Thomas Edison was an amazing person. It is said that “[He] was more responsible than anyone else for creating the modern world. Specifically, no one did more to shape the physical/cultural makeup of present-day civilization. Accordingly, he was the most influential figure of the last 500 years.”
Edison’s early life wouldn’t have indicated such influence. At age seven, after spending about 12 weeks in a chaotic one-room schoolhouse with 38 other students of all ages, Tom’s overworked and short-tempered teacher finally lost patience with his persistent questioning. Noting that his forehead was unusually broad and his head was larger than average, he believed the youngster’s brains were “addled” or scrambled.
In response, his mother, Nancy, began teaching her favorite son at home. She believed Tom’s appearance and demeanor showed above-average intelligence. The actual contents of a note that Tom’s teacher sent home to his mother, informing her that “the child is as dense as a stump and virtually unteachable,” wasn’t revealed to him until many years after her death. In any case, she and her husband utterly dedicated themselves to educating their beloved child.
Nancy Edison, a devout Presbyterian, had faith in God and faith in her child. As we say, the rest is history.
The Scriptures are a treasure trove of examples of motherhood that are not just historical but also 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 and to actively participate in our study by sharing your thoughts and reflections via email or by sending a note. Tony will provide our contact information at the end of the program. Here is Mark 7:24-30.
Before we delve into the life of this mother from Canaan and the faith she demonstrated, let’s review the context of this account. This chapter begins with the Pharisees accusing Jesus’ disciples of breaking the elders’ tradition by eating without washing their hands.
Jesus uses this interaction to teach His disciples that defilement comes from the inside, out of the mind and heart, and not from outside impurities. Every temptation to sin and every act of sin begins as a thought. It originates in the heart.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the mother from Canaan, a woman whose unwavering faith and persistence, even in the face of adversity, we can all admire and draw inspiration from. Her story is a powerful testament to the strength of faith, a force that can move mountains and overcome all obstacles. Her faith, which never wavered even in the face of societal judgment and personal pain, should be a beacon of hope and inspiration in our faith journeys, strengthening our own faith in the face of challenges.
Immediately after Jesus teaches the disciples this lesson on uncleanness, he leaves the Jewish area and goes to Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile area. Here comes this Gentile woman from Canaan. According to the disciples, she is unclean because of where she comes from. She was not only a Gentile but also a Canaanite, a people group historically at odds with the Israelites. She was an outsider in every sense of the word.
Jesus uses her need as an object lesson for the disciples to reinforce what he told them about uncleanness. 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 go along, we will also draw in some details from Matthew’s account.
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
As I mentioned, Jesus left the area around the Sea of Galilee and went northwest into the area known as Phoenicia. This was a distinctly Gentile area. Tyre and Sidon were in the heart of Phoenicia. Mark adds that Jesus entered a house there, looking for privacy and rest.
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.
You can identify with this woman better than I can if you’re a mother. I care about my daughters as a father, but God uniquely designs a mother’s love. Imagine the pain in this mother’s heart as she saw her daughter bound by demonic power day after day, and she was powerless to do anything about it. Her love for her daughter, and the pain she felt seeing her suffer, is a testament to the depth of a mother’s love. We don’t know what the manifestations were of this demonic oppression, but the final verse of our text and other portions of Scripture gives us an idea of how these persons were tormented.
The faith of this Gentile woman moved her to petition Jesus for healing. She must have heard of Jesus and His power to heal. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked the pain of rejection and humiliation. Her need most likely made her an outcast in her community. She was probably the subject of gossip among the women in the village as well. They may have pitied her or confided to each other that she must have done something to deserve the wrath of the gods. There was a social stigma attached to her daughter’s condition. Yet, she persisted, her faith driving her to overcome these obstacles and seek help from Jesus.
Her need was great, but her faith was even more remarkable because it motivated her actions. She came to Jesus with tremendous agony of spirit and poured out her petition in a simple sentence. Her mother’s heart looked past all the pain of rejection, the whispered comments, and the sidelong glances. She had faith that Jesus could help.
Let’s look at her petition. For this, we must go to Matthew’s account. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” It is short and to the point. It’s a cry for help from the depths of her soul. It’s a humble prayer with a confession of Jesus as Lord. It’s a fervent prayer; she cried for mercy out of helplessness. It’s a prayer full of faith.
Mark tells us she fell at Jesus’ feet with her request. Notice there’s no wavering here. She didn’t say, “Lord, maybe you can help me.” Her faith was fixed on Jesus and His ability to heal her daughter. This unwavering faith in Jesus’ ability should reassure and strengthen your faith.
If you’re a mother and a follower of Jesus, you probably know something about this kind of prayer. Maybe your child’s need isn’t as great as this daughter’s. But as a godly mother, you have lifted your child’s needs to the Lord. Your faith in God motivated you to petition the Lord for your son or daughter. This mother’s example should be a challenge and an encouragement to you. One proof of her faith was that it motivated her petition. Her unwavering faith in the face of silence from Jesus should be a model for all of us.
The Second Proof (of her faith) is:
Her Persistence
This second proof is where this woman’s true character shines. In Matthew’s account (chapter 15) of this incident, he 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. He seems to be testing this mother’s sincerity.
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 the example of this Gentile woman.
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. They were uncomfortable with her tenacity. They said she kept “screaming” after us. Picture this: Here is the woman with this 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. But again, we see her faith enabling her persistence. She comes and worships Him. This word, worship, describes her action as that of a dog licking the hand of his master. It is an acknowledgment of dependence, gratitude, reverence, and adoration. This mother’s confidence in Jesus was the basis of her coming to Him. 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 little dogs.” I marvel at the persistence of this woman.
There are varied opinions on what Jesus was communicating here. Some see his use of the word dogs as the ultimate putdown. If you were a Jew, you were special. If you were a Gentile, you were referred to as a dog! This was the concept Jesus’ disciples had grown up with.
However, some scholars point out that the word translated into English, dogs, refers to little dogs and house pets. For Jesus to take His attention from Israel, in violation of His mission, 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. The proper time for that would come later.
Are you a mother deeply concerned for one or more of your children? Will God hear your prayer immediately? He will, provided you’re in the right relationship with Him. Will He answer it the way you want and when you want? Perhaps, but not necessarily.
He may be testing you. Are you serious about your petition? Is there pride in your heart that he wants to break? He may be testing your motives. Are you more worried about your son or daughter, your reputation, and what people will think of you? If you are genuinely concerned for your child, your faith will show persistence.
I know mothers with wayward children they’re deeply concerned about. Nobody knows how many prayers have ascended to heaven from their lips. Only God knows their anguish or hears their cries in the silence of an empty house, whispered prayers in the night, or tears on their pillow. But their persistence is living proof of their faith in God.
According to Matthew, this woman’s request has been denied thrice. First, by silence, then by Jesus’ mention of his exclusive ministry to the Jews, and finally, by a possible racial slur. I marvel at her persistence. She wasn’t going to be deterred, sidetracked, or frustrated. She was like a hound on the trail of a rabbit. She had one focus, and that was 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.” You’ve got to be impressed with her grasp of the truth. It seems like each denial only strengthened her resolve.
If you’re a mother, I encourage you to follow the example of this woman. 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 from beginning to end. We have examples of people who 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. We have examples of those who exercised faith and received God’s abundant provision, like Deborah, who, when all the men “wimped out,” stepped out in faith and led Israel to victory.
Mother, 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 mother from Canaan 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.