Is Jesus a sexist, or does he have some remarkable view about women?

Is Jesus a sexist, or does he have some remarkable view about women_ [00:00:00] Hi everyone. So we've been working our way through the Book of Mark, and today we're up to Mark seven, verse 24. Is the passage about a Canaanite woman. The same story can actually be found in the book of Matthew. And it's this version that I'm gonna talk about today because it's got a few more details in the one in Mark. So we're looking at Matthew 15, verses 21 to 28. I'm actually gonna read it off my screen because I'm, my memories are not good enough to memorize it. Okay, so Matthew 15, leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Ty and Sein. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him crying out, Lord, son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is demon possessed and suffering terribly. Jesus did not answer a word, so his disciples came to him and urged him, send her away for she keeps crying out after us. He [00:01:00] answered. I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me, she said. He replied, it's not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs. Yes, it is law. She said, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Then Jesus said to her Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted, and her daughter was healed at that moment. So most of the points I'm gonna make about this passage are not my own, but they come from this book, Jesus, through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey. It's a fabulous book. I've got so much from it over the years. It's not an easy read, but if you like to dig a bit deeper and you like historical context, culture, language, you might get a lot from it. So at first reading this story can seem a bit troubling or even a bit embarrassing because Jesus looks at first standoffish and then racist, and [00:02:00] also plain rude, is he actually calling this woman a dog? Let's take a closer look and see. An important part of the passage is to remember that the woman and Jesus are not the only ones present in the UK and many other nations. We're quite individualistic societies. It's seen as a, a good thing basically for people to make their own choices about where they live and what they do, and, um, not necessarily to get anyone's approval or input. In the Bible, people lived very much as part of the community, and the community has to be taken into account when reading the passage. In fact, many, um, communities around the world are still like that. Um, even within the uk we have communities that are very much based like that. So the community in this passage are the disciples who are with Jesus when the woman arrives. So Jesus isn't just dealing with the woman, but also with the disciples. The woman in effect asked, [00:03:00] uh, Jesus for help three times and three times. Jesus gives a different response. So we're gonna look at each of the requests and each of the responses in turn. So to start with, the woman begins with the cry of beggar, have mercy on me. She uses the title Lord and Ass, the Jewish Messianic title, son of David, which implies that she's had some contact with with Jews and she reaches out across two barriers. Firstly, she's a woman and Jesus is a man. Men and women didn't really talk to strangers across the gender barrier. Some rabbis didn't even talk to female members of their own families in public. Secondly, she's a Gentile and Jesus is a Jew. If you're not familiar with the term Gentile, it just means, uh, a non-Jew. So what does Jesus, um, what's his response? Well, he totally ignores her. Why is he indifferent? [00:04:00] Is he rejecting her? Isn't he meant to be all about love? How would you have felt? Would you have given up? Would you have been like, oh, well I tried. Would you have been angry? Would you have thought, well, who do you think you are? My daughter deserves to be healed. I deserve her to be healed. I'm a good moral person. I fight for good causes. God owes me. As I said before, Jesus isn't just dealing with the woman, but also with the disciples. It's like he's giving the woman a test and teaching the disciples at the same time. A test isn't a put down. In fact, um, if you are at school or at uni and you take a test, if you pass, you get a great sense of satisfaction and, um, a sense of honor. Really taking a test isn't pleasant. Getting a good result in a test is very satisfying. A few years ago I did a tessel course. That's a course that helped, um, [00:05:00] taught me how to taught non-English speakers to speak English and I'd not done, um, any like formal study for a while. At the beginning of the course, I thought, do you know what? I'll be really pleased if I get a distinction part. Um, after a couple of days I got to the stage was like. If I just pass, I will be really pleased. 