By the Way: The crumbs are enough

By Shane Hein on October 19, 2024.

28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

– Mark 7:28 [ESV]

We are living in a time of outright spiritual starvation in the Western world. That leaves us in a very unique position as Christians because we are in possession of the bread of life. It belongs to us, but it is not ours to hoard and keep to ourselves. We, all in our own separate and exceptional ways, have the privilege and the obligation to give this bread to all who are starving, or at least to leave some crumbs on the floor.

Whether we are aware of it or not, people are watching each other, gathering what we say, and witnessing how we interact with those around us. It’s not always just about directly preaching the Gospel to someone. More often it is about living the Gospel in the culture that we are currently occupying, which has long since decided to jettison its Christian veneer.

We often underestimate the impact we have on the lives of others because we assume that the world has no interest in the crumbs that fall from the children’s table. People are listening closer than we think, especially today as people struggle to live in this failed experiment of a godless world and are searching for some crumbs.

The crumbs of God’s word that we leave behind us in the wake of our interactions with the spiritually hungry are being eaten, and they are starting to like the taste. Perhaps, if they eat enough of these crumbs, they will come looking for the slice of bread itself. Perhaps, when the world tires of their spiritual starvation they will come seeking the loaf of Christ’s body given as a gift on the altar tables of every one of God’s houses on earth.

Blessings,

Rev. Shane Hein is the pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church

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