The Dogs

Good Morning Church!

Bibles out Mark 7:24-37.

ALSO flip to Matthew 15:21-28…put a place holder there.

The text we are going to be studying this morning…

The first time you read it may be confusing to you…

I remember the fIrst time that I read this section of Mark…

I read it about a year after I placed my faith in Christ…

I was young in my faith and had just really started to study God’s Word…

And this text confused me…and if Im being honest it upset me…

For years I couldn't figure it out…

But when that happens we must immerse ourselves in the scriptures

So that we can have understanding and know why the Lord gave it to us in His word…

So Today we are going dive right into it

A little different approach this morning…

Teach this text not preach this text…

So that we are equipped in both knowing Gods Word and understanding it…

READ MARK 7:24-37…

READ MATTHEW 15:21-28…

There are 2 identities given in this text

Children and Dogs…

In order to understand this text fully we must know who these 2 people are…

Lets look first at the children…

THE CHILDREN

Who are the children…

Well the entire OT tells us who Gods children are…

Jews (the chosen people)

Lots of debate over this today…but I can assure you of 2 absolute biblical facts…

The Jews are Gods chosen people…

Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

2) The Lord places them first in His ministry…

The primary concern of Christs ministry on earth is the Jews (I am sent to the lost sheep of Israel)

He even commands His disciples to place all their focus on the Jews as they are spreading discipling.

Matthew 10:5-8 “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.”

NOTICE: Go to the Jews…preach the kingdom of heaven is at hand (physical kingdom)…perform miracles…

I want to remind us of something that we have already been discussing…

Or if you havnt been with us…in order to understand this text you must first understand this…

The Ministry of Christ…that we are studying here in Mark…and also in Matthew and Luke and John…

This earthly ministry has a purpose…Its a ministry directed to the Jews…TO REVEAL TO THEM THE MESSIAH THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING ON… (this is the BIG PICTURE)

This is the ministry that John the Baptist paved the way for in Mark 1.…”BEHOLD the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (the ultimate sacrifice by the Law of Moses, a prophecy fulfilled)

The only people in the world that understand the significance of a lamb being used in removing sins is the Jews…

SO EVERYTHING JESUS IS DOING IN THE 4 GOSPELS IS TO REVEAL WHO HE IS TO THE JEWS…

THE PROMISED MESSIAH

HEAR ME—-Christ died for all (comes to take away the sins of the world)…but this ministry that we are seeing (signs, miracles, apostolic workings and power) has a sole purpose to let the Jews know their Messiah is here

Remember the verse in Matthew 10…Go to only Jews…tell them their Messiah has come to set up His Kingdom on earth…And when they want proof (and they will, they have been asking for signs and miracles since exodus)

SHOW THEM THE SIGNS AND MIRACLES I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU (Do the miracles: heal, cleanse, raise, cast out devils)

SO we must see biblically that the purpose of the earthly ministry of Jesus…to show the Jews He is the promised Messiah…and He has come to rescue Gods people just as promised as well as the world…

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”

To the Jew first…

v27 LET THE CHILDREN FIRST BE FILLED

This again shows us a time line of Gods plan and communication with His people…THEY ARE FIRST…

We can see this biblically as well…

98% of the OT is written to who??? Jews!!!

Then you get to the 4 gospels…which is the Lord coming down to show the Jews all of the promises He gave them in the OT are being filled by Him…

That they will literally see what God promised to their ancestor Abraham…that all the nations of the world will be blessed through the Jews!!!

That through the line of their great King David…a child will be born…and that child will be Hosanna (God with us!) (Christmas is coming up when we celebrate this!!)

Children (Jews)…Father is Home…He has come to fill your plate…feed you with His word…

So the children being spoken about here…the children at the table…are the 12 tribes of Israel…it is the Jews.

So if the Jews are the “children”…

Who are the dogs?????

THE DOGS

The bible says that this is a SYROPHENICIAN woman

This means that this woman was SYRIAN…from Syria

And that she was from the Phoenician region of Syria

This is modern day Lebanon…

A GREEK

These people originated from the Canaanites…so this was a Canaanite woman…

These were a dangerous, wicked, idolatrous people whom the Lord had cursed

DOGS to the Jews were seen as one of the most unclean animals…

They were dangerous and dirty…like a Canaanite…

SO THIS WOMAN…this Canaanite woman…

A dirty, dangerous, idol worshipping, pagan…

Has come to Jesus…crying to Him to save her daughter from a demon…

An in Matthews account…He ignores her…

And after she continues to cry out…he looks at her and says…

“I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel”

HE SAYS…IM HERE FOR THE CHILDREN…TO FEED THEM

Its not fitting to take the bread for the children…and feed it to the dogs…

He calls her a dog...

