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READ: Mark 7:31
CHALLENGE: Watch for Where God is Directing you.
What is driving you? God is directing our steps. I’m interested to take a look and see how God is working and moving in the incredible trek Jesus takes. It will be 120 miles going from Tyre, to Sidon, around Mount Hermon, down to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. It’s a long walk. This would be like walking 20 miles south of Pittsburgh from here. You have to figure that there’s a lot going on along the way. Even in this story, a crowd surrounds him.
Mark 7:31-35 – Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
I’m curious to watch and see how God is working and moving. There is an intentional movement.
- DIRECTED by GOD
v31 – Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
Sidon was 25 or so miles north from Tyre and even farther from his home turf. This region was mentioned in 1 Kings 17. In a time of drought, God sent Elijah to be taken care of by a widow in Zarephath. When he arrived, she was on her last bit of oil and flour. Elijah asked for some bread but she only had enough flour and oil for her and her son to have one last meal before she would wait for death. Right when she was at the very end and all hope had faded, God sent Elijah to her at just the right time. Elijah told her that flour and oil would never run out until the drought was over! God used the prophet to supply her need.
Listen to these words in Luke 4:24-27 – “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
Now after he said those words in Nazareth they tried to throw him off a cliff. However, Jesus points out that Elijah was sent to a widow in the region in which Jesus is now walking. Elisha healed a Syrian because they believed in what God could do through Elisha so Naaman was sent to him.
It says that Elijah was sent to the widow in the region of Sidon in the town of Zarephath. I would have to assume that Jesus was sent to this region as well. If you send somebody for something, there’s intention and location. There is a purpose Jesus is where He is.
After being in Sidon, he continued his trip around Mount Hermon and then back down to the Decapolis. The Decapolis was an area of 10 cities occupied by the Gentiles. It’s interesting that God has Jesus away from Israel and in a place where people are not following God’s laws. They don’t believe the same or share the same values.
Why did God lead him there? To heal a man who was deaf and mute. How did he lead him there? Let’s recall that the Jewish leaders were giving Jesus a hard time about washing his hands. They had been known to verbally pummel him for healing people on the Sabbath. He encountered a hyper spiritual group who cared way more about the rules than the people. And perhaps if you want to see God not working, get hung up on your preferences rather than the love of God and people.
Let’s note that if you discourage your workers by complaining about dumb things, they’ll blaze. Just appreciate them.
ILLUSTRATION:
All the complaints. Then perhaps it’s the continued pressure of the crowd that drives him as well. Either way, God directed Jesus to where God wanted Him. Proverbs 16:9 – In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
We have our best intentions but ultimately God is the one who directs our steps. And how is it that God directs us anyway? His Word. Circumstances. Counsel. Spirit direction. Prayer. So many factors.
When determining the will of God, remember that some is prescribed, some is permissive, and some is permanent. Meaning that you can’t change it. For instance, Jesus going to the cross was pre-determined. Not everything in your life is. For instance, what you wore today!
I’d like to reference the story of Jonah for sake of illustrating how God leads. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah ran in opposite direction, but God used a storm, the casting of lots, and a great fish to get him to Nineveh. So, even when he tried to run away, God funneled him back because God had determined that he would go there.
As a result, there was a great revival. Jonah had a simple message – God will overthrow the city in 40 days. They all repented from the greatest to the least as a great revival happened in that Assyrian city. Jonah did not like the Assyrians and the thought ill of God’s having compassion on them.
Many times in the story it says that God appointed. He appointed a storm, a great fish. Later made it hot, gave shade, and appointed a worm to kill the shade. This was all to adjust Jonah’s angry attitude as God asked him, “Do you have a right to be angry”. Amazing story. God was directing the entire thing.
God has a way of funneling us where he wants us. God’s will is often spelled out for us in the Scripture and I’d say 90 to 95% of God’s will for your life is there. But then there are questions as to who should I marry? Where do I go to college? Do I change jobs? What choice do we make? And oftentimes God doesn’t send you an email telling you exactly what it is.
lLLUSTRATION
While it most likely will be not as dramatic as Jonah, God has a way of funneling us where we need to be.
B. DIRECTED by FRIENDS
V32 – There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
Some people bring him a man who was deaf and mute. This man cannot hear and cannot speak. They must have heard of Christ’s healing power so they bring him to Jesus in faith and love for their friend and hope that it would all make a difference. Right? They believe in Jesus. They love their friend. They have hope.
- Friends Who Love You Unconditionally
It’s great to have friends who care about you. The Bible says that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. These are the ones who aren’t sitting on their hands. And they’re willing to put in the effort to help you. This is more than stopping by and saying, “Hope you get better”. Or I’ll stick around and help for two minutes.
I remember we had a mishap and it left glass all over the road. Jeri and I were scrambling to remedy it by picking up the glass. A kind man stopped to give us a hand. He picked up one piece. Got into his car. And kept going! Nice!!
