WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.040 Well, you can feel free to turn in the Bible to Mark chapter 7. 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:12.300 We are looking tonight at Mark chapter 7, verses 24 to 37. 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:18.940 So we are doing a series going through the Gospel of Mark this year, and we're almost 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:22.359 halfway through, and we're going to finish it on Easter. 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:30.960 So if you keep coming, then we will get through the rest of Mark, which is the shortest and 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:39.960 probably the first Gospel written in the New Testament about Jesus. 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:44.679 So we're going to look at two stories tonight. 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:51.299 I'm going to focus in especially on the first one, but after what we do in the evening services, 00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:56.719 for those of you who haven't been here before, is we have a question and answer time after 00:00:56.719 --> 00:00:57.519 the sermon. 00:00:58.099 --> 00:01:02.640 And so if you have questions about the second passage or about the first passage, you can 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:07.120 feel free to store those up, and we'll have five or ten minutes at the end where you can 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.979 interact and we can try to go a little deeper. 00:01:11.759 --> 00:01:13.579 But let me read this text to begin. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.759 Mark chapter 7, starting at verse 24. 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:22.380 And from there he, Jesus, arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 00:01:22.960 --> 00:01:27.080 And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:33.780 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:35.520 and fell down at his feet. 00:01:36.380 --> 00:01:40.100 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. 00:01:40.540 --> 00:01:43.880 And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:50.019 And Jesus said to her, let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:52.239 children's bread and throw it to the dogs. 00:01:53.099 --> 00:01:57.759 But she answered him, yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's 00:01:57.759 --> 00:01:58.079 crumbs. 00:01:59.179 --> 00:02:02.219 And he said to her, for this statement, you may go your way. 00:02:02.819 --> 00:02:04.620 The demon has left her daughter. 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:08.819 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:13.959 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in 00:02:13.959 --> 00:02:15.180 the region of the Decapolis. 00:02:15.699 --> 00:02:19.060 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:21.459 And they begged him to lay his hand on him. 00:02:22.019 --> 00:02:26.780 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears and after spitting, 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:27.699 touched his tongue. 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:32.459 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, 00:02:32.460 --> 00:03:01.580 I wonder if you've ever felt like an outsider. 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:08.160 Maybe you've lived in another country or traveled to another country where you didn't know the 00:03:08.160 --> 00:03:08.640 language. 00:03:09.420 --> 00:03:13.920 And the weather and the food and the way people act and the way people interact with 00:03:13.920 --> 00:03:15.880 each other, it just feels different. 00:03:16.880 --> 00:03:22.140 And even if you're staying there for a while, you just don't quite feel at home. 00:03:22.900 --> 00:03:27.140 Or maybe you're from another country or even from another part of this country. 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:33.899 And you've come here to New Haven and you feel like, man, I'm still trying to fit in here. 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:36.659 I'm struggling. 00:03:37.299 --> 00:03:38.939 I still don't feel like this is home. 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:44.799 Or maybe you've had to start a new job, get used to new co-workers or go to a new school 00:03:44.799 --> 00:03:50.000 or move to a new neighborhood or become part of a new extended family. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:57.439 So the first time I met my wife's extended family was when we had just started dating in 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:59.060 the summer of 2006. 00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:01.759 And I went to her mom's house. 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:07.139 This was just a few weeks after we started dating to have lunch with her and her mom and 00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:07.599 her sister. 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:14.520 And for an hour and a half, they talked almost without stopping about their dogs. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:19.259 So my mother-in-law owns a dog kennel and a dog grooming business. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:22.300 And so they were talking about their customers' dogs. 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:27.199 They were talking about their own dogs, the dogs that they had had over the years when they 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:29.439 had grown up, that had been part of their family. 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:33.259 And of course, they knew them all by name. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:36.079 And so I'm sitting at the table. 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:38.560 I'm like trying to keep this straight in my mind. 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:40.180 I don't know anything about dog breeds. 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:43.660 And, you know, what's the difference between all these? 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:50.360 And by the end of it, my mother-in-law said, boy, you look exhausted. 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:52.879 Do you want to go? 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:54.900 Do you need to go take a nap or something? 00:04:55.579 --> 00:05:01.319 And so just so you know my background, I have never had a dog in my household. 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:06.460 I am allergic to dogs, which is if you have a dog, it's OK. 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:09.340 I can come to your house for dinner, but I probably won't stay with you for a whole week. 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:17.060 And when I was younger, my uncle had two dogs, and one of them tried to bite me once when 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:18.500 I was shoveling snow at his house. 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:21.060 And I wasn't looking. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:23.180 We had to figure out whether he really bit me. 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:26.240 And I guess maybe that's one of my childhood phobias, whatever. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.500 But I have never had a dog, and I would be very happy never to have one. 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:35.960 Thankfully, so far, my wife and I have agreed and found a middle ground. 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:45.939 Anyway, sometimes I think people can feel in a similar way, sometimes many people feel 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:47.939 like an outsider in the church. 00:05:48.599 --> 00:05:52.419 I was talking to somebody who's been coming to this church now for a few years, actually, 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:59.359 and he said, the first time I came to this church, I was trembling as I walked in those 00:05:59.359 --> 00:05:59.759 doors. 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.500 And I thought the building, I thought that the roof might cave in over me. 00:06:04.019 --> 00:06:10.819 And actually, I had been wanting to come for a long time, but I didn't come because of 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:11.079 that. 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:20.240 And, you know, you can even come to church regularly for a long time, but still feel on the outside, 00:06:20.379 --> 00:06:22.639 still feel like, I don't belong here. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:27.899 And, and you don't feel the freedom to be yourself, and you don't, you feel like you 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:28.959 have to put on a mask. 00:06:29.599 --> 00:06:33.800 And even if your life is falling apart, you feel like when you come to church, you have 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:38.719 to sort of hold it all in and not fall apart in front of everybody else. 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:43.399 Because you feel like, I don't quite feel comfortable here. 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:50.259 Well, if you feel that way, if you've ever felt that way, if you know people who feel 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:53.219 that way, this passage is good news for you. 00:06:54.159 --> 00:07:00.859 So in this passage, Jesus encounters two people who were outsiders in different ways. 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:08.459 We see this, this woman in the first half of the passage, whose daughter is afflicted 00:07:08.459 --> 00:07:10.299 with, with an evil spirit. 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:13.980 And then we see a disabled man, a man who's deaf and speech impaired. 