More Than Crumbs (MPLS)

Isaiah 35:4–7a

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Mark 7:24–37

From there Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

‘Text Message’ Reflection:
From Pastor Heather Roth Johnson

When I was a little kid, hide and seek was the game to play. The neighborhood kids would gather at the house around dusk time, and our front porch was home base. I had the best hiding place. No one knew about it except for my sister. So when she was the seeker, my sister knew where to find me. I was no longer perfectly hidden but sought out. “Tag! You are it, Heather!” she would say and run off laughing. 

When I read the gospel story about Jesus healing the Syrophenician’s daughter or the deaf man, I can hear the words of my sister’s voice, “Tag! You are it, Jesus!” He was no longer in Jerusalem nor in the house of Jewish practitioners. Jesus, even far away, could not stay hidden. People of all shapes and sizes, for different reasons, and from different faith systems sought him out. They needed his healing touch in their faithful lives.

Jesus came into this world to fulfill the words of the prophets, or as Isaiah says: “He will come and save you.” Sometimes, I want to hide, and I don’t want to be found. I need those moments to cave in and just be. Life can be hard and messy, cranky and brutal. But, even there Jesus is, because it is written that Jesus cannot stay hidden from us. For that, I am thankful that he is willing to play hide and seek with us.

‘Text Message’ Reflection Questions:

• How have you kept yourself hidden from God? Did that work? Why or why not?
• What brokenness needs healing in your life?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, mend our hearts, open our eyes and ears, and heal our hearts to be your unhidden love in this world. Amen.