The Unaccepted Are Accepted
Mark 7:24-30
Message #25
Do you remember high school? What social group were you in? What clique? What social strata were you in?
In 1974 in our high school, the lines were clear. The Sosh's and the Jocks, they were the “in -crowd” and they seemed to run the high school world. Then there were the Stoners who ran the anti-social world. And then there’s the Dorks and Nerds who didn’t feel like they fit in anywhere.
Do you remember? Do you remember feeling unaccepted or accepted? Well, it didn’t start in your high school or mine. It probably started somewhere not long after the fall of man.
But it was in full swing in the days of Jesus, that’s for sure, and today we’re going to see a powerful lesson that Jesus taught his Disciples (and us) on this matter. And we’re going to see how Jesus made the unaccepted – accepted.
In our last message in Mark, we (hopefully) came to grips with the fact that we have the tendency to be hypocrites. We watched Jesus call out the Pharisees in that message for being more concerned with external appearances than with the internal purity of the heart. And there’s a chance the Disciples were saying, “Yeah, Jesus – get ‘em!” “Those two-faced religious Sosh’s – we’re sure glad we’re not like them.”
I think there’s a chance that’s what the Disciples were thinking because Jesus took them straight from that event and walked them two days into the hardcore, unaccepted, “other side of the tracks” neighborhood.
Maybe it was because Jesus was fed up with the religious nonsense himself. But maybe, it was because there was still a lesson the Disciples needed to learn. And maybe, there’s still a lesson you and I need to learn today (on unaccepted and accepted).
So, after calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus takes the Disciples deep into gentile land to a place filled with people who were completely unaccepted by the Jews. People who were on the outside of every religious and social group the Jews had. And in this land of the unaccepted, Jesus is going to see a level of faith he seldom saw in those accepted people of Israel.
And his message to his Disciples and to us is that Jesus is seeking true faith and a pure heart from all people. Jesus wants your heart. He wants true faith from you, and he wants to transform your life. Jesus doesn’t care what social strata or group you’re in. He doesn’t care what side of the tracks you’re living on. He doesn’t care if you’re part of some “socially accepted crowd.”
Jesus cares about one thing and one thing alone… he cares about your heart. He wants your heart full of true faith and he wants your heart pure in all your actions. That’s why our last message, “We Are Hypocrites” sets the stage so well for our message today. Jesus is going to show his Disciples that they’re not as far from the Pharisees as they think, and he’s going to prove to us – that in Christ, the unaccepted become accepted.
Let’s see it unfold.
Mark 7:24 (NLT)
24 Then Jesus left Galilee (after the ‘Hypocrite’ scolding) and went north to the region of Tyre . . .
Tyre (and Sidon, where he’s also headed) are northwest of the Galilee area, they’re on the coast in what is today Lebanon. This was strictly a non-Jewish, non-cool, and completely unaccepted area. And Jesus says, “Perfect, that’s just where I need to be.” And so, he leaves the Galilee and heads to where the religious elite would never go.
And if you feel today that you are unaccepted in some social or religious group, aren’t you glad Jesus purposely left the accepted people and came to the unaccepted side of the tracks. I’m really glad he did because if he hadn’t, he would have never found me!
Jesus went to the unaccepted side of the tracks to accept the unaccepted and to teach his Disciples and us to do the same.
And so, we continue in Mark 7:24(b)-25.
Mark 7:24(b)-25 (NLT)
24(b) . . . He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. (this is still Jesus just managing the “crowd problem”)
25 Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit,
This was a gentile woman, born outside “the chosen ones.” She was living on the wrong side of the tracks, unaccepted and unwelcomed by those of the religious “in crowd.” She had heard about Jesus, but she had nothing to prove – to anybody. She had no religious image to keep up. She was just desperate for a miracle in her life.
And right now, she is breaking all kinds of religious and social rules. She was an unaccepted intruder storming into the Disciples accepted “inner circle.” To really understand this, we have to read Matthew’s account of this same moment because he adds some crucial insight here.
(same event) - Matthew 15:22–23 (NLT)
22 A Gentile woman (Literally – a Canaanite woman [worse]) who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. (wait for it . . .)
Then his disciples urged him (ESV - they begged him) to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
The disciples begged Jesus to send this woman away because she was begging him for a miracle. Guys, this is the real world today.
“Come on Jesus, she’s not really one of us, she doesn’t fit in here, can’t you just get her to go away – because she’s really bothering us . . . while were trying to be Christians here.”
This is a very real response today both outside and inside the church, which might be why Jesus is going to teach this lesson three times back to back to his Disciples.
Now, let’s go back to our text in Mark Chapter 7.
So, this unaccepted woman from an unaccepted social group as un-acceptedly fallen at the feet of Jesus and the Disciples have let Jesus know – this is unacceptable.
