We are in week five of our series who is Jesus, where we're taking a look at the most talked about figure in history through studying the least talked about account of the gospel in the Bible that which is seen as Mark. And so Mark is the shortest gospel account. It actually records the most miracles and it really centers around this question of who is Jesus. Well, today, our message is entitled solving your biggest problem because we wanna go underneath the hood underneath the surface if you will and take a look at what we really need. There's a story of a missionary doctor who was in the jungle and came up upon a village where people were getting sick because of a contaminated water. And he was struggling to communicate with this village that the water that they were drinking was actually bad for them. And so he got as a doctor, he got his hands on a microscope and he brought it to the village and put it in the center of the village thinking that if they could see what's actually in the water, that they would understand that it's it's contaminating them and making them sick. Something that they thought was good for them was actually making them sick. And so he left it out in the community for them to see. Well, he went to bed that night when he woke up the next morning. Sadly, the micros, um, the, the microscope had been destroyed and what he heard from the village people was their understanding was well, if there's no microscope, then there's no problem if they couldn't see it, it didn't exist. And I wonder how many of us in our culture today approach life the same way that we think the things of this world represent something that is good for us. But actually, if you take a closer look, if you actually go into the microscope and you see what it's really feeding you is that the things of this world we think are good are actually making us sick. There is a microscopic message because we wanna go close, we wanna go deeper and we wanna address what are the needs below the surface? What are the things that keep us up at night? What are the things that we worry about? What are the things that are stressful because and what is it that the world tries to offer versus what Jesus tries to offer? Because if we understand that, then we can realize that Jesus meets our greatest needs and solves our biggest problems. Now, it's week five of the series, we're not walking through every single story in Mark because we're actually leading through broad brush strokes and examining different passages as we lead up to Easter. And so we're gonna finish the book of Mark there on Easter Sunday. And so you kind of know where we're going direction wise. But I wanna highlight some of the miracles that either you've read about in your growth groups or we've talked about on a Sunday morning because there's a lot that's been happening. The Gospel of Mark is seen as the action Gospel because so many things are happening. And even though it's the shortest gospel account, it actually records the most miracles. And that's because the writer is trying to show you who Jesus is more than just simply tell you who Jesus is. So some of the miracles include this uh in chapter one, Jesus cast out an unclean spirit, also healed Peter's mother-in-law also healed a man with leprosy. He heals a paralyzed man. In chapter two, chapter three heals a man with a withered hand. Chapter four, he calms a storm. We shared about that last week where he spoke and in just a few words, he calmed both the wind and the waves. He in chapter five heals three people. He heals a demon possessed man actually sends a legion of spirits out into a large group of pigs that run off the cliff. Uh Sadly, no bacon. And um so it goes off there. He actually raises uh Jar's daughter back to life. A religious leader. Interesting to note there that it's a 12 year old girl. Um, man, can you imagine the attitude of that 12 year old girl after she's been risen from the dead? Like a 12 year old girl already is gonna give you attitude. But, like, you know what I mean? Just pretty, like, it's nothing, it's not like I died. I did that already. Right. I just kept going through like they, they can bring life back into that teenage girl. But something tells me that teenage girl taken some life still out of jars her father in that moment, but it's still an incredible miracle. Uh Jesus also heals a woman with a blood condition. Um And then chapter six is actually a big chapter. I'm skipping over just for the sake of the fact that it's a commonly taught story that most likely I will also come back and preach to just realistically speaking where Jesus feeds the 5000. And in that, it's actually more than that because it said it, they in that time, they count based on the men that were present in the space. That's just a numerical thing of how they counted in that culture. And so when you include women and Children, he really fed more like 18 to 20,000. So picture Jesus filling up the entire footprint center, the home of the Phoenix Suns there and, and feeding that entire arena with the little boy's lunchable of a couple of pieces of bread and some fish. What's