Request and Resolve = Reward
In Mark 7:24-30 Jesus is approached by a mother who is in a desperate situation. She needs something in her life. She comes to Jesus and as she does, she is not asking for the whole meal, she is just asking for the crumbs. She is just asking Jesus to move in her situation.
Jesus has just told the Pharisees, the scribes, His disciples and the multitudes that nothing in and of itself is unclean, Mark 7:14-16. He told them that defilement is from within, Mark 7:20-23. His message was simple: What a man is in his heart is what he truly is!
As soon as that encounter is over, Jesus and His men go to Tyre and Sidon, which is in the heart of Gentile territory. Once again, they try to get some rest from the pressures of the ministry. But, we are told in verse 24 that “He could not be hid”. That is always the case! When Jesus is in a person, a family, a church, a community, or wherever, He simply cannot be hidden! Word will get out that He is in the house. In this text, a burdened mother locates Jesus. She begins to petition Him for the help she needs. She faces several challenges, but she persists and she gets what she came for.
There are three things the mother had as she approached Jesus and I believe we should have them too. 1. The mother had a Request. What request are we bringing to Jesus daily? 2. The mother had a resolve. Are we praying to Jesus with a sense of resolve? 3. The mother had a reward! As a result of the first two points she received a reward from Jesus.
Pastor Travis