Mark 7

(Matthew 15:21-28)

24 Jesus needed a day of rest. He went to the area of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 3:8) and entered a certain house hoping to rest.

25-27 However, a woman whose daughter was demon-possessed immediately found out Jesus was there and came to ask Him to heal her daughter. The woman was a Greek,⁴⁹ born in Syrian Pheonicia, that is, modern Syria.⁵⁰ The people from that place were first called “Canaanites” (Matthew 15:22). These people were Gentiles, that is, non-Jews.

According to Matthew 15:23-24, Jesus at first did not answer her. God does not always answer our petitions at once. Then He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”—that is, to the Jews.

Jesus was sent by His Father to bring salvation to the Jews. In the beginning, God had chosen ABRAHAM to become the father of a special nation, Israel—the Jewish people (Genesis 12:2; 17:3-7). Later, in Moses’ time, God told the Jews: “… if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession … you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). Many times through the Old Testament prophets, God promised that a Savior would come who would save His people, Israel (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68-70). That Savior was Jesus, who Himself was a Jew, descended from Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1; 15:22). Christ, therefore, was sent first to the Jewish people. His work in the beginning was only among the Jews.

But in this important story, we see a non-Jewish woman ask Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus at first told her that God had sent Him only to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. He said this to test her faith. He said to her, “First let the children (the Jews) eat all they want … for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs (the Gentiles).”⁵¹ Jesus’ meaning was this: In any house, the children are fed first, and afterward the animals. That is, first the Jews should have a chance to hear the Gospel of salvation. Only afterward would the Gospel be preached to the Gentiles.

God never said that He would bless only the Jews. In the beginning, God had said to Abraham, “… all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). And this has indeed come to pass: through Abraham’s descendant, Christ, all nations of the earth have been blessed (see Ephesians 2:11-13,17-19 and comment). Christ is not only a light for glory to. … Israel; He is also a light for revelation to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).

28 The woman replied, “But we Gentile ‘dogs’ are happy to eat the children’s crumbs that fall from the table.” The woman was clever. The dogs eat the crumbs even while the children are eating; they don’t have to wait until later. If Jesus gave her only a “crumb,” that would be enough to heal her daughter. This woman had more faith in Jesus than even His own disciples had! She understood who Jesus was. Even crumbs from Jesus are the bread of life.

29-30 Jesus answered her: “Woman, you have great faith!” (Matthew 15:28). And Jesus healed her daughter immediately. He didn’t even go to the house where the daughter was, but healed her from a distance. This was Christ’s first work among the Gentiles. The Jews were rejecting Christ and opposing Him; but this Gentile woman had shown true faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

(7:31-37)

31-37 Jesus then returned to the region of the Decapolis—the ten cities—where he had first healed the man possessed by many demons (Mark 5:20). There he healed a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. In addition to using His word to heal the man, Jesus also used His own saliva (see Mark 8:23; John 9:6). Jesus then ordered the man not to tell anyone (see Mark 5:43 and comment), but he did not obey.

People learn to speak mainly by hearing themselves and others speak. Therefore, those who are born deaf usually cannot speak properly. But if their ears are opened, they can then learn to speak. It is the same with spiritual things. When our ears are opened to hear God’s voice, then our tongue shall be loosened to praise Him and to witness to Him.

According to Matthew 15:29-31, on this same occasion Jesus healed many others who were lame, blind, crippled, and dumb. The people were amazed when they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing (Matthew 15:31). Truly the prophecy of Isaiah had been fulfilled by Jesus: Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy (Isaiah 35:5-6).