Proper 18
Series B
Isaiah
35:4–7a
James
2:1–10, 14–18
Mark
7:(24–30) 31–37
Our Merciful
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Does All Things Well
The Lord
proclaims the Gospel “to those who have
an anxious heart” to comfort and encourage them with His presence. He comes
not only with threats of “vengeance”
and “recompense,” but with His
gracious salvation (Isaiah 35:4). He opens “the
eyes of the blind” and “the ears of
the deaf,” and He loosens “the tongue
of the mute” to “sing for joy”
(Isaiah 35:5–6).
Like water
on thirsty ground, He speaks His life-giving Word to people of all nations.
With His Word and the touch of His hand, He does “all things well,” so that you may now speak “plainly” (Mark 7:31–37). You confess the truth of God in Christ to
the glory of His holy name, and you call upon His name in every trouble,
confident that He will hear and answer. As you pray and confess with your
tongue, so also “love your neighbor as
yourself” (James 2:8). Show your faith “in
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,” by loving without partiality.
For God has “chosen those who are poor in
the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom” (James 2:1–5).
Mark 7:31-37
Collect for Proper 18 -O
God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us Your humble servants Your holy
inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by
Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our
Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and
forever.
God's
standard of excellence is the theme for this coming Sunday.
In the
Old Testament lesson God's people are call to be strong and not to fear as God
promises to come to His people. The language which is used is similar to that
used of the coming Messiah. In the Epistle lesson excellence is seen in how the
believer behaves. Favoritism is forbidden rather keeping the law is what is
expected.
The
Christian faith is not merely a philosophical exercise of the mind. Faith by
itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.
In the
Gospel lesson a standard of excellence has been stamped on everything Jesus has
done. He fulfills the prediction given in the Old Testament lesson. This causes
the believer to express praise and adoration to the Lord who has done all things
well as expressed in the hymn of the day which is based on this week's
appointed psalm.
Mark 7:31-37 -The original translation of verse 37
literally reads "Well! All things He
has done!" A standard of excellence has been stamped on everything Jesus
has done. He is able to make the deaf hear. This should not surprise us.
Everything Jesus is doing is what God had promised to do when He came to redeem
His people see Isaiah 35:5-6.
MARK 7:31-37
Mark 7:31
Καὶ πάλιν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων Τύρου ἦλθεν διὰ Σιδῶνος εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὁρίων Δεκαπόλεως.
Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came
through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis.
-7:31
This geographical description is unusual. Sidon was north of Tyre on the coast,
while the Decapolis was south and east of the Sea of Galilee. The NKJV has
"departing from the region of Tyre
and Sidon," but this translation is not supported by P45, A, W, and
the Peshitta. Most textual critics support the more difficult text which takes
Jesus north and east before going south.
- came from
the region of Tyer through Sidon into the middle region of the Decapolis. An interesting route. Worth the words. He's in
a Gentile/pagan land. Magic was popular there at the time.
▣ "Sea of Galilee" This same body of water is called (1)
Chennereth in the OT; (2) Lake of Gennesaret in Luke 5:1; and (3) Sea of
Tiberias during the first century Roman period in John 6:1; 21:1.
▣ "region of Decapolis" This was the area of the Gedarene
Demoniac (cf. Mark 5:1-20). It was also a Gentile area to the east and south of
the Sea of Galilee. Jesus' ministry in these areas shows His love for the
Gentiles.
Mark 7:32
Καὶ φέρουσιν αὐτῷ κωφὸν καὶ μογιλάλον, καὶ παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιθῇ αὐτῷ τὴν χεῖρα
They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him.
Ø "was deaf and spoke with difficulty" This term is used only here in the NT and in the Septuagint in Isaiah. 35:6.
Ø
-“and they
carried to him a non-speaking one begging Him to lend a hand.” Because of
the deafness they had difficulty speaking. Who brought him?
Mark 7:33
καὶ ἀπολαβόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου κατ’ ἰδίαν ἔβαλεν τοὺς δακτύλους αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ καὶ πτύσας ἥψατο τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ
Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself,
and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue
with the saliva;
“taking him
from the crowd, he cast his fingers into his ears and spitting touched his
tongue.”
Ø
Is this an
exorcism?
Ø
Did Jesus
spit on the ground, on his fingers, or into the mouth directly?
