CRYING OUT FOR CRUMBS
Mark 7:24-30
(Antioch Baptist Church – Sunday April 6th, 2025)
Do you know someone who possesses a seemingly unwavering faith in Jesus Christ? I am referring to those special people who can face impossible odds or endure unimaginable tragedies and remain fervent in their prayer and praise no matter the outcome of their situation. Most of us know someone like that, I want to be one of them, but if I am honest, I am not there yet. There are times in my walk when Jesus when I find myself tired, discouraged and frustrated.
Not too long ago I was struggling in prayer and I cried out to God and said, “I am not asking for a miracle, just give me some crumbs from the table!”. That comment was prompted by our selected text and the encounter between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. In this passage, a Gentile woman approached Jesus on behalf of her daughter who was possessed by an “unclean spirit”. At first Jesus ignored her and then essentially denies her request. However, this woman was undeterred; she continued to plead with the Savior to deliver her daughter.
Scripture shows us that she came before Jesus with humility, consistency, and faith. So much so that Jesus said to her "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." Matthew tells us that “her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
I know that there are several people in this assembly who are at what seems like a breaking point. Many of you are facing seemingly impossible odds. Others are enduring unimaginable tragedies. For this reason, I would like to point you to the One who is able to provide you with far more than mere “crumbs from the table”.
I want to invite you to journey with me to the region of Tyre and Sidon and consider the thought “Crying Out For Crumbs”. The first truth that I would like for us to consider is:
WE CAN CRY OUT TO JESUS BECAUSE HE IS AVAILABLE
v24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
At this point in time, Jesus had spent more than a year in Galilee. Now, His Galilean ministry has come to a close. The people had seen His miracles, they had heard His teaching, and they had ample time to put their faith in Him as the Messiah. Some did see Jesus for who He was, but the majority of the people rejected Him.
In the early days there was no shortage of people following Jesus. Tragically, most were merely superficial followers. Multitudes were amazed by His mighty works, but they did not see Him for who He really was. There came a point when the majority of them turned away from Him.
It was at this time that the opposition to Jesus began to increase. The religious leaders constantly challenged and opposed Him. The Pharisees and Herodians were collaborating with the intention of destroying Him, and King Herod wanted to execute Him. Because of this, Jesus departed Galilee and entered into a Gentile region. He did not do this out of fear; rather it was because His ministry focus had shifted. The shadow of the Cross was growing closer; the Crucifixion was months away, and Jesus knew that it was necessary for Him to prepare the Disciples for what was ahead.
Jesus “arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon”. These were two Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast North of Galilee. As we are told in this passage, Jesus was first called to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Children of Israel; but He also had a plan for the salvation of the Gentiles. He said in Mark 13:10 that “the Gospel must be preached to all the nations”.
Jesus initially came to this region with the intention of getting some rest, but as soon as He arrived word spread that He was in the area. Verse 24 says that “He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden”. One of the people who encountered Jesus shortly after He arrived in the area was this Syrophoenician woman who hoped that He would deliver her daughter.
Though Jesus’ intention was to get away from the crowds and find a brief moment of rest, the Savior was available to help this desperate woman. We can rest in the same promise today! The Lord Jesus Christ is omnipresent, which means that He is everywhere. For this reason we can go to Him with full assurance that He is available!
Jesus is available and that is wonderful news because the second truth I would like to consider is the fact that:
WE ALL HAVE A REASON TO CRY OUT TO JESUS
v25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
This woman had a very important reason for crying out to the Lord: Her daughter was possessed by a demon. In Matthew 15:22 we are told that her daughter was “severely demon possessed”. Her little girl was suffering terribly and there was nothing she could do to help her. Fortunately, she did the right thing, (in fact the only thing) that could truly help her precious child. She put her faith, hope, and trust in the miracle working power of the Son of God.
Even though Jesus and the Disciples had entered into Gentile territory, the Savior was well known in this area. Many Jews had relocated to this region and many others from this area had been among the multitudes that had followed Him in Galilee. This is possibly how the Syrophoenician woman heard of the mighty works of Jesus. As a result of what she heard, she cried out to Jesus.
Every person here has a reason to cry out to Jesus. There are some who are in desperate need of salvation. You are lost, dead in trespasses and sins, and your only hope of being delivered from the judgement, wrath of God, and the due penalty of your sins is to cry out to Jesus.
There are others who have been born again and you are assured of your eternal place in the Kingdom of God. This is fantastic news; however you have drifted away from the Lord and you are not currently living a life that is pleasing to Him. As a result you desperately need to cry out to Him in humble repentance and seek restoration.
Others have been born again and you are walking with the Savior on a daily basis. However, you are fighting various battles. Some are dealing with the urge to return to some addiction that they have been delivered from. Others have received devastating news from the doctor. Some have loved ones who are struggling mightily and you have an immense burden for them. Others are going through certain trials and you are distressed, defeated, discouraged, and perhaps even filled with doubt. Many are consumed with frustration because of some mental, physical, marital, or financial difficulty and you need help. Again I say, we all have a reason to cry out to Jesus and the wonderful news is that He is available!
We all know how this story ends and we often point to the Syrophoenician woman as a beautiful illustration of remarkable faith and answered prayers. However, the scriptures tell us that her request was not granted immediately. This leads us to the third truth I would like to consider and that is:
THERE ARE OBSTACLES THAT MAY PREVENT US FROM CRYING OUT TO JESUS
v26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
It seemed that there were several obstacles that were standing in the way of this woman receiving a miracle. One issue that cannot be ignored is the fact that she was a woman. In that day and in that culture, women were seen as being inferior to men.
Secondly, she was a “Gentile”. A Gentile refers to someone who is not a Jew. Mark further describes her as a “Syrophoenician”. Phoenicia had been annexed into Syria by a Roman general named Pompey.
