Seaford Baptist Church

Reception in Decapolis

June 3rd, 2009

Reception in Decapolis (Matthew 15:29-38; Mark 7:31-8:9)

Jesus traveled from the region of Tyre / Sidon and went towards the Decapolis. This was an area of 10 cities that the Jews lost during the period of Babylonian captivity, and area that they had never recovered – that was full of non-Jews (those rascally Gentiles!). Looking at the turn out in this area, it appears that Jesus’ reception was favorable. Why did Jesus travel here? It may be due to His avoiding the territory that Herod Antipas ruled because the Jews were seeking Herod’s help in order to destroy Him.

Make no mistake, the fame of Christ had spread in the area. A deaf and nearly mute man was brought to Jesus (Mark 7:32) for healing. What Jesus did was a miracle, but it was not the ‘normal’ miracle at all. He put His fingers in the man’s ears, then spit and touched the man’s tongue (apparently with the expectoration). This was not something Christ did while among the Jews. Why here? Perhaps the faith of this man needed all the support that visible signs could afford. And those around may have needed some visual clues as to where this power came from – so the touch of the Savior afforded that opportunity to the crowd of gathered Gentiles. The power came from this man, He touched the afflicted areas and a miracle healing took place.

Of interest was a command given to this man. It was a command that he could not hear. Was that a barrier to God? No – the response was immediate. This man heard and spoke! And Jesus commands them not to tell anyone. Think about it, in a Gentile crowd a miracle takes place. If Gentiles publicly start putting their faith in Jesus as Messiah, the Jews would have more reason to reject Jesus as the Messiah and could then say He may have been the Gentile’s Savior, but not their own.

The opportunity to minister was before Jesus. He took advantage of it. No doubt He took the opportunity to teach and instruct the disciples as well. A crowd gathered over the course of these days to where it was 4,000 men (not counting women and children). These folks were intent to listen to the words of Life. So intense that they didn’t worry about a lunch break, dinner time or a second breakfast (and if they did bring provisions, they were not enough for an extended stay). What may be surprising is while this situation is happening, the disciples acted as if it was something new. Feed the masses. ‘Umm, with what Lord?’ Well, what do you (disciples) have left over from your provisions? ‘Oh yeah, we still have seven loaves…’

God used what was there to feed the masses. The meeting of a physical need for those in the crowd again afforded the opportunity to instruct the Twelve (a reinforcement of an earlier lesson). When they saw a need that they could not fulfill, Christ could work through what they made available to Him. Christ could use them as instruments to meet the need. The ministry would not depend on their ability, but on their availability.

And this may be a lesson we need over and over again. What is it that Christ has put before us? Something we may not be able to do in our own power, or even in our collective power. So – what have we made available to Him so the need can be met?

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Entry Filed under: Bible Study, Bryan Dunn