Mark 7:24-8:10

Jesus: Have faith in him

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MANUSCRIPT is here

Introduction

1. There is something a little strange about each of these three miracles.

a. The Syrophoenician woman: Jesus speaks with a harshness and hardness even dismissing her request for help for her demonised daughter, and this is surprising an even shocking.

b. The Deaf and dumb man: When Jesus heals him he does not act as we have become accustomed to him acting but places his fingers in the ears, and spits and places his finger in the man’s mouth.

c. The feeding of the 4000: Is strange simply because it is so similar to what has happened before in Mark 6. It is almost identical apart from the details. IN a world that treasures novelty it is hard to see the point of a repeated miracle.

2. What is going on?

3. What I want to suggest: In their oddness they each have something we can learn about the nature of faith. In a sense they are odd for a reason.

Why “no”? 24-30

The situation

1. Jesus goes on retreat with his disciples. V24 Tyre – out of Jewish Israel. His intention is to stay secret.

2. He is thwarted in that intention. A Gentile woman. She is described as being of Greek origin, but born in Syrian Phoenicia, She is a local, but belongs to a different ethnic group and very definitely a gentile.

3. She comes because her daughter is afflicted by literally “an unclean spirit.” And she wants – and believes that Jesus can drive the demon out of her daughter.

4. Jesus answer is shocking v27 (sooner or later if we are to take the Bible seriously we have to come to terms with the kindness and severity of God.)

5. Dogs – Jews called gentiles dogs. That’s what happened. The children could be the Jews or the disciples but Jesus is likening this woman to a dog and this is shocking.

6. Jesus picks up on Jewish ideas about gentiles being dogs. He says No! What is going on? The children – disciples? Must be fed first.

7. We understand that the gospel is first for the Jews, but Jesus words are still quite something.

8. The gospel is also for non-jews for gentiles.

What is going on? Something to say about faith and something about grace.

ABOUT FAITH…

1. Does Jesus’ rebuff provoke greater faith? It is interesting that she doesn’t question Jesus rebuff. She doesn’t question Jesus right to feed the children first.

2. She is provoked into a place where she does have a conviction that Jesus mercy is wider than that. She doesn’t give up and go away.

If that is the case then it teaches us:

3. Faith must be persistent in seeking the gracious mercy of Jesus. She is rewarded not just because she has faith, but because her faith has persistence v29

a. Faith got her the first answer, persistent faith got her what she wanted.

b. How many times have you prayed with faith but lacked persistence?

ABOUT GRACE…

9. The issue – we want Jesus to treat everyone fairly. **Christmas presents.

10. But isn’t the very essence of grace found in the fact that those who experience grace are not treated as they deserve to be treated? If God were to treat us as we deserve – well that might not be such a good thing.

11. God shows his goodness to Moses he insists “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

12. We should never consider that we have a right to grace – but this account encourages us to be persistent in asking for it.

13. Notice how she came: Humbly and reverently. V25

Why Like that? 31-37

The situation.

1. The people bring a guy who is deaf and mute. And they ask Jesus to put his hand on the man. Maybe they are not even sure what they want Jesus to do.

2. Jesus takes him away and heals him.

3. 33-35 Read

4. But why the fingers and the spittle?

What is going on

1. Think about the man’s situation, put yourself in his shoes and see why a word would not have helped.

2. Had he even heard of Jesus – can you imagine how difficult that would be.

3. Jesus heals the man in a way that will clearly communicate to the man who is the source of his healing.

Teaches us:

1. Jesus gracious mercy towards an individual. Jesus did not have a one size fits all healing methodology. (**McDonalds product)

2. Jesus treating him as an individual

3. This man needed to understand that Jesus was the source of his healing.

4. Jesus responding to his deepest need Why? Because faith depends on the object of the faith – on Jesus, not on the faith itself. This man must be pointed to Jesus, theis man must be shown that the source of object and grace was Jesus himself.

5. Did this man even know about Jesus?

Comment

1. Why is it that Jesus want’s no-one to know about this?

2. This is a specific messianic sign.

a. Is 35:5-6

b. This is what messiah does and the people probably understand that, but they do not understand messiah. Jesus will have enough trouble helping his own disciples understand that as messiah he would suffer and die before being raised again.

3. Jesus will define messiah – he will not be defined by those who herald him as messiah.

4. Notice the prophetic sense in v37

Why again? 1-13

The situation

1. The repeated miracle. So much is the same. The setting, the situation, just different details.

a. ? Same thing put in twice? Mark took the risk of it being dismissed by including it.

b. Would he not have seriously compromised the likelihood of his message being received if he included it twice.

What is going on

2. Teach us something new. Our love of novelty.

3. What we saw before:

a. What the disciples didn’t get was who this was and the difference that this makes

b. Who this was: v32 “a solitary place” a wilderness? And Jesus supplies miraculous bread – to a lot of people, a multitude perhaps? Ring any bells?

c. To those who have eyes to see (ears to hear) Here is God himself providing new manna feeding his people. This is what God himself does. Jesus as God incarnate

a. Only a God like this could do a miracle like this

b. Jesus is not bound by the normal human rules of insufficiency. He wants the disciples and us to see that he is God who can break the rules of supply and demand. He wanted his disciples to learn to trust him in that, and he wants us to learn to trust him in that. He want them to know that with Jesus there they could and would give the crowd something to eat. This is how human beings minister in God’s power. The difference is doing it with Jesus.

c. The difference Jesus makes: If you don’t have Jesus with you when you minister then you’ve got 5 loaves and two fish and 5000 people, and that’s all you’ve got.

d. If you’ve got Jesus with you it’s a whole different story.

4. There is no new lesson. It’s the same lesson, but the disciples hadn’t got it in the storm on the lake after the last feeding and they still haven’t got it.

5. This time they go out onto the lake – and there is no storm, but the disciples still havn’t got it.

Teaches us

6. Sometimes we just don’t get it – could emphasise our need of grace for open eyes.

7. Faith must be refreshed and renewed. They needed to see this again and it still hadn’t sunk in.

8. The good news is that the disciples havn’t got it yet – but they will get it – because Jesus is the one who opens ears and eyes – and not only physical eyes.

Conclusion

Looking to Jesus with persistence.

Looking to Jesus – who treats us as individuals

Looking to Jesus – who is the one who makes all the difference