Please turn with me in your Bibles to Mark 10. We will begin reading with the 28th verse.

What will you do if you are called to a ministry that, in human terms, has no chance of success?

Until ten years ago, Romania was a Communist country that persecuted true Christians severely. By a miracle, Josef Tson was able to leave the country in the 1960’s; called to the ministry, he studied theology in England. Upon completion of his studies, he announced that he was returning to Romania.

Some of his friends counseled him: "Josef, don’t do that! What chance of success do you think you have?"

Josef replied: "Success? Success? That’s a typically Western way of thinking. In Romania, when one becomes a Christian, one doesn’t think of success. You think of losing your job, losing your income, of beatings, slander, and possibly martyrdom. I’m called to preach the gospel in Romania. So I’ll go."

What is the role of suffering in the Christian life? In our last sermon in this series, we saw that in verses 29 and 30 Jesus says, "Anyone who gives will receive one hundred times more in this life than they give up, and billions times more in the life to come!" We saw that this means not that we will receive one hundred times more money or resources, but that the joy and pleasure we receive from the things of this world will be one hundred time greater than the joy we would have received from the entirety of our hoarded possessions. This results primarily from our seeing all the blessings we receive -- everything from the air we breath to the roof over our heads to the families we have -- all the blessings we receive are gifts from one who loves us beyond measure. So we never lose by giving to God. We always receive more of what we really want in this life: more love, more joy, more peace.

But Jesus says in verse 30 that along with the hundred times more houses and brothers and farms, we will also receive persecutions. This isn’t more of what we really want; is it? Persecutions? Suffering? Doesn't the promise of persecutions belie the promise of one hundred times more joy and pleasure in this life?

Mark deals specifically with that issue in the remainder of chapter 10. We'll break this passage down into four sections, entitled:

• The Example of Jesus' Suffering
• The Effect of Jesus' Suffering
• Our Suffering: The Way to Greatness
• Our Need: To See the Joy Set Before Us

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, knowing that crucifixion awaits him. The disciples and other followers are astonished and afraid. John gives us more details in his gospel. It is around this time that Lazarus dies, and Jesus decides to go into Judea to raise him from the dead, even though that means walking into danger. Thomas says, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." (John 11:16)

In today's passage, verses 32 to 34, Jesus speaks of his death and resurrection to the Twelve for the third time; the first two prophecies appear in 8:31 and 9:31. Jesus reveals more of what will happen each time; he doesn't give the whole story to the disciples at first. There are three new elements in the third prophecy in 10:32-34:

1. "We are going to Jerusalem," implying that these events are imminent. The prediction in 8:31 probably took place about six months previously; now the time has come.
2. He will be delivered to the Gentiles. Previously he told the disciples that he would be rejected by the Jewish authorities, and killed, but had not said that the Gentiles would do the killing. Had the Jews killed Jesus, he would have died by stoning. But the Roman authorities would kill him by crucifixion. For us, the difference may not seem too great; both would involved terrible suffering, and the end result is identical. But to a Jew, the shame of dying suspended from the cross was much worse than stoning. As Paul writes in Galatians 3:13, "cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree."
3. Third, Jesus tells the disciples for the first time that he will be mocked, spit upon, and flogged. Remember, they have declared their faith that Jesus is the Son of God, their Messiah, their king. Yet their king tells them he will be rejected, spit upon.

Is this success? Is this what should happen to the Son of God? What is the purpose? What is the reason? If he is so powerful, why does He put up with this shame and suffering?

Hebrews 12:2 provides us with the answer:

What was the joy set before Him? Why did he endure this shame? This brings us to our second heading.

The Effect of Jesus' Suffering

Consider 10:45:

A ransom! Jesus' life was a ransom! What does this mean?

The Greek word translated "ransom" literally means a "loosing," such as untying someone who is bound. The word was used for the price of a slave. If you are a slave, I can go to your master, negotiate a price, and buy you. Then I can make you my slave -- or I can give you your freedom. In the latter case, your master can't come and take you back; the price has been paid, the ransom has been paid -- you are free.

Jesus is not a masochist. He does not love suffering, he does not suffer just in order to suffer. But as the author of Hebrews tells us, he endures shame and suffering for the joy set before him.

What is this joy? The joy of glorifying God! Jesus endured the shame and suffering of the cross so that God would be glorified. At the cross, Jesus accomplishes God's perfect revelation of himself as merciful, loving, and just, and there purchases a people for God's own possession.

