August 8, 2025

A Crumb of a Miracle #

Mark 7:24-30

Introduction

What is a crumb? A crumb is not thought of as anything grand. Matter of fact, we would consider them dirty, annoying, and brush them off the table, collect them in our hand, and throw them away. No one, asks for a box for crumbs. They are pitched without thought. We have a crumb of a miracle here in Mark 7. But the crumb made a difference to this woman and her daughter. The smallest of God’s miracles, is life changing for some!

I. The Retreat (24) #

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

A. The house #

B. The hiding #

• There is something to be said for Jesus traveling to Tyre and Sidon. We don’t know exactly where he was, Tyre and Sidon are 20+ miles apart. Jesus would have traveled roughly 40 miles (two days walking, 20 miles a day for about 7 hours). As we have noted in the past couple of chapters, Jesus was very well known in Israel. He had to leave the country to ’ hide’ and find some rest.

C. The hearing (25) “heard of him” #

II. The Request (25-26) #

A. The Hinderance (26) “Greek”, Syrophenician, woman #

1. National/Cultural #

B. The Hearing (25) “heard of him and came” – belief #

1. News traveled far #

2. She believed! #

C. The Humility (25) “fell at his feet” #

1. She didn’t come entitled & demanding! #

2. She came knowing she was asking a favor! #

James 4:10 “10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

D. The Hurt (26) “she besought him…the devil out of her daughter” #

1. Besought - ask, plead with urgency #

2. Demon possession #

III. The Remarks (27-30) #

A. The Priority (27) #

1. “children first” #

Romans 1:16 - “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

2. “cast it unto the dogs” #

• • Most of the time, when dog is used in Scripture, it is a lowly, derogatory name, insult
  • This occasion, and use, was used in a much softer tone, as in puppy, or little dog.
  • Her response helps us understand that

B. The Plea (28) #

1. “dogs under the table” #

2. " children’s crumbs" #

C. The Provision (29) #

1. Her continued prayer, asking #

2. Jesus healed, without a spectacular show. #

D. The Persuasion (30) – trust the Word of God! #

1. She left… trusting the Word! #

2. Gentiles would have believed more easily! #

Matt. 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.