Come, follow me // #19 - Jesus and a Gentile woman (Mark 7:24-30)

Jesus, left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.

He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it yet.

He could not keep his presence Secret.

In fact, as soon as she heard about him a woman, whose little

daughter was possessed by an imp, your spirit came and fell

at his feet. The woman was a Greek born in

Syria and Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the

demon out of her daughter. First, let the children eat all

they want. He told her for it is not right

to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.

Lord, she replied even the dogs under the table, eat the

children's crumbs. Then he told her for such a

reply, you may go, the demon has left your daughter, she went

home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Okay. So as we start a quick question,

have you ever gone away somewhere to try and get like a

break or a relax? And just chill out.

And then for whatever reason, that doesn't happen.

So you go away with the intention of like chilling out

or you skiver period of school, just about to get a bit of a

relaxed or whatever. Not that one ever happen.

I'm sure. And then you just not been able

to relax in the way that you thought you would.

So the most extreme example, I could think of was my mom and

dad for their honeymoon are very valleys honeymoon.

They went to West Wales to go to a caravan in pembrokeshire and

it was really lovely. The first few days were great,

they got on really well with the family in the Caravan next to

them until two or three days until the honeymoon, when the

husband of that family died of a heart attack.

And so my mom and dad spent their third or fourth night of

their married life on the sofas, in the front room of their

Caravan with two random children on the floor.

The next them and the wife of this guy in their bed and they

spent the next day or so consoling them, sorting them

out, that's not the honeymoon. You expect is it?

That's not what you want. When you go away for a

honeymoon, have you ever gone away somewhere to try and just

relax? Chill out and not happened?

Well, in this section of mark, That's What It Seems like what

happens to Jesus and his disciples, they seem to want to

go away to try and Escape something or whatever.

And Mark, writes it to sound like that that there's this

Interruption that kind of ruins this planned Escape.

But what we're going to see today is that Jesus deliberately

takes his disciples into this situation, to teach them stuff

about him about God's heart and God's mission for the world.

We're going to jump straight into it.

I like to have headings to just help me follow my way through

the stories, is going to retell the story.

In B. So the first thing we're going

to see is An unusual Journey, Plessy, an unusual Journey

starts in verse 24. So jesus takes his disciples

away. There are some hints as to why

you might have done that. Maybe us running away from the

Pharisees. He's just been fighting with

last week. Maybe that's because he's, he

wants to get away from Herod who sort of a bit grumpy in the

background. There were not sure and he takes

them into the region of Tyre. Now that might not mean a lot to

most of us geographically but for Mark's original readers,

that would have been a massive surprise.

The region of Tyre I've got are giving us a map.

So Jesus would have started just north of Galilee there and they

traveled up to the region of Tyre around there.

So there's tire and their side and there are some towns that

come up in Jesus is hanging around this area and this area

is an area that was famously anti-israel.

These had a history of being the enemies of God's people.

So Old Testament prophets like Ezekiel and Zakaria, they

criticize and slag off the wealth of Tyre and sidon and the

terror that they're always bringing upon Israel.

And the Jewish historian, Josephus said that the people of

Tyre were notoriously, our bitterest enemies.

This is a weird place for Jesus to go to.

And on top of that tire was incredibly Pagan that means that

they didn't worship. Just the one God like Israel

did. But instead, they worship and

sacrifice to a whole host of different idols and false gods.

It was probably the most taken place a Jewish person would ever

come across So, for example, this is where the famous Old

Testament. Queen Jezebel came from, so

Jezebel in the Old Testament, she came from this region and

she was the queen that really big tup Baal Worship in Israel

and caused Israel to run away from God a lot.

In the section before this. If you remember last week Jesus,

we've been talking to the Pharisees about being clean or

unclean while this area was about as unclean a place as it

was possible for a Jewish person to go.

And yet, that is where jesus takes his disciples.

Jews would not have gone there. If they could help it, but this

is where Jesus took them sometimes.

Jesus will lead his people places.

