CAN'T STOP PRAISING HIS NAME

W. Charles Harris II

The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Mark 7:31–37

Son of Man

Jesus

Crowd at Mute Man’s Healing

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Jesus is trying to be incognito in his ministry but cannot because those who see or hear of Him are so "utterly astonished" that they cannot help but Proclaim it. Among the Jews, Jesus could do nothing right but among the people of the Decapolis (Ten Cities) he could do no wrong! They testified that "He has done all things well."

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See Mark 7:31-37

Mark 7:31–37 NASB95

Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

INTRODUCTION

A teacher gave a subject for composition class. The subject given was “WHAT?” For an hour, the whole class busily elucidated, expanded, and defined this word and related concepts in pages of paper. A mischievous boy submitted his paper in 1 minute and left the class. On his sheet, he had written: “SO WHAT?”

We live in a day where people do not appear to be amazed, or moved by anything. To put it clear and concise, many people suffer from “ Carelessness” and nothing effects them to the core of their emotions. How can people look at the thousands of people living on the streets of every major city of America and feel nothing? How can we know about the social and emotional trauma that so many children are enduring and care less? Why does issues like Racism, Social justice, police brutality, broken families, a rapidly decaying society mean so little to so many?

Does anybody believe that God is still at work in his world, that He is still making ways, opening blinded eyes, unstopping deaf hears and setting the captives free? if you do, can I encourage you never get to the point that you are no longer mesmerized by the goodness of God? But always ready to proclaim it and to worship and praise him for his mercy toward us.

Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 155.

THE CASE

As we open the text today, we discover that the Lord Jesus and his disciples have traveled beyond the borders of Isreal into the mostly Gentile populated region of Tyre, Sidon, and Decapolis. According to Mark, Jesus’ purpose for traveling there was to have some privacy with his disciples (see Mark 7:24).

Mark 7:24 NASB95

Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.

After an encounter with a Gentile woman, whose daughter Jesus healed , he came out from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee within the region of Decapolis. It was there that the residents of Decapolis brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him.

What we see here is community involvement. You see, in this case , the man was at a tremendous disadvantage because he could not even hear about Jesus and the power that he possessed. He had no knowledge of what he had done for others; because of his auditory processing disability he was incapable of learning . To compound the problem he was afflicted with a speech impediment, that is to say, the inability to articulate understandably. But thanks be to God he was part of a caring community who had heard and seen what the Lord had done for others and they brought him to Jesus . Not only that, but they made the request that he could not make for himself: The text said that they implored him to lay his hand on him. .. - s,N,V.”

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2022 A Touch on His Shoulder

2022 A Touch On His Shoulder

On February 26, 1844, occurred one of the major disasters in the history of our navy. The Princeton, the most powerful warship of that day, commanded by Captain Stockton, was taking members of Congress and government officials down the Potomac.

On board were the president of the United States, and the secretaries of state and navy. For the entertainment of the guests, the great gun on the Princeton called the Peacemaker, was fired. At the second discharge the gun burst, killing the secretary of state, the secretary of the navy, and a number of others.

Just before the gun was fired, Senator Thomas Benton of Missouri was standing near it, when a friend laid a hand on his shoulder. Benton turned away to speak with him, when, much to his annoyance, the secretary of the navy, Gilmore, elbowed his way into his place. At that moment the gun was fired and Gilmore was killed.

That singular providence had a great impression upon Benton. He was a man of bitter feuds and quarrels, and recently had had a fierce quarrel with Daniel Webster. But after his escape from death on the Princeton, Benton sought reconciliation with Webster. He said to him.

“It seemed to me, Mr. Webster, as if that touch on my shoulder was the hand of the Almighty stretched down there, drawing me away from what otherwise would have been instantaneous death. That one circumstance has changed the whole current of my thought and life. I feel that I am a different man; and I want, in the first place, to be at peace with all those with whom I have been so sharply at variance.”

—C. E. Macartney

THE CURE

St. Mark (Vol. I) Mark 7:31–37

THE CURE. 1. The manner of the great Physician. “They beseech him to lay his hand upon him”—a grand expression. (1) With respect to the people. He does not like the publicity, etc., and so he withdraws the poor man from the excited crowd. (2) With respect to the patient. This step was full of consideration and delicacy. He sought to gain the confidence of the man. How deliberate and thoughtful was his mercy! 2. The means employed. (1) Of what kinds. Physical—touch, saliva. Devotional—a heavenward look, a heavenward sigh. Authoritative—a word, “Ephphatha!” Not used as a charm, but plainly intended to be otherwise understood; a word of the vernacular. (2) He spoke to the man through signs, as he could not understand words. The means were only morally necessary; that the man might have some basis for confidence, intelligence, and faith. He ever desired to be understood.

,THE CRITIQUE

Upon the healing of this man, they were told to keep the incident under cover; that is, a secret. The text says that the more he ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. They could not help but critique the miracle they had witnessed. By critique, I mean: give a detailed analysis and assessment of something, What was interesting to me was that among the Jews, Jesus could do nothing right but among the people of the Decapolis (Ten Cities) he could do no wrong! They testified that "He has done all things well."

ASTONISHMENT

PUBLICATION

WITNESS AND PRAISE

CONCLUSION

St. Mark (Vol. I) Chapter 7

III. THAT WHICH IS SYMBOLIZED. The shut heart of the world, dead to spiritual things. Which is worse? Only the compassion of Christ can save us.—M.

Mark Mark 7:35–37

Mark does not seem to criticize the crowds for acclaiming Jesus. Instead, he quotes their astounded jubilant response. He does so in a way that subtly points to the significance he sees in this miracle of Jesus. God’s original work of creation merited the acclamation, “It was very good!” (Gen. 1:31). Here the crowd’s similar words, He has done all things well, hint that God has again been at work restoring his creation.