“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.”
– Mark 7:36
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever called a kid – or a guy or gal, a hypocrite? Have you ever told a kid – or a guy or gal, that he or she is dull? Have you ever been called a hypocrite? Have you ever been told that you are dull? When a fact-finding delegation of religious leaders from the city of Jerusalem caught up with Jesus as Jesus was doing His thing in the department of Galilee in the land of Israel, Jesus told these Pharisees and Mosaic Law teachers who had made the long walk from the city of Jerusalem to the department of Galilee to investigate Him that they were nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. These Pharisees and Mosaic Law teachers tried to use being unclean before eating to point out a fallacy in Jesus’ teachings which led Jesus to explain the hypocrisy of these Pharisees and Mosaic Law teachers when he told them in front of the crowd of guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him that what goes into their mouth does not make them unclean but what comes out of their mouth makes them unclean. When Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus later what He meant when He said that nothing that goes into their mouth will make them unclean but that what comes out of their mouth makes them unclean led Jesus to tell them that they had to be dull as . . . in his Mark Book, Mark – in Mark 7, details these confrontative, ‘sarcastic’ exchanges that Jesus had with the Pharisees and the Mosaic Law teachers and then with His disciples. Do you know a kid – or a guy or gal, who uses sarcasm to underscore what he or she wants to get across to you – or to another kid – or to a guy or gal? Have you ever been accused by a kid – or by a guy or gal, of saying something sarcastic that he or she claims has offended him or her? Do you know a kid – or a guy or gal, who really believes that the use of sarcasm should not be tolerated at any time in Christ-follower circles?
When your grandmaa and grandpaa were coaches for Adventures in Missions World Race D squad four years ago, one of the things that each one of the four D squad teams was to do was to write out something that included that team’s desired goals during the eleven months that they would be on their ‘World Race’ along with that team’s internal team communication expectations – which everyone on that team was to sign off on. One of the teams had an older gal on their team who insisted that everyone had to agree to not use sarcasm on her team while they were on their ‘World Race’ and that agreement had to be part of their team’s pact. Even before Jeannette left with her team to begin the ‘World Race’, Jeannette confronted your grandpaa about him being sarcastic with her. Your grandpaa will never deny that what he says can easily be interpreted at times as sarcasm when in reality, your grandpaa may be simply kidding or jesting with that guy or gal who . . . your grandpaa does not remember what he said that had Jeannette thinking that she needed to confront him; what your grandpaa does remember when Jeannette confronted him at Adventures in Missions front entrance for something that she thought that your grandpaa said in a sarcastic, inappropriate way to her, that your grandpaa’s immediate gut feeling was that Jeannette’s confronting of him was her way of letting your grandpaa know that she was setting a communication norm that she was going to expect him to accept or . . . Jeannette’s insistence to regulate sarcasm from being used by anyone on her team did cause tension within her team. Jeannette had a couple of team members who did not mind a guy or gal being sarcastic with them who struggled with knowing that they had to parse what they said in front of Jeannette in fear of offending her. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – during the eleven month duration of the ‘World Race’ that they were coaches for, came to respect Jeannette and to appreciate the role that she played on her team and with the entire World Race D squad.
Do you think that Jesus was being sarcastic with the Pharisees and the Mosaic Law teachers when He called them hypocrites? Do you think that Jesus was being sarcastic with his disciples when He said that they must be dull if . . . Jesus knew that the Pharisees and the Mosaic Law teachers were living a double standard. Jesus knew that the Pharisees and the Mosaic Law teachers had established regulations that they expected guys, gals and kids – who were Jews, to follow while they themselves believed that they had the right to nullify a vow – such as a ‘Corban’ or a gift, that had been devoted to God. Even though Mark is addressing inequities relative to the Jew people group leaders and incredulities pertinent to the guys who Jesus chose to be His disciples, Mark is writing his Mark Book for Greek readers. When Jesus said that what goes into the mouth and into the stomach of a guy, gal or kid is clean, Jesus was essentially pronouncing that all food is clean and okay to eat. When Jesus said that what comes out of the mouth of a guy, gal or kid is unclean, Jesus is saying that the heart is where evil thoughts, immoral desires, plans to steal, kill, and have two-timing affairs, insatiable greed, unquenchable malice or hate, appalling slander and deceit and . . . emanate from the mouth of the guy, gal or kid. When Jesus grew tired of the continual pushing in by guys, gals and kids who wanted Him to . . . Jesus took off for the cities of Tyre and Sidon and the region of Decapolis to decompress. Jesus still because of His mercy rid a little gal of a demon and opened a deaf guy’s ears. Verse 36 says, “Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.” What are using for excuses for not talking about Jesus to another kid – or to a guy or gal? What has Jesus done in your lives that you know that you should tell other kids – or guys and gals, about to encourage them? Your grandpaa is always encouraged when he senses a guy or gal unconditionally accepting, affirming and approving him by listening to him.
Mark 7 (1147)