Inside Out - 240306

SPEAKER A Hello, I'm Blair Lemke. Welcome to let God speak in Jesus Day. The Jews had weaved traditions into their religious system. Some of these traditions violated the ten Commandments and the law of Moses. Jesus dealt with them head on. How did he go about doing this? Stay tuned. As we discussed on our panel today we have Junior Sulusi and Gayl Fong. Welcome. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER A As always. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to study your word. Today. We ask that you would send us, your holy spirit to lead us into truth. And this is our prayer in Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A Well, friends, our discussion today is from Mark, chapter seven and the first half of Mark, chapter eight. At this point in Jesus ministry, he'd been going for about two and a half years and Jesus had spent the last year in Galilee. His fame as the claimed Messiah, of course, had spread throughout Israel. And Mark seven opens with Jesus encountering a delegation of scribes and pharisees who had made the 130 kilometre journey from Jerusalem. So let's pick up these events and read in mark, chapter seven, verses one to five. Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to him, having come from Jerusalem. Now, when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled or that is, unwashed hands, they found fault for the Pharisees. And all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding to the tradition of the elders when they came from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and couches. Then the pharisees and scribes asked him, why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands? Well, an interesting passage here, Gayl. I want to ask what is the issue that's going on here in mark, chapter seven? SPEAKER B Well, this issue was about ceremonial defilement. The religious leaders taught that you had to wash your hands a certain way before eating. And this was not a sanitary issue, this was a ritualistic issue. And so the Pharisees contended that when you went to the marketplace, if you were mingling with people that may be unclean or the food is unclean, that you buy, that this would accidentally cause you to be unclean because you're in contact with someone or something that was considered ceremonially unclean. So thus they needed this cleansing process before they ate. So to break this defilement required this special way that they washed their hands. It wasn't like really washing them clean with soap and water because they were dirty. SPEAKER A Interesting. Now, Junior, where exactly did this tradition originate from? SPEAKER C This rule of washing hands came from the priests washing their hands in the laver in the sanctuary service. It was given at the time when the tent sanctuary was being set up by Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness. We can find this in Exodus chapter 30, beginning at verse 17. And it reads, and the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, thou shalt also make a laver of brass and his foot also of brass to wash withal. And thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat. When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water that they die not, or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord. So they shall wash their hands and their feet that they die not, and it shall be a statue forever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations. SPEAKER A Interesting. So it originated there with the sanctuary service. And we saw this requirement to wash the hands as part of that sanctuary service. Now, Gayl, what is the danger of following traditions? SPEAKER B Well, traditions are not absolute. They can change over time. And in the case of the Jews, we find the traditions were supposed to guard the observance of the law. However, the traditions added layers of burdensome requirements to keep. And when traditions come in conflict with the ten commandments, we find that preference was given to the traditions to obey the traditions, and the true meaning of the law was lost. SPEAKER A And this is very interesting because we notice in this text that the Pharisees were very clear that this was a tradition of the elders. They said that right very clearly. Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? So they recognise this was a tradition. Now, how does Jesus deal with this issue, Junior? SPEAKER C We can pick it up at verse six in mark, chapter seven, which reads, he answered and said unto them, well hath Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrites. As it is written, this people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. So note that Jesus calls the leaders hypocrites. SPEAKER A That's quite direct. SPEAKER C Jesus then referred the leaders to Isaiah, chapter 29, and verse 13 there, which I have. And it reads, wherefore the Lord said, for as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. And tradition had made religion a cold, formal experience in Isaiah's day that led their hearts away from God. Jesus is saying that nothing had changed. The traditions of teaching of men in Jesus day had made religion somewhat of a burden to the common people. SPEAKER A Well, he really does take this head on, doesn't he? But he then goes even further, Gayl, and what did he do? SPEAKER B Well, he used an exact example of how tradition was being used to bypass a commandment. And he quotes part of the fifth commandment and then part of Moses civil law. So I'll just read that from the scriptures, from Mark seven seven, the Bible says. And he said to them all too well, you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, honour your father and your mother. And he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. If we go back to Exodus, chapter 21 and verse 17, you can read there in the scriptures that Jesus actually quoted, and he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. So it was quite serious, actually. So Jesus disciples were being accused of not following the ceremonial washing law. So Jesus describes here another how this tradition, called Corban, bypassed the obligation to actually give honour to your father and. And mother. And so this was breaking the law and they were abusing their parents. SPEAKER A Wow. He really goes for the jugular here, so to speak. It says that you're hypocrites. You're making traditions higher than the commandments of God. Then he identifies specific areas where they're doing this. Ouch. And then, you know, to top all of this off, there's common people listening to this conversation. It would have been quite confronting, perhaps embarrassing for the