Mark 7:24-37

Big Idea:

Trusting the Master will be worth it.

Intro:

Hey Church Online Family, thanks for joining us!

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A couple weeks ago, I mentioned I recently caught up on the Netflix series: Cobra Kai. I know not everyone is into karate, but I am, mostly because martial arts has been a part of my family for a long time. In fact, if you google my name, you’ll likely get 3 different results:

Some random Asian doctor.

My info will pop up.

Or, you’ll see my dad, who is a Hawaiian Kenpo Grand Master. He’s got a bunch of karate schools all over the world.

My brother (who also now teaches karate) and I grew up learning Kenpo. And though I quit karate a long time ago, there still something in me that gravitates towards it, which is why I like Cobra Kai. It’s also why I watched all of the Karate Kid movies (even though some were poorly made).

Do you remember the first Karate Kid? That one was not poorly made. Remember when Mr. Miyagi was first teaching Daniel-san how to do karate? He was doing what seemed like random chores: washing cars, sanding the floor, painting the fence and house. It didn’t make sense to Daniel, that is, until Mr. Miyagi (the karate master) put it all together. Then, he saw that he was learning how to properly block strikes (something important in martial arts).

In order to properly learn karate, Daniel had to surrender to the master. And it’s that principle that connects to our passage today in the Book of Mark. And remember that word, “surrender,” because it’s gonna be a key part of our discussion today.

Before we jump into the passage, let me first clarify the direction I’m taking us, because it’s a little different than my other sermons. Usually, I try my best to keep us focused on one Big Idea. But today, as we read thru the passage, I’m going to jump all over the place with interpretations and applications. It might seem a little scatter-brained at first, but I promise I’ll bring it all together at the end, so that we can take home one Big idea to meditate on and apply to our lives.

Let’s get started. Picking up where we left off last week…

Mark 7:24 ESV

And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.

Exegesis:

A little context as we begin the passage. Remember:

Jesus had just walked on water crossing the Sea of Galilee.

He healed a bunch of people in Gennesaret.

Then all the religious leaders got mad that his disciples didn’t wash their hands.

Ands Jesus reminds every one that it’s not about the dirt on our hands, but the filth in our hearts.

So, from there, he arose at went north to the region of Tyre, which is in modern day Lebanon. Something important to realize is Jesus is now outside Israel, in a non-Jewish area, meaning no “good” Jew would want to go there. The religious leaders would’ve really disapproved of traveling thru this unclean area! I could picture his disciples thinking, “Yo Jesus, where we going?”

You ever drive thru a rough area and think, “Umm… where are we going?” And suddenly hear your spouse or parent hit the automatic lock? I remember when we were driving from San Diego to Connecticut and we stopped in Memphis, at Popeyes, in the hood. [If you don’t know about Memphis, based on the crime rate statistics, in a room like this, 6 people are getting jacked and 2 are getting hurt]. We had no choice because we had to use the bathroom and were hungry. But I was fine. As I shared before, I grew up in places like this.

… but then, as I was walking back to my car from Popeyes, I heard “click.” I looked over and a little old lady hit the automatic locks ON ME! I was a little bit offended! “Excuse me? We’re in downtown Memphis and you lock the door on me? I’m the least threatening purpose in this parking lot! I’m headed to start a new church!”

Anyways, the Jewish people would’ve seen Tyre kinda like that. Regardless, Jesus purposefully takes his disciples there. But why?

Well remember, this whole time, Jesus and his disciples have been trying to get some REST. And they kept getting interrupted. One reason they went to Tyre is because they were TIRED! And they got a little private house and tried to keep their location private, but it didn’t work.

Hebrews 4:15 NLT

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

I think this story can be strangely comforting for us. When Jesus was here on earth, He was tired, just like we get tired. He tried to rest because it’s extremely important, but there were times, in this broken world, where that rest got delayed and interrupted. If you feel this way today, know that Jesus knows what it’s like to be tired, have boundaries broken by others, and He wants to help you. He gets it. And maybe a next step is...

