24 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. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 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.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Mk 7:24-37
Intro – prepared to understand His Love
I would like to tell you two stories. See if you can tell me what they have in common.
Story one-
There was a princess and she was very rich, and very spoiled. Now, she was not always that way. When she was younger she spent her time with the children even of the servants, laughing and playing, but as she got older she was spoiled by her stepmother who would teach her to only play with the rich children, and that she deserved great honor. For her birthday she would be given as many presents as years she was old, plus the number of presents of her past birthday, and then one before that, and before that, and so on. And each year the gifts got more extreme and lavish. And each year she got more snobby and spoiled. She would spend a great deal of her time with her few snobby rich friends being driven through town by her servants in her horse drawn carriage, stopping to laugh at the homes and clothes of the poor.
When it came time for her 16th birthday, a huge party was organized. Now, there was a young boy in the town who had once been her friend, and who had played with her when she was little, and who really loved this girl. And he had it in his heart to get her a present for her birthday. He knew she had changed, and he thought if he could give her a real, special present, and show her his love, maybe she would be changed. He thought he would present her with a present without a name, but one that was so amazing she would search the town for who would have given it, and then he would reveal it was him, and they would live happily ever after.
He had no money, so he would have to make the present. And so he had spent all his time collecting small stones he would fine in his journeys, the most beautiful he could find. And he would polish them, and shape them, and lovingly craft them, and he then braided these stones into some twine, making a necklace. He searched all over the land for the perfect stones, and he stayed up late into the night cleaning and polishing them. He even traveled great distances to other lands to collect stones that he could use. He spent countless hours working on the necklace. When he had finished, while it was not something a Queen would wear, it was quite beautiful, but simple. And on the day of the party, he snuck it into to pile of presents as he was serving at the party. Then, he stood in the kitchen, peeking out at the party, waiting to see the princess open up the package.
She started opening her gifts, and it did take awhile. There were many. She opened packages of beautiful dresses, and golden jewelry with diamonds, and wonderful sculptures and paintings. At one point her father rolled out a new horse carriage, overlain with gold, and flowers made of silver and bronze. Then, she picked up the boys package. It was wrapped in simple, brown paper, which made her stare at it inquisitively, as did her friends. She quickly pulled the paper off, and out fell the necklace into her hand. She stopped, and the room was silent, and she and her friends stared. Her eyes opened wide as she stared at this work of real love and sacrifice. Never had anyone done anything so loving, and good for her. Her friends gathered closer, and as they all wondered and whispered, she looked up and burst into laughter. She exclaimed, “What is this? A peasant’s trinket? Who played such a joke as to include this among my gifts?” And they all had a hearty laugh, and the princess took the necklace and put it on the dog, and chased him out into the yard, moving on to the rest of her gifts.
Story number two
Not many years ago in communist Russia there was a pastor, who had two children, and a wife, and who served in an underground church. They could not meet openly, as they would be arrested. One day this pastor’s work was discovered by the KGB, and he was arrested and brought in to be questioned. They wanted to names of all in his church, but he would not give them. They tortured him for hours, then days. The officer in charge of the questioning was an especially brutal man. They beat him so badly that they broke his back, leaving him paralyzed. He still would not speak. Then they brought in one of his children, and beat the child before his eyes. He almost broke, but the boy pleaded with his father to not speak, but let him die instead. This angered the officer so much that he beat the boy to death, then sent the man off to prison, where he stayed for ten years before being let out.
After he was released, he again began his work as a pastor. One night, after they had had a meeting, there was a knock on the door. Fearing the worst, they opened it, and there was the officer from years before. But he did not look the same, and he came with no soldiers to make an arrest. He was in rags, and looked aged and sickly. He explained, that after he had imprisoned the pastor, his life fell apart. His wife left him for another man. Then he was accused of stealing from the government, and was kicked out of the military, out of work, with no money. He had lived on the streets for the last year, haunted by the memory of what he had done. He had come not to apologize, but to curse the pastor to his face, since this holy man must have cast a curse upon him for killing his son.
The pastor, still in a wheelchair, grabbed a strong hold of the man’s arm, and pulled him into the house. He shut the door, and brought the man to the table. A meal was prepared for him and set before him. The pastor said “I have had an extra bed in my home for these ten years, since the loss of my son. I now offer it to you. Stay with us. I have not cursed you, friend. I have prayed for you for all these years.” The officer stared in disbelief. “this can not be”, he said. “I know what I deserve for what I did. You should hate me.” The pastor replied “you are not hated, but loved. Welcome home.” This softened the officer’s heart, and he wept.
What do these two stories have in common?
Both stories tell of someone who got something that they did not deserve. Their responses are different, but it is the same- both got something they did not deserve.
