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JESUS ADMIRES THE FAITH OF A GENTLE WOMAN

Mark 7:24-30

Key Verse: 7:29 “Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

  Last week we studied about the true meaning of being clean and unclean. Jesus said that what goes into our body does not make us unclean, but what comes out of our body makes us unclean. It is true that evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly which come from inside make us ‘unclean.’  Preaching the word is important. Praying for others day and night is also important. Traveling around the world for mission trip is an urgent task. However, kneeling down before God and confessing our sins with broken heart and with contrite spirit is a more important and urgent task in the sight of God. That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Our love confession for Christ or a single page of repentant testimony is a pleasing aroma before God who is holy.

  In today’s passage Jesus heals a gentle woman’s daughter. This event is regarded as a significant landmark for Jesus’ ministry for world mission. By healing the daughter of a gentile woman, Jesus shows us that he is the merciful God and that he is the Messiah of the world, first for the Jew, then for the Gentiles. May the mercy of Jesus reach to each of us when we come to him with humble faith. Amen.

1. A Syrophoenician woman came to Jesus by faith (24-26)

Look at verse 24. “Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.” After defending his disciples from the religious leaders, Jesus withdrew into Galilee territory, to the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, Syrian Phoenicia, which lay between Galilee and the sea coast. Definitely Jesus wanted to take a break with his disciples and to refresh himself from the Pharisees’ choking pressure. Have you ever been at beach and enjoyed a cool beach breath? For a few minutes Jesus and his disciples enjoyed walking on the seashore and were refreshed by the cool sea breath. The disciples were like playful children who walked, ran and jumped while the sea water was ripping over the sand on the seashore. Indeed it was a cool beach break.

 

Then Jesus entered a house and did not want anyone to know his presence. However, he could not keep his presence secret. People from the vicinity of Tyre began to come to Jesus one by one, two by two and group by group. Here we learn that the gospel of Jesus had already spread widely to the Gentiles. The news of Jesus’ visit to the town brought a big crowd with many sick people. Among them one woman drew Jesus’ full attention. Who was she? Look at verses 25,26. “In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and felt at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.” She was a gentle woman, especially a Greek woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit. We don’t know how old her little daughter was, but probably she might be around 11 or 12 years old. It seems that the woman and her daughter were the only family members. As a mother, her misery and suffering was more than one could say. The mother was a source of joy to her daughter and the daughter was the source of happiness to her mother even though they lived under the scorching heat all year round. They must be poor, but happy as long as they depended on each other. My daughter Grace is always happy to see her mom and listen to her mom before she goes to bed. Her presence is a great joy to her mother.

 

But, one day the daughter of the Gentile woman became sick. At first her mother thought that it was just a temporarily prevailing flu or a typical symptom of the pre-teen girl. But, the situation got worse until it was out of her control. Her daughter stopped eating, talking and suddenly began laughing and sighing. Sometimes she foamed at her mouth and became rigid and gnashed her teeth.  Her mother’s heart was broken. Sometimes, she felt the heaven was crumbling down. Those who have little daughters understand well about the pain and broken heart of the mother. Once, my daughter Grace became sick without any obvious reason. She couldn’t eat properly for several days and became weak and pale. I became very anxious of losing my little daughter. On the way to the emergency room in the children’s hospital, I prayed, repented all my sins and begged God’s mercy for healing my poor little daughter. Expecting God’s mercy I took out all my money from my wallet and gave them to a homeless person who asked for alms.  

 

  The mother of the daughter fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. Even though she was a gentile woman, she knew well about the Jewish tradition that women were not allowed to appear in public. She also knew well about the Jewish prejudice against the gentiles that the Jews were not associated with the Gentiles. She was a Greek woman and Jesus was a Jewish young man. Despite all such racial, gender, and cultural differences, the woman fell at Jesus’ feet. Such human obstacles and barriers did not matter to her if only her daughter could be healed by Jesus. She was ready to do anything, to sacrifice everything to heal her little daughter. There is saying, “A woman is week, but a mother is strong.” She overcame all difficulties and obstacles to heal her sick daughter. She came to Jesus by faith.

2. Jesus blesses the Syrophoenician woman’s humble faith (25b-30)

What was Jesus’ response to her request? Look at verse 27. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Here Jesus treated the Jews as children and the gentiles as dogs. It was a harsh word to the Gentiles and unbearable insult to a woman. Suppose you hurt a woman’s pride, what will happen? At that time, Greece was the birthplace of philosophy, democracy, and athletics. Even though the glory and splendor of the Greek dynasty passed away, it was still the center of the world. The Greeks were proud and despised the Jews calling “Jewish pigs.” She was a Greek woman and Jesus was a Jewish evangelist. If she thought about her pride as a Greek woman, she could have retaliated against his word and withdrawn herself from him. But, how did she reply?

