Following after Jesus #70

After spending much of His time around Galilee, Jesus ventured out into other areas, even outside of Israel proper. Mark records in chapter 7: 

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

What is interesting to note is that this account follows right after Jesus has a debate with the religious leaders over what made one ceremonially unclean. It is not what you eat, or even where you go, it is what is inside. So now, He goes into the home of a non-Israelite. And in comes this Gentile woman with a little girl who has an unclean spirit, begging Him to case the demon out.  And Jesus insults her. He reveals that He has been primarily sent to give the Gospel to the Jews, the Children of Israel, not to Gentile "dogs." But... always look for that word... But she is ready with a response: "All I'm asking for here is crumbs." In other words, "You are so full of truth and power, You have plenty to let it come our way." She recognized the truth Jesus had been telling His disciples miles away: "What my daughter needs is to be cleansed from within, and Jesus has to power to do so."  Jesus then said: “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” What came out of this woman's mouth was a confession of faith; she showed what was in her heart by her words and actions - that she even come and approach this Jewish Rabbi. What a lesson to these disciples and to us: God is not looking for us to live spiritually sanitary lives of rituals or regulated righteousness; He is looking for us to speak and do what pleases Him out of purified hearts that know we cannot do it without Christ.