MARK 7:24-37

MARK 7:24-37

MARK 7:24- 30 - He came into the world, as Paul tells us in Romans 15:8, as a Minister or Servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers; and while it is true that He looked forward to the time when the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as the next verse indicates, yet during His life on earth He confined His ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But now we find Him in contact with a certain woman who is a Greek, a pure Gentile, a native of Syrophenicia.  

Elsewhere we are told that she based her plea on the fact that He was the Son of David. She had evidently learned through some of her Jewish neighbors of the Messiah who was to come in David’s line, and she rightly believed Jesus to be He. So she came pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David” (Matt. 15:22). So the Lord thus answered the woman in order to bring her to the place where she would recognize that her only title to blessing was on the ground of pure grace. 

 Humbly she answered Him, “Yes, Lord: yet the dogs (and she used a diminutive here, the little dogs) under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.” It was as much as to say, “Lord, I recognize the fact that I am just a poor, outcast Gentile, but, Lord, give me some of the crumbs that the children of the kingdom are refusing; allow me to take the place even of a puppy under the table and so obtain mercy at Thy hand.” Nothing appealed to our blessed Lord more than faith coupled with humility. He replied by saying, “Go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter.” Hastening to her home, doubtless with a glad heart and with eager expectation as she entered the house, she found her daughter lying quietly upon the bed, the demon having left her. 

MARK 7:31-37 - We are told that they brought unto Him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. Instead of healing him openly before all the people, recognizing the fact that opposition was developing, He took him aside from the multitude, and put his finger into his ears, and then spat and touched his tongue. We may wonder at this, but we need to remember that the Humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ was absolutely holy and pure, untouched by sin or corruption of any kind. He was evidently indicating that the healing came from within His own being. 

 Looking up to heaven He sighed as He recognized the ravages that sin had made on every hand; and then speaking in Aramaic, He said, “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.” Immediately the man was able to hear and also to speak. Jesus charged those that were about Him not to spread this abroad. As we have noticed before, He had no desire to gain notoriety as a wonder-worker. While always ready to minister to the needs of men, His great mission was to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom as He went about from place to place. Surely everyone who knows Christ in any measure will gladly join with these people of Decapolis in ascribing all honor and glory to Him who hath done all things well.