00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:19.900 So I want to look at these stories and look at them a little bit in parallel. 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:22.660 I'm going to focus mostly on the first one, but a little bit on the second one. 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:30.480 So, so, so, so, and, and ask the question, what do we see about how Jesus relates to these 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:36.740 people who in different ways were outsiders and had every reason to feel excluded in their 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:37.120 culture? 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:43.879 So, so the first thing that we see is that Jesus goes to places where no one would expect 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:44.300 him to go. 00:07:45.459 --> 00:07:52.920 Now, we need to remember, Jesus was a Jewish teacher of the Jewish scriptures who had 12 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:54.220 Jewish disciples. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.579 He was raised by Jewish parents and he lived in a Jewish town. 00:07:58.579 --> 00:08:06.060 But in this whole section, Jesus is traveling outside of Jewish territories, traveling in 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:07.219 Gentile territory. 00:08:07.979 --> 00:08:10.339 So verse 24 says he went to Tyre and Sidon. 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:12.839 That was the region to the north of Israel. 00:08:13.539 --> 00:08:19.459 And then verse 31 says he went to the Decapolis, which is a region of 10 cities to the east of 00:08:19.459 --> 00:08:20.459 the Sea of Galilee. 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:28.319 Now, Tyre was an important and prosperous trading city, but it also had a history of being hostile 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:31.079 to the Jewish people and the Jewish faith. 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:32.879 It was a center of pagan religion. 00:08:33.939 --> 00:08:40.539 And the Jewish historian Josephus said the people of Tyre are notoriously our bitterest enemies. 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:48.399 So when it says Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon, that was the last place most people would have 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:49.500 expected him to go. 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:51.959 You think, why would Jesus go there? 00:08:53.099 --> 00:09:01.279 Jesus was a poor Galilean preacher and he's going to the wealthy suburbs and just hanging 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:02.379 out there for a while. 00:09:03.219 --> 00:09:08.439 And you think, Jesus, people are going to at least look at you funny and probably discriminate 00:09:08.439 --> 00:09:09.179 against you. 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:11.279 Why are you going there? 00:09:12.979 --> 00:09:15.959 Now, it says that Jesus needed some time to get alone with his disciples. 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:22.259 So part of the reason he went there is he wanted to go somewhere where he wasn't well 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:22.500 known. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:28.000 If you look at Mark 6 and 7, he was in Galilee, his home territory, and he was mobbed. 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:30.000 There were crowds coming to him from everywhere. 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:33.079 And so it says his disciples couldn't even find time to eat. 00:09:33.859 --> 00:09:36.719 They were just, people were asking for his help. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:40.580 They would go across the lake to the other side of the lake and somebody else would be 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:40.879 there. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.500 And a whole bunch of crowd of other people would be there asking for him to heal them 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:45.620 or teach them. 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:48.940 And then they'd go to the other side and there'd be another crowd. 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:52.660 And finally, Jesus said, all right, we got to get out of here because I need to spend 00:09:52.660 --> 00:09:52.899 some time. 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:54.080 I want to spend some time with you. 00:09:54.800 --> 00:09:58.300 I don't want us to be totally mobbed by the crowds all the time. 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:01.259 I want some time alone where I can invest in you guys. 00:10:01.839 --> 00:10:05.059 So they, so he says, let's go where nobody knows us. 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.759 We'll go on a little vacation, a little retreat together. 00:10:08.859 --> 00:10:10.759 And so that's where they go. 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:19.459 But of course, even in this place where nobody would expect him to go, people are looking for 00:10:19.459 --> 00:10:19.659 him. 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.359 Desperate people are drawn to Jesus. 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:29.980 In the second story, a group of people bring Jesus, this man who's deaf and speech impaired. 00:10:31.220 --> 00:10:32.419 Now, just think about it. 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:40.740 Think about what, what would your life be like if you couldn't hear what anyone was saying 00:10:40.740 --> 00:10:47.960 to you and you couldn't speak clearly enough to articulate what you want from someone else. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:50.899 Now, you'd probably figure out sign language. 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:57.919 And there's a lot of ways that I think we've tried to grow in finding ways to accommodate 00:10:57.919 --> 00:10:59.360 different people. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.299 But still, that, that would be hard. 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:09.019 Maybe you have a, maybe you've walked alongside someone who has a speech impediment or some 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:10.639 kind of a disability. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:13.199 And, and, and it's challenging. 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:18.620 And if you're, if you're, if you're living, if you live with them for a time, you realize 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:21.940 a little bit of what it was, what it would be like to be in their shoes. 00:11:23.160 --> 00:11:26.400 And the challenges he would face in living day by day. 00:11:28.020 --> 00:11:31.620 This disability can be an isolating and painful experience. 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:35.080 And it can make you feel excluded in all kinds of ways. 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:39.379 So, so that's one. 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:45.420 This other, but then in the first story, there's this woman and she's desperate. 00:11:46.180 --> 00:11:52.220 And she comes to Jesus begging him to cast the demon out of her daughter, to heal her afflicted 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:52.520 daughter. 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:58.259 And this woman is also an outsider in almost every respect compared to Jesus. 00:11:58.259 --> 00:11:59.720 So she's, first of all, she's a woman. 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:06.860 And back then, most Jewish teachers, male teachers would never talk with women. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:11.860 They, they did not accept women as students to learn the law from them. 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:17.700 And most Jewish rabbis would have even refused to engage them in conversation at that time. 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:19.379 She's a Gentile. 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:20.360 She's a Syrophoenician. 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:24.960 She's descended from the enemies of Jesus' people. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.860 And then her daughter had an unclean spirit. 00:12:28.259 --> 00:12:28.740 She's a Syrophoenician. 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:32.539 Which would make many people fearful of associating with her. 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:35.340 They think, man, her kid's sort of messed up. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:37.519 She must be sort of messed up. 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:39.100 Right? 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:41.080 People, people think that way. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:42.860 And act that way. 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:45.779 Back then and now. 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:51.980 But there was something about Jesus that even though she had all these reasons that she 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:54.840 might feel excluded, there was something that drew her to him. 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:58.700 And she was drawn to him. 00:12:59.420 --> 00:13:00.980 And she even fell at his feet. 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:05.960 And there was something about him that invited her to him. 00:13:08.040 --> 00:13:08.519 Right? 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:11.060 In both cases, these people are in desperate need. 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:13.800 They're facing something far bigger than they can handle. 