Discipleship is a Heart Issue Part II

Here we are again—welcome back to our study of Mark’s Gospel. Because Mark places such a strong emphasis on discipleship, I’ve titled this series Lessons in Discipleship.

Now, let me say in passing that when I talk about discipleship training, I’m talking about training for believers. Simply put, discipleship is the process of learning from the Master. But it’s more than that. Discipleship is also learning how to follow the Master.

In other words, a big part of discipleship is learning the Word of God, and another part is putting what we’ve learned into practice. And Mark’s Gospel shows us this time and time again. We see Jesus take His disciples aside by themselves for classroom instruction, and then, almost immediately, He places them in real‑life situations where their faith is tested.

Think about it: We saw the disciples face hours of rowing against the wind on the Sea of Galilee. We saw them face a supernatural storm that was sinking their boat. Not to mention Jesus tells them to feed a multitude with only five loaves and two fish. Each situation Jesus places them in is a lesson—not just in knowledge, but in trust, obedience, and dependence on Him.

And that’s exactly what discipleship still looks like today—truth taught, faith tested, and obedience lived out.

Discipleship is truth taught, faith tested, and obedience lived out.

Let me say it this way. “Discipleship is a lifelong journey of learning, testing, and serving. It is faithfulness over the long haul—faith that clings to Christ, faith that is tested in the storms, and faith that is put to work in service to others.”

And I hope you can see the obvious difference between discipleship and receiving the gift of eternal life. There is only one condition for being born again into God’s family: believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for His free gift of eternal life. Being born again happens in a moment, and once we receive it, we can never lose it—we belong to Christ forever.

But discipleship is learning to live in response to that gift. It is joining the Lord’s army of servants who are willing to put others before themselves. It is joining the ranks of faithful followers who turn their backs on what this world offers in order to serve the brethren and glorify God.

You see, once we have eternal life, the question is not how do I get into the kingdom? We are guaranteed entrance into the kingdom the second we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The question now is, will I be found faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ so that I may reign with Him in His kingdom? That is the call of discipleship. Its not about earning eternal life. That is a free gift. It’s about earning eternal rewards. Amen.

Ok, there is my two cents on discipleship. Now let’s do a quick review of what’s we’ve covered in our last couple of lessons as we get ready to tackle today’s text.

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been walking through Mark chapter 7, where Mark shines a spotlight on the legalistic traditions that had taken root in the nation of Israel. In fact, in the first thirteen verses alone, the word tradition appears five times. Mark wants us to see the problem clearly: these so‑called traditions were nothing more than man‑made rules. They were not the commandments of God found in Scripture.

And worse than that, many of these so‑called ‘traditions of the elders’ actually contradicted and broke God’s original commandments. In short, Israel had become bogged down in a man‑made religion that placed all the emphasis on outward purity while ignoring the real problem—the sinfulness of the human heart. There traditions were all about washing your hands in a prescribed way before eating, and about taking ritual baths after visiting the marketplace and encountering Gentiles. Simply put, it was about avoiding becoming defiled from external things entered the body, but Jesus steps in and sets the record straight. In verse 15 He says,

Mark 7:15 NKJV

15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.

“So the Lord’s point is crystal clear: it’s not what comes into your body from the outside that makes you unclean. No—the real source of defilement is what flows out of the human heart. Sin doesn’t begin with food or coming into contact with something unclean; it begins with the thoughts, desires, and attitudes that come from within.”

“Think about it: you can scrub your hands a hundred times a day, but if envy, pride, bitterness, or lust are filling your heart, all that outward cleansing accomplishes nothing. The real issue isn’t, ‘What’s coming in?’ but ‘What’s going out?’ Because what flows out of the heart is what truly defiles a person.

I stumbled across a modern day illustration that might help this hit home. Think about social media. With the right filter, you can make a picture look flawless—smooth skin, bright colors, perfect lighting. But the filter doesn’t change reality; it just hides the blemishes. In the same way, the Pharisees were obsessed with outward ‘filters’—ritual washings, external rules, and appearances of purity. But Jesus says the real issue isn’t what’s on the outside. The real issue is what’s underneath, it’s a inner issue. It is a heart issue. And no man-made filter can cover that up before God.

So in today’s passage of scripture we are going to see Jesus show His disciples how this works in real life. You see, not only does Jesus teach this lesson of inner purity to His disciples, but now we are about to see Him demonstrate it by stepping into Gentile territory. This is no accident. What He has just explained with words, He is about to illustrate in living color, in real life. In other words, Jesus is going to encounter a gentile woman who by Jewish standards was the picture of uncleanness. This was the type of woman that made the Pharisees come home and take a bath if they can into contact with her. Outwardly, the woman was unclean, and was to be avoided at all costs. But inwardly we are going to see a woman of great faith. In fact, this gentile woman believed things about Jesus that even His disciples didn’t believe. She is a perfectly example of what Jesus has just taught his disciples. There is nothing on the outside that defiles a person. It’s what is on the inside, and this woman heart was full of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, with all of this being said we are ready to tackle today’s text, but first let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

Beginning at Mark 7 verse 24 we read,

Mark 7:24 NKJV

24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.

