And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
This text can be a little bit of a challenge. It most certainly would challenge the image of Jesus that liberal or progressive Christians like to portray concerning Jesus. You see progressive Christianity prefers to see Jesus as a good man, and a gifted teacher. He is envisioned as a social activist, peacemaker, and a social reformer who upended oppressive religious and social ladders. They don’t see the gospel as a mandatory substitutionary blood sacrifice for atonement. Even though the scriptures clearly state, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls. (Leviticus 17:11) Paul the Apostle also remarked, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) We are referred to as UNGODLY, and Christ has to die for us because we were too weak in the flesh to be righteous.
Instead, they teach the gospel as something that should influence someone’s moral views, and Jesus’ death is an example that was meant to inspire men to accept and love one another, to live in peace. They reject the notion that Jesus taught.
- Let the dead bury the dead (Matthew 8:22).
- Whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery (Matthew 5:24-32)
- You must be perfect (Matthew 5:48)
- Fear him who has the authority to cast you into hell (Matthew 10:28)
It is important for us to continue in the frame of mind that Mark has. Mark is a fast-paced gospel, sprinting to the cross. It is packed with images of Jesus teaching, healing, and confronting local religious leaders, worthless traditions, and superstitions. Jesus is obviously on a mission to testify to as much truth as possible. Like Johnny Appleseed, he goes all around Galilee planting seeds that will be harvested after he has gone to be with his Father. Part of that has been an intense training of his apostles. These are the men who would further set the foundations of the church. While Jesus heals and preaches, he continuously seeks a place to be alone with his disciples to ensure their knowledge and understanding.
In the meantime, Jesus has been rejected in his hometown. Large crowds come to seek his miracles, but few remain for the teaching, and even fewer follow him through the daily sacrifices that it takes to be his disciple.
So Jesus has … “arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.”.
Jesus left the Galilee area for an area that was considered a gentile region. Tire was in the Roman province of Syria, modern-day Lebanon. It is believed that Jesus and his disciples traveled about 35 miles to get to a place where Jesus could be alone with his disciples to rest and have private teachings that would prepare them for the events of the cross and beyond. The scripture here is very clear: Jesus wanted them to be left alone, “would have no man know it.” But as is with celebrity, you can never be left alone, for the scripture tells us that “he could not be hid”. The fame of Jesus had transcended the Jews, Jerusalem, Galilee, Samaria, and entered predominantly gentile regions. So is the Word of God.
Isaiah 556:11 – So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Our source text tells us that there was a woman who had a daughter who had an issue with a demonic entity. The woman is referred to as a Syrophoenician by race, and a Canaanite in the gospel of Mathew (Matthew 15:22). This meant that she was a Greek. This Gentile woman crossed racial and social barriers and came seeking a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus.
She was a woman, and culture viewed her as subject or inferior to men. She was a Gentile, and Jews and Gentiles did not associate. Jews viewed them as unclean and treated them as if they were dogs. She was a descendant of the Canaanite, an ancient enemy of Israel. She was undoubtedly an idol worshiper because she would have grown up in those religious practices.
She believed he could deliver her daughter out of the clutches of this unclean spirit. Now, it seems that there is some teaching to be done here. Teachings that were intended once again for the disciples.
Jesus’ Reaction and delay
Now, knowing these things about the woman and Jesus, when we see this pause by Jesus, his apparent shunning has a little more emphasis. Normally, a Jewish man would have sternly rebuked the woman and cast her from his presence. But as hard as Jesus’ response seems to be, it was not a rejection of her at all. Instead, it became a teaching of the transcendence of the gospel and the persistence of true faith.
Scripture says, For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
In Matthew’s telling of this incident, it says that at first Jesus “answered her not a word”. Furthermore, it states that the disciples told Jesus to tell “send her away; for she crieth after us.” But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me…
Jesus did come to be the messiah of Israel. He came to redeem his people and to deliver them. But in this exchange, we see that Jesus was not willing to stop there. He was willing that the Gentiles would be saved also.
- Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
- Romans 2:10: “But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:”
- Acts 13:46: “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
It is important for us to understand: God did not abandon Israel for the church. Here the Apostle Paul clearly states three different times that salvation is for the Jews first, then also to the Greeks, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles. The Jews at large rejected this salvation, and so Paul turned to the Gentiles, but the other 12 Apostles ministered to the Jews. If God were to abandon Israel, then he would be a liar, and his word would be ineffective.
- Psalm 94:14 – “For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.”
- 1 Samuel 12:22 – “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.”
What good would it do the church to believe in eternal salvation if God could change his mind and decide not to honor his Word and his calling?
Romans 11:29 – “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”… If God could abandon Isreal, then how could you trust that scripture?
But in response to her persistent faith, Jesus asked her, is it acceptable for a man to give his children’s food to the dogs? The woman’s reply acknowledges her position in humility and unworthiness. Yet her faith is clear and unshaken.
She is persistent in her plea before Jesus. She says that sometimes there is more than enough food to give to the children, and they leave scraps of that food. These scraps sometimes fall to the ground. Sometimes the dogs can benefit and eat from these crumbs that have fallen from the master’s table. The extra pieces that the children took for granted, however small, are good for the dogs too. These small fragments the dog eagerly devours. The dog is grateful to receive these leftovers.
“And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed”
Here in the small classroom of the home of some Syrian house. The disciples learned a lesson on who the Lord accepts. This woman, of an unclean background, was accepted at the master’s table. She demonstrated her deep faith that Jesus was who he claimed to be. She believed that he was merciful. She humbled herself to the point of public humiliation. She did not care who saw her at the feet of Jesus, or that she was pleading and arguing her case with passion and fear. She saw in Jesus what the disciples did not see in the feeding of the 5000, and she trusted him. Like Jacob wrestling with God in the desert, she would not let him go without a blessing. How can you stand before God and leave the same person?
- 1 Peter 5:6 says, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
- James 4:10 – confirms, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
This little classroom showed the disciples even more. It showed that faith trumps heritage, religion, and position in society. Faith in Jesus is what overcomes bondage. For shadows the opening of the gospel to all nations, not just the Jews. You see, they had heard Jesus tell the Jews, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:20). They misunderstood Jesus to mean the Jews, but Jesus meant EVERYTHING that was lost when Adam fell. God came to seek all who are lost.
This lady confessed her faith in Jesus. Scripture tells us, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)
How about you? Have you come to the feet of Jesus, believing and confessing that he is your only salvation? Are you remaining there until he tells you the devil is gone?
The Way of Christ Ministries 