Introduction:
In Mark 7:1-23 we saw Jesus teach on the subject of defilement. The conclusion of the teaching was that there was nothing that enters a person that defiles (like food), but that which comes out of a person defiles. This would have been a monumental teaching that even the disciples did not fully understand. As we noted, by Jesus’ teaching, He has pronounced all foods to be clean. However, Peter did not understand this until years later in Acts 10 when he received a vision from the Lord. Jesus is going to drive these points home now by going to the defiled and performing miracles.
Mark 7:24-30
The scene
After finishing His teaching to the multitudes in Gennesaret, Jesus arises and goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This would have been about 50-70 miles from Gennesaret. These cities are in the land of Phoenicia and are clearly Gentile cities. I find it very interesting that as soon as Jesus finishes speaking about true defilement, He goes to the region that would have been certainly concerned defiled by the Jews. If the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem thought that not washing their hands after being in the marketplace where Gentiles might have touched something, how much more upset would they be to see this Messiah going into the cities of Tyre and Sidon! So Jesus goes to the Phoenician region with His disciples, which we learn from the Matthew account, and tries to be hidden from the multitudes. Either Jesus is looking for a little rest, which they were unable to find in the previous chapter, or the multitudes have become so large that Jesus is trying to hide Himself. Either way, Jesus attempts to be hidden within a house, but it is not possible for Jesus to remain concealed. Everywhere Jesus is going, people are coming to Him. His fame has spread quickly through the region, even into the Gentile cities.
While there in the house, a woman comes to Jesus concerning her young daughter who has an unclean spirit. The description of this woman shows that she is a heathen through and through. She is not a half-blood or a partial Jew. Notice all the things against her. First, she is a woman, who did not have the equal rights and privileges that women have today. Second, she is a Greek, not a Jew. Third, she was born in Phoenicia, so it is not likely she was even born in Israel, and then moved away. She is completely Gentile. She is also a desperate woman. She falls at the feet of Jesus and is repeatedly asking and begging Jesus to cast out the unclean spirit in her daughter. Why is she repeatedly asking Jesus? Because Jesus is not responding. Jesus has remained absolutely silent toward this woman while she is at His feet begging Him (Matthew 15:23). It gets to the point that she turns her attention to the disciples that are with Jesus and she begins to beg them to do something for her daughter. She is harassing them so much that the disciples call to Jesus to send her away. The woman continues to plead for help.
In verse 27, Jesus says to the woman, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Jesus had come to bring blessings and good tidings to the Jews and not to the Gentiles. Jesus declared that He had come to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Now some take offense to the words that Jesus says to the woman. Some want to rant and rave that Jesus is calling this woman a dog. Therefore He was against women and was some sort of chauvinist. Jesus is not insulting this woman when He implies that she is a dog. Nor does she take this as an insulting remark. We need to understand the parable that Jesus is speaking here. Ladies, when you prepare dinner, I am sure you bring it out to the table and begin to first feed it to your dog. Then what is leftover you feed to your family. No, that is ludicrous. The family feeds first and then the pets are allowed to eat what is left over. In particular, children like to feed the dog the things that they do not want nor like themselves. It is this imagery that Jesus is framing in this Gentile woman’s mind. It is not her time yet. Jesus has come with the good news and blessings to Israel first. Her time would have to come later.
She fully understands what Jesus is saying and replies by saying “Yes, Lord.” However, she is not finished with her opportunity. The woman seizes upon the illustration and uses it to her favor. She responds that even the little dogs eat from the crumbs. What has she just said to Jesus? Quite simply, even while the children are eating of the food first, there is always something that falls from their mouths or from the table for the dogs to eat. She is telling Jesus that she understands that He is to go to Israel first, but in the process she is looking for a crumb. The Matthew account tells us that Jesus responds that her faith is great. The woman understood that the healing of her daughter from this unclean spirit would be merely a crumb of the blessings that Jesus was offering His children. And that is exactly right. Jesus did come with healings and miracles, but those were the crumbs of what He was offering. He was offering salvation and deliverance to His children, which the Gentiles would receive as well later. She knew that this was a small request to make of the son of David, the Messiah. This Gentile woman has been able to grasp what none thus far have been able to fully understand about the work of the Messiah. Thus, the woman goes her way, and her daughter is healed.
Applications
Future foreshadowed. The first clear thing we see from Jesus’ encounter with this Greek woman is that this was a certain foreshadowing and teaching of what would take place later. Soon, the children in Jesus’ parable would reject the bread that Jesus was offering, and this bread would then be offered to the Gentiles. The good news and blessings rejected by the chosen nation would be offered to those outside, and they would be brought in. Amazingly, this woman has a grasp of the work of Christ better than some of the disciples in Acts 15.
Determination and persistence. We also cannot miss the determination and persistence that was required for Jesus to begin this dialogue with the woman. He spends most of the time ignoring her, but turns His attention to her after much persistence. Finally, because of her great faith, she receives what she has requested. This is a powerful parallel to what Jesus is looking for us to do when we pray. We must tell our Lord what we need with great determination and faith. This point has been made many times in Mark, and is here made again. We must truly allow this truth to sink into our hearts. Answered prayer demands persistence and faith.
