Three Strikes and You're NOT out!

Strike Three!

Three strikes and you’re out!

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to understand that phrase. Make the same mistake a third time and you’re done. Finished. It’s over.

Out of Chances

There’s a limit to mercy. At your job. In your marriage. In the criminal justice system. Blow it enough times and you’ll find yourself fresh out of chances.

And that’s if you’re lucky. In many situations, it’s one and done. And I’m NOT talking about college basketball stars turning pro after just a single season.

The Patience of Jesus

There’s one place where you never run out of strikes. Shoot, even in the kids T-Ball league where they don’t keep score, the ump will eventually ring you up and call you out. 

Not Jesus. His patience with His followers is ridiculously long. They blow it over and over and over. Yet He never gives up on them.

Rounding Third and Heading for Home

You would think He would set the bar just a bit higher for His own team of twelve. Nope. In their three years with our Savior, these knuckleheads continually drop the ball, swing and miss, and make the same mistake time after time.

Flip over to Mark 10:32-34 for yet one more example. Christ and His crew are rounding third and heading for home. They’re in the final weeks of their three-and-a-half-year journey together.

What’s about to God Down

The Lord takes a moment to explain to the disciples in detail what’s about to go down. Once they hit Jerusalem, things will go south quickly. We’re talking betrayal, torture, humiliation, and murder.

Despite all of that, He tells them they won’t believe how it’s going to end. At the end of the day, well “three days” if you’re counting, He’ll come strolling out of the cemetery better than ever.

Telling Them a Third Time

Jesus has told them twice before (Mk 8:31; 9:31). And just like the two previous times, they just don’t get it. But instead of giving up on His guys, the Son of God believes in His Dad’s plan. 

He trusts His Father, certainly NOT in this ragtag team of commercial fishermen, tax collectors, blue collar tradesmen, and at least one political activist. 

A Bloody Body and a Borrowed Tomb

Christ DOES trust what He will do through them once they see Him again days after they stuff His bloody dead body into a borrowed tomb. That’s because His resurrection is THE game changer.

Despite their endless list of bonehead mistakes and blatant unfaithfulness, He’s not done with them. Some people call Him the God of Second Chances. That’s selling Him WAY short. On this side of the dirt, He offers UNLIMITED CHANCES!

The Surprising Finale

As we’ll see, Jesus is about to give the Twelve the most detail yet about what’s about to happen. He not only runs down the roster of those involved, He also tells them specifically about the torture He will endure.

Our Savior wraps up this third scouting report with the surprising finale. Don’t miss the resurrection, boys! Guess what, they miss the resurrection. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

A Growing Crowd

Speaking of getting ahead, that’s exactly where we see the Son of God as we pick up the action. “They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them” (v32).

As we’ll see, “they” are all of Christ’s followers at the moment. The crowd has grown over the past few weeks. Miraculous healings and feeding a few thousand hungry people not once but twice will do that.

The Lord Is the Leader

Notice that the Lord is leading. Just like He is in this story, Jesus is ALWAYS walking ahead of us. As our Lord, He’s our Leader. He always goes first. After all, He does call Himself “the Way” (Jn 14:6).

We go where He does. We do what He does. We love like He loves. As His followers, that’s what we do. Trusting in who He is means trusting in where He leads.

The Journey to J Town

And in this case, they’re all on a journey to J Town. The big city. The capital. Dr. Luke tells us, “As the time drew near for Him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51).

If you’re familiar with the story, that’s where He’s been heading the whole time. As He’s about to tell His team, that’s where He has a divine appointment with Roman cross and an empty tomb.

Shocked, Startled, and Astonished

As everyone watches Christ walking ahead of them, they have different reactions. “The disciples were filled with 

awe, the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear” (v32).

Mark uses the Greek word here, θαμβεω/thambeo, to describe His guys. It means to be shocked, startled, astonished, and surprised. The term only shows up three times in the New Testament, all of them in the second Gospel.

