"Jesus Heals The Hurt, Helpless, And Hopeless Part 2" (Mark 7:31-37) Series

The Ministry, Message, and Messiah in the Book of Mark Week 19:

"Jesus Heals the Hurt, Helpless, and Hopeless Part 2"

(Mark 7:31-37)

Crossroads Community Church

Rev. Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., Founding Pastor

Where does it hurt? On a scale of 1- 10 how much does it hurt? These are questions a nurse or a doctor may ask you if you visit them. What physical pain is hardest for you to endure? For me it is pain in the mouth. Lisa deals with this probably almost every day she works. Matter of fact I had some tooth pain yesterday and today and if it does not get better I probably will visiting your office Lisa. (Story of Rainbow Dental). Another time (root canal story in Waterloo) all of us have experienced some sort of physical pain we have had to deal with. Not only physical pain, but maybe mental anguish or pain, financial pain, or maybe the worst kind of pain, spiritual pain.

I’m sure everyone in here has pondered the thought at one time or another these thoughts:

• Why me

• Why do I have to go through…

• If God loves me so much why do I have to suffer through…

1 Peter 2:21

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

• Since we are part of God’s chosen family we get to reap all the benefits of being part of His kingdom (that’s the good news)

• On the contrary, we will have to suffer persecutions for Jesus Christ sake also

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

As we continue in our series The Ministry, Message, and Messiah in the Book of Mark Week 19, we finish up in chapter 7 in the message "Jesus Heals the Hurt, Helpless, and Hopeless Part 2" (Mark 7:31-37)

If you have your Bible or wireless device please go to Mark 7:31-37 for today’s scripture lesson.

Mark 7:31-37

31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Pray

So let’s set the scene up for you. Jesus continues to travel in the regions of Tyre and Sidon, which is predominantly Gentile territory. So we are all on the same page the Jews were the chosen people (Jesus was Jewish) and the Gentiles were the people today would consider those “from the wrong side of the tracks.” Jews and Gentiles usually did not get along. Mark pictured Jesus continuing north from Tyre (cf. 7:24) to Sidon and then southeast to Lake Galilee and the region of the Decapolis The “Decapolis” was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63 B.C.34 , which was a strange route to take. It is similar to going from New York City to Chicago via Boston! If Jesus’ excursion into Phoenicia was to escape the crowds (cf. v. 24) and to have time with his disciples, he may well have chosen a circuitous rather than a direct route. The expression “through Sidon” is shorthand for “through the region of Sidon” and does not necessarily indicate that Jesus entered the city itself. Sidon’s territory probably extended at least twenty miles to the east of the city itself. It was important for Mark to show that Jesus spent some time in Gentile territory—also the Decapolis—in order to provide some justification for the Gentile mission in his own day.

So you have to consider who Jesus is, Jewish, where He is at, and Gentile territory. These two simple facts make the story much more impactful.