"Compassion", A Closer Look by Reggie Koop

Key Passage: Mark 8:1-3

In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. – Mark 8:1-3

Mark doesn’t specifically locate the area where these events occurred, but biblical scholars believe that the location is somewhere in the Decapolis region, East and Southeast of the Sea of Galilee.

Looking at verse 1, it says the multitude was great. Think back to the times when the scribes and Pharisees tried to blemish Jesus’ reputation and undermine His authority. They were saying the power He had was from Satan and started suggesting that He was out of His mind. I think their attempts were of little avail.

Also think about what type of people these were. They were common people, mainly Gentiles. They were probably a more hardcore type of people than in most cities. But Jesus humbled Himself and made Himself of no reputation encouraging these hardcore people to come to Him for life and grace.

Now look at verse 2.

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: – Mark 8:2

All the people (including the disciples) had not eaten for three days. I’m sure it was not easy following Jesus in the hilly country and listening to His teachings. There may have been some that brought food with them but by this time it was probably all gone and they still had to go back home, which for many would be a long distance. Still, they continued with Jesus and did not think about leaving until he dismissed them.
When a person is very passionate and has a true zeal about something, hardships like hunger take a back seat. Remember what Jesus told Satan when He was tempted to turn stones into bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. – John 6:35

Jesus has compassion for all that are in want and in dire straits. He has even more for those who give up almost everything to follow and serve Him.

I have compassion on the multitude. – Mark 8:2

The religious leaders sure didn’t. They looked down upon them (especially the Gentiles) as second class citizens. Jesus looked upon them with pity and tenderness. They were His main concern.

they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: – Mark 8:2

If we go through hardships or experience loss for Christ’s sake, He will take care of us.

but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. – Psalm 34:10b

Finally look at Jesus’ sympathy in verse 3.

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. – Mark 8:3

In no way could Jesus have sent them home fasting. It is not His character to send anyone away empty. Christ’s time to act for the relief of His people was when things were brought to the last extreme. When they were ready to faint He provided for them. And He will for us.

Do you have compassion? What are we to do?

1. Pray that God will give you Christ-like compassion. Pray that God will put opportunities in your path.
2. Look for opportunities to serve others. Have compassion on others that are in need.
3. Show God’s love.
4. Share about God. Witness!! Get ‘r’ done.

"Follow Me"...An Opportunity to Reach the Nations

Sometimes the events in our lives correspond so well to the stories and teachings in the Bible that we get an extra measure of understanding. For instance, a couple of months ago, I was scheduled to preach on Jesus calming the storm and then we had the wind storm come through Fairfax. When we allow God’s truth to speak to us, we should not be surprised at how relevant this ancient text is for our lives today.

What is true in general has certainly been true for me lately. One instance is a better understanding of Paul’s longing to see certain people. I wrote about this in my blog last week, but to quickly summarize, a part of my heart is in Kenya and I long to see some people who have become dear to me in a short matter of time.

But another way I can better understand relates to today’s text. I believe all of us can relate to this in some way, but in the context of ministry, it takes on a little different perspective. I am talking about being tired and needing a break. All of us have times in our lives that we succumb to exhaustion, and many times that exhaustion leads us to get away, even to the point of avoiding the things we could, and even should, be doing.

Over the past two weeks, Rick and Reggie have showed Jesus and His disciples at that point. When the disciples returned from their mission, they were exhausted and had not even had time to eat. Jesus tries to find an isolated place for them to rest, but the people show up and the ministry effort continues. After an overnight boat ride (which was beyond ordinary), they arrive at Gennesaret and people seek out Jesus to be healed. Shortly after, the religious leaders of the day challenge Jesus regarding their religious traditions. The point is that Jesus, nor His disciples, can find a break from ministering to the people. And that brings us to our text today.

Rick covered much of the first part of this week’s text (click here), but I do want to expand on a couple of thoughts that relate to both parts of the text today. As Rick said, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon to find rest – yet He could not be hidden. He then went back toward Galilee, but to the Decapolis. Everywhere Jesus went, people found Him.

In the first part of the passage, a woman finds Jesus wanting her daughter healed. As we have seen throughout Mark, the word immediately is in focus. With Jesus, there is no delay! In the second half of the passage, the people find Jesus in order that He might heal a man. In both cases, Jesus is in Gentile territory. In the first story, Jesus makes it clear that He was sent to Israel. The question thus arises, does that mean that the Gentiles were an afterthought? That answer to that is No.

Jesus was sent TO Israel, but not only FOR Israel.