The Traumatized Twelve

This verb comes from a root word which carries the idea of being too scared to move. And for you grammar nerds (like me!), it’s in the imperfect tense. That means they have an ongoing dread about what they’re a part of. Call them the Traumatized Twelve.

Think about that. The original Dirty Dozen has been hanging out with the Lord for three plus years. What they’re witnessing STILL takes their breath away. Increasingly, it’s like they’re watching a train wreck in slow motion…and they’re just realizing that they’re on the train!!

The Larger Crowd

Now Mark zooms out to show us the larger crowd traveling with Jesus. They have a little different reaction to what’s going on. “The people following behind were overwhelmed with fear” (v32).

The verb here in the original text is φοβεω/fobeo. It’s where we get our word “phobia.” It should come as no surprise that it means to be so scared that you’re tempted to run away.

A Nasty Ending

Let me put it this way, the rest of Jesus’ followers are freaking out. Why? They can see where this is headed. And I don’t mean Jerusalem.

The bigger bunch is probably realizing that this is heading for a nasty ending. They know the Romans have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to revolution.

The empire will put a quick and bloody end to all this Messiah talk. They’ve done it before and they’ll do it again. Their preferred way of snuffing out sedition is to nail rebel wannabes to the cross and let them die a slow, painful, public death.

Peter’s Version

So how do we know the difference between the emotions of the larger crowd and the disciples? You can thank Peter for that. Most of the earliest believers thought Mark got his details from the one the Lord nicknames Rocky.

A Third Team Meeting

At this point, Christ calls a team meeting. “Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to 

describe everything that was about to happen to Him” (v32).

It’s time to remind the guys what’s ahead. He’s already done this two times before (Mk 8:31; 9:31) and strongly hinted at it a third (Mk 9:13). Okay, guys. Let’s go over this again. Clearly you didn’t get it the first two times.

An Unstoppable Process

Mark’s description of the reason for this discussion is fascinating. He uses two Greek words which the NLT translates as “about to happen” (v32).

The first is μελλω/mello. It paints a picture of something will certainly take place. It’s inevitable. Destined to be. It MUST happen. You can take it to the bank.

The second is συμβαινω/sumbaino. It literally means to walk with your feet close together. Think a series of steps. A sequence of events. An unstoppable process. Once it starts, you can’t stop it.

An Ancient Plan

Jesus wants to make sure the Twelve understands this plan has been in place for a very long time. As a matter of fact, back before time was even a thing (Eph 1:4).

What will happen when they hit Jerusalem is all part of a divine strategy. Or as Isaiah writes, “It was the LORD’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief” (Is 54:10). 

The bottom line? It doesn’t matter what I understand or believe. That won’t change God’s ultimate purpose and plan. It WILL happen. The only question is whether or not I’ll be part of what He will do.

The Plans for the Passion

For the third time, our Savior tells His personal posse the plans for the Passion. “Listen…we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence Him to die and hand Him over to the Romans” (v33).

Jesus jam packs this third prediction with more details than the previous two. The third time is NOT the charm. His description is even more gruesome. 

OUR Destination

Now He’s talking about how He’ll be publicly humiliated, spit on, and tortured before He’s murdered. If this holy huddle is supposed to calm the disciples’ nerves, it’s not working.

“Listen…we’re going up to Jerusalem” (v33, emphasis added). Just to be clear, boys, Jerusalem is OUR destination. The capital city is just as much their last stop too. It always has been. Everything else and every place else has led to this. 

Jesus’ Favorite Nickname

Once again, the Lord refers to Himself with personal His favorite nickname, “the Son of Man” (v33). This title appears 81 times in the NT and 14 times in Mark’s Gospel. Why do we know it’s Jesus’ fave? He’s the ONLY one who says it!

What does it mean? He’s claiming to the same One Daniel spied in a vision of the heavenly throne room. “I saw Someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven” (Dan 7:14). It’s the Lord’s not-so-subtle way of claiming to be the divine Son of God and the messianic Hero from heaven.

