"Encountering Jesus"

Jesus, the Provocative Teacher Series

Sunday, July 6, 2008; Matthew 7:24-29

Introduction: It is important for us to understand that the stories in the Bible about Jesus are there for us to encounter Jesus. In this series (Jesus, the Provocative Teacher) we will be looking at how those in the Bible encountered Jesus, and how we should be encountering Jesus. We will be looking closely at who Jesus is, His grace and love, His passion and mission, and how He came to connect with people like you and me! For those of you who feel like you know who Jesus is, this will be an opportunity to gain even more insight and have a fresh perspective for your life today.

Since Jesus is anything but dull, this series should be very exciting. Hopefully Jesus will shake up our lives and our church just as he shook up the world around Him. Jesus was constantly surprising people, challenging people, and causing many reactions. That is the design of this series as well, to have the life of Jesus surprise us, challenge us, and create a reaction in and through us.

I. Provocative Teachers-

The English word “provocative” has its roots in the Latin word “provocare,”

which means “to call forth.” It has the idea of stimulating or inciting a reaction. When someone is provocative, they are desiring a response from their listeners.

Have you encountered teachers that were provocative? As I thought about this during the week, I thought about some of the teachers I have heard teach who were more provocative than others. Let me give you a couple of examples:

a. Billy Graham- To me, Billy Graham is a very provocative teacher. I have

never been to any of his Crusades, but I did hear him speak at Bel Air Presbyterian church when I worked there. And what I found interesting, is that Billy Graham’s message was simple. Even when he was preaching at a church, to a congregation of people who believed in Jesus, he still kept his message simple. He spoke about God’s love, and God’s grace, and God’s forgiveness. BUT it was how he did it. His presence was captivating, his delivery was polished, his words were to the point, his stories connected. And in the end, he demanded from you a reaction. Just as he does at his Crusades, calling people forward to accept Christ as their savior, so he called people to come forth and make a decision; a decision to follow Christ. For some it might have been their first decision for Christ, for others it was a recommitment of their initial decision to follow Christ. Billy Graham provoked the people.

b. Bill Hybels- A second preacher/teacher that I have heard speak, who I

think is provocative, is Bill Hybels. Bill Hybels is the minister of Willow Creek Community Church in Willow Creek, Illinois. I have heard Bill Hybels speak on many occasions, and I have always gone away both enjoying what he said, and being challenged to want to act upon his teaching. I believe what makes Bill Hybels so provocative is his overwhelming desire to see people come into the kingdom. Bill Hybels is zealous to do evangelism; to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all who do not know Christ. Because of this, a new venture that Hybels is participating in, is to teach and train pastors and leaders to be able to teach and lead their congre-gations for evangelism. Like Billy Graham, Hybels doesn’t just want to entertain people with his words (although he is a very entertaining speaker), Hybels wants to provoke people to change and be change agents.

Being provocative is not easy. It is not easy because people don’t like to be provoked. In fact, when you hear that word, you might think of it in negative terms. Part of the definition of provoking is “to insight anger.” I am sure that there are people who have heard Billy Graham, and Bill Hybels, and others like them, who have gone away not happy with what was shared. To be a provocative teacher, you have to be willing to make people uncomfortable; you have to be willing to push people to the edge of their thinking; you have to be willing to challenge people’s belief systems; you have to be willing to upset the norm.

Jesus was provocative, because he was willing to do all these things. He made people uncomfortable. He pushed people to the edge. He challenged people’s belief systems. He upset the norm! When people heard Jesus speak, they always had some sort of reaction; not always positive, but they did have a reaction.

II. Jesus was Provocative- (John 10:10; Mark 8:34;

Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 7:24-29)

Jesus’ teaching was anything but conventional. His teaching was often

unsettling to people. His teaching was often irritating to others. And his teaching was always provocative. There were times when Jesus finished teaching, and He left people in stunned silence. And there were times when His words created a near insurrection. There were times when His words seemed to contradict themselves, and other times when people were completely confused by what He said.

For example, Jesus said in John 10:10: “I came that you might have life, and have it to the full.” And the people thought that was great. Everyone wants a full life.

But then Jesus also said in Mark 8:34- “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” And people would wonder if they missed something. How can you have a full life by denying yourself? Are we supposed to create punishment in our life to have a full life? This doesn’t make sense. How can giving up what you have and denying yourself make your life more full?

But Jesus wasn’t afraid to provoke people. Matthew 12:1-8 we read…

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." ³He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? ⁶I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. ⁷If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus was challenging the teaching of the religious leaders, and by doing this provoking them both to anger, and to wondering. A wondering of who He was, and what His teaching was really saying. You see, the whole point was to teach people to be doers, not just hearers. This is the lesson of our scripture reading for the morning, Matthew 7:24-29. As verse 24 states: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”

Jesus didn’t come to capture votes or to be popular—Jesus came to liberate hearts. His teaching was designed to confront women and men with the realities and hopes of life in an ongoing relationship with God; not the world of limited time. Jesus came to move us from our world toward His, and to do this He used prodding, and startling assertions, and soul-searching questions. As a provocative teacher, He unsettles you.

But Jesus did something else that made Him provocative, and that was His use of everyday objects. When Jesus told stories He used objects like mustard seeds, stones, houses, water, and sand. Jesus once even used a child as a prop. He also used word pictures to create a more vivid understanding of the truth He was trying to get across to the people. And because of this, we read the reaction of people; Matthew 7:28-29, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

III. Casual Observers vs. Committed Followers- (Matthew 12:22-28, 13:53-57, 14:15-17, 16:21-23; Mark 4:35-41)

Casual observers and committed followers were all caught off guard by Jesus’ words and actions. There were some who thought He was confused, others who thought He was schizophrenic, still others thought He was delusional. Let’s look at some examples:

a. Casual observers-In Matthew 12:22-24- “Then they brought him a

demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ²³All the people were astonished and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’ ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.’” Here the Pharisees think (and try to get others to believe) that Jesus is possessed, and that He does His miracles by the power of Satan. And so Jesus straightens them out in verses 25-28, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

The Pharisees were casual observers, and were afraid of Jesus leading people astray. They didn’t understand Jesus, and so they attacked Jesus and accused Him of being of the devil. They were caught off guard by Jesus’ ability to heal a demon- possessed man. They didn’t understand that Jesus’ power came from His being God in the flesh; the Messiah; the Son of God.

We see this truth especially from those in His own hometown; Matthew 13:53-57.

“When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. ⁵⁵"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷And they took offense at him…”

b. Committed followers- But those who were committed to Him still

did not understand Him. How often did His own followers doubt Him and question Him? In Matthew 14:15-17, “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’ ¹⁶Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ¹⁷‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.”

OR Mark 4:35-41, when Jesus and the disciples are in the boat, Jesus was asleep, and a great storm arose. The disciples were greatly afraid and woke Jesus. They then had this interchange: “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?’ ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

OR Matthew 16:21-23, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ ²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’”

The disciples, those who spent the most time with Him, and should have known Him best, were regularly confused about Jesus’ teaching and actions.

Conclusion: If the disciples were as confused about Jesus as anyone else, it shouldn’t be a surprise to us when we have trouble understanding who Jesus is, and what Jesus is trying to do in our lives and in His church.

In the coming weeks, may we open our minds and hearts to encounter Jesus, the Provocative Teacher. May we let ourselves come near to Jesus, and watch and listen to Jesus. In doing this, we will probably have some unsettled moments. But this is okay, because Jesus can take this unsettledness and use it to lead us into a deeper relationship with God, and a more profound way of living our lives! Amen.