religious leaders of the time. I want to turn to you now, Junior. What did Jesus say was the problem specifically with this corban tradition that they had adopted? SPEAKER C And we can find that in verses eleven to 13 there, Blair, which says, but you say, if a man shall say to his father or mother, it is Corbin, that that is to say a gift. But whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free. And you suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother, making the word of God of none effect through your tradition which you have delivered. And many such like things do you have. So Corbin, in the Hebrew, means gift or offering. It is a duty to present gifts to superiors such as your parents. And tradition was that anything which had Corbin spoken over it was dedicated solely to God and the temple. So it could not be given to anyone else. The owner could keep it and use it till he died, practically, you know, then it would be given to the temple. Now, you know, undutiful or unfaithful children, with the blessing of the priests, could, you know, now be relieved of their responsibility to provide for their parents. And so this basically broke the fifth commandment. SPEAKER A Yeah, it was a way of bypassing that, honouring your father and mother while receiving the blessing of the religious system. And so. Yeah, quite a problem. Absolutely. Well, after Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the rulers, the religious leaders, at this time, he returned to the question of the ceremonial handwashing that had originally started. And he has an interesting statement here in Mark, chapter seven, verse 15. The Bible says, there is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him, but the things which come out of him, those are the things which defile a man. This is an interesting statement. Gayl, what does this mean? SPEAKER B Well, Jesus explains what causes defilement there. And just reading on in this chapter, in verses 20 to 23, he says, and he said, what comes out of a man that defiles a man? For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man. So this uncleanness is what comes out of the heart or our mind, not what goes into the stomach. It's nothing to do with the handwashing. And uncleanness does not come from outside and go in, but from within, inside and goes out, usually through our mouth and actions. SPEAKER A That's a very important distinction. It's not by not washing your hands and then eating something that we're defiled. Jesus makes it very clear here that the importance of observing the commandments and not the traditions of men. And we see this playing out. Now, Junior, what do we notice here about the behaviours that Jesus mentions that cause uncleanness? SPEAKER C When the reference to the fifth commandment in mark, chapter seven, verse ten, is included with the vice list? Every commandment of the second table of the decalogue is there from six to ten. Jesus refers to the vain worship in mark, verse seven. Seven, the breaking of what is at the heart of the first four commandments of the decalogue. So Jesus stands as a defender of the entire law of God. SPEAKER A Wow. Now, after this exchange that Jesus had with the religious leaders we see that Jesus leaves Galilee and retires to the border between Galilee and Phoenicia. And we see this marks the end of his galilean ministry. Now, Jesus retired for this time, but his fame had spread even to this region as well. And, Gal, I want to ask you what happened when Jesus came to this new region? SPEAKER B Well, he was approached by a syrophoenician woman who begged him to cast a demon out of her daughter. And just reading that from the scriptures there in Mark, chapter seven, verse 25 and 26, the Bible says, for a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him, and she came and fell at his feet. Praise the Lord. Someone had told her about Jesus. The woman was a greek, a syrophoenician by birth. And she kept asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. So she's very persistent. SPEAKER A Absolutely. And she knows who to come to, the right person to come to. Now, Jesus had just been telling the people that mingling with gentiles in the marketplace, these are not the things that cause ceremonial uncleanness, so to speak. And now, how does he then treat this gentile woman? Junior? SPEAKER C Yes. You'll also find this account in Matthew, chapter 15, verse 22 to 25, which reads, and behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him, saying, have mercy on me, o Lord, thou son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, send her away, for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, lord, help me. So this woman had faith to come to Jesus, calling him Lord, the son of David, knowing that she was, one, a stranger, two, a gentile, and three, she was a woman. The disciples wanted nothing to do with her. But with Jesus, there is no partiality. He gently tells her his mission priority, but he does not dismiss her. This gives the woman great hope. SPEAKER A Absolutely. Now, I want to read here in Mark, chapter seven. And we're going to read verse 27, because Jesus says something to this woman, the Bible says, but Jesus said to her, let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. This is an interesting statement, Gayl. Jesus calls this woman a dog. What is the significance of this? SPEAKER B Wow. Yes. Well, to be called a dog in middle eastern culture, even today is very insulting. It's a terrible insult. But despite being called a dog, and it's interesting that the scripture says it was a little dog. A little dogs. And that greek word there indicates that it's a puppy and therefore possibly a pet. And so that would have taken the edge off the word being called dog. But also the Bible doesn't actually put the body language of Jesus in there. I'm sure that she is recognising some hope here because despite being called a dog, she's listened to the words of Jesus and he was saying that his mission was not to the Jews first with the bread of salvation. So this boosted her faith because I think she is a gentile, she is then thinking that she's going to be a recipient of that second blessing might fall from the table. SPEAKER A Yes. And Junior, how did she reveal her great faith in her response to Jesus? SPEAKER C And we can pick that up in verse 28, which reads, and she answered and said unto him, yes, Lord. Yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. So she refers to him as lord. She acknowledges that she is a gentile and second in line to the Jews. But her faith shines when she says that the dogs eat the crumbs. By calling the power of Jesus to cast out her daughter's