Channels of Grace - Mark 7:24-30

 

CHANNELS of GRACE

Mark 7:24-30

Introduction: We talked quite a bit over the past couple of years about our first mission field: the people God has sovereignly and strategically put in our lives; our friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers, our oikos, that is, our extended household.  Our most fundamental responsibility is to love them and pray for them. and to point them to Jesus. We see an example of this as we continue our study of Mark.

       This beautiful scene shows a mother, a gentile woman, seeking Jesus, and pleading desperately and persistently for Him to help her daughter. The mother’s love for her child is evident, as is her faith that Jesus could deliver her daughter. The story continues to answer the question: Who is this Jesus? Who but God could answer the petition of this woman in the way that Jesus does! Why did He come? Implicit in the story is the answer to that question as well, and it wasn’t only to heal and cast out demons. It was to fulfill the promise of a Rescuer who could reconcile us, people of every race and nation, to God, by laying down His life for us.  And what does it mean to follow Him? It means believing Him, trusting Him, taking Him at His word, entrusting ourselves to Him.

The Context: Jesus had been disputing with the Pharisees regarding spiritual “uncleanness,” teaching that what defiles humans is not what we eat or drink, but what comes from within, from our heart. Almost to underscore what He had taught, Jesus travels now into a gentile region, to a place filled with people who would have been considered “unclean” by the leaders of the Jews. Here He continues to teach His disciples, and also a gentile woman who comes to Him on behalf of her daughter.

The BIG Idea: As we humbly persist in praying for the needs of others, God will hear, even as He is changing us and growing our faith.

I.  Look out to the world: Divine Appointments can come in unexpected places and with unlikely people (24-26). Always be ready to point others to Jesus!

²⁴ And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.  ²⁵ But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.  ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 

      Jesus could not be hidden (24)! It seems that Jesus wanted to disengage for a time from the ongoing conflict with the religious leaders of the Jews. The scribes and Pharisees were seemingly watching every move that Jesus and his disciples were making and looking for a reason to accuse them.  God had a plan, and a timetable to implement it. There was no doubt that Jesus would have a climactic confrotation with the leaders in Jerusalem at Passover, but that time was not yet. So, Jesus withdraws, heading away from Jewish territory to the Mediterranean coast, to the gentile city of Tyre. We’re told he “entered a house,” seemingly with the intention of keeping a low profile. The disciples might have thought they were going to finally get that rest they had been waiting for since Jesus sent them out on the lake (and into a storm!) in chapter 6! Several planned retreats had already been cancelled due to ministry demands. Would they finally have some quiet time on the coast? A Mediterranean vacation? No, not yet!

       As happened wherever He went, word got out that Jesus was there. In some ways this scene is reminiscent of the encounter with the Gadarene demoniac back in Mark 5. At the end of chapter 4 the disciples were struggling against the storm, and Jesus slept in the boat. They woke Him, he rebuked the storm with a word, and then rebuked the disciples for their fear and lack of faith. When they arrived at their destination, He healed the demoniac, and then they wound up getting back in the boat and leaving. The whole ministry on that trip apparently focused on one person! Here, in this scene, as far as we know, as in that case, Jesus seemingly traveled to this region to meet with this one person, this time a gentile woman. Another divine appointment. Immediately after this encounter Jesus departs for the region of Decapolis. God is interested in every soul, and He coordinates such encounters, such “divine appointments.” This scene is also reminiscent of the dialog between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4. In a context where Jews fail to recognize Jesus, a “foreigner” expresses faith.

       By the way, it is a good thing, as we are strategically deployed by God in our families and in our neighborhoods, that Jesus cannot be hidden. He is building His church, and we are His witnesses, laborers for the harvest! As God is drawing people to Himself, opening their hearts to believe, He will use regular people like us, with our flaws and our weaknesses, to bring the Word of Life to those who will believe. Does that amaze you? Think about it: the God who created the universe has chosen to use us as He carries out His mission – what a privilege we have!

      Jesus alone can meet the deepest need of all people (25). Jesus withdrew to this gentile town of Tyre and entered a house. We don’t have any clues as to whether it was a Jewish or gentile home. We don’t know if it was someone who had already met Jesus and at least been intrigued by His teaching, or someone who simply was showing eastern hospitality to some strangers. All we know is that someone opened their home and allowed Jesus and his close group of disciples to enter. Quickly, a mother hears he is there and “immediately” comes seeking help for her desperately needy daughter. Notice that this mother comes pleading, begging Jesus to help her daughter. I think any parent can empathize with the mother here. Her child was possessed by a demon, no one else could help, but she believed Jesus could. So, she came, asking, begging, for help.

      God’s grace extends to all nations (26a). “Now the woman was a gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth…” This woman was not a Jew. She is identified as a gentile, a Syrophoenician. All four of the Gospels make it clear that Jesus came first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but also show that the goal of his ministry was always to save a remnant from every race and nation. It was necessary for the sons of Israel to first consider, and then reject, their promised Messiah. Don’t miss this: the Cross was not a “plan B,” it was always God’s plan for Jesus to give himself as our substitute, laying down His life so that we could be reconciled to God. As Peter would preach to his countrymen on the day of Pentecost, “…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men…” (Acts 2:23, ESV). As sin extended to all humans by the transgression of Adam (Rom 5:12) so salvation would be offered to all because of the obedience of Christ.