And we continue in Mark 7:26.
Mark 7:26 (NLT)
26 and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter . . .
She knows full well she is unaccepted in this social/religious group. She is pressing through all the social and religious barriers because she desperately needs Jesus.
Now, we have to listen closely to the response from Jesus to this woman. At first, it seems a bit out of character for Jesus. But – if you have just a little bit of a cynical nature like I do, you can easily hear the “tongue in cheek” type response here.
To say something is “tongue in cheek” means we’re saying something that’s not supposed to be taken at “face value” (not taken literally). We’re saying one thing, but we’re really pointing to something else, and I think the response of Jesus here is kind of “tongue in cheek.” I think he’s driving home a critical lesson to his Disciples by appearing to join them in their view that this woman is unaccepted in their “accepted group.”
So, listen for the “tongue in cheek” response with just a little sarcasm mixed in (from Jesus).
26(b) . . . Since she was a Gentile (Literally a Canaanite), born in Syrian Phoenicia,
27 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
Whoa – that’s hardcore, right? I’ve heard people try to “walk this back.”
“Uh, you know, Jesus didn’t really MEAN to call her, you know, a dog. Because that would be politically INCORRECT.”
Listen, please, this is exactly how the Disciples felt about this woman, and the woman knew this is exactly how the Disciples felt about her. Jesus is just putting all the ugly right on the table.
So, if Jesus is kind of “playing to” the Disciple’s view that this woman is unaccepted in their “accepted group” then isn’t there a chance that Jesus is just showing them that their own hearts are very similar to the Pharisees who Jesus tore into for having a similar perspective about people who were unaccepted in their world?
Man, I love how Jesus gets these life-changing points across. By the time Jesus is done with the Disciples, there is no longer going to be any unaccepted or accepted groups in their minds.
And maybe, what’s even more incredible, is that this woman plays along with Jesus. She is going to use Jesus’ own logic and even his own words to respond to his who’s unaccepted and who’s accepted line of thought.
Mark 7:28 (NLT)
28 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
Come on – this is an awesome answer from this woman. She accepts how the “insiders” feel about her, but it doesn’t matter because she’s not trying to “be accepted” by the “accepted group.” She only wants to be accepted – by Jesus! She doesn’t care whether she’s inside or outside the Disciple’s “group.” She just needs a miracle from Jesus, and the rest of this nonsense doesn’t matter to her.
And because she’s there – driven by her faith alone – Jesus completely accepts her, no matter who she is or where she has come from.
Mark 7:29-30 (NLT)
29 “Good answer!” he said (Matthew 15:28 - “Great is your faith”). “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.”
30 And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
The unaccepted becomes accepted through her faith in Jesus alone.
And I believe this is a huge turning point for the Disciples as Jesus leaves the accepted in Israel and goes to accept those who were unaccepted.
But one lesson is not enough. It seems to take the Disciples three times to learn. So, Jesus repeats this scene twice in the following two sections in Mark.
Note, in your Bible, the section that starts in Mark 7:31. Here, Jesus takes the Disciples up to Sidon even further into unaccepted territory. And Mark records another miracle there among the unaccepted people in Sidon. And at the end of that miracle, we read in Mark 7:37 about these people who were unaccepted people.
Mark 7:37 (NLT)
37 They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
They were amazed, certainly by his miracles. But I think also they were amazed that Jesus came to the unaccepted to accept them completely by their faith alone.
And so, then, after leaving Tyre and Sidon, Jesus makes his way around the top of the Galilee through what is now the Golan Heights so that he can get to the Decapolis, which is the ten Greek cities on the east shore of the Galilee near where the Gadarenes is. More unaccepted people. And then, in the first section of Mark Chapter 8 (note your Bible at Mark 8:1). There Jesus feeds 4,000, much like he earlier fed the 5,000, but this time he does it in the unaccepted gentile territory of the Decapolis.
And so, as Mark often does here, back to back to back, Mark shows three miracles in three different places – all among the unaccepted people to show in every case that Jesus accepts the unaccepted (so we must too).
Obviously, the biggest lesson here is the unaccepted are accepted by Jesus. Jesus will gladly leave those who feel they are accepted in order to reach those who feel they are unaccepted, and Jesus is obviously teaching his Disciples (including us) that we must do the same thing.
So, if you feel today that you are in some unaccepted group – come to Jesus. He will accept you just as you are. But be ready, because he will not leave you just as you are. He will accept you and receive you just as you are, but then he will begin to miraculously transform your life – which is exactly what you need.
No matter where you are at today, Jesus wants to transform your life for your tomorrow and for your eternity. If you will truly put your faith in Jesus, he will begin to take over your old life.
Whether you feel accepted or unaccepted, it doesn’t matter because Jesus accepts the unaccepted.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Trust him as your Lord – surrender to him and become a truly accepted Child of God – for eternity.
