24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. 26 She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” 28 But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then Jesus said, “Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone. ~ Mark 7:24-30
After a walk of about thirty-five miles, the Lord Jesus was now in the Mediterranean Sea town of Tyre. Earlier in this chapter, the observant to the law religious leaders of Israel accused the Lord Jesus of violating the Word of God. Interestingly, these "leaders" adherence to the "Law of Moses" and all of their additions to it resulted in them being smug and more and more separate from the people who need the truth most, the Gentiles. The Lord Jesus took the disciples to Tyre to illustrate in terms of race what He had just taught in terms of food. All foods are clean, and all peoples are clean, in the sense of being accepted by God. There are no longer any distinctions among foods, as being defiling or undefiling, just as there are no distinctions among people.
In v.24-26 of today's passage we read, "24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. 26 She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter."
As the Lord Jesus and His disciples entered Tyre, the crowd was so great that He had to slip away into a house to escape them. In that home in Tyre there was a desperate Gentile woman who asked the Lord Jesus to cast a demon from her daughter. Her desperation gave room to potential hope enabling her to bring her desperate need to the Lord. Her faith had brought her to possible rejection, but she was so desperate. The risk she ran was great in the eyes of all in that day. Women were not supposed to approach a man whom she did not know. This kind of faith, though, is the key to what life is truly all about: encountering God and telling others about Him.
In Matthew's Gospel we are told this woman recognized the Lord Jesus and used the Jewish messianic title to address Him. She said, "Son of David, have mercy on my daughter for she is severely demon-possessed." It's interesting; she's a Gentile using the Jewish covenant name to make her appeal to the Lord Jesus. Unlike the Jewish religious leaders, this lady was being defined by God.
In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want."
The Lord Jesus employed an illustration that this woman clearly understood. The context of this analogy is the supper table.
And, the Lord Jesus used the Greek word for dog here that was less offensive than another He could have used. He used the word that described the pets that one would have in the home, not the scavengers out in the allies.
The Lord Jesus used this illustration to deliberately push whatever faith this woman had in Him to the edge. This desperate lady was like the family dog that feeds on crumbs that have fallen from the table. The Lord Jesus is always on the lookout for such faith. He saw this woman's desperation and her subsequent faith that made this miracle come to pass.
In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 But she answered, 'Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.' 29 Then Jesus said, 'Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.'"
The lady's theology was spot on. She was not under the Abrahamic Covenant. She had long realized she was not one of the children around the dinner table. And, she knew this term used for "dog" was used by the Jews to describe the Gentiles. In context, this word dog was an insult. But, that did not keep her from begging for the scraps. She was convinced she was not worthy of the choice food on the table.
It was this answer that resulted in the deliverance of her daughter from the demon. For the first and last time in the gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus heals someone from a distance. This happened on the heels of the Lord Jesus exposing the utter mindlessness of the religious leaders who were bent upon earning God's favor.
Here, the observant Jew was given yet another example that he was no longer to be defined by his religious activities which drew out their hearts away from Him to self. Like this gentile lady in Tyre, we must be bent upon being defined but by a pure heart in the God of the Bible who has spoken over us through His Son who gave His life to win our hearts.
Spirituality is more than just a carefully observed ritual. Spirituality is a wild search for God in the arena of our desperately mixed up souls. It is a search involving an unexpected mix of uncomfortable reality, trustworthy freedom, frustrating surprises, and a healthy dose of desperation.
In v.30 of today's passage we read, "The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone."
When this gentile woman arrived at her home, her daughter was lying quietly in her bed. And the demon was no longer in her. That very day, a despised Gentile became a grateful recipient of the grace of God. Take note of the formula: great desperation plus a little faith appropriately placed in the Lord Jesus Christ equals wholeness. We are never quite convinced that the Lord Jesus is all we need until He is all we have.
