This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Hi, I want to welcome you to Day 4 of our look together through Mark, Chapter 7.
We're going to be looking at verses 24 to 30 today, and as we look at these
verses, I want you to listen to this conversation, this conversation that Jesus
has with a woman. The words of it leave you wondering why would Jesus talk to
someone in this way, verses 24 to 30.

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and
did not want anyone to know it, yet he could not keep his presence secret. 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.

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the
demon out of her daughter. "First, let the children eat all they want," Jesus
told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their
dogs.

" "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the
children's crumbs. " Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go. The demon
has left your daughter.

" She went home and found her child lying on the bed and the demon gone. Now,
first let's talk about where this happened and then about these strange words
that Jesus said to this woman. This happened in a place called Tyre and
tomorrow's verses we're going to look at Jesus going to a place called Sidon.

These are Gentile territory cities. The truth of the matter is Jesus does not
care about our geopolitical squabbles. He cares about people.

He cares about changing lives. He didn't come to change the map. He came to
change our hearts.

So he goes into Tyre apparently maybe to spend some time with the disciples
because he wanted to be in a house where nobody would know. So maybe they were
there for some teaching with the disciples. We don't know.

We just know that he wanted to be alone and people still found out he was there
and people came and asked him to heal. And this woman comes and says, "Will you
heal my daughter? " And Jesus, this strange phrase, "Let the children eat all
they want," it's not right to take the children's bread and give it to dogs.

This sounds so insulting. Why would Jesus say this? Well, first some history
about what he meant by the children's bread.

Remember that God's people, God's chosen people are the people of Israel. You
read throughout the Old Testament and God chose a nation. That's the way he
chose to work in the Old Testament.

Now in New Testament days, he doesn't choose to work that way. He works in every
nation. The offer of salvation is good for all.

But in that day, he was working through the nation of Israel and he called the
nation of Israel his children. And Jesus says he came first for the nation of
Israel to tell the children first the good news of the fact that a messiah, a
savior has come. Now the struggle that Israel went through was they forgot that
they were blessed to be a blessing to all nations.

They thought that somehow the blessing was just for them. And then very quickly
they moved to forgetting the blessing at all, forgetting what it meant to be a
child of God. Any blessing that God gives to you gives to me, it's not for our
own benefit.

It's to be a blessing to others. They forgot that. But Jesus has come to tell us
of this great new grand plan that God has for our salvation through his blood,
through the cross.

He's going to first tell the people of Israel because they are God's chosen
people to this point. And then the message is going to go to all others, the
Gentile people, that's everybody else. So there's this amazing conversation that
Jesus has with this woman about this.

Now let me just pause there for a minute. This is just one of many amazing
conversations that Jesus has with women. As a rabbi, Jesus isn't even supposed
to be talking to a woman.

And yet he talks to women. He talks to the woman beside the well and he talks to
her about living water in the book of John. He talks to the woman in the crowd
who needs healing.

He talks to Mary Magdalene at the resurrection, one of the first to hear about
his resurrection. And here he is talking to this woman about faith, about life.
And he talks to her about dogs and bread and under the table.

What is happening here? Jesus is not insulting this woman, obviously. Jesus
values everyone.

What is he doing? He is challenging her motivation. In saying what he's saying,
he's challenging, "Are you coming to talk to me because you feel like you as the
Greeks deserve just as much as the Jewish people?

Is this a political conversation? Are you coming to talk to me out of simple
faith, simple dependence upon God? " He's challenging her motivation.

He's challenging, "Do you have a spirit of entitlement? " He's challenging, "Do
you have a spirit of pride? " He's challenging, "Do you have a spirit of anger?

" She replies when Jesus says, "Well, the children need to eat first. " It's not
right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. She replies, "Even
the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.

" And Jesus says, "For such a reply, I'm going to bless your faith. " Now,
what's she talking about here? This is food that the children drop.

They eat the children's crumbs. But it's also, bread was often used in that day
as a napkin. So you'd wipe your fingers with bread and then throw it under the
table and dogs would come and eat it.

And she is saying, "You know, Jesus, it doesn't matter to me about these
political things that you're talking about. I just want your blessing. I don't
care where you count it on the scale.

I just want your blessing. This is not a conversation about what I think I am
owed. This is a conversation about what I need.

And Jesus, I need you to heal my daughter. " And immediately Jesus said, "For
that kind of reply, she's immediately healed. " This woman made the right
choice.

She chose acceptance over expectation. Instead of saying, "This is what I expect
you to do, Jesus," she accepted Jesus' words and she spoke to him in an attitude
of humility. And that's the second choice she made.

She chose humility over pride. It would have been very easy for her pride to
raise up at this moment for her to say, "Well, I guess you haven't come for me,"
and just to walk out of the room. But instead she stayed with Jesus and she
talked to him in a spirit of humility.

And more than anything, this woman chose trust over anger. She set aside
feelings of entitlement and personal pride and she instead chose to trust in
Jesus for what she was asking him to do. Now, what does this mean for you and I?

Because Jesus now has come to bless all nations. What does this mean for my
life? As I read through this passage, here's how it struck me.

This woman was not looking for validation. She was just looking for Jesus. And
sometimes in my life, and maybe you see this in your life also, we look for
validation from God rather than just looking for God.

What do I mean by that? Well, we go to Jesus looking for validation and we say,
"Jesus, would you punish that person? " Because it validates my hurt if they
hurt too.

That's a validation. Or we say, "Jesus, would you bless my life? " Because it
validates the sacrificial choices that I've made if you'll bless my life.

Or, "Jesus, will you meet my need? " Because it'll validate the power of my
prayer if you meet this need. Or, "Jesus, would you grow this ministry?

" Because it validates the effectiveness of my faith and my leadership, makes me
feel better about myself if you'll bless this ministry. Now, while Jesus deeply
values you, he didn't come to this earth just to make you feel better about
yourself. In fact, sometimes the path to growth is for a few minutes, for a few
months, maybe even for a few years, I don't feel better about myself.

I see some of the gaps, some of the lacks in myself. Never forget the fact that
Jesus values you deeply, deeply. But his greatest goal is to value you, not to
validate you.

His greatest goal is to build his kingdom. So there's something very freeing in
these verses. What if, what if instead of looking for validation, you just
looked for Jesus?

Jesus, I trust you. Whether that person gets punished or not, I trust you with
that. Whether I see immediate results from these sacrifices I've made for you, I
trust you with that.

Whether this prayer gets answered in exactly the way that I thought it would get
answered or in a way that everybody notices it getting answered, because I
prayed it, I trust you with that. Jesus, I know you value me. I know you're at
work through my life.

And the major goal of my life is not me validating me. The major goal of my life
is me bringing praise to you. Let's talk to him about it for just a minute.

Lord, forgive me for those times when I'm looking for validation in my prayers
or my thoughts or my ideas or directions or my feelings or myself. Instead, I
want to live the freedom of just looking for you, enjoying my relationship with
you and what you choose to do out of that relationship in my life, through my
life, and for your glory. I ask Jesus that you give me this freedom in
increasing measure, and I ask it in your name.

Amen.