Mark 7:31-37
The scene
Jesus now departs from the region of Tyre and Sidon and goes to Decapolis near the Sea of Galilee. Decapolis is on the eastern side of the Jordan river that was mainly populated by Greeks, though many Jews lived there as well. Wiersbe says that Decapolis was “the Rome away from Rome.” Remember also that it is in this region that Jesus had come and cast out the demons named Legion from a man. Those demons were cast into swine who in turn ran into the sea and drowned. The people had reacted by sending Jesus away. The people bring to Jesus a person who is deaf and has a speech impediment. They also begin to beg that Jesus lay His hands upon the man and heal him. Jesus takes the man aside from the multitude and puts His fingers in his ears. Then Jesus spits, touches the man’s tongue, gazes up to heaven, and says “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened and his tongue was loosed that he could speak plainly. Jesus commands the people not to tell anyone, but the people all the more told of all the things that they had seen. Why is it that the people did not heed Jesus’ words to not tell anyone? Verse 37 tells us that the people were astonished beyond measure. They had been blown away by what they had just seen. In verse 37 we read the words that the people were proclaiming, “He had done all things well.” There is no better description for what God can do. Just as in the six days of creation, the Lord was able to look over His works and see that all things were good. In the same way, everything that Jesus did was done well. Jesus would become our perfect lamb offered as a sacrifice for our sins, which would be pleasing to the Lord. Jesus did all things well.
Application
While we can apply this statement to all things that Jesus did, more directly these words are applied to the healings of Jesus. Jesus did not heal partially. Those who were healed did not walk away still having a little trouble hearing or speaking. Further, there was no requirement of faith by this individual. Jesus willingly healed this man. Those who claim to be faith healers and perform miracles will have trouble comparing the things they do to the miracles Jesus performed. Jesus did not make things better. He made the person whole. The lame man did not walk with a limp, but was fully healed. This deaf man did not need a hearing aid now. He was fully healed. Jesus did all things well. Our parents usually had a saying that anything worth doing is worth doing well. And so with Jesus who did everything well. These people were asked not to speak about the works of Jesus, but could not help but speak about all Jesus had done. We are commanded by the Lord to share with everyone the great works of Jesus. We must tell the world about how Jesus has done “all things well.”
Mark 8:1-10
The scene
In chapter 8 we come across a very familiar scene. The multitudes are following after Jesus and they have nothing to eat. Jesus notes this problem, for the multitude has been traveling for three days with Jesus. Jesus further tells His disciples that He cannot send them away hungry, for some will faint on the way because they have come from so far. Now, it is time to insert ourselves into the scene. Back in chapter six we saw 5000 men, plus the uncounted women and children, be filled on the five loaves of bread and two fish that a little boy was carrying with him. The problem has arisen again, for they are out in the wilderness and there is nowhere to get food. Jesus has just now made the implication that the disciples need to feed this multitude. Do the disciples respond that “You are the Son of God and you have the power to feed them?” Do the disciples respond that “You did the same thing some time back and you can do the same thing again?” No, they do not respond this way. In verse 4 we see the disciples respond with another statement of impossibility, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” The disciples respond the same way they did with the feeding of the 5000.
Jesus had to be disappointed in these disciples. The first time Jesus asked this of the disciples in the feeding of the 5000, we are told that Jesus said these words to test them. It seems nearly certain that Jesus said these words here in order to test His disciples again to see if they had learned. But again, the disciples failed the test. Jesus asks how many loaves the disciples have. The disciples say they have seven loaves and a few small fish. In the same way as before, Jesus orders the multitude to sit on the ground as Jesus takes the loaves and gives thanks to the Father. Jesus then passes out the loaves and fish and they all ate and were filled. Further, there were leftovers, enough to fill seven large baskets. The multitude consisted of 4000 men, not counting all the women and children.
Failure of the disciples
I am fascinated that the disciples showed the same lack of faith in this situation as they did before. They did not recall the previous experience with the 5000. Further, I would like us to see that this was a lesser test of their faith. Not only had something similar happened before, but the disciples had more food and fewer people to feed. Last time they only had five loaves, this time they had seven. Last time there were 5000 men, this time there were 4000 men. Before we get too down upon the disciples, I believe we need to consider ourselves. How many times has our Lord tested our faith in a similar way and yet we failed the test? Have we been previously worried about money and bills and made it through? Yet the next time the problem arises we fail to trust in God. From trials, tribulations, and temptations, we still do not learn the lesson that God has the power to get us through and will do so. God will test our faith to see if we have grown from our last encounter. Sometimes we have added to our faith, sometimes we have not learned the point of the last dilemma. Trials are always presented before His disciples to see if His disciples have matured. It is important to learn the lessons from every trial and dilemma that we have, for the Lord is trying to teach us and help us grow stronger.
Concluding Thoughts:
- A disciple has persistence to receive from the Lord.
- A disciple cannot help but proclaim how God has done “all things well.”
- A disciple grows in faith and takes every challenge as an opportunity to learn.
Lesson adapted from sermon given by Brent Kercheville
