Taking Every Thought Captive

Got Life? Get Life! Our Ministry What We Do Our Beliefs What We Believe Our Staff Massimo Lorenzini Jay Wegter Articles Abortion Apologetics Art Assurance Atonement Bible Study Book Reviews Children Church Conversion Christian Living Creationism Cults Da Vinci Code Depravity Discipleship Doctrines of Grace Environmentalism Ethics Evangelism Exodus Gospel of Mark History Homosexuality Israel Jeremiah Law of God Manhood Marriage Missions Paul Perseverance/Security Pornography Postmodernism Prayer Presuppositionalism Problem of Evil Proverbs Repentance Revival/Spiritual Renewal Roman Catholicism Salvation Sanctification Satan Scripture Memory Sin Spiritual Disciplines Suffering Suicide Theology Tolerance Women Worldview What's New? New Articles and Ministry News Contact Us Contact Info Resources Audio & Print Resources Bookstore Order Books Here Search Search Our Site Links Other Helpful Websites Massimo's Blog Witnessing Without Fear Featured Article Support this Site Featured Books

Jesus, God's Servant A Survey of the Gospel of Mark CHAPTER FIVE: THE SERVANT'S MIRCALES, CONTINUED by Massimo Lorenzini IV. The Servant's Miracles (6:30-8:26) A. Feeding the Five Thousand (6:30-44) - See Chapter 4 B. A Gentile Shows Her Faith (7:24-30) C. Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute (7:31-37) A Gentile Shows Her Faith (7:24-30) 24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." 29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed. v. 24 region of Tyre and Sidon - a predominantly Gentile region. He could not be hidden - His reputation had spread even to this Gentile region. v. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth - She is a Gentile pagan. Tyre was, in Old Testament times, a wealthy and godless oppressor of Israel. Most Jews in the first century were strongly prejudiced against Gentiles and believed that they defiled by the touch, just like a person with a contagious virus. Tyre posed not only a religious threat to the Jews by their pagan religion, but also by Tyre was viewed as an economic and political threat. The tension between the Jews and the people of Tyre was so great that Josephus said that the people of Tyre are "our bitterest enemies." Application: What kind of people do we view today as enemies? Are we willing to share the Gospel with them and serve them? Though we were God's enemies, He was willing to die on the cross for us. v. 27 Let the children be filled first - The word "first" implies that Gentiles have some ray of hope. Jesus asserts the same priority of Israel that Paul affirms in Romans 1:16; 2:9-10: "the gospel . . .[is] . . . for the Jew first and also for the Greek." In the parallel passage in Matthew 15:24 Jesus said to the woman: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." So the woman has no right as a Gentile to demand benefits from the Messiah of Israel. little dogs - the meaning is that of house pets, not the wild dogs. Jesus does not soften the message. He allows the scandal of the Gospel to stand and let's the chips fall where they may. We should follow His example when we share the Gospel. We should not try to adjust the message to the individual, but rather challenge the individual to adjust to the message. God does not condescend to the whims of the doubting heart. v. 28 Yes, Lord - note her humility before Jesus. This is the only instance of the word "Lord" in Mark's Gospel. even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs - This woman shows great spiritual insight as she catches the meaning of Jesus' parable. Most of Jesus' listeners did not comprehend his parables without some explanation. The woman understood immediately that the children represent Israel, the little dogs represent the Gentiles, and the children's bread represents the blessings of the Kingdom of God. She understood and accepted the parable's implications: Israel has precedence over Gentiles, and the time for Gentiles has not yet come. This scene upsets our sense of justice. Why should not all people have equal access to the blessings of the Kingdom? Why do the evil prosper while the righteous suffer? Are we able to humble ourselves even in seemingly unfair circumstances? Can we truly leave justice in the hands of God and trust His sovereignty? Unjust circumstances can reveal to us whether we are truly humble and have faith in God or they can show us that our faith is really shallow and we are full of pride. But the implied insult of being labeled a dog does not embitter her. She does not selfishly worry that others have an advantage over her. In fact, she refuses to accept Jesus' dismissal and will not take no for an answer. With great humility she persists in petitioning the Lord Jesus. Application. How do we react when it seems that God has