SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS
“THE SERVANT ENLIGHTENS”
MARK 7:1-8:26
OPEN
Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. Then she had an operation in a hospital in Ontario, Canada. In response to the effectiveness of the surgery as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes she said, “I just can’t believe it,” She wept - when for the first time in her life - a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted her eyes and she could now see.
The amazing thing about her story, however, was that twenty years of her blindness was unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed to treat her condition and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30.
The doctor said, “She just figured there was nothing that could be done for her condition. Much of her life could have been different.”
In this section of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus deals with spiritual blindness. We see that not only did Jesus’ enemies suffer from spiritual blindness but so did some of His closest followers. As we look at what Mark describes to us, let us ask God to show us where we are spiritually blind.
TRUTH VS. TRADITION
I grew up about an hour north of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. My family would spend time in “cave country” several times during my childhood. Our church youth group and my Boy Scout troop went there several times as well.
Some of the interesting things to see while on these tours are the blind creatures who live in that cave system. There are blind grasshoppers – with no wings and extremely long antennae, blind and colorless crayfish (crawdads), and blind fish. These creatures live in the complete darkness that comes from being so far underground.
One of the things that tour guides pointed out was that any person who lived in total darkness for just a few months would become irrevocably blind. Darkness doesn’t just hinder your sight. It causes you to become blind.
Mark describes in this passage an encounter with people who were blinded by tradition. They put so much emphasis on human interpretation of God’s truth that they failed to see the sufficiency of God’s truth.
Mk. 7:1-23 – “The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were ‘unclean,’ that is, unwashed. (The
Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition
of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law
asked Jesus, ‘Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food
with unclean hands?’ He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the
traditions of men.’ And he said to them: ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order
to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let
him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have
handed down. And you do many things like that.’ Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me,
everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.’ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ‘Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don't you see that nothing that enters a
man from the outside can make him unclean? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out
of his body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods ‘clean.’) He went on: ‘What comes out of a man is what
makes him unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside
and make a man unclean.’”
To us Gentiles, this passage doesn’t make a lot of sense. Mark tries to explain it somewhat to his Gentile readers. The concern is not hygiene. It’s purity.
The problem in this passage of Mark is not that the disciples didn’t clean the dirt from their hands before eating. They failed to observe the traditions of the elders.
The fact of the matter is that there were no scriptural guidelines in this matter. The scribes and Pharisees felt that Scripture only gave general guidelines. They felt it was their job to define to the minutest detail how to apply these guidelines to everyday life.
The Old Testament law never required ordinary people to eat their food in a state of ritual cleanliness. The only people required to go through ritual washings were the priests as they went about their work for the Lord.. Ex. 30:17-21 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing.
Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their
hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that
they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.’”
The scribes and Pharisees had taken scriptural instructions that were meant for the priests and made them binding on everybody. These interpretations of Scripture became what were known as the “traditions of the elders.” The scribes and Pharisees held the opinion that these traditions were just as binding as the actual Scriptures. If you didn’t follow these man-made traditions, you were unclean.
There are two basic problems with this method of operation. The first problem is that we end up undermining the Word of God. When we create manmade rules in what starts out to be a well-meaning attempt to justify ourselves with God, it isn’t long before we create rules that end up rejecting God-given priorities.
Jesus gives a specific example. He mentions the practice of dedicating something to God but using it as an excuse to avoid doing what is right in the eyes of God.
We do that still today. We get so careful about morality that we forget that Christ died for the ungodly. We get focused on church attendance and church activities that we neglect the needs of our families and our neighbors. We get become so concerned about correct theology that we stop loving those who don’t agree with us in every detail. “You do many things like that,” Jesus says in verse 13.
The second problem is that when we try to justify ourselves through man-made rules, we miss the central problem – our hearts. Jer. 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Jesus illustrates the problem this way: If you eat a piece of unclean food, it goes into your mouth, down into your stomach, is digested, and then is eliminated from your body. Jesus is telling them that the problem is much greater than they think. Jesus is saying that all the hand-washing in the world, all the external manmade rules, never get to the heart of the issue. The problem is not really ceremonially unclean hands.. The problem is impurities in the heart.
HELP VS. HINDRANCE
In ancient Greece it was customary for peddlers who walked the streets with their wares to cry out, “What do you lack?” The idea was to let people know they were in the vicinity, and also rouse the curiosity of the people. Coming out of their houses they would want to know what the peddler was selling. It might be something they lacked and needed, or simply something they desired.