A Demonic Delivery

The first step in His Passion will happen when the Son of Man is “betrayed” (Gr. παραδιδωμι/paradidomi). The word literally means to hand over. This will be a demonic delivery and an unholy handoff. 

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say who does the handing over. The one who is not named is standing right there. None other than Judas Iscariot. The treasurer of the Twelve will soon sell out the Savior for 30 silver coins.

Defending Their Turf

Instead of giving Him the key to the city when He arrives in Jerusalem, “the leading priests and the teachers of the religious law” (v33) will do everything they can to defend their turf. 

The top priests are in charge of worship and sacrifice at the temple. There’s just one problem. They’ve turned this humble privilege into a money-making power grab.

Looking for Loopholes

Then there are “the teachers of the religious law” (v33). These are dudes highly skilled in Jewish law and theology. But instead of encouraging folks follow God’s commands, they use their knowledge to look for loopholes. 

In this case, a justification for killing Jesus. The Lord goes on to say, “They will sentence Him to die and hand Him over to the Romans” (v33). The folks in the Hebrew home office will condemn Christ to die and then ask Rome to do their dirty work.

Roman Involvement

This is Christ’s first mention of Roman involvement in His murder. Actually the word here (Gr. εθνος/ethnos) simply means people who aren’t Jewish. That means both Jews and Gentiles have divine blood on their hands. Nobody gets off the hook.

“He Deserves to Die!"

They all want Him dead because He says He’s God. NOT because He’s an incredible Teacher. NOT because He’s an amazing Healer. But because He claims to be none other than God in the flesh.

Fast forward to the light night kangaroo court in the hours before His death. When Jesus announces that He’s the “I AM,” Caiaphas rips his robe and asks for an immediate verdict from the Jewish leadership. They shout, “He deserves to die!” (Mk 14:62-64). They will fulfill what Jesus predicts.

An Unholy Alliance

The Jewish leaders need Roman help because only the empire has the legal right to execute. Much as they hate Rome, they create an unholy alliance to do what must be done. 

Catching His Followers Flatfooted

In the ESV Study Bible notes, Hans Bayer points out how the Lord experiences a double deliverance. First Judas hands Jesus off to Jewish leaders. That’s followed by a lateral to Roman occupying forces. 

It’s a demonic double reverse that will catch His followers flatfooted…despite THREE warnings!

Humiliation and Torture

Once the empire gets its hands on Him, Christ says it will go from bad to worse. “They will mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him with a whip, and kill Him” (v34).

For the first time, our Savior goes over the evil details of final hours. His killers won’t simply murder Him. Before that happens, they will toy with Him. Humiliate Him. Torture Him.

Grace Gets Disgrace

Forget the Greek word studies. This is way worse than we can ever imagine. The One who brings grace gets nothing but disgrace. 

Like bullies on the schoolyard, Roman soldiers will literally play games with Him. They’ll spit goober on the Son of God. They’ll rip off His flesh using cat o’ nine tails equipped with hooks and bone. 

A Slow and Torturous Murder

All that BEFORE they execute Him. As we said before, Rome’s go-to method of capital punishment is crucifixion. A long, slow torturous murder where the victim eventually dies of suffocation. 

In just a few days, that’s exactly how it will happen. Mark goes into into it very gory detail (Mk 14:43-15:41).

The Thrilling Conclusion

Thankfully the story does NOT stop there. Jesus doesn’t want the Twelve to miss the thrilling conclusion. “But after three days He will rise” (v34)! Not “He MIGHT rise” or “He COULD rise.” 

He. WILL. Rise.

Turning Everything Upside down

Despite all that will happen, Jesus WILL win. Conspiracy. Betrayal. Death sentence. Humiliation. Spit. Torture. Murder. It can’t get any worse than Thursday and Friday. But come Sunday, He’ll turn everything upside down.