They would never imagine God, wanting them to go so that God

can show the lengths. His grace is willing to go to

Maybe there's someone here this morning who's feeling God lead

them in a direction to a place that they would never expect God

to want them to go. Sometimes God loves to take us

on unusual, Journeys to display parts of his character in

unusual places. So anyway, they're gone unusual

journey and the end up in a house verse 24.

And they don't want anybody else to know that they're there, but

it isn't long before they get an unwelcome visitor in verses 25

and 26, an unwelcome visitor and however, know where this woman

appears and she falls on her knees at Jesus's feet.

Now to check, his been paying attention the last few weeks.

Can anybody remember who the last person in Mark's gospel was

who fell at Jesus feet? I know.

One dares risk, it. Do they It wasn't it was just

before the bleeding woman but well done.

She touches his hem, we assumed that it was gyrus.

Remember, gyrus back in chapter 5, he does the same thing and if

you remember gyrus, he's a synagogue leader.

He was an important Jewish, man. Well, this person couldn't have

been any more different to gyrus Of all of the people who come to

Jesus in Mark's gospel. This woman has got the most

going against her the way Mark describes her in verse 26 is

kind of like a crescendo where he builds worse and worse things

on top of each other. So firstly, she's a woman in

this culture. Women were considered less

important than men and the idea of a woman coming up to an

important teacher and demanding their attention.

Well, that was just unheard of Secondly, she's a Greek Gentile,

so she's not one of God's chosen, special people third and

perhaps even worse. She was a from Syria and

Phoenicia. She is one of these pagan

people, even Levi, the tax collector hanging around with

Jesus, would have raised his eyebrows at this woman.

Culturally, she is the most unwelcome visitor that they

could have had. In the disciples eyes, she is

got everything going against her.

But she's got a desperate. Need her little daughter has

been possessed by an evil spirit and somehow she knows that the

only one who can help her is Jesus.

So as unwelcome as she knows, she might be, she comes to

Jesus, she falls at his feet, and she begs him to drive the

demon out of her daughter. What good news for her daughter?

A father mom like this. This daughter had no hope on her

own, but with a mum, she had hope j.c.

Ryle a bishop for Liverpool. In the 1800's said it like this

hopeless and desperate. As her case that appeared, she

had a Praying Mother and where there is a Praying Mother, there

is always hope But they sort of seems fairly familiar for us to

Mark, right? So far, people come to Jesus

asking for help and Jesus helps them us, just what happens

again, and again and again with us healing whether it's demons,

whatever it is. Jesus helps people, which makes

what happened next? Come fairly out of the blue

because next, we see Jesus give an unexpected response and this

is where we're going to spend a fair bit of time.

I've hurried to get to this point because I'm going to spend

a fair bit of time in these verses because they're worth

explaining because they can look a little bit baffling to start

with. Have a look at verse 27.

First, let the children eat all they want.

He told her for his not right, to take the children's bread and

toss it to the docks. Street.

Again, first that the children eat all they want front is not

right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.

What is happening here? What's going on?

This is doesn't seem like the Jesus.

I know. Is this a bit of misogyny

kicking in? Where's the Jesus?

I know and love gun. If Peter had been live tweeting

this interaction. Can you imagine the Uproar?

This looks awful. And it truth, it doesn't seem to

get better as we explain what's going on.

Because This Woman's come to Jesus, she's asked for help, and

he seems to say to her. Who do you think you are?

I came to minister to, to feed the children of Israel.

I can't give you what's rightfully theirs.

And he uses only a little Parable, a picture story, a

little Parable to explain what he means.

So to put it in, modern terms. Imagine I asked ether what her

favorite food was now. She'd say salad, first of all,

which is a lie, but a weird thing she's got into doing at

the moment, after you push through that, she'd eventually

admit it was probably pizza and chips and meatballs something

like that. Maybe not altogether.

So now imagine I tell her, I'm going to make you that meal.

I'm going to make that meal and I can let a smell it as Sizzling

stuff away. And then I call it to the table

and I serve the food up in front of a give, thanks.

And I let her smell it and see it.

And then I take out from front of her and throw it into Remy's

food, bowl a dog. That would be incredibly cruel,

wouldn't it be horrible thing for me to do?