How does the cross display both God's mercy and His justice? If God is just, then every sin must be punished. God is the moral force in the universe; he therefore cannot simply overlook rebellion and sin.

But as Paul writes in,

We call this the "substitutionary atonement." Those are big words but the idea is simple enough for a child to understand. You and I deserve punishment. If God is just, He must give people what they deserve; Jesus dies in my place, in your place, as our substitute, taking our punishment, thereby displaying God’s great mercy, love, grace, and justice.

Do you know this? Do you want this freedom? Throw yourself on God’s mercy, by the blood of Jesus, and ask to be cleansed, to be made a new man, to walk no longer in sin.

So we've seen the example of Jesus' suffering, and the effect of his suffering. But suffering is not for Jesus alone; we his followers are called to suffer also.

Our Suffering: The Way to Greatness

Mark introduces the topic of our suffering through the incident with James and John. Matthew informs us that there was a third person involved: their mother.

Those of you who are parents: Have your children ever come to you and said, "Promise you’ll say yes to what I’m going to ask you!" Or, "Do you love me? Doesn’t someone who loves you give you what you want?"

Jesus responds wisely (as we parents should in similar circumstances: "What do you want me to do for you?"

What do James and John ask? They want to sit at Jesus' right and left hands in glory. They want to be glorified; they want to be close to Jesus; they want to have authority. Is there anything wrong with these desires? Hasn't Jesus already promised them all three?

As we saw in our discussion of chapter 9, the desire for greatness is God-given. Jesus wants us to aspire to greatness. So Jesus does not reprimand these two disciples, but instead raises two questions.

First, in verses 38-40, Jesus asks, "How does one become great?" Second, in verses 41-45, Jesus asks, "What does it mean to be great?"

The answer to the second question reiterates the message of chapter 9: Those who are great are servants. We won't repeat the details from that message, but note the interesting progression Jesus makes from verse 43 to verse 44: If you want to be great, you must be a servant; if you want to be first, you must be a slave. The higher the honor, the more extreme the service and devotion.

Let's now look at the first question: How does one become great? Jesus asks James and John, "Can you drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" Jesus here refers to his suffering; recall that at Gethsemane he will say, "Father, . . . take away this cup from me." In effect, Jesus says, "You don’t know what you’re asking. If you want to be exalted that high, you must share in my sufferings: Mocking, spitting, flogging. An ignominious death. Forget any ideas of political glory. The way to greatness always passes through suffering."

Jesus does not call us to a smooth, easy life. Instead, Jesus promises us persecution, he promises us suffering. But at the same time, He promises to use suffering for His purposes -- and one of those purposes is to make us great, to glorify Himself in us.

If we are to suffer, how will we endure? What will make it all possible? Once again, Hebrews 12:1-2 provides the answer:

In order to endure suffering, we need to open our eyes and see Jesus, we need to see the joy of glorifying God, of being His own treasured possession, set before us. So Mark provides us with this wonderful picture of blind Bartimaeus, to illustrate the solution to our need.

At first glance, this story may seem unconnected to what comes before it. But as we have seen, Mark constantly interweaves stories with similar themes; the very proximity of this story to Jesus' discussion of suffering should cause us to consider the possible links between the two.

But God through Mark provides us with two other clues linking the stories. First, Mark calls the blind man "Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus." Now, "Bar-" in Aramaic means "Son of," like "Mac" or "Mc" in Scotland. So Mark is simply repeating himself when he calls Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus. Perhaps he is just explaining the name to his Greek readers -- but he doesn't provide any explanation when he mentions Bartholomew ("son of Tolmai") or Barabbas ("son of the rabbi"). This indicates that there might be something important about the name Timaeus.

There is. "Timaeus" means "highly prized," or "honored." James and John seek honor from Jesus; then Jesus heals the man named "son of the honored one."

Secondly, examine verses 36 and 51: Jesus responds in the same way to Bartimaeus as he responds to James and John: "What do you want me to do for you?" Clearly, these stories are linked.

So what is Mark (and the Holy Spirit through Mark) getting at through the story of the healing of Bartimaeus?