First we need to talk about the location of these cities. Tyre and Sidon were coastal cities to the north and west of Galilee, and they were outside traditional boundaries of Israel. In fact, I have map for us.

Describe the map.

In the Old Testament, these cities were often portrayed as enemies of God’s people. In fact, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all pronounced judgment against Tyre and Sidon.

And this wasn’t just ancient history. Even in Jesus’ day, Jewish attitudes toward Tyre was hostile. The Jewish historian Josephus, writing in the first century, described the people of Tyre as the Jews’ “bitterest enemies.” So when Mark tells us that Jesus deliberately goes into this region, he’s telling us Jesus is stepping into enemy territory. And we also need to understand this was a place that no self‑respecting Pharisee would dare to go. Even more than that, according to the religious authorities, the Lord was defiling Himself by even making this trip.

Now, it’s very likely that Jesus heads into this area because of the relentless hounding and surveillance of the scribes and Pharisees. And He knows the religious authorities will never follow Him into Tyre and Sidon. Why? Because according to their traditions stepping into Gentile territory would mean defilement. But through this encounter with a gentile woman Jesus is about to demonstrate how wrong they were. He’s about to show that a Gentile woman—the very kind of person the Pharisees would have slandered and written off as unclean—is in fact inwardly clean. Her heart is right before God, and that is what truly matters.” She is going to respond to Jesus in the very manner that the religious leaders should have.

Ok, so Jesus has entered this Gentile region and the end of verse 24 says,

Mark 7:24 NKJV

24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.

A couple of things stand out here. First, notice that Mark specifically mentions Jesus entered a house. This is a repeated pattern in Mark’s Gospel—when Jesus enters a house with His disciples, it often becomes a setting for private instruction. In other words, the public ministry pauses, and the focus shifts to training the Twelve. More than likely, that’s what is happening here.

You see, Jesus has withdrawn into Gentile territory because of the relentless pressure of the Pharisees, and He uses this time to for teach His disciples away from the crowds. In other words, this “hidden” house becomes a classroom for His disciples.

And here’s another detail worth noticing: Jesus isn’t trying to attract attention. Mark tells us, ‘He wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.’ In other words, Jesus is trying to slip away quietly with His disciples. But even here, He cannot remain hidden. The word about Him has already spread. Earlier in Mark’s Gospel we’re told that people from this very region had sought Him out. So when this Gentile woman hears that Jesus is nearby, she knows exactly who He is and what He has been doing. She’s heard of His miraculous healings, and she is determined to get to Him.”

Let’s read on...

Mark 7:25–26 NKJV

25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

First let’s talk about this Gentile woman. Verse 26 says, “the woman was a Greek”. This reference to her as a Greek is most likely a reference to her cultural upbringing. You see, Tyre was a well to do city, and home to many wealthy and highly educated citizens. So when Mark identifies her as a Greek, it’s a clue that she was probably among the upper class—well‑educated and more than likely a woman of means.

So here we have an upper‑class, well‑educated citizen of a wealthy Gentile city—a city, remember, that despised the Jews. And yet this woman comes, and Mark tells us she fell at His feet. What a beautiful picture of humility before the Lord. The wealthy, cultured Greek woman bows before Christ, a poor rabbi from the obscure little town of Nazareth. Everything about this moment runs against her cultural upbringing. A well‑educated Greek would never be expected to fall at the feet of a poor Jewish teacher. And yet she does.

And what a picture of discipleship this is. To follow the Lord Jesus Christ is to go against everything the world holds dear. It is to turn our backs on what the world values and to humbly sit at the feet of the One whom the world despised and rejected.

But this encounter is also a stinging rebuke to the religious leaders from the previous chapter. This is exactly what the scribes and Pharisees should have done—fallen at Jesus’ feet in humility—but they were too blinded by their traditions to recognize their own inner defilement. And yet here is this ‘unclean Gentile’ woman, unclean in every outward way, who is in fact the one who is inwardly before God.”

Now let’s talk about the woman’s problem. Verse 26 tells us that this woman fell at Jesus’ feet, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. Notice that—she didn’t just make a one‑time request. Mark’s wording paints the picture of her asking again and again, pleading with the Lord. She is persistent, determined, unwilling to give up. And yet, at first, Jesus doesn’t seem motivated to help. It’s almost as if He is resisting her, forcing her to press in even harder.

