Just a Crumb
Scripture Reading — Mark 7:24-30
“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Jesus traveled to an area outside of where his own people, the Jews, lived. And a woman came to him to ask for healing for her daughter.
This woman, whose little girl was possessed by an impure spirit, came to Jesus with no credentials and no sense of entitlement. She was not looking for a reward or to make a point about worthiness. She came simply as someone who needed help, and she begged Jesus for what he had to offer.
As we reflect on this story, we might well appreciate that Jesus sent no one away empty except people who were full of themselves.
This woman knew she was not privileged to be born as one of God’s chosen people, the Jews. But somehow, with the help of God’s Spirit, she knew that God cared for her and her daughter. So she had faith that Jesus could make her daughter well. She didn’t expect to have special treatment. She wasn’t asking for a full loaf of God’s sustaining blessing; she knew that just a crumb would be enough.
Are we willing to humble ourselves before Jesus and to ask for whatever he has for us? In this story it is not about privilege or degrees of holiness, but simply that people who humbly come to Jesus find that they receive and are satisfied. The impure spirit is gone!
Thanks be to you, Jesus! Accept my humble plea and come to my assistance, for I am needy, and you are the bread of life. Amen.
About the author — Douglas MacLeod
Rev. Douglas MacLeod is a church pastor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has served as a pastor for over 36 years with five congregations in Michigan and Iowa. He and Cathy, his wife of 40+ years, are grateful for their three children and four grandchildren.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!