Mark 8.22-9.1

Title: Discipleship Defined

Text: 8.22-9.1

Introduction: I’ve told you before that Mark seems to love Triads? Well, observe this set of Triads: a triad of triads.

Cycle of Events
1. Passion Predictions	8.31	9.30f	10.32ff
2. Disciples demonstrate a lack of understanding	8.32	9.33f	10.35-41
3. True Discipleship	8.34-38	9.35ff	10.42-45

Here is an outline and flow to our text this morning: We begin our study with the healing of a blind man at Bethsaida (8:22–26). We’ve now returned to Jewish territory (22). Jesus begins healing the man in private (23), but the man isn’t fully healed (24). So, Jesus continues healing the man. His sight is completely restored (25). Jesus sends him on his way but tells him not to re-enter the village – a sign to keep this miracle a secret (26).

      The Disciples then travel north with Jesus to Caesarea Philippi. (27) While on their Journey, Jesus asks them who people say Jesus is. They give various answers; however, Peter makes the famous declaration: You are the Christ! This is the home of the pagan worship of Pan (½ goat; ½ man); This is where the river Styx entered the underworld (hell); Matthew records the ‘gates of hell’.

      Something very interesting occurs here. Just after Peter makes his most famous declaration, he now commits his biggest faux pas. Jesus begins to clearly teach what the Scriptures have taught all along: that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by religious leaders, who will kill him. But, after three days, he will rise again. (31-32a). For some reason, Peter doesn’t like this negative talk from the master. So, he takes him aside and rebukes him. But, Jesus, seeing his disciples are watching, openly rebukes Peter. (32b-33).

      Jesus then calls the crowd to him and shares with them the high cost of following Christ. The Requirements of Discipleship (8:34–9:1) are listed simply as “Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow.” Then, Jesus defines this task in oxymorons:1) Save your life and lose it. Lose your life and save it; 2) Profit and gain, yet forfeit; 3) Give and return; 4) Shame vs. Glory

Basically, here is how the Scripture flows in Outline form:

1. An Illustration of the slow progression of blindness to sight (8.22-26).
2. An Example of Peter in the midst of his progression to perception (8.27-33).
3. The Reality of Discipleship: you must be like Christ! (8.34-9.1)

Transition: let’s begin with the illustration we finished up with last week.

I. An Illustration of the slow progression of blindness to sight (22-26)

exp.: As a way of review, I think this story fits our storyline; the miracle is completed in two stages:

• 8.23b: and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
• 8.25: ²⁵ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

This progression illustrates for us the slow, progressive coming to faith the disciples’ experience; and, especially in today’s passage, Peter’s journey.

app.: Jesus demonstrates that He is The Messiah through the healing of the blind man. He is the answer to the prophecy found in Isaiah 35.5-6. He concludes with the command to keep the Messianic secret: Don’t even enter the village.

t.s.: Mark then gives us an example of Peter’s progression.

II. An example of Peter in the midst of his progression to perception (27-33)

exp.: I love this: it’s like a snapshot of Peter’s life at this moment… where he lets us see into a certain time frame in Peter’s journey; rd 27a; where are they headed toward? Caesarea Philippi.

Let me digress for a moment – when traveling in Israel back in 2014, we went to Caesarea Philippi. This is the sight of Banias Springs the second tributary of the Jordan. It is actually “Panias” but Arabs cannot say a P and there is no P in Arabic, thus they called it Banias. It is named Panias because they would worship their many gods here (Hence, the word Pan). At the start of this area is where the spring used to be – you can see from the picture that the water carved out a little cave. At the mouth of this spring, the people who worshiped their many gods believed was the entrance to the underworld, Hades, hell. The river that flows through Hades is the river Styx.

Remember that, we’ll come back to that. For now, they’re on their way and Jesus asks them a simple question: who do people say that I am? This is the 2^nd time we’ve seen this: 6.14;

^6.14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

^8.27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

So, the rumor mill is the same; however, Christ wants them to know that he isn’t any of those men. And so he asks them, personally in v 29: “But who do you say that I am?”

• It appears at first that Peter understands who Jesus is: Q.: Who do you say I am? A.: You are the Christ or Messiah. That’s huge! So, it appears that Peter gets it. He understands.

Let’s stop for a second and add an application: Just because someone says the right words, doesn’t mean they understand what they’re saying. Let that resonate!

Matthew 16, records this same story and expounds on it quite a bit. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This place, where they are, is the place these people believe to be the gates to the underworld. Do you see that connection?

Transition: we have the Messianic Secret again in v 30 where he charges them to tell no one. What Peter has said is true, but his time has not yet come. And then, in v 31…

• Jesus gives a clear picture of the Messiah in his prediction of the passion.

app.: rd v 31-32b; So, just to be sure you understand when you say I’m the Messiah – this is what the Messiah looks like:

– Suffering: Lit.: It is necessary that the Son of Man will suffer much (the word things doesn’t appear in the Gk)

– Rejection: will come by the religious leaders;

– Death: he will be killed

– Resurrection: after 3 days, he will rise again

That’s the Gospel! That’s the whole reason Christ has come! That is the job of the Messiah. That is how he will save his people from their sins – he will pay the penalty for them. Thank you, Mark, for v 32a…

So to review: Jesus asks who they think he is. Peter appears to get it: You the promised Messiah! Jesus says, yes, wonderful. Let me let you in on more of what the Messiah has come to do. He will suffer and be rejected. He will die, and he will rise again.

