The Inclusive Kingdom

The King’s Cause, Part 23

Mark 7:24-37

Ethan Welch

WELCOME

**Can we celebrate Erin’s story together?

Good morning…

**I Am Done is a new series starting in 2 weeks…defeat, depression, discouragement, and disillusionment…

  • We’re asking 150 of you to make the move to the 5:00PM for 4 weeks…
  • Erin from the video is a part of our launch team and will be at the 5:00PM…

PRAYER

If you have a Bible…If you don’t have a Bible…

INTRO

**Today’s passage is providential…amazing how it ties into the unity in the community event this afternoon…

CONTEXT

**Candid here what I thought…This passage at first glimpse just seems like another set of miracle stories…but that’s not why Mark has included these stories here…nothing seems new on the surface, but there’s a reason why Mark wants us to see these stories together at this point in his account…

**A biography never includes everything in someone’s life but rather the key moments to understand the person…not like the show Atlanta by Donald Glover with absolutely no plot whatsoever (2 Golden Globe Awards)…John tells us that if we tried to record everything Jesus did the world wouldn’t be able to contain the books that would be written…

**Mark isn’t trying to tell us everything Jesus did…rather he’s telling us certain things Jesus did to help understand what kind of a king this Jesus was…that he is for all peoples…that his kingdom is an inclusive kingdom…

TEXT—Mark 7:24-37

[24] 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.

**Region of Tyre and Sidon…this outside of Israelite territory, this is pagan territory…“Tyre” was located on the Phoenician coast about thirty-five miles northwest of Lake Galilee.[1]

**Very interesting and intriguingmove for Jesus…

[25] But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. [26] Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

**Here we have a woman in a desperate situation…

  • Daughter is oppressed by a demonic spririt…
  • The woman falls down at Jesus’ feet…common theme appearing throughout Mark…

**Mark intentionally tells us details about this woman…he stresses several things about her…Gentile/Syrophoenician…

  • Geographic barrier—Tyre
  • Ethnic barrier—ethnic makeup was Syrophoenician (Syrian and Phonecian)
  • Gender barrier—woman in a male-dominated society…
  • Religious barrier—a pagan Gentile/Non-Jew, Jews had developed a disdain for the Gentiles…religiously unclean, sexually immoral, wicked…

**This woman knew she had none of the religious, moral, social, or cultural credentials necessary to approach a Jewish rabbi.[2]

**One of the things that made Jesus so radical is that he tore down all the barriers that existed in his culture…he tore down geographic barriers, ethnic barriers, gender barriers, and religious barriers…

Mark is trying to teach us…

Jesus’ kingdom is an inclusive kingdom.

  • Jesus doesn’t have categories for the kind of person who is welcome in his kingdom…the kingdom is not reserved for a certain class of people, color of people, or culture of people…
  • The Jewish people had developed categories of the kinds of people God loved…

**John 3:16…the most famous verse in the entire Bible…

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (KJV)

  • Context—this verse, this declaration, was announced by Jesus to a Jewish people who had a very narrow view of what the kingdom was like…
  • John 2—cleansing the temple…House of prayer for all nations…
  • I used to think that the word “whosoever” primarily meant that every person, every human was being invited to believe in Jesus and enter his kingdom…
  • However, if you understand the biblical context in which Jesus is entering, he’s not only saying that every person is being invited into his kingdom; he’s also saying that every kind of person, every category of person is being invited into his kingdom…

**Gentile understanding…I used to think of myself through a Jewish lens when I would read the Bible…I thought I was the insider…

**So, if you truly want to follow Jesus, then here’s what has to be true of you…

To follow Jesus is to intentionally bridgecultural barriers.

(geographical, ethnic, gender, and religious)

**Most of my life has not been intentionally spent bridging barriers…most of my life has been passively avoiding division…

**I hear a lot of people say, “Now, I’m not a racist…” First of all, if you feel the need to clarify that for me, you probably are a racist.

**Second, it’s not enough to not be a racist…you have to be a gracist…someone who intentionally—in response to grace—bridges the divide…

**Name: The Bridge Church—Jesus is the ultimate bridge…it doesn’t matter how far away you feel from God, there is no separation that Jesus cannot bridge…Jesus’ grace reaches further than your separation from God…

**I didn’t realize this at first, but in God’s providence, God has called us to be the bridge that crosses the divides and barriers that exist in our city…

**Application—Unity in the Community event this afternoon…here’s what I love about this event…

  • We want to be a multiethnic church…and the goal is not merely a multiethnic worship gathering; it’s a multiethnic lifestyle…the goal is a multiethnic dinner table…the goal is a multiethnic community group…which means we have to figure out ways to intentionally develop meaningful relationships with people who are different than us…

[27] 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.”