'cause the, the course was really intense. Um, and then a few days later, I'd got to the point of going, if I can just get to the course, the end of the course, I don't care whether I pass or fail. And then a few days later, I'd got to the point of going, I just wanna get through this day. It was intense, but you know what? At, at the end when, uh, I and the others did all pass, there was such a sense of achievement. So the test that Jesus gives, this woman has got three parts which correspond to her three appeals for help, uh, of which [00:06:00] this is the first. So here Jesus is pretending to be indifferent, self-respecting rabbis didn't talk to women. In the beginning, God intended men and women to be equal. In Genesis, we see that Adam and Eve are both created in God's image. Together they give a more full reflection of God. They also to told to rule over the world together. It says that Eve was created as a helper for Adam. And I think, um, we can tend to think of helper as in terms of mommy's little helper in terms of someone who. Can't really do anything, but we just give them a little job to do to make them feel happy so that we can get on with the real, proper skilled work. But the word for helper used to describe, even Genesis is the same word, used to describe the help that God gives to us. It implies that Adam has got strength. Yeah. But also he's got areas of need and he [00:07:00] needed somebody capable to help him and that person was Eve. So over time, this understanding of the value God placed on women had become really warped about 200 years before Jesus. A Jewish scholar called Ben AK wrote A man, spite is preferable to a woman's kindness. Women give rise to shame and reproach. He did write some positive things, but not many. And in the Easter service a few weeks ago, we learned that a woman's testimony didn't count, making it quite shocking that God chose women to be the first ones to test testify about the resurrection. A rabbi called Levi Ben Gershon said this about women. She has no more qualities than animals, even if she has a brain charming. Another writer said, woe to him whose children are female. Yet another rabbi considered it permissible to starve a woman until she did [00:08:00] what her husband commanded her to do. So there were some really negative views towards women available to Jesus, and I've not even touched on the Romans view of women and the Romans were the occupying nation at that time. Um, so. Jesus didn't respond to the woman's cry for help. He was probably seen by the disciples to be acting in a totally appropriate way. That is by ignoring her, it looks to them like he's endorsing that view of women. So their response to that is, I'll send her away. She keeps crying after us. They assume that Jesus has no time for her, but they are totally wrong. In a different story. In, um, John four, the disciples returned to Jacob's. Well, to find Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman and they say to him in that instance, what do you wish? In other words, do you want us to get rid of her? In last week's passage, we looked at the [00:09:00] subject of prejudice, including racism, and this week builds on that. It touches on the subjects of racism and sexism. I don't think that Jesus actually approved of his disciples attitudes towards women and gentiles, and he's actually impressed by the woman's love for her daughter and her confidence in him. He decides to use the situation to help her and to challenge the disciples prejudice in their heart, and he gives the chance, um, for the woman just to show the depth of her courage and her faith. Jesus' teaching method is really subtle, but really powerful. He doesn't lecture them. In fact, he appears to agree with them. It's like he's saying to um, to them, oh, I'm just ignoring her, and hopefully she'll go away. I'm a self-respecting rabbi. I don't talk to women, especially gentile women. If she doesn't go away, just tell her I'm only here for Israel, and then she'll go.