Transition: and this leads us to the third step in his progression… rd 32b-33

• It appears that Peter doesn’t understand at all who Jesus is at all.

exp.: Peter makes one of the most beautiful declarations in Scripture! He thinks he knows who Jesus is! It’s kind of like Jesus says Do you know who I am. Peter says: Yes, I do. And Jesus says: uh, no, you don’t.

This is a cycle we’ll see repeated and climax at the end of this cycle of triads.

• Jesus asks: What do you know or what can you do?
• Someone answers: I know, or, I can…
• Jesus basically says: No, you don’t or No, you can’t

Transition: to be sure, Jesus now outlines what it means to be like him… what it means to be a true disciple.

III. The Reality of Discipleship (8.34-9.1)

exp.: rd v 34: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. You’ve probably noted before that Jesus commands those individuals listening to take up each one’s own cross, but they don’t have the context of Jesus doing the same thing. You and I do! Still, I wonder, if he’s not giving them context here. What I mean is: He just told them he was going to suffer, be rejected, and die. I’m wondering if that is the context for this statement: I’m going to suffer, be rejected, and die. And, if you want to follow me, you’ve got to do the same thing as me (i.e.: take up your cross). You’re going to have to suffer and be rejected and die to yourself on your cross.

Jesus then presents or defines this reality, this task of discipleship with a set of oxymorons: 

1) Save and loose

2) Profit, gain, and forfeit;

  3) Give and return;

4) Shame and Glory

Rd v 35-38;

app.: One author wrote: Jesus presents the choice of following him through a series of dichotomous positions.

t.s.: I wish I could talk like that!

Conclusion: Jesus has just defined for us who the Messiah is and what the Messiah will do. He is not one who comes for conquests but through suffering and rejection. He will die. The good news is, three days later he will rise again. He then turns to the crowd and he speaks to individuals. This is important, don’t miss this – he doesn’t speak to the crowd, but rather individuals in the crowd: If someone wants to follow me, you (sg) must

(1) Deny yourself (reject): That means you’re no longer calling the shots for your life. You surrender what you want to what Jesus wants. And when selfishness rears its ugly head, you reject or deny yourself (daily) and follow after Christ.

(2) Take up your own cross (lift it up and carry it); Have you ever thought about this? What do you do with a cross? You don’t ride them – they don’t take you anywhere? You don’t give them to other people – Jesus makes that clear with the relative personal pronoun he uses. What do you do with a cross? You carry it until you lay it down and climb upon it to die.

(3) Follow him; The paradox of the Christian faith is that by dying to ourselves and following God’s way, we inherit true life. We save it when we lose it. We truly profit and gain it, when we forfeit it.

Application:

1. Jesus wants to clarify misperceptions about him. He is the promised Messiah!
   1. He is not Elijah, John the Baptist or one of the prophets.
   2. He is not a military or political ruler.
   3. He would suffer and be rejected and die on a cross to pay the penalty for sins.
2. Jesus demonstrates true Christian leadership through sacrifice and service.
3. And, he calls us to be like him.

Mark 7.31-8.26

Title: Busyness or Business

Text: Mark 7.31-8.26

Introduction: I’m so proud of you guys! You’ve been busy. Your mission team has stepped up in huge ways. (Present some of the items).

• Our first engagement with the Labor Day BBQ here in Tarpley.
• OCC Shoeboxes
• Collections for Arms of Hope – Single mothers and Children’s Home
• Collections for Helping Hands
• Thank you cards for the LEC (Law Enforcement Community)

I wonder if sometimes you might think what you do isn’t important. I wonder if you know the value of planting seeds.

A family in Britain decided to move, but they needed to downsize. They hired a company to come in and help them sell off some items to help them downsize. Mander Auctioneers came in and gathered up the items the family wanted to get rid of and something incredible happened.

A British family won an unexpected payday when what they thought were 18th-century replicas of ancient Egyptian statuettes turned out to be the real deal. Mander Auctioneers auctioned what a Sudbury, Suffolk, family described as garden ornaments during the family’s process of thinning out their belongings prior to a move. They had purchased the statues at an auction 15 years ago for a few hundred dollars. One statue had its head reattached with cement. At first, the family and the auction house expected to get about $500 for the heavily weathered statues depicting a pair of sphinxes. “And then the auction just went crazy,” auctioneer James Mander told CNN. Apparently, several bidders had discovered the statues were bona fide treasures of ancient Egypt rather than eroded copies. The two statues sold for $265,510 plus a 24 percent buyer’s premium to an international art gallery. Experts are tracing the age of the statues, which could be thousands of years old. – “Lucrative sphinx hijincks”, Worldmag.com, Nov 4^th, 2021

App.: I’m not sure you realize the value of what you have here. So let me share with you. You are investing in so much more than diapers, paper, cards, shoe boxes, time.

When you’re in the thick of things, you can easily lose perspective. You can’t see the proverbial forest for the trees.

I want to accomplish two goals this morning:

1. Remind you that what you do is important in the grand scheme of things. And, I want to do this by
2. Taking a bird’s eye view of our passage to show you that pulling away from the thick of things can truly give you a proper perspective of the larger picture.

Last week, we zoomed in on a story about the Syrophoenician woman who begged Christ for some crumbs that fall from the children’s table (7.24-30). Today, we’ll look at five (5) such stories. I want to do this to show you that there is a bigger picture that these smaller pictures, when they’re all put together, make.

