Even the Puppies Get Some Crumbs : Mark 7:27-28 : What Jesus Did! : HEARTLIGHT®

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Even the Puppies Get Some Crumbs - Mark 7:27-28

Jesus told the woman: "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want." The woman answered, "That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don't eat." (ERV) Full Text

Key Thought

Wow! Think how this would come off in our racially charged world of political correctness. Now double that and you get the impact of this exchange. Even though Jesus' statement about dogs (or puppies) might seem insensitive, he was undoubtedly testing this woman's faith. However, this woman will not let anything keep her from her goal. She wants Jesus to cure her daughter. Nothing will deter her. Jesus' earthly ministry may have been directed only to the children of Israel, but even in Israel the puppies get the scraps. What humility and commitment to not lose sight of her goal! I'm afraid my pride might have gotten in the way. I'm afraid my anger would have bubbled to the surface. But not this lady! Her passion did not go unnoticed.

Today's Prayer

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LORD God Almighty, I'm not sure I would have handled this situation as well as the woman in the story. Thank you for her faith and for her tenacity. Please give me more of both and help me be less reactive to language that is insensitively directed toward me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Today's Verses in Context

Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. Jesus went into a house there. Jesus did not want the people in that area to know he was there. But Jesus could not stay hidden. A woman heard that Jesus was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit {from the devil} inside her. So the woman came to Jesus and bowed down near his feet. The woman was not a Jew. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, an area in Syria. The woman begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. Jesus told the woman: "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want." The woman answered, "That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don't eat." Then Jesus told the woman, "That is a very good answer. You may go. The demon has left your daughter." The woman went home and found her daughter lying on the bed. The demon was gone. Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon. Jesus went to Lake Galilee. Jesus went through the area of the Ten Towns. While he was there, some people brought a man to him. This man was deaf and could not talk. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man {to heal him}. Jesus led the man away from the people to be alone with him. Jesus put his fingers in the man's ears. Then Jesus spit and touched the man's tongue. Jesus looked up to the sky and made a breathing sound. Jesus said to the man, "Ephphatha!" (This means, "Open!") When Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. The man was able to use his tongue and spoke clearly. Jesus commanded the people not to tell any person about what happened. Jesus always commanded people not to tell other people about him. But this only caused the people to tell about him more and more. The people were really amazed. The people said, "Jesus does everything in a good way. Jesus makes deaf people able to hear. And people that can't talk--Jesus makes them able to talk."

— Mark 7:24-37 (ERV)

Comments on "Even the Puppies Get Some Crumbs":

But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that can say these things are wrong. Those people who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (killed) their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit. So we should follow the Spirit. We must not be vain (conceited). We must not make trouble with each other. And we must not be jealous of each other. —Galatians 5:22-26 (ERV)

I was so excited {about my Jewish religion} that I persecuted the church (the believers). No person could find fault with the way I always obeyed the law {of Moses}. At one time all these things were important to me. But I decided that those things are worth nothing because of Christ. Not only those things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all those things {I thought were important}. And now I know that all those things are worthless trash. This allows me to have Christ. It allows me to be in Christ. In Christ I am right with God, and this being right does not come from my following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him. All I want is to know Christ and the power of his rising from death. I want to share in Christ's sufferings and become like him in his death. If I have those things, then I have hope that I myself will be raised from death. I don't mean that I am already exactly like God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach that goal and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that. That is the reason Christ made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal. But there is one thing I always do: I forget the things that are past. I try as hard as I can to reach the goal that is before me. I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize. That prize is mine because God called me through Christ to the life above. —Philippians 3:6-14 (ERV)

People that are proud and boast will become unimportant. But people who are humble will also become wise. —Proverbs 11:2 (ERV)