[00:10:00] Um, and it, it was like to the disciples, Jesus was communicating, of course, I want to get rid of her. I have no time for such female gentle gentile trash. And to the woman, it was like he was, um, communicating Well, you're a Canaanite and a woman. I'm a Jew. I'm here for the Jewish people. Why should I help a Gentile like you? So why didn't she give up and go? I don't think she thought that Jesus really meant it. She'd pass the first test. So now we're onto the second part of the test was her love for her child so deep and her confidence in Jesus so strong that she would continue with her request despite the seeming resistance. Let's look at verse 25 again and 26, the woman came and knelt before him. Lord help me. She said, he replied, it's not right to [00:11:00] take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs. This time she leaves out all the titles and it's very much a cry from her heart. Lord, help me as a mum. I know that when. Your kids are suffering and you can't do anything about it. That's hard. Um, I might not have been in a situation as hard as her or many people, but when our, um, our son, Zach, was about five or six, he became ill. He started feeling sick every day. He was getting pains, um. Took him to the doctors. Nobody seemed to know what the problem was. They first said it was this, then it was that. But nothing really made any difference. And there were times when the teachers would call me into school to pick him up early because he was in so much pain. And um, I'd arrive at school to find him hardly able to walk and just like doubled up because he was in so much pain. [00:12:00] And there were times when. Um, I just kind of gave up because we'd asked so many people for help and nobody can help, and it was only the encouragement of friends that helped me keep going. And eventually it was quite by accident or maybe it was the answer to years of prey that we discovered he was gluten intolerant. And, um, once he stopped eating gluten, all the symptoms disappeared. That was such a relief. But back to the story, would Jesus still ignore this woman? Or would he help her now? Well, not just yet. First he expresses the disciple's thoughts. The language Jesus uses is really strong. So in the UK, if you call someone a dog, it's not exactly a compliment, but in, in the Middle East dogs are almost as despised as pigs. They were then, and they still are now. Dogs were never pets. They might be kept as like half wild guard dogs. They're [00:13:00] never like these sweet little things. So to ignore a beggar is one thing, but to insult her with such language is like completely another thing. But the language does carry a slight touch of gentleness. The word that Jesus used his for dogs means little dogs. So not fully grown, massive, vicious things, but little dogs. And I think that the reference for dogs is really for the disciples. It's like Jesus is saying, I know you think Gentiles are dogs and you want to treat them like they are. See, Gentiles was seen as, um, seen as dogs because they were considered immoral and therefore unclean. So how's the woman gonna respond now? Will she reply with an insult or will she keep pushing Jesus to help her? What would you do if you were her? Do, um, I forgot to say at the beginning, but do you write your [00:14:00] comments, um, in the comment section as as we go? So what would you have done if you were her? Would you be put off? Would you keep going? Would you think, oh, he doesn't care? And what do you think would've happened if she'd given up at this point? Would her daughter have been healed? Um, okay, so. Onto the third time when she like pushes forward, uh, she says, yes, it is Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Then Jesus said to her Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted, and her daughter was healed at that moment. She passes this test with flying colors. She accepts the insult. Then asks again with a little touch of humor in there, I have got so much respect for this woman. So Tim Keller, in his book on the gospel of Mark, says this, and I absolutely love this [00:15:00] quote. Um, he says, isn't it amazing she doesn't take offense? She doesn't stand on her rights. She says, all right, I might not have a place at the table, but there's more than enough on that table for everyone in the world, and I need mine now. She's wrestling with Jesus in the most respectful way, and she will not take no for an answer. I love what this woman is doing In Western cultures, we don't have anything like this kind of assertiveness. We only have assertion of our rights. We do not know how to contend unless we're standing up for our rights, standing on our own dignity and our goodness and saying, this is what I'm owed. But this woman is not doing that at all. This is right. Less assertiveness, something we know little about. She's not saying, Lord, give me what I deserve on the basis of my goodness. She's saying, give me what I don't deserve on the basis of your goodness, and I need it now. Do [00:16:00] you know it, it wasn't always God's intention, um, sorry. It was always God's intention to bless all the nations, not just the Jews. In the Book of Genesis, we see that there's a man called Abraham who's considered to be the father of the Jewish nation. God says