If we are to be great, if we are to live up to the name God gives us -- "those who are highly prized," "those who are highly honored," -- we too must ask to have our eyes opened. We need to see God and his goodness and glory and majesty. We need to see ourselves, completely unworthy of the mercy that God showers on us. We need to see especially the joy set before us; the joy of God displaying his character in our lives, the joy of sharing His love through our witness, and the joy and pleasure of knowing that we receive 100 times as much from Him in this life as anything we give up, and will receive great joy forevermore as we share eternity with Him.

In one sense, to focus on the joy set before us is to focus on the "real reality." This world is passing away, and this world is not our home. We were made for a deeper reality, the reality of life with God. As Paul says:

Let's get back to Josef Tson. Recall that his friends told him that he had no chance of success if he returned to Romania. That night, he was troubled by the discussion and prayed, "Lord, is this what you really want?" He saw as in a vision a picture of Matthew 10:16: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves." Here is a pack of wolves. There is a little sheep, in the middle of the wolves. What chance of success does the sheep have in that situation? But if the sheep continues to preach the gospel, to love the wolves even as he is being torn limb from limb -- maybe some of the wolves will listen. The suffering of the sheep may open the eyes of the wolves. So Josef replied to God, "I see, Lord. Being killed for the gospel is not a tragedy – it’s part of your strategy."

Just so. The suffering of Christians is no mistake. God uses our suffering as part of His strategy for reaching the world. John Paton, missionary to cannibals in the 19th century who lost his wife and two children to disease, wrote this:

Listen, now: When God says "Lo, I am with you always," He means it. When Paul writes, "My God will supply all your needs," he is stating Truth. When God says, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you," He is giving us a promise that will hold regardless of our circumstances. But how are these promises consistent with our suffering?

Paul writes 2nd Timothy shortly before his death. In chapter 4 he writes: ‘I am already being poured out as a drink offering"-- an apt figure for one who would be beheaded. But then later in the chapter he writes, "the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack." Paul writes this even though he knows he will be executed. The inescapable conclusion: His execution is not an evil attack.

Just so with us:

• When it is for our good and His glory, he lavishes safety and relationships and possessions and worldly success on us.
• When it is for our good and His glory, he lavishes persecutions and trials and troubles on us.
• When it is for our good and His glory he lavishes death on us.

God is in control of all, and he constantly uses what men intend for evil for His own good purposes. Whatever happens, He is in control; His purposes are beyond us, but He is always good, and always wise.

How do we put these truths into practice in the first decade of the 21st century?

First, prepare for persecution. We Americans are among the very few Christians in history who have not had to face persecution by our government. That could change in the lifetimes of those here this morning. There will not be persecution of all who call themselves Christians -- just as there is not persecution for some self-described Christians in China. But those who are determined to witness, those who proclaim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light, and that no one comes to the Father except by Him -- those true Christians may very well be persecuted in this country, this century. Think of how attitudes towards the proclamation of the gospel have changed in this country in the last 80 years; in another 80 years, how much further will attitudes change?

I say this not to spark fear, but to encourage you to prepare yourself: If persecution comes, are you ready? Can you focus on the joy set before you? Are you ready to be that sheep in the midst of wolves, loving the wolves, giving of yourself, for the joy set before you enduring whatever shame and suffering comes your way?

A second way to put these truths into practice: Listen to God's call. Most of us are like Bartimaeus, blinded to the call of God if it includes discomfort, shame, danger, or a loss of income. The ease of life in this country inures us to the call to sacrifice. Tell God, with Bartimaeus, "Lord, I want to see!" Open your eyes to the joy set before you in this life, the opportunity to serve the king of the universe. What is God calling you to? Does it imply giving up your present career, or career plans? Does it imply selling what you have, and financing a ministry to those who have never heard the name of Jesus? Pray for vision!

Not all of us will face persecution. And not all of us are called to major course corrections in our lives (though I am convinced some of us here this morning are so called). But all of us are called to live every minute of our lives to the glory of God. This means being willing to part with our amusements and leisure activities to serve others; to be willing to put up with the shame and embarrassment of being thought fanatical, or being considered radical and extreme, because of our love for Jesus and our proclamation of the gospel. These sufferings cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.

Friends, all of God’s people are called to greatness. The Road to Greatness always passes through suffering. Pray for sight, to see the joy set before you. Then step out in faith – whatever your apparent chance of success.

This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Thomas C. Pinckney, tpinckney@williams.edu, c/o Community Bible Church, Harrison Ave, Williamstown, MA 01267.

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