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:16.120 And no one else can solve their problem. 00:13:16.199 --> 00:13:20.120 But they see that Jesus has come close enough to them. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:22.919 And they reach out to him for help. 00:13:24.179 --> 00:13:28.979 Now, how does Jesus respond to these requests from people who are outsiders? 00:13:30.359 --> 00:13:35.759 Well, in the case of the deaf man, the speech impaired man, Jesus takes him aside and he touches him. 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:40.179 You know, Jesus doesn't, Jesus doesn't remain at a distance. 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.539 He doesn't say, oh, I don't want to know about this guy. 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:45.360 No, he comes close to the man. 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:53.360 He actually takes the man away from the crowd because he doesn't want to just do something to, for a spectacle to the crowd. 00:13:53.939 --> 00:13:58.799 He doesn't want to just use this guy to show off to people. 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:01.379 He cares about this guy as an individual. 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:11.519 So he takes him aside from the crowd and he puts his fingers in his ears and says, and by doing that, he's saying, I'm going to open up your ears. 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:13.860 And then he spits and touches his tongue. 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:17.039 You think, what's he doing there? 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:26.139 Well, he's, symbolically, he's saying, I'm going to fill your mouth with my life. 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:33.980 In this very physical way, he's saying to this man, I'm not, I'm, I'm going to touch you. 00:14:34.179 --> 00:14:40.220 And even when other people might shy away from you and keep their distance from you. 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:51.039 And I'm not just going to zap you from a distance and heal you, but I'm going to come near to you and give you myself and give you my life. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.939 And then he speaks his word. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:54.319 He says, be opened. 00:14:55.819 --> 00:15:00.879 Jesus does a work of recreation through his word and through his touch. 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:03.860 And verse 35 could be translated. 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:06.199 It says his tongue was released. 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.980 It could actually be translated, the chain of his tongue was loosed. 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:16.159 It's an act of liberating mercy from Jesus. 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:17.259 It's a beautiful picture. 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:21.399 So that's how Jesus responds to that man. 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:22.559 Now, what about this woman? 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:26.439 Now, with this woman, it's a little confusing, right? 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:28.200 When you first read this story. 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:33.120 Because at first, Jesus seems to resist the woman's request. 00:15:34.419 --> 00:15:39.299 And he says, this woman comes and pleads with him. 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:40.600 Help me. 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:43.059 My daughter is tormented. 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:51.939 And he says, let the children be fed first, for it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:54.379 And you think, what does that mean? 00:15:55.500 --> 00:16:00.739 In Jesus' time, the Jewish people understood themselves to be the children of God. 00:16:02.079 --> 00:16:05.439 And they referred to everybody else, the Gentiles. 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:09.079 Sometimes they referred to Gentiles as dogs. 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:13.520 And it was almost always a negative, pejorative term. 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:18.800 Dogs were scavengers who ate garbage and dead things. 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.879 They were worthless and unclean. 00:16:21.040 --> 00:16:22.340 And you should stay away from them. 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:27.920 So you might say, what in the world does Jesus mean? 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:31.960 By using this pretty loaded term. 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:34.100 Is he dissing this woman? 00:16:34.400 --> 00:16:35.860 Is he wanting her to go away? 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:38.660 Is he calling her worthless? 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:48.879 I want to deal with this verse because on the surface of it, I think it's one of the hardest verses in the Gospels to understand. 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:57.920 So first, I want to, but I think it's not, and I think it's one of the verses that is hard for us to understand. 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:06.839 Because we weren't there to see things like the expression on Jesus' face and the tone that he used and the way that the woman understood it. 00:17:06.899 --> 00:17:09.279 And lots of other, all those non-verbal cues. 00:17:09.899 --> 00:17:10.099 Right? 00:17:10.139 --> 00:17:11.899 We don't get those in the text. 00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:22.560 And so we have to step back a little bit and try to understand what's going on because the way that we might read this might come across to us in a totally different way than Jesus meant it. 00:17:23.560 --> 00:17:26.660 So I want to do a step back and try to understand this, what's going on here. 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:29.700 So first, look at the broader context of the chapter. 00:17:30.560 --> 00:17:30.720 Okay? 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:39.380 If you find a verse in the Bible that seems really confusing and even seems offensive, one of the, there's a couple things you can do. 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:42.880 One is step back and look at the broader context around the verse. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:48.540 And then one is sort of focus in more, more in depth on the, on the verse itself. 00:17:48.620 --> 00:17:49.500 So that's what I want to do. 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:51.279 First, look at the broader context. 00:17:52.099 --> 00:18:00.259 So this whole chapter in Mark, as we've seen, is about Jesus entering Gentile territory and blessing people who are considered outsiders. 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:08.240 So in the first half of chapter 7, Jesus is debating with some other Jewish religious teachers, the Pharisees. 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:18.940 And he's debating with them about what it means to be clean and acceptable to God and what it means to be unclean and not acceptable to God. 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:28.059 And he's saying to the Pharisee, he says, the main point that he says is it's not what's on the outside that makes you clean or unclean. 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:39.440 Whether you wash your hands in a certain ceremonial way or whether you stay away from certain foods or whether you follow the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament, he says, that's not what it's about. 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:44.779 He says, whether you're clean or unclean, it's a matter of the heart. 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:47.039 What's on the inside? 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:53.639 It's what comes out of your heart that makes you unclean. 00:18:55.039 --> 00:19:01.379 And in verse 19, Mark explains, he says, Mark says, Jesus declared all foods to be clean. 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:04.500 Now, back then, that was a radical statement. 00:19:05.859 --> 00:19:07.379 We might sort of pass over it. 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:18.940 But back then, and even today, observant Jews distinguished themselves partly by the foods they ate and the foods they didn't eat, by keeping kosher. 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:20.040 Right? 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:30.420 And so, most people in Jesus' day, certainly other Jewish rabbis, would not sit down to a meal at a Gentile's house. 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:33.139 Because that would make them unclean. 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:40.780 And they saw Gentiles as outsiders. 00:19:40.780 --> 00:19:50.960 But Jesus' statement was radical because basically he was saying not only the implication is not only are all foods clean, but all people can become clean. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.900 It's not just whether you're Jewish or Gentile. 00:19:57.620 --> 00:20:03.299 It's whether it's a matter of the heart and God's work in your heart. 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:18.339 In other words, Jesus came as the Jewish Messiah to fulfill the Jewish scriptures, but he also came to break open the way so that Gentiles could come into God's presence through Jesus and eat at his table. 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.259 So that's what's going on. 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:28.859 Jesus is breaking down some of these dividing walls that existed in his society between Jews and Gentiles. 