Jesus went to Israel because they God’s chosen people. Israel was expecting Messiah. He had to go to Israel because no one else would know, or truly understand the coming of Messiah. In the great passage on God’s servant, Messiah was to restore Israel and be a light unto the nations (Is. 49.6).

It is important to note is that the woman seems to understand this very fact. Jesus answers her request in a parable, and she does not deny the precedence of Israel, but says that even as a Gentile, His mission includes those who make Him “Lord.” In fact, this woman is the only person in Mark’s account of the gospel that refers to Jesus as Lord, except Jesus Himself. Furthermore, this woman appears to be the first person who understands Jesus and His words. The disciples certainly didn’t, and most people were simply interested in the miracle man. She may have come for a miracle, but her response shows that she understands what Jesus came to do.

Jesus is concerned with our heart not our origins.

Immigration policies are prominent in the 2016 election cycle. Let us remember that a national policy on immigration is just that – national. But the national policy and enforcement is not the same as God’s. Only one set of geographic boundaries are given in the Bible and this is for the nation of Israel, which does not represent the modern map. All lines to distinguish countries, states, counties, or even towns and cities are man-made.

God’s boundaries are different and the woman here is a prime example of this principle. When she came, she fell at his feet. She was a Phoenician, a Gentile, a pagan, a woman, and her daughter was possessed. In the first century, you couldn’t be much more unclean than that. But Jesus has just taught on what clean and unclean really is in the previous verses. If what we put into our mouths does not make us unclean, then neither can the place where we are born. We don’t choose where we are born. We don’t choose our parents. But we do choose how to live.

This woman not only called Jesus Lord, she treated Him as Lord. In that case, she is no different than the highly respected Jairus whom we saw back in chapter 5. Both had a daughter that needed healing and both were rewarded for their faith, despite their difference in origins and prestige. Again, it is a matter of the heart, which was the essence of the message Reggie shared last week (see Mark 7.19).

In our day, many people may call Jesus by a title of Savior or Lord, but what do they mean?

• If He is our Savior, shouldn’t we show our thankfulness to Him for what He has done for us?
• If He is our Lord, shouldn’t we be obedient to His call? Shouldn’t we follow His lead? Shouldn’t we give Him the honor and praise He deserves? Shouldn’t we trust that He will provide for us – which is exactly what this woman believed!

We may all struggle to do this properly at times, but if He is truly our Savior, then He should be our Lord. And if that is the case, then we must seek to glorify Him.

Jesus provides for our needs individually not ordinarily.

As routinely as Jesus encounters people, each encounter is anything but routine. Some are healed by touch, some by a statement. Some seek out Jesus (like Jairus); others have been sought by Jesus (like the man in the synagogue, Mark 3). In each encounter, Jesus provides what is needed in just the right way for that particular individual. In our passage today, we have two individuals needing help – one who asks for it, the other who cannot. One reveals her faith before the miracle; the other after the miracle.

Both accounts use a similar word – begging (the Greek word is different). We have seen this word before, particularly in Chapter 5 when Jesus healed the demon-possessed man. However, it is important to note that in both cases the begging is on behalf of someone else. The woman begs for her daughter to be freed of demonic possession. The man is brought to Jesus by those who beg on his behalf because He cannot speak. And Jesus responds to the begging based upon the individual.

For the woman, Jesus says, “Go, the demon has left your daughter.” Jesus recognized the faith of this woman and knew He did not need to go with her. The daughter was healed, and this woman would trust His word that it was so.

For the man, Jesus uses an entirely different approach. He touches the man and speaks to the man. Ultimately, this healing has three distinct parts.

• The man is deaf so Jesus puts His own fingers in His ears. 
• The man has a speech impediment so Jesus spits (into His hand, presumably) and touches the man’s tongue as if to transfer His ability to speak to the man.
• Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and commands that the man’s ears be opened, and tongue loosed.

Now, notice the response of each.

• The woman leaves as Jesus commanded.
• The man speaks and is certainly a part of the crowd who is rejoicing.

In fact, the word that was used to describe the man’s difficult in speaking is the Greek term mogilalos. The only other place in Scripture the word is used in in Isaiah 35.5-6. Listen to these words:

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

These verses come at the end of the first portion of Isaiah where judgment is pronounced. But the shift is from judgment to eschatology – where all creation will cry out to the Lord (Edwards, 224), and that is what the man is doing here.

The point is that Jesus is worthy of our praise not just because He is God, but because of how personal He is. He doesn’t just meet our needs, He meets them in the way that we we need them met. Jesus couldn’t just tell the man to go home, because he would not have been able to hear. Instead, Jesus reaches out to the man and provides a very personal healing. And He will do the same for us.

