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Mark 9:33-42 Mark Series servant leadership Mark 9:33-42 Mark Series

First livestreamed Sunday night Bible study (during COVID). Mark Series Pt 32 covering Mark 9:33-42 — unnecessary division, competition in Christian leadership, and why pastors shouldn't be CEOs.

Introduction — Mark 9:33-42

Mark 8:22-24 messianic mystery two comings of Christ Mark 8:22-24

Context: Mark 8-10 reveals the messianic mystery — Jesus has TWO comings (suffering first, glory later), but the disciples only expect one glorious military conquest. Their argument about who's greatest stems from thinking they're about to rule in an earthly kingdom. They're wrong about both timing and values.

Context — the messianic mystery in Mark

Matthew 6:1-6 1 Peter 5:3 servant leadership servant leadership Matthew 6:1-6

Mark 9:35: "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Jesus flips worldly leadership upside down. Parallel: Matthew 6:1-6 — Pharisees do good works for human recognition and get no reward from God. 1 Peter 5:3: lead by example, don't lord over people. The test: if everyone treated people the way you treat people, would it make a healthy church?

Servant leadership vs worldly leadership

Mark 9:36-37 Matthew 25:34-40 Mark 9:36-37 receiving the least Matthew 25:34-40

Mark 9:36-37: Jesus uses a child (culturally unimportant, not romanticized as today) to illustrate that receiving ANY believer — even the least significant by worldly standards — is receiving Jesus himself. Matthew 25:34-40 confirms: what you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Ministry to any Christian = ministry to Christ.

Receiving the least = receiving Jesus

Mark 9:38-40 ecumenism ecumenism Mark 9:38-40

Mark 9:38-40: A man casting out demons in Jesus's name but not part of the Twelve. The disciples tried to stop him. Jesus: "Do not hinder him — whoever is not against us is for us." The organic growth of Christianity always outpaces organizational growth. We must resist suspicion toward genuine believers outside our circle/denomination.

Don't hinder outsiders — the church is bigger than your group

John 13:35 Mark 9:41-42 Galatians 6:10 John 13:35 Mark 9:41-42 millstone judgment

Mark 9:41-42: Whoever gives a cup of water to a believer won't lose their reward; whoever causes a believer to stumble, it'd be better to have a millstone hung around their neck and be cast into the sea. Galatians 6:10: do good to all people, ESPECIALLY to the household of faith. The church's primary charitable focus should be caring for fellow believers.

Rewards for blessing believers, judgment for harming them

Joel Osteen Joel Osteen Mark 9:41-42 Joel Osteen Joel Osteen Mark 9:41-42

Q&A: Mark 9:42 "little ones" = any Christian of any status, not just children or Jews. Joel Osteen: Mike hasn't studied him enough to categorize fully, but what he's heard is "sub-Christian, sub-biblical" teaching. Being "for us" doesn't mean everything someone does is approved — there's still room for church discipline and correction.

Q&A — little ones, Joel Osteen

Bart Ehrman Mike Licona Bart Ehrman

Four things to know before historical investigation of Jesus: (1) Historical investigation is limited — historians intentionally bracket inspiration of Scripture. (2) Failure to confirm ≠ denial it happened. (3) History is probabilistic — the best verdict is "extremely likely," never 100%%. (4) Scholars are people with biases — Bart Ehrman rejects miracles by methodology, not evidence ("as a historian you're not allowed to posit miracles").

Framework for historical investigation of Jesus

Matthew 16:17-23 Mark 9:31 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Semiticisms Matthew 16:17-23 Mark 9:31

Argument 1 — Jesus's death predictions are very early: (a) Matthew 16:17-23 contains Semiticisms ("son of Jonah," "flesh and blood," "Hades") pointing to Aramaic origins, not later Greek tradition. (b) Mark 9:31 has a paronomasia (pun) in Aramaic: "son of man handed into the hands of men." (c) 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (Last Supper) is written before the Gospels. (d) Paul distinguishes Jesus's commands from his own (1 Cor 7) — proving he doesn't invent words of Jesus.

Argument 1 — earliness of predictions

Mike Licona multiple attestation Mike Licona

Argument 2 — Multiple attestation: Mike Licona found 19+ passages across Mark, M (Matthew-only), L (Luke-only), and John independently attesting Jesus's death/resurrection predictions. Historians consider TWO independent sources "pay dirt" — this has far more. Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane (knowing he'll die) is in Mark 14, Matthew 26, and Luke 22 independently.

Argument 2 — multiple independent attestation

Mark 8:33 criterion of embarrassment Mark 8:33 Peter called Satan

Argument 3 — Criterion of embarrassment: Jesus's predictions include embarrassing elements the early church wouldn't invent. (a) Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting his death — then Jesus calls Peter "Satan" (Mark 8:33). The leader of the church being called Satan is not something the church would fabricate. (b) Disciples repeatedly fail to understand Jesus's predictions — they argue about who's greatest right after. The church wouldn't invent their founders' incompetence.