Look at verse 28. “Yes, Lord,” She replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” It is amazing that she accepted her as a dog under the table. How could she humble herself before Jesus? She humbled herself because she had faith in Jesus. She did not see Jesus as a mere man. She saw Jesus as the Might God. She believed that Jesus could heal her daughter by any means. She believed that Jesus would accept her as she is when she comes by faith even though she was a gentile woman. She reminds us of John 1:12 which says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”

It is amazing that she admitted her as a Gentile dog and asked the Messiah’s mercy. She did not expect the whole amount of the Messiah’s mercy. She begged for a crumb’s amount of Jesus’ mercy. She believed that even a crumb’s amount of Jesus’ mercy was enough for healing her daughter.

  What was Jesus’ response to her humble request? Look at verse 29. “Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” The word of Jesus “For such a reply” is not a simple descriptive sentence, but an acclamation with awe and amazement.  According to Matthew 15:28, Jesus said, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Jesus admired her great faith. Jesus was amazed by her humble faith. Jesus was moved by her absolute faith.

Let us think about her great faith which amazed Jesus. First of all she passed Jesus’ test. At first, Jesus humiliated her and insulted her pride with a harsh word. It was unbearable insult and contempt to a high-minded woman. But, she curbed her pride and begged for Jesus’ mercy. It is not easy for anyone to pass this kind of test. In the Old Testament, God tested Abraham’s faith. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac as a burnt offering. (Ge 22:2) God’s request to Abraham was totally unreasonable, impractical, inhumane and out of common sense. Above all, Isaac was the covenant son who would inherit God’s promise to the generations to come after Abraham. He was God’s divine gift to Abraham. So, sacrificing Isaac as a burnt offering was unthinkable and unacceptable to Abraham. But, Hebrews 11:17 says, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son..”  By faith Abraham passed the test. God was moved by Abraham’s faith and love for him saying, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Ge 22:12). After testing Abraham’s faith, God blessed Abraham abundantly all the more as a blessing for the whole world.

Namman was a valiant and courageous general. But he was a leper. When he was advised to see the prophet Elisha, he was not willing. Especially Elisha asked him to go to the Jordan River and dip his body seven times in the river, Namman was extremely angry. His pride as a valiant army commander was hurt by a Jewish old man. But, later he curbed his pride and obeyed the word of God’s servant. When he washed his body seven times by the water of the Jordan River, his leprosy was healed. When he passed the test, he received God’s mercy. After passing the test, he enjoyed God’s blessing.

We must remember that God sometimes test our faith in order to plant faith in our hearts. Sometimes God puts us into a difficult situation. Sometimes he does not answer our prayer as we wish. Sometimes, he demands seemingly impossible sacrifice from us through his servants. God did to Abraham. The prophet Elisha did to Namman and Jesus did to the Syrophoenician woman. But, all these people passed the test. They all denied themselves and obeyed God’s command. When they passed the test, they received what they wanted and tasted that the Lord is good.

Here we also learn that Jesus shows his favor to anyone who comes to him by faith regardless of human situation.  To the eyes of Jesus’ disciples, Jesus’ mercy on the daughter of the Gentile woman was unusual. They did not expect that God’s mercy could reach even to the Gentiles. But, Jesus accepted a gentile woman and loved her and showed his favor upon her daughter. The woman begged for only crumb’s amount of the Messiah’s mercy. But Jesus poured out abundant blessing and his favor on the woman.

The woman’s humble faith reminds of our Lord Jesus who humbled himself and died on the cross for our sins. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:6-11; “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Amen. Our Lord Jesus said to his disciple who would follow him saying, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mk 8:34) In order to become disciples of Jesus, we must learn how to deny ourselves and follow the word of Jesus.

Look at verse 30. “She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.” When she came back home, her little daughter welcomed her with big smile. The woman gave thanks to Jesus who accepted her and healed her daughter. Peace, joy and thanks filled her house again.

In today’s passage we learned that Jesus is not only the Savior for the Jews, but also for the people of the world. Jesus blesses anyone who comes to him by faith. Jesus shows his favor to anyone who asks with humble cry. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Pe 5:5) In the past, we were not a chosen people. We were not his children. But, only by God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ we became his children. We thank God and praise Jesus’ name. May God help us remember his grace and come to him every day for his mercy. May God help us to accept anyone, all people of the world, even the Muslims as our brothers and sisters when they come to Jesus by faith. Amen.

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