As it is written in Isaiah  the prophet:  ^fLook, I am sending My messenger  ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.  ³A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

This is a prophecy from Isaiah written over 7 centuries before John was born.  Mark does not remind us of this prophecy about John to merely point out how special John is, but to show that John was born with a “divine destiny” to fulfill.  His life had a God-ordained purpose. 

But, here’s the real “radical” meaning associated with John’s mission:  we all have a divine mission to fulfill in our lives.  We all have a God-given purpose to fulfill.  That purpose is to “proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ until He comes again.”

Every believer has a God-ordained part to play in the “divine mission” of proclaiming the gospel message to the world.  And, as we live a “radial life” we not only have a radical mission,

but our mission involves a very “radical” MESSAGE.  In a word, that message is, “repentance.”  (vv. 4-5)

⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness  and preaching a baptism of repentance  ^q for the forgiveness  of sins.  ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

The act of “baptizing” or using water as part of an initiation ceremony into a religious group, is not in and of itself unique to Christianity.  Perhaps the “full immersion” of new converts was unique compared to Jewish washing which involved pouring or sprinkling, but that is not the real “radical” part of John’s message.

The real radical issue in John’s message was “strong preaching against sin and an unwavering call for personal repentance.”  That was an altogether new message for many Jews.

To repent means simply, “to turn completely around and go in a new direction.”  That’s radical.  Any church that returns to the roots of Christianity and starts preaching “repentance” will be challenged in our day and age.  Such churches will be labeled intolerant, or hate-mongers, or a host of other derogatory terms.

But, John’s life was radical.  His mission was radical.  His message was radical, and

His MANNER of life was radical.  Look at verse 6.

⁶ John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts  and wild honey. 

Even John’s wardrobe and eating habits were radical.  The “camel-hair garment” is most certainly to link John the Baptist with the greatest miracle-working prophet in the O.T., Elijah.  1Kings 1:8 says that Elijah “wore a garment of hair and a leather belt.”  Let it be said that John was not going to go far in a “modeling career” in that kind of clothing.  It was “functional, but definitely not fashionable.”  It no doubt meant to express a very “frugal, sacrificial lifestyle.” It also was a rejection of “worldly materialism.”  His clothing symbolized a “vow of poverty” of sorts.  He certainly would not have impressed the rich with his camel skin coat.

Function, not fashion, should lead all we do as believers.  I remember the story my Dad would tell about an article of clothing his Mom would sew for him.  Can any of you remember when flour came in those burlap bags?  Well, my Dad’s Mom (Grandma Clegg) would wash out those bags, do a little sew and tell with them, and “voila”…

Dad had a brand new pair of underwear.  Dad came from the poor side of the tracks and “function always trumped fashion!”

John’s diet was a bit radical (more so for us than for his day).  Nothing like grasshoppers dipped in honey sauce!  Again, this was a “simple diet” that was high in energy and low in cost—and readily available in the desert.  Again, this issue is John was willing to “downsize” in order to evangelize.  His MANNER of life was “radical.”

How was spend our TIME should be radically different from the world. How we use our TALENTS should be radically different from the world. And, how we spend our TREASURES—OUR CASH—should be radically different from the world.

I truly believe that every one of us needs to reevaluate how we live our life and start making some “radical” changes in our MISSION in life, our MESSAGE in life, and our MANNER of life.

But John not only lived a radical life,

3.  John LEFT a Radical Legacy  (Mk. 6:14-29)

If you read Luke’s gospel you will discover that John came into this world in a radical manner.  An angel told Zechariah, the Priest, that his wife Elizabeth was going to have a baby.  They were well along in years.  Zechariah doubted and so God shut his mouth so he could not speak until John was born.  John came into this world in a radical way.