interesting too about that is all these people. So all like 20,000 people almost are surrounded listening to the preaching of Jesus. He has compassion on them, the disciples like, hey, what are we gonna do? We can't feed these people and he turns to him. He goes well, why don't you feed them knowing full well that they can't. They come back and they say, hey, it's gonna take 200 Daar or 6, 6.5 months worth of wages just to feed these people. And then Jesus takes the little boy's offering multiplies it. And here's what's fascinating to me too with that miracle is that if you're gonna miraculously feed 18 to 20,000 people, you would know the amount of food you need, right? Like it's already a miracle. But Jesus provides leftovers. Uh, a couple of things for that. Number one, take note of this church. Jesus loves leftovers just saying last week we shared that Jesus takes naps this week, Jesus loves leftovers. Ok? I like this, Jesus. Ok. So next time you pull that meal out of the fridge, you're just trying to be like Jesus and going through. And, but more specifically, there are 12 baskets of leftovers. And that's interesting because now each of the 12 disciples is holding a basket to be reminded of the provision of God. And so he goes through and in chapter four, he calms the storm. Well, now they're in another storm except this time, Jesus walks out on the water and it's pretty incredible and a little interesting nuance is that Mark primarily tells the story of Peter. And so you call it the gospel of Peter. It's really gospel Mark, but you could call it that. But it's, I find it interesting and kind of funny a little bit as a Bible nerd that in that account, they don't make mention of Peter falling like they don't know, dresses like Jesus walked on water, got on the boat and they went to the other side. But Matthew's account made sure they made that Peter was talked about. Isn't that funny? Because like, I can just picture Peter like, hey, Mark just don't write that one. Don't include that part. Like it was good. Jesus walked on the water, everybody celebrated and we moved on and, and Matthew's account was like, uh uh uh Peter. No, no, I'm gonna tell what you did. OK, I know that you walked cool. But you also fell and let's keep you humble and move on. And so so you have this story and then on the other side of walking on the water, Jesus continues healing people. And so it's healing, healing, healing, healing. So he tries chapter seven where we're gonna pick up our story now. And normally this is the point of the message in my rhythm where I share with you the big idea and you, and you write it down or maybe 10 of you write it down. I don't know, hard to see what the lights and so you, you at least act like you write it down and I, which I appreciate and then, um, and then we break down the passage, but today we're gonna mix it up a little bit and I'm gonna save the big idea for the very end because the big idea, the main thought really is our application and I want you to see from the text where it comes from. And so here we have Jesus with his disciples, we see all those miracles that were just performed. He's now sitting down with a meal. Now the disc, he sent the disciples out, they were doing ministry, they're healing people too. They come back in and, and they're eating this food, but they're not the most clean, right? They're kind of dirty. And so the religious leaders come onto the scene, they're like, wait a second, hold up. You are breaking the rules. We got you, you're breaking the rules. You're not following our rituals and our traditions to wash this way to eat these foods, to do these things. This doesn't count. And Jesus is gonna go below the surface and actually share with him. Hey, you're missing the point, right? Do you not see everything I just did? And you're worried about these rules that you control and he's gonna address our biggest problem and our biggest need. And so if you are taking notes, you can write this down that our biggest problem at its core is our heart. So what's on the inside? He's speaking to the disciples. He's speaking to the Pharisees and he says, you try to come up with all these rules and regulations. But let me tell you those are not your issues. The biggest problem that you have is actually on the inside. And so Jesus speaks in this way, picking it up in verse 14 of Mark chapter seven says, and he called the people to him again and he said to them, hear me all of you and understand there is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him. But the things that come out of a person are what defile him. It's not about what goes in, it's about what goes out. He says and when he entered the house and left the people, the disciples asked him about the parable. I love this because what it's saying here is that they didn't get it picture Jesus preaching, challenging the Pharisees and the disciples behind him like, yeah, well, he said, yeah, tell them Jesus go get him. Yeah. Yeah. You don't know what defiles you. He does. Uh huh Did you see he just walked on water? Yeah, exactly. Take that Pharisees and as soon as they