In this episode, J. Mark explores the remarkable faith of the Syro-Phoenician mother in Mark 7:24-30. The whole of Mark 7 challenges the Jews’ view of purity, and this story highlights this theme as well. Though Jesus initially seems to reject her plea for her demon-possessed daughter, she persists in faith. Jesus honors her faith by healing her daughter. Join us as we explore how to have persistent faith in the One who provides.
Transcript
Our teaching this time builds on what was taught in the last two episodes. Last time we looked at Jesus’ revolutionary teaching that what comes from the inside defiles a person, not what goes in from the outside. Before that, the Pharisees accused the disciples of eating with unclean hands.
Today, we look at the desperate mother who knew Jesus could heal her daughter. However, she was a Gentile, and to the Jews she was unclean. This is the third account in Mark 7 where Jesus takes on the Jewish idea of uncleanness. Should Jesus heal her daughter? Why is his response so unique? Did he actually call her a dog?
These are good questions, and J Mark will speak about most of them. However, it is essential to keep the larger context of Mark 7 in mind, remembering how Jesus was challenging the Jewish idea of clean and unclean. Turn to Mark 7 and follow along as we look at this incredible mother and her tremendous faith.
Thomas Edison was the inventor of the incandescent lightbulb, sound recording, and more. It is said that “[He] was more responsible than anyone else for creating the modern world. He was the most influential figure of the last 500 years.”
Edison’s early life wouldn’t have suggested such brilliance. At age seven, Tom’s teacher sent a note home to his mother that read, “[your] child is as dense as a stump and virtually unteachable.” In response, his mother, Nancy, began teaching him at home. She believed Tom showed above-average intelligence. She had faith in God and in her child. The rest is history.
The Scriptures provide examples of motherhood that are relevant and beneficial today. Mark 7:24-30 yields valuable insights directly related to our discussion. I encourage you to listen attentively as I read this passage.
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.
This chapter begins with the Pharisees accusing Jesus’ disciples of breaking the elders’ tradition by eating without washing their hands. Immediately after Jesus teaches a lesson on uncleanness, he leaves the Jewish area and goes to Tyre and Sidon. Here comes this Gentile woman from Canaan. According to the disciples, she is unclean because of her ethnicity. She was a Gentile and a Canaanite, a people historically who were enemies of the Israelites.
Jesus uses her need as an object lesson. The disciples needed to understand that uncleanness was not a matter of nationality, any more than it was a matter of eating without ceremonial washing. Let’s keep that context in mind.
As we look at this text together, let’s note three PROOFS of “A Mother’s Faith.”
The First Proof (of her faith) is:
Her Petition
Jesus was in a Gentile area. Tyre and Sidon were in the heart of Phoenicia. Yet, even in this Gentile territory, the fame of Jesus was known. So, this woman, whose daughter was grievously tormented and possessed by a demon, came looking for Him.
Imagine the pain in this mother’s heart as she saw her daughter bound by demonic power, and she was helpless to change it. We don’t know how the demon manifested himself, but other portions of Scripture give us an idea of how these persons were tormented.
The woman’s faith led her to ask Jesus for healing. She must have heard of His power to heal. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked rejection and humiliation. Her faith drove her to overcome these obstacles and seek help. Her need was great, but her faith was even more remarkable because it caused her to act. She approached Jesus and offered her simple petition.
Let’s look at her petition. To clarify this, we turn to Matthew’s account. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” It’s a cry from the depths of her soul. She confesses Jesus as Lord. She cries for mercy out of helplessness. Mark tells us she fell at Jesus’ feet with her request. Notice there’s no wavering here. Her faith was fixed on Jesus and His ability to heal her daughter.
If you’re a mother, you may have prayed this kind of prayer. This mother’s example should both challenge and encourage you. One proof of her faith was that it motivated her petition. Her unwavering belief despite Jesus’s silence should serve as a model for us.
The Second Proof (of her faith) is:
Her Persistence
This second proof is where this woman’s true character shines. Matthew’s account records that “[Jesus] answered her not a word.” How would you react to that lack of response? Was Jesus being mean-spirited? That would be totally out of character for Him.
Mothers, do you have a burden for a child of yours? Does God seem silent? Does heaven seem oblivious to your cries? Take heart from this woman’s example.
