Pentecost 15

October 1, 2015 in Sermon by Scott Landrum

Mark 7:24-37
24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

“Here is your God,” Isaiah said. And so he was. Trekking through Gentile country still smarting from that exchange with the Pharisees about hand washing and what makes a person clean and unclean. I suppose he was making his point there in the region of Tyre. His mere presence around these Gentiles meant he certainly wasn’t being a good Jew. It is indeed strange that God would be caught anywhere around people like that who were known for worshiping just about everything but the truth. They didn’t deserve God in their midst but he was there anyway. Then we hear of this exchange between Jesus and an unnamed woman. She was terrified. A demon had possessed her daughter and for those of you who have children, it is really scary when something is wrong with them, especially something as weird and creepy as demon possession. So this scared, desperate woman is crumpled in the dust at God’s feet. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the little bitch dogs,” Jesus said. Got a tell you, didn’t see that one coming. I’m guessing that is not what we want or expect from God. All too often God is whatever a person wants him to be and most times he is simply one more tool for me to get what I want when I want it. Or worse, God is some benevolent old nice guy who doesn’t interfere except to affirm us in our chosen lifestyle whatever that may be. Yet, here is your God Isaiah says and obviously he isn’t playing by our rules. And what in the world are we to make of the deaf man with the speech impediment? Jesus pokes him in the ears and spits on him in order to heal him. Am I the only one that finds that technique a little strange? Indeed this whole passage is strange. But we ought not to be surprised. We have a strange God. We hear of God almighty smelling of a manger wrapped in burlap sucking at the breast of an unwed teenager. Isn’t that strange? We hear of God almighty walking among the undeserving, eating with those who have made an absolute mess of their life, laughing and crying with the sick and lame and broken. Isn’t that strange? We hear of God almighty dying as he was strung between heaven and earth on a cross, beaten and whipped until his guts were exposed. Indeed God is strange. He is strange because he loves the unlovable. He chooses the ones nobody else wants and nothing gets in his way when he comes to get them. And that is why we are here this morning. The manger, the dirt, the filth, the cross, the grave, it was all for you. Knowing full well who you are and what you have done Jesus Christ came for you. Isn’t that strange? So listen up. Here is your God coming, coming for you in his word of promise. As an ambassador of Christ and for his sake I forgive you the entirety of your sin. In bread and wine and water and words he comes and saves you. Your eyes are open, your ears hear, your brokenness is healed and your tongue is loose. Here is your God. He is Jesus Christ. He is for you. Amen.