Mark 9:30-32 “They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”
Mark 9:30-32 is an insightful lesson in leadership and mentoring. In this passage Jesus continues to demonstrate a powerful commitment to making time to train his key people on a deeper level than the rest of multitudes that are attracted to His ministry. Many leaders get caught up in the business of success and fame and lose sight of the long term goals of what they are leading. It would have been very easy for Jesus to focus solely on the crowds, the miracles and the opportunities to enlarge His following but throughout the pages of scripture it is clear that Jesus consistently makes time for two primary things; His personal relationship with the Father and the development of the team of people that will someday soon take over the primary leadership of His organization.
In verse 30 Jesus one of the more subtle sides of Jesus is seen. There are only a few references in the gospels to this aspect of Jesus’ ministry but it is thought provoking to read “Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples.” Jesus understood the need to make Himself inaccessible to the needs and the demands of the crowds that were around Him. He displays a tremendous capacity to restrain passion for the sake of wisdom. Many people get caught up in their zealous energy. Yet Paul wrote a very balancing statement to the Romans when he exhorted them Rom 12:11”Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Simply put his point was Keep the passion but keep it yoked to the purpose! A similar phrase heard commonly in the workplace today is “work smarter, not harder!” And it is this that Jesus is demonstrating.
Based upon the disciple’s reaction to the news that He will die and be raised from the dead Jesus has recognized the need to invest more deeply in their preparation. He sees that they do not really understand what He is trying to prepare them for and so He is has set aside time for a deeper investment to teach them more thoroughly.
There is, however, a secondary and yet common problem that is seen in this little passage. Even though Jesus is making this focused investment in helping them to grasp what He has been trying to say it simply is not getting through. It is in the midst of this that the disciples make a key error because of their fear. They do not ask any more questions. Whether to protect themselves from rebuke or out of pride or simply because they are intimidated by the things that He is saying to them, the disciples miss the opportunity to search out the matter. Jesus has created an environment where they are alone, and He is available and yet they still do not seize this chance to seek understanding because of their fear. This condition is far too common even in today’s workplace. As a result many of the things that could have helped the disciples through their transition to the primary leadership had to be learned on their own. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when He said to them in John 16:12-13 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
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