Have you heard the saying, “He has the Midas touch?” The saying refers to the mythical King of Phrygia, an ancient kingdom in Asia Minor, now modern-day Türkiye.
One day, peasants in Midas’s kingdom found a foreigner asleep on the land; they bound him and brought him before their king. Midas recognized this foreigner, Silenus, as a follower of the god Dionysus. So, he treated his guest well and traveled with him when he re-joined Dionysus. In thanks to Midas for returning Silenus to him, Dionysus offered to grant King Midas any wish.
Like most kings, Midas desired wealth beyond measure. He was greedy. He wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. Dionysus, true to his word, granted Midas his wish.
However, the King soon regretted his request. When he reached for his food, it turned to gold, making it inedible. Midas raised his cup to his lips, and even the wine turned to gold, a bitter reminder of his foolishness.
Realizing his mistake, Midas begged Dionysus to undo his wish, but the gods could not readily recall their gifts. Finally, Dionysus told Midas to go and wash in the spring at the source of the river Pactolus. Supposedly, Midas was cured of his plight when he did as he was told.
So, when someone “has the Midas’ touch,” everything the person touches is successful. I had a friend like that in my teen years. He excelled in whatever he attempted to do. It was amazing. Yet, as successful as he was, I couldn’t say, “He does all things well.”
There’s only one person of whom that can be said. It is the Lord Jesus, and those words are part of the text for our study today, Mark, chapter seven, verses 31 to 37. I’ve taken that phrase for the title of my teaching, “He Does All Things Well.” His abilities are unique and unparalleled; witnessing them is a humbling and reverent experience that fills us with awe.
These closing verses of Mark chapter seven show us the WAYS Jesus does all things well.
The First WAY (Jesus does all things well) is,
He Responds to Faith
In our previous episode, we read about Jesus leaving Israel and traveling to Tyre in ancient Phoenicia. Mark describes Jesus’ itinerary this way. He left Tyre, went north to Sidon, made His way east, came back south, and then back up to the Sea of Galilee. This trip moved in the shape of a horseshoe and took 120 miles from Tyre back across, down, and around, up into the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today, it would be like someone leaving Washington, DC, to go to Richmond, Virginia, but they would go by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Why did Jesus do this? One possibility is that he wanted to avoid the territory of Herod Antipas, who, you remember, had executed John the Baptist. You may also recall from our studies that Jesus has been seeking time for rest and uninterrupted teaching with His disciples. At every turn, He has been hampered by the overwhelming needs of the people. So, by “taking the long way around,” He could have that time with them.
One critical detail is that He went from one Gentile area to another. He had honored the faith of the Gentile woman of Syro-Phoenicia by exorcising the demon in her daughter. Now, He has moved to the Decapolis, a group of Greek cities in modern-day Jordan.
The text informs us that this man, who was deaf and had a speech impediment, was brought to Jesus, presumably by friends or family. This reminds me of the paralyzed man in Mark 2:3-5 who was brought to Jesus by his friends. This de...
