Crumbs From the Table

I’ve been looking forward for weeks to what we are going to be looking at tonight in Mark 7 because I think that we are going to be looking at what many have called the hardest, maybe even harshest, words of Jesus. I’m excited to dive into this section of Scripture, not only because it is the Word of God, but because it is a challenging section of Scripture. One thing that we talked about a few months ago when we started our series in Mark is that people tend to have a greater issue with the things that Jesus says than with the things that He does. Don’t get me wrong, the Pharisees, the scribes, the world, have an issue with the things that Jesus did but often it seems that they are more concerned with the things that He says and the claims that He makes. Quick question before we dive in tonight, do you think that we should be challenged by Jesus? Jesus’ words should make us stop and think right? I don’t think that we went through this on a Wednesday night but when I preached through Mark 6 last month when Pastor Wayne was sick, I mentioned that man often feels offended at the words of Jesus because they attack the sinfulness and lostness of our hearts. Jesus offends and Jesus challenges and it is important for you all to know now that even at your age, Jesus does not intend for you to stay as you are. If you want to be faithful to Jesus, Jesus must offend you. A Savior that does not challenge and does not change will not do you any good. A few more questions that I want you to think about tonight as we go through these verses is this: “Who am I? How do I see myself? Where am I at in the Kingdom of God?” What we are going to see tonight are words from Jesus that challenge us, offend us, and hopefully make us recognize who we really are. Just like the way a surgeon has to cut into us before he helps us, may Christ’s words cut into us ultimately for our good. Let’s pray and then we will read Mark 7:24-30

Mark 7:24–30 NASB95

Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.

The Hard Words of Jesus and Faith

Before we even get to the words of Jesus, there are a couple of things that are worth noting about where Jesus is and why He is there. In verse 24 we see that Jesus enters into the region of Tyre. Tyre was north of Israel and north of Galilee where the bulk of Jesus’ ministry has taken place. To the best of our knowledge, this was the one and only time where Jesus left the nation of Israel during the course of His ministry. Even Samaria was considered within the boundaries of native Israel but Tyre and Sidon, or as the region is referred to in Mark 7:31, the Decapolis, is the only place that is Gentile territory that Jesus travels to. So, why does Jesus go there? No doubt it is because He has a divine appointment with the woman that we just read about and with the man that we will read about next week but I would also argue that Jesus goes so that He can rest. While Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man and had human limitations as we all do. It may even be so that He can give the disciples time to rest and so that He can start to prepare them for His death because once we leave this region, Mark 8 almost becomes like a different book. The first 8 chapters are full of miracles and while the last 8 do have some miracles, we largely see Jesus preparing Him and His followers for what is going to happen in Jerusalem. The first half of Mark’s book focuses on the King that is coming while the second half of the book focuses on going to the cross. Lets look at what happens in these verses. In verse 25, a woman finds and falls at the feet of Jesus. She has a little daughter that is possessed by an unclean spirit and in typical Mark fashion, we read that as soon as she hears that Jesus is in the region, she immediately goes to Him and falls at His feet. Mark in verse 26 wants his readers to know that this woman is a Gentile. Specifically, she is a Syrophoenician. In Matthew 15:22, Matthew notes that she is a descendant of the Canaanites. Why is this so important? Well the Syrophoenician’s were connected to the nation of Syria. In Israel’s history, Syria was one of their worst enemies. Israel had numerous wars throughout their history with Syria and the prophets even warned Syria of its future destruction. A Syrian would of been one of the absolute last people that a Jewish man or woman would think as being able to enter into the Kingdom of God. Yet, here we see this Gentile woman coming and begging Jesus to heal her daughter. This woman has faith and it is this Gentile woman that will do what even the people of Israel would largely not be willing to do. Yet notice how Jesus responds to her in Mark 7:27 “And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”” Now who gets tripped up on that verse? This verse has been such a controversial verse throughout history. Some even say that Jesus was a racist at this point, that He sinned at this point, and that He owes this woman a tremendous apology. Now the problem with that is that if Jesus sins only once, He is disqualified to be the Savior. Only a perfectly righteous and sinless sacrifice can atone for our sin. What is Jesus saying in this verse? Is He calling this woman a dog? Now I understand that words and meanings change over time but if I called you a dog to your face, you may feel offended but words are weird and if I say that you got that dawg in you, it may be taken differently. Let’s just work through verse 27 in order. Who are the children that Jesus mentions? He says, “Let the children be satisfied first” so who are the children? It’s the children of Israel. It’s the Jews. What Jesus is saying is that at this point in His ministry, He is going to the people of Israel first. Paul says in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” In Matthew’s account in Matthew 15:24 we read: “But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”” Every ministry has priorities and Jesus’ priority at this time was to minister to the house of Israel first. While I am a pastor of all of OBBC, my ministry is to you guys first and the rest of the church second. You guys should have first priority because you are my ministry. In Jeremiah 50:6 the Lord says, “My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their resting place.” All throughout the Old Testament we read that the Messiah would bring the people, the lost sheep of God, together. Ezekiel 34:23–24 says, “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.” Jesus at no point excludes Gentiles but He is saying that He must minister to Israel first. When Jesus brings up the children’s bread in verse 27, the bread is God’s blessing that is offered to the children. Remember, Jesus Himself says that He is the Bread of Life so surely He is part of the blessing that is offered. At no point is Jesus saying that the Gentiles have no place in the household of God. The Greek word that Mark uses for dogs is a specific Greek word that actually means little dogs. Even in the first century, dogs were household pets and it is these types of dogs that Jesus is referencing. He isn’t talking about the wild, savage dogs that would roam the streets and in the wilderness. These are the puppies that are the pets of the owner of the house. But does this make Jesus’ words any better? If I call you a puppy instead of a mutt, does that make you feel any better? If I say, “you’re a dog but it’s fine I think you’re a purebred puppy” does that make you feel better? What else is Jesus doing with this parable? What Jesus is saying in this parable is that it would be totally inappropriate if the dogs were fed before the little children. He doesn’t say that the dogs won’t eat, but it would be inappropriate to feed them before the kids. If you came to my house for dinner, you would notice that when we eat, we don’t give the best food to Ripley and River first. Ripley waits outside the dining room while we eat and River is supposed to and then when we are done, they can come in. If I gave Benji dog food and gave Ripley his chicken and veggies, what does that make me? A bad parent. But I have no problem at all if when we are all done eating if Ripley comes in and eats whatever Eden has inevitably dropped onto the floor. That’s free game, in fact I’m the kind of dog owner that encourages that because that is one less thing I need to clean up. Jesus is saying, let the Israelites eat first and then you can come. What He is doing for this woman and by extension us as the reader is forcing us to take an honest look at ourselves. Not a single one of us is deserving of the children’s bread. Not a single person deserves or has earned the blessing that comes from the Lord’s table. You see, we are all dogs. Not one of us deserves the food that has come down from Heaven and this Syrophoenician woman knows this. In Mark 7:28 we read, “But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”” What is this woman saying here? Notice what she doesn’t say. She doesn’t say, “How dare you talk to me like that Jesus, I’m out of here!” She also doesn’t say, “You’re totally right and because of that, I’m out of here!” No what she says is that she is totally unworthy to come to the table but there is more than enough mercy and grace leftover even for her. She is not trusting in her own goodness but is completely trusting in God’s goodness. She is saying, “I understand that there is an order, I understand that you were sent for Israel first, but there is more than enough leftover and I am more than content with whatever is leftover. It is because of that answer that Jesus says, “go, the demon has gone out of your daughter.” The time will come when the Gospel ministry will go all people and all places but even before that time came, there is enough grace and forgiveness leftover. There is always grace and mercy abundant in our Lord. The time will come when the people of God, the children of Israel, will reject their Messiah. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem the last week of His life we read in Matthew 23:37–38 ““Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” The children had rejected their bread. Did you know that the reason why everything that is happening to Israel today and throughout history is because of this moment? Israel has rejected the Lord, they rejected the Messiah, and now in their place is the Church which is composed of both Jews and Gentiles. Now through what Jesus has done, there is one people where there was formerly 2. I encourage you to read Romans 9 and 11 where Paul talks about how the Jewish rejection of the Messiah works perfectly within the plan of God of bringing His people together. In Ephesians 2:11-16 Paul writes