00:20:28.859 --> 00:20:34.779 And then, if you go on to chapter 8, Jesus feeds 4,000 people. 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:38.799 Now, if you go back to chapter 6, Jesus already fed 5,000 people. 00:20:38.859 --> 00:20:40.899 And you sort of think, wait a minute, what happened? 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:42.819 The same story gets repeated twice. 00:20:43.379 --> 00:20:46.539 You know, did Mark sort of forget and just repeat himself? 00:20:47.219 --> 00:20:47.719 Well, no. 00:20:48.139 --> 00:20:51.519 The first time he fed the 5,000 people, he was in Jewish territory. 00:20:51.919 --> 00:20:55.500 And then he goes into Gentile territory and feeds 4,000 people. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:21:05.619 And the whole point is, Jesus is doing the same kinds of things among the Gentiles, among the outsiders, that he already did among the Jewish people, among the insiders. 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:07.920 He's healing them. 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:09.779 He's feeding them. 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:12.319 He's casting out evil spirits. 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:19.000 He does the same good and liberating works among the Gentiles that he did among the Jews. 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:22.079 So, that's the broader context of this chapter. 00:21:23.019 --> 00:21:31.500 And so, in the broader context, verse 27 can't mean that Jesus is just totally rejecting this woman and trying to push her away. 00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:37.420 Because that would be the opposite thing that the whole chapter and this whole section of Mark is about. 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:41.859 So, that's the broader context. 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:44.160 Now, let's look in at this verse a little bit. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:53.160 Okay, in this verse, Jesus does use the terms children and dogs, which are commonly used to refer to Jews and Gentiles. 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:57.340 But he actually uses a different form of the word for dogs. 00:21:58.320 --> 00:22:04.060 He uses a form of the word that means little dogs or pet dogs. 00:22:04.860 --> 00:22:11.600 Not sort of stray scavenger dogs that are scary and roam through, you know, try to bite you. 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:14.679 But dogs that are part of the household. 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:17.299 And the woman actually picks up on that cue. 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:19.659 Now, we'll get to her response in just a minute. 00:22:20.859 --> 00:22:25.579 But Jesus is using the term in a different way than it was normally used. 00:22:27.419 --> 00:22:30.419 Verse 27, he's also saying, he also begins by saying, he says, 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:36.879 Let the children, referring either to Jesus' disciples, Jewish disciples, or to the Jewish people as a whole, 00:22:37.179 --> 00:22:38.619 let the children be fed first. 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:43.879 Now, if somebody's fed first, it doesn't mean that nobody else will ever get fed. 00:22:44.439 --> 00:22:51.359 It just means Jesus' priority right now is first and foremost with his disciples and his people. 00:22:52.239 --> 00:22:59.619 And in the context, part of the reason Jesus is there is that he's just trying to get some quiet time away with his closest followers 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:05.659 to invest in the guys who are going to become the future leaders of the Christian movement. 00:23:06.939 --> 00:23:07.339 Eventually. 00:23:08.379 --> 00:23:14.319 And he doesn't just want them to be totally drained and pushed aside by all the crowds. 00:23:14.919 --> 00:23:19.059 And so he's trying to make some space for him to invest in his closest followers. 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:22.359 So that's a little bit of the context. 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:24.879 He's saying, well, I can't let my disciples go hungry. 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:32.299 And in order for, by just, I can't just leave, I can't just ditch them to go with you to your house. 00:23:32.639 --> 00:23:34.819 And then somebody else is going to ask me to go to their house. 00:23:34.879 --> 00:23:36.259 And somebody else is going to ask me to go to their house. 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:38.339 And then the whole purpose I came here is thwarted. 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:45.679 Now, by saying all this, Jesus isn't intending to push her aside. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:48.259 He's actually inviting her to respond. 00:23:49.420 --> 00:23:54.180 It's almost like, for lack of a better word, it's almost like Jesus is playing devil's advocate. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:03.240 You know, have you ever had a teacher, and the teacher has sort of tried to represent a certain position, 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:05.360 but they want you to respond. 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:12.000 They almost want, they're saying, well, you know, such and such and such is true. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:18.859 But the way they say it, they want you to say, but no, but isn't there something else? 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:23.619 And they're trying to teach you by a conversational style. 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:29.480 They're not trying to shut you down and just have the only word, 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:36.240 but they're trying to engage you in a conversational style to help you get to a certain conclusion. 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:43.960 Another way to put it is that Jesus is telling here a short parable. 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:49.799 And in Mark, Jesus tells parables to reveal the nature of the kingdom of God. 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:54.859 So on the surface, Jesus is doing very well-known images. 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:57.180 And here, children and dogs. 00:24:58.099 --> 00:25:02.259 But the parables of Jesus also contain spiritual truths. 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:06.279 And the parables are a little bit like a door. 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:11.799 A little bit like if you're walking through a dark hallway, 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:17.039 and there's a door to somebody's apartment that's cracked open just a bit. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:20.400 And you can smell the food they're cooking for dinner, 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:24.299 and you can hear some music that they're playing, maybe they have some friends over, 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:27.720 and you can see the light from inside their apartment. 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:32.079 And you can't really see what's going on just by walking past the door. 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:34.519 But it's sort of an invitation. 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:36.200 You think, maybe I should knock. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:39.200 Huh, why did they leave it open? 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:41.680 It's sort of a crack open. 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:47.480 And so you only can, but you can only get on the inside if you actually knock on the door. 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:49.600 And say, can I come in? 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:52.000 And Jesus' parables are sort of like that. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:59.019 They don't just sort of lay everything out for you so that you can understand everything all explicitly right away. 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:02.220 But they're sort of like that door that's open to crack. 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:06.859 And it says, if you knock, I'll open the door. 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:10.319 And you can come in and be part of the family. 00:26:11.700 --> 00:26:14.960 And that's what Jesus' parables are doing in lots of different places. 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:17.319 And I think that's what this statement is doing here. 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:19.500 It's an invitation for this woman to knock. 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.259 And you know what? 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:21.900 This woman totally gets it. 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:27.359 This woman understands what Jesus is doing probably better than we do at first. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.059 She picks up on all Jesus' cues. 00:26:30.579 --> 00:26:31.460 She says, yes, Lord. 00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:36.500 But even the little dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:39.119 Now what does she mean by that? 00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:43.160 She's basically saying, she says, Jesus, I know. 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:45.420 I know I'm not an Israelite. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:47.359 I know I'm a Gentile. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:50.939 I know that people see me as an outsider. 00:26:52.699 --> 00:26:58.679 And she says, I'm not coming to you because I deserve help, because I'm better than other people. 