Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning rivertree.

It’s a joy to be back with you again this morning.

If you have your Bibles go ahead and open them up to mark chapter 7 and in a moment we will start in verse 24

A quick update on our poland team.

They have had a great week!

A group of them are heading back and will arrive home today while another group heads to be with Kevin and cathy bird in budapest

thanks for your prayers and support of this team.

It’s been a truly increadible week for them.

Thanks/encore/overwhelming/well know what

A good friend of mine reminded me “God still sues average”

took the pressure off.

So today I am hoping for average from me but extrodinary from God

I think something interesting about people in general is how we approach someone we view as more important then us or how we handle a sitituaiton wehere we are someplace or some envirenmont where we don’t feel as if we belong

I’ve had a couple of those situations in my life.

One was at cafe dumon while in serminary at NOTBS and sam worthington the actor from Avatar was there with a friend.

we couldn’t believe it so we decided the best way to not bother him but prove we saw him as to snap a picture where he was in the backgrouond.

it was pretty obvious and it ended with worthington stoping his conversation and dropping a few choice words our way which we maybe desreved.

the other sitition that i’ve been in was more recently.

I had a friend call me and ask me if I wanted to go to a dinner in Birmingham put on by Tim Kellers ministry and we might even have a chance to meet Tim keller.

Now I know not everyone knows who he is.

He is a author, a pasotr and someone who I really look up to.

He pastors a church in New york that’s been super impactful

so for me I was kind of geeking out over the chance to meet him.

we drive down to birmingham get to this place which was one of the nicest places in birmingham we could have gone and get out of the car

I ask my friend if I should change and he says nah man just go as you are

which was pretty much like this

we walk in and quickly I realize that people are in suits and formal dresses and I am maybe jus ta litte under dressed for the occastion.

we realize we are among the rich and elite in birmingham as we enter the room.

Food everywehre.

The view was increadible and the people where nice.

But we were just tyring to firgure out how we got in the room.

while waiting on tim keller to appear we sat at a table and becasue I can’t help myself at times I just start asking this lady across the table from me about herself.

she says they own a construction company in birmingham and have bene ther efor years.

Then she ask about me.

i’m excited to tell her tha tI am a student pastor at a church and I am from huntsville

when I tell her I am from huntsville she has this concered look on her face and then she says oh we’ve heard nice things about huntsville.

We’ve heard it’s growing

I’m thinking huh?

Heard nice things?

We are growing.

COME on we put people on the moon huntsville is awesoem

but hey I didn’t fit

and then I noticed it there was tim keller.

He was a lot taller then I expected.

and I was like we have to meet him.

So my friend will and I approached him.

I hadn’t thought of what I would say but I knew i had to say something.

So I think I said this

Hey my name is steven I like your books....and he looked at me like ok....and then I said meet my friend will

and left

but here is the reality we’ve all had expierences like this.

We’ve been in situations where we aren’t sure if we are welcomed where we aren’t sure if we are welcomed

maybe you’ve had a similar situiations where you were about to meet someone important, famous or just someone you looked up to and you are nervous, you stumble over your words or it’s just plain ackward.

it’s most likely becasue there is a wieghtyness to the meeting and the person you are about to meet.

it’s something we have in common and it’s something we have in common with the women found in mark 7 starting in verse 24

let’s read

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.7

And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.

25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.

26 tNow the woman was a uGentile, va Syrophoenician by birth.

And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Right away this passage begins with a strange statment.

Jesus eneterd a house and did not want anyone to know.

This doesn’t seem like the Jesus we are use to.

But Mark is pointing this out just to remind us even Jesus modeled a need for rest

but as he enteres the house there is no way he could be hidden.

His fame had spread even to this region

and it’s in this contezxt that a mom finds Jesus.

We are told she had a daughter with an unclean spirit in her.

she had heard of Jesus and fell down at his feet.

Then Mark offers a few more details

she was a gentile,

from Syria

she was also a greek

and worshiped false Gods

in other words she didn’t belong according to the culutre of the day

She was the kind of person the religious leaders thought just being in her shadow they would be made unclean.

She’s the reason the relgious elite of Jesus’ day would spend so much time washing.

They didn’t want even her very presence to ruin them

She has none of the religious, moral or even cltural creditails to approach a Jewish rabbi

Yet here she is.

Uninvited, maybe even unwelomed by some in the room.

Yet she is at the feet of Jesus.

why?

becasue she is a parent and her child is sick.

almost at the point of death.

If you are a parent you understand this.

If your child is almost at the point of death you would do anything to save that childs life.

It wouldn’t matter whether or not you belonged, or you were invited, it wouldn’t matter what creditials you had or didn’t ahve

you would do whatever it would take

and Mark says she begs Jesus to heal her daughter.

The tense of this word beg means she ddid not just beg once but she kept on begging

over and over

and knownig The heart of Jesus the way that we do his response is somewhat shocking and suprising.

Matthew has a parell account that gives us some insight to his response

In matthrew 15:23 we are told

23 But he did not answer her a word.

And his disciples came and begged him, saying, j“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.

Jesus remains silent.

IT’s not what we expect her is a mother begin for her daugerts life and he says nothing.