The Crumbs Are for the Dogs – Mark 7:24-30
The Crumbs Are for the Dogs – Mark 7:24-30
March 28, 2010 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
The late Leona Helmsley was a billionaire New York City hotel operator and real estate investor. She was a flamboyant personality and had a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the nickname “Queen of Mean.” When she died, she instructed that $8 billion of her real estate go to the care of dogs. This is from the woman who said, “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” Interestingly, surveys show that over 45 million households own a dog. Some are service dogs. Others are used for security or hunting. More than a few have been inherited by parents of college age children who left them behind. But most are kept for companionship or friendship. According to the American Pet Products Association, they estimated that $47.7 billion will be spent on our pets in the U.S. in 2010! Sadly, in some families, more time and money is spent on pets than on people!
What would you do if your child was so ill that you knew she was going to die? Would you grasp at anything or try to find anyone who could perhaps cure her? Would you listen to and do what they commanded you to do in order for her to be cured? Most of us would because we love our children. Here, in Mark’s gospel we find what one loving mother would do when her daughter was possessed by a demon. She was willing to eat the crumbs off the floor in order to have her daughter cured. Let’s see what happens…
READ: Mark 7:24-30
Rescuing homeless dogs and professionally training them to enhance lives is what Dogs for the Deaf is all about, and they proud of the fact. In over 30 years, Dogs for the Deaf has rescued and placed over 3,000 dogs in homes as Hearing Dogs, Miracle Mutts (Special Dogs for Special People), Harmony's Hounds (Dogs with Special Needs), and Career Change Dogs. DFD rescues dogs from animal shelters throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. They rescue, train, and place 30-40 dogs annually. These dogs become the ears for those who cannot hear. However, in today’s passage we discover that…
I. The spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice! (Vv. 24-26)
1. Those that hear the Master’s voice, respond to his call! Jesus heads to the region of Tyre. Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city, was located on northern coast in the vicinity where the Canaanite kingdom used to be. This is why in Matthew’s gospel she is referred to as a Canaanite woman. The old city of Tyre had been an impregnable island fortress until Alexander the Great built a huge earthen bridge across the sea to lay siege to it. During Jesus’ day, the new city of Tyre was a large Greek seaport and known for its commerce in glass and dyes. Perhaps Jesus wanted to rest because he “did not want anyone to know it.” Jesus’ presence could not be kept a secret for long. Mark relates, “In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.” Her actions are not only those of someone who seems desperate, but also of respect for who Jesus was. Mark goes on to tell us that “The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.” Her sudden appearance at Jesus’ feet was so her daughter could be cured of her demonic possession. Like many in our world today, she had had no interest in who Jesus was or in what he could do, until she needed him. Then, and only then did Jesus gain her attention. So much so, she was desperately willing to interrupt his private restoration and beg at his feet. However, we discover in her actions that God often uses the trials of our life to open our ears to listen to the gospel’s message. He does in this women’s case. And here we discover that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice.
EXAMPLE: I have learned that the older I get, the worse my hearing is getting. This is the case for almost everyone, as he or she gets older. The older you get, the harder it is to hear. Sadly, this is also true not just for the normal noise of the world, but also for us spiritually as well. Children have no problem in recognizing the voice of God in their lives, but the older one gets the more spiritually deaf one becomes. Adults are often spiritually hard of hearing. Perhaps Dogs for the Deaf could train canines that would make the spiritually deaf listen. This Syrophoenician woman needed to be healed as well. She was spiritually deaf until she needed Jesus’ ability to heal and then she was all ears. What about you this morning, are you hard of hearing Jesus? The good news is that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the master’s voice calling them.