With that being said, here’s what I intend to do this morning:

1. The Framework of the Text i.e., I’m going to hit all 5 stories here. I’m going to show you 5 pictures, if you will, of the hundreds of pictures that make up this one photo we call the Gospel story.
2. A Comparison of the Texts, we’re going to see similarities in these different passages. I want to demonstrate for you that Mark was a genius in his story telling ability. I want to show you that these separate stories, ‘pictures’ really all do fit together beautifully.
3. Theology Matters sure, there are teaching points in each small story, but I’m looking for this melodic line of the overall passage. That is what we’ll find in the Theology in Application section. Mark is playing a melodic line that gets repeated. What is that?

Transition: let’s begin with this 1^st task…

I. The Framework of the Text

exp.:    This pericope is bookended by two miracles of healing (7.31-37; 8.22-26).

• Miracles: These miracles are similar in their presentation. Take your Bible and put these passages side by side. Maybe your friend, your spouse, your sibling, whoever is sitting next to you will take one passage, say 7.31-37 and you take 8.22-26; Now that we’re set up, let’s compare the two passages. 6 Similarities:

1. ‘They brought’ someone needing a miracle. (7.32; 8.22)
2. ‘They begged’ Jesus to intercede. (7.32; 8.22)
3. Jesus dealt with these needs privately. (7.33; 8.23)
4. Both miracles were accomplished in 2 stages or two parts. (7.33-34; 8.23-25)
5. Both miracles display the use of saliva (7.33; 8.23)
6. Messianic Secret. Jesus encouraged them to remain silent. (7.36; 8.26)

      The middle sections continue with the theme: Jesus, the Bread of Life.

• Jesus feeds 4,000 with bread and fish. (8.1-10) This miracle is set in two stages as well. rd v 5-6; but it doesn’t end there – look at v 7- 8a; So, we have the bread and then, the fish.

Now, before I leave this section, some people have asked if this is the same story as chapter 6 or is it a different story altogether. It’s different. I say there are so many differences, that they must be two separate accounts. But, in our 4^th story, Jesus will refer to both miracles and compare them. Next,

• The Pharisees fail to see and understand that Jesus is who he says he is, the Bread of life. (8.11-13)

exp.: in 8.11-13 the Pharisees demand a sign;

1. Don’t mistake this for a miracle. To the Jews, Signs are indeed miraculous, but miracles aren’t necessarily signs. They’ve seen miracles. My guess is they’ve seen lots of ‘miracles’. The key for us is to see that the sign they demand of Jesus is from “Heaven” (11). They want him to do something with God stamped on it. You could read this to mean a sign up in the heavens – (you know, make it rain, make the sun stop shinning, or maybe something to do with the stars). But, I think it means a sign that demonstrates God’s approval.
2. The word sign never means miracle in Mark (w/ the exception of the last chapter).
3. Test is the same word as Mark 1.13; tempted; They’re doing the same thing Satan did – and they’ll fail, like Satan did. Here, I think, is Mark’s teaching – the motive of these guys is no different than that of their father, the Devil.

ill.: Ok! Think about this: Jesus could have given them a sign to rock their world. He is more than able to do so. But he doesn’t. Why? I think I understand a bit here.

I’ve been pressed by some about my vision here at Tarpley. I’ve been pressed on that before. I don’t buy into gimmicks or fads. My vision, my goal, is to have a healthy church. That’s my job as your pastor. As for ministry – I’m here to equip you, train you, provide resources for you and help you in any way I can fulfill the ministry you feel the Lord is calling you to. I don’t have visions of building buildings or doing this or that. My job is to ‘equip the saints for the work of the ministry’.

I remember sitting in an Elder’s Mtg a few years ago. Regularly, The elders are presented with ‘opportunities’ for ministry or growth or whatever. These opportunities come from within and without. There were two particular requests for us on our agenda one Thursday evening. A very short discussion about it ensued and we set it aside. Great opportunities. But, we said no. Why? I think for the same reason Jesus did here in Mark 8.12f.

When we consider what to do and what to be a part of, there are two questions we ask ourselves:

First, What is the family business? I’ve taken our constitution and outlined three G’s to help us articulate that business: The purposes of this body are declared to be:

1)  To glorify God through maintaining services both devotional and for public worship.

2)  To proclaim earnestly the gospel message and to urge its personal acceptance.

3)  To cooperate by prayer, gift, and a service in an effort to promote the cause grace of Christ throughout the world.

2nd, How’s business? Pretty good, for the most part. A struggle in others.

Each ministry can ask itself this Question and gauge its production by it. It is what we did Thursday night.

1. What is the family business? Glorify God; Gospel proclaimed; Grace promoted. Some of you might be thinking: But we’re a church, not a business. Let me ask you, is this not our Father’s business? When Mary and Joseph sought their little son who had gone missing, they found him in the Temple. What did he tell them? “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” That purpose drove him. So, let me ask you again: What is the family business?
2. How’s is this request going to help our business? 2 x’s in our elders mtg we moved quickly through the requests because the answer was obvious: it doesn’t help us reach our goal. It isn’t necessarily good for business. So, the answer was obvious. No.

app.: Jesus is dialed in on his work. Their request is busyness to keep him from his Father’s business. Hence, the title of the message today: Business or Busyness. We must respond in like fashion: is this busyness or business? We’ve got to be about our Father’s business.

      4.   The disciples fail to see and understand that Jesus is the Bread of Life. (8.14-21) This is important! Don’t miss this. We’ve actually seen this before? Rd v 14-21; Don’t you get this guys? Uh, no, sir.

t.s.: Now, I’d like to move from this section, and do a comparison. You know how I said, we’ve actually seen this before? It was just after Jesus had fed the 5,000 up in 6.50-52; rd 6.50-52; That got me to thinking, we’ve seen others similar stories and activities already in Mark.

