Monday, July 28, 2008

Mark 7 / July 29 - He's waiting for your reply

Okay, this morning let’s talk about verses 24-30 because this is a strange passage that I struggled with for a long time. It doesn’t seem to fit Jesus’ personality for him to turn away someone who needs His help. And after all the healing He’s done and all the people who were just standing around asking for some healing and He’d do it and then this lady comes up and He treats her so different. What gives?

Well remember as we’ve talked, that Jesus’ is always thinking “what does this person need?” The same thing is going on in this exchange.
Here’s some background. The woman who comes to Jesus is not a Jew, she is a Greek woman. She is not a member of God’s chosen people and she doesn’t appear to even to be a convert to Judaism. She is one of those people whom the Jews called a “dog.” The Jews and the Gentiles (which was everyone else) did not get along and they didn’t really care to try.

So, the woman comes to Jesus and asked Him to drive out the demon from her daughter. But Jesus’ response is that it is “not right to take the food from the children and give it to their dogs.” Okay, the children are the Jews (the children of God) and the dogs are the Gentiles (Greeks). So, Jesus may seem to be taking a swipe at this poor lady who just wants her daughter healed. But Jesus’ is testing her a little bit. How will she react to a “not so veiled” reference to her nationality.

She responds by saying that “even the dogs get to eat the food the falls from the children’s table.” The dogs don’t replace the children but they both get fed from the same plate, just not the same amount. Which was her way of saying that she deserved a little, even if she wasn’t a “child.”
Jesus is so happy with her answer that heals her daughter and sends her home happy.

Jesus wanted to help her, if she didn’t really care she would have just said boohoo and left. But he wanted to test her faith, get it out in the open. But I am sure he also wanted the others to hear what she had to say and His response. Remember that He already knew what she was going to say before she said it.

What is God trying to get out of you? What have you asked for that He responded “why should I do that for you?” What will your reply be? Why should He give you what you want? Maybe He is waiting for your reply…maybe today He’ll get it.

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