24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
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 the dogs.”
28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Question 1
In what way is Jesus’ attitude different from the disciples attitude?
Question 2
How is what Jesus says in verse 35 different from what society teaches?
We have noticed many times that what Jesus had to say about himself and the work he was going to accomplish was very different from the expectations of the people around him. His ideas were so different that the disciples couldn’t understand what he was talking about when he talked about being killed and resurrected. It’s becoming clear that they also haven’t understood how followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to treat each other.
In the world, everyone wants to be important. People work extremely hard to make a lot of money and get a good job where people will look up to them. The disciples thought the same way. As they walked together they argued which of them mattered most, who was the best pupil, who of them had reached the highest level. And the truth is, we think the same thing.
But since the beginning of the book of Mark we have seen that Jesus is no ordinary King, and that his kingdom is also unusual. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world as a man in order to serve others, suffer, and give his life for a world that had rejected him. If this is how the King behaves, then what kind of attitude should his followers have? This is the way the leaders of God’s kingdom are supposed to behave: if you want to be close to God, then you need to stop thinking about yourself, and do everything you can to serve others.
Of course, there was a danger that the disciples would hear what Jesus was saying and only serve other adults who deserved their respect and would notice what they were doing. So Jesus places a child in front of them and says that even the way they treated children was meant to reflect their love for God. The only way we can serve others in this way is if we have seen how much God has loved us, by sending his Son to die in our place.
Question 3
How should thinking about how Jesus left heaven and suffered for us on earth, change our attitude towards others?
Question 4
Why was Jesus pointing out the way his followers are to treat children?
Pray
that God will make you like Jesus, giving up your own rights and serving others.