demon to be a crumb shows her faith in his power, you know, being that enormous as it is. SPEAKER A And, Gayl, what was Jesus final response to this woman's request? SPEAKER B Well, just reading there in the book of Matthew, Matthew, chapter 15 and verse 28, the Bible says, then Jesus answered and said to her, o woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you desire. Amen. What a wonderful response. So he declared, great is thy faith. And she had obstacles in her way to get to Jesus because she's a stranger, she was a gentile and she was a woman. And she was ready to accept any level of humanity that Jesus would assign her without an argument. She was just desperate, in need. So she had passed the test. Faith, keep pressing our prayers to the Lord. Keep talking. Don't give up. Don't give up. And her daughter's demon was cast out that very momentous. SPEAKER A What a beautiful story. Now, Junior, is there a lesson that we can take from this woman's faith? SPEAKER C Absolutely. You know, we must not let obstacles get in our way to be with Jesus. SPEAKER A Amen. How often we do let obstacles get in our way, whether it be the way we were treated by somebody in church or, you know, whatever the case may be, those obstacles get in the way of us and Jesus. And I think that's a wonderful and powerful lesson that we see here. Now, to close out Mark, chapter seven, we have the story of Jesus returning to the eastern side of the sea of Galilee. And then healing a deaf man with a severe speech problem. How does jesus encounter this man, Gael? SPEAKER B Well, just reading on. In the book of. Mark. Mark, chapter seven, verse 32, the Bible says. Then they brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged him to put his hand on him. So this man, it tells us, was brought to Jesus by others. His disability did not prevent him from coming. He could obviously walk of his own accord with his friends. But it appears that his friends brought him to Jesus. Well, I guess he may not have been able to understand. He's not been able to hear Jesus. He's deaf, and he has impaired speech. So perhaps this man's faith was not so strong to come to Jesus by himself. We're not told that. But fortunately, his friends had the faith to bring him to Jesus. SPEAKER A Now, I want us to notice here what mark, chapter seven, verse 36, says. Then he commanded them that they should tell no one. But the more he commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. So jesus instructs this mandeh to tell no one. Junior, why did he give this command? SPEAKER C Well, Jesus said the same thing in Mark 144 when he healed the leper at the start of his galilean ministry. Jesus did not want people to flock to him just for the sake of his healing power. This would compromise his ministry and the opportunity to teach. You know, he wanted them to be attracted to the message that he was giving. He was now in, you know, Decapolis, which is considered a heathen area. And so his reasons were the same. SPEAKER A What exactly, Gayl, was this outcome of the man telling people he was commanded not to? But then, of course, the Bible says he went out and he told everyone. What was the outcome of this? SPEAKER B Well, the outcome there is at the last verse in chapter seven, it says, and they were astonished beyond measure, saying, he has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. So the miracles just astounded them. And their verdict was that Jesus, he did all things well, which indicates that, like the common people of Galilee, the heathen accepted him as the Messiah. And there was that early work that had been done there by the demon possessed men of, how do you say, Gadara before. So there's something about a personal testimony. SPEAKER A Yeah, they prepared the soil there. That man had shared his testimony, had prepared the soil, and then when they saw firsthand the results of Jesus ministry, it found good soil. And they were astonished. They were blessed by this miracle. And many responded, which is a wonderful thing to see. Now, I want to turn now and have a look here. Jesus heads back to Galilee and he is confronted by the Pharisees. And I want to ask you, Junior, what did they want this time? At this time? SPEAKER C Yes, let's pick that up in Mark, chapter eight, verse eleven and twelve. And the Pharisees came forth and began to question him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, there shall no sign be given unto this generation. So, you know, they wanted Jesus to work a miracle from heaven to prove that he was the messiah. SPEAKER A And Jesus wasn't very willing to give that sign. He very quickly dismissed this request and said, you don't need a sign. Why did Jesus dismiss this request so quickly? Gayl? SPEAKER B Well, Jesus had already given many signs. And he demonstrated his power over disease and nature and demons and even death. So he knew that if they did not believe those things that were signs of him being the messiah, then nothing else would. And he ignored their request. SPEAKER A It's very true. The point you make, that there had been many signs given. And I think of the parable of Lazarus where they said, if we just had a sign. If we just had a sign. But Jesus knows sometimes it's not that we just need a sign. It's just that we have unbelief in our hearts. Now, Junior, do we sometimes also think that we need a sign? SPEAKER C In a way, yes. Blair. You know, sometimes we ask God to answer prayer with a miracle, you know, before we do something or make a decision for him, you know. You know, this reveals our faith needs a sign. You know, we have evidence from the scriptures that Jesus is the son of God, and yet we want to see miracles. SPEAKER A It's such a human nature thing, isn't it? This desire to try to have some sign. Thomas said, I have to see to believe. And it's something that we can so easily fall into. But I see here Jesus saying, you've got the signs that you need. I'm hearing scripture. Give your heart to me. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A Well, friends, that's all we have time for today. Though the teachers of Israel knew the hebrew scriptures well, human tradition was, for most of them, more preeminent than biblical instruction. Jesus exalted the scriptures as revelation from God, often quoting the Old Testament. Our faith must be based upon the word of God and not on man made traditions. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A We're glad that you joined us today on let God speak. Remember, all past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. You can email us on [email protected]. Please join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.