THE K I NG ' S BUS I NES S
106
March, 1938
IN T E R N A T IO N A L L E S S O N Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Children’s Division Golden Text Illustration Object Lesson B y B. B. S utcliffe B y G retchen S ibley B y H elen G ailey B y A lan S. P earce B y E lmer L. W ilder Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain
APRIL 3, 1938 SERVING OTHER RACES M ark 7:24-37
Gentiles of Decapolis (v. 31). This loca tion was a thickly populated portion of Gentile territory. Again the question might be asked, “Why was He, who was sent to the house of Israel, found here?” Surely that question is answered as we remember that He would extend His blessed minis try to all peoples, giving a foretaste of the time in which, through the Jews, the whole earth will find the blessing of God and will rejoice. The people were not long in bringing to Him one who was troubled with a twofold ailment (v. 32). Our Lord at once performed a twofold miracle (vs. 33-35). It was performed in private, away from the multitude, and the action of our Lord was peculiar. We might .understand the reason for Christ’s drawing the man aside, if we remember that, to the crowd, His actions might seem like a bit of necromancy. But why did He put His fingers in the man’s ears, and why did He touch the man’s tongue? Easily, He could have spoken a word, and the healing work would have been done. But our Lord knew the hardness of human hearts. Moreover, He would teach us that He is not confined to the use of any one method. After touching the man’s ears and his tongue, the Lord “ sighed” and said, “ Be opened.” Immediately, “ the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain” (v. 35). In the next chapter we are told that Christ “ sighed deeply” » (Mk. 8:11, 12). He sighs over the physical distresses of men, but He sighs “ deeply” over that spir itual blindness of theirs which rejects Him and the blessings He would bestow. III. S erving in the S piritual R ealm (37) In both the cases already studied, there was a command and an immediate obedi ence. Thus it is clear that our Lord could speak to all in the psychical and physical realms, and receive instant and complete obedience. But in the spiritual realm in which man is found, He meets the stubborn opposition of man’s spirit. It is not God’s lack of willingness to bless man that stands in the way of man’s happiness, but it is man’s lack of willingness to accept the blessing God yearns to give. It is a ter rible thought that man holds within him self the tremendously dangerous power to say “ I won’t” to God. On the other hand, man can say “ I will” to God, and thus find eternal life and joy. The people were astonished at what had taken place, and said of Christ, “ He hath done all things well.” Men may praise Jesus of Nazareth for His good works, while denying His good words. But the works that are seen, however much appreciated, never can bring one into spiritual touch with the God who is a Spirit. Only as
Mark 7 :24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young: daughter had an unclean spirit, heard o f him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out o f her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, 'For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.^ 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears,, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string o f his tongue was loosed, and he spakd plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published i t ; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, say ing, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Golden Text: “ God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). Devotional Reading: Isaiah 11:12-16. Outline and Exposition I. S erving in the P sychical R ealm (24-30) ARIOUS explanations are g i v e n concerning the reason for our Lord’s going to Tyre and Sidon. But what ever the reason, there is here a revelation of the wide fame that was His, for it is recorded that, arriving at this place, “ he could not be hid” (v. 24). The approach of the Syrophenician woman to our Lord was quite natural, for where is the mother who would not turn eagerly to any one who might offer relief for her afflicted daughter (vs. 25, 26) ? This was a “ little” girl whom the demon possessed (cf. R. V .). Hence, her affliction quite likely was not the result of any fright ful sin, for she was too young for that. The trouble was in the psychical sphere, [ These lessons are developed from out lines prepared by the Committee on Im proved Uniform Lessons of the Interna tional Council. The outlines are copy righted by the International Council of Religious Education and used by permis sion. The Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Version unless other wise stated.’ —E ditor .]
and for this condition no human help could be found. The mother came and fell at the feet of Jesus and asked for relief. But she was a Gentile, and “ He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24; cf. 10:6). This condition seemingly constituted a barrier between the Lord whom the in quirer recognized as a Jew, and herself. While, dispensationally, the Lord Jesus could not give to the woman what belonged to the Jew, nevertheless He was not willing that any human suffering should go unre lieved. Therefore, judicially He would ex ercise on the woman’s behalf the power which He possessed, if only the woman would recognize that she had no claim upon Him except the claim of her need (vs. 27, 28). T o lead her to this position, He spoke the apparently heartless word about “the dogs.” The word He used, however, was that which was employed in speaking of the small house dog, a pet in the home, rather than the ravening wild animals common in that country. The woman accepted the challenge which the Lord Jesus gave. She took her place as one requiring grace, and made no claim apart from her dire need. Immediately Jesus acted in power (vs. 29, 30). The mystery of this occurrence is beyond our comprehension. How did He project Him self into the unseen world, come to grips with Satan and break his power, and order the demon to leave the little girl ? The modernist might explain the event by say ing that the case was merely a mental one, aggravated by suggestion. But when the mother spoke to the Lord Jesus, the little girl was absent from the scene, and ap parently knew nothing of what was going on. The Lord spoke with the utmost cer tainty, “The demon is gone out of thy daughter” (R. V .). And when the woman arrived at home, she found evidence of the truth of these words. II. S erving in the P hysical R ealm (31-36) Later, the Lord Jesus was found among BLACKBOARD LESSON
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