Ephesians 2:11–16 NASB95

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

What the Jews rejected now flows abundantly to the world. But will we recognize that we are unworthy of the goodness that God offers to us? Will we realize that we are only beggars that rely totally on the crumbs that falls from our Masters table? Jesus words to this woman need to hit our heart just as they hit hers. Alexander MacLaren said, “His words were like the hard steel that strikes the flint and brings out a shower of sparks. Faith makes obstacles into helps, and stones of stumbling into ‘stepping-stones to higher things.’ If we will take the place which He gives us, and hold fast our trust in Him even when He seems silent to us, and will so far penetrate His designs as to find the hidden purpose of good in apparent repulses, the honey secreted deep in the flower, we shall share in this woman’s blessing in the measure in which we share in her faith.” The way that we come to Jesus must be in a desperate hope. We must know that He owes us nothing but we must also understand that He is willing to give more than enough. Even the crumbs of His goodness is more than enough. His cup overflows. Won’t you be content with the crumbs that the Lord has given you? R.C. Sproul said, “In terms of redemptive history, we are the dogs. But because the children refused the gift of the Father to them, the Father gave that gift to us who had no claim on it originally. Would any of us trade in the crumb of our salvation for anything in this world? That crumb is the pearl of great price. Jesus gave it to the Syro-Phoenician woman. He gives it to us, as well.”

Keep Asking

One last thing that I want us to talk about with our time together is the persistence of this woman. She didn’t ask Jesus once and then leave. No, she kept on asking. Really, she was begging Jesus to help her. In Matthew’s account we see that even the disciples were telling her to go away and to leave Jesus alone but this did not stop her and it should not stop you. Keep asking Jesus, keep praying, keep seeking and searching, there is room at His table. Even if you feel like you can’t ask anymore, pray for the strength to endure. Pray for a faith that is so strong that even if those that seem close to Jesus tell you to stop trying to get to Jesus, keep praying and keep begging. You have not for a moment escaped His sight. He hears every prayer that comes from the lips of His people. He will satisfy every longing of the desperate heart. So, what do you do with all this? I think that we all need to reflect on who we are and who Christ is making us to be. Knowing that He owes me nothing yet gives me everything, what a Savior! He welcomes me, He welcomes this woman, He welcomes you. How are you going to approach Him? How are you going to respond? Woe is me will not work but glory to Him alone will. In all of your prayers turn to Him with the full assurance that He has more than enough for you. Don’t reject the feast that God has put before you. Let’s respond with prayer and then we will worship.