As we look at three scenarios where Jesus helped people in need, let’s realize that everything we need or desire can be met by Jesus. He simply asks us to come to Him and He is ready to supply what we lack in our lives.
Before we move forward, I want to point out two important things. First, unlike the Greek peddlers, Jesus was not walking the streets asking people to seek Him out in these passages. In fact, we’re told that Jesus was actually trying to keep His presence in the area a secret. But people couldn’t keep quiet about Jesus being in their midst. Jesus doesn’t turn anyone away who seeks Him in faith and desires His supply for their lack.
Second, we just talked about Jesus declaring the true mean of what is clean and unclean. Every encounter in these three passages occurs in Gentile-dominated territories. The Jews would have considered any encounter with a Gentile the most defiling moment of their lives. Gentiles were the ultimate “no-no” when it came to ceremonial cleanness.
Mk. 7:24-30 – “Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want
anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman
whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in
Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ‘First let the children eat all they
want,’ he told her, ‘for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.’ Then he told her, ‘For such a reply, you
may go; the demon has left your daughter.’ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”
Jesus was traveling in an area that was known for its paganism. Tyre is a place known in the Old Testament as being wicked. It’s the hometown of Jezebel, one of the famous villainesses in the Old Testament. Josephus, who was a Jewish historian who lived shortly after this time, said that the people of Tyre are “as our bitterest enemies.”
While there, a woman who is from a pagan, Gentile background seeks out Jesus and asks him to deliver her daughter from possession by a demon. In light of Jewish tradition, this woman has a lot of nerve and a lot of faith to come to Jesus.
First, she’s a woman. Women had no status in that society. Second, she’s a pagan Gentile at a time when there was great tension between Jews and Gentiles. In common Jewish thought, the Messiah was supposed to defeat the Gentiles, not visit and embrace them.
However, this woman (whom the Jewish religious leaders would have found unimportant and unclean) had more spiritual sight that those who should have been able to see most clearly. She actually understands that the Bread of Life is so abundant there is more than enough to feed not just Israel, but the entire world.
The image of bread here is an image of all the blessings available in Jesus. She understand that there is so much blessing found in Jesus that there is enough food for her, even though she seems to be the most unlikely person to share in what God is doing through His Son.
This encounter actually sheds light for us concerning the only way we share in the blessings of Jesus. None of us are worthy. We should never come to Jesus arguing that we have a right to the blessings of His kingdom.
We should come admitting we don’t deserve the blessings of the kingdom but because of the abundance of God’s grace, there is plenty for all. The blessings of the kingdom are so abundant that they are available to everyone – even those of us most unlikely to deserve them.
Mk. 7:31-37 – “Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk,
and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his
fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep
sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’ ). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue
was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything
well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’”
This is a strange encounter. In fact, it’s only mentioned here in the Gospel of Mark. However, it carries the same message of the last encounter. The Gospel is available to all.
Jesus encounters a man who’s deaf and has a speech impediment. You’ll notice the drama involved with the healing. Jesus takes him aside, touches his ears and tongue, looks up to heaven. What’s Jesus doing here? His healings aren’t usually this dramatic. What’s he doing? He’s signing. He’s communicating through his movements what he is doing to someone who can’t hear his words. Just as Jesus has healed those who belong to Israel, Jesus now heals a Gentile. One thing we need to understand about Jesus’ miracles. They portray what the kingdom of God will be like.
What Isaiah prophesied is true even for the Gentiles. Is. 35:5-6 – “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”
Notice that we sang songs with words from v. 37 of our text: “People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” All The Way My Savior Leads Me: “For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.” O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing: “Hear Him ye deaf; His praise ye dumb; Your loosened tongues employ; Ye blind behold your Savior come; and leap, ye lame for joy.”
Mk. 8:1-10 – “During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days
and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have
come a long distance.’ His disciples answered, ‘But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to
feed them?’ ‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Seven,’ they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for
them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present. And
having sent them away, he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.”