But that's what Jesus seems to say him helping this woman will

be doing. He seems to say I came to give

food to the nation of Israel and they haven't finished eating.

So he seems to say wouldn't be right to serve you some food.

And he calls her a dog. You notice that if I were to

describe any of you here as a bit of a dog, that wouldn't be.

Okay, you should tell me off. Well, it was the same in Jesus's

day as well. Almost every Old Testament.

Passage that describe dogs shows how much Jews hate dogs or at

least it did then they were unclean animals because they are

rubbish and dead things and it was how Jewish people often

referred to non-jewish people Gentile dogs.

It was the right metaphor in their heads, but people who are

regarded as ignorant Godless unclean Pagan Idol worshippers.

So, it's not what Jesus is doing here.

Is this how Jesus means it? Is he being mean to this woman.

Is he calling all of those things unclean?

Ignorant, Etc. While I think looking at it in

context and Mark and given that you had this big argument last

week with the Pharisees about clean and unclean things.

He can't exactly teach against their view of that but agree

with them on their idea of clean and unclean people.

That wouldn't make sense. It doesn't tie in with what

Jesus is doing. It's also the English

translation. Apparently, I'm not a Greek

person. It doesn't help us here because

the word that Jesus uses for dog.

Isn't the same word, but they would have used to mean dirty

Street dogs. In the insulting way, instead,

this is a word for a little dog that they would have had as

pets. So we're just beginning to get

pets like this under their tables in these days.

And if you like Jesus uses the word doggie rather than Street

dog. The little doggie, not wild

Street mangy Mutt and I feel completely different about a

house pet than I do to wild dogs.

The fact that she even uses that word back about herself shows

that she doesn't take this as a rude insult.

This isn't Jesus being mean and cruel here, she uses that same

word to hear, you're right? She's doesn't think that he's

being mean, instead, what Jesus is doing here, is he's teaching

his disciples and us about God's mission in the whole world.

You see all through the Old Testament.

God has revealed himself exclusively, almost to the

Jewish people to the nation of Israel.

They were his special people, his chosen possession.

That Psalm that Joel started with says that in the final few

verses about Israel being where God has shown himself, only

Israel had the temple and the sacrifices and if anybody wanted

to come to God, well they had to come through them alone.

They would have to be adopted into the nation of Israel.

And so, what Jesus is talking about is whether the Messiah,

she's just a word. Meaning God's promised King was

is going to be sent to the children, the nation of Israel

or to the doggies, everyone else.

And what were meant to do is we read.

This is where men to imagine the disciples response.

Listen to them listening to this and go.

Well, of course, they're going to think that we know the answer

to this. The Messiah sent to Israel.

We're better than these guys. Send this woman away.

She doesn't deserve your time Jesus.

And so Jesus speaks to this woman from the perspective of

the disciples. Jesus speaks to her using the

disciples thoughts from their perspective he says what they're

really thinking. He holds his words up as a

mirror to them to show them just how wrong they are.

But he also leaves a little glimpse of Hope, doesn't he?

And this woman hears it that word.

First first, let the little children eat all they want.

Oh well, if there's a first but then there's a second and yes,

God's mission to the world has always been going to come, as

always going to begin with a nation of Israel, but somehow

she understands God's ultimate Mission.

Better than God's people did. She knows that the nation of

Israel were always meant to be a light to the whole world.

God told Abraham that back in Genesis.

He said through I will bless those who bless you speaking to

Abraham and whoever curses you. I will curse and all peoples on

Earth will be blessed through you.

And then several hundred years later.

God says, speaking about this promised messiah in the prophet,

Isaiah it's too small a thing for you to be my servant and to

restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel.

I've kept I will also make you a light to the Gentiles the my

salvation May reach to the ends of the Earth.

She knows that the mercies of God were always meant to be for

more than just the nation of Israel.

Oh, she accepts his rails privilege, they had a history of

privilege and they got the Messiah in them.

First of all, it's just that she understands the purples purpose

of Israel's Messiah, far better than Israel does.

