May 26, 2010
Crumbs
Mark 7:24-37
Jennie Marx
Central Truth
We should never be so focused on ministry that we lose sight of compassion.
Key Verse | 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.” (Mark 7:28)
Mark 7:24-37
The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith
24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 1 7:24 Some manuscripts omit 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 had 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. 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 Heals a Deaf Man
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus 2 7:36 Greek he charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Dive Deeper | Mark 7:24-37
So, The Journey asks people to write devotionals that deal with verses that “dog” even the most learned of theologians. Mark 7 makes Jesus look like He’s decided to take His toys and play elsewhere, even calling some poor Gentile woman a dog! Hmmm? Providentially, the whole of Scripture shows me that the Jesus I know wouldn’t hurl insults at a hurting person.
I think the Lord is highly frustrated and needs a break. The very people He’s come to save, the Jews, won’t budge. The Pharisees think the traditions of men are more important than the heart of God. Perhaps His “I-only-have-so-many-hours-in-the-day” response but subsequent follow-through to her persistence is simply a teaching opportunity to show His disciples (and us) that compassion reaches beyond our “normal business hours” of ministry.
I appreciate where Jesus is coming from. I teach in an elementary school full of disadvantaged students. They often don’t make the choices that would make their lives better. They keep running on the wheel of ignorance and poverty taking them nowhere. Still I have to teach like my hair is on fire. I’m tired at the end of the day, but my job is about those kids and helping them make sufficient growth by the end of the year. I don’t have time for the teacher down the hall in the midst of a marital crisis. I can’t find time to help the teacher around the corner living paycheck-to-paycheck who can’t seem to get ahead. I have lost sight of the reason I'm here. They are just as lost as my babies who can’t read. They are the “dogs” that feed on the crumbs of my ministry.
Jesus once again proves to be the perfect example of how it's done. He finds time and energy to serve the Syrophoenician woman and the deaf man. People are compelled to say, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (Mark 7:37).
I stand refocused and exhorted.
Discussion Questions
1. Is there someone in need of your crumbs—a note of encouragement or a phone call of prayer?
2. Are you so goal-oriented in your ministry that you have forgotten compassion outside of it?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. When you hear news that is exciting or amazing, what do you do?
2. How did the crowd respond to the healing of the deaf man?
3. This week, pay extra attention to what God is doing in your life and the lives of those around you, and write them down. Then, take time this weekend as a family to share all the amazing things you saw God do.