The Mind of Christ
INTRODUCTION:
I. There is often a tendency to think of the work of Jesus entirely in terms of His death.
A. We often talk about “the death, burial and resurrection of Christ” – as if His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead is all He came to accomplish.
1. Certainly, we know that without His death, burial and resurrection, we would have no hope beyond this life.
2. Even the apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, defined the “gospel” or the “good new” about Jesus in terms of what He accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection.
B. However, we need to remember that the life of Jesus is every bit as important as what He accomplished in His death.
1. His death would have no real value to us without the life that preceded it.
2. To think of the work of Jesus without thinking about His life would be just as serious as thinking of His work without thinking about His death.
C. Therefore, in order for us to properly understand more about His life, and what He actually came to accomplish during the three short years of His earthly ministry, we need to see what Jesus said about Himself.
1. That way we can better understand who and what Jesus was by looking at the words His disciples used to describe Him, and also by looking at what Jesus said about His own purpose and mission.
BODY:
I. To begin with, there are many titles that have been applied to Jesus, but for now, we will focus on only three descriptive titles by which Jesus was often called, and which He certainly would have used in describing Himself and His mission to others.
A. First, Jesus regarded Himself as a PREACHER.
1. Mark tells us that Jesus preached in synagogues throughout all Galilee.
a. Mark 1:35-39 – Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.
b. The word “preacher,” or the phrase “to preach,” comes from Greek word “Evangelizo” – from which we get our English word “Evangelist” – and it means “a herald,” or “one who heralds, announces a proclamation.”
c. It is a word that was almost always used of proclaiming the “Good News” of the Son of God.
d. It is a message from the King – it is a word of authority with no apologies, and no hesitations whatsoever.
2. Certainly Jesus came as a “preacher” or a “herald” in bringing a proclamation of “Good News” from God to man.
B. Second, Jesus regarded Himself as a PROPHET.
1. Mark also tells us about the time when Jesus was rejected among His own townspeople of Nazareth.
a. Mark 6:1-6 – Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
b. Prophets played a vitally important role in God’s dealings with man.
c. In fact, in Amos 3:7, the Old Testament prophet Amos said, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
d. The word “prophet” comes from the Greek word “prophetes” which means “one who proclaims a divine message; or one from whom the message of God springs forth.”
2. We generally think of prophets as “fore-tellers” – telling of certain future events. But prophets also told of things past, as well as spoke of present conditions.
a. Prophets were actually “forth-tellers” – speaking forth the words of God to men. They were a “mouth of God.”
3. Certainly Jesus came as a prophet – speaking forth the mind of God to mankind, and revealing to the world the true nature and character of Jehovah.
C. Third, there is the word TEACHER – a word that Jesus frequently wore.
1. Jesus is often called “Rabbi” which literally means “My great one” – a title the Jews gave to their greatest and wisest teachers.
a. The word “Rabboni” is a similar term (actually the Aramaic form of “Rabbi”), and was used almost entirely to address the President of the Sanhedrin – “My great master.”
b. But the blind man, Bartimaeus, used this term when referring to Jesus
c. Mark 10:46-52 – Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
2. Jesus was certainly a teacher (rabbi or rabboni), because we see Him teaching in all kinds of places and under all kinds of circumstances.
a. He taught in the synagogues, in the Temple, in the cities and villages, and by the seaside (with a fishing boat as His pulpit).
b. But unlike any teacher the world had ever known, Jesus was a teacher who could look into the hearts of men and women and know what they needed to hear most.
D. So, Jesus regarded Himself as a PREACHER, a PROPHET, and a TEACHER. But as we look closer at the work of Jesus, we see even more of what He came to accomplish in the three short years of His earthly ministry.
II. In fact, Jesus said there are many things He came to do and to be, but for now, we will focus on only four specific things Jesus came to be:
A. First, Jesus came to be the SERVANT of man.
1. Near the end of His ministry, the mother of Zebedee's sons (the mother of James and John) came to Jesus with an unusual request.
2. She wanted Jesus to give her sons the honor of sitting at His right hand and His left hand, which were places of honor, power and authority.
a. Matthew 20:20-28 – Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21 And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom." 22 But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." 23 So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
b. Here is proof that Jesus did not come into this world to recive, rather He came to serve – to give.
c. He didn’t come for His own sake, but for the sake of others – not as a master, but as a servant.
d. It has always been a fundamental fact in all the religions of the ancient world, including the worship of God among the Jews that man needed to sacrifice something to God.
e. But Jesus came with a different message. Jesus didn’t come to receive a sacrifice, but to become the sacrifice on behalf of mankind.
f. Never before in the history of the world had anyone ever heard of a God who offered Himself as a sacrifice for mankind.
g. In fact, Jesus shows us that God doesn’t ask us to sacrifice anything to Him, until He first sacrificed something for us. This great truth is taught in so many passages:
(1) 1 John 4:19 – “We love Him because He first loved us”
(2) Romans 5:8 – “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
B. Not only did Jesus come to be a Servant of men, and to sacrifice Himself, He also came to be the GREAT PHYSICIAN to heal the sick souls of mankind.