He. WILL. Rise.

Calling His Shot

This is massive for many reasons. First of all, there have been a lot of people who’ve predicted their own death. Christ is the only One who predicted His own death AND resurrection…AND ACTUALLY DID IT!

I love what Andy Stanley says. “When Somebody predicts His own death and resurrection, and pulls it off, I just go with whatever He says.” Kinda makes Babe Ruth calling his shot seem like Little League stuff.

A Radical Transformation

Someone who can pull that off is worthy of trust, don’t you think? It certainly was for Jesus’ apostles. His resurrection will radically transform them from fearful runaways into fearless men on a mission. 

Our Savior’s resurrection is also huge because it’s a picture of happens when we place our trust in Him. A dude named Paul puts it this way. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven” (Col 3:1).

Catch that? “SINCE you have been raised to new life with Christ.” Not “when.” SINCE! He gives us brand new life the moment we put our trust in who He is and what He’s done.

They STILL Don’t Get It

There’s just one problem for the Lord’s disciples. At this point in the story, they still can’t wrap their heads and hearts around what He’s telling them. Not the first time (Mk 8:31). Not the second (Mk 9:31). Not the third.

How do we know they don’t get it? Because right after this, James and John are weaseling for key positions in His leadership. Jesus looks them in the eye and says, “You don’t know what you are asking!” (Mk 10:38).

Time for a New Team?

Over in Dr. Luke’s version of this same event, he cuts to the chase. “They failed to grasp what He was talking about” (Lk 18:34). Strike three!

I don’t know about you but this would be the critical moment when I would clean house. Time for a whole new team. 

Like My Dog Looks at My Laptop

The crew that God wants to use to change the world doesn’t have a clue. They look back at Jesus like my dog looks at my laptop. They don’t swing and miss. They can’t even get their bat off the shoulder.

And this is far from the end of their failure to deliver. Just wait till you see the dumpster fire these disciples become once they hit Jerusalem. 

An Endless Parade

But Christ refuses to give up on them. He knows everything will change when eventually seen Him stroll out of the cemetery and He fills them with His Spirit. 

Over and over again, God uses an endless parade of losers, morons, goofballs, and weirdos to accomplish His mission. Why? It’s all He has to work with. 

Get in Line

That man Paul tells Christ followers in Corinth how God loves working through people that the world sees as foolish and powerless and despicable (1Cor 1:26-29).

Does that describe you? Then get in line. You’re perfectly qualified for Jesus to use you in a big way. You’ll fit 

right in with those guys who just stood there watching strike three.

©2019

Jay Jennings

The Big O Is No Zero

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus” (2Tim 1:16-18).

There are just some people who stoke your fire. Folks who make you feel like you can’t lose. Friends who deepen your faith. Friends who fill your tank. Who’s that for you? Who’s name do you love seeing come up on your phone? Who do look forward to hanging out with because you just know they don’t want anything other than to lift you up? 

Paul had a buddy like that. His name was Onesiphorus. The Big O was such close friend that the apostle wrote some VERY kind words about him in the very last letter he wrote just before he died. “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus” (v16-18). 

Did you catch Paul’s situation? In Rome. In chains. In desperate need of a pick-me-up. And look who shows up. The one and only Onesiphorus! It’s just another reminder that this little book of the Bible we call 2nd Timothy is really just a very personal letter. A letter from a real person (Paul) in a real place (a prison in Rome) with real problems (on Death Row) to another real person (Timothy). 

The apostle brings his protege up to speed on his desperate circumstances. He urgently pleads with Tim to hit the road and come see him (2Tim 4:9, 21). The dude formerly known as Saul knows he has a date with the executioner sometime very soon (2Tim 4:6-7). Just in case the young pastor doesn’t get there in time, Paul passes the baton of ministry to him in writing (2Tim 2:1-4:5).