that Abraham will be a great nation, and that through him, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And we see this, especially through God sending Jesus through the Jewish nation. To die for all nations, to pay for all the bad things that we've done so that we can all have a relationship with God. Not because of our goodness, but because of his goodness. So what does this actually mean for us? Do you know what? There are so many things I could pull out for this, and it might be that God's, um, speaking to you about something, um, from the passage that I don't specifically mention, um, but. Yeah, I've just got a few thoughts here and, uh, [00:17:00] like I said, do keep writing your comments. So firstly, if you don't know God, you can know him through Jesus. He loves you no matter what gender or nationality you are and what wants a relationship with you. He's not German, this God who's not just the God of, um, white, middle class people, but of all nations. And all you have to do is turn away from living your own way and ask him to come into your life. Then live his way and, um, yeah, listen to how he wants you to live. If you want to know more about this, we're running an alpha course on Fridays. It's seven 30 on Zoom. Um, the alpha course is basically for people who want to look into Christian faith, but want to have a chance to give their own opinion and to ask questions. Uh, it's also great for new Christians as well. So do join us. Secondly, for those of us who are girls and women. We need to know that we are [00:18:00] created in God's image, that we are created as equal to men, that we are valued and capable Women in Jesus' time. Were not thought of well by society. And in many ways that hasn't changed much around the world. So all around the world, um, so many women are being treated really badly just because of their gender. If we think of in some places, women are considered property first of their father and then of their husband. When they get married, they can't make their own decisions. Women are blamed, um, for the things that men do, and I'm being careful with what I say here because children are listening. Um, then there's forced marriage. There's being paid less for doing the same job. There's the whole me Too movement just to name a few of the things. So, and I speak to myself as much as to any other girl or woman out there. Um, yeah, we do, we need to take our place in a, in a godly way that we are needed. Men need us [00:19:00] just as we need them. Thirdly, if you're not a girl or a woman, think about your attitude towards this. Do you write us off or. Are you doing what you can to respect and encourage the women in your life to be all that God has created them to be? Do you accept help and input from women or do you think of as a second rate? Um, I've forgotten what number I'm up to now. Thirdly, fourthly, um, following on from last week, do you look down on certain nationalities or do you want to be good to them and pass on the. Good that God has given you to people of all nations. Um, let's also think about whether we ask God for help because we think we are good and deserve it, or because God is good, let's have confidence in the goodness of God. I'll leave you with this verse that I read out a few weeks ago, one that means a lot to me. What then shall we say in [00:20:00] response to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not Also along with him graciously give us all things. Thank you. Turn myself up. There we go. There you go. What a great word from Sharon. I think Abey put it best here, Abby. Powerful word. Shaz. Less than three. I'm assuming that's a heart or an ice cream on the side, or I might have shown my age. It's less than three with my mathematics there, but no, it was, thank you sweetie. That was great. Great word. Let me bring up the questions if I can do that. There we go. So these are the questions that Sharon asked. So be thinking about your answers, write them in the comments below. That'll be great. Uh, Graham put here. Sharon is [00:21:00] showing us what faith and grace, oh, she was showing us what grace and faith is. Great word, Sharon. Absolutely. Thanks Graham. Great to have you along bit, hope you well, uh, what, uh, what else did we have going on in the comments? Um, this was one of my favorite ones. Karen wrote, hi Wayne. I'm sorry, but I've just ate you. Jeff cakes, the pineapple ones. I, I just dunno what to say about that, but that's cool. So questions. What would've happened if the woman had not persisted in asking Jesus to heal her daughter? That's a really powerful question, isn't it? Uh, question number two, how can you encourage and support the women in your life to be all that God has