1. A Comparison to The Previous Text

6:31–44	Feeding the multitude	8:1–9
6:45–56	Crossing the sea and landing	8:10
6.50-52	Their hearts are hardened and they do not understand.	8.18-21
7:1–23	Conflict with the Pharisees	8:11–13
7:24–30	A negative discussion about bread	8:14–21
7:31–36	Healing (Blind & Deaf)	8:22–26

app.: Through these two sections, there are similarities. Is this a coincidence? Well, Leroy Jethro Gibbs says there are no coincidences. And, that’s good advice for us as we look at these texts. Mark is up to something. I think he’s wanting to show us a bigger picture. I think he wants us to see the miracles in two stages. Jesus is doing those miracles in stages on purpose. I think he wants us also to identify that the disciples are dull both times Jesus talks about the bread. And, that there is a point he is making: Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Transition: So, we’ve looked at the Outline, the Framework. We’ve noted the comparison of this big outline to the previous section. Now, let’s look at the Theology being taught.

II. Theology Matters

exp.: So, we’ve answered the question that Mark is up to something – something larger than just story telling. But just what is he up to? 1^st, Mark is wanting us to see:

1. Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Prophecy in 35.5-6; rd Isaiah 35.1-6; there is a dual fulfillment here – the physical and the spiritual. And we see that is exactly what Mark is doing for us in this passage. The blind do see (i.e.: physically) and the deaf do hear (i.e.: physically); however, there is the spiritual side to this as well. The Pharisees are blinded and they go on in their blindness, but the disciples, though they are not perceiving, they will! Though they are not hearing – they will! And, though it is just a little at first, it will grow, it will progress and they will see and hear.

Transition: Don’t miss what Mark is doing in his presentation. Christ is indeed the Bread of Life. He is the Messiah who was promised. He is bringing healing both physically, and spiritually. Which brings me to the 2^nd Theological Application…

• Seeing is Believing; Perceiving is believing; Rd 8.17-18; the answer here is, ‘no, we don’t.’ So, how do we know they will? I think this is given to us in the physical miracles. Note: the deaf, the blind, and the bread – these miracles appear to take place in two stages.
  • Deaf: 1. He put his fingers in his ears, and 2. spit and touched his tongue.
  • Bread: 1. He distributed the bread. 2. And then, separately, he distributed the fish.
  • Blind: 1. spit on his eyes, and 2. laid his hands on him.

It is a reminder to us that we serve in a very physical manner. And we meet needs in a very physical manner. But, please don’t forget the spiritual side of what we do! Pray that God will use our service to bring himself Glory, that the Gospel will be proclaimed, and that God’s Grace will be extended to those around us.   

Transition: Which is a great segue for our 3^rd Theological Application…

• Faith is a progressive experience… think: process and progress. Do you see our miracles in the physical realm? Here is another question we must ask ourselves: Does the God of this Universe, the One who spoke our world into order and existence, Is He Insufficient in any way that he would need to conduct his miracles in stages? It isn’t like Jesus said: “Oh, you still can’t see? Well, let me do a little more… there!” In modern medicine, yes, you take your antibiotics for 10 days to three weeks. It’s a slow process. And then, if necessary, you take them for another round.

Not so with God. We’ve seen him perform miracles without even lifting a hand. He just thinks it and it is done. Remember the Syrophoenician woman? Rd 7.29: ²⁹ And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” Perfect tense – a state of being because of a past action! She’s already free from the Demon. The answer to this question is “no”. Jesus is not insufficient in any way! And yet, Jesus repeats this 2-stage process again and again, and again. Listen to Mark Strauss, professor of NT at Bethel Seminary in San Diego. In his commentary on Mark he writes: The two stages of these miracles represent the disciples’ gradual progression toward spiritual understanding. Faith is a progressive experience. The gradual healing of the blind man illustrates the gradual progress of faith in the life of the disciples. Though they have begun their journey by choosing to follow Jesus, they have much to learn. There is a long and challenging road ahead, and it will be full of fits and starts.

• These sections of Scripture are in two different geographical locations and to two different groups of people. 1. The Jews. and 2. The Gentiles. Mark is reminding us that the Gospel is universal in nature. Yes, it is focused up on the Jews in the beginning, but shortly, the gospel will spread to the World.

Conclusion:

            So, where do we go from here? Well, 1st, if you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ – let today be that day. Is it possible your heart has been hardened to Christ? You’ve demanded signs or your way in some venture, but Christ was focused on his mission. Have you ever thought, my friend, that Christ is more concerned for your soul than he is for your flesh? He’s more concerned about feeding your soul than he is about feeding your flesh! What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and yet loses his soul? Don’t let this moment pass you buy if you’ve never committed your life to Christ – please do so this morning.

In a moment we’ll be dismissed. We’re not going to sing 10 verses of a song and wait on you. I’m going to be out front. Stop by and ask if we can talk about something important. We can step aside and visit. We can make plans in the near future if that works better. But please, don’t just leave without getting the answers you are curious about.  

            2ndly, Maybe there is a decision you’ve made and you need to make it public. You’ve accepted Christ recently or maybe God has called you into the ministry. I’m not sure what your needs are, but I know that God does. So, you respond as He leads you this morning.

            Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark 7.24-30

Title: Missions: The Gospel to the Gentiles

Text: Mark 7.24-30

Introduction: We’re in the midst of a sermon series on Mark: Jesus, the Bread of Life. Our focus is Missions. This section is in Mark 6.30-8.21; it is the extended ministry of Jesus, beyond the Sea of Galilee. Here in chapter 7, Jesus has rebuked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and their clinging to the traditions of men, above even the Word of God.

