Faith to See Jesus
Mark 7:24-37
Introduction
- Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant”
-- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- IMP: What God says to us here is critical application for living for Him
- Encouragement: When we encounter God’s truth, it should cause a change
-- We should feel uncomfortable in some areas of our life
-- Sometimes however, it IS our entire life that needs to change
-- The Gospel is not for the weak at heart, so count it an honor to be included
- Continuing in our study, we see Jesus performing more miracles/healings
-- His approach is direct, but sometimes the “why” is hidden from us
-- Let’s explore these passages and see if we can discover the “why” for ourselves
- Today we will look at three miracles performed by Jesus while He traveled
- Read Mark 7:24-7:30
∆ Point 1 – Faith of Steel (24-30)
- Once again we see Jesus traveling to another place of ministry
-- Tyre is located in modern day Lebanon (and still exists today)
- This first event happens on the heels of the encounter with Pharisees
-- Remember: sin is a heart condition and not a matter of ceremonial cleansing
-- This was the crux of the argument, and it’s what’s driving this time now
- Jesus, who has come for everyone, is now about to demonstrate this
-- IMP: SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND ME
- This woman He encounters is of Syrian Phoenician descent
-- She is a Syrophoenician woman, originally from ROME (She’s a … Gentile)
-- Now, if this doesn’t get you excited I dare say that nothing will!
- Previously, His encounters (and arguments) have been with the Jewish religious
-- Now, He is seen confronted (associating with) a woman of Roman descent
-- Even though he asks for His arrival to be a secret (v24) it’s impossible
- What this woman does is cross ALL cultural and traditional boundaries
-- Personally, I have one word: BRAVO! She knows He has what she needs
-- Again, what would YOU do for your child? This is her response to that
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Even though Jesus’ mission centered on the lost house of Israel
-- In Jeremiah 50:6, God calls Israel His people and “lost sheep.”
-- “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.”
- The Messiah, spoken of throughout the Old Testament, was seen as the one who would gather these “lost sheep”
-- Ezekiel 34:23-24, “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.”
-- Micah 5:4-5, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders,”
- When Jesus presented Himself as a shepherd to Israel, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy
-- John 10:11-16, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
-- Hebrews 13:20, “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep”
-- 1 Peter 5:4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
-- Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- He still has compassion on her and praise God, this is REALLY good news for us
-- In v28, we see her say something that ought to ring loudly in our ears
-- “Even the dogs …”; To a Jew, we are the dogs, we are unclean, we are outcasts
-- Jesus then responds to her faith … by healing her daughter (v29)
- WOW! TJ’s view: This is where we are grafted into the fold
-- Yes, the message is for the lost house of Israel, but we are worthy to receive also
-- The faith of this woman must’ve surprised Jesus to say the least!
- She refused to believe that God would exclude her, and she was RIGHT!
-- Her challenge here is that we are children of God, created in His image as well
-- We too need a Messiah, and Jesus, my faith is in YOU that you are the One!
- TRANS: I’m not sure what else we can after seeing faith like that …
- Read Mark 7:31-7:37
∆ Point 2 – Healing the Deaf and Mute (31-37)
- Following this encounter, Jesus again travels to another location
-- He crosses the Sea of Galilee to the Decapolis (10 city) area once again
-- Here he encounters people begging Him to heal a man who is deaf and mute
- Jesus’ response (see v33) is obviously one of compassion on this man
-- APP: He knows there is a need, and He is prepared to fill it based on their faith
- In private, Jesus takes this man aside to heal him and give him his life back
-- Notice how Jesus does this: He communicates in a way he would understand
- By placing His fingers in the man’s ears: You will hear again
- By placing His fingers on the man’s tongue: You will speak again
-- Isn’t this exactly like Jesus to meet us RIGHT WHERE we need to be met?
- A deep sigh (v34) shows Jesus displaying compassion and looking heavenward
-- The source of Jesus’ ability to heal comes ONLY from the Father
-- It is an inward groan of the Spirit that Jesus performs this task
-- The uttering of the word “ephphatha” is a command over the physical body
- The Lord, the Creator of it all, given authority over all – speaks
-- The body of this man, knowing its Creator – obeys
-- If there is ever an indication of our need to pay attention, it’s right there (v34)
- Naturally, no one is going to be able to keep this a secret
-- Even though Jesus desires it (to not gain attention) people will still talk
-- Saw this in Mark 1:44; once again the miracle over-shadows Who has done it
- What Jesus has just done fulfills Isaiah 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.”
- As if it couldn’t get any better … is there more than just physical healing???
- Come back Sunday and we are going to see exactly “What’s next?!?”
- Pray