**In response to her request, Jesus issues a test…and his test is a dinner table metaphor…

  • Children eat first before the dogs eat…it’s not right to give the children’s food to the dogs…
  • Here’s how the metaphor plays out…the children are representative of the nation of Israel the children of God who are to be fed first…and the dogs are representative of the Gentiles, those outside the kingdom of God, who are secondary to the nation of Israel…it was common nomenclature for the Israelites to refer to Gentiles as dogs…
  • Cats joke…
  • Now, some have argued that Jesus is trying to denigrate this woman to the status of a dog…that he is trying to degrade and demean her…but I don’t think that’s the best understanding of the metaphor he is using…I do think he is trying to demonstrate to her that she is outside the people of God and ultimately that the people of God take priority over the Gentiles regarding the unveiling of Jesus’ kingdom.

It seems appropriate to interpret Jesus’ statement on the background provided by the OT and later Judaism where the people of Israel are designated as the children of God. Understood in this light, Jesus acknowledges the privileges of Israel and affirms that the time has not yet come for blessing to be extended to the Gentiles.[3]

William Lane

**Remember, this is a test to see how this woman responds to Jesus…

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

**This is incredible…most of us would just walk away after what Jesus said…

**We rarely see this kind of response to Jesus…Jesus is always giving people metaphors and parables and tests in order to help teach people…and this woman uses the metaphor and turns it back onto Jesus…

  • First, she refers to Jesus as “Lord”…she recognizes that he is not just a mere prophet or religious leader…
  • Also, she doesn’t disagree with Jesus’ designation of her as a Gentile…she doesn’t try to give a rebuttal to that…she owns it…
  • And then she takes the comparison one step further…the children are fed but the dogs eat the crumbs under the table at the same time…she is saying, “Yes, let the children be fed, but there is enough food that drops from the table for the dogs to enjoy.”

The brightest jewels are often found in the darkest places.

Charles H. Spurgeon

**Here’s what she is doing, she is not pleading to Jesus on the basis of her own goodness or worthiness. Rather, she is making her plea on the basis of his goodness. She is not saying, “Lord, give me what I deserve based on my own goodness.” No, she is saying, “Lord, give me what I don’t deserve based on your goodness.” Somehow this pagan woman knows and believes that the goodness of Jesus is not only for a select few but for everyone.”

Here’s what this teaches us…

Our standing before God is based solely on his goodness.

Illustration—standing before the queen of England and telling her you have enough cash to by a room in her palace…you will never get in that way…the only way you can ever enter is if she graciously welcomes you in when you can’t earn it…

**The only way you enter into a relationship with God is when you acknowledge that you don’t deserve it and you can’t earn it…it’s only when you plead upon his grace through faith that the doors of his kingdom are opened to you…

Here’s what you have to understand about Jesus’ kingdom…

On the one hand, the gospel is that you’re more wicked than you ever dared believe, but you’re more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope. At the same time.[4]

Tim Keller

**Gospel call…

**Baptism call…

[29] And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” [30] And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

**Matthew’s account tells us…

Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.”

Matthew 15:28

**Woman vs. Pharisees…

**Now the second episode Mark tells us…

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

**Still in a Gentile region…outside Israel territory…Decapolis

[32] 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.

**Jesus is confronted by a group of people who have brought their friend to Jesus…

**Deaf and a speech impediment…

**Our church…Joe (blind), Michael (deaf)

Elaborate…

[33] And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. [34] And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” [35] And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. [36] And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [37] And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

**Notice the differences between this miracle story and the previous young girl…

  • Why in this instance do we see Jesus taking him to the side, putting his fingers in his ears, spitting and touching and sighing…??
  • Remember, he is touching and embracing a man who is physically impaired…he’s embracing him and even sighing…emotionally connecting with this man…
  • Jesus demonstrating empathy and intimacy with someone who is broken and outcast…Jesus is not just sorry for him…he enters his pain…

**Here’s what else I love about this story…

  • In this man Jesus sees the coming of his kingdom…he sees the long anticipated coming of a King who would make all things well…

**There’s a single Greek word mogilalon that’s used there and no other place in the Bible except Isaiah 35:5. It’s a very rare word. There’s no reason that Mark would have used it except he wants us to cross-reference what’s happening here with Isaiah 35.[5]

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:1-6

**GOSPEL—Jesus is coming for the salvation of the world…

**Jesus is in the process of “making all things well” and “all things new”…

CONCLUSION

PRAYER

PARALLEL PASSAGES

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

[21] And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. [22] And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” [23] But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” [24] He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [25] But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” [26] And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” [27] She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” [28] Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Matthew 15:21-28

1

[1] Brooks, J. A. (1991). Mark (Vol. 23, p. 120). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

[3] Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 261). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

[4] Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

[5] Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.