1. Luke tells us of a time when Jesus went to eat dinner at the house of Levi (Matthew) a tax collector, and, while He was there, the scribes and Pharisees got upset at Jesus.
a. Luke 5:29-32 – Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
b. There should be no doubt but that Jesus thought of Himself as the Great Physician who would make it possible for people to be healed of the disease of sin.
b. Jesus certainly didn’t regard sinners with contempt and repulsion. Rather, He came knowing that sin could be cured.
c. And the very fact that Jesus regarded Himself as the Great Physician is proof that God does not want the sinner to die in their sin, but rather to be healed – cured.
C. In addition to His work as the Great Physician, Jesus also came to be the loving SHEPHERD that patiently seeks those who lost.
1. In the story of Zacchaeus, we find some wonderful insights into Jesus’ role as a Shepherd.
a. Luke 19:1-10 – Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
b. We often think of the word “lost” as being something that is irretrievable, as if someone were spiritually destitute and eternally separated from God.
(1) But the word “lost” in this passage is not being used in the theological sense of being condemned to destruction forever and ever by God.
(2) Rather, the word “lost” simply means being “in the wrong place” or “going in the wrong direction.”
c. The word is being used by Jesus to describe the same situation of a child who has become lost, and cannot find their way home.
d. Therefore, Jesus came to find men and women who were heading away from God so that He could turn them around and help them find their way back home.
d. This attitude of Jesus is clearly demonstrated in the parable of the Lost Sheep.
(1) Luke 15:3-7 – So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them ,'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
(2) Jesus would patiently search for the sinner – the person who has taken the wrong road – and bring them back to safety.
(3) Jesus wasn’t searching for sinners to blast them with divine wrath, but to bring them back into the fold of His divine love.
D. Finally, Jesus came to be the SAVIOR of mankind.
1. On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples came to a Samaritan village where they requested hospitality, but instead, they were rejected.
a. Luke 9:51-56 – Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.
b. James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to obliterate the entire village.
c. However, Jesus forbade it and taught His disciples an unforgettable lesson.
d. Jesus had come to save men’s lives – not to destroy them. This is the very essence of the gospel. It was not for destruction, but for salvation, that Jesus had come into the world.
e. Even when men opposed Him, His greatest desire was not to wipe them out, but to save them.
f. Even while hanging on the cross in excruciating pain, Jesus would look down on the very people who spit on Him and mocked Him, and He would pray, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
CONCLUSION:
I. While it’s important for us to understand that Jesus provided us with a way to obtain the forgiveness of our sins, and gave us the hope of eternal life in His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, we also need to remember that the life of Jesus was every bit as important as what He accomplished in His death.
A. The life of Jesus tells us who and what He really was – especially when we listen to the ways Jesus described Himself to His disciples and to others.
1. In His own words, Jesus characterized Himself as:
a. The Servant of men who came to sacrifice Himself for others.
b. The Great Physician who came to cure mankind of the disease of sin.
c. The good Shepherd who seeks those who are lost – those who have wandered off in the wrong direction.
d. The loving Savior who loved the souls of men and women so much that He couldn’t even destroy His enemies. Instead, He sought to save them from their own ignorance.
B. All that Jesus was, and all that He came to accomplish was for you and for me.
1. We’ve said it before – it wasn’t so much for “the world” that Jesus died, as much as much as it was for you. And because of that, He is...
a. Your Servant – who sacrificed Himself for you.
b. Your Great Physician – who came to heal you.
c. Your loving Shepherd – who patiently seeks after you who are lost.
d. And, your Savior – a Savior whose love for you couldn’t be destroyed even by your own sins.
2. Since Jesus did all this for you, what are you willing to do for Him? All He asks is that you give Him full and complete allegiance – something we will take a closer look at next week when we look at the other side of Jesus (that of a demanding Savior).
a. But, if you have never obeyed the gospel – if you have never been baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins, you can make Him the Lord of your life this very moment through your obedience to the gospel.
b. And, if you have wandered away from the Lord, you need to know that the loving Shepherd is looking for you to bring you back home.