I have to say, we engaged in some lively discussion Wednesday night about traditions and the Word of God. Robert commented on how the conversation seemed to make all tradition out to be wrong. But that wasn’t my intent. My goal was simply to make us aware of how many traditions we have, that they were established with good intentions; however, they may not necessarily be Biblical.

In that passage, Jesus declared all food clean. And then, he does something amazing: he gets up from there and enters into Gentile territory. Now, the Jews wouldn’t eat or fellowship with Gentiles. If someone went into the home of a Gentile, that person would become unclean. Now, that is nowhere in the Law of God, but it had simply become one of their own traditions or standards.

Listen, setting standards can be a good thing. I think you should set standards for yourself. In order to help you live a holy and godly life, set some standards. But, don’t make those the requirements for getting into heaven! That standard has already been set!

• Let’s say you decide you’re never going to go out on Saturday nights, but instead, you’ll be home by a certain time and get ready for Sunday. There is nothing wrong with that. However, when you begin to judge others who don’t live the same way – then, you’re wrong.
• Let’s say you decide you’re always going to look your best on Sunday mornings. You want to present your very best to God. Great. Iron your clothes, polish your shoes, Get your hair cut or whatever done on Saturday. Whatever it takes. But here is where you might mess up: when you judge the brother or sister who isn’t in their suit and tie, or in their nicest dress.

Yes, set standards to help yourself – just don’t make them the requirement for salvation! Jesus is going to step outside the standards set by the traditions of the elders…again. He just did it in 7.1-23. He’s going to do it again by going into Gentile territory. And here is where we pick up the storyline in v 24 – I’ve divided this passage into three main parts:

1. Jesus withdraws from that region into the land of the Gentiles.
2. A desperate mother discovers his whereabouts and petitions him to save her daughter.
3. Jesus responds to this mother in a very uncharacteristic way.

Transition: Let’s begin with this 1^st point…

I. Jesus withdraws from that region (24)

exp.: rd v 24; the fact that he didn’t want anyone to know where he was, demonstrates for me his desire to be hidden – to get away from people.

Ill.: I’m sure you remember Southwest Airlines commercials from a few years back – back before there was DVR? Want to get away? I love the one where the delivery man is headed back to his truck after dropping something off at this house. The couple who lives there is working in their garden by the driveway. He sees a basketball and decides to be l and take a shot. The couple watches as he picks up the ball and ‘air balls it’, missing the rim but shooting the ball right through the glass windows on the garage door. The couple looks at him – he looks at the couple: you want to get away?

Well, Jesus wanted to get away and so he gets up and heads northwest toward the region of Tyre and Sidon. 

Transition: It’s the last part of this verse that lets us in on the story – though he wanted to be, Jesus couldn’t be hidden! This desperate woman finds out about him and makes an appearance. So, point #1, there is this need to getaway. Point #2 –

II. A Desperate Mother Discovers His Whereabouts (25-26)

exp.: Now, we know very little about this woman, but look at what Mark does tell us:

1. Her problem: rd v 25;
   1. A demon possessed daughter; That’s what this means; I think Mark uses this word, unclean because it fits with his theme (disciples use defiled hands). What is clean and unclean: what is unclean is the demon inside this little girl – not the girl. So, desperate is she that she comes and falls down at his feet. What humility! Surely she knows he is Jewish. Surely she knows he’s a man. Middle eastern behavior would frown upon this. Mark down this character trait: humility. Rd v 26a;
   2. A Woman, not just a woman, but a Gentile woman! And, if this were not enough, she is Syrophoenician by birth! Talk about unclean in the eyes of the Pharisees. When you read this, a certain woman should pop into your minds. It did for the Jews. Can you name a king who married a Syrophoenician woman? Can you name that evil woman?

Ill.: A few weeks ago I shared with you that the Jewish men pray daily, a prayer of thanks – that they weren’t born: Women, slaves, or Gentiles.

That’s just how poor of a view the Jews had toward Gentiles. Maybe they still do – I don’t know.

app.: for some reason, this doesn’t matter to her. She’s desperate. Her daughter needs help and she believes Jesus is the only one who can save her daughter. Now, this really comes out in the last sentence of v 26; here we see…

• Her persistence: rd 26b; this word translated begged is really more of an interpretation, I think. You see, the word actually means asked or requested. If you translate it straight out – word for word, you lose something. In the original language here, there are two ways of describing past tense: aorist, is simple past tense (she asked); imperfect tense shows action in the past (she kept on asking); That’s the picture here: she wouldn’t leave him alone.

app.: So, there is a persistent request from a desperate mother in spite of the fact that Jesus desires to remain hidden. And, why not? What really does she have to lose? At this point, an odd thing happens…

III. Jesus responds to this mother in a very uncharacteristic way (27-29)

exp.: Jesus answers her in a way that shocks even the most hard-hearted of people. Rd v 27; this is strange or odd because Jesus uses…

• A Strange Illustration: Jesus uses what is called the ‘Family Table’ illustration to refuse her request. Now, we could go so many places from here, but I’ll just save that for your Bible Study time. For now, I want you to just note that there is a theme in Mark about eating and eating at the table. There is the idea of fellowship, and more importantly, fellowship with Jesus. In this illustration, Jesus speaks of Children and their eating of bread. It isn’t that the dogs aren’t to be fed, but that the children are to be fed first. It isn’t odd that Jesus uses a ‘Family Dinning Experience’ as an illustration – that’s not odd. The odd part is that…
• Jesus compares or relates exorcism to the family dining table. Now, that’s just weird. Let that sink in: “Jesus, I have a daughter who has a demon in her.” Will you cast it out of her, please? How in the world does he get to the dinner table from there? There is a very good chance that this woman has seated her child at the dinner table. She’s fed her there. She knows the order. But when Jesus speaks, she has images in her mind of her dinner table and her children.