Listen to how the Lord responds to her repeated requests for help.

Mark 7:27 NKJV

27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

Yikes, when we read this verse it sounds insulting. Clearly, the woman in this verse isn’t one of the children. She is one of the little dogs. But I don’t believe Jesus is making a statement about her worth, and I don’t think is He hurling an insult at her. Instead, He’s explaining His priorities. And He uses the picture of a household to make His point. In a family, the children are fed first, and then the pets are fed. In the same way, Jesus is showing that His mission begins with Israel, but it does not end there. The blessings of the kingdom will overflow to the Gentiles as well. So let’s talk more about the children and the little dogs.

Notice Jesus says, ‘Let the children be filled first.’ Clearly, in the broadest sense, the children here are the Jews. Because this woman was not a Jew, she wasn’t counted among the children. As we know, Jesus’ earthly ministry was first directed to the nation of Israel—He was their Shepherd, sent to meet their needs.

But in this particular setting, I think Jesus has a more specific group in mind. Remember, He is in a house alone with His disciples. So when He says, ‘Let the children be filled first,’ He may be referring directly to the Twelve. In other words, His priority in that moment was to feed His disciples by teaching them. And this woman’s persistent requests were, in a sense, interrupting their meal. Notice Jesus says let the children be filled first, and then He gives a reason. He says, “for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs”. In other words, Jesus is saying no family takes the bread off the children’s plate and feeds it to the dogs. The children are filled first, and then the leftovers go to the house pets. And that is what that word translated as little dogs means. That word in the Greek refers to a domesticated dog or house pet perhaps of smaller size. It’s referring to what we would call a little lap dog. So, again Jesus is speaking to this woman about His priorities. He must feed his “children” or disciples first, and to take away their bread and give it to her wouldn’t be appropriate. In the very same way it would be inappropriate to take food off a child’s plate to feed the house pets.

Now listen to how this woman responds, and this is the best part of the passage so make sure you pay attention here.

Mark 7:28 NKJV

28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

First, notice that she calls Him Lord. This is one of the very few times in Mark’s Gospel that someone addresses Jesus this way. The fact that she calls Him Lord and falls at His feet shows the deep esteem and respect she had for Him.

But look at what she says next. She takes the very illustration Jesus used, but she makes the point that the house pets can eat at the same time as the children. She says, ‘Even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.’ In other words, she’s saying, ‘Yes, Lord, I understand the children are fed first. But even the house pets eat at the same time, receiving the crumbs that fall from the table.’

“And what she says makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? I know it makes sense to my wife. Honestly, this might be the only reason she’s glad we have dogs—because they eagerly clean up everything we drop from the dinner table. I’ll confess, my boys and I aren’t exactly the cleanest bunch, and not everything we put on our plates ends up in our mouths. But that’s never a problem, because our loyal hounds are always right there on clean‑up duty, waiting for the crumbs to fall.”

So her point is a simple one. The children eating at the table don’t miss the crumbs that fall, and those crumbs are enough to feed the house pets at the same time. But here is the real takeaway. What a powerful response. She doesn’t argue with Jesus. She doesn’t deny her place in the order. Instead, she says all I need is a crumb. She says, I’m not here to take the children’s food I just need some of the crumbs that fall from the table. You see, by this statement she reveals how strong her faith really is. This woman believes that Jesus’ grace is so abundant that even the crumbs are enough to meet her need. And this is the takeaway.

Even the crumbs of Christ’s grace are enough to satisfy man’s deepest need.

There is something else I don’t want us to miss here as well. Notice what is being eaten in Jesus illustration. Jesus said back in verse 27 that is was not good to take the children’s bread and give it to the little dogs. If you have been paying careful attention, you might have noticed that bread has come up a few different times over our last week lessons. We saw Jesus feed the 5000 with bread. Then the religious authorities show up and accuse Jesus’ disciples of eating bread with defiled hands. And now we see Jesus speaking to this gentile woman about the children’s bread. Now, I think this is important, and I also think the bread symbolizes something here. I’m mean think about it. When Jesus gives these illustration about the children’s bread and she responds about the crumbs, neither one of them are talking about literal bread. In other words, the bread is symbolic for something.

What does the bread symbolize?

Clearly, at least in part, this bread represents the Lord’s teaching and healing ministry to the Jewish people. The Jews were the blessed beneficiaries of Jesus’ earthly ministry, yet this Gentile woman recognized that she, too, could share in that blessing. Her daughter could be healed by this bread.

And this is what makes her faith so remarkable: her confidence in the power and authority of Jesus was so great that she was convinced even a single crumb of His ministry was enough. Just a speck of bread that fell from the children’s table could heal her daughter. In her eyes, the overflow of Christ’s mercy was more than sufficient to meet her desperate need. But that is not the only way this encounter shows us how great this woman’s faith truly was. Let’s read our last two verses.