not responded to our prayers? Are we humble before God? Do we continue to petition the Lord? Or do we silently retreat in our pride? The woman showed great desperation as she petitioned Jesus. She accepted her position in God's Kingdom because she had no where else to turn. She did not claim any entitlements. She did not have a "you-owe-me" attitude. She had truly come to the end of herself and threw herself at Jesus' mercy. v. 29 For this saying - Jesus recognized by her response that she possessed genuine faith and granted her request. Application. God's goal for us is to be fully trusting Him and fully humble before Him. Have you noticed that sometimes we must become totally desperate before we will humble ourselves and trust God? Sometimes God has to bring us to a place where we have exhausted all other resources and have no other option left except to humble ourselves and trust God. What a shame that we do not do this sooner? Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied, "The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm--that's a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony." Application. Are you willing to play second fiddle in the Kingdom of God? Pride is the root of all sin and will keep us from experiencing the blessings of God's Kingdom. Examine your heart before God and be willing to repent of any pride that you may find. Proverbs 16:18-19 says, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. God's Word translation of the same verses says, Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall. Better to be humble with lowly people than to share stolen goods with arrogant people. This willingness to humble oneself is a key requirement for being a disciple (learner) of Jesus. Humility is a sign of faith in God. When Jesus said, in verse 29, that the demon had left her daughter, she did not insist that He go home with her to make sure. She goes in faith as she came in faith. Application. Do you have enough faith in God to humble yourself before Him and trust Him to work in your life? Or do you doubt God's Word and always want to be in control. Bernard of Clairvaux said, It is only when humility warrants it that great graces can be obtained . . . . And so when you perceive that you are being humiliated, look on it as the sign of a sure guarantee that grace is on the way. Just as the heart is puffed up with pride before its destruction, so it is humiliated before being honored. If we are to receive anything from God, we must be humble enough to know that we are needy and we must become desperate enough to seek God as our only help. Do you need strength to carry on today? Seek God as your only help. Do you need salvation from your sins today? Seek God as your only help. Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute (7:31-37) 31 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. 32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." v. 31 Decapolis - literally "ten cities." Decapolis was mostly inhabited by Gentiles. v. 33 put His fingers in his ears . . . touched his tongue - He possibly did this to show the deaf and mute man that he was about to open his ears and loosen his tongue. He took him aside from the multitude - We should always ask whether we do ministry to get attention for ourselves or to do good for others. v. 34 He sighed - a gesture of prayer. One commentator said that the sigh "indicates strong emotion of Jesus as he wages war against the power of Satan, and has to seek divine aid in urgent prayer." v. 36 He commanded them that they should tell no one - His reason for wanting the crowd to keep silent about the miracle is probably because He did not want to spread a false concept of Himself as only a miracle worker and prevent Him from his teaching ministry. We also see by his travel route (from Capernaum North to Tyre and Sidon, then South and East to Decapolis) that Jesus is avoiding Galilee where Herod Antipas was in power (John 6:17-29) and where many people wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him King (John 6:14-15). Herod had shown a hostile interest in Jesus (John 6:14-16). Interpreting this miracle in the context of the Bible we see that again Jesus does what only God can do. God said to Moses "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Exod 4:11). This miracle also echoes God's promise to restore creation and they hint that the promised renewal begins with Jesus. Isaiah 35:5-6a describes it this way, Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. v. 36 the more widely they proclaimed it - Application. Do the works of Jesus make you want to tell everyone about it? Share Jesus with someone this week whom you think needs the hope that He brings. Next lesson, Chapter Six: The Servant's Revelation

Print Friendly Version