Despite laying siege to the Metz goal, Marseille had to settle for a single point that left them in fourth place, 11 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Until the sending-off, Thomas Delaine had stretched Marseille but all of Metz's efforts were halted by 36-year-old goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, recalled to the team for the first time for two months.
Jemerson was dismissed for studs-up challenge on Dimitri Payet with half an hour left to play, sparking a frantic finish.
Polish forward Arkadiusz Milik and US international forward Konrad de la Fuente both came close for Marseille without finding the net.
"We struggled," said Marseille assistant coach Jorge Desio who bemoaned the fixture list that had seen them also play a Europa League game on Thursday.