#427: There’s Enough at Jesus’ Table -Mark . Part . 26

Jessica White (0:00)

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Hello again and welcome back to Kids Bible Stories. Today's story is called, There's Enough at Jesus' Table. This is part 26 in our Mark series and comes from Mark chapter 7, verses 17–30, Matthew chapter 28, verses 18–20, and Romans chapter 5, verse 8 I am so glad that you are joining us today. Throughout this series and Mark, you're learning more about the Bible than many people ever do. I'm really proud of you for listening and thinking about God's Word. Last week, Jesus taught that food entering our bodies isn't what makes us unclean before God. It's the sinful thoughts and actions that comes from inside our hearts that do. Do you remember he was trying to teach the Pharisees all about this?

And all throughout this book, Mark has been helping us answer one important question. Who exactly is Jesus? We've seen he is a good shepherd, a caring father, and a healer. Today, we'll discover even more about who Jesus is. Let's begin today's story.

Jesus left the area where he had been teaching and traveled to the vicinity of Tyre near the Mediterranean Sea, beyond the dusty road, near the rocky shoreline. The clear water shimmered in shades of turquoise and deep blue as sunlight danced across the waves. Seabirds called overhead, and a cool breeze carried the smell of salt through the air. When he arrived, Jesus entered a house. He didn't want anyone to know he was there.

Yet, he could not keep his presence secret. Why might Jesus have wanted some quiet? Tell me what you think.

Maybe he needed rest. Those are good guesses. After traveling, teaching, and healing while crowds kept coming, maybe he was tired and needed a quiet moment. Could Jesus keep his presence secret? No. Nope. We just heard the Bible tell us that. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean 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. Mark tells us these details about the woman so that we understand that she was not Jewish. She was Syrophoenician, a Gentile. A Gentile is someone who is not Jewish. Living near Jewish communities, she likely knew their customs, things that were common for that culture to do. She would have understood just how unusual it was for a Gentile woman to approach a Jewish rabbi. This may be hard for us to understand today, but in her world, people may have stared. They would have been shocked.

SPEAKER_2 (4:30)

I can't believe it.

Jessica White (4:31)

Holy moly, what is she doing? But did that stop her?

Not at all.

Scripture doesn't mention her waiting outside for an invitation. It says she came to Jesus, fell at his feet, and begged him to help her little girl. Oh, Jesus, please. Please, Jesus, I beg you. Oh, please help my sweet girl. I imagine her pleading.

SPEAKER_2 (5:01)

Then Jesus answered her, 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 the dogs.

Jessica White (5:19)

Okay, let's pause for a moment. If you love dogs, raise your hand. My hand is up too. Now at first, Jesus' words might sound confusing or even harsh. But Jesus wasn't insulting this hurting mother. He was giving her a little parable. We've heard about parables on other episodes. Remember, a parable uses a story or examples to show us what something is like. Jesus used examples like seeds or soil to teach in parables, to explain a truth by using a parable.

So what was Jesus showing her? Well, in this parable, the word dogs here means puppies, like household pets. Picture your family eating together. Your parents wouldn't take the bread from your plate and give it to the puppy before you'd gotten food. The children eat first. Afterward, there is food for the pets. There is an order.

Jesus is showing her. God promised to send the Messiah through Israel, his covenant people. Jesus came first to Israel to show that their promised Messiah had arrived. Afterward, the good news would go to the Gentiles, the other nations. His earthly ministry had an order. Israel first, then the nations.