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:01.399 I'm just coming to you because I need help. 00:27:01.719 --> 00:27:03.319 And I have nowhere else to go. 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:06.339 And I don't need to be the center of attention. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:12.039 I'm not asking for you to leave your disciples behind and come with me to my house. 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:21.259 I believe that you have enough bread to feed your disciples and feed me at the same time. 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:24.319 You don't need to snatch it away from them. 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:27.079 I can... 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:29.019 You have enough to feed us all. 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.980 You have enough to meet my need as well as theirs. 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:35.039 And Jesus says... 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:38.960 Jesus is really impressed with this woman's response. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:41.840 In fact, Matthew tells the same story. 00:27:42.360 --> 00:27:44.120 And Matthew expands a little bit on the story. 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:46.279 But in Matthew, Jesus responds by saying, 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.559 Oh woman, great is your faith. 00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:58.980 In other words, faith in this context means reaching out to Jesus and not letting anything get in your way. 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:01.559 And Jesus says to that woman, 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:05.120 You have true faith. 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:09.799 Because you had every reason to feel excluded. 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:12.120 And feel like there are all these barriers. 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:17.000 And all these reasons why you couldn't come to me. 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:18.779 But you didn't let... 00:28:18.779 --> 00:28:21.819 From your society, from your culture, from other people's expectations, 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:24.099 from things people have called you and said to you. 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:25.940 And you didn't let those get in your way. 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:26.940 Like... 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:30.500 She just came to Jesus. 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:32.059 And said... 00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:33.519 Because she said, Jesus, I need you. 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:34.660 I want you. 00:28:35.360 --> 00:28:35.940 And... 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:40.000 And I think you have enough to meet my need. 00:28:44.380 --> 00:28:47.120 Now the disciples of Jesus must have been thinking, 00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:49.380 What's going on here? 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:57.240 You know, the disciples of Jesus would have thought she's the least likely person to have true faith in Jesus. 00:28:59.060 --> 00:29:04.260 But in the end, she has more insight into who Jesus is than all of them do. 00:29:05.700 --> 00:29:09.020 She hears and understands a parable of Jesus. 00:29:09.580 --> 00:29:16.560 She's the first person in the whole Gospel of Mark to hear and rightly understand and rightly respond to a parable of Jesus. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:21.559 In the next chapter, chapter 8, the disciples don't get it. 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:23.700 And Jesus says, Do you still not understand? 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:26.879 And yet this woman does. 00:29:31.879 --> 00:29:34.879 This woman is like Jacob in the Old Testament, 00:29:35.159 --> 00:29:37.339 who wrestled with the angel of God 00:29:37.339 --> 00:29:39.079 and didn't give up 00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:41.159 until at the end of the night 00:29:41.159 --> 00:29:44.639 he received the blessing of God. 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:50.500 And the invitation to us is to come to Jesus like this woman did. 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:53.380 Not because we deserve help. 00:29:53.860 --> 00:29:56.440 Not because we're better than everybody else. 00:29:57.160 --> 00:30:01.020 Not because we're insiders and other people are outsiders. 00:30:01.280 --> 00:30:04.660 Not because you have the inside track on anything in the church. 00:30:05.660 --> 00:30:07.960 But simply because we need Jesus. 00:30:08.660 --> 00:30:09.640 We need his help. 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:10.640 We need his grace. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:14.640 And Jesus has enough for anyone who comes to him. 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:18.980 You see, all of us by nature, 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:22.440 the Bible says all of us by nature are outsiders. 00:30:23.280 --> 00:30:24.420 Spiritual outsiders. 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:29.740 Every one of us was once far off from God. 00:30:30.580 --> 00:30:32.120 Ephesians says we were without hope 00:30:32.120 --> 00:30:33.900 and without God in the world. 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:36.000 And even in the Old Testament, 00:30:36.600 --> 00:30:37.480 the people of Israel, 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:38.940 they were all descended from Abraham. 00:30:39.380 --> 00:30:41.420 And who was Abraham before God called him? 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:44.539 Abraham's family were pagan moon worshippers. 00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:47.320 They were outsiders too 00:30:47.320 --> 00:30:49.920 until God came to Abraham and called him. 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:53.340 You see, if you trace it back long enough, 00:30:53.800 --> 00:30:55.779 all of us were on the outside. 00:30:57.560 --> 00:30:59.140 And God brought us into his family. 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:04.519 But in Jesus Christ, we've been brought near. 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:07.180 And it says we have access to God the Father 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:08.480 through his Holy Spirit. 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:14.140 So through Jesus' word and through his touch, 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:17.860 Jesus brings outsiders into God's family. 00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:20.819 That's what these two passages are about. 00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:24.259 The people who felt excluded, 00:31:24.839 --> 00:31:26.039 who felt like outsiders, 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:28.059 who other people would have seen as outsiders, 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:30.259 Jesus brings them in 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:31.880 and brings them into his family. 00:31:32.500 --> 00:31:33.920 And that's his invitation to us. 00:31:35.360 --> 00:31:37.059 Don't let anything get in your way. 00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:39.419 Of coming to Jesus. 00:31:40.139 --> 00:31:41.779 Don't let other people's expectations 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:45.879 or your feelings about what somebody else thinks about you 00:31:45.879 --> 00:31:49.619 or your own insecurities. 00:31:51.099 --> 00:31:52.799 Jesus is what you need 00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:54.339 more than anything else. 00:31:55.899 --> 00:31:58.220 And Jesus has enough to feed you 00:31:58.220 --> 00:32:00.159 and to feed everybody else who comes to him. 00:32:03.159 --> 00:32:06.240 So don't stop seeking until you find him. 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:08.339 Don't stop knocking 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:11.539 until the door is opened 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:13.460 and you come in. 00:32:14.679 --> 00:32:16.720 Jesus has come to bring us in 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:18.240 that we can be part of his family. 00:32:20.879 --> 00:32:22.500 He's come to make all things new. 00:32:24.679 --> 00:32:27.039 In verse 37, it concludes this section. 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:29.440 And the people say, 00:32:29.559 --> 00:32:30.619 he has done all things well. 00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:33.119 It's actually very similar 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:36.699 to what is said at the end of Genesis 1. 00:32:37.419 --> 00:32:37.919 It says, 00:32:38.139 --> 00:32:39.699 God saw everything that he had made 00:32:39.699 --> 00:32:42.119 and it was very good. 00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:44.319 And the point of this 00:32:44.319 --> 00:32:46.239 is that Jesus has come to make all things new. 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:48.299 He's come to break down 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:49.439 all the barriers 00:32:49.439 --> 00:32:51.799 that stood between us and God. 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:53.939 And all the barriers that we put up 00:32:53.939 --> 00:32:55.399 between us and each other 00:32:55.399 --> 00:32:56.399 and us and other people. 00:32:56.400 --> 00:32:59.360 And he's come to make a whole new family 00:32:59.360 --> 00:33:04.180 based on his grace and mercy alone. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:06.500 That's the good news. 00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:09.259 That's what these stories are about. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:09.900 Let's pray. 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:16.560 Lord Jesus, thank you. 00:33:17.980 --> 00:33:19.060 Thank you that you go 00:33:19.060 --> 00:33:22.759 where nobody else would have expected you to go. 00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:24.440 Thank you, Lord, 00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:26.779 that no one is beyond the reach 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:28.200 of your touch, 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:30.279 your healing touch, 00:33:31.379 --> 00:33:32.299 your saving word. 00:33:34.359 --> 00:33:35.460 Lord, I pray that 00:33:35.460 --> 00:33:37.980 each one of us here, 00:33:38.839 --> 00:33:40.220 Lord, that we would reach out to you 00:33:40.220 --> 00:33:42.680 and that we would know the assurance 00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:45.160 that you speak to us. 00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:52.080 that you welcome us 00:33:52.080 --> 00:33:53.180 with open arms 00:33:53.180 --> 00:33:54.380 into your family. 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:56.759 And Lord, I pray that we would 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:58.180 that we would be a church, 00:33:58.259 --> 00:33:59.060 that we would be a people 00:33:59.060 --> 00:34:01.580 who aren't putting up barriers 00:34:01.580 --> 00:34:03.019 for other people, 00:34:03.740 --> 00:34:06.560 but instead who are 00:34:06.560 --> 00:34:08.000 bringing them to you. 00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:11.519 As these people brought this 00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:14.039 deaf and speech impaired man to Jesus. 00:34:14.039 --> 00:34:15.279 Lord, 00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:16.779 may we 00:34:16.779 --> 00:34:18.440 be bringing others to you 00:34:18.440 --> 00:34:19.380 that they may know, 00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:20.400 Lord, 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:22.099 your saving grace, 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:23.079 your forgiveness, 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:24.679 your hope 00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:25.360 that you 00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:26.599 and the promise 00:34:26.599 --> 00:34:27.719 of eternal life 00:34:27.719 --> 00:34:28.599 that you give to everyone 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:29.320 who turns to you. 00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:34.739 We pray this in your name. 00:34:34.860 --> 00:34:35.059 Amen. 00:34:36.099 --> 00:34:36.679 If you have a question, 00:34:36.759 --> 00:34:37.699 feel free to raise your hand. 00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:40.059 I'll do the best I can to answer. 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:41.699 Or 00:34:41.699 --> 00:34:42.960 I'll admit if I can't. 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:44.840 Mary. 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:49.820 Mary. 00:34:49.820 --> 00:34:49.900 Mary. 00:34:53.059 --> 00:34:53.619 Tyre, 00:34:53.820 --> 00:34:54.480 a city 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:55.360 or a country? 00:34:56.960 --> 00:34:58.059 Yeah, so Tyre, 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:58.779 it was a city, 00:34:59.639 --> 00:35:00.579 but it was 00:35:00.579 --> 00:35:01.639 sort of like, 00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:03.579 it also had a region 00:35:03.579 --> 00:35:04.400 around it. 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:05.880 Sidon was a region. 00:35:06.739 --> 00:35:07.860 Sidon was a region. 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.139 Yeah. 00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:10.880 Yeah. 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:13.260 So it's interesting, 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:13.519 actually, 00:35:13.619 --> 00:35:15.119 Tyre was south of Sidon. 00:35:15.599 --> 00:35:16.720 So in verse 31, 00:35:17.039 --> 00:35:19.220 it says he went from Tyre 00:35:19.220 --> 00:35:19.920 through Sidon, 00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:21.000 which would have been going north, 00:35:21.260 --> 00:35:22.780 and then southeast. 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:24.920 Which, 00:35:25.059 --> 00:35:26.260 the only reason you would do that 00:35:26.260 --> 00:35:27.220 is if you were going 00:35:27.220 --> 00:35:29.000 outside of the borders 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:29.880 of Israel. 00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:31.099 So Jesus is very deliberate 00:35:31.099 --> 00:35:32.519 in this passage 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:34.559 in going through 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:35.880 Gentile territory, 00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:36.860 foreign territory 00:35:36.860 --> 00:35:37.820 outside his home country. 00:35:37.820 --> 00:35:40.740 So he's being very deliberate 00:35:40.740 --> 00:35:41.380 in how he does that. 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:47.680 Other questions? 00:35:58.940 --> 00:35:59.260 Lindsay? 00:35:59.260 --> 00:35:59.340 Lindsay? 00:35:59.340 --> 00:36:01.620 In verse 36, 00:36:02.620 --> 00:36:04.059 why does he charge 00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:06.400 him to tell no one? 00:36:07.100 --> 00:36:08.000 Ah, yes. 00:36:08.260 --> 00:36:09.160 In verse 36, 00:36:09.240 --> 00:36:10.000 why does Jesus charge 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:10.720 him to tell no one? 00:36:11.680 --> 00:36:12.640 So Jesus does this 00:36:12.640 --> 00:36:13.500 a few times 00:36:13.500 --> 00:36:14.700 in the Gospel of Mark, 00:36:15.559 --> 00:36:16.039 and 00:36:16.039 --> 00:36:18.460 so, 00:36:19.200 --> 00:36:20.620 and a couple of times 00:36:20.620 --> 00:36:21.640 people don't 00:36:21.640 --> 00:36:22.640 obey this command. 00:36:23.019 --> 00:36:23.260 Instead, 00:36:23.380 --> 00:36:23.920 they go around 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:24.680 and proclaim it 00:36:24.680 --> 00:36:25.559 all the more zealously. 00:36:26.220 --> 00:36:27.120 And usually what happens 00:36:27.120 --> 00:36:27.780 as a result 00:36:27.780 --> 00:36:29.560 is Jesus gets mobbed 00:36:29.560 --> 00:36:30.200 with crowds. 00:36:31.380 --> 00:36:31.400 And 00:36:31.400 --> 00:36:33.500 so, 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:35.440 sometimes, 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:36.880 so in Mark chapter, 00:36:37.019 --> 00:36:37.960 sometimes Jesus does, 00:36:38.160 --> 00:36:39.420 Jesus doesn't always say this. 00:36:39.940 --> 00:36:40.620 He says it, 00:36:40.740 --> 00:36:40.860 I think, 00:36:40.920 --> 00:36:41.460 strategically 00:36:41.460 --> 00:36:44.560 when he believes 00:36:44.560 --> 00:36:45.980 that too much publicity 00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:46.680 too quickly 00:36:46.680 --> 00:36:48.740 would obscure 00:36:48.740 --> 00:36:50.340 the focus of his mission. 00:36:51.060 --> 00:36:52.380 And it would end up 00:36:52.380 --> 00:36:52.680 with 00:36:52.680 --> 00:36:54.160 just a big mob 00:36:54.160 --> 00:36:54.780 following him 00:36:54.780 --> 00:36:56.600 when he either 00:36:56.600 --> 00:36:57.240 wants to have 00:36:57.240 --> 00:36:57.920 some more focused 00:36:57.920 --> 00:36:58.540 teaching time 00:36:58.540 --> 00:36:59.000 with some of his 00:36:59.000 --> 00:36:59.780 closer followers 00:36:59.780 --> 00:37:00.720 or 00:37:00.720 --> 00:37:04.120 for a variety, 00:37:04.220 --> 00:37:04.800 or where he wants 00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:06.340 to spend some time 00:37:06.340 --> 00:37:07.519 in different places, 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:08.180 but he also wants 00:37:08.180 --> 00:37:08.740 to move on 00:37:08.740 --> 00:37:10.019 and not be totally 00:37:10.019 --> 00:37:10.920 contained in one place 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:11.220 forever. 00:37:12.500 --> 00:37:13.780 So he strategically, 00:37:14.160 --> 00:37:14.820 I think, 00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:15.560 decides 00:37:15.560 --> 00:37:17.280 when to encourage 00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:18.460 people to go and tell 00:37:18.460 --> 00:37:19.780 and when to encourage 00:37:19.780 --> 00:37:20.140 people, 00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:21.980 hold it for the moment, 00:37:21.980 --> 00:37:24.579 because you don't, 00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:25.480 you, 00:37:25.800 --> 00:37:26.719 because the people 00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:27.559 don't really understand, 00:37:27.679 --> 00:37:28.340 they understand 00:37:28.340 --> 00:37:29.000 that Jesus has done 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:29.920 this great miracle 00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:30.760 to heal this guy, 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:32.460 but Jesus' purpose 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:33.539 in coming into the world 00:37:33.539 --> 00:37:35.159 wasn't just to heal, 00:37:35.360 --> 00:37:36.219 you know, 00:37:36.300 --> 00:37:37.199 a thousand people 00:37:37.199 --> 00:37:38.360 way back then. 00:37:38.960 --> 00:37:39.820 If that was Jesus' 00:37:39.940 --> 00:37:40.500 only purpose 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:41.420 in coming into the world, 00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:42.659 that he healed 00:37:42.659 --> 00:37:43.240 a thousand people 00:37:43.240 --> 00:37:43.920 way back then, 00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:45.440 we never would be here today 00:37:45.440 --> 00:37:47.139 because that would have 00:37:47.139 --> 00:37:48.599 had no effect on us 00:37:48.599 --> 00:37:50.639 except maybe a few 00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:51.740 historians. 