Conclusion

As we conclude, I want to focus on one final aspect – the lengths people will go to for love. Consider the mother. She went to great lengths to find Jesus. What lengths will a mother what lengths will a mother go through for her child?

Consider the people. This group brought the man to Jesus. We might deduce they were his friends, so let’s just pretend that is the case. What kind of love must we have for our friends to bring our friends before Jesus?

But the love of a friend, and even the love of a mother pale greatly in comparison to the love of our Father. Consider the measures our Father went through to save His creation. He was willing to sacrifice His only Son so that we might be with Him forever. That is love. And that is service. And that is what we are called to do as well. And for us, the time is now.

JOURNEY

The JOURNEY letter for today is: JOURNEY.

Five-plus years ago, I came to a church that was weary and nearly dead (in your own words). I go back to the night in June of 2011 when I mentioned the Sigmoid Curve and the consensus from those here that night was that the church was almost dead. I said we could bounce back quickly, which would probably cause a later crash, or we could take our time and recover over time. Well, the recovery time is over. The time to serve begins now. We may not see all of the opportunities before us at the moment, but they are there. It is as Rick said a couple of week’s ago regarding the disciples and the feeding of the 5000, “The opportunity for ministry was there, but the disciples did not see it. We need to see through the open eyes of God, not the closed eyes of man.”

Don’t get me wrong, ministry has happened here over the past five years, but now we all need to check our hearts and prepare for a new level of ministry. As I said earlier this year, it is time to Engage! This is a critical time for our country and our world. It isn’t about just waiting until we go to heaven, although that is all that some people want. Rather, it is about serving so that we might hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The reality is that in order to hear WELL DONE, we must be DOING something. It is time to do.

It is time for leaders to be developed to allow God to do great things through this church. Leadership equates in many ways to discipleship. Jesus said to make disciples and that will be my focus as we move forward. Maintaining our unity and focus is important, but as we actively join God in serving this church, this town, this county, and this world, more leaders will be necessary to make that happen.

Opportunity: Prepare ourselves to serve and see how God will use this church to make a difference for His kingdom and His glory.

NEXT STEP(S):

Learn: Take time to remember and then reflect on how God has ministered in a personal way to you. Write down your thoughts (perhaps in a journal) to keep these ideas fresh for you.

Live: Engage in God’s mission by serving others the way you have been served. (See 2 Corinthians 1.3-7.)

Love: Seek ways to personally minister to individuals by understanding what each person needs.

Lead: Realize that you are a leader who must also follow (Jesus). Commit to being a better leader in order that others will choose to follow Jesus as well.

"Throwing Bread to the Dogs", A Closer Look by Rick Sons

Throwing Bread to the Dogs

Mark 7.24-30
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. 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, Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 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.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 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.

These past weeks we have seen Jesus feed the five thousand, showing that He could meet the needs of Israel. Then He walked on the water, showing that He is the Lord of creation. Jesus challenged the teachings of the elders because those teachings had been elevated to the status of Scripture. Then, following that confrontation, Jesus went out of the country to the region of Tyre and Sidon and is met by a Canaanite woman. She asks him to remove a demon from her child. Jesus’ reply to this needy woman seems harsh and insensitive. But is it?

Let’s look at some background material as we look into this question.  First, Jesus is taking his disciples aside for some much needed rest, as we have learned the past two weeks.  The purpose of Jesus’ withdrawal to Tyre was to secure the rest which had been interrupted both in the wilderness and in the district of Gennesaret.  Jesus went into the vicinity of Tyre – not the city – as he was trying to escape notice. He was not seeking rest for himself; his purpose was to get some much needed rest for His disciples, with the purpose to minister to them.

That chance to minister comes in the form of a Gentile woman. We need to take note that the woman would have had to travel to find Him. Let’s go on.

Jesus hides in a house with his disciples, presumably in the countryside, to get the rest Jesus had promised his disciples.

Somehow Jesus’ location reaches the woman, who immediately drops what she is doing and seeks out the house in which Jesus is staying.

She is outside of the house, where she cries/yells out to Him, using the messianic title “Son of David.”

Jesus doesn’t yell an answer back to the woman from inside the house nor does he speak to the disciples about the matter as they are to be resting.

The disciples approach Jesus about her, and ask him to grant her request and send her away. I think it was more that they wanted her to be quiet so they could rest. The book of Mark does not include the request of the disciples to send her away, but this can be found in Matthew. Once again, as in weeks past, the disciples did not see a chance for ministry. From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry it was never God’s plan to keep it all for the Jews. Since chapter 1, we have seen the disciples miss many opportunities for ministry.