My goal tonight is that you would be more like the officer, and not like the princess. What I mean is, I want you to really think, and say, and mean- “I don’t deserve this.” I wonder if you ever have thought that in your life about anything? That is not a feeling we often get- that we are grateful, that we are thankful. That we really are being given something that we so do not deserve, and as a result really appreciate and love the one who gave it.
I want you to understand that you have been given something that you do not deserve, and to understand it to a point that it brings about a love in your heart. I want you to really understand the love that God has loved you with, and be so changed by it, that you leave here tonight talking about God’s love. That you leave here thinking about it. Smiling because of it. What will you leave here smiling about? Will it be His love? I want you to understand that love to the point that it changes your life, that as a result of what we talk about here this evening you will go out into the world without shame letting the world know you are Christ's, and He is yours, and you love Him dearly. I want you to leave here so in love with Him that you are ready to look a fool for talking about him tomorrow in school. That you look stupid because you are not like everyone else, cruel and mean and heartless and dying.
Do you really believe and do you really understand the love that God has for you tonight?
What we deserve
Before you can understand the love that He has for you you have to understand what you really do deserve.
And the woman in this first story tonight is faced with just such a situation. She must face who she really is, and what she really does deserve.
She comes to Christ to ask for something. She wants Christ, to give her something miraculous. It is no small thing. She is coming asking for a miracle- the healing of her daughter. And so she finds Jesus, and she fell at his feet, and she begged.
And Jesus response is one of the most harsh sounding in the Bible. It is almost amazing that it comes from Jesus’ mouth. It is shocking. Let me explain to you how shocking it is.
When she makes the request, he answers with the statement “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
What is he saying?
Jesus was a Jew, and He was working his miracles and doing his work among the Jews, who were in fact God’s chosen people. God’s children. The children are the Jews, the bread are the good things that Jesus is doing, and the dogs? The woman. He calls her a dog. And in our culture that means something like “ugly”, or the like, but in Jesus’ day to call someone a “dog” was an even greater insult. The Jews thought of the dogs as unclean animals. Even most non-Jews thought of dogs as really dirty, filthy things. And Jesus is making a comparison of children and dogs. He is saying “do you really think that a dog deserves what is meant for the children?” The dog, guys, deserves nothing. The dog has no right to anything, the children do, but not dogs. Dogs can not demand they get something from a person. They do nothing to deserve the food they get. They do not earn it. Jesus is saying to this woman “you do not deserve the bread.”
How would you respond to Jesus saying such a thing to you? You need to understand that Jesus says this to each of us. Jesus says to each of you “you do not deserve the good things I have.” Have you ever considered that? That you do not deserve anything from God? Can it be that we don’t deserve anything from him? Well, think about it- do you really think you do deserve anything? Why should God give you something? What does God owe you tonight? What can you go to Him and demand He give you? He owes us one thing- hell.
Deserving the “nothing” I should get
Think of how thoughtless and how cruel we have been to one another. we don’t like to think about it, but we have been so cruel. You know of those who have been cruel to you, you know the pain you carry in your heart, don’t you? But you know your cruelty too. We also have been cruel to others, and often with joy. Think of the worst sin you have ever committed, just think about it a second. think about that which you have done that makes you the most ashamed. I can remember things that I have done... how could God ever love me? I can tell you this- it might sound shocking- but as I think of who I was, and often who I am still, how I act, I think of all the pain in my life, and there has been a lot- my father died when I was 11, drank himself to death, I grew up poor, my childhood and Jr high years were full of pain and hurt, and I can say right now that I deserved every bit of it, I deserved worse. I still do. I know what I have done, I know my heart, I know how evil it is, and I know I deserve a punishment I can not imagine.
Do you really believe this night that you deserve nothing good from God- that you are, in effect, a dog. A beggar?
This woman understood that Jesus was right. She didn’t get offended and walk out. She didn’t say “who do you think you are telling me I am a dog?”
Her answer? “yes, Lord.” She agrees. She has shown from the moment she came into Jesus’ presence that she knows that she is a dog. She came in and fell at His feet as a beggar, she knew she didn’t deserve a thing- she didn’t come in and say “Jesus, you need to come heal my daughter.” She didn’t even come ask, and him respond, and her just go away thinking “yup, I knew it, I deserved it.” She knew she did not for one second deserve to even be in Jesus’ presence.
What we need to believe
But here is what is so cool about the story, and about this woman- she knew she was a dog, and she knew she did not deserve to get any love, and goodness at all from Jesus- but yet she believed with her whole heart that Jesus loved the dogs. That is why she wasn’t scared to admit the truth about herself.
We are all scared to admit the truth about ourselves to one another. We don’t want each other to reject us, or hate us- we know how cruel we can be, how we will judge and hate and condemn and reject. But this woman knew, she believed, Jesus loves the beggars and the dogs and the filthy. She knew, and she believed that Jesus would give her what she did not deserve, because Jesus loves that much.
