Title: "A Mother’s Faith"
Text: Mark 7:24-30, (Matthew 15:21-28)
Date: May 13, 2007 (Mother’s Day)
Location: Sulphur Spring Baptist Church
Today is Mother’s Day, the day we set aside each year to recognize and honor our Mothers. Now since I’m obviously not a mother, I don’t know what kind of a special bond you have with your children. With that in mind I want to share the following with you that was written by a mother by the name of Erma Bombeck.
She writes: Every mother has a favorite child. She cannot help it. She is only human. I have mine--the child for whom I feel a special closeness, with whom I share a love that no one else could possibly understand. My favorite child is the one who was too sick to eat ice cream at his birthday party -- who had measles at Christmas -- who wore leg braces to bed because he toed in -- who had a fever in the middle of the night, the asthma attack, the child in my arms at the emergency ward.
My favorite child spent Christmas alone away from the family, was stranded after the game with a gas tank on E, lost the money for his class ring.
My favorite child is the one who messed up the piano recital, misspelled committee in a spelling bee, ran the wrong way with the football, and had his bike stolen because he was careless.
My favorite child is the one I punished for lying, grounded for insensitivity to other people’s feelings, and informed he was a royal pain to the entire family.
My favorite child slammed doors in frustration, cried when she didn’t think I saw her, withdrew and said she could not talk to me.
My favorite child always needed a haircut, had hair that wouldn’t curl, had no date for Saturday night, and a car that cost $600 to fix. My favorite child was selfish, immature, bad-tempered and self-centered. He was vulnerable, lonely, unsure of what he was doing in this world--and quite wonderful.
All mothers have their favorite child. It is always the same one: the one who needs you at the moment. Who needs you for whatever reason--to cling to, to shout at, to hurt, to hug, to flatter, to reverse charges to, to unload on--but mostly just to be there.
This morning we are going to read about a child who needed her mother desperately. Not only was her mother there for her, but she did everything within her power to help her child through a situation that seemed hopeless.
Read Text: Mark 7:24
“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.”
The text itself doesn’t identify “what place” Jesus was leaving but most Biblical Scholars believe Jesus had left Capernaum which was in Northern Galilee, and traveled approximately 30 miles Northwest to the Vicinity of the city of Tyre which was a flourishing seaport located on the Mediterranean Sea.
We aren’t told why Jesus left Galilee, but we do know that he had faced some opposition from the Pharisee’s and some of the other Religious leaders in that region.
Verse 24 told us that Jesus entered a house and didn’t want anybody to know it. So, apparently Jesus didn’t go to Tyre to minister to the people, or to call on them to Repent of their sins. Instead it seems that Jesus went there to get away from the crowds of people who had been following him, and to put some distance between Him and the religious leaders who were opposing Him in Galilee. Perhaps He needed to just get away from everything and everybody for a few days. I think we could all say we’ve felt that way from time to time, and Jesus did too. He needed to spend some time alone with His Heavenly Father and renew His Spiritual Strength.
There are several times in the New Testament where Jesus does this. He was the Son of God, yet there were times where even He felt the need to renew His strength.
A Second reason that Jesus may have gone to this particular area was so that He could spend more time with His Disciples, teaching them the things of God without having to worry about being interrupted or challenged by the Pharisees. But it didn’t take long for the word to get around that Jesus, the Jewish prophet who had been doing some amazing things in Galilee was in town.
Look with me at verses 25-26.
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. MK 7:25
The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. MK 7:26
Now you need to understand something about this woman. She wasn’t a Jew, and as we will see in just a few minutes, that is a very important fact.
It appears to me that this mother came to Jesus with a legitimate request. Her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit, and according to verse 26, she begged Jesus to cast the demon out. But for some reason Jesus didn’t seem very eager to grant her request. In fact according to Matthew’s account of this incident Jesus refused to answer her or acknowledge her in any way until His disciples urged him to send her away because she was causing a scene. Look with me at verse 27.