Remember this trick: when you aren’t sure of what Jesus is doing, try to figure out the easy, obvious answers. We’ll do this in this story together. I say this because we often get this wrong. I think preachers/teachers oftentimes, and too quickly, replace characters in the story with themselves or the wrong people.

Example: Abraham and Isaac in Gen. 22.

• Children – The Children of Israel. The OT uses this comparison repeated. I think it is safe to assume these children in this analogy are the Children of Israel; They are fed first; 1^st means priority. It doesn’t mean that no one else within or outside of the family won’t eat! It’s just that the children in our illustration have priority. I’m sure you’ve experienced this, especially if you have a dog; You don’t take the food and give it to the dogs, and then whatever is left over in their bowls, give to the children; Absurd! So, 1^st answer we have is priority.
  • Fed – lit.: to be satisfied, or to eat their fill; This word appears 2 other times in the Mark; both are when Jesus feeds the 5,000 and the 4,000; The beatitudes: Matt 5.⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. We see this also in the parable of Lazarus, who desired to be filled or satisfied by the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. At this stage, I think it is safe to say that the Gospel is what satisfies and it is to be presented to the Children of Israel first. It’s a matter of timing. This demonstrates the Priority in the Gospel; as Paul writes 3x’s to the Romans: to the Jew first, and then the Gentile. Still, pretty straight forward. Next,
  • Bread – v 27; the children’s bread; lit.: the bread of the children; here is another example of Bread being used by Mark in these three chapters (6-8); now because of our previous work on this topic, we know that the Bread is Jesus. We will probably see it each week until we reach the halfway point of Mark; in each analogy, we see that Jesus is the Bread of Life (27); To be sure, it is a lot of work to get there, and I’ll refer you to last week’s sermon to study up on the Bread of Life analogy. But, there is no doubt that Jesus is the Bread in this illustration: he is the one who fills and satisfies the soul. His priority is 1^st to the Children of Israel. Here is where it get’s ugly…rd 27b
  • Dogs – that’s a harsh word. There is no way to clean that up in translation. So, before we talk about this word, can I say a word about my Savior? Again – remember, when you don’t understand something, go with what you know – what are the obvious answers.
    • He is good and merciful. He isn’t mean and hateful. So, I know right away, that he doesn’t mean what I might think it means in the 21^st century; this isn’t Jesus being mean and hateful. He is perfect and no sin dwells in him. He isn’t selfish or even rude. He isn’t being ugly to her because she found him when he was trying to remain hidden.
    • 2ndly, He knows everything. He knows what I need before I even do.

ill.: I’ve seen him have someone in another county or another state write a check to cover my needs before I even know I’m going to need it. The need appears and then, so does the check, which was written last week.

This is what I know about Jesus: He knows what this woman needs! And what he says to her is what she needs to hear. It may not be what I’d say. It might not be the thing to say in western culture. But, it is what she needs to hear.

• The word ‘dog’ or ‘dogs’ appears 9x’s in the NT; Over 40x’s in the Bible; This particular word from the Gk only appears 4 times. That caught my attention. It turns out there is another word translated dog. These two words come from the same root; however, this word here, is slightly different. It means a small dog, a housedog or even a lap dog. This would be common for Gentiles, because Jews would not have dogs. The other word is for big, wild dogs that roam freely. It is a euphemism for the immoral and/or evil people. That word isn’t this word. Jesus uses a word that she is culturally familiar with. I don’t know this, but I’m guessing that Jesus uses a word that is close to her situation – a word that she will take to heart; a word that she will understand and connect with. That changes the meaning for me. I couldn’t find a translation that made this distinction. But it is there – and that changes so much for me. Jesus isn’t using a word to describe the immoral and perverted (cf. Ps 22.16: ¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—).

So, here we have this strange confrontation. Jesus answers her repeated request with just what she needs to hear. He’s taking her somewhere in this conversation. There is something he wants to see from her. And it looks like he gets what he’s looking for in her; rd 28; I love this!

• A Witty Response: Lord, even the little, house dogs under the table eat from the crumbs of the children.

Take a moment and check out her demeanor: We’ve already seen that she is showing humility in her posture and desperation. Now we see her wit and wisdom in her response. She could have gotten offended and walked away, leaving her daughter to continue suffering. But there is something more. And it is her faith. She wants this bread, and even if it’s just the crumbs from the bread – it is enough.

Wow! Oh, to have this kind of faith in Jesus. So great and mighty is he, that all she needs is just a crumb and it will suffice to save her daughter.

Now, you don’t see this here, but it is clearer in Matthew’s gospel: Jesus is impressed with her.

Ill.: I kind of had this experience once, where I was impressed with an answer. Kind of… Stephen was 16 years old. He hadn’t had his license for very long and he came and asked if he could drive out into the Bad Lands with his friends and build a bonfire. I didn’t even give him a chance to explain what they were doing, who was going, etc. I just shut him down by saying NO! He didn’t even hesitate. He simply said yes, sir. No sadness, No disappointment, just, simple obedience. Yes, sir. Then he turned to leave. I said, wait. Aren’t you going to debate this with me? Aren’t you going to argue with me until you get your way? He told me no. He asked and I gave my answer and that was enough. I was blown away. I asked him to tell me more about this bonfire out in the middle of nowhere. Then, I let him go.