As in the Book of Matthew, Jesus tells them that he was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel. But this stirs the hearts of the disciples and this encourages them to let the woman inside the house.

The woman now, makes her appeal in humility.  In understanding the nature of demonic exorcism, it would involve physical proximity. (You would have to see the victim and in most cases touch them.) So her request to Jesus would be something like, “Please come to my house, and drive out the demon.”

Jesus uses a mini-parable or household image about children getting temporal priority at feeding time over their dogs.

1. What did Jesus mean by the expression “throwing bread to the dogs?”
2. The term is designed as an expression of the highest contempt. Muslims still apply the term “dogs” to Christians, and Christians and Jews, to each other. Jesus means to say that he was sent to the Jews and this woman was a Gentile.
3. The Jews often spoke of the Gentiles with arrogance and insolence as “unclean dogs" since the Gentiles were excluded from God’s covenant and favor with Israel.
4. The women understood this parable and knew what Jesus meant and stated that house dogs eat from the crumbs of table, even before they are to be feed.
5. The word used was small in form, and as such pointed not to the wild, unclean beasts that haunt the streets of the city, but to the tamer animals that were bred in the house, and kept as pets.
6. NOTE: No one who ever sought Jesus with faith, whether Jew or Gentile was refused his help.

Jesus is deeply moved by her powerful faith – faith He had not seen in a Jew, or his own people.

Jesus compliments her on her great faith and explains that the demon has already left her daughter. He also implies that there is no need for Him and the disciples to travel to her home. It is done. Her request has been filled.

She leaves, trusting Him with that powerful faith, and finds her daughter cured.

As I asked a few weeks ago, do we come to Jesus with expectant faith that he will do what we ask of him? In our text we see that Jesus honors the faith that seeks mercy. The woman had no resentment, no anger about her situation; she only knew that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah who came to heal people and for some reason He was in her town. She sought mercy from him and asked him, in faith, to heal her daughter.  The basic theme of the text is that Jesus went into Gentile territory and did this miracle for a Gentile woman who had greater faith than the Jews who were rejecting and challenging Jesus’ claims. 

It teaches us about the grace of Jesus, the faith of people who are in need, and the coming kingdom of the Jews and Gentiles, who will be sent into the entire world. It teaches us that the Lord desires all to come to salvation.

"The Jewish Ritual of Hand Washing", A Closer Look by Rick Sons

Mark 7.1-8
1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to Him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of His disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

Understanding the Text

In the past weeks, we have learned of Jesus’ power to do miraculous works and people’s response to His display of power: The feeding of the five thousand (6.30-44); Jesus walking on water (6.45-52); and the healing of the sick in Gennesaret (6.53-56). The concluding verse of chapter 6 reads, “And wherever He went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might touch even the fringe of His cloak; and all who touched it were healed.” (6.56). The Pharisees in today’s lesson ignore compelling evidence of Jesus’ power to do good, and focus instead on the failure of His disciples to observe their traditions. They ignore the presence of God’s power, and focus on trivial concerns. Jewish law, while quite detailed, leaves room for interpretation in many situations. The Pharisees, out of a desire to obey God, established rules to clarify the law in those situations.  Their findings became known as the tradition(s) of the elders.

When the report of Jesus’ miracles spread abroad, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem made their way north to Gennesaret to confront Jesus.  They charged that the Lord’s disciples neglected to keep the “traditions” of the elders, because they did not ceremonially wash their hands (to purify themselves from Gentile contamination) before they ate. But Christ focused on them, asking why they “transgressed the commandment of God” by their “tradition” (Matthew 15.3).

Jesus’ followers (all Jews) didn’t adhere to the same purity practices. “Some” disciples did not wash their hands in particular ways prior to eating.  This alone means little, as the wider Jewish population at that time didn’t exhibit strict consistency in such matters. In short, different Jews followed proper practices. Even more, they confront Jesus as their Teacher. Even though no Old Testament texts call for anyone to wash hands before eating, by Jesus’ day, certain practices had arisen among some Jews. Why don’t all of Jesus’ followers abide by these more recent customs? What kind of teacher leads His pupils to violate revered elders’ teachings, that is, the legal interpretations affirmed by at least these scribes and Pharisees?

In no way does Jesus deny the validity of either the Mosaic Law in general or its individual commandments; He rejects how certain interpretations – and certain practices – may have deviated from or obscured the intent of laws meant to safeguard purity. To be clear, Jesus does not dismiss the issue of defilement as insignificant. He does not declare the Mosaic Law unimportant. He disagrees with these scribes and Pharisees’ interpretations of certain laws.