He’s just fed five thousand back in chapter 6. Why include a similar event here? There are some differences. There are fewer people, more loaves, and less food left over. The biggest difference, though, is that this meal takes place among the Gentiles. Jesus makes his bread available to a wider Gentile community. He is the living bread for Gentiles as well. They also ate and were satisfied. Mark is telling us that everyone is invited to participate in the Messianic banquet. All are invited to come and be satisfied.
And that’s why it’s good news for everyone here this morning. Even the most unlikely person is invited to come. Your invitation to eat the bread has nothing to do with your worthiness; it has everything to do with the abundance of what has been provided for us in Jesus Christ. All you need is need. You can come eat the bread of life, and be satisfied.
FAITHFULNESS VS. FALSEHOOD
Jesus comes back across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Galilee – back to Jewish territory. He’s not there very long until the Pharisees come after Him again. Their goal is to test Him.
Mk. 8:11-13 – “The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.’”
What do the Pharisees want from Jesus? Some kind of sign from heaven that proves that Jesus is who He claims to be. Where have these guys been? Haven’t they seen and heard about the miracles He’s performed? The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dead live again. What more do they want? Let’s move on.
Mk. 8:14-21 – “Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’ They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking
about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but
fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five
thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ ‘Twelve,’ they replied. ‘And when I broke the
seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?’”
This makes absolutely no sense to us, so let me explain what Jesus is saying here. In those days, when you baked bread, you would bake with leaven or yeast so that the bread would rise. You would keep some of the bread containing yeast for the next batch. The problem is that the yeast could become tainted and spread poison when baked with the rest of the dough, and the contamination would spread from batch to batch. Jesus is saying that the Pharisees, and Herod, have a condition that will spread to them if they’re not careful. Let’s move on.
Mk. 8:22-26 – “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don't go into the village.’”
It’s no accident that Mark follows this with the story of blindness that is hard to heal. What Mark is telling us is this: that the blind man is a parable of the spiritual condition of both the Pharisees and the disciples. The enemies of Jesus (the Pharisees) and the friends of Jesus (the disciples) have exactly the same problem: spiritual blindness. They can’t see. We have the same problem in the 21st century.
How many of you remember a cartoon character named Mr. Magoo? He was a man short in stature but wealthy and retired. He got into a lot of sticky situations because of his nearsightedness. The situations were always compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit his problem. That’s our problem as well. Not only can’t we see, but we can’t see what we can’t see.
There are two types of spiritual blindness described in this part of Mark’s Gospel. The first type of blindness is the one typified by the religious leaders. They refused to see what was in front of them. Jesus had already done plenty of things that attested to the fact that He was God’s promised Servant. They just refused to accept it.
Josh McDowell, in his book Answers to Tough Questions, tells about when explorers first went to Australia that they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck. Upon their return to England, they told the populace of this, and all felt it was a hoax. They returned to Australia and found a pelt from this animal and took it back to England, but the people still felt it was a hoax. In spite of the evidence, they didn’t believe in the platypus because they didn’t want to believe.
The second type of blindness is the one typified by the disciples. They were too distracted by earthly things to see what Jesus wanted them to see. They were too worried about what was for lunch. Jesus had fed nine thousand people with next to nothing, and they are worried about fixing lunch for 13. They are so trapped in their own little worlds, with their petty concerns, that they can’t see the kingdom of God breaking into history right in front of them.
There is something about us that tends to be distracted by our daily needs, so much so that we can’t see what God is doing all around us. We miss what God is doing because we’re too busy thinking about what things as small as what we’re going to have for lunch. (I’m sure some of you are thinking about lunch right now!)
That’s why it’s important to see why Jesus healed the blind man in two stages. It was a parable for us. If Jesus had left him only part-way healed, he might have spent the rest of his life saying, “Hi,” to tress and chopping down people. This parable should encourage us in that Jesus wants us to have full spiritual sight. And even if we aren’t’ there yet, even if we can only see part of the way, we can know that God isn’t done with us yet. Know that Jesus can heal even the most difficult cases.
CLOSE
On November 30, 1991 fierce winds from a freakish dust storm triggered a massive freeway pileup along Interstate 5 near Coalinga, California. At least 14 people died and dozens more were injured as topsoil whipped by 50 mile-per-hour winds reduced visibility to zero. The afternoon holocaust left a three-mile trail of twisted and burning vehicles, some stacked on top of one another 100 yards off the side of the freeway. Unable to see their way, dozens of motorists drove blindly ahead into disaster.