"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs." MK 7:27
Now to most of us Jesus’ response seems very harsh if not down right rude. But we must remember that Jesus’ first priority was to the nation of Israel, who were, and still are “God’s Chosen people.”
When Jesus sent the Disciples out on their first preaching tour He specifically told them not to take the gospel message to the Gentiles, but only to the “lost sheep of Israel.” Matthew 10:5-6
Following His resurrection Jesus commanded His Disciples to take the gospel message to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, teaching everyone, including the Gentiles what He had taught them. But that time had not yet come. Jesus’ first priority, early in His ministry was limited to the people of Israel.
There is no indication that the woman was surprised or offended by what Jesus said. In fact it didn’t seem to deter her at all. She was aware of who she was. She was aware of the cultural and religious differences between Jews and Gentiles. Therefore she was would have been aware of the reasons that Jewish men, especially Rabbis didn’t associate with Gentile women. But she didn’t give up. Look with me at verse 28 and let’s see how she responded to what Jesus had said.
"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs." (v.28)
Did you notice how she referred to Jesus? She called him Lord. This is the only time in the Gospel of Mark that someone addressed Jesus as Lord. In Matthew’s gospel it tells us that not only did she call him Lord but referred to Him as “The Son of David,” which indicated that she recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, which is quite ironic when you stop and think about it. Here this Gentile woman recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, yet the Jewish religious leaders and the majority of the Jewish people didn’t.
She goes on to say that she understands that Jesus has to concentrate his efforts on the Jews, but that she would be satisfied with anything that He could give her, even if it was only a crumb.
Jesus was impressed with the woman’s response. Let’s read verses 29-30.
Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." MK 7:29
“She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”
MK 7:30
The woman’s response tells us that not only did she realize that Jesus was the Messiah, but that He had the power to heal her daughter. Because of her faith and persistence Jesus granted her request, and from that very moment the demon left her daughter.
Wow, that’s a great story isn’t it!
Now don’t get excited the sermon’s not over just yet. I want us to take a closer look at this particular mother and see if what we can learn from her.
Most of us here this morning are here because of the influence of a godly mother.
Whether we want to admit it or not, our mothers influence on us is much greater than most of us realize.
Susan Yates from Focus on the Family says, "Satisfaction comes from having a lasting, positive impact on the lives of others.” She goes on to say that no-one has as much of an opportunity to influence and impact the lives of others as mother’s do.
That was certainly the case with George Washington. His mother made sure that he read the Bible daily during his childhood, and also made sure that the family prayed together at least twice every day. As an adult Washington took what his mother taught him and used it to help govern a new nation.
- Abraham Lincoln wrote, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
- Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, said, "All that I have ever accomplished in life, I owe to my mother.
-Mothers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. But all are beautiful. And we owe a tremendous debt to them. A dept that none of us will ever be able to repay.
Can you imagine what the girl in our text would have said about her mother? She probably would have said, something like this:
"I’ve got the greatest mother in the world. When I was a young child, I was possessed by a demon, but my mother didn’t abandon me, instead she did everything she could to help me. But the most important thing my mother ever did for me was when she went to see a Jewish Prophet by the name of Jesus.
The first thing I want to point out to you today about this mother is that she was.
I. DESPERATE
Can you imagine what this mother was going through? We all love our children, and want them to have fun and enjoy life, especially when their young. But this woman’s ‘little girl’ wasn’t enjoying life. (Verse 25) tells us that she was possessed by “an evil spirit.”
In the 9th chapter of Mark a father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus to heal. He told Jesus that when the demon seized control of his son that his son could no longer talk. He also told Jesus that the demon would throw his son into a seizure and that the boy would foam at the mouth like a wild animal and gnash his teeth. On other occasions the demon had tried to throw the boy into the fire or into the water to kill him.