We refer to dogs as “man’s best friend,” but what if they were disinterested in us. What if dogs totally ignored us or got up and left, when we walked into the room? What would we call them then, “Cats?” In our world today, many place an inappropriate affection towards their pets and could care less about their human neighbor next door. Far from being uncaring, Jesus begins to ask the woman several questions in order for her and others to understand who he was and why. However, I have to ask, “Why is it here in Mark’s gospel that the non-believing Hebrew is placed on the same level as a common dog by Jesus?” I believe it is part of Jesus’ lesson. We learn that…
II. Not all dogs go to heaven! (Vv. 27-30)
1. Only, those “dogs” that are willing to “eat” from the Master’s table go to heaven! Jesus’ reply was entirely appropriate for His purpose of being there, and was on a spiritual level the gentile woman could grasp. It was cast in figurative language: “the children” represented His disciples and or the Jews themselves; “the children’s bread” represented the benefits of His ministry to them; and the “dogs” (literally, “little dogs,” like house pets) represented the gentiles or the non-Hebrews. Jesus’ first priority was to instruct his followers and the Jews, not the gentiles. It is never appropriate to interrupt a family meal to give begging dogs food, the “children’s bread”, from the family’s table and “toss it to their dogs.” So it was not appropriate for Jesus to interrupt his “meal” time, ministry to His disciples, to give His attention to her, a non-Jew that comes begging. I believe Jesus’ remark deliberately was made to see if it would kindle her into a greater action of faith. And, we find that Jesus’ remarks have the desired affect he was looking for! “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” Wow! What a response! She understood Jesus’ words. She knew she did not deserve Jesus to notice her and yet here she was. Her faith had carried her to beg at his table and she was willing to do just that if she had to! Jesus almost is laughing in delight at her answer when he responds by gently telling her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” And what is the outcome? “She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone!” While not all dogs go to heaven, those who are willing to beg at the Master’s table do!
EXAMPLE: I hate it when folks feed their pets from the dinner table. For me, there is nothing worse than a dog that begs. I guess it goes back to what an animal is supposed to be, a pet. Sure, pets can become great companions and can fill a lot of emptiness in people’s lives, but when we begin to equate them on the same level as human beings, we have lost the perspective God desires us to have. Lest you think I am joking consider that the “meat “police are getting ready to perhaps shut down your favorite burger joint. The man that President Obama has appointed, as “Regulations Czar” to oversee all federal regulations, Cass Sunstein, is an extreme animal rights activist. He would elevate animal rights to the same level as human rights. Here are some of his views: He believes that meat should be illegal as a source of food. He would ban the use of leather from all clothing. He supports the idea that humans have no right to own a pet. He believes that hunting should be banned. He has called Seeing Eye dogs “slaves”. And, he believes, as many do in our world today, that animals should have the right to sue people. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me when after I related that animals are not made for eternity, as human beings are that I received flack. The truth is however, that not all dogs go to heaven, in fact, no canine does. But the great news is that in this dog-eat-dog world, those of us who eat from the Master’s table will.
Conclusion:
We learned today that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice and that not all dogs go to heaven!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2010 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission. You now have my permission...
March 28, 2010 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
The late Leona Helmsley was a billionaire New York City hotel operator and real estate investor. She was a flamboyant personality and had a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the nickname “Queen of Mean.” When she died, she instructed that $8 billion of her real estate go to the care of dogs. This is from the woman who said, “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” Interestingly, surveys show that over 45 million households own a dog. Some are service dogs. Others are used for security or hunting. More than a few have been inherited by parents of college age children who left them behind. But most are kept for companionship or friendship. According to the American Pet Products Association, they estimated that $47.7 billion will be spent on our pets in the U.S. in 2010! Sadly, in some families, more time and money is spent on pets than on people!
What would you do if your child was so ill that you knew she was going to die? Would you grasp at anything or try to find anyone who could perhaps cure her? Would you listen to and do what they commanded you to do in order for her to be cured? Most of us would because we love our children. Here, in Mark’s gospel we find what one loving mother would do when her daughter was possessed by a demon. She was willing to eat the crumbs off the floor in order to have her daughter cured. Let’s see what happens…
READ: Mark 7:24-30
Rescuing homeless dogs and professionally training them to enhance lives is what Dogs for the Deaf is all about, and they proud of the fact. In over 30 years, Dogs for the Deaf has rescued and placed over 3,000 dogs in homes as Hearing Dogs, Miracle Mutts (Special Dogs for Special People), Harmony's Hounds (Dogs with Special Needs), and Career Change Dogs. DFD rescues dogs from animal shelters throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. They rescue, train, and place 30-40 dogs annually. These dogs become the ears for those who cannot hear. However, in today’s passage we discover that…
I. The spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice! (Vv. 24-26)
1. Those that hear the Master’s voice, respond to his call! Jesus heads to the region of Tyre. Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city, was located on northern coast in the vicinity where the Canaanite kingdom used to be. This is why in Matthew’s gospel she is referred to as a Canaanite woman. The old city of Tyre had been an impregnable island fortress until Alexander the Great built a huge earthen bridge across the sea to lay siege to it. During Jesus’ day, the new city of Tyre was a large Greek seaport and known for its commerce in glass and dyes. Perhaps Jesus wanted to rest because he “did not want anyone to know it.” Jesus’ presence could not be kept a secret for long. Mark relates, “In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.” Her actions are not only those of someone who seems desperate, but also of respect for who Jesus was. Mark goes on to tell us that “The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.” Her sudden appearance at Jesus’ feet was so her daughter could be cured of her demonic possession. Like many in our world today, she had had no interest in who Jesus was or in what he could do, until she needed him. Then, and only then did Jesus gain her attention. So much so, she was desperately willing to interrupt his private restoration and beg at his feet. However, we discover in her actions that God often uses the trials of our life to open our ears to listen to the gospel’s message. He does in this women’s case. And here we discover that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice.