To simply surrender (there’s that word) to the situation like Jesus does. If God is your God, and He wants you to rest, you can trust He will make it happen as you follow Him by faith.

Do you need to be intentional about your rest? Yes. Go far away to a private location to protect it? Maybe. But maybe He’s leading you thru this time of broken rest for a future and a hope, for yourself and for maybe others you encounter...

Verse 25...

Mark 7:25–26 ESV

But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Real quick, when it says, “Gentile” it simply means she was not Jewish. Understanding that is important because in the Bible, God chose to progressively work out His plan to save the world. He started by making a covenant relationship with the Jewish people. It’s not that God didn’t love the world (or all people), but He chose the Jewish people to be the ones who would tell everyone about the One True God.

But isn’t it interesting, Jesus just left a group of Jewish religious leaders (who should’ve embraced Him but instead rejected Him) and found a Gentile (non-Jewish) person willing to “surrender” (there’s that word again) to Him. It says she fell at His feet and begged Him to help.

Now, as wonderful as this surrender is, if I was Jesus, I’m gonna be a little bit cranky. This is like the third time His vacation has been interrupted. He even went far away and people still found Him. He’s had no time to rest. I said it before… when I’m tired, I’m a really bad Christian.

You know when you put your kids to sleep at night and the house is finally nice and quiet? You can finally relax and rest. No one is asking you questions or asking you to do anything. For me, I sit in my chair, take a deep breath, and close my eyes. Peace - finally!

Then, I hear footsteps. Somebody got out of bed. And because I’m tired, I’m not in a good place. No matter what the issue is, I’m not having it. They could be like, “Dad, there’s a wolf in my bedroom!” I don’t care. Grab a dog treat, give it to him, and go to sleep! Do not come out of your room again. Leave me alone. [See - we keep it real here at TRC. The pastor is definitely NOT perfect. You don’t need to be either. All about grace here.]

Look what Jesus says...

Mark 7:27 ESV

And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Aye, Jesus. Chill. “Jesus, what are you saying?” Is Jesus cranky? Could the God-man get cranky? I don’t know, but I do know three ways we could interpret His words...

In the Jewish culture, one way they described non-Jewish people was by calling them dogs. Many dogs in their community were dirty scavenger street dogs. They were unclean. And in the Jewish religious world, dogs spiritually represented the pagan Gentiles - the idolatrous, unclean people. On the other hand, the Jews understood God had chosen them as a special people. They were chosen children of God.

So, one way to interpret Jesus’s words is to see them thru this religious filter. And if that’s the case, it seems like Jesus is being mean - definitely cranky. However, this woman (being non-Jewish) probably wouldn’t have been familiar with the spiritual analogy, so it wouldn’t make sense for Jesus to use it.

Another interpretation is similar. The term for dog used here actually isn’t for stray dogs, but for house pets. Animals that were part of the family. And when Jesus refers to “the children being fed first,” he’s specifically speaking of his disciples. And while no one wants to be viewed as a perro/dog (house pet or not), in this interpretation, it wouldn’t have been received as an insult, but a clever way of saying, “Let me first take care my disciples who need to rest, then I’ll take care of you.” That would be consistent with the order of a home, where the children eat first, then pets eat. And this seems more consistent with Jesus’s heart to save all people.

The third way is a mix of the previous two interpretations. Maybe this Gentile woman did have some understanding of the Jewish faith. She understood that the Promises of God were to the Jew first. In Matthew’s account of the same story, Jesus says to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24) So, maybe Jesus isn’t being cranky, but he isn’t exactly being nice. He seems to be clarifying that (even as a beloved house pet) you’re still a second-class religious citizen. And when Jesus points that out, she understood it.

Out of these three options, I lean towards the third. But it still leaves me saying, “Jesus, what are you saying?” This doesn’t seem loving. It doesn’t seem consistent with, “For God so loved the WORLD that WHOEVER believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” I don’t understand...

And here’s where we can insert the theme of “surrender” again. Sometimes the Master does things that we don’t understand. And when that happens, the appropriate response is to surrender. To say, “I have no idea what’s going on here, but I surrender to the Master. If he wants me to ‘wax on, wax off’ then that’s what we’re doing.”

