Jesus began to teach them that it is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer much and to be rejected by the elders and the high priests and the scribes and to be killed and with three days to be raised up.

A blind man cannot open his eyes and make them see no matter how much he wishes or how hard he tries or how much he works. Sight does not depend on the desire or effort of man, but on God who shows mercy. Only God can open the eyes of a blind man; and that is by divine grace not human works so that no one may boast.

This story shows how Jesus using a bit of ethnic humor and well-played satire in order to destroy racism with the gospel of grace. Jesus calls no one an unclean yard dog. He shows no partiality or favoritism. Any Jew or Greek, male or female, who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Cutting room floor material from the story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman.

Jesus says that our heart is the source of evil thoughts and evil things. Jeremiah the prophet says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Calvin the reformer says "the human heart is a perpetual factory of idols". What is the condition of your heart?I am compelled by personal experience and divine revelation to agree with them.

God knows that his people need a shepherd who is weak enough to sympathize with them and strong enough to save the. That is why Jesus entered into our experience as the divine-human shepherd.

Someone has said, “Home is where you can say whatever you want—because no one listens to you anyways.”Apparently that was not true of Jesus’ experience. His kinsmen heard his teaching loud and clear and they were shocked or blown away. Why were they offended by Jesus?

In this week’s episode of Mark’s Gospel we meet a woman whose life is literally draining away. Why? She is a broken vessel; a weak and sickly woman; a social outcast. In a last ditch effort to save her life she reaches out to Jesus. Does she remind you of anyone you know? Can you relate to her? What can Jesus do for people like her?

Think of Legion as the Goliath of demons; he is the devil’s champion; he is a strong man. Think of Jesus as the new David; he is God’s champion; the Strong Man. Just as David the shepherd overcame Goliath the warrior, so Jesus overcame Legion by the power of God.

Life is stormy. Each one of us is battered by fierce winds and beaten down by ferocious waves. How do you respond to the storms of life? Life is scary, but why are we so afraid? In this week’s episode we encounter the One who controls the storms of life with the power of his word--Jesus the Rescuer.