Here in chapter one, he tells Tim that some guy with a very strange name has a very special place in his heart. Let’s face it, not too many parents are naming their son Onesiphorus these days. And that actually may not be his real name at all. Remember, Paul is serving hard time in Caesar’s SuperMax. He may be giving the Big O a nickname. Was this like a code name in case Roman authorities read or intercept the letter before it makes it to Timothy? 

That would make a lot of sense. In the previous verse, the apostle called out two knuckleheads named Phygelus and Hermogenes for going AWOL (2Tim 1:15). A little detective work into the original language reveals these are most likely handles cooked up to keep their real names out. They’ve earned the notorious nicknames of Li’l Fugitive and the Flash. 

So if Onesiphorus isn’t the guy’s real name, what does it mean? It describes someone who is profitable, and useful. He’s so beneficial, we could call him “Benny.” When he’s around, he always makes sure your life runs in the black, not in the red. Someone with that sort of rep would certainly be enthusiastic, friendly, likable, courageous, fiery, passionate, and have a deep faith. Yeah, the Big O is anything but a big zero. 

According to the tradition of the Orthodox church, Jesus handpicked the Big O as one of he 70-plus disciples to act His Gospel advance team (Lk 10:1-12). They returned telling all sorts of crazy stories of God’s supernatural work against Satan, sin, and death (Lk 10:17-24). He later becomes Saint Onesiphorus, serving as a church leader in what we know today as Turkey as well as Corinth over in Greece. He died as a martyr because of his faith in Jesus near the city of Ephesus. Seems his executioners tied him between two teams of horses headed in opposite directions. 

How much of that is it true? Not sure. But we DO know he was one on the short list of Paul’s faves. Here’s what we do know about the Big O from these verses. He had a well-known rep as a key servant/leader in the church the apostle planted in Ephesus. Most of his family are followers of Jesus. He repeatedly was a breath of fresh air for Paul. He certainly wasn’t embarrassed by his friendship with someone behind bars. Onesiphorus personally went the extra mile to find the apostle walking the Green Mile in Rome’s infamous Mamertine Prison. 

Paul prays not once but twice for God to bless the Big O and his family. “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus…may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord” (v16, 18). The apostle trusts Jesus will be good on His own words from His most famous message. In the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount, our Savior boldly proclaims, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Mt 5:7). If we want to get God’s mercy, we’ll give mercy to others. Generously. Lavishly. Extravagantly. Christ opens up His fire hydrant of blessing on those of us who aren’t stingy with our blessing. Onesiphorus didn’t hold back. The Big O was anything but a big zero.

The apostle gets down to the nitty gritty on why his buddy is a prime candidate for God’s goodness. First of all, “he often refreshed me” (v16). Paul uses a word here (Gr. anaspucho) which means to cheer up in person or encourage somebody who’s in deep trouble or a state of high anxiety. While I’ve never been there myself, I’m pretty sure having a capital punishment hanging over my head would mean I’m in deep trouble and a state of high anxiety! 

Anaspucho literally describes giving someone room to breathe. You help them catch their breath and provide a cool breeze. Take a look around. Who needs help? Who’s worn out, worn down, and worn to a frazzle. God wants to use you and me to revive them, restore them, and help them recover. And I need to remember that when my own tank is on “E,” those people who come to my rescue are actually sent by Jesus. The Lord is the ultimate source of refreshment for the weary and wiped out (Acts 3:20). 

The Big O didn’t just swoop in to perk up Paul once, maybe twice. The apostle makes it clear that he did it frequently. Not just random refreshment. Regularly. Repeatedly. This was no one-and-done deal. Onesiphorus made helping his friend a habit. 

Paul’s situation wasn’t an embarrassment to Onesiphorus. He certainly “was not ashamed of my chains” (v16). Unlike Phygelus and Hermogenes who left the apostle swinging in the breeze (2Tim 1:15). Following Jesus gets messy because God’s people are messy. Following Jesus gets messy because He’s always going into the mess. Our mess. He’s certainly not rattled by it. We shouldn’t be either. Onesiphorus leans in when Paul is locked up. Earlier, the apostle encourages Tim to “not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner” (2Tim 1:8). Paul is certainly “not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed” (2Tim 1:12). 