Argument 3 — criterion of embarrassment

Mark 10:32-34 Mark 10:45 Suffering Servant substitutionary atonement progressive Christianity

Theological insight from the predictions: Jesus saw his death as purposeful sacrifice, not tragedy. He predicted specifics: delivered to chief priests, condemned, handed to Gentiles, mocked, spit on, scourged, killed — and rise three days later. Progressive Christians who reject substitutionary atonement must explain why Jesus described his death as sacrificial and purposeful in his own words. The predictions show Jesus understood himself as Isaiah's Suffering Servant.

Theological insight — purposeful sacrifice, not tragic death

Mark 10:45 Mark 10:35-45 James and John request servant leadership servant leadership Mark 10:45

Mark Series pt 39: Mark 10:35-45. James and John ask for positions of authority in Jesus's kingdom. Jesus teaches that greatness in his kingdom = servanthood, the opposite of worldly leadership. This passage addresses pastoral abuse at its root: the false expectation that Christian leadership means authority rather than service.

Introduction — Mark 10:35-45 and pastoral abuse

Mark Series Genesis 22 (Isaac) Mark 1:8 Mark Series false messianic expectations Genesis 22 (Isaac)

Survey of Mark showing Jesus consistently correcting false messianic expectations: (1) Mark 1:8 — baptize with Holy Spirit, not raise armies. (2) Mark 1:11 — beloved Son (sacrifice imagery from Genesis 22). (3) Mark 1:15 — repent and believe, not take up arms. (4) Jesus's ministry: exorcisms and healings, not political conquest — the enemy is Satan, not Rome; the problem is sin, not occupation. (5) Jesus sends crowds away instead of rallying them for war. The whole Gospel of Mark is about fixing these expectations.

Survey of Mark — correcting messianic expectations

Mark 10:42-44 pastoral abuse CEO mentality in ministry Mark 10:42-44

Mark 10:42-45 — Jesus's leadership model: "You know that those recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... but it is not this way among you." The greatest must be servant; the first must be slave of all. Pastoral abuse happens when leaders adopt CEO mentality — protecting their vision, reputation, and authority instead of serving. Signs: demanding allegiance to the leader rather than to Christ, silencing criticism, creating distance/hierarchy, using authority for personal benefit.

Pastoral abuse — CEO vs servant leadership

James and John request Acts 12 (James martyred) James and John request pastoral transformation Acts 12 (James martyred)

Hope for abusive pastors: the disciples who asked for thrones became the greatest servants in church history. James was the first apostle martyred; John served faithfully into old age. Jesus didn't disqualify them for their worldly ambitions — he corrected them and they changed. The same transformation is available today. But it requires: (1) honest self-examination, (2) willingness to be corrected, (3) choosing service over authority.

Hope for transformation — disciples changed

Mark 11:1-11 Mark series Triumphal Entry Mark 11:1-11 irony in Scripture

The Triumphal Entry is better understood as the "Ironic Entry" — the central contrast is between the crowd's expectations of a political liberator and Jesus' actual mission of humble sacrifice.

Introduction to Mark 11:1-11 verse-by-verse study

Mark 11:1 Mark 11:1 geography of Jerusalem Mount of Olives

The geography of Bethphage, Bethany, and the Mount of Olives sets the stage for a ceremonial ascent to Jerusalem — cresting the mount gives the first view of the city and temple.

Verse-by-verse study of Mark 11:1

Mark 11:2-6 Luke 19:33 prosperity gospel prosperity gospel Mark 11:2-6

Jesus was not rich — the donkey episode refutes prosperity gospel claims. Luke 19:33 identifies the owners as bystanders, not Jesus. Judas's treasury was for basic needs and the poor, not personal wealth.

Analysis of why Mark spends 5 verses on the colt (Mark 11:2-6)

Mark 11:2-6 Mark 11:2-6 donkey symbolism

The colt arrangement was likely a pre-arranged passphrase, not supernatural knowledge — Jesus had extensive prior contact in Bethany and could have sent someone ahead to arrange it.

Analysis of the "password" phrase in Mark 11:2-6

Mark 11:3 deity of Christ kurios Mark 11:3

The phrase "the Lord" (ha kurios) in Mark 11:3 deliberately fuses God's identity with Jesus — Mark's subtle but profound Christology of Christ's deity.

Greek analysis of "the Lord has need of it" in Mark 11:3

Daniel Daniel Daniel Daniel Daniel Daniel

The unridden colt symbolizes Jesus' transcendent, non-derivative authority — unlike kings who rode conquered rulers' mounts to claim their power, Jesus' authority is wholly his own.

Analysis of "a colt on which no one has ever sat" (Mark 11:2)

Zechariah 9:9 Mark 10:45 Zechariah 9:9-10 Zechariah 9:9 Mark 10:45 Zechariah 9:9-10

Zechariah 9:9-10 is the key OT prophecy behind the entry — the messiah comes humble on a donkey bringing salvation through service, not military conquest. The donkey vs. war horse contrast is central.