Hand Washing

In Temple times there were elaborate rules in connection with ritual impurity. If a person had been rendered impure through having come into contact, say, with a dead rodent, he contaminated sacred food such as the tithe given to the priests, which must then not be eaten. The way in which contamination of this kind could be removed was through immersion in a ritual bath.

Philosophers and Sages

The sages imposed in certain circumstances the minor form of contamination known as “hand contamination” in which only the hands, not the whole body, was contaminated and for this to be removed total immersion was not required, only the ritual washing of the hands. What is a sage? A sage, in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained the wisdom a philosopher seeks. The philosopher (meaning “lover of wisdom”) does not have the wisdom sought; while the sage, on the other hand, does not love or seek wisdom, for wisdom is already possessed. The sage is one who lives “according to an ideal which transcends the everyday.” Since there was a good deal of priests’ tithe in ancient Palestine which could easily come into contact with the hands, the sages eventually ordained the hands of every Jew, not only the hands of a priest, must be washed ritually before meals.

Nothing to Do with Hygiene

It has to be appreciated that this ritual washing of the hands has nothing to do with physical cleanliness. On hygienic grounds, the hands are obviously to be clean of dirt before food is eaten. Even when the hands are physically clean they are still required to be ritually washed. The original reason for washing the hands no longer applies, since there is no sacred food to be eaten; the ritual was continued on the grounds that the ideal of holiness demands a special, ritualistic washing of the hands. The act of washing the hands in this sense is seen as the introduction of the holiness ideal into the mundane life of the Jew. This ritual washing is only required before a meal at which bread is eaten. Bread (challah), is symbolic of physical sustenance; also known as the staff of life. Additionally, consider that the water Jesus turned into wine in John was the water that was to be used for the ceremonial washing at the wedding.

Hand-Washing Demonstration

When we wash our hands today, we run water, get it to the desired temperature, soap and rub the hands together; then place them under or in water to wash and rinse. In Jewish tradition, the hands cannot touch the water used for cleansing. In the event that the hands were very dirty, this practice would be done; however, the hands were still not considered clean. After washing, they would need to be washed again in the Jewish purity tradition.

The Jewish purity tradition of handwashing is as follows:

You will need:

• a large empty bowl
• a pitcher of hot water
• a cup
• a towel

For hand purification, the cup is filled with the hot water from the pitcher. The water is then poured over the hands one at a time (back and forth) with the hands not touching. Once the cup is empty, the hands are then dried with the towel.

For purification before the meal, the cup is filled with the hot water from the pitcher. The water is first poured twice over the right hand, then twice over the left hand with care being taken that the unwashed hands do not touch the water used for the washing. The hands are then dried with the towel before partaking of the meal. A benediction is recited over the washing of the hands: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Thy commandments and has commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.”

Commandment vs. Tradition

“Commandment,” in the present context, has to do with divine revelation. It is further designated as “the word of God.” “Commandment” is the equivalent of law (Luke 23.56). These terms represent an obligation imposed by God, to which human beings are amenable.  Violation thereof constitutes “sin” (1 John 3.4).

“Tradition,” a Greek word, signifies “instruction that has been handed down over time.” The expression may be used in a good sense, equivalent to divine commandment. In other contexts, it can denote hurtful, human traditions that are condemned.

Ritual uncleanness is not what really matters, Jesus explains. According to v. 14-15, “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.” He explains to the disciples exactly what He means. However, they don’t appear to have gotten the point even though they were practicing it.  According to v. 21-23, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”

What comes between human beings and God is not ritual impurity, but moral impurity; and that impurity is in the heart. What was in the heart of the scribes and Pharisees was a devotion to the traditions of men that had become confused with the commandments of God.

"Follow Me"...With Your Heart

Key Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Concerning Unwashed Hands

“Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” – Mark 7:1-8

One of the main reasons for Jesus’ coming was to set aside the ceremonial laws which man had created, adding to God’s law. Man was putting ceremonies and rituals above God’s law.

Once again, we see the Pharisees and scribes (the teachers and leaders of the Jewish people) coming all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee. This was at least 100 miles. It would have been one thing for them to come so far to be taught by Jesus, but they were coming to check up on Jesus and to quarrel with him. 

Here in verse 5, we see the religious leaders have picked up on Jesus dismissing his disciples from the obligation of a ritual. They were eating with unwashed hands. (Click here to read more about this ritual.)

