Jesus and the Outsiders

Introduction

Last Week:

Pharisee’s confrontation of Jesus

Handwashing/Clean-Unclean

It’s not what’s out there/It’s what’s in here

This week we’ll see this in action

The Pharisees were afraid of the marketplace

Might be gentiles there

Jesus goes to Gentile lands

This is unthinkable for a religious man

Scripture Reading

(SLIDES)

Mark 7:24–37 CSB

24 He got up and departed from there to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she replied to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone. 31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. 36 He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

(SLIDES)

Outline:

Jesus and the Outsiders

Jesus and the Gentile Mother

Jesus and the Deaf Man

Jesus and the Outsiders

(SLIDES

Mark 7:24 CSB

24 He got up and departed from there to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice.

After his confrontation with the Pharisees, Jesus sought to distance himself from them

Mark 2-3 - Confrontation - Pharisees plotting to kill him

Mark 7 - Confrontation - Pharisees trying to catch him (and his disciples)

The next time we will see them is in Mark 10 - And they are trying to catch Jesus

We know how the story ends

But the reality is, the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead

And He knew, if he continued his ministry open and public in Israel, that the road to the cross would be fast tracked

Now was not the right time, there was still some work to be done

Ministering to crowds

Preparing the disciples

So he leaves the Jewish people to go to Gentile territory— Tyre

Tyre (Jezebel)—Prophets called them out later

Pagan worshiping

The animosity is hard for us to understand

We live in a time where diversity is celebrated

But these groups hated each other

And this is where Jesus decides to go

The closest thing in my lifetime was post 9-11

Jesus is confronting the problem Cultural prejudice

It was a problem back then

And it still is today

Implicit/Unconscious Bias

Although we may think of ourselves as unbiased and inclusive people we all have unquestioned, unconscious biases

Some are stereotypes

The people we approach/avoid

Some people it’s race/language

Economic status

Their political views

The car they drive

The way they talk

The grade they are in

Jesus intentionally breaks through cultural barriers

And he calls the church to do the same

But unfortunately we’ve done a bad job at this in even my lifetime

9/11 - Anti-Islam

Anti-LGBTQ+

Anti-Immigrant

Following Jesus means bridging gaps

We were once outsiders to God’s kingdom

But let’s look at the first person he encounters:

Jesus and the Gentile Mother

(SLIDES)

Mark 7:25–30 CSB

25 Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she replied to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

This interaction is bizarre

Last person to fall at his feet was Jairus

Differences

The first thing we see is that Jesus doesn’t care about status

Geography, ethnicity, gender, and religion

This is breaking so many cultural norms

Two things I want to note:

Priority of Israel in Jesus’s mission

It wasn’t the time for Gentiles

He had to be rejected by the religious leaders and crucified

In Acts - Jerusalem - Judea - Samaria - and the ends of the Earth

2. She is the first person to understand the mission of Jesus

Jesus pulling her in

Faith

We relate to Jesus based on our need not our status

The religious leaders missed God right in front of them

But the first person to understand the mission of Jesus was a gentile woman with a demon possessed daughter

Are we desperate for Jesus?

Or do we try to earn our approval before him

And we see another interaction of Jesus with a gentile after:

Jesus and the Deaf Man

(SLIDES)

Mark 7:31–37 CSB

31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.

Jesus doesn’t rinse and repeat miracles—he treats people as individuals

He asked for Jesus’s touch

(SLIDES)

Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 35 Isaiah 35 5-6

Isaiah 35:5–6 CSB

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

But these prophecies are about the end times!

Jesus was bringing heaven to earth

Looking closer at the miracle

(SLIDES)

Mark 7:34–35 CSB

34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.

What is being opened? — Looks up to heaven

Open up the kingdom to the gentiles

this is bigger than Judaism

Heaven it’s self is breaking into human history

God’s kingdom is here in Jesus and it’s open to everyone

As we wrap up I want to focus on what this means for us

Conclusion

Heaven has been opened

God’s presence

OT - Traces God’s people and his presence

Places where heaven and earth intersect

Garden

Tabernacle

Temple

But something happens in the first chapter of Mark

(SLIDES)

Mark 1:10–11 CSB

10 As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

The heavens are torn open and Jesus becomes the living temple

He becomes a beacon

A place where heaven and earth meet

And here, in the middle of this story, we are seeing the effect it has

It brings healing, cleansing, and life to all of those around him

But we know how this story ends…

Jesus doesn’t live forever, walking around doing ministry

He is slowly approaching the cross…

And something happens on the cross, after Jesus gives his life

Mark 15:37–39 CSB

37 Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom

Signifying that God himself, removed this barrier

And if we continue reading in Acts we see on the day of Pentecost that God freely sends his Spirit to his people

This is what Paul says in many letters, We are the temple of God

We are where heaven and earth meet

This seems so lofty…

How can this be?

Sin/Uncleanness

Jesus took on our sin and uncleanness on the cross

He has removed what separates us from God

We are able to find a glimpse of heaven here on earth, even with all of the problems we face

(SLIDES)

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

— St. Augustine

This is what we are all searching for

And it only comes through Jesus

Infinite hole

We are made for love

We can consume and consume

But we need the infinite love of God

and live in peace

Reflection Questions

How can you bridge gaps to those different from you?

Cross cultural barriers

2. Are you desperate for Jesus?

(We don’t move past this)