Jump Start # 768

Mark 7:28 “But she answered and said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”

Today, our church family reads Mark 7. The chapter begins with the Pharisees accusing Jesus’ disciples of violating the tradition about washing before they ate. They didn’t do that. Although they saw the disciples eating bread without first doing the ceremonial washing, they were really agitated with Jesus. This was reason enough to thump the Lord. In a brilliant way Jesus turned their traditions on them by reminding them that they broke commands of God for their man made traditions.

Jesus then travels north toward the area of Tyre. He did this to get away. He is found and Mark reveals an interesting encounter with the Syrophoenician woman. She was a Gentile. Her daughter was demon possessed. She came to Jesus for help. Do you see the intriguing thoughts here?

1. A Gentile seeking help from a Jew. Very odd.

2. A female Gentile talking to a male Jew, even more odd.

3. A Gentile girl demon possessed. The accounts of demon possession are usually among Jewish people.

The Lord didn’t immediately help this woman. His statement seems very rude to us. He said that you do not take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. The children would be the Jews. The dogs would be the Gentiles. That seems offensive and out of character for Jesus. If someone called us a dog, we’d get upset. She doesn’t seem to react that way. The word “dog” means a house pet or a lapdog. The point Jesus is making is that mama doesn’t cook a meal and the first thing she does is fill a plate and feed the dog. Mama cooks for the children. Jesus came for the Jews.

How easily this Gentile woman could have given up and walked away. It seems that the Lord says, “No,” to her request. But it’s her little girl that is possessed. The mama bear comes out of mothers’ when their children need help. Her answer is our verse today. The dogs feed on the children’s crumbs.

Grasp what she was saying. She was not asking for a whole meal, only the crumbs. The crumbs are never missed. She was not claiming to be as good as a Jew. She was not asking Jesus to take things that were intended for the Jews. She was only wanting the crumbs. She understood that the crumbs were enough to heal her daughter. The power of Jesus’ crumbs was all it would take.

Those thoughts impressed Jesus. He saw great faith in that woman. She understood what Jesus could do. Jesus cast the demon out of that girl.

Mark gives us this story to illustrate great faith. This Gentile woman had a greater faith than many of the Jews did. She had heard of Jesus. They saw Jesus. She believed. They doubted.

Faith doesn’t give up. Sometimes our journey in life takes us through some long valleys and difficult ways. Faith doesn’t give up. Those who are always looking for an easy way will give up when they see the long road ahead of them. They sigh and move on to things that take less effort. Throughout the New Testament, the admonition to be “diligent” is found. Faith isn’t always easy. The answer isn’t always “yes.” The Lord has a way of pulling a greater faith out of us as He did this gentile woman.

• Learning the Bible isn’t easy. It takes time. Some want the shortcuts. Some want others just to tell them. It doesn’t come about that way.

• Fellowship isn’t easy. We can bump and bruise each other on a regular basis. Some seem too nosey. Some ask a lot of questions of us. It’s easy to avoid the folks that are different than I am. It’s easy to surround myself with my chosen clique. It doesn’t work that way.

• Walking with God isn’t easy. Every day there are choices—the right choice or the easy choice…what is good or what I feel like doing. The crowd takes me away from God. The Devil offers many wrong options. Faith compels me to keep walking with God.

The crumbs of God are of more value than the whole meal of the world. The crumbs of God will do you more good than everything in the pantry of Satan. The crumbs of God healed this demon possessed girl.

Crumbs of truth…crumbs of hope…crumbs of forgiveness…crumbs of peace…crumbs of tomorrow…crumbs that build faith…crumbs that restores marriage…crumbs that pushes you forward…crumbs that make you reach out and take hold of God’s hand.

Only a few crumbs…but that was all it took.

Roger