From Crumbs to Crowds: the Expanding Kingdom ....

In his biography Lost Boy, Greg Laurie, the now famous pastor and evangelist tells his story. Laurie did not grow up in a stable, Christian home. Instead, he grew up moving from place to place with no consistency or direction. As a teen in the 1960s, he was caught up in the counterculture and was heavily involved with drugs and partying. At that time, he was not looking for Jesus and did not think Jesus was looking for him. However, things began to change when, one day, students gathered on the front lawn of his high school and someone stood up to preach. Greg did not respond to Christ’s call on that day; however, out of curiosity, he showed up at a Bible study where, after hearing the gospel, he realized something shocking: Jesus was not waiting for him to clean up his life. Jesus was inviting him into God's kingdom just as he was.

In today's passage, we see a very similar scenario to the one described above.  In the early part of chapter 7, we see that Jesus was engaging with the Pharisees (those Jewish religious leaders who could pass their own purity test). However, in verse 24, we see that Jesus left them and intentionally entered into territory (the region of Tyre) where the people were pagans and considered morally unclean by the Jews. Furthermore, while there, Jesus entered a home where “he could not be hidden” (Mark 7:24) and encountered a Gentile mother who desperately wanted her demon-possessed daughter to be set free. Scripture records that, upon seeing Jesus, this woman came and fell at Jesus' feet and begged him to cast out the demon (Mark 7:25-26). Now, to fully understand and appreciate this passage, we must pause and acknowledge this woman’s faith. As Christians, we certainly recognize that there are many men and women who are absolutely bold and consistent in their faith. Conversely, we also know that there are many desperate people who will ask anything from Jesus because of a desperate need at a specific moment who otherwise show little to no faith in God. So, which faith category did this pagan woman belong too? By reading verses 27-30 as well as the parallel passage of this story in Matthew 15:21-28, it is obvious that this pagan woman, though desperate for her daughter's healing,  possessed bold, worshipful and persistent faith.  

At this point, you may be asking how the two above stories apply to your life today. To unpack this,  it is helpul to ask the following two questions: First, do you remember when you were the outsider (like Greg Laurie and this Gentile woman) and were far from God? And, do you also remember the day that you experienced the crumbs of mercy that fell from Jesus' table of saving grace and responded in faith? Of course, all Christ followers do! The simple, but profound truth is that Jesus, just as He did for Greg Laurie and this pagan woman, invited you, a lost soul, into His kingdom exactly as you were. And, because of God's desire to expand His kingdom, we must always seek out and share this good news with others. Brothers and sisters, God has placed each of us in a pagan environment for the sole purpose of compelling others to mercy’s table just as we ourselves were once compelled! Christian, are you actively befriending others with a heart of compassion, courage and conviction for the sole purpose of inviting them into God’s kingdom? If not, will you begin doing so today? ....

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