Mark 7:29–30 NKJV

29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

This woman’s faith was great indeed. Not only did she believe that a crumb from the Lord table was sufficient to meet her needs, apparently she believed that Jesus could heal her daughter without being anywhere near her. Listen to the Lord’s reponse in Matthews account.

Matthew 15:28 NKJV

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Notice Jesus says, “O woman, great is your faith!” What is amazing about this statement is that it is only one of two times in the gospels that Jesus describes a person’s faith as great. And both times He says this, he is speaking to gentiles.

But what does it mean to have great faith? Too often, when we hear the phrase, we assume it refers to believing in a special or more intense way. We have been taught some people ‘really believe’ in their hearts while others only believe in their heads. Don’t bye into that. Nowhere does the Bible say there is a difference between heart faith and head faith. And that isn’t what great faith means. To believe something or to have faith in something is simply believe that it is true. Simply put, we either believe something is true or we don’t.

So, having a great faith is not a special way of believing or ‘really believing.’ When Jesus calls this woman’s faith ‘great,’ He is not praising the intensity of her belief but the content of it. He is commending what she believed about Him. She believed things about Jesus that others did not. She believed that even a crumb from Christ’s table was enough to meet her every need. She believed that He could heal her daughter from a distance.

Most Jewish people didn’t believe these things about Jesus. In fact, I will go even a step further. She believed things about Christ’s mercy that even the disciples did not comprehend yet. Nobody in Mark’s Gospel believed the things that this unclean gentile woman believed. Not to mention that this is the only healing in Mark’s gospel that happens from a distance, and Jesus performs this miracle because of her great faith. In other words, she believes things about Christ’s power, mercy, and grace that even the disciples don’t believe yet.

So, not only did this woman believe that Jesus was the Messiah to the Jewish people, but she also believed that—even as a Gentile—she could receive eternal life through Him. You see, the first thing we must believe about Jesus is that He gives eternal life to whoever believes in Him for that gift. That is step one. That is how we are born again.

But as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ on the pathway of discipleship, we come to believe many things about the Lord Jesus Christ. We grow in our understanding of His grace, mercy, and love. We come to understand that He is coming again to set things right and rule from the throne of David. We begin to realize that Jesus Christ is the coming King who will rule this earth for all eternity. Simply put, as we mature in the faith, we learn more and more about the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is what results in a great faith. A great faith is one that believes many things about our Lord.

Ok, let me summarize some of what we’ve covered today. To the religious authorities in Israel, this woman was defiled and unclean in every way. Not only was she a gentile, but she lived in an area that was so despised that they wouldn’t step foot there. Then add to that, that this woman’s daughter is possessed by an unclean spirit. Everything about this woman’s life screamed unclean.

But oh what great faith she had. You see, this was an object lesson for the disciples, and it drove home the truth that what matters to God is not ritual purity, but the heart. What saved this woman and delivered her daughter was not outward religion but inward faith. She believed things about Jesus that the religious authorities were blinded to, but not only, that she believed things about Jesus the disciples didn’t understand yet.

And how different she is from the Pharisees You see, the Pharisees rejected the bread that Jesus offered because they thought He was unclean. Imagine this, they thought God Himself was defiled for not keeping their religious traditions. Tragically, they couldn’t look past all of their outward rituals and see their Messiah standing right in front of them. That is what religious tradition does. It puts blinders on us, so that we harden our hearts against the truth of God’s word. The Pharisees had the Scriptures, the promises, and the presence of Christ Himself, yet their traditions kept them from believing. Let me put it this way.

Israel’s religious leaders reject the Lord’s bread, but this gentile woman begs for crumbs.

But she learned that crumbs from the Lord’s table are more than enough for any of us. Amen.

One final point and I’m done. I’m convinced that all the religious baggage that the disciples carried around made it harder for them to learn. Trying to overcome all of the legalistic traditions they inherited often made Jesus’ teaching mind boggling to them. But Jesus drives home His teaching with more than words this time. He shows them a person. Jesus sets before them the very picture of uncleanness according to everything they had been taught, and then He declared to her, ‘Great is your faith.’

She was not blinded by tradition. She was able to see clearly who Jesus is—the Messiah of the Jews, but also the merciful Savior who offers eternal life to the whole world. Even to her. Even if all she received was a crumb from His table.

Let us have this kind of faith. Let us look into the word of God that shows us the glory of the Lord. Let us meditate on it, believe every word of it, and cast aside every tradition that contradicts it. Let us grow in the word of God so that we too may have a ‘great faith’. Let’s pray.