Mark 7:28 ESV

But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Last week, we learned a lot about what NOT to do from the Jewish religious leaders. Today, we can learn a lot from this non-Jewish lady - the one currently compared to a dog. Because she response in perfect SURRENDER.

She says...

“Lord.” Hey, you’re the Master. You can call me whatever you want. I surrender!

I’m not “offended” by being called a “dog.” Dogs eventually receive from the Master. That’s all I’m asking for. One touch, one word, one crumb from You is enough to change my life. However You chose to make that happen, I surrender!

There’s a lesson here for us...

As followers of Jesus (Christians), we need to realize there are better options than being offended. The Syrophoenician woman shows us one. Most of us would get offended if Jesus called us a dog, especially in our hyper-sensitive culture. We’d put Jesus on-blast on social media and get Him canceled. But instead of being offended, what if we surrendered our pride and looked for how God is using this moment as an opportunity for us to receive from Jesus. Because ultimately that’s what’s happening here. And why Jesus says what He says. In His perfect wisdom, He’s drawing out faith from this woman’s heart.

Many times Jesus does things we don’t understand and we struggle with it. But we must realize, He’s not doing it to be mean or because He’s cranky. He’s giving us an opportunity to grow in our faith.

Romans 5:3–5 NLT

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

God sees things in us that we don’t see. And because we know He loves us, we can surrender to Him, even if we don’t understand. Even if it initially hurts or sounds offensive. If it’s truly God working in our lives, we can trust that He’s actually using it as an opportunity to draw out greater faith that leads to a greater hope .

But the first step in this process is to be humble. This woman was humble. She was like, “You’re the Master. How you see me is how I am. I’m a dog. Okay. I’m a dog.” Now, to be overly clear… Jesus doesn’t actually think of her in a disrespectful way. And being humble isn’t about letting people walk all over you. You’ve probably heard it said before...

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. That’s true. At the same time, another way to define humility (which fits better here) is seeing yourself as God sees you. It’s SURRENDERING to God and letting Him define who you are.

This woman had supernatural humility. She had a special ability to SURRENDER. And that SURRENDER was WORTH it. Look what Jesus says...

Mark 7:29–30 ESV

And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Surrender produced faith that resulted in salvation. What do you need to SURRENDER TO THE MASTER TODAY?

Moving on...

Mark 7:31 ESV

Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

Once again, Jesus takes an unexpected route. He goes farther into Gentile territory. Sidon was north of Tyre. And then He goes southeast toward the Decapolis, which was another non-Jewish area. The disciples would’ve once again been thinking, “Jesus, where are we going?” Nevertheless, they surrendered to the Master’s travel plans.

Mark 7:32 ESV

And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

And once again, we see unexpected people SURRENDER to Jesus in an unexpected area. And notice the plural pronouns. It says, “THEY brought… a man” and “THEY begged” Jesus. It reminds me of the friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus in Mark 2.

Mark 2:5 ESV

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

According to the Scriptures, Jesus moves to heal a man based on the faith of OTHERS. I’m not sure how exactly that works, but I know it does. And it’s happening here again in Mark 7 - a group of friends bought a deaf and mute man to Jesus for healing.

And it challenges me to consider, “Who am I bringing to Jesus?” Do you know that’s how God’s plan to save the world works?

We have friends who need Jesus.

We bring them to Jesus.

Matthew 28:19 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

GST Translation - the “George’s Simple-minded translation” - Go make friends everywhere and bring them to Jesus.”

How does Jesus want to use your faith to save others? One easy way to start is to pray for them. Reply to the prayer text we send out on Wednesdays. Join our Zoom Prayer Meeting on Thursday mornings. Prayer for your friends and watch what Jesus does!

Mark 7:33 ESV

And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.

So… this is weird. So far in this passage, we’ve asked:

Jesus, where we going?

Jesus, why did you say that?

Now, we can ask, “Jesus, what are you doing?”