00:37:51.980 --> 00:37:52.380 Right? 00:37:52.619 --> 00:37:53.539 I was a history major, 00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:54.240 so I can make fun 00:37:54.240 --> 00:37:54.679 of historians. 00:37:55.760 --> 00:37:56.480 Right? 00:37:56.619 --> 00:37:57.280 Who would be interested 00:37:57.280 --> 00:37:58.800 in some very obscure 00:37:58.800 --> 00:37:59.940 figure back then. 00:38:00.280 --> 00:38:01.219 But Jesus' reason 00:38:01.219 --> 00:38:02.179 for coming into the world 00:38:02.179 --> 00:38:03.119 was ultimately 00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:04.760 to die on a cross. 00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:06.079 And that's what 00:38:06.079 --> 00:38:06.900 the whole Gospel of Mark 00:38:06.900 --> 00:38:07.780 ultimately leads up to. 00:38:08.619 --> 00:38:09.159 And so, 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:11.019 Jesus is, 00:38:11.380 --> 00:38:12.059 by his healings, 00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:13.599 he's giving a picture 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:14.500 of what 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:16.840 God's restoring 00:38:16.840 --> 00:38:17.820 and healing work 00:38:17.820 --> 00:38:18.760 looks like 00:38:18.760 --> 00:38:20.139 in people's lives, 00:38:20.139 --> 00:38:20.840 and he's showing 00:38:20.840 --> 00:38:21.699 compassion to these 00:38:21.699 --> 00:38:22.139 people, 00:38:23.019 --> 00:38:23.819 but he also knows 00:38:23.819 --> 00:38:24.519 his purpose is more 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:24.919 than that. 00:38:25.579 --> 00:38:25.960 And so, 00:38:26.099 --> 00:38:27.419 he's balancing 00:38:27.419 --> 00:38:28.059 those things. 00:38:36.779 --> 00:38:37.480 Any others? 00:38:37.480 --> 00:38:37.539 Any others? 00:38:37.539 --> 00:38:37.559 Any others? 00:38:37.559 --> 00:38:37.619 Any others? 00:38:37.619 --> 00:38:37.639 Any others? 00:38:37.639 --> 00:38:39.619 Any others? 00:38:39.619 --> 00:38:41.619 Any others? 00:38:41.619 --> 00:38:43.619 Any others? 00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:45.619 Any others? 00:38:51.859 --> 00:38:53.239 You usually have a question. 00:38:53.500 --> 00:38:54.179 I don't think. 00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:55.900 You're thinking. 00:38:56.059 --> 00:38:56.279 All right. 00:38:56.299 --> 00:38:56.960 I'll let you think. 00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:02.239 All right. 00:39:02.259 --> 00:39:02.819 Anyone else? 00:39:02.940 --> 00:39:03.859 This is your last chance. 00:39:03.860 --> 00:39:07.720 I think your sermon 00:39:07.720 --> 00:39:08.680 hit all points. 00:39:09.519 --> 00:39:10.680 My sermon answered 00:39:10.680 --> 00:39:11.320 all the questions. 00:39:11.539 --> 00:39:11.840 Wow. 00:39:12.099 --> 00:39:12.380 That's, 00:39:12.760 --> 00:39:13.500 thanks, Tyrone. 00:39:13.720 --> 00:39:14.599 That's a first. 00:39:15.480 --> 00:39:18.079 If that's true, 00:39:18.460 --> 00:39:19.480 praise the Lord. 00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:24.420 Neil. 00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:24.740 Yeah. 00:39:25.740 --> 00:39:27.099 Seems like in Jesus' day 00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:27.800 there was a lot of 00:39:27.800 --> 00:39:28.760 unclean spirits 00:39:28.760 --> 00:39:29.860 and demon and whatnot. 00:39:30.579 --> 00:39:31.000 Is this, 00:39:31.240 --> 00:39:33.599 is that, 00:39:33.639 --> 00:39:34.340 was that particular 00:39:34.340 --> 00:39:35.860 to his time period 00:39:35.860 --> 00:39:36.860 or do you, 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:38.639 is there still that 00:39:38.639 --> 00:39:39.519 or not just as much 00:39:39.519 --> 00:39:39.740 now? 00:39:40.740 --> 00:39:41.019 Yeah. 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:41.780 So the question was, 00:39:41.860 --> 00:39:43.039 what about unclean spirits? 00:39:43.240 --> 00:39:44.079 There seemed to be a lot 00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:44.980 of them in Jesus' time. 00:39:45.300 --> 00:39:46.400 Do they still exist? 00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:47.980 What does that look like? 00:39:47.980 --> 00:39:48.699 Um, 00:39:49.619 --> 00:39:49.960 uh, 00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:52.019 so briefly I would say, 00:39:52.300 --> 00:39:52.539 uh, 00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:52.900 yes, 00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:53.480 uh, 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:54.679 I think they do still exist. 00:39:55.320 --> 00:39:55.599 Um, 00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:56.820 I think there's a, 00:39:56.960 --> 00:39:58.559 so one related question 00:39:58.559 --> 00:39:59.360 that people have 00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:00.179 is, 00:40:00.280 --> 00:40:00.980 is there a difference 00:40:00.980 --> 00:40:01.500 between, 00:40:01.500 --> 00:40:02.280 uh, 00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:03.619 someone who is oppressed 00:40:03.619 --> 00:40:04.300 or afflicted 00:40:04.300 --> 00:40:04.480 or, 00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:05.639 or possessed by a demon 00:40:05.639 --> 00:40:06.659 and, 00:40:06.659 --> 00:40:06.940 uh, 00:40:06.940 --> 00:40:07.579 mental illness? 00:40:07.820 --> 00:40:08.280 And, 00:40:08.420 --> 00:40:09.039 and actually, 00:40:09.179 --> 00:40:10.179 even in the New Testament, 00:40:10.179 --> 00:40:11.860 the answer is very clearly yes. 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:12.699 Uh, 00:40:12.699 --> 00:40:13.300 some people think, 00:40:13.380 --> 00:40:13.639 well, 00:40:14.179 --> 00:40:14.539 uh, 00:40:14.539 --> 00:40:15.240 that was just a way 00:40:15.240 --> 00:40:16.099 people used back then 00:40:16.099 --> 00:40:17.099 to talk about mental illnesses 00:40:17.099 --> 00:40:17.960 that they didn't understand. 00:40:17.980 --> 00:40:19.460 And now we understand 00:40:19.460 --> 00:40:20.000 things better 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:20.539 and we, 00:40:20.539 --> 00:40:21.320 uh, 00:40:21.360 --> 00:40:22.320 diagnose them with labels 00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:23.440 that we also don't really know 00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:24.179 what the labels mean. 00:40:24.699 --> 00:40:24.940 Um, 00:40:25.460 --> 00:40:25.719 but, 00:40:25.719 --> 00:40:26.440 uh, 00:40:27.099 --> 00:40:27.619 uh, 00:40:27.619 --> 00:40:27.880 in, 00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:28.500 in the, 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:29.159 in the New Testament, 00:40:29.260 --> 00:40:30.480 it very clearly distinguishes 00:40:30.480 --> 00:40:31.360 people who have, 00:40:31.519 --> 00:40:31.800 for example, 00:40:31.900 --> 00:40:32.900 a seizure disorder. 00:40:33.300 --> 00:40:34.860 There's one word used for that 00:40:34.860 --> 00:40:36.119 and there's a different word, 00:40:36.179 --> 00:40:36.780 uh, 00:40:36.780 --> 00:40:37.579 used for, 00:40:37.579 --> 00:40:38.579 uh, 00:40:38.780 --> 00:40:40.099 being oppressed by a demon. 00:40:40.780 --> 00:40:41.099 Um, 00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:42.599 so even in the New Testament, 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:44.019 there's a very careful distinction 00:40:44.019 --> 00:40:44.619 between, 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:45.460 uh, 00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:46.400 uh, 00:40:46.400 --> 00:40:47.519 medical problems, 00:40:47.519 --> 00:40:48.400 uh, 00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:50.019 various kinds of, 00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:50.139 of, 00:40:50.139 --> 00:40:50.920 uh, 00:40:50.920 --> 00:40:51.159 what, 00:40:51.280 --> 00:40:52.179 what we would call today 00:40:52.179 --> 00:40:52.880 mental illnesses. 00:40:53.039 --> 00:40:54.480 They didn't really use that term 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:54.980 back then, 00:40:54.980 --> 00:40:55.759 um, 00:40:55.860 --> 00:40:56.579 as well as, 00:40:56.579 --> 00:40:57.059 uh, 00:40:57.059 --> 00:40:58.039 spiritual oppression 00:40:58.039 --> 00:40:59.420 from evil forces. 00:40:59.619 --> 00:40:59.960 Now, 00:41:00.059 --> 00:41:00.460 what does that, 00:41:00.579 --> 00:41:01.119 what does, 00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:01.940 uh, 00:41:01.940 --> 00:41:02.340 what do, 00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:03.259 how do unclean spirits 00:41:03.259 --> 00:41:03.780 act today? 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:04.559 Um, 00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:06.159 I think you'll get different answers 00:41:06.159 --> 00:41:07.739 if you ask different Christians 00:41:07.739 --> 00:41:08.619 who live in different parts 00:41:08.619 --> 00:41:09.139 of the world. 00:41:09.860 --> 00:41:10.259 Um, 00:41:10.860 --> 00:41:12.320 and if you talk to Christians, 00:41:12.320 --> 00:41:13.179 uh, 00:41:13.179 --> 00:41:14.340 from some other parts 00:41:14.340 --> 00:41:14.820 of the world 00:41:14.820 --> 00:41:16.440 and you ask them that question, 00:41:16.539 --> 00:41:17.820 do unclean spirits exist today? 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:18.380 They'd be like, 00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:19.080 of course, 00:41:19.240 --> 00:41:20.320 we just drove one out 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:21.539 last week at church. 00:41:22.019 --> 00:41:22.420 Um, 00:41:22.840 --> 00:41:24.240 that's just pretty normal. 