Hello there,
Today, let’s learn from the great faith of a Gentile woman who came to Jesus:
Now Jesus stood up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He was wanting no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.
— Mark 7:24
This scene is quite familiar. Jesus often tried to avoid the public eye, but because of the widespread impact of His ministry, people always found their way to Him.
In this case, He was in Gentile territory. Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles did not have the historical background for the coming Messiah. It would have been easy for them to mistake Jesus as merely a political figure or just another prophet—something even the Jews struggled with.
But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.
— Mark 7:25
Here, we see another familiar case. This woman had heard about Jesus and believed what she had heard—so much so that she brought her burden directly to Him.
Many people hear about Jesus, yet instead of turning to Him, they try to fix their problems on their own. But Jesus calls all who are weary to come to Him for rest:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30
If there is an issue in our lives, we must go beyond simply hearing about Christ—we must come to Him in faith, trusting that He alone can give us rest.
A Desperate Plea
Mark tells us that this woman’s issue was that her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit. She must have heard of Jesus casting out demons before. One such account happened earlier in Mark’s Gospel, at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry:
And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with You, Jesus the Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.
— Mark 1:23-26
This woman might not have fully understood the deeper significance of Jesus’ power over demons. She may not have realized that Jesus once told the people that His ability to cast out demons was a sign that the kingdom of God had come upon them:
But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
— Luke 11:20
Even though she didn’t fully comprehend it all, she knew her daughter had a problem and that she needed help.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a similar place. We may not fully grasp the depths of the Gospel message, but the core truth is simple: we are in trouble, we cannot save ourselves, and Jesus alone can rescue us. The essence of the Gospel is that we are dead in our sins before a holy God, but His Son, Jesus Christ, came to save us. All that is required of us is to believe in Him—to trust that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised.
Persistent Faith
The woman fell at Jesus’ feet, a sign of both worship and total submission to the One who could save her daughter. This should be the attitude of anyone who comes to Christ for salvation—full reverence.
Now the woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician descent. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
— Mark 7:26
She pleaded with Jesus to save her daughter. She had heard that He was able to save, and she believed it. She had no doubt about His power—only that it was up to Him to will it. And so, she appealed to His mercy.
And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
— Mark 7:27
Jesus’ response seems shocking. Up until this point, everyone who came to Him for help received it immediately. He had cast out a demon from a man in the synagogue, healed the woman with the issue of blood, and raised Jairus’ daughter. One would expect Him to grant this woman’s request without hesitation.
But every encounter with Jesus was an opportunity to teach something about God’s heart. Jesus, being the exact representation of God’s nature, used this moment to reveal a deeper truth:
Who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
— Hebrews 1:3
Jesus’ statement about children and dogs was a common Jewish expression. “Children” referred to the Jews, while “dogs” referred to the Gentiles. His mission was first to the Jews, as they were God’s chosen people. However, Jesus softened the phrase by using a word that referred to household pets rather than wild dogs, signaling that He was not speaking with hostility but rather testing the woman’s faith.
Pressing On Despite Resistance
The Syrophoenician woman picked up on Jesus’ intent. She did not take offense but instead pressed on:
But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”
— Mark 7:28
She took Jesus’ analogy and humbly expressed her willingness to receive even the smallest portion of His grace. She fully trusted His sovereignty and accepted whatever He would give her.
Many of us struggle here. We come to God with requests, but when He responds in a way that doesn’t align with our expectations, we lose hope. We want our will to be done, not His. But Scripture reminds us that God’s promise to answer prayers applies to those that align with His divine will:
And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
— 1 John 5:14
Since we do not always know how to pray as we should, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, aligning our prayers with God’s perfect will:
And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
— Romans 8:26-27
The Reward of Faith
Because the woman placed herself in a position of humble submission, she received what Jesus had to offer. She did not demand her way but entrusted herself to God’s will.
And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.
— Mark 7:29-30
May we learn to trust in God’s will and submit to Him fully.
Grace and peace.
Leave a Reply