"THE GOSPEL OF MARK"
A Gentile Blessed For Her Faith (7:24-30)
INTRODUCTION
- Many Christians today take their faith and its privileges for
granted...
- Perhaps it is the old adage, "familiarity breeds contempt"
- But Gentile Christians in particular should never lose sight of
the grace shown them
- I refer to privileges that were long bestowed on the Israelites...
- Such as a covenant relationship with God
- With all the blessings that accompany such a relationship
- Which are now available to all who come to God with faith in
Christ
[An incident in the life of Christ reminds me of "the way we were". It
involves a Gentile woman who was blessed for her faith. In Mk 7:24, we
begin as we pick up with...]
- THE NARRATIVE
- THE SEARCH FOR PRIVACY...
- Jesus had travelled about 40 miles from Capernaum
- He came to the region of Tyre and Sidon, also known as
Syro-Phoenecia - Mk 7:24
- He sought privacy, probably needing rest - cf. Mk 6:31-32
- THE REQUEST FOR A MIRACLE..
- A woman with a daughter possessed by an unclean spirit came to
Him - Mk 7:25
- She was a Greek (Gentile), a Syro-Phoenician by birth - Mk 7:26
- She "kept asking" Jesus to cast out the demon - Mk 7:26
- She even acknowledged Jesus as "O Lord, Son of David!" - cf. Mt
15:22
- Matthew reveals that initially Jesus did not speak to her - cf.
Mt 15:23
- That she began pestering His disciples - cf. Mt 15:23
- THE REFUSAL TO HEAL...
- Matthew's account explains Jesus' thinking - cf. Mt 15:24
- "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel."
- Compare His charge regarding the "Limited Commission" - cf.
Mt 10:5-6
- His mission was to fulfill prophecy concerning Israel's
Messiah
- He would later expand His ministry to the world - cf. Mt
28:19; Mk 16:15
- Jesus' response to her suggested as much - Mk 7:27
- "Let the children be filled first..."
- There were promises to Israel that needed to be filled
before those to the Gentiles
- THE RESPONSE TO FAITH...
- The woman's response to Jesus shows her faith - Mk 7:28
- "Yes, Lord..." - she acknowledge the right for Him to refuse
her request
- "...yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the
children's crumbs.." - she would be happy with "crumbs" left
over from His ministry to the Jews
- Jesus admired her faith and healed her daughter - Mk 7:29-30
- Matthew adds that Jesus said, "O woman, great is your
faith!" - cf. Mt 15:28
- And that her daughter "was healed instantly" - cf. Mt 15:28
[Thus this Gentile woman was blessed for her faith. With this incident
fresh on our mind...]
- SOME OBSERVATIONS
- OTHER GENTILES BLESSED BY FAITH...
- The centurion at Capernaum - Mt 8:5-13
- Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to the gospel - Ac 10:1-6
-- The first centurion ate "crumbs", the latter the first to "sit
at the table"
- GENTILES ARE NOW BLESSED BY FAITH...
- We are no longer:
- Without Christ
- Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
- Strangers from the covenants of promise
- Having no hope and without God in the world - Ep 2:11-12
- We are now:
- Brought near by the blood of Christ - Ep 2:13
- Reconciled as one body in Christ - Ep 2:14-17
- With access by one Spirit to the Father - Ep 2:18
- Fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household
of God - Ep 2:19-22
-- True to Jesus' promise (Mt 8:11-12), Gentiles can now sit at
the table!
- ARE WE MAKING GOOD USE OF OUR BLESSINGS...?
- Not if we refuse to come to the table
- By not obeying the gospel
- Jesus now invites everyone - Mk 16:15-16
- Not if we refuse to eat at the table
- Through disobedience and neglect
- This was the mistake of many of the Jews - cf. Mt 8:11-12;
21:43
- Not if we eat only the crumbs
- Through apathy and neglect
- This was the problem with Sardis and Laodicea - cf. Re
3:1-2,14-19
-- If the "sons" will be cast out, how much more ungrateful
"dogs"? - cf. Ro 11:21-22
CONCLUSION
- This incident, "A Gentile Blessed For Her Faith", should remind us
of...
- The way we were before Christ
- The blessings we now enjoy in Christ
- Do we have her kind of faith...?
- Persisting even when first rebuffed?
- Willing to accept even the smallest of blessings?
For those who do, a spiritual feast awaits...! - cf. Ep 1:3