     If the Lord delays in answering our prayers, it may be to allow us to express and grow our faith (26b). “She begged Him…” Some translations say she “…kept asking Him…” which conveys the idea of persistent, ongoing petition. This fits with Matthew’s account of this story in that he reports that at first Jesus did not even answer her cries for help. Why would Jesus delay? Why does He delay at times in answering our prayers? Have you heard it said that prayer changes things?  Usually by that statement we mean that God works through the prayers of His people. Both Scripture and experience support that idea. But prayer also changes us. As we cry out to God for help He will use those times to grow our faith, and to show our trust in Him to people around us. It is both “training” and “testimony”! Have you ever had unbelieving friends or family ask you to pray when facing a time of crisis? It is also true that as we pray for people in our extended family, our oikos, that our heart will change, our love for them will deepen. That leads us back to the BIG Idea, As we humbly persist in praying for the needs of others, God will hear, even as He is changing us and growing our faith.

II.  Look up to the Lord: He Delights in testing us, to grow and deepen our faith (27-30). God’s mercy and grace overflow to those who recognize their need.

²⁷ And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."  ²⁸ But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."  ²⁹ And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."  ³⁰ And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

       Jesus responds to the woman’s pleading with a Shocking Statement (27). First, remember that Jesus knows the heart of all people. Even as she falls before Him and pleads with Him to help her daughter, Jesus knows her heart, and He know what she needs to learn and grow through this meeting. Yes, to be sure Jesus came first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel! Notice the word “first” (v.27). Jesus tells the woman to wait. Could it be that He is referring to the fact that He came to present Himself first to Israel, knowing that He would be rejected by Israel and handed over to the Romans to be crucified?  The gentile mission was coming, it was part of God’s plan, but it wasn’t yet time for the mission to the nations to begin.  The Jews had to decide: What would they do with Jesus? Would they have this man to be their king?  The answer was inevitable… He was, after all, the Passover-King, the Servant-King, the Righteous Sufferer spoken of by the prophets, the Lamb who by His sacrifice would take away the sin of the world.

       But doesn’t His language sound harsh? It was time for the children to eat, it wouldn’t be right to throw their bread to the dogs! Actually, the language was a little gentler than it sounds.  Most “dogs” would be scavengers that lived on the streets, wild, and sometimes fierce. The word that Jesus uses is a diminutive form, “little dogs.” It would be used to refer to small, household pets that would be found in some gentile, and even some Jewish homes. It’s only a clue, but I wonder if this might be telling us a little about the setting for this encounter. Remember Jesus had arrived in Tyre and entered a house. We don’t have any information about the family, and nothing about Jesus’ expression or body language as he makes this statement to the woman. Could it be that he spoke with a smile, with a twinkle in his eye, even looking over to some children sitting at the table, and their little dog underneath it by their feet? We don’t know. We do know that often as Jesus used parables to teach He referred to things from everyday life, things the hearers could see even as he spoke. At least this woman didn’t feel rebuked or rejected by Jesus’ answer, but she is encouraged to take the analogy a step further!

        The woman, not put off by Jesus’ parable, but somehow encouraged, answers Jesus with a Savvy Response (28): We deserve nothing from the Master’s hand. The woman answers Jesus, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” H.A. Ironside reflected on the humility and faith expressed the woman’s response to Jesus…

It was as much as to say, “Lord, I recognize the fact that I am just a poor, outcast Gentile, but, Lord, give me some of the crumbs that the children of the kingdom are refusing; allow me to take the place even of a puppy under the table and so obtain mercy at Thy hand.” Nothing appealed to our blessed Lord more than faith coupled with humility.

There was no defensiveness, she wasn’t offended by the Lord’s words, rather she persisted, humbly accepting the analogy, and turning it into a plea for mercy. 

        Jesus responds with a Show of Compassion (29,30): God delights in blessing humble, persistent faith. Jesus answers, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."  Think about what this shows about Jesus and about this woman.  What was she expecting? That Jesus would go with her to her daughter, and rebuke the demon? We’ve seen Jesus show authority over disease and demons in Mark, but so far, it has always been when He was physically present. Now He tells this woman, “Go, she is free!” It took faith for the woman to leave, what if Jesus was wrong? If she went home and had to come back, Jesus could be gone! But she believed Him. She had faith. And think about the authority of Christ in this scene. He doesn’t need to be there, He doesn’t even need to say anything, He simply wills it, and it is done. The demon is gone, that is it. Who is this Jesus? He is Lord, our Great God and Savior. He reigns!

What is God saying to me in this passage? As we humbly persist in praying for the needs of others, God will hear, even as He is changing us and growing our faith.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

     1) Let’s look outward… Renew our commitment to pray for the people around us, our friends, relatives and neighbors.  Eternity is at stake. We have talked a lot about it: Our first mission field is our Jerusalem, starting right where we are. We all can commit to pray for, and as God gives opportunity, to witness to and invite, the people God has sovereignly and strategically placed in our lives.

     2) And yes, Let’s look upward… we have a part in God’s Mission! Are you praying daily for the 8 to 15 people in your extended household, your oikos? Don’t give up, consider the example of this woman who persisted in pleading with the Lord to set her daughter free from spiritual bondage!  Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Could it be that the Lord is working on you and me, growing our faith, drawing us closer to Him, even as we wait to see Him answer our prayers?   

       Let’s pray, knowing that we might be the one God would use to reach the very one for whom we are praying! Let’s not miss the opportunities God puts before us, may our eyes be open to see the fields, white for the harvest!

       What does it mean to follow Jesus? Remember that God will use us, and He will work in us as He does. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19  that “…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” That reconciliation was made possible through the Cross. 

       3) And let's look inward, as we celebrate the Lord’s table let’s reflect on what He did for us, and rejoice in His amazing grace. God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! That is Good News, and that message has been entrusted to us. The Apostle John wrote, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God, and such we are!" (I John 3:1).  AMEN.