Jesus is definitely doing some “out-of-the-box” things here. But guess what? He’s the Master and He knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t. Our part is to just SURRENDER and trust Him. When we do, we can expect to experience the power of God...

Mark 7:34–35 ESV

And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

Can I just say, “I want to see this happen in our community!” May we hear Jesus proclaim over our lives, “Be opened!” May the chains of sin, sickness, evil, and death, be loosed in the name of Jesus. But we must first realize, it all starts with SURRENDER. If we will, I’m confident we too will find our response matching the one in our story...

Mark 7:37 ESV

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

When it says, “they were astonished beyond measure,” it describes a “I can’t believe this is happening” excitement. Like it almost doesn’t feel real!

You guys know the new Dr. Strange movie is coming out this week? You know when Dr. Strange does the “Astral push” and how people are like, “Is this real?!? How is this happening!!!!” Same kind of excitement after experiencing the power of God!

And I believe we have yet to see this kind of excitement in our church and community. I believe in the days ahead, God is going to astonish us beyond measure. And I believe it’s right for us to have an expectation of excitement!

What Jesus is doing is supposed to be exciting.

The Kingdom of God / church / living for Jesus is not supposed to be boring.

God is NOT boring!

His power - and the biblical expectation of His power - should inspire passion!

And I believe God that everything God is doing by His power here in Glastonbury is for unbelievable purpose.

He is raising up a generation of passionate people who know and experience the power of God.

And we should be excited about it!

But it all starts with SURRENDER..

Response:

And as we close, that’s the theme that ties everything together: Surrender. When following (or considering following) Jesus, we may ask...

Jesus, where are you going?

Jesus, why did you say that?

Jesus, what are you doing?

And Jesus may or may not answer our questions. We may or may not understand what the Master is doing. But one thing I can guarantee about Jesus, “He does all things well.”

We can trust the Master, even if we don’t understand, because He knows what He’s doing. And trusting Him will be worth it. It’ll leave us “astonished beyond measure.”

Are you willing to surrender your life to Jesus today?

Because that’s an essential part of the Christian life. To follow Jesus requires SURRENDER. Without surrender, there is no salvation. Jesus said...

Luke 9:23–24 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Let me encourage you today, surrender to the Master. And here’s an interesting connection between our community and today’s passage. Jesus found faith in unexpected places. I can tell you, not many people are expecting great faith to be found in Glastonbury, CT.

People don’t typically expect powerful moves of God don’t happen in rich, safe, well-off towns. Highly educated people don’t usually surrender by faith. But I believe Jesus likes to work in unexpected ways. And He has come here to this place because He sees something different in us...

He sees our willingness to be humble and surrender.

He sees our willingness to bring friends to the Savior.

He sees a place where He can unexpectedly show the world, “I do all things well!”

So, will you surrender to Jesus today and be a part of how God is moving in our community? If so, let me suggest a few next steps...

Surrender by releasing control of your life into His hands. Say, “God, you’re the Master. You get to determine where I go, what I say, and what I do.”

Surrender your identity to what God says. Let Him determine who you are.

Surrender your words and actions to Him. Before you do anything ask, “God, what do you want me to do?” And if that process is new to you, let me give you some helpful tips...

Read your Bible every day. God’s Word is living and He speaks to us thru it.

If you’re new to the Bible, and still learning how to understand it, then commit to being in places that will teach you the Bible. Prioritize Sunday mornings. Or join a Life Group or DGroup during the week. That brings me to the final tip...

Be with people who can help you surrender and follow Jesus. While we should have friends who don’t know Jesus, that we can bring to Jesus, we must have friends who know Jesus well too. When need people whose faith can help us grow in faith. This is not complicated stuff… it’s stuff we already practice...

If we want to learn karate, train with other karate students.

If we want to start walking/running, find a group of people to walk/run with.

If you want to follow Jesus, hang out with others who are following Him too.

Let’s pray...

Father, today we surrender to You. We don’t always understand. But we don’t need to because we trust You do understand. And You do all things well, so we can willingly surrender our lives to You. Help us do that today. Help us help others do that as well. In Jesus name, amen.

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