00:41:24.720 --> 00:41:25.200 And, 00:41:25.320 --> 00:41:26.160 and people, 00:41:26.380 --> 00:41:26.820 and for, 00:41:26.900 --> 00:41:28.220 for a variety of reasons. 00:41:28.220 --> 00:41:28.900 Um, 00:41:28.900 --> 00:41:30.680 if you're here in the United States, 00:41:30.680 --> 00:41:31.340 uh, 00:41:32.340 --> 00:41:32.740 some, 00:41:32.840 --> 00:41:33.080 you know, 00:41:33.120 --> 00:41:34.340 there's some, 00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:35.340 uh, 00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:35.760 there's, 00:41:36.340 --> 00:41:37.440 you might or might not 00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:38.180 have that experience. 00:41:38.660 --> 00:41:39.039 Um, 00:41:39.039 --> 00:41:40.259 and, 00:41:40.360 --> 00:41:40.659 uh, 00:41:41.579 --> 00:41:43.820 so I would say generally, 00:41:44.320 --> 00:41:44.679 um, 00:41:45.480 --> 00:41:46.059 C.S. Lewis said 00:41:46.059 --> 00:41:47.259 there's two errors 00:41:47.259 --> 00:41:48.079 we can fall into 00:41:48.079 --> 00:41:48.759 in thinking about 00:41:48.759 --> 00:41:49.440 the devil 00:41:49.440 --> 00:41:50.380 and unclean spirits. 00:41:50.380 --> 00:41:50.980 We can either 00:41:50.980 --> 00:41:52.759 totally deny that they exist, 00:41:53.460 --> 00:41:54.940 which is really 00:41:54.940 --> 00:41:55.519 sort of naive. 00:41:56.019 --> 00:41:56.779 It's basically just saying 00:41:56.779 --> 00:41:58.119 since I haven't ever seen this, 00:41:58.460 --> 00:41:59.380 then it must not exist. 00:42:00.139 --> 00:42:00.380 Which, 00:42:00.539 --> 00:42:01.500 there's all kinds of things 00:42:01.500 --> 00:42:01.840 in the world 00:42:01.840 --> 00:42:02.980 that you might have 00:42:02.980 --> 00:42:03.739 never experienced yet, 00:42:03.800 --> 00:42:04.480 but are very real. 00:42:05.239 --> 00:42:05.519 Um, 00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:06.820 on the other hand, 00:42:06.880 --> 00:42:07.320 the error can, 00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:08.380 the other side of it 00:42:08.380 --> 00:42:09.640 can be to be obsessed 00:42:09.640 --> 00:42:10.780 and fascinated with them. 00:42:11.480 --> 00:42:12.780 And I think in churches, 00:42:12.780 --> 00:42:13.760 uh, 00:42:13.760 --> 00:42:14.519 sometimes we can fall 00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:15.340 into those errors too. 00:42:16.059 --> 00:42:16.320 Uh, 00:42:16.320 --> 00:42:16.860 there's some churches 00:42:16.860 --> 00:42:17.480 that are obsessed 00:42:17.480 --> 00:42:18.160 and fascinated 00:42:18.160 --> 00:42:19.579 with the work 00:42:19.579 --> 00:42:20.380 of evil spirits 00:42:20.380 --> 00:42:21.920 and are talking about them 00:42:21.920 --> 00:42:22.599 all the time, 00:42:22.599 --> 00:42:23.960 which is not right. 00:42:24.579 --> 00:42:24.920 Um, 00:42:24.920 --> 00:42:26.360 and then there's some churches 00:42:26.360 --> 00:42:28.420 where you never talk about them 00:42:28.420 --> 00:42:29.680 or even deny that they exist. 00:42:30.500 --> 00:42:30.780 Um, 00:42:31.420 --> 00:42:32.760 so I think that they, 00:42:32.880 --> 00:42:33.539 uh, 00:42:33.800 --> 00:42:34.059 they, 00:42:34.160 --> 00:42:35.160 they manifest themselves 00:42:35.160 --> 00:42:35.940 in different ways. 00:42:36.579 --> 00:42:36.940 Um, 00:42:36.940 --> 00:42:38.920 and I, 00:42:38.920 --> 00:42:39.639 and I think that's, 00:42:39.740 --> 00:42:40.260 that's something 00:42:40.260 --> 00:42:41.539 that can, 00:42:41.780 --> 00:42:42.280 we can, 00:42:43.119 --> 00:42:43.740 uh, 00:42:44.300 --> 00:42:45.099 we probably all have 00:42:45.099 --> 00:42:45.840 a lot more to learn about. 00:42:46.340 --> 00:42:46.480 But, 00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:48.760 may not be a full answer 00:42:48.760 --> 00:42:49.220 to your question, 00:42:49.340 --> 00:42:49.920 but it's a good 00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:50.760 discussion starter. 00:42:51.679 --> 00:42:52.240 All right. 00:42:53.380 --> 00:42:53.780 Um, 00:42:54.220 --> 00:42:55.119 let me, 00:42:55.800 --> 00:42:56.119 uh, 00:42:56.119 --> 00:42:56.420 yes, 00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:57.039 usually we make 00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:57.599 a few announcements. 00:42:58.200 --> 00:42:58.519 Um, 00:42:58.920 --> 00:43:00.099 get one of these bulletins 00:43:00.099 --> 00:43:00.700 if you didn't. 00:43:00.980 --> 00:43:01.139 Uh, 00:43:01.139 --> 00:43:02.059 they're on the chair 00:43:02.059 --> 00:43:02.800 as you walk out. 00:43:02.940 --> 00:43:03.340 Is that right, 00:43:03.460 --> 00:43:03.659 Lindsay? 00:43:03.740 --> 00:43:04.659 Are they back there somewhere? 00:43:04.659 --> 00:43:05.579 Um, 00:43:06.420 --> 00:43:07.199 uh, 00:43:07.599 --> 00:43:07.899 just, 00:43:08.119 --> 00:43:08.559 let's see, 00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:09.399 a couple of things 00:43:09.399 --> 00:43:09.920 coming up. 00:43:10.239 --> 00:43:10.719 Um, 00:43:10.920 --> 00:43:11.719 if you're a member, 00:43:11.839 --> 00:43:12.519 we have a congregational 00:43:12.519 --> 00:43:13.179 meeting coming up 00:43:13.179 --> 00:43:13.699 in two weeks. 00:43:13.819 --> 00:43:14.659 Please notice that. 00:43:15.539 --> 00:43:15.940 And, 00:43:16.739 --> 00:43:17.379 um, 00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:18.460 there's, 00:43:18.559 --> 00:43:19.619 there's other 00:43:19.619 --> 00:43:20.559 announcements in here. 00:43:21.059 --> 00:43:22.199 There's some, 00:43:22.199 --> 00:43:22.659 uh, 00:43:23.940 --> 00:43:26.519 snacks and hot drinks 00:43:26.519 --> 00:43:27.059 at the back. 00:43:27.440 --> 00:43:28.059 Feel free to take 00:43:28.059 --> 00:43:28.500 this time. 00:43:28.699 --> 00:43:28.719 We're, 00:43:29.219 --> 00:43:29.460 uh, 00:43:29.460 --> 00:43:30.099 in the evening service 00:43:30.099 --> 00:43:30.859 it's a small crowd, 00:43:30.860 --> 00:43:31.760 but part of why 00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:32.840 that's sort of nice 00:43:32.840 --> 00:43:33.440 is that you can 00:43:33.440 --> 00:43:34.340 get to know a couple 00:43:34.340 --> 00:43:34.940 people and then 00:43:34.940 --> 00:43:35.599 if you come again 00:43:35.599 --> 00:43:36.480 then you can 00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:37.380 sit with them 00:43:37.380 --> 00:43:38.019 or just, 00:43:38.200 --> 00:43:38.740 uh, 00:43:38.900 --> 00:43:39.180 get to, 00:43:39.300 --> 00:43:39.519 you know, 00:43:39.700 --> 00:43:40.140 develop some 00:43:40.140 --> 00:43:40.720 relationships pretty 00:43:40.720 --> 00:43:40.980 easily. 00:43:41.140 --> 00:43:41.280 So, 00:43:41.780 --> 00:43:42.120 um, 00:43:42.200 --> 00:43:42.920 use this time 00:43:42.920 --> 00:43:43.880 afterwards to 00:43:43.880 --> 00:43:44.920 maybe get to know 00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:45.500 at least one other 00:43:45.500 --> 00:43:45.800 person. 00:43:46.140 --> 00:43:46.980 I'd encourage you. 00:43:47.340 --> 00:43:47.539 All right, 00:43:47.579 --> 00:43:48.420 let me close in a 00:43:48.420 --> 00:43:48.780 word of prayer. 00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:50.000 Uh, 00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:50.099 Lord, 00:43:50.160 --> 00:43:50.780 thanks for tonight 00:43:50.780 --> 00:43:51.640 and, 00:43:51.700 --> 00:43:51.900 uh, 00:43:51.900 --> 00:43:52.680 thank you for 00:43:52.680 --> 00:43:53.500 inviting us into 00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:54.039 your family, 00:43:54.480 --> 00:43:54.900 um, 00:43:55.079 --> 00:43:56.099 and sending your son 00:43:56.099 --> 00:43:56.700 to do that. 00:43:57.000 --> 00:43:57.140 Lord, 00:43:57.200 --> 00:43:57.720 we pray that we 00:43:57.720 --> 00:43:57.940 would, 00:43:58.140 --> 00:43:58.620 uh, 00:43:58.620 --> 00:43:59.539 be joyful, 00:43:59.539 --> 00:44:00.340 um, 00:44:00.340 --> 00:44:00.960 that we would 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:02.019 rejoice in, 00:44:02.019 --> 00:44:02.699 uh, 00:44:02.699 --> 00:44:03.239 the work that you 00:44:03.239 --> 00:44:03.679 have done 00:44:03.679 --> 00:44:04.360 and, 00:44:04.480 --> 00:44:04.539 Lord, 00:44:04.599 --> 00:44:05.159 that we have 00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:06.139 free access to 00:44:06.139 --> 00:44:06.420 you, 00:44:06.900 --> 00:44:07.239 um, 00:44:07.619 --> 00:44:08.019 through your 00:44:08.019 --> 00:44:08.599 Holy Spirit. 00:44:09.099 --> 00:44:09.559 And so, 00:44:09.639 --> 00:44:09.699 Lord, 00:44:09.739 --> 00:44:10.360 we pray that we 00:44:10.360 --> 00:44:11.119 would come before 00:44:11.119 --> 00:44:11.779 you boldly, 00:44:12.300 --> 00:44:12.639 um, 00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:13.539 that we'd come 00:44:13.539 --> 00:44:13.920 before you 00:44:13.920 --> 00:44:14.739 persistently for 00:44:14.739 --> 00:44:15.320 the things that we 00:44:15.320 --> 00:44:15.880 need and for 00:44:15.880 --> 00:44:16.440 others that we 00:44:16.440 --> 00:44:17.400 love and care 00:44:17.400 --> 00:44:17.759 for, 00:44:18.259 --> 00:44:18.500 uh, 00:44:18.500 --> 00:44:18.659 Lord, 00:44:18.739 --> 00:44:19.179 as this woman 00:44:19.179 --> 00:44:20.679 did and as, 00:44:20.840 --> 00:44:21.019 uh, 00:44:21.019 --> 00:44:21.699 these people did, 00:44:21.779 --> 00:44:22.039 uh, 00:44:22.039 --> 00:44:22.420 who are the, 00:44:22.480 --> 00:44:22.779 who are the 00:44:22.779 --> 00:44:23.259 friends of this 00:44:23.259 --> 00:44:23.500 man. 00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:23.719 Lord, 00:44:23.800 --> 00:44:23.940 we, 00:44:24.420 --> 00:44:24.599 uh, 00:44:24.599 --> 00:44:24.960 pray that you 00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:25.340 would send us 00:44:25.340 --> 00:44:25.900 out from here 00:44:25.900 --> 00:44:26.759 with your grace 00:44:26.760 --> 00:44:27.180 and peace 00:44:27.180 --> 00:44:27.640 in Jesus' 00:44:27.780 --> 00:44:27.940 name. 00:44:28.240 --> 00:44:28.440 Amen. 00:44:28.440 --> 00:44:28.540 Amen.