In 1974 in our high school, the lines were clear. The Sosh's and the Jocks, they were the “in -crowd” and they seemed to run the high school world. Then there were the Stoners who ran the anti-social world. And then there’s the Dorks and Nerds who didn’t feel like they fit in anywhere.
Do you remember? Do you remember feeling unaccepted or accepted? Well, it didn’t start in your high school or mine. It probably started somewhere not long after the fall of man.
But it was in full swing in the days of Jesus, that’s for sure, and today we’re going to see a powerful lesson that Jesus taught his Disciples (and us) on this matter. And we’re going to see how Jesus made the unaccepted – accepted.
In our last message in Mark, we (hopefully) came to grips with the fact that we have the tendency to be hypocrites. We watched Jesus call out the Pharisees in that message for being more concerned with external appearances than with the internal purity of the heart. And there’s a chance the Disciples were saying, “Yeah, Jesus – get ‘em!” “Those two-faced religious Sosh’s – we’re sure glad we’re not like them.”
I think there’s a chance that’s what the Disciples were thinking because Jesus took them straight from that event and walked them two days into the hardcore, unaccepted, “other side of the tracks” neighborhood.
Maybe it was because Jesus was fed up with the religious nonsense himself. But maybe, it was because there was still a lesson the Disciples needed to learn. And maybe, there’s still a lesson you and I need to learn today (on unaccepted and accepted).
So, after calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus takes the Disciples deep into gentile land to a place filled with people who were completely unaccepted by the Jews. People who were on the outside of every religious and social group the Jews had. And in this land of the unaccepted, Jesus is going to see a level of faith he seldom saw in those accepted people of Israel.
And his message to his Disciples and to us is that Jesus is seeking true faith and a pure heart from all people. Jesus wants your heart. He wants true faith from you, and he wants to transform your life. Jesus doesn’t care what social strata or group you’re in. He doesn’t care what side of the tracks you’re living on. He doesn’t care if you’re part of some “socially accepted crowd.”
Jesus cares about one thing and one thing alone… he cares about your heart. He wants your heart full of true faith and he wants your heart pure in all your actions. That’s why our last message, “We Are Hypocrites” sets the stage so well for our message today. Jesus is going to show his Disciples that they’re not as far from the Pharisees as they think, and he’s going to prove to us – that in Christ, the unaccepted become accepted.
Let’s see it unfold.
Mark 7:24 (NLT)
24 Then Jesus left Galilee (after the ‘Hypocrite’ scolding) and went north to the region of Tyre . . .
Tyre (and Sidon, where he’s also headed) are northwest of the Galilee area, they’re on the coast in what is today Lebanon. This was strictly a non-Jewish, non-cool, and completely unaccepted area. And Jesus says, “Perfect, that’s just where I need to be.” And so, he leaves the Galilee and heads to where the religious elite would never go.
And if you feel today that you are unaccepted in some social or religious group, aren’t you glad Jesus purposely left the accepted people and came to the unaccepted side of the tracks. I’m really glad he did because if he hadn’t, he would have never found me!
Jesus went to the unaccepted side of the tracks to accept the unaccepted and to teach his Disciples and us to do the same.
And so, we continue in Mark 7:24(b)-25.
Mark 7:24(b)-25 (NLT)
24(b) . . . He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. (this is still Jesus just managing the “crowd problem”)
25 Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit,
This was a gentile woman, born outside “the chosen ones.” She was living on the wrong side of the tracks, unaccepted and unwelcomed by those of the religious “in crowd.” She had heard about Jesus, but she had nothing to prove – to anybody. She had no religious image to keep up. She was just desperate for a miracle in her life.
And right now, she is breaking all kinds of religious and social rules. She was an unaccepted intruder storming into the Disciples accepted “inner circle.” To really understand this, we have to read Matthew’s account of this same moment because he adds some crucial insight here.
(same event) - Matthew 15:22–23 (NLT)
22 A Gentile woman (Literally – a Canaanite woman [worse]) who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. (wait for it . . .)
Then his disciples urged him (ESV - they begged him) to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
The disciples begged Jesus to send this woman away because she was begging him for a miracle. Guys, this is the real world today.
“Come on Jesus, she’s not really one of us, she doesn’t fit in here, can’t you just get her to go away – because she’s really bothering us . . . while were trying to be Christians here.”
This is a very real response today both outside and inside the church, which might be why Jesus is going to teach this lesson three times back to back to his Disciples.
Now, let’s go back to our text in Mark Chapter 7.
So, this unaccepted woman from an unaccepted social group as un-acceptedly fallen at the feet of Jesus and the Disciples have let Jesus know – this is unacceptable.
And we continue in Mark 7:26.