They're privileged sadly had turned into elitism.

Perhaps a bit of racism, thinking they were better than

everybody else. They hadn't understood that all

the nations on Earth were meant to be blessed through them.

The priority of Israel in Jesus's mission doesn't mean

that the Gentiles are completely excluded.

And Jesus gives her that hope that first let the children eat

all they want. It shows a priority of mission,

but it doesn't mean no one else can eat.

These doggies, remember our house pets, they belong to the

household and they will be fed. And who's going to feed them?

Or the father of the house, who in this?

Parable is clearly Jesus. And so this woman takes Jesus

words and she uses them back to him at a great thing to do in

Prayer. By the way, when you don't know

what to pray, when you're baffled by what God is doing,

take what he said until it back to him.

Great thing to do. But Jesus opens the door, a

crack with that word first. And she runs straight in verse

28, Lord, she replied even the dogs under the table, eat the

children's crumbs. She says, yes, Lord, by all

means Feed the Children, all they want, I'll take crumbs.

I don't need all the food. I just want Crumbs from you.

She gets it and she knows that Jesus has got more than enough

food to feed Israel and feed her too.

When well trained dogs. Eat Crumbs from the table?

They're not stealing their children's food.

They simply what's left over and falls off.

If you want, an example of this, kind of a meal at our house,

Remy will largely leave you alone during the meal, probably,

but when you leave and if you've drop crumbs, he's on it, he'll

be there and we'll Feast depending on how messy you are.

See, Jesus, this woman, understands that Jesus's mission

was first, and foremost to Israel into the Jews.

But that doesn't mean exclusively the Jews.

And she's got the face to see that.

Even she and undeserving dog will get a blessing from Jesus

if she's simply comes to him. She sees the even and

undeserving dog will get blessing from Jesus by simply

coming to him. Which is incredible, isn't it?

For this woman to understand Israel's priority, and also its

Mission all along along with the nature of God and his love, for

the Whole World in His desire, to bless it through his promise

King. she's got nothing going for and she understands all this

And so she comes and with no other Hope, just gives it All to

Jesus and falls on an easel is feet and demonstrates.

Her faith. But Jesus knew this woman's

heart. This doesn't come as a surprise

to Jesus. This is why he talks to her like

this. He isn't dissing her.

He isn't being cruel. This isn't a random change of

character in a grumpy tired. Jesus easy to read it that way,

but we don't get to hear how he said it.

We don't get to see the smile on his face as he says this.

Nor do we get the disciples response.

But Jesus has this conversation with this woman for them.

He's teaching them and us something about their hearts and

the unexpected places in the unexpected length and depths the

kingdom of God, is going to go. While she may have been an

unwelcome guest to the disciples but not to Jesus.

And this all ends with an unlikely result in verses 29 and

30. Verse 29 then he told her for

such a reply, you may go, the demon has left your daughter,

she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the

demon gone. Sobbing seen this woman's faith

in him, even with everything going against her Jesus, grants

her request. If I incredibly, it's only in

Gentile areas where Jesus heals people without having to go to

them in Jewish places, he has to go to the trial, to he, like,

viruses daughter for example, here, don't even need to see her

in trust him, but he grants her request, she gives everything

over to Jesus and his mercy and he isn't disappointed.

She goes home and a daughter is healed.

The demons left. Her But that's not the unlikely

result. I've sort of lied when I said

it's about verse 29 and 30 because it was always Jesus's

mission for the Gentiles to come to know him and his power and

it's not unlikely to see Jesus. Healing people who ask for

healing this was God's plan all along.

Jesus wasn't trying to push this woman away with all this.

He was wanting to demonstrate to the disciples that real Faith

doesn't have to come from, within Israel.

Know, the unlikely result here is that this unclean woman this

greek-speaking Gentile. I'll this syrophoenician Pagan

she is the first person in Mark's gospel to do two

incredible things firstly. She's the first person in Mark's

gospel to understand one of Jesus Parables.

The first person no one's got it so far.

