September 6 Sermon Notes

I’ve Got A Secret (Mark 7:24-37)

7:24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter." 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

7:31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Between the two readings from Mark I hear God saying this:

~ Whenever and wherever Jesus is truly present people who are in need are drawn to him

This account reminds us that often those who are drawn to him are those that are generally not accepted or welcomed (barriers between Jews and Gentiles)… those that are looked down upon for one reason or another—social, economic, behavioral, racial, cultural.

[Mark 7:24-30 Jesus attempts to go unnoticed but cannot… even in an area that is non-Jewish or Gentile (region of Tyre)]

~ Whenever and wherever Jesus is truly present in their lives persons are compelled to share their experience of Jesus with others.

[Mark 7:31-36 “Then Jesus ordered them not to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.”]

What happens when we put these two truths together? Transformation. Change. Growth. Growth of the individual as they find hope from and in the Body of Christ—the Church—and growth in the church as the Holy Spirit both draws persons to Christ in the life of the church and through the Spirit filled witness of the church. Growth as we as the church practice the radical hospitality that God has extended to us… Once we were no people, now we are God’s people.

We need to take an honest look at our life of faith (as individuals and as the church we are a part of) and ask ourselves the question: “Do I have a secret?” That secret being Jesus.

Last week I raised the issue of our religious traditions (Mark 7:1-23) asking the questions: Why do we do them? What do they mean? What is their purpose? Do they draw us closer to God and to each other and if so how? Another way to look at that issue is by asking the questions: Is Jesus present in them? Are they our witness to his power and presence in our lives of faith? Here the old saying “the proof is in the pudding” comes to mind. If we as the church are intentional about nurturing our life of faith in Christ—if we are in Christ and Christ is in us—then we, as the Apostle Paul assures us, will show forth the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words the Person of Christ will be evident in our lives—people will be drawn to the person of Christ in and through us; that’s Good News! But the Good News gets even better because we will not want to wait for people to come to us—we’ll want to go to them and share our experience of Jesus with them. We have a secret; but it is one that God wants us to share openly and with all.