• “And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.” – Mark 7:2
• “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” – Mark 7:5

If you look closely at their question, you’ll see the Pharisees did not ask, “Why do not thy disciples do as we do?” This was their real meaning, as they considered themselves the standard. Even though it looks like the complaint is against the disciples, it really is directed towards Jesus. They complain to Jesus expecting that he would correct his disciples in order to follow tradition. But knowing the attitude of the religious leaders, Jesus did not take time to explain the matter to them. Instead, he turned the tables on them and focused the attention on a serious violation of Moses’ law by their human traditions. Jesus reproves the Pharisees and for their hypocrisy of pretending to honor God when they had no intentions in their religious observations.

• “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” – Mark 7:6

This was Isaiah’s prophecy:

• “Wherefore the Lord said, For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” – Isaiah 29:13.

The word “hypocrite” originally referred to an actor who wore different masks during a play. Here Jesus uses it to show that their lives were inconsistent with their profession. They were being hypocrites, simply acting out a part, while their hearts were far from what was real.

• “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” – Mark 7:7-8

The very things the Pharisees thought they were doing to make themselves clean was actually hindering them from becoming clean. They were concerned with cleaning the outside of the body while Jesus is concerned with cleaning the heart, the inside of a man. It’s a heart thing.

Concerning the Corban Vow

Next Jesus explains to them how they have broken a specific commandment with their own law. The law of Moses required the Hebrew people to honor their parents; this was the fifth commandment. That term honor did not suggest mere lip service. It included caring for them in their various needs.

• “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” – Mark 7:9-13

The fifth commandment that God gave to Moses was given to adults. To honor one’s parents, it was the child’s (especially the son’s) duty to take care of their parents when they could not care for themselves on their own. But the religious leaders had concocted a scheme to avoid parental responsibility. A person could designate part of their financial resources as Corban. In Jewish practice, the word Corban had been coined as a sort of vow. According to tradition, one could designate his financial resources as Corban, suggesting that it belongs to God and was not to be used for personal interests.

Jesus was accusing the religious leaders, those who were supposed to be devoted to observing the law, of violating it. By this time, they were probably very angry with Jesus and had all the evidence they needed to march back to Jerusalem and begin planning to publicly accuse and kill him. Where was their heart?

Concerning Kosher Food

Looking at verse 14, it seems Jesus did not get a chance to explain these words to the Pharisees.

• “And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:” – Mark 7:14

Can you see the seriousness of Jesus at this point? He is telling all of the people, “Listen up. Listen carefully. Make sure you understand what I am going to tell you.” He wants to set the record straight.

• “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” – Mark 7:15

Jesus explains that anything a man eats or drinks simply goes through him, regardless of if he has clean hands or not. But what comes out of the heart, mind, and conscience defiles a man. Our wicked thoughts, affections, words, and actions are what defile us. We must wash our hearts from wickedness. Again, it’s a heart thing.

Notice what happens next in verses 17-20:

• “And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.” – Mark 7:13-20

Jesus has to explain what he was teaching to the disciples because everything he had been teaching was not what they had been taught in the past. Everything they knew about religion was about touching, tasting, rules, regulations, and rituals. Simply put, it doesn’t matter what you eat or drink or whether you fail to wash in the right way. That’s not what makes you unclean. What you eat and drink simply goes through you. What makes you unclean comes from within your own heart. 

Finally, looking at verses 21-23,

• “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” – Mark 7:21-23

These verses list twelve categories of sin. The first six are plural describing actions: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, and wickedness. The second six are singular describing motives: deceit, sensuality (lust), envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. You may say, I’m not capable of doing one or any of these. But remember Romans 3:23,

• “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” – Romans 3:23

And remember Jesus set the bar even higher,

• “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28

Even if you look with evil thoughts, you have sinned. God is not concerned so much with what you do or what you look like on the outside. He is concerned with you heart. If your heart is clean, then your outside will follow.

Jesus is the only one who can overcome an evil heart. Only the person and work of Christ can clean our heart and produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control.

Where is your heart?

JOURNEY:  Y – You.

Our hearts are deceptively wicked (Jeremiah 17.9), so we must choose to follow Jesus in order to have the kind of heart and life that He wants us to have. When we choose to allow Him to be our desire and to fill our desires because they are His desires (Colossians 3.1-2; Psalm 37.4), we prove our heart has not only been cleaned, but that it belongs to Jesus.

OPPORTUNITY:  Following Jesus is telling the truth about what is a clean heart.

PRINCIPLES:
1. Ministry is not about rules, ceremonies, or rituals.
2. Ministry is teaching the truth about a clean heart.
3. Ministry is about having a right heart.