John left this world in a radical way.  Mark 6 tells the story of Herod Antipas and a promise he made to his wife, Herodias.  Herod Antipas was one of three sons of Herod the Great (d. 4BC) who killed all the babies two and under in Bethlehem.  His sons were just as misguided and Herod Antipas married his brother’s wife, which was against Jewish custom.  John the Baptist preached against the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias, and it made Herodias extremely mad.  Through a course of events that we will learn more about later, Herod promised his daughter anything (up to controlling interest in the kingdom) she wanted.  Her request was, “the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”  Mark 6:26   records what happened to John:

²⁶ Though the king was deeply distressed, because of his oaths and the guests  he did not want to refuse  her. ²⁷ The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So he went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.

John’s departure from this life, like his birth and life, was “radical.”

We have not yet made a radical decision to live for Jesus until we are willing to die for Jesus.  For many Christians around the world, those two decisions are pretty much one in the same.

NAIROBI, Kenya, (CDN) — Here’s a news account from a few years ago. This has been happening often throughout the Muslim world for at least two decades. A former member of a Muslim extremist group in Uganda who converted to Christianity was in hiding in Kenya, his movements severely restricted following threats to kill him.
    Hassan Sharif Lubenga, 54, was a sheikh and member of the Buk Haram, a violent group of Islamists whose name suggests the Bible is corrupt and therefore forbidden. Lubenga  said his conversion process took almost 4 years, after various dreams and visions in which Jesus appeared to him, he made a full commitment to follow Christ.
    Lubenga fled from Uganda to Kenya after hostilities peaked, and upon returning to Uganda about four months later, he received messages on his cell phone from mujahidin – Islamic fighters – threatening to kill him. A friend told him that he’d heard in a local mosque that his former colleagues were planning to kill him.
    “My heart got troubled, but the voice of Jesus continued whispering to me to witness for Jesus without fear,” Lubenga said.   
    When Lubenga felt like giving up on his new faith, he said, he received a call from Bishop of a Christian church who told him the church was praying for him. This encouraged and Lubenga.    “All my family members have deserted me,” he told a friend by telephone. “The Muslims are looking to kill me.”
     Lubenga said,  “I explained to my colleagues that it is Jesus who came to me, and not I who sought Him,” But, they were furious. They then kidnapped me and blindfolded me for three days, coupled with beatings. They demanded I deny Jesus as the Son of God, which I consented to because I feared that they were going to kill me.”
     His father, Morshid Kabide, came to his house in  to establish the truth of the rumors he had heard, Lubenga said.   
    “I heard that nowadays you do go to church, and you are claiming that you saw Jesus,” his father told him. When he answered in the affirmative, reaffirming his decision to follow Jesus, his father was very disappointed; he later committed suicide, leaving a letter that read, “I have decided to kill myself because my son became a Christian” and urged all family members to curse him. 
 
This is by no means an isolated incident in Muslim controlled countries throughout the world.  Choosing to live for Christ spiritually—for the majority of world Christians—in high probability is a decision to die for Christ, physically.

In the U.S., there is no such immediate connection between a choice to live for Christ and the high probability you will die for Christ.  But, that should be a connection every believer makes when he or she chooses to live for Christ—that is:  die to the world.  Paul said,

I have been crucified with Christ  ²⁰ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body,  I live by faith in the Son of God,  who loved  me  and gave Himself  for me. (Gal. 2:19-20).

Many of us understand the “theology of being crucified with Christ,” but I’m not sure we understand the “practicality” of being crucified with Christ.  Living a “crucified” life means we are absolutely “dead” to this world and its ways – so, “sticking our neck out for Jesus” as John did is, as they say, “par for the course.”  We should all be willing to literally lay our lives on the line for the sake of the gospel.

CONCLUSION:  Everything about Jesus Christ was extreme—or radical.  His obedience to the Father’s leadership was radical.  His lifestyle was radical (no place to lay His head) and, most importantly, His death was radical.

Can we say we are following a radical leader, if we ourselves to not pursue a radical lifestyle including radically sharing a radical message?  Can we say with integrity that we are true followers of Christ if we are not willing to “die to earthly thinking and worldly habits”—or, even be willing to die physically for Christ if God asks that of us.

As the very root—the very foundation—the Story of Jesus is about a “Radical Savior—God, among men.” We, His followers today, need to get back to our roots, and live radically different lives.