Here is what we have to come to terms with though Church is this…

This woman…IS A GENTILE…

This woman…is us…

HE IS CALLING THE GENTILES…THE DOGS…

The first time I read this section of text…my jaw hit the floor…

“Wait a second…WHAT!?!?!?”

In a nutshell here is what I heard the first time I read this…

A gentile (thats me)…cried out to Jesus for help…

And He said “I am here for my children…you are not a child of mine….but a dog…and I don’t give whats meant for the children to the dogs”

ANYBODY IN HERE OFFENDED???

NOW It can be easy to be led astray here…many bible teachers have this wrong and can lead people astray here…

You might read a commentary that calls this text a “parable” or a “metaphor”…

That Jesus wasn't really calling this woman a dog…He wouldn't do that…

We just watched Him do it…

He tells this woman…YOU ARE NOT MY CHILD…

In this time…If you weren't a Jew…living under the Law of Moses…Gods Law…

You were unclean and not one of Gods people…

This is an unclean gentile…a dog…

BUT NOTICE AGAIN…what He says in Mark 7:27…

“Let the children first be filled (satisfied)…”

See the timeline…”to the Jew first…and then the Gentile”

Jesus isn't saying NO…no dog I wont feed you…

He is saying NOT YET…its not your time yet

Jesus knows whats coming…

The children are going to reject Him…

They are given a full plate and like disobedient children…they reject the meal…

That hasn't happened yet here in chapter 7…

But its coming…and the Lord knows its coming…it was prophesied about…

And that moment comes…when the children reject their King and crucify Him…

And when that happens…the Lord sends word to the gentiles…come and eat at my table!!!!

He sends a man named Paul…to proclaim Jesus as Lord and only way to salvation….

Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to him (Annanias), Go your way: for he (Paul) is a chosen vessel to Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”

But this hasn’t happened yet…

So the focus is still on the Jews…the plan is still being played out…prophecy must still be fulfilled…

Lets go back to Matthew 15…verse 24-27

This woman still has a problem…her daughter is still in need and she is not relenting…

She keeps coming back to Him “Lord help me”

I want you to notice a few things here about the woman…

-She knows He is the promised Messiah “Son of David”

-She knows Jesus is Lord “Calls Him by name”

But still Jesus doesnt budge…

Its not fitting He says to give what I have for the children of Israel to a Gentile

To a dog,…to the unclean

See this…the woman doesn't get offended…”YOU CALL ME A DOG?!?!?!” why?

Because she knows who she is standing before!!!

Look at her response Matthew 15:27!

TRUTH! I am a dog…She agrees with the word of God!!!

I am unclean, I am a dog…

And she agrees...I dont belong at your table…I dont deserve your bread!!!

BUT…YOU ARE THE MASTER OF ALL…INCLUDING THE DOGS…

And some of the crumbs of your bread fall from your table…

And the dog eats of the crumbs…

She tells Jesus…I JSUT WANT A CRUMB FROM YOU LORD…

Ill eat a small portion…Ill eat it from the floor if I have to…

I know what your bread does…

Look at Jesus’s Response…V28 (O Woman) (No longer a dog identity)

Great is your faith…

And He heals her daughter as she asked…

She came humbly…in accordance with Gods word..knowing her true identity (a unclean dog)

And knowing Jesus’s true identity…

A GENTILE CAME KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT NO PHARISEE HAS KNOWN OR UNDERSTOOD SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JESUS’S MINISTRY…

THAT SHE IS A SINNER IN NEED OF A SAVIOR…AND THAT JESUS IS THAT SAVIOR (GOD IN THE FLESH) AND COULD PROVIDE SALVATION…

AND SHE [PLACED ALL HER FAITH IN HIM!!!

SHE COMES AS A SINNER…BOWING AT HIS FEET…STOOPING UNDER HIS TABLE…

BEGGING HIM…GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER…

BECAUSE ITS ALL I WIKLL EVER NEED!!!

CHURCH… FAITH GETS YOU A SEAT AT GOD’S TABLE!!!!

Pray!!!