Old Testament prophetic background for the Triumphal Entry

Genesis 49:10-11 Psalm 20:7 1 Kings 1 typology typology Genesis 49:10-11

Solomon's inauguration on a donkey (1 Kings 1) and Genesis 49:10-11 provide additional donkey-messiah connections that Zechariah 9:9 likely draws from.

Additional OT background on donkey symbolism

Mark 11:7-8 2 Kings 9:13 Triumphal Entry Mark 11:7-8 2 Kings 9:13

Cloaks and branches on the road are red-carpet treatment declaring Jesus as king — the only OT parallel is 2 Kings 9:13 where Jehu is declared king of Israel.

Analysis of cloaks and branches in Mark 11:7-8

John 7:8-10 Matthew 21:10-11 Triumphal Entry John 7:8-10 Matthew 21:10-11

The "fickle crowd" preaching point (same crowd shouts Hosanna then Crucify Him) is likely wrong — the Palm Sunday crowd was Jesus' traveling followers, distinct from the city population.

Correcting a common sermon point about the Triumphal Entry crowds

Acts 7 Psalm 118 Psalm 118:22 typology typology Acts 7

Psalm 118 is the key text the crowd quotes — it prophesies the rejected cornerstone (Messiah rejected by Israel's leaders) whom God establishes anyway. Jesus quotes it about himself in Mark 12.

Detailed exposition of Psalm 118 and its messianic significance

Psalm 118:24-28 songs of ascent Psalm 118:24-28 festival sacrifice hosanna

Psalm 118:24-28 contains a compressed gospel narrative: Hosanna (save now), the festival sacrifice bound to the altar (Christ crucified), and then "You are MY God" — relationship through sacrifice.

Continued Psalm 118 exposition with gospel typology

Ezekiel Ezekiel Psalm 118 typology Ezekiel typology

The crowd adds "blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David" — not from Psalm 118 — reflecting their political expectations. The OT sometimes calls the Messiah "David" as a typological title.

Analysis of the non-Psalm 118 addition in Mark 11:10

Malachi 3:1 Mark 11:11 Mark 1:2-3 Malachi 3:1 deity of Christ temple cleansing

Mark 11:11 — Jesus evaluating the temple fulfills Malachi 3:1 ("the Lord will suddenly come to his temple"). This is the culmination of Mark's opening quote and his subtle deity Christology.

Analysis of the brief but significant Mark 11:11

Mark 11:22-25 Mark series prayer Kenneth Copeland Word of Faith

Overview: Mark 11:22-25 is the #1 Word of Faith verse. Winger approaches it by sidebaring the Kenneth Copeland debate to first understand the passage in its original context, then apply it.

Introduction to Mark Series pt 43 on prayer, faith, and Mark 11:22-25

1 Corinthians 13:2 Mark 11:24 Mark 13:2 cessationism 1 Corinthians 13:2 cessationism

Six reasons why "this mountain" is NOT limited to the temple (contra cessationist interpretation), but is a general truth about prayer: Paul's usage, Matthew/Luke parallels, OT mountain-moving language.

Refuting Jeff Durbin's cessationist interpretation that limits Mark 11 to imprecatory prayer against the temple

Mark 10:25-27 Galatians 3:5 Mark 10:25-27 Galatians 3:5 faith and prayer

Mountain-moving is a euphemism for what is humanly impossible but possible for God. Faith is weak (mustard seed), not strong — the emphasis is that you don't earn miracles; God does everything, you just believe.

Correct interpretation of the mountain-moving promise in Mark 11

1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40 1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40

The prayer promise is couched in the destruction-of-temple context because Jesus is inaugurating NEW COVENANT prayer — from temple-mediated access to direct access through Christ. Christians ARE the new temple.

The temple context explains WHY this prayer teaching appears here in Mark

1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24 1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24

Your part in prayer is faith, but GOD does the miracles — the power is not in your words or your belief, but in God's response. Forgiveness of others and repentance of sin are prerequisites for effective prayer.

Analysis of active/passive language in Mark 11 and the forgiveness requirement

Mark 14:35-36 Word of Faith Gethsemane prayer Word of Faith

Mark 14 (Gethsemane) is the intentional counterpoint to Mark 11 — Jesus with perfect faith, no sin, no unforgiveness prays and God says NO. Faith means trusting God both when he says yes AND when he says no.

The missing piece: Jesus' Gethsemane prayer as counterpoint to the prayer promise

Word of Faith Word of Faith magic vs prayer

First-century magic (witchcraft) forced the gods' will to obey the practitioner. A distorted Mark 11 teaching that sources miracles in MY will rather than God's will moves into the realm of magic, not prayer.

Historical context: prayer vs. magic in the first century

2 Timothy 4:20 1 Timothy 5:23 1 Peter 4:19 thorn in the flesh 2 Timothy 4:20 Word of Faith

The claim "it's always God's will to heal sickness" is arbitrary — the apostles themselves suffered illness (Timothy's stomach issues, Trophimus left sick, Epaphroditus nearly died) while doing miracles.

Refuting the Word of Faith claim that sickness is never God's will