Jesus is moved somewhat like that. So impressed with this woman’s humility and faith, that he grants her request for her daughter. Rd v 29;

• A Timely Grant: On account of the word, depart (imperative); The demon has come out (perfect) of your daughter. Now, you don’t see this in the English translation, but the Gk verb here uses the perfect tense. The perfect tense means a current state, based on a past action: meaning, as Jesus is saying the words, the demon has already gone. The girl is no longer possessed. Rd v 30

Application: So, what will we take home with us today?

1. Jesus knows just what you need – even if you don’t! I can’t answer for your struggles. I can’t place blame or offer any defense for what Jesus is doing in your life. But this I know: Jesus knows just what you need – even if you don’t! Can I add to that? He knows what others need, too. You might think you know best for others – no matter what your intentions are – But he still knows what is best for them. It may seem harsh. It may seem unfair, But, he really does know what is best. And, he knows what he’s doing in their life.
2. God rewards faith and humility demonstrated in him. This Gentile woman is a remarkable model of faith. Knowing God can do something and living your life in response to that knowledge are two different things altogether! It is one thing to say something, but another to live it out. Think of the woman from Zarephath in 1 Kings 17: You have a jar with a little flour left and a jar with a little oil left. But, to make a loaf of bread for your guest and feed him first means so much more than simply acknowledging with your mind and mouth who that person is.
3. Salvation has now become accessible to all. (He declared all foods clean; now, salvation)
   1. The Gospel is for the entire world. We saw this when Jesus healed the Gadarene Demoniac. Jesus healed him and sent him as an evangelist, as a missionary to the Decapolis. Now, we see it again with this Canaanite Woman.
   2. We’re reminded in 1 Kings 17 that it has always been that way. Somehow, in their Jewish minds, they had thought of themselves as better than others.
      1. God reminded them through prophets like Isaiah who said (49.6): I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Let us remember this: the poor, the needy, the desperate, the drug addicted, the foreigner, the sinner, this sick  – Christ died for the ungodly, to bring the ungodly to God.
      2. Listen to Galatians 3.6-9:⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? ⁷ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Mark 7.1-23

Title: The Traditions of Men

Text: Mark 7.1-23

Introduction: Our text this morning is Mark 7.1-23. As we left off two weeks ago, we saw Jesus ministering to the people in the region of the Gennesaret. You see that there in 6.53ff; 6.51-52 give us some context of what’s coming in the next chapter and beyond. ⁵¹ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵² for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. It just doesn’t seem to fit, does it? They’re astounded and amazed and every time they’re ‘astounded or amazed’ this has been presented as a positive for them. cf.: 1.22, 27; 2.12; 5.20, 42

^1.22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And in v 27: ²⁷ And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

^2.12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

^5.20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. And in v 42; ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

It has been positive for them, that is, until now. Now we see them… utterly astounded, ⁵² for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Two negatives: not understanding and hardened hearts.

This should create some problems for us – it should cause us to question:

1. What is it they do not understand about the loaves?
2. What does Mark mean when he says their hearts were hardened? Are they in danger of becoming like the Pharisees?

Now, we talked about this at our WEBS, so I don’t want to rehash that here. But there is more, because, within just a few verses, the Pharisees will complain about the disciples and their distribution of this bread without participating in the ceremonial washing that the Religious leaders require.

Don’t miss this connection with the bread and 2ndly, with hard hearts. Look at v 6; – where Jesus quotes Isaiah –⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

       “‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

This section will culminate in Chapter 8.14-21; where Jesus asks them: Do you not yet understand?  The answer is no… we’re not understanding what you’re doing. There in 8.21, we find the transition to the next section in Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus will set his face toward Jerusalem and his crucifixion. He will tell the disciples all about it, but we’ll see they aren’t getting it.

Let me pause right here and pray for eyes to see and ears to hear what God is teaching us… Pray.

Lord, Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. ¹⁹ I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! Give me a heart to follow closely after your heart. I pray this prayer, not just for myself, but for those who are listening. Open the eyes of our hearts and let us see the beauty of your ways. Soften these hearts to receive your teaching and then to commit, with all of our heart, to follow you, Lord. To abandon our traditions that exalt our ways above your Word. 

With this thought of the Bread of Life and the disciples missing what Jesus is teaching, let’s look at today’s passage, 7.1-23 with the understanding that Mark’s theme is focused on the hardness of the people’s hearts toward Christ, God in their midst.

There are three separate sections to this little story of the Pharisees and their confrontation with Jesus:

1. The Pharisees are offended and confront Jesus about his disciples’ lack of discipline when it comes to the traditions of the elders (1-5).
2. Jesus responds to the Pharisees hypocrisy with Scripture references and examples (6-13).
3. Jesus uses this confrontation as a teaching moment to show his disciples the principles that characterize the heart of God (14-23).

To be fair, this is a typical outline repeated in God’s Word.

1. You and I have God’s Word – our instruction for living our lives with distinction. A life that reflects His Glory. That is our purpose. Agreed? What is the Chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (Picture of Umbrella over the head)
2. We then create boundaries to assist us in our obedience. (Picture of 2^nd Umbrella)
3. Over time, the 2^nd umbrella (tradition) becomes the foundation and supersedes the 1^st umbrella (the Word of God).