Thirdly, Matthew tells us that she was a descendent of the “Canaanites”. The Canaanites had been enemies of the ancient Israelites. This woman was from an area that was consumed with pagan idolatry. Tyre & Sidon were major worship centers for the fertility goddess Astarte. It is quite possible that this woman had been actively involved in idol worship.
Her gender, her race, her religion, and a host of other issues could have prevented this woman from seeking Jesus. Many people in her position would have thought that crying out to Jesus would be an exercise in futility. But this woman approached Jesus, fell at His feet, and made her request known. Mark says she “kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter”. Matthew tells us that when she first made her request, “Jesus did not say a word to her”. On top of this, the Lord’s Disciples became irritated with her and tried to get Jesus to send her away.
In spite of the response from Jesus and the Disciples, this woman refused to leave, she continued to cry out to Jesus on behalf of her daughter. Eventually, Jesus spoke to her, but what He had to say was not what she wanted to hear. Verse 27 says that “Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
On the surface, Jesus’ response is surprising, confusing, and even seems rude. But we are about to see that there is much more to His response than what is on the surface. In His response, Jesus used three different metaphors. He speaks of bread, children and dogs. The “bread” represents His message. The “Children” are the Jewish people. The “dogs” represent Gentiles. The key word in this verse is “first”. This speaks to the fact that the gentiles would eventually become recipients of God’s grace.
This desperate mother did not get offended by Jesus’ response. She did not become discouraged and walk away. Rather, she was humble, persistent, and discerning. She shows us how to respond to the obstacles that would hinder our faith. There were many things that should have prevented her from approaching Jesus; but she was resilient in her faith and this was one of the things that made it so remarkable.
Jesus did not ignore this woman because she was burdening Him while he was trying to get some rest. He did not decline her request because she was unworthy. Jesus didn’t respond the way He did because she was a woman, a Gentile or even because she had been involved in idol worship. Jesus did what He did as a means of testing her faith and she passed the test. She did not let any of the obstacles cause her to lose her faith in what Jesus could and would do.
There was nothing that this woman could have done to deserve what Jesus was about to do for her. But because of His love and compassion, He accepted her and granted her request. There is nothing that you can do in order to deserve the salvation that is available in Jesus, but because of His love and compassion you have the opportunity to receive the greatest miracle in the history of the world and that is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
There are many obstacles that may hinder you from coming to Jesus for salvation. When you consider certain things about your past you may feel unworthy to approach the Sinless Son of God. When you examine where you are currently, you may feel that there is no way that He would ever accept you. But you must understand that we are not accepted by God because of the things that we do or don’t do. Salvation is possible because of the love that God has extended toward us. God knew all that there was to know about you before sending Jesus to die for your sins. Knowing all that you have done, all that you are doing, and will do, God sent Jesus anyway! (Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)
If you belong to Jesus but you have turned away from Him, you may not feel that you are worthy of the forgiveness and restoration that is available if you confess your sins and seek to be reconciled with your Savior, and you are right! However, He loves you and is willing to restore you even though you are unworthy.
If you have some other issue that is currently consuming your life; perhaps some trial or tribulation that you desire to be delivered from, you too have a reason to cry out to Jesus. He is available and the actions of this desperate mother show us that we dare not allow any of the many obstacles that are present in our lives to prevent us from crying out to Jesus. For as we will see in verses 28-30:
MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN WHEN WE CRY OUT TO JESUS
When Jesus said, “it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs" the woman responded by saying “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs”. The phrase “yes, Lord” shows us that this woman was in agreement with Jesus. She knew that she was a sinful gentile who had no right or claim to God’s blessings. This woman knew that she deserved nothing but she humbly asked for “crumbs from the Master’s table”.
Jesus honored her faith and granted her request. (v29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter) When she arrived at her home she found her daughter free from the bondage of the demon. (v30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.) This desperate mother possessed remarkable faith in Jesus Christ, and her faith secured results and He answered her prayers.
One of the most important truths that we can take away from this passage is the fact that sometimes Jesus doesn’t move when we want Him to. Furthermore, He doesn’t always move how we want Him to. But He is God, He knows best, and when He does move it will be in the right way and at the perfect time. In fact, when He moves it is always far better than anything that we could have ever imagined or asked for.
It is not lost on us that the Syrophoenician woman received far more than crumbs from the table. You may be at a point where you have ceased asking for something miraculous, you just want some evidence that God is present and that He hears your prayers and cares about your situation. In a sense, you are “crying out for crumbs”. I hope that this passage will encourage you to press on even when it seems that Jesus is unavailable, or even worse when it seems that He is outright ignoring you.
- God’s Word shows us that:
We Can Cry Out To Jesus Because He Is Available
We All Have Reasons To Cry Out To Jesus
There May Be Obstacles That Prevent Us From Crying Out To Jesus
Miracles Can Happen When We Cry Out To Jesus
- In closing, I leave you with the lyrics of a song made popular by Connie Smith. It is written in the form of a prayer and says:
Lord, I’m not worthy to eat from the platter
For I’m just a beggar in need;
Satisfy others but when they’re all finished
Dear Jesus, have mercy on me!
Feed the children but give me the crumbs from the table,
I’ll wait for them down on my knees;
I’d be ever so grateful for crumbs from the table,
For strength needed to follow Thee.
Whatever your need may be, I can assure you that the answer is Jesus. You may say, “I believe that, but it seems as if He is not listening and that He does not care!”. I encourage you to remember the faith of this desperate mother and resolve to continue “Crying Out For Crumbs”. The Lord Jesus is there, He cares, and when He moves you will receive far more than the crumbs that you seek.
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