EXAMPLE: I have learned that the older I get, the worse my hearing is getting. This is the case for almost everyone, as he or she gets older. The older you get, the harder it is to hear. Sadly, this is also true not just for the normal noise of the world, but also for us spiritually as well. Children have no problem in recognizing the voice of God in their lives, but the older one gets the more spiritually deaf one becomes. Adults are often spiritually hard of hearing. Perhaps Dogs for the Deaf could train canines that would make the spiritually deaf listen. This Syrophoenician woman needed to be healed as well. She was spiritually deaf until she needed Jesus’ ability to heal and then she was all ears. What about you this morning, are you hard of hearing Jesus? The good news is that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the master’s voice calling them.
We refer to dogs as “man’s best friend,” but what if they were disinterested in us. What if dogs totally ignored us or got up and left, when we walked into the room? What would we call them then, “Cats?” In our world today, many place an inappropriate affection towards their pets and could care less about their human neighbor next door. Far from being uncaring, Jesus begins to ask the woman several questions in order for her and others to understand who he was and why. However, I have to ask, “Why is it here in Mark’s gospel that the non-believing Hebrew is placed on the same level as a common dog by Jesus?” I believe it is part of Jesus’ lesson. We learn that…
II. Not all dogs go to heaven! (Vv. 27-30)
1. Only, those “dogs” that are willing to “eat” from the Master’s table go to heaven! Jesus’ reply was entirely appropriate for His purpose of being there, and was on a spiritual level the gentile woman could grasp. It was cast in figurative language: “the children” represented His disciples and or the Jews themselves; “the children’s bread” represented the benefits of His ministry to them; and the “dogs” (literally, “little dogs,” like house pets) represented the gentiles or the non-Hebrews. Jesus’ first priority was to instruct his followers and the Jews, not the gentiles. It is never appropriate to interrupt a family meal to give begging dogs food, the “children’s bread”, from the family’s table and “toss it to their dogs.” So it was not appropriate for Jesus to interrupt his “meal” time, ministry to His disciples, to give His attention to her, a non-Jew that comes begging. I believe Jesus’ remark deliberately was made to see if it would kindle her into a greater action of faith. And, we find that Jesus’ remarks have the desired affect he was looking for! “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” Wow! What a response! She understood Jesus’ words. She knew she did not deserve Jesus to notice her and yet here she was. Her faith had carried her to beg at his table and she was willing to do just that if she had to! Jesus almost is laughing in delight at her answer when he responds by gently telling her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” And what is the outcome? “She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone!” While not all dogs go to heaven, those who are willing to beg at the Master’s table do!
EXAMPLE: I hate it when folks feed their pets from the dinner table. For me, there is nothing worse than a dog that begs. I guess it goes back to what an animal is supposed to be, a pet. Sure, pets can become great companions and can fill a lot of emptiness in people’s lives, but when we begin to equate them on the same level as human beings, we have lost the perspective God desires us to have. Lest you think I am joking consider that the “meat “police are getting ready to perhaps shut down your favorite burger joint. The man that President Obama has appointed, as “Regulations Czar” to oversee all federal regulations, Cass Sunstein, is an extreme animal rights activist. He would elevate animal rights to the same level as human rights. Here are some of his views: He believes that meat should be illegal as a source of food. He would ban the use of leather from all clothing. He supports the idea that humans have no right to own a pet. He believes that hunting should be banned. He has called Seeing Eye dogs “slaves”. And, he believes, as many do in our world today, that animals should have the right to sue people. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me when after I related that animals are not made for eternity, as human beings are that I received flack. The truth is however, that not all dogs go to heaven, in fact, no canine does. But the great news is that in this dog-eat-dog world, those of us who eat from the Master’s table will.
Conclusion:
We learned today that the spiritually deaf sometimes hear the Master’s voice and that not all dogs go to heaven!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2010 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission. You now have my permission...
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