Ø
This is why
He takes the man aside. The pagans would take the credit but not Jesus.
Ø
Only
reference is to His fingers with the variant. He's going to do what He's going
to do but the pagans won't get it.
Ø In Milan, as part of the
Baptismal rite spitting would be used as a part of the exorcism...at the latest,
the 3rd. Century.
Ø
To heal is to “lick the wound,”…this is an instinct.
Ø He groans…He carries our misery…see
Romans 8…the entire world groans…and the Spirit groans for us with words too
deep...same verb. He takes the misery to Himself and bears them.
Ø
Passive "be opened" beseeching the Father
Mark 7:34
καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐστέναξεν, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ Ἐφφαθά, ὅ ἐστιν Διανοίχθητι.
and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"
καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐστέναξεν, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ Ἐφφαθά, ὅ ἐστιν Διανοίχθητι.
and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"
“looking
up into heaven, he sighed and said, "Be opened."
Ø Why the Aramaic? It is the voice. It is a word
accomplishing something. Not that it was
magic. It was the original language Jesus spoke. This is why we use words like “Introit.” It has a specific meaning/language.
Mark 7:35
καὶ ἠνοίγησαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἀκοαί, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐλύθη ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὀρθῶς
And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his
tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.
What speech is he now given to speak?
Mark 7:36
καὶ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ λέγωσιν· ὅσον δὲ αὐτοῖς διεστέλλετο, αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον περισσότερον ἐκήρυσσον
And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the
more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.
- Jesus
commands them not to tell...Jesus knows the road He's on...He doesn't need to
push the cross...it will come. But even more greatly they preached.
So were they
sinning? They were doing what is natural. “If
they kept silent even the rocks would speak out!” (Luke 19:40)
But He
doesn't want their speaking to get in the way of the cross or the gospel. He
must still face Jerusalem.
Mark 7:37
καὶ ὑπερπερισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες Καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκεν, καὶ τοὺς κωφοὺς ποιεῖ ἀκούειν καὶ ἀλάλους λαλεῖν.
They were utterly astonished, saying, "He has
done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to
speak."
Ø Verse
37 may relate to Isaiah 35:5-6, which describes the future healing ministry of
the Messiah.
Ø
They were completely amazed well…all things he
has done…the deaf hear and the mute preach.
Ø
See alternative verse for "O For a Thousand
Tongues"
Ø
Lord, You have done everything well. Help us also to see the depths of Your mercy
and grace, that we understand them as gits meant for all
Ø
Jesus heals another person in a Gentile region
further emphasizing His love for every race and kind of people.
Ø This
serves as yet one more example of why we need to avoid the temptation to narrow
the scope of the mission and to ignore opportunities to reach out to those who
are different that ourselves. Jesus' healing
of this man, immediately after He restored the daughter of the Syrophoenician
woman, underscores that He desires to love, cleanse, and heal all people.
_____________________________
Mark 7: 31-37
(and read vs. 24-30)
These discussion questions are provided to help you
think through the major issues of this section of today’s Gospel. They are
meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. How should we relate to tradition? Define
tradition.
2. Was Jesus setting aside the Old Testament? If so
how do we treat the OT as inspired? (Mark 7:19)
3. Explain the difference between Jesus' view of
religion and that of the Pharisees.
4. Why did Jesus go into a predominately Gentile
area? (Mark 7:24)
Jesus is returning from a trip to the far north (Sidon
and Tyre) to the more familiar region of the Sea of Galilee. He speaks in
Aramaic, his own native language but apparently not that of Mark’s audience.
A Syrophoenician woman is not a Jew, but a
Gentile/pagan.
1. Why
does the Syrophoenician woman come to Jesus?
2. How
would you describe their conversation? What is his first response? How does she
challenge him? How does his response change? Why? What tone do you hear? Is
this the Jesus you see in other stories about him?
5. How did a child become demon possessed? Does it
happen today? (Mark 7:25)
6. Why did Jesus tell them not to tell anyone about
the man's healing? (Mark 7:36) Who is the “them”
in v. 36? Why do they not do as Jesus orders them? Is their disobedience
helpful or harmful?
7. Since vs. 24-30 are also about a healing
miracle, why do you think they are left out? What do they add, if anything? Are
they in any way a transition between what precedes and what follows?
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