NEXT STEPS:

• Learn:  Know the truths of what having a clean heart is by studying the word heart in the Bible.
• Live: If you don’t have a clean heart, take the necessary steps to have a clean heart by asking God to help you overcome any of the actions or attitudes Jesus mentions in Mark 7.21-22.
• Love:  As you learn to live with a clean heart, do so in love (Colossians 3.14-15) out of thankfulness to God (Colossians 3.23).
• Lead:  Share with others the truths about how God has cleaned your heart and that He wishes to do the same for them.

"Follow Me"...With the Power of God

Although the gospels provide many different aspects to Jesus life, two stories which are among the most well-known are the Feeding of the 5000 (men), and His walking on water. In this post, Rick looks at how the power of God provided for each of those miracles and the healings which immediately followed.

Part 1 – Power for Ministry

Most of us have heard of the word “ministry” but what does it mean? From the first part of our text today (Mark 6.30-44), we will discover what ministry means from a practical application.

Ministry is work.  Mark 6.30-31.
“The Apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”

Why is the ministry work?
We are told in Scripture that the followers of Jesus were so busy with people coming and going to hear the words being told to them that they did not even have time to eat. With so many people coming and going this tells us that some of the people were receptive to the word while others were not. (Whenever you meet this kind of challenge, ministry is hard work.)

Ministry is everywhere.  Mark 6.32-33.
“So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.”

Ministry has a way of finding us. A need will recognize the need filler. The people were needy and Jesus was the need filler. Jesus as much as said this himself when he said, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Ministry is heart-felt.  Mark 6.34.
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.”

Ministry is an issue of the heart whether it is ministry unto God or man but how do we get a heart for ministry?  The obvious answer is you pray for a heart for ministry but is this, the correct answer? Is there a calling from God?

Allowing God’s power to take control of our ministry, gives us that heart for ministry. Man alone does not have the heat for ministry, it is by God living in and taking up residence in our heart that gives us a true open heart for God’s work.

Ministry is anytime.  Mark 6.35-36.
“When the disciples thought this had gone on long enough–it was now quite late in the day–they interrupted: ‘We are a long way out in the country, and it is very late. Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper.’”

As far as the disciples were concerned this ministry was going on far too long. They were tired and I think felt that people were in some ways taking advantage of them. A little later they will say it is also far too expensive. They knew that the people were going to need to eat and they had nothing to offer them.

Ministry is personal.  Mark 6.37-38.
“But he answered, you give them something to eat.”

• The disciples were sure that the answer to meeting the needs of the multitude was to send them to someone else but Jesus put the responsibility back on the church.
• There will always be those who will ask how much it is going to cost if they were to get involved but the real question should be who is going to help.
• If we were honest we would rather talk about our rights as Christians rather than our responsibilities as Christians.

Ministry is giving.  Mark 6.38.
“How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory. That didn’t take long.” “‘Five,’” they said, “‘plus two small fishes.’”

• We can only give what we have. Jesus said, “take an inventory.” An inventory is a list of what you have, not what you have not.  Jesus wanted his followers to see with their eye exactly what they had. 
• We don’t have to have a lot. Seeing only with their eyes they determined that they had very little.
• We are encouraged not to hold anything back. Notice he only asked about the loaves. He said nothing about the fish. Jesus had a plan to show the power of God, because he saw through the open eyes of god not the closed eyes of man.

Ministry is unifying.  Mark 6.39-40.
“Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.”

Ministry is about bringing people together. Jesus is about to unite thousands of people, through the power of God.

Ministry is God-Centered.  Mark 6.41.
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the bread.”

Many times we are hindered by our lack of resources. Or what we believe is our lack of resources. But we have to look up. God is able. (Through his word we have at our command the resources and power of the kingdom.)

Ministry is satisfying.  Mark 6.42.
“They all ate and were satisfied.”

Jesus did two miracles. There was the miracle of Quantity and there was the miracle of Quality. Not only was there enough bread and fish but surely it was the best bread and fish. What limits can be put on God? Only the limits that we place on him ourselves. (Many times we pray for a protective hedge around us, do we limit God with something so flimsy as a hedge, why not a protective steel wall)

Ministry is growth.  Mark 6.43-44.
“and the disciples picked up twelve pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”

• We sit and ask ourselves if our ministry is working or is it fruitful. What does it take for us to see success in our ministry? (A farmer judges his success in crops by the harvest or the fruit that is created.  Should we not also judge our success also by the fruit and harvest?)
• God is interested in numbers. In some ways numbers are reference points. They tell us how successful something was in relation to something else.