No one understood this at all and secondly, she's the first

person in Mark to understand who Jesus is She's the first person

to understand his Parables and she's the first person to

understand, who he really is, look what she calls him in verse

28. Lord.

It's not till chapter 8, that Pete is going to call him that.

And he's been with him all the time.

She gets it. She knows who he is as a gentile

woman, she's a true Israelite. She sees who Jesus is and who he

came to save before? Anyone else in the gospel?

She understands a parable and she understands who Jesus is.

This parable of the children and the dogs has revealed truths

about God's kingdom to her in a way that nobody else has

understood it yet. She enters into that.

Parable doesn't. She know.

She understands it because she accepts it, she enters into the

parable and then speaks from within the parable to Jesus.

She accepts what Jesus says about her.

And then claims Jesus for who he says he is. so quote, Martin

Luther she took Christ his own words and he then treated and

not as a dog, but as a child of Israel, This is a big deal in

The Book of Mark. This is a be a big deal to

Mark's original readers. This changes everything for a

Jewish readers head. So far, Jesus has done all of

his teaching to Jewish people only, but this Pagan woman is

the first person who really hears and understands and who

wholeheartedly accept the uniqueness of God's revelation

to Israel. But also trust.

It's super abundance to spill over and include her and people

like her. And if we were one of the

original readers of Mark's gospel, it would remind us that

this salvation is offered to the whole world.

Both the Jews and to estrange Gentiles like this woman, but

all only through Jesus who fulfills God's mission for

Israel by being a light, to the whole world Jew.

Gentile, Greek Pagan, whoever To be the first person to call

Jesus Lord and to understand the parable of Jesus, that is an

unlikely result. So, seen an unusual Journey, an

unwelcome visitor and unexpected response and an unlikely result.

So, what? What does that all mean for us?

Well, we're going to end by seeing three things.

A warning, an example and an encouragement.

The firstly, it's really important that we don't miss the

warning here. The Pharisees, despite knowing

their Old Testament by heart. Don't get who Jesus is.

Despite all of their knowledge of the Old Testament and God's

law, they still don't get it. The disciples, who spent shed

loads of times of Jesus. Don't get it.

They don't get who Jesus, is, they spend more time with him

than anyone else. They've done more on his behalf

than anyone else. They don't get it.

They still seem to think that where they were born, their

family history, their academic knowledge, and their good

behavior was what made them right before God.

And as a result Jesus is regularly amazed at their lack

of understanding. He said it a couple of weeks ago

in the passage we looked at and you going to say in a couple of

weeks time Despite all of the privilege of exposure to the

truth about Jesus, they just don't get it.

So the warning here is that it is possible for all of us here

to think we get it, because we know so much.

And yet, we don't really understand it all to be so close

to the teaching of Jesus, to know, our bibles inside out, to

be able, to explain the Trinity perfectly and to not really get

what Jesus is Mission is If you think you either have or should

have Jesus forgiveness or attention or blessing on your

life because of how good you are or what, you know, or your

family or how long you've known it, then it is possible.

You haven't understood Jesus at all.

It is possible that your stood. There were the Pharisees and the

disciples. In this passage missing the

point and looking down on others.

Jesus said it's not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick I

haven't come to call the righteous but sinners.

What would Jesus say to us this morning?

What do you say? Do you still not understand?

What would he say? Come on.

Eat some crumbs with me. If that is lost, if we heed that

warning, we're aware of that. We also need to member, we need

to follow the example that we get here today because this

woman is a brilliant example of what real true saving faith in

Jesus. Looks like she knows she

deserved nothing from him. She is as unclean as she can be.

She is as far from God, as she can be to paraphrase Paul.

She is not of the people of Israel or any tribe.

She's a gentile of Gentiles in regard to the law.

Or completely unclean as for righteousness, based on the law,

completely, unrighteous lost, and hopeless.

She knows she deserves nothing from Jesus.

And yet, she knows, Jesus, doesn't ask for anything except

to come to him. She knows that her helplessness

is her only needed qualification to come.

Her need of Mercy, is all that, she has, and she falls on her

knees in front of Jesus and begs him.