Are there fellow followers of Jesus who embarrass you? Maybe just a little? You know the people I’m talking about, don’t you? You cringe when you think they’re just a little too bold about their Savior. They have a high JPM. Not familiar with the term? That’s “Jesus per Minute.” Maybe they’re continually giving credit to Christ for all of His blessings. Maybe they’re always prepping for a mission trip to help others in the Lord’s name and asking you to go. Maybe you think they’re just a little too quick to pull the trigger on telling others about their love for Jesus. Maybe they’ve taken a controversial stand on an issue because of what they believe.

Instead of pretending you don’t know them, take a page out of the Onesiphorus playbook. Go to them. Refresh them. Stand with them. Encourage them. Pray for them. Follow the Big O’s example. Don’t freak out. Cowboy up. And just where do you think he got this crazy idea? From Jesus Himself. He didn’t let the dubious reputation of those He came to save stand in His way. Remember how the religious snobs lost their ever lovin’ minds anytime the radical Rabbi/Carpenter hung out with the wrong crowd. Christ is willing to have His name associated with some sketchy folks. Like me. Like you. Let’s show mercy because Jesus has shown us mercy.

Onesiphorus didn’t just have warm fuzzy feelings for Paul from the comfort of his Ephesian couch. When he got the news that his friend was in behind the eight ball, it was time for a road trip. If you’re curious, a check of the map tells us the journey from Ephesus to Rome is jaunt of 1,300 miles. “When he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me” (v17). 

This was no casual search for the apostle. Paul describes Onesiphorus as scouring the city “earnestly.” The writer uses a very descriptive word (Gr. spoudaioteron) which means urgently, zealously, diligently, actively, and with great intensity. He totally devoted himself to the search for his friend. Think of those classic scenes from “Star Trek” when Captain Kirk begs Mr. Scott for more speed from the Starship Enterprise. Scotty always responds, “I’m giving you everything she’s got, Captain!” You can almost see the Big O spending every waking hour asking anyone and everyone if they know Paul’s location.

Again, Onesiphorus is simply doing for Paul what Jesus did for us. He left heaven on the greatest search and rescue mission the universe has ever seen. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Our Savior rolled up His sleeves to dive into the mess we’ve made and pull us to eternal safety. In case you were wondering, there’s no way we can save ourselves. We desperately need outside intervention. Divine intervention.

When we trashed God’s perfect creation, Christ didn’t throw up His hands. He got involved. Jesus is the model Missionary. He searched for us earnestly and found us. When Li’l Fugitive and the Flash turned tail and ran when Paul was arrested (2Tim , the Big O did just the opposite. He went looking for the apostle. Just like the Lord did for you and me. 

Some folks wonder if the Big O is still alive when Paul writes to Timothy. They believe that’s why the apostle asks for Jesus to bless “the household of Onesiphorus” (v16). Near the end of the letter, the apostle uses that very same phrase when telling Tim to say “hey” to “the household of Onesiphorus” (2Tim 4:19). He’s apparently not in Rome with him since Paul goes out of his way to say “Luke alone is with me” (2Tim 4:11). While we can’t be 100% sure of Onesiphorus’ status, Paul certainly asks Christ for an extra heapin’ helpin’ of mercy when the Lord makes His final return trip (v18).

So who’s the one God puts in your life to pick you up when you’re down? Who’s the person who revs your engine when it’s running rough? Who goes out of their way to come looking for you when you’re not around (maybe even running away!)? Who’s your Onesiphorus? Now turn it around. Who can you encourage? Who can you refresh? Who do you need to go search and rescue? Who needs YOU to be their Onesiphorus? Don’t forget. The Big O was anything but a big zero.