Do you believe this? Do you see why it is so important to understand that you don’t deserve it first if you are ever to understand the depth of the love and goodness?
Jesus offers grace- that is, what is not deserved, that is what grace is- something that is not earned or deserved. You will never know God’s grace until you stand before Him and say “I deserve nothing. I don’t deserve this gift. I don’t deserve any love.” Can you say that? Have you ever felt that? If you think you deserve something from God, you can never have God’s grace. Did you hear that? Do you want grace? You can only get if it you first admit you do not deserve it, otherwise it is not grace, but payment, that you get.
How can He bless dogs with Children’s bread?
But it is not just that He loves the dogs and gives them a love that they don’t deserve. You see, the dogs don’t ever deserve to be with the Master of the house. They don’t deserve to be with him, they deserve to be outside. It is not right, says Jesus, to give the dogs bread belonging to children. This is not right, he is correct! How can he do this?
Do you know how he makes it so that dogs get what dogs don’t deserve? He becomes a dog with them. The Son of God allows himself to be treated like a dog, so that you can be treated like a child of God. He gets no bread, so that you can get bread.
This grace that he extends to you tonight is free for you, but it was not free for Him, he purchased it for you at the cross when he swallowed death for you. When he bore pain for you. When he experienced a million hells for you.
Sharing His “worthyness”
You have to understand this- you are not and never will be worthy. You are not going to now be good enough to make him indebted to you. You are now, and always will be unworthy of what is offered you. He is worthy, and he allows his goodness to be yours too. Jesus Christ came and lived a life that you could not live- He is worthy, and He shares with us all the goodness that is His. The Father counts Him as worthy because he was willing to come and be a dog, to come and be murdered like an animal, taking your place, and bearing your shame.
Showing off His love
You have never been loved like this.
Here is what is so amazing to me- He loves us like this, and we keep turning to the world to love us instead. We would rather place our hearts next to people who love us because we are cute, or pretty, or because they love the fake us we show them. But you see, Jesus knows the real you, he knows who you really are, you need not fear He will find out the truth about who you are- He knows- and He loves you anyway- He loves the real you, and dies for you.
This is what is so shocking, guys- he comes and offers this kind of love, and we trade it away. we want just mere fun. entertainment. Someone to make us feel good even for a few minutes, even if it's not real. And he stands there offering us real, true, eternal love. but do you believe it?
The woman’s daughter was healed. Why? Why does she get what she does not deserve- hear this- she got what she did not deserve because she believed that Jesus was so full of love and goodness that He would somehow find a way to give her what she should not have- mercy.
Do you believe that about God? That he will find a way to give you what you do not deserve? For us, we know the way- the way he got it for us was the Cross. But do you really see you do not deserve it, but it is really offered to you right now? The mercy and forgiveness of all your sins forever, and a caring loving Father, a restored relationship with God. Do you believe this? Do you see it in your hands, this gift, and do you say to God “I don’t deserve this. Wow.”
As if God wanted to make sure that you understood Jesus’ heart, not only does Jesus give the woman what she asked for, but in the very next story He continues to show you the mercy and love of God.
Here is a man deaf and mute. And Jesus comes to Him and grabs his face, touches his ears, his tongue, and then looks up to the heavens, and then Mark records something odd- he records that Jesus “sighs.” Why? He is full of the burden of this man’s disease. He loves, he wants to heal, he is overcome with the burden of it. Imagine him standing before you, his hands on either side of your face, holding your head, and sighing because of the pain that you bear, and then him looking at you and wanting to bear it away for you. You deserve the pain- He comes to take what you deserve, and carry it for you. He comes to cleanse you forever, and protect you forever, and love you forever.
This man could not hear Jesus’ call to him, this man could not call to Jesus, he was not able to speak. This man was helpless, he was in dire need of a savior to set him free. Do you see this about yourself? That you are helpless, in need, and not deserving any rescue at all? And yet He is willing to come to you, and rescue you, just like he does this man.
Do you believe this?
Do we understand this love?
You see, the question is not “does he love us?” He does- but do we love Him? he should NOT love us, and he does, so much. We SHOULD love Him, and we don’t, hardly at all. Don’t you want to fight to see Him get the love He deserves, first from your own heart, and then from the world?
Your life is this- God constantly trying to convince you that He loves you, so that you would see that and love Him back. He calls upon you to turn away from other loves- understand and admit that you are guilty before Him, no better than a dog- covered in sin, and shame- and understand that He offers to take away all that sin and shame.
The question is, do you really understand that you are not worthy of being rescued, you are not worthy of getting anything good from God, and yet He offers you grace. Will you believe He loves you this much, and feel this amazing truth- He loves you enough to die for you, and you don’t deserve it. Yet, it is yours, offered to you this very night. Will you beg Him for this gift? Will you confess to Him that you deserve nothing, and yet you understand He loves you anyway, and then place your heart near Him, and trust Him?
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