For Mercy, her sins, everything that disqualifies her from

eating the bread that he has to give.

They are many, but his Mercy, his more And it may be that

that's where someone here needs to get to this morning.

If that's where everyone here needs to at least have got to

Once if we want to get the forgiveness and mercy.

Jesus gifts. To quote, the old hymn, nothing

in my hand. I bring simply to your cross.

I cling See if you come to Jesus and say, Lord, please save me

because I'm trying my best, I try and be nice.

And I'm reading the Bible, you've missed the point.

Trying to bargain with God won't work.

That's not how we get the Salvation he offers, but

clinging to his character, his Mercy, his undeserved grace to

people who don't deserve it. That'll work.

Lord have mercy on me a sinner, maybe the greatest Prayer in the

Bible. But maybe that's where you're

feeling this morning. Worse than unclean completely

hideous. And with no chance of God ever

loving you. Maybe haven't got the energy to

get up to fall on your knees before God with a faintness,

hope that he might show you at something other than the rough

you deserve. Well, I want to encourage you to

follow This Woman's encouragement to come to Jesus

and cry out to him, to have mercy on you because God answers

that prayer with an immediate. Yes, straight away.

There's no, pause is no hesitation.

Yes. He is gracious and

compassionate. He is slow to anger and quick to

love. His loves.

Got a hair trigger. Nothing pleases him more than to

give mercy and Grace and forgiveness to people who don't

deserve it. And this woman demonstrates that

so come to Jesus like her. Follow her example, Fall on Your

Knees, except how undeserving, you are of his forgiveness and

then receive it. Jesus promises it, and Jesus

demonstrates that again and again.

And then like this woman, we can take Jesus at his word.

He tells his woman that she can leave the demon has left her

daughter. Now if that was me knowing what

I'm like I'd be going what really are?

You sure? Just just to make sure you do

against it's not the missed out. No shouldn't do that.

She just goes she takes Jesus at his word.

Trust him to do what he said you'll do.

If you've done what this woman did, you can trust Jesus to do

what he says he'll do. You don't need to doubt his

forgiveness. He says he'll he'll do it.

He's done it. Which leaves us with the

encouragement and the encouragement comes to all of us

through what Jesus teaches his disciples about his mission.

As you said this woman, jewishly is as undeserving as they come.

And yet Jesus is grace, and mercy comes to her.

His grace and mercy Knows No Limits.

There are no depths that the gospel won't reach and the

encouragement for all of us is that Jesus's mission hasn't

changed. It just lives on now through us.

I sometimes that can feel Bleak and daunting, but God loves to

do. Unexpected things in unusual

places to undeserving people. So we can all be encouraged

that. The gospel hasn't changed and

will not fail. So, keep praying for that person

for that family member that child that colleague.

Keep looking for opportunities, to invite people to come to

Jesus themselves. Keep trusting.

Jesus Keep confidence in Jesus's mission.

Yes, we might often feel weak. And yes.

The situation often looks bleak. There's not a poem there, but

Jesus is still able to save completely those who come to

God. Him.

His Mercy hasn't changed. He never changes.

This is Jesus the same yesterday today, and forever.

He's Grace hasn't changed. His forgiveness, hasn't changed.

It isn't finished. And his love and his compassion

and his care for lost causes hasn't stopped.

So be encouraged to keep praying.

Keep loving to keep going to unexpected, places to keep

sharing the gospel to keep displaying Jesus, because there

is more life in a crumb of Jesus bread.

Then there isn't anything this world has to offer.

So keep scattering crumbs hungry.

People will eat, keep trusting Jesus to do what he came to do.

So Jesus went on an unusual Journey with his disciples to a

place. No one would have gone to their

an unwelcome visitor that everyone else would have just

sent away. But and Jesus appeared to give

an unexpected response as he drew out her faith and his

disciples lack of it and it ended in an unlikely result.

This woman becoming the first person to understand a parable

and to call Jesus Lord You need to listen to the warning of that

need to see her. Brilliant example of saving

faith. And remember all of us that we

can be encouraged. That Jesus is still doing things

like this today.