leave, hey, what did you actually mean there? That didn't make any sense. Do you ever back up a friend in public? And then in private you're like, dude, what's going on, right? Like what? Hold up. Like I got your back. I have no idea what's going on. Or you're in a class and you haven't been paying attention the whole time and the teacher goes OK? You got that. You're like, yeah, totally. And then what did they just say? What was number seven? What can you give me a note? Like the disciples get it? So if you feel like there are times in church where you don't get it, that's OK because the disciples who saw the miracle feed into the 5000 saw Jesus walk on water were sitting there affirming him going amen when he was challenging the Pharisees as soon as they got along, they're like, yo Jesus, we don't get it. And so then Jesus continues then verse 18, he said to them, then you also are without understanding. Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from the outside cannot defile him. And since and since it enters not his heart but his stomach and then it is expelled. And then one of the few times you get commentary from Mark is thus he declared all foods clean because in this instance, they were debating about washing rituals and the food they eat and say it's not from the outside. It's from the inside. So at first glance, you're like, yes, we can eat whatever we want, we can do whatever we want freedom. But he uh hang on the, the reason is at the outside is because your issue is what's on the inside. He continues on verse 20 it says he said to them, what comes out of a person is what defiles him. Verse 21 from within, out of the heart of man comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, tring, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and they defile a person. He just listed everything that's actually by default in a human heart. So at first glance, it's like, yes, there is freedom which he preaches, but he also goes and says your issue is not what's happening to you. Your issue is what's happening in you. I put it another way here to understand this, that no religious political or economic system will meet your greatest need, which is salvation. Religion tends to put such emphasis on practices that in a legalistic sense, it's like, well, if you do A B and C, you will be good enough, you will be approved and maybe God will love you. And it's, it's focused on all this outward appearance stuff. At least that's what he was speaking to for the Pharisees in that context. But for us too, the understanding is that change and transformation does not happen outside in but inside out now, if it's not religion trying to define you, then we live in an age now where the political system will try to define you. And this includes both sides of the aisle. Yes. Have your values, right? You want to protect rights. You wanna go through that, you wanna serve the poor, you wanna do these things. But understand this, that God is much bigger than a political system that even when scripture was writing Christians had zero power, politically speaking. And when the Romans and others were trying to hold their power saying we tell you who you are. Jesus would come in and say, no, it's not about that. You can do what you want on the outside. But let me tell you what your real issue is. You know, then you go to the economic system, right? You think of Marxism, communism, capitalism, we think yes, freedom, free market, let's do it. Ok? That could be great for the economy, but it's not gonna save your soul. So if you think about being on the Titanic moments before the boat goes down, it doesn't matter if you spend those last moments hugging somebody or mugging somebody, the boat's gonna sink, right? And that's what Jesus gets at with all these other miracles is that he heals them temporarily, right? He raises that little 12 year old girl from the dead. Wow. What's interesting though is that girl later dies? Right? The person that was lame and could walk later dies. And so if you don't address the deepest need, which is the sin that is in your heart, then the outside doesn't matter. And so that's why it's so important for Jesus to reach the innermost part of your soul because that is what changes things. Now, what's also great about that is that no matter what has happened to you on the outside, maybe it's not sin that you struggled with, maybe it's sin that's been done to you. Maybe it's a circumstance that's happened to you. Maybe it's persecution or activity that's happened to you. What's beautiful about the Gospel is that no matter how difficult your life is, has been or will be, they cannot get to the part that God can, which means no one in this room is a victim and everyone has the potential and the access to experience victory that comes from knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Since your greatest need is not to have political power, to have religious power or economic freedom. Those things happen or won't happen. Your greatest need at its core is gonna be, do you know Jesus as Savior? Do you have forgiveness for your sins? And where are you