The friends are the ones to stick with you. They went to his house. They led the way. They walked beside him and stayed with him. I assume this entire process took more than a few minutes. Who is it that really sticks by your side? They’re not leaving until they accomplish the mission. Those are you friends.
And they talk to Jesus for their friend because he could not talk for himself. And there are times when the people are in a situation where they don’t know what to say or can’t really put it into words per se. And you’re speaking up for them.
We all need some good friends. Wewill impact others through the relationships forged through the fires of life. It says in the Bible that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Christianity is not about being a lone wolf, it’s about helping others. I value the people in my life and throughout all of my years in ministry, I could never have done it without the great people around me. They help you. Listen to you. Care about you. It’s team all the way.
I think of Moses raising the staff above his head and getting so tired that he couldn’t hold it up. But when he put his arms down they were losing. Aaron and Hur helped to hold up his arms and without them the battle would have been lost. In order to win, it took all three working toward the same goals.
In similar fashion, how can we accomplish anything without friends?
I think this is truest in big projects and issues that must be worked through. I have people that I lean on and they’ve helped me to keep my sanity over the years. Many actually and it’s good to know that they are there for you. Sometimes just to give you a hand. There are the people that you might be a little lost if you didn’t have them in your life.
- Friends Who Firmly Believe
They had certainty about Jesus, so they are driven by faith. They believe that Jesus has the answers and that’s the reason that they come to him. Have you ever gone to a Christian friend or sought the Scriptures to help you through something?
The leaders sat around and criticized Jesus instead of celebrating wins. I wonder how many of the religious leaders had friends who never got healed because they didn’t believe? I’m not taking MY friend to Jesus! I have principles.
My certainty leads me to pray. To follow. To do right. To give. They begged Jesus for their friend. They truly pleaded for him and it will get a response. Urgency is important. When Jesus felt the weight of the cross, he prayed and prayed in Gethsemane.
- Friends Who Hope for Your Best
Just place your hand on him. God, if you will just lay a healing hand on him, he’ll be well.
Do we have hope for life? What’s your vision for your marriage, family, life? What are you hoping for?
We always hold out hope that things can be better and will get better. When you love and when you’re certain in your faith, you can hope and that’s a beautiful thing.
There was a moment in Israeli history when the Jews were slated for slaughter and their only hope was Esther. Her uncle told her to go to her husband, the king, and intercede for the people. What if she died? Her uncle told her, how do you know that you were not raised up for such a time as this. You’re exactly where you are for this very reason! You were sent! And she was guided via the relationship with her uncle.
Sometimes we’re where we are for such a time as this. We’re exactly what’s needed. To be a friend, to help in ministry, to lend a hand.
C. DIRECTED by OBEDIENCE
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus takes him off to the side. Away from the crowd so there is a crowd around him even here. He sticks his fingers in the man’s ears. He spit and touched his tongue.
God’s work does not always look exactly the same. As they say, “God works in mysterious ways”. I would not think sticking my fingers in your ear or spitting and touching your tongue. But it worked!
The man and friends just had to listen to Jesus. You think about Naaman who didn’t want to dip in the Jordan River. It’s a simple thing but it’s what God asks. He obeyed and he was healed.
Sometimes the ways of God may not seem to make sense but we need to realize that when we trust God, good things happen. To love, to forgive. It works.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
Don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.
He lets out a deep sigh which is a groan. To touch the hurts and pains of humanity. And a one word prayer – be open. A sigh or groan is typically negative. Perhaps Jesus feeling the hurts of the world and he just groans before God. And perhaps that’s OK. Just make a groan before the LORD. Just make a huge sigh.
You mean I’m allowed to sigh? There are plights and it’s a beautiful thing as we go trusting in God. Like a sigh with trust. Perhaps an “Oh, brother” and that’s life.
D. DIRECTED by AMAZEMENT
Vv36-37 – Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Don’t tell anyone. They tell someone. The more he said to stop it, the more they kept talking about it. And here’s why – it already started a fire. The work of God is so amazing that the more you try to silence it, the more it’s spreading.
It was like gnats in the mountains. We learned to live with them. The more you swung your arms the more they swarmed. You’d try to chase them away but the more you did, the more you attracted them.
It’s like my grandson. You better not come over here is an invitation! And what do they say?
- He does everything well
This is similar to what they said about David. People were just happy with him because he did all things well. Dealing with people – people follow people who are good at what they do. Jesus is excellent. People were amazed by how good he was.
He taught well. He healed. He showed compassion. Jesus must have been a likable person. Good to remember, we don’t win points by doing nothing well or by being miserable people. You speak and you encourage.
- He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.
Isaiah 35:3-6 – Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
This is definitely an indicator of the work of God. And of the Messiah. God’s working is right here in that person’s life and that is lighting a fire of faith.
May God direct your life. He will use a lot to influence you, circumstances, friends, obedience, being amazed by his timing. All of these things.