Crumby Faith: Daily Thoughts from Mark (Mark 7:24-30)

Does it sometimes feel like the only way to get your requests of God answered is to have someone really spiritual pray them for you, or say the requests the right way, or be holy enough to deserve an answer?  Neither of these is God’s answer to getting His answers.

Jesus demonstrates this in his interaction with a woman who has a deeply urgent request of him that she takes directly to Jesus, without resting on her personal holiness or her own eloquence at presenting the request.

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. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 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.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. (Mark 7:24-30, ESV) 

Jesus has gone to a largely Gentile (non-Jewish) area north of Israel (modern day Lebanon) but even here he is known.  A Gentile woman comes and begs him to cast a demon out of her daughter.  Jesus’ answer says three things:

(1) Jesus’ primary mission was to Israel.  He did not intend, and God the Father did not call on him, to reach the Gentiles at this time.

(2) But his message and salvation would go to the Gentiles after this.  That is the meaning of the word “first.”  As we know, Jesus charged his disciples with taking the gospel to all nations.  The Old Testament repeatedly indicated that the Gentiles were to share in Israel’s salvation.  But it had to be offered to Israel first.  Paul follows this same order when he preaches in any new place, going to the synagogue first, then to the Gentiles.

(3) Jesus was testing the woman’s faith and she demonstrated strong faith, and so got her request.  What seems a purposeful put down was in fact an opportunity for her to show her understanding and make her plea.

God invites us to “wrestle” with Him in prayer, reasoning with Him and making our case.  This demonstrates our faith.  He isn’t asking us to jump through hoops. He is expanding our knowledge and developing our trust.