spending eternity? And those are the needs that Jesus speaks to. I think that's why he heals people on the Sabbath kind of mess with the Pharisees because the Pharisees put all their eggs in the basket of these rules. You must follow these rules. He says, hm, the rules were made for man, not man for the rules. So you're saying that if the rule is here, but you have a chance to help someone, you're not gonna do it here, get up and walk. And instead of focusing on the fact that Jesus has the power to heal someone. They're like, oh, you didn't do it on the right schedule, right? Jesus, you didn't fill out your TPS reports. OK? You did not follow the chain of command. You didn't do it correctly how I thought you should. And she says, no, it's not about that. It's so much deeper. So he's teaching to the disciples who don't get it. He's preaching to the Pharisees and challenging their rules. And now he's actually going to show us through interactions with two different people. And you're gonna see two very different approaches to Jesus and that Jesus actually connects with both of them. First one is what we're gonna call the assertive approach to Jesus. You could also call this the angry mama approach. OK? You have persistent people and then you have angry parents. That's a whole another level of persistence, right? For, for how far you will go to help a child to meet the need because you're gonna see a woman who breaks all the rules who doesn't follow any of the protocols. But for the sake of her child does what she can to get to Jesus and Jesus is gonna acknowledge this. So he just told the disciples and the Pharisees your traditions won't save you. Your rules won't save you. Do this, don't do that will not save you. And by the way, that's not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is your heart. So you can't say woe is me. Everything happening to me. No, you're evil at your court. But there's good news and let me show you. So we see this assertive approach, see the angry mama approach. And here it comes in verse 24 and from there he arose and he went away to the region of Tyre and Sudan. So Tyre and Sudan is seen as this outside of Jewish norm, outside of this religious norm. And so he's gonna go into an area that was already seen as outcast, lesser than lower there. He says he went away to the region of Tyrann Sudan and he entered a house and did not want anyone to know. I mean, Jesus wanted a break, right? Like come on just if you wanna get away, you ever wanna get away from something and then like and that's when the big need shows up. You're like, oh, can I get a day? Right? So Jesus is here but he doesn't turn the person away. He says, but yeah, he could not be hidden. But immediately this is the action gospel here, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell at his feet. Now, the woman was a gentile and a Cy Phoenician by birth and she begged him to cast a demon out of her daughter. Now, the reason he includes these details is because she breaks all possible rules right now because women do, don't typically approach men, let alone in a house. Gentiles don't pursue Jewish people. Um The Phoenicians cro um Cro Phoenicians do not approach Jewish people. So whether it's gender, whether it's religion, whether it's class, whether it's ethnicity, she's breaking all of these protocols that are not OK in that culture. Why? Because she is motivated to help her child, right? And so she comes in and now she says there um he said to her, let the Children be fed first for it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. This seems really weird, but he's actually telling a parable because in the story of the gospel, it's described that Jesus would take the message to the Jews first and then to the gentile world, you see this pattern all throughout the Old Testament into the New Testament and even in Acts and beyond. Jesus told the disciples, you will be my Witnesses acts 18 in Jerusalem to Samaria, Judea to the ends of the earth. So start with the Jews, then go to the gentiles. What he's basically saying here is like, hey, it's not your time yet. Now, typically if someone was referred to as a dog, you might have some offense to that, right? You already got angry mama, right? Coming back. But I want you to notice her response because again, it was a story. She one we tend to get offended for other people sometimes, right? She's not offended. Just throw that out there. She's in the moment right there in front. She doesn't get offended but actually understands the place and then challenges anyway. So you're gonna see two things. You're gonna see a humble heart and an open hand. Watch this. Ok? She answered him. Yes, Lord, she didn't fight back. She didn't go through. She goes, yes lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. What he what she saying there, Jesus. I just need a little bit like I get, I'm breaking all the rules. I get that. I'm not following the protocol. I get because I saw all the miracles and things that you're supposed to be Jewish people first and we're later and this first later. But but I'm here now. If you just give