That seems to be pretty common behavior for those who were possessed by evil spirits. So it’s no wonder that this poor mother was so desperate. Can you imagine seeing the son or daughter that you gave birth to rolling around on the ground uncontrollably and foaming at the mouth? This woman was at the end of her rope. The situation was desperate, and as they say Desperate times call for Desperate measures. So when she found out that Jesus was in town she went looking for Him. When she found him she wasn’t about to let anyone or anything keep her from seeing him, after all she was DESPERATE.
But that’s not the only thing I want you to notice about this woman. Not only was she DESPERATE, she was also DISTRAUGHT.
II. DISTRAUGHT.
A. This Gentile mother was more than just a little concerned about her daughter’s condition. In fact she shared in her daughter’s agony. Her daughter’s condition was causing her so much pain that according to the Gospel of Matthew’s she "Cried out" to Jesus, fell at his feet and begged Him to have mercy on her and drive the demon out of her daughter.
B. This mother realized that there was nothing more that she could do for her daughter, which must have added to her pain and anguish. You know how it makes you feel when one of your children is sick. It makes you feel so helpless. But this child wasn’t just suffering from strep throat or a sinus infection, she was possessed by an evil spirit, and it was more than this poor woman could take. She wasn’t just a little concerned, she was hysterical. In fact according to our text she was so hysterical that the Disciples pleaded with Jesus to send her away because she was making such a scene.
She threw herself at his feet and begged for mercy. She pleaded with Him to do something to help her daughter.
As mothers I know you agonize and worry about your children, and when they are sick you share in their suffering the same way this woman did.
But one of the things I want to make sure you understand this morning is that there are going to be times and situations that come along in the lives of your children that you are not going to be able to handle or control. So when that time comes I hope you will remember this passage of Scripture and do what this woman did. We need Christian mothers who have enough faith in Jesus to put the lives of their children in His hands, just as the mother in this passage of Scripture did.
She was DESPERATE and She was DISTRAUGHT, which made her all the more DETERMINED.
That’s the third thing I want you to remember about this girl’s mother.
III. SHE WAS ONE DETERMINED WOMAN.
First of all, she was determined to find Jesus. According to our text, Jesus had entered a home in the vicinity of Tyre intending to keep his whereabouts a secret. But when this woman heard the rumor that Jesus was in town she didn’t stop looking for him until she found him. And when she found him she was determined to see Him.
Our text doesn’t give us all of the details, but I just imagine the owner of the home and His disciples tried their best to keep the woman from getting to Jesus, but she would not be deterred. She wasn’t about to give up. She wasn’t about to leave without seeing Jesus. She was determined to see Him no matter what. So when they opened the door, she ran into the room and fell at His feet and started begging him to heal her daughter.
But at first He didn’t even acknowledge that she was there, and when He did, He essentially told her that He had been sent to minister to the people of Israel. So therefore it wouldn’t be right for Him to do anything to help her or her daughter.
Some people would have given up at that point. But not this woman, she was determined. She refused to take no for an answer. She would not be denied, even though Jesus did not immediately grant her request, she refused to get discouraged.
That’s one of the main differences that I see in this woman and most of us. When we ask the Lord for something, if He doesn’t immediately grant our request most of us give up. We stop praying. We conclude that He isn’t going to grant our request, when that might not be the case at all. He might be testing us, to see just how serious we are about our request.
Perhaps that’s what He was doing with this woman when he refused to acknowledge her and then when He seemed to deny her request. Perhaps He was simply testing her to see how Determined she really was, and more importantly how strong her faith was.
If that was the case, she passed with flying colors! Look with me at Matthew 15:26-28.
MT 15:25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
MT 15:26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs."
MT 15:27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table."
MT 15:28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Conclusion: The faith of this troubled mother was rewarded. Her request was granted, and her daughter was delivered from the evil spirit that had made her life miserable.
She may have been a Gentile, not much better than a dog in the eyes of some Jews. It’s true that she was desperate, distraught, and determined, but in the end Jesus commended her for having great faith.
