Lesson 90

LESSON 90 Mark 7:24-30

24And 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. 25For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27But 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. 28And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

1. Jesus left the area and traveled north. Why?

2. Where are Tyre and Sidon?

3. Why did Jesus not want the general population of the area to know that He was there?

4. The woman who came to Jesus was a Greek, not a Jew. She had come to get help for her daughter, but she didn't bring the daughter with her. What does that tell you about her?

5. Describe the daughter.

6. In the same account in Matt 15: 21-23, it says that when the woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter, He didn't answer her. 21Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23But he answered her not a word. Why do you think He didn't answer her at first?

6b. Mt 15:23 And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. What does that show about the disciples? About the mother?

7. When Jesus said, "let the children be filled first," what did He mean? Whom did the "children" represent?

8. What did the "bread" represent?

8b. "Let the children be filled first." Why did Jesus say that?

9. The "dogs" of the parable meant the loved household pets. What did they represent?

10. What did the woman's reponse mean?

11. How do we know the daughter was healed?

12. What did you learn from this story and how can you apply it to yourself? Are you a child of the house? What does that mean to you?

Answers:

1. The Holy Spirit told Him to do so. God was leading Him to His next miracle. The Holy Spirit will give us direction for each day, if we ask Him for it. We can learn to listen for His voice. John 10: 2, 3-5, 27 He ... is the shepherd of the sheep... and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers... 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: Look how Jesus emphasized that His followers know and hear Him speak to them.

2. They are cities on the coast of the Mediterrranean Sea in what is now Lebanon, north of Israel.

3. There could have been several reasons. Sometimes crowds limited His work. Maybe He needed a time of quiet and rest. Maybe He wanted to be free of the Pharisees' harassment. Perhaps He wanted to have some teaching time with His disciples.

4. She believed Jesus could heal her daughter long-distance. He didn't need to touch the daughter to heal her. She believed His Word of healing was powerful enough and could accomplish all that was needed, even though her daughter was not present. Is your faith in the Lord as strong as hers?

5. The daughter was young. She was controlled by an evil spirit which tormented her so that she could not be still or rest.

6. Notice He didn't say "no." Jesus may have asked His Father for permission or direction, since this was out of the guidelines He had been given. (Matt 15:24 (Jesus) answered... I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Jews). This woman was not a Jew.

Are you in the habit of sending up a quick prayer when something occurs unexpectedly? Prov 3:6 states "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path."

6b. The disciples didn't have any compassion for her. They were bothered by her persistence. They considered her a pest who wouldn't leave them alone. They did not see her determination as an evidence of her faith in the Healer.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another...

1 John 3:17 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and (doesn't respond in compassion to help him-my paraphrase), how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

The Syrophenician woman didn't intend to go away without what she had come to get. Her sacrifice in making the trip and her determination to seek the goodness of the Lord for her daughter should inspire us to not give up.

Jesus said Mt 7:7 (NLT) 7 "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. 9 You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?

7. The "children" of the story represented the Jews. Jesus had come specifically to the children of Israel. Matt 15:24 24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That was the instruction to Him from His Father. That was His duty, but He knew His Father was the God of grace-- favor bestowed on those who do not deserve it, haven't earned it or may not have even asked for it. Jesus understood that His Father desires to be gracious to all those who seek Him. Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Jesus also knew heaven responds to faith.

8. The "bread" represented healing. Healing was what the Jews were receiving and what she wanted.

8b. In John 6:35, Jesus said He was the Bread of life. Even though Jesus was not referring to Himself here in Mark 7, knowledge of the Savior/ Messiah was given to the Jews first, because they were the people chosen to be purveyors (representatives and suppliers) of the character and Word of God to the world. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Gentiles).

But the Jews rejected the Messiah and so the gospel was given to the Gentiles. Acts 13:46- 48 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47"For so the Lord has commanded us:‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ "

9. Jesus wasn't being ugly to the woman. He wasn't calling her a dog. He was using the analogy of children and pets of a household to point out the difference between those who have certain rights in the house and those who rely on the mercy of the house residents.

The children of the house, the Jews, by virtue of God's directive to Jesus, had the right to healing. The Gentiles did not have the right, but because of grace of God and their faith, they could have a gift of healing given them. This Gentile woman represented the latter group. By the way, she was not the first Gentile that had been helped by Jesus.

In John 4:1-42, Jesus was told by the Holy Spirit that He must go through Samaria. He was to speak to a woman at a well. (Most of the time Jews went around Samaria and did not associate with Samaritans at all.) The woman was not a Jew. Yet that day she received the good news of salvation and then was instrumental in bringing other Samaritans to Christ.

In Luke 7:1-10, while in Capernaum in Galilee, Jesus was approached by Jewish representatives of a Roman centurion, whose servant was seriously ill and near to death. The centurion wanted Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus healed the centurion's servant without ever entering the centurion's house. Jesus remarked on the soldier's great faith for believing that healing could come by Jesus' word, that His actual physical touch and presence was not necessary for healing to occur.

10. The Syrophenician woman basically said that, even though she knew Jesus' ministry and commission was to the Jews, she also knew the grace of God went much further in extent, and that even the Gentiles would receive of God's goodness through Jesus. For this belief in the goodness and grace of God through Jesus, she received what she sought for--healing for her daughter. Note Jesus said, 29... For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. Jesus didn't ever see the daughter in person. He simply spoke the healing into existence, as His response to this woman's faith.( Mt 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.) How that mother must have rejoiced then and all the way home!

11. The daughter had been so tormented by the evil spirit (Mt 15:22 my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil) that she could not rest at any time. When the mother returned to her home, she found her daughter, as she expected, untormented and able to rest--healed completely, as Jesus had said.