Part 2 – Power over Nature (Mark 6.45-42)

After feeding the masses, Jesus sends off the disciples with plans to join them later. But what they didn’t know was how!

1. Jesus took 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fishes – one little boy’s lunch as we are told in John 6:8 – and fed 5000 men, let alone women and children. Jesus did a great miracle. Jesus sent his disciples on ahead with the boat telling them, he would catch up to them later.

• First Jesus dismissed the crowds with some final words, and then went to pray. 
• In the meantime, the disciples head out onto the water. Soon, the disciples were in trouble. A storm had arisen, and they were in the middle of the sea. Note that Jesus did not keep them from the storm; he allowed them to enter into the storm. We all face storms and it is Jesus that calms the storms that we face. Jesus has power over the storm.

2. The disciples had been struggling for hours with the oars; Jesus came out walking on the water. They didn’t know where He had been – they probably figured off doing something else important, or not. But all along, He had been watching from where He was sitting.

3. When Jesus does show up, they don’t even recognize Him. They even think He’s a ghost. The disciples are scared; you would be too if you had just seen a ghost. When we are frightened, overwhelmed by the challenges we face, sometimes feeling like we won’t pull through.

• Verse 48 says that he meant to pass them by. Not so that they would fail to see him, but so that they would see him walking on the water, thus giving visible evidence of his deity. Jesus has power over the water. (Compare Exodus 33.18-23 where Moses saw God’s glory as He passed by.)
• Just as in life Jesus did not pass them by, when he saw they were in need he stopped and got in the boat with them. Jesus helped calm the storm and their fear. Jesus has power over fear.

4. The disciples had been struggling with the waves all night. They had gone through much of the storm. They had been wondering about drowning for hours. They had been wondering where Jesus was. No doubt they had prayed. And Jesus still had not shown up. Jesus did not follow any time table or was held to any time frame. He came in his own time, just in time, when he was most needed. (Where do we fall short in placing Jesus on a time table?)

Well, what’s the connection? What do multiplied loaves and calmed waters have to do with each other? In each case, the miracle simply boiled down to one thing: having our needs met. With the loaves and fishes it was the need to be fed, with the storm it was the need to be safe. In each of the two cases there was a need that needed to be met and through the power of God, and it was Jesus who met those needs. Too often, we are like the disciples – too clueless to this fact. We don’t realize that without Jesus we can do nothing, we have nothing, we are nothing.

Part 3 – Power over Sickness (Mark 6.53-56)

After the two great miracles, many will overlook the healings that are grouped together at the end of Mark 6. Like the previous miracles though, these healings represent Jesus meeting the needs of others.

The gospel records that when Jesus left the boat the people immediately recognized him. What did they recognize in Jesus?  A prophet, a healer, the Messiah, the Son of God? Certainly, the people recognized that Jesus had power from God to heal and to make whole bodies, limbs, minds, and hearts that were beset with disease, affliction, and sin.  What happened when they pressed upon him and touched the fringe of his garment?  They were made well. Jesus is ever ready to meet our needs as well. The approached Him expecting to be healed and they were. Do we come to Jesus expectantly? However, these people barely knew Jesus compared to the disciples. Going back to Part 2 the disciples did not recognize Jesus when they saw him from the boat. Jesus a man they had spent time with and had chosen to follow, yet they did not recognize him. However, the strangers on the shore new Jesus the second they saw him.

JOURNEY:
The JOURNEY letter for this week is J – Jesus. In each story it is important to note the reaction of those around Him – particularly the disciples. But Jesus is who He is whether people recognize Him or not. And Jesus does what Jesus does whether people understand Him or not. That is His privilege in being God. However, Jesus is not a distant God who flaunts His power. Instead, He is compassionate and loving to use His power to provide for us in order that He may be glorified.

OPPORTUNITY: Follow Jesus in meeting the needs of others with the power of God leading the way.

PRINCIPLES:
1. Effective ministry involves everyone, not just for the leader.
2. Effective ministry is meeting a person’s needs at the right time in the right way.
3. Effective ministry means knowing Jesus not just being around Him.
4. Effective ministry requires trusting Jesus to do what only He can do.

NEXT STEPS:
Learn: Consider which principle is most important for your focus at this time in your life.  Meditate and dwell on it for a couple of days.
Live: After reflecting on the one principle you chose, consider how you might put that principle into action.
Love: How might that principle become part of your everyday life as you love God and love others?
Lead: How might you help others instill a strong mindset based upon the principle you chose?