The perfect example: Adam & Eve; God said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

By the time we get to Chapter 3 in Genesis, Eve has added to this command. The serpent asks her, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

So somewhere between the command of God to Adam and Eve’s confrontation with the serpent, The Word of God is superseded by the tradition.

Transition: So, let’s begin with this 1^st section, and find out just what is so offensive to the Pharisees…

I. The Pharisees are offended and confront Jesus about his disciples’ lack of discipline when it comes to the traditions of the elders (1-5).

exp.: in v 1 and 2, we see why they’re offended; rd v 1-2; here we have…

• The Offence: eating bread w/ unwashed, defiled hands. And all of God’s children said – NASTY! Yeah! Any germ-a-phobe like me is going to side with the Pharisees on this one! At first glance, you might say you agree with them. But is that really the problem? We have…
• The Explanation: rd v 3-4; properly: Gk is unless they wash their hands with a fist. There is a certain way to wash, and the disciples aren’t doing that. When you read this, in the English, you get the idea that these guys were just eating with dirty hands. I’m with the Pharisees if that’s the case! But a closer look at the Gk tells us that their complaint wasn’t that they didn’t wash their hands; it was that they didn’t wash their hands “with a fist”. They didn’t wash their hands the way the Pharisees do! If it ain’t done like we do it… it ain’t done! So, here’s the deal: Jesus is responsible for his disciples. It might just be his fault as much as it is theirs. So, they confront Jesus about his apparent failure to teach the disciples how to wash themselves.
• The Confrontation: rd v 5; the word translated ‘defiled’ is the word common. Common and Uncommon are words used in the Law to differentiate the clear distinction between the things of God and the things of man. Sometimes you see the words holy and unholy. This is the word they’re using here. They eat with common hands or unholy hands. When they say that the disciples are washing with unclean hands, they don’t mean they have dirt under their fingernails. Clean and Unclean, Uncommon and Common, Holy and Unholy – this is the terminology these folks would have been familiar with. You see their thought was that you had to baptize your hands before eating. And not just the hands, but also, the cups and pots and copper vessels and the dining couches and the… You get the idea.

t.s.: These disciples of Jesus aren’t practicing religious requirements like they should…”Jesus, why do you let that go on?”

II. Jesus Responds to the Pharisees’ hypocrisy with Scripture references and examples (6-13).

exp.: rd v 6; And he said to them… I wonder if there was a pause before he spoke. I wonder if he was quiet. The words Mark is using seem to me to be something you would say rather quickly and loudly. Rd v 6-7; Jesus quotes from Isaiah.

Just a side note, but Isaiah is quoted more than any other prophet in the OT.

I think two points are to be made by Jesus when quoting Isaiah.;

1. These people were simply giving lip service to God. Their hearts were not in their worship.
2. They had elevated their traditions to the level of the commands of God.  Or worse, above God’s commands.

He tells them straight out in v 8; ⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” We see these same two points being made in v9-13; rd 9-13; Here we see the 5^th commandment and the punishment for those who do not keep it. However, Jesus blatantly accuses the religious leaders of lining their pockets, so to speak, at the expense of honoring parents. These leaders would nullify the Word of God with the hopes of gaining whatever had been dedicated.

Jesus points out two commands in the OT – the 5^th commandment to honor one’s parents and the steep penalty for abusing one’s parents. In biblical times, it was a great honor and privilege, as well as responsibility to care for one’s parents in their old age. I think we’ve maybe lost that. But I’ll press that issue in a different sermon. For now, these Pharisees have nullified these commands to line their pockets. Jesus says, rd v 12: then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,

app.: talk about hardened hearts! Jesus was revealing the hearts of these Pharisees and Religious leaders. Their hearts were indeed far from God.

t.s: So, these religious leaders have gotten more than they bargained for! They’re offended and so they confront Jesus. Now, Jesus turns to the people and teaches them with a parable.

III. Jesus uses this confrontation as a teaching moment to show his disciples the principles that characterize the heart of God (14-23).

exp.: rd v 14-15; Ok, so we’ve got a problem now; How can Jesus wipe away the law in just one statement like that? Isn’t he doing the same thing he is accusing the Pharisees of doing? I mean, at least to some degree. Note: The religious leaders are ignoring the Word of God to accomplish their own agenda. And now, Jesus nullifies much of the law by deeming all foods clean! The Disciples must think this very thing because they don’t get it. They’re without understanding. Look at v 17-19; there is a principle here that is being overlooked; common, holy, clean – this is a matter of the heart. The Law taught us these things. God instituted these laws and requirements to distinguish himself as separated from them. And he did the same for them to distinguish between them (the Jews) and the Gentiles. They were distinguished, different, holy. He made them clean and so different from the unclean – the Gentiles.

Jesus is saying to them that they’ve missed it! rd. v 20-22.

app.: I read this part of the story and I wonder how many of these traits or characteristics mark the Pharisees in their actions to line their pockets and rob from the elderly who are now neglected by their own children.

This, of course, is easy to do when applying it to others. But I think the goal is really to read this and think of myself! – Apply it to me!

Conclusion:

Ill.: Ticket for not having a plug inserted into my shotgun.

Application:

1. There is a principle of the law and a spirit of the law.
2. Do you or I have traditions that we have established that just aren’t supported by Scripture. Do we have to do flip/flops with the Word of God to make our case? Here’s the thing about asking this question – the answer is probably yes, but we’re so blinded to it, we just can’t see it. We make excuses for it – without even knowing.

Invitation for preparation for the Lord’s Supper.