She didn’t give up; her persistence proved her faith. The disciples didn’t know what to do with her. They asked Jesus to send her away. Picture this: a woman with a desperate need, crying out for mercy. Jesus refuses to answer, and the disciples ask Him to chase her away.
Then Jesus speaks. He says He has been sent only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” As a Gentile, she doesn’t qualify. However, we again observe her faith and persistence. She comes and worships Him. Her confidence in Jesus was the basis of her coming. Even after He refuses to help her, she’s still convinced He can. And she cries out, “Lord, Help me!”
Jesus responds again, “It is not good, or proper, to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Some see Jesus’ use of the word “dogs” as the ultimate put-down. If you were a Jew, you were special. Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs! The disciples knew this.
However, the English translation “dogs” refers to small dogs and household pets. For Jesus to take His attention from Israel would be like a father taking food from his children to throw it to their pets. In other words, it would be improper for Him, at the time, to offer the kingdom of God to the Gentiles. That would come later.
According to Matthew, this woman’s request was denied on three occasions. First, by silence, then by Jesus’ exclusive ministry to the Jews, and finally, by a possible racial slur. I marvel at her persistence. She had one focus: to see her daughter restored.
So, she responds to Jesus’ comment in verse twenty-eight by saying, “Yes, Lord, I know what you say is true, but the little dogs do get to eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” I’m impressed with her grasp of the truth. Each denial only strengthened her resolve.
If you’re a mother, I encourage you to follow this woman’s example. Demonstrate the proof of your faith by your persistence. God is listening, He hears, and He will respond.
The Final Proof is:
His Provision
Look at verse twenty-nine. “Then He said to her, ‘For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.’” All this mother had hoped for, all she’d set out to accomplish when she came to Jesus, was now reality. Enduring silence, rejection, and insult, she received what she had so tenaciously struggled for. Her faith activated the Lord’s provision. Imagine her joy, her excitement, her love for Jesus.
Hers was a great faith. Not faith in herself but faith in the object of her pursuit. If she’d had faith only in herself, she’d have never come to Jesus in the first place. But she went out of desperation, out of helplessness, and with the confidence that what she was unable to do, Jesus could easily do. And her faith was rewarded.
This truth of faith-activating provision is repeatedly demonstrated in the Scriptures. Some people lacked faith and suffered the consequences, like the children of Israel who died in the wilderness because they didn’t believe God could deliver them from the giants in the land. Others exercised faith and received God’s abundant provision, such as Deborah, who, when the men failed to lead, stepped out in faith and led Israel to victory.
Do you have faith in God? James reminds you that those who petition God must do it in faith, without wavering. That was the kind of faith this Canaanite mother had. Her actions demonstrated that her faith was firmly fixed on Jesus. She was not to be denied.
Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t need a faith like this woman.” That may be true, but every godly mother recognizes motherhood as an act of faith. You don’t have what it takes to raise godly sons and daughters. If you think you do, God will bring you into situations that crush your pride and self-confidence. Only by trusting God, by exercising faith in Him, will you be able to fulfill the task of being a mother. That’s the secret of the success of this woman from Canaan.
As we close, I have a few questions for you. Mother, where is your faith? Has it motivated you to petition the Lord for His intervention? Or are you struggling to meet the need in your human efforts?
Has your faith been demonstrated in your persistence as you continue casting yourself and your need on the Lord, even when He seems silent? Are you worshiping Him from a heart of obedience and trust?
Is your faith activating God’s provision? Have you experienced all that He wants to give you? No matter what God’s provision is, it will honor a mother’s faith.
This mother’s faith is a challenge for us. She knew Jesus could heal her daughter and would not give up. Through several setbacks, she stuck it out. When you and I are convinced Jesus can, then we will also be persistent with our requests, just like she did. If we are honest, most of us have experienced a time when God was silent, or when we felt pushed aside by Him. This woman’s response to that is a good example for us in those difficult times: keep praying, keep persevering, don’t quit. He is the one with the answers.
If you have any questions about today’s lesson or would like to contact us, please let us know. You can contact us by email or online. Our email address is hope@heraldsofhope.org, and our website is heraldsofhope.org. You will find “contact us” under the partner tab in the top right. Click that to message us directly. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
This woman’s response reminded me of Peter’s answer when Jesus asked His disciples whether they, too, wanted to leave Him. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter and this mother would not walk away; they knew Jesus was the answer. May the same be said of you and me.