created them to be? Another really powerful question, uh, men, top tip, ask your. Just saying, um, no question number three, do you expect God to do things for you because you've been good? Or do you ask him for help because you know that he is in fact. Good. That was awesome. That, uh, [00:22:00] that little blessing there. Uh, so yeah, Abby's put, it's a heart. Ha ha. Okay, great. Just as long as I'm clear it's not less than three. Uh, brilliant. Well done babe. See, everyone's living it. It was great. Ah, excellent. Ali's here listening as we paint. I'm not sure what you're painting, uh, but maybe show us a picture if it's interesting. Is it actually painting a room or painting a painting? Painting. Uh, great to have you, Ali. Great to have you Bond families. Bandini, uh, great to see you. So these are the questions. Write your answers in the comments below. Uh, some general thoughts which question pops out to you most and we'll get, just put some general thoughts, share your thoughts so we can all see them, uh, in the comments below. It'll be great to have you. Real privilege to hear your wife speak on your anniversary. Just wanna say that, that was awesome. Uh, really, really loved that. Um, so Wayne's put here, Jesus would steal, steal, heal her daughter because he loves us all. That's a, that's [00:23:00] a great response because actually Wayne, I think you're right. I think in some respects the default answer here is to go, well, if she'd not been persistent, her daughter wouldn't have got healed. Um, but is there an alternative here? Would Jesus have found another way to get to her? That's a, a really interesting viewpoint. I dunno the answer. Um, fortunately the woman was persistent, uh, and she did keep going through. I love, um, I dunno about you, but one of the things I loved in all of this was how, um, how this sort of connects with what we talked about last week about prejudice and about how de Jesus just deals with it. Bang, slap in the face, head on. Right? You can't escape it. And, um. In this week, he's now dealing with a whole topic of sexism. Again, just bam, straight head on. Can't get away from it. And this message is such a powerful, I mean, what actually happened at the time, like Sharon said, if you think about how women were treated, man alive, does Jesus fly in the face of a whole bunch of stuff that's going on, which is, you [00:24:00] know what you'd expect, really? Uh, well, insurance. So authentic. You're awesome. Oh, we love you guys. You're fab. Fab, fab, fab. So yes, it is, uh, just fascinates me. This whole, you know, like I say, how Jesus is really challenging society back at sexism. Like Sharon said, back in the Garden of Eden, men and women were equal. This was God's plan, right? Just that's how it was. And then somehow it got distorted over the years. And here is Jesus restoring. God's view on women, which is great. So what's the comments that just coming up thick and fast, how these painting doors yawn. Yeah. Sorry bud. Sorry, sorry. Uh, go and do something a bit more interesting. I would say maybe, I don't know, paint union jack on him or something. Uh, question do us Matt put here. So question number two, we should say affirmations in an appropriate manner. Without saying weird, creepy things to women in our lives. Now this is a [00:25:00] really fascinating point, isn't it? Because, uh, men listen up. How do we deal with this whole topic? Right. Um, because, and it's a great question because in the wake of the Me Too movement, um, I kind of get the impression that men are a little bit slower to get involved or to say things or to do things for fear of it being misinterpreted. Just putting that out there. Maybe I'm misunderstanding it, maybe I'm mishearing it, but, um, I think there's a, a sort of a, a balance coming that we need to figure out. But you are tightly right Matt, um, and just saying the right things, uh. And just acting right and being right. How can we support and encourage the women in our lives? Just tell them they're amazing women of God. Right. Just fan. Fantastic. Uh, what's Rebecca says she asked God for help because she knows that God is good and wants to help us. Absolutely. Well done Rebecca. I absolutely, totally [00:26:00] agree with that. Yes, he's good and yes, he is gonna help us out. There's no doubt about it. 'cause that's what he does, right? So. Fantastic. Rebecca, uh, Wayne, what have we got here? Yes, he would. If we don't Yes, he would. If we don't hear God talking to us, he talks to others so we can know what Jesus is saying and wants us to do. That's very true. He, uh, he does get to us somehow, doesn't he? And in some way just read the parable of the nine, nine sheep. You can't escape him. Uh oh. Ian's on. Hey Ian. How you doing buddy? Uh. Q3. God is good all the time. Go Ed Mos. Bless you. Ian, if you don't know, is a friend of mine, he's a vicar of a church down in Harrow and we went to uni together. Uh, and it's good to have you along, sir. Great to see you. Uh, that's exactly what I meant, what you took from that. Met Cool. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully that made sense then. [00:27:00] But it's a really fascinating question, isn't it? 'cause men, you know, um, one of the things that I've noticed and listen up, right, because, uh, one of the things that I've noticed working in the beauty industry, um, is it's men that control the media. Um, it's men still, I mean, not as much, but they still control the media. They still control the messaging. Um, and what we put out matters and what we say matters. And so, um, you have an industry, the beauty industry, which is designed for women, but is controlled by men. And the way men get women to buy stuff is to make them feel not good enough. Um. And so they'll put stuff out like images of perfection, basically saying, you are not perfect, but this is perfect. Use this product and you'll look like this. And I think it's wrong. And being the father of a girl, having my daughter Zoe, I see it more clearly than I ever could. Um, and in fact, if I was, you know, when you're writing letters to your daughter and you're thinking about your daughter, the things that I would say to her are [00:28:00] Actually, you are more than enough. And don't let anybody tell you different. Um. You know, don't let anyone tell you that you are not pretty enough. Don't let anyone tell you you're not smart enough or you're not good enough if you've got God. You've got the majority. That's all I'm saying, right? Just tightly bang on right there. You and God equals the majority and that's all you need. Uh, and he made you, you are beautiful. You are phenomenal. Um, he did not make a mistake. He knew what he was doing when he made you. Uh, he had it planned since before the foundation of the world. He's been thinking about you for a long time. He's been planning you for a long time. You are not here by accident. You were born for such a time as this. You can make a difference. You can be amazing and all that you are called to be, regardless of what men or women tell you. It's just fact, right? Hashtag fact. Uh, so. What we got here. Wayne says, God will, [00:29:00] uh, I love how you keep putting full stops in all these things. Are you on a mobile? Uh, God will do things as long as we surrender to him and keep our focus on him and we don't sin. Uh, I just, I just think God just does stuff. He just does, he just, that's how God, right? That's, he's just amazing like that. And he just carries on and he just does stuff in our lives. Uh, and he will hunt us down. He will chase us down. He will do some great stuff for us. Uh, and he will just take us to new levels in him when we focus on him. What's Abby put here? Go Map, fire. Preach it. Yeah. Sorry. Got on my soapbox a little bit there. Sorry. Not sorry. Uh, I just think some things need to be said, right? Uh, because men have said so many bad things over the years. Um, women are awesome. You, Abby, especially Rock, both Abey is in fact watching this right now, both rock. Uh, you're amazing. So thank you ladies for all the amazing stuff that you do for putting up with all the nonsense from us men. Thank you for [00:30:00] being faithful. Thank you for hearing God's voice. Thank you for wanting, but nothing but the best. Uh, I'm constantly challenged by my wife, especially around topics like Prayer and, you know, what's God saying and all this sort of stuff because men, we can just get our heads down and just motor forward and naturally, uh, Sharon brings a real balance and just what is God saying here? And it's actually really, really beautiful and fantastic. So. Um, you know, there's a reason why God made men and women, right? We need each other. So go for it, ladies. Go for it. Do your thing. Take your place and be amazing. That should be on a t-shirt maybe. Um, anyway, uh, any other comments? Fire them across. Uh, we are getting ready for Zoom, so if you would like to join us in Zoom, uh, we're gonna have a bit of fun and fellowship, uh, and some worship, um, and some, I'm just trying to think of anything else ends with ship. Um, and we are gonna do that in Zoom. You're more than welcome to join us. It'll be [00:31:00] great to see you in there. The link for Zoom, uh, is in the comments. I put it in quite early on. I wonder if it's still in my. Yeah, so it is, it's still, I've just put it again in the Facebook comments. Um, Sarah, what have you added here? Let me, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm just gonna close the questions off the screen, but if you want to answer them still, feel free. And let's put this on here. This week we looked at the verse in Ephesians, which says, we are God's masterpiece. Each child wrote out all the things that are unique and amazing about them. Oh, lovely. That's fantastic. You know, one of the things I love about that verse, Sarah, um, where it says that we are God's masterpiece. You know, that word can be translated. Poetry. Poetry. I just really like that We are his poetry. God wrote a love poem and I it. I mean, it's great, isn't it? I am his masterpiece, [00:32:00] his work of art. You know, we were joking with Ali early on about painting doors or painting a painting. He wasn't painting doors and yawning when he was making us, was he? Which is quite cool. Uh, definitely, definitely, definitely. Cool. Um, thank you to Karen. She's a blessing from God despite you. My pineapple, Jeff kicks. Amen. Well done Wayne. You know what? I have no response to that whatsoever. Karen, go and get him some more pineapple Jaffa cakes. What is wrong with you eating all his pineapple Jaffa cakes? Maybe there's something else going on there. I dunno, but that's quite funny. Well done. Uh, Ali's put here. Friendship. See what you did there, bud. See what you did there? Awesome. Uh, what's Matt put drinky session? What? What is okay. Uh, Sharon's put here. Sarah, your kids are fabulous. There's no doubt about it. No doubt about it. Your kids are fabulous. And hopefully I'm still the second best dad in the [00:33:00] world, just saying, uh, that's a bit of an insider joke between me and the langstons, but yes, very good. Uh, what's Karen put here? Ha ha ha. Oh, very good. Very good. Loving that. It's great to have you guys along. It really is. So, um. I think we are getting ready for the zoom, so let me just, uh, like I said, I've put it in the comments. I wonder if I can do this as well. Look at that. A no flies on me. Look at that. So that's the web domain that we're going to, uh, for Zoom, just type in bitly slash Frontline city Liverpool or FCL Zoom. Don't actually write Frontline city Liverpool. Just write FCL Zoom. That's what FCL stands for. Frontline city, Liverpool Zoom. That will take you to our Zoom conversation. Uh, I'm gonna end this broadcast in around 60 seconds time. So. Just get ready. What's Matt put here? Essential [00:34:00] shopping needed, uh, pineapple jaffa cakes is what I'm assuming. You know what? I, I don't want detract from what Sharon was saying because it was such a powerful thing, don't you think that? I am, but I have never ever tried a pineapple jaffa cake. No idea what you're talking about. Are they? I assume this is a thing of beauty that I need to be trying in my life. Has anyone else? In the same boat. We'll maybe talk about this in Zoom. Uh, maybe Facebook is not the place to do that. Okay, listen, we're gonna end it there. It's been great to see so many of you here. Thanks for joining us. Ah, before we go, let's just say big, how's it to Heather? Hey, Heather, great to see you. Uh, great to see. Uh, so many friends coming along. Ali, Ian, uh, Graham, all you guys. Love you guys. Uh, can't wait to catch up with you all soon. Heather, hope they hope You figured out the gym thing you were asking about. Uh, Karen's put here. Neither of I, so you've not tasted them either, Wayne, sorry. But, uh, but according [00:35:00] to Karen, they're yummy. Awesome. You know what? I think everyone's gonna now go out and buy pineapple jaffa cakes just to see what all the fuss is about, uh, because, you know, why would we not? Uh, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. So, God bless you guys. Have a great week. Just to remind you. Community on Wednesday night. If you, uh, wanna join us for community, you're more than welcome. We are gonna be on Zoom on Friday night. We have the alpha and more information about that can be found online at Frontline City. Uh, and we will be back next Sunday as we carry on our conversations around Mark, uh, we're gonna. Well, we're gonna carry on with Mark's gospel. We're not gonna deviate into Matthew. No, we're gonna get back to Mark. Uh, we're gonna be true to the Marky thing, uh, and find out what's going on. Uh, and Karen's put here, I found them hidden in his cupboard. Yeah, whatever. Whatever. Uh, it's great to see you. Uh, we'll see you either in community, uh, alpha on Friday, or be here again next Sunday [00:36:00] afternoon at 4:00 PM It is time for us to sign off. God bless you. Have a fantastic week. Uh, and go and encourage all the amazing women in your life. They deserve it. It's worth doing. God bless you. Bye for now.