Mark 7:24-30 (NKJV) A Gentile Shows Her Faith
(Matt. 15:21–28)
24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
V24 “From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.” Tyre and Sidon: “The names Tyre and Sidon were famous in the ancient Near East. They are also important cities in the Old and New Testaments. Both are now located in Lebanon, with Tyre 20 mi south of Sidon and only 12 mi north of the Israel-Lebanon border. Today each is just a shadow of their former selves.” (Source: https://biblearchaeology.org/research/divided-kingdom/4180-the-biblical-cities-of-tyre-and-sidon). Jesus didn’t have to go there, but He chose to for dealing with this situation. It seems He didn’t want everyone to know; He just wanted to go to that woman and her daughter.
V25 “For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.” The young daughter who was demon possessed needed healing. Doing anything with the occult will lead you into extra spiritual danger and possibly physical danger. The woman knew about Jesus and kneeled at His feet. Kneeling was in recognition of His authority and stature and to admit her weakness and humble condition.
V26 “The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.” Jesus was sent to the Jews first, but He also healed a number of Gentiles because of His love and compassion. Note how she kept pleading. Sometimes we have such a burden that we must repeat our request and the stress it brings. Thanks be to God for His mercy and grace.
V27 “But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” The children are Israelis; they must be healed first. But note, how Jesus came here. He is testing her faith and resolve. The children’s bread is the spiritual blessings to Israel.
V28 “And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” Her plea still contained this truth, “Lord, I know but even so can’t I still have a blessing?” It is good to pray and continue to pray (Luke 18:1). A wise man in Israel wrote: “(Sirach 35:21 (NRSVA)) “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal; it will not desist until the Most High responds.”
V29 “Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” He saw her great faith. He knew she had this faith but faith must be demonstrated by action.
V30 “And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.” She believed, left Jesus, returned home, and found, as she expected, her daughter lying on the bed and healed. Only God can do such wonderful things. I’m sure she spent much time praising God and telling others what Jesus had done.
We learn:
- Jesus cares about Jews and Gentiles.
- Jesus has compassion.
- Jesus tests people for their faith.
Questions:
- Do we humble ourselves and pray?
- How is the health of our faith?