Mark 7:26 (NLT)
26 and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter . . .
She knows full well she is unaccepted in this social/religious group. She is pressing through all the social and religious barriers because she desperately needs Jesus.
Now, we have to listen closely to the response from Jesus to this woman. At first, it seems a bit out of character for Jesus. But – if you have just a little bit of a cynical nature like I do, you can easily hear the “tongue in cheek” type response here.
To say something is “tongue in cheek” means we’re saying something that’s not supposed to be taken at “face value” (not taken literally). We’re saying one thing, but we’re really pointing to something else, and I think the response of Jesus here is kind of “tongue in cheek.” I think he’s driving home a critical lesson to his Disciples by appearing to join them in their view that this woman is unaccepted in their “accepted group.”
So, listen for the “tongue in cheek” response with just a little sarcasm mixed in (from Jesus).
26(b) . . . Since she was a Gentile (Literally a Canaanite), born in Syrian Phoenicia,
27 Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
Whoa – that’s hardcore, right? I’ve heard people try to “walk this back.”
“Uh, you know, Jesus didn’t really MEAN to call her, you know, a dog. Because that would be politically INCORRECT.”
Listen, please, this is exactly how the Disciples felt about this woman, and the woman knew this is exactly how the Disciples felt about her. Jesus is just putting all the ugly right on the table.
So, if Jesus is kind of “playing to” the Disciple’s view that this woman is unaccepted in their “accepted group” then isn’t there a chance that Jesus is just showing them that their own hearts are very similar to the Pharisees who Jesus tore into for having a similar perspective about people who were unaccepted in their world?
Man, I love how Jesus gets these life-changing points across. By the time Jesus is done with the Disciples, there is no longer going to be any unaccepted or accepted groups in their minds.
And maybe, what’s even more incredible, is that this woman plays along with Jesus. She is going to use Jesus’ own logic and even his own words to respond to his who’s unaccepted and who’s accepted line of thought.
Mark 7:28 (NLT)
28 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
Come on – this is an awesome answer from this woman. She accepts how the “insiders” feel about her, but it doesn’t matter because she’s not trying to “be accepted” by the “accepted group.” She only wants to be accepted – by Jesus! She doesn’t care whether she’s inside or outside the Disciple’s “group.” She just needs a miracle from Jesus, and the rest of this nonsense doesn’t matter to her.
And because she’s there – driven by her faith alone – Jesus completely accepts her, no matter who she is or where she has come from.
Mark 7:29-30 (NLT)
29 “Good answer!” he said (Matthew 15:28 - “Great is your faith”). “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.”
30 And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
The unaccepted becomes accepted through her faith in Jesus alone.
And I believe this is a huge turning point for the Disciples as Jesus leaves the accepted in Israel and goes to accept those who were unaccepted.
But one lesson is not enough. It seems to take the Disciples three times to learn. So, Jesus repeats this scene twice in the following two sections in Mark.
Note, in your Bible, the section that starts in Mark 7:31. Here, Jesus takes the Disciples up to Sidon even further into unaccepted territory. And Mark records another miracle there among the unaccepted people in Sidon. And at the end of that miracle, we read in Mark 7:37 about these people who were unaccepted people.
Mark 7:37 (NLT)
37 They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
They were amazed, certainly by his miracles. But I think also they were amazed that Jesus came to the unaccepted to accept them completely by their faith alone.
And so, then, after leaving Tyre and Sidon, Jesus makes his way around the top of the Galilee through what is now the Golan Heights so that he can get to the Decapolis, which is the ten Greek cities on the east shore of the Galilee near where the Gadarenes is. More unaccepted people. And then, in the first section of Mark Chapter 8 (note your Bible at Mark 8:1). There Jesus feeds 4,000, much like he earlier fed the 5,000, but this time he does it in the unaccepted gentile territory of the Decapolis.
And so, as Mark often does here, back to back to back, Mark shows three miracles in three different places – all among the unaccepted people to show in every case that Jesus accepts the unaccepted (so we must too).
Obviously, the biggest lesson here is the unaccepted are accepted by Jesus. Jesus will gladly leave those who feel they are accepted in order to reach those who feel they are unaccepted, and Jesus is obviously teaching his Disciples (including us) that we must do the same thing.
So, if you feel today that you are in some unaccepted group – come to Jesus. He will accept you just as you are. But be ready, because he will not leave you just as you are. He will accept you and receive you just as you are, but then he will begin to miraculously transform your life – which is exactly what you need.
No matter where you are at today, Jesus wants to transform your life for your tomorrow and for your eternity. If you will truly put your faith in Jesus, he will begin to take over your old life.
Whether you feel accepted or unaccepted, it doesn’t matter because Jesus accepts the unaccepted.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Trust him as your Lord – surrender to him and become a truly accepted Child of God – for eternity.