me just, just the smallest little crumb of a crumb, that's enough. And so he said to her for this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your child or left your daughter and she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. It was parents in the room, the persistence and faith of parents can and will pay off. Don't ever stop fighting for your kids. But then two notice humble heart, open hand, humble heart, open hand because she recognized she didn't fight back. She just said Jesus, I need just a moment, just an ounce, just a crumb. Just give me something and that will be enough for me. And Jesus like other times before says your faith has made you well, your faith, your belief in me was enough, your child is healed. So we have the assertive approach, right? And we have writers who take that and are amazed at the boldness of this woman. But then the recognition that even in her boldness, she's not worthy to be there. A guy by the name of Thomas Kramer writes this. He says that we do not presume to come to this your table. Oh merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness. But in your manifold and great mercies, we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs underneath your table. But you are the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy, humble heart, open hand, just that assertion of just going for it. Now, some people approach God this way, they're willing to knock down walls, climb up trees, boldly proclaim before a crowd, go break protocol, doing whatever you need to do to get to Jesus. But for the introverts in the room that breeds anxiety. Oh, that's good for you. I don't think I could do that. I want you to know there's good news for you. There are different approaches to get to Jesus. Some people have a story. Right? And this bowl is big. Their mistakes are big and their conversion is big and everything is big. It's loud and it's out there and you're like, uh, yeah, I know my child is possessed but I don't know if I could go talk in a crowd. Yeah. Sorry. We tried. I want you to know there's another way to get to Jesus. OK? Because what you're going to see is what we'll call the accidental approach is that even if you don't come to Jesus, Jesus is willing to come to you and we're gonna see this and again, he's breaking protocol but watch this and I let me just preface this. This is a weird miracle. There are stories in the Bible that are descriptive telling us what happened. There are stories that are prescriptive, prescriptive in meaning do this, right? So to love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That is prescriptive, that is something that we are to do. I'm telling you right now. This next part is descriptive because this would be weird if you do. You under understand why in just a second. OK. Verse 31 he returned from the region of tyre and went through Sudan to the sea of Galilee into the region of the Depoli. So this is where it healed the demon possessed man, the same sea that he preached at the same sea that he walked on. He says, and they brought to him, a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged him to lay his hand on him. This, this is where it gets odd, but just track with me on it because it, it's important. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears. And after spitting, touched his tongue and looking up to heaven, he sighed and he said, I pafta that is be opened and his ears were opened and his tongue was released and he spoke plainly and Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying he has done all things well, even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. No. Why in the world did Jesus give that man a wet willy? He did like he literally stuck his finger in his ear. Who like can you imagine like heal him? Oh, miracle worker rabbi, right? We bring before you this man who desires healing. You got it. That seemed really weird to me. Ok? But I want you to notice something and this is actually pretty cool. This is pretty cool and shows you the genius of Jesus and his ability to connect with every person at every level. A lot of the miracles of Jesus were big and loud. Right. Calming a storm. That's kind of big. Right. Right. Peace boom, wind waves done. Right. Feeding 25,000 people. Boom. That's big. That's public, that's loud. But this miracle, I love this, this miracle was for the man. He takes him privately. Nothing about this. All those miracles of Jesus, he spoke right? If he did that, which he does, he does say words. But without the other things, how would that man hear that? He's deaf. His language that he could understand was physical touch. So Jesus took him privately. He had been outcast over like his whole life. And if a miracle worker starts sticking his finger in your ear, that's probably embarrassing too. But instead he, he goes, I see you. I see your greatest need. I'm gonna pull you aside and in a quiet moment, I'm gonna speak your language. So you know that I am for you and through the physical touch, breaking all the protocols, right? It's a rabbi, a Jewish leader shouldn't do that. You're not supposed to be associated, you're not supposed to be there. You're not supposed to be that close, let alone touch the person. But he does. So to show even those that didn't come to him, he'll go to them and in the quietest of a moment, he will show up and show off and tell you that I'm here for you. Now, another thing that's interesting about the story though is before the miracle. He sighs and, uh let me just confirm it in the passage real quick. I just wanna make sure. Yeah. Ok. Verse 33. Let's pull up. Can we pull up verse 33 and 34 real quick. What verse does he sigh in 34? Ok. What verse does he do The whole weird finger tongue thing? 30 if it's me, I'm sc in verse 32 right? Like if I know I'm gonna like put my hand in the dude's ear and grab his tongue, I'm like, right? He doesn't though. Why does he sigh? Then? Why does he take a deep breath, scholars and commentators? And I have pointed out and I would actually tend to agree with them. But what he's doing here is that he's recognizing the man's deepest need. You see, when he was performing these miracles, there were signs to point that Jesus is the messiah. And so to heal a man physically was to demonstrate the power that he was going to do spiritually. But the only way he was going to meet that need, make that miracle and save that man was to in fact, go to the cross and die for him. So I think the reason he sighed, the reason he sighed before proclaiming to be open beforehand was it was another reminder and recognition of what he was about to do and how far Jesus would go to meet your greatest need. You see healing the deaf and the mute was a sign. The prophet Isaiah and Isaiah 35 says this in verse four, he says, say to those with fearful hearts, be strong and do not fear. Your God will come and he will come with vengeance with divine retribution and he will come to save you. Now, when you think of divine retribution, you think of, yeah, get him. All those people that have oppressed us, Jesus go get him. In fact, Palm Sunday, they were hailing him, Hosanna with palm branches thinking the king is here. You gonna get it. Caesar Jesus coming for you. We are about to get saved, be ruling up in this joint. We're gonna take your house, we're gonna take your chariots and Jesus is about to be king and it's gonna be awesome. But he's not actually talking about that because the greatest need is not on the surface. The greatest need is in the heart and for eternity. And so it says in here, it says with divine retribution, he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue. Shout for joy. So if Jesus has promised to bring with him divine retribution and ultimate vengeance and justice and power and strength. It says when you see the signs, when you see the deaf beginning to hear, when you see the mute beginning to talk, when you see the lame beginning to walk, understand this, that salvation is here and divine justice is about to be served. If the divine retribution is not happening with Jesus destroying the rulers and the leaders of that day, then how is it coming? Because it has to be true. I don't like the way Pastor Tim Keller put it and he writes this a little bit longer quote, but it's pretty powerful. He says, there's something else. Mark wants his readers to think here, Isaiah says, the Messiah will come and save us through divine retribution. But Jesus isn't smiting people. He's not taking out his sword. He's not taking power, he's giving it away. He's not taking over the world. He's serving it. Where is the divine retribution? The answer is he didn't come to bring divine retribution. He came to bear it. In other words, the justice that was poured out by God was poured out on Jesus. That's why you can say it's not about your rules, your regulations, your systems, your deepest need is your heart and only I can save that. And the reason I can save that is because I die for you. And this leads to our point for today. No one is good enough to have a seat at God's table. But Jesus invites everyone to come at your core, not just what's happened to you, but at your core, your deepest problem, your deepest issue is your heart. And when left by itself, you will make the wrong choice. You are not good enough for God. You aren't, but neither am I no religious, political or economic system can save you. God can. And the reason Jesus came and the reason Jesus healed was to show you that beyond just physical healing, I can give you spiritual forgiveness. And that is your deepest craving and need. Everyone's invited to the table, whether you're assertive and bold and breaking down doors and walls and roofs and everything, say Jesus show up or you're broken and lost and alone. And in a private moment, the two things those people had in common, humble heart, open hand. And if you do that man, woman, adult child, every race, it doesn't matter your status, your class, your struggles, your sin, everyone is invited, they're invited to the table. God looked at your sin. God looked at your baggage. God looked at your issues. God looked at your struggles and he, you know what? He saw a beloved child who is willing to give his life for you.