TAWG - September 20, 2024 - Mark 7:24-37
September 20, 2024

Mark 7:24-37

7:24 | Jesus left the backyard of the Pharisees and scribes and traveled to Gentile country, where Tyre and Sidon were located. Even there His fame preceded Him so that He could not move about unnoticed.

7:26-27 | Jesus’ reply to the Gentile woman seems harsh to modern-day readers, but it encouraged the woman to keep asking Him to cast out her daughter’s demon. Jesus was, in fact, sent first to the nation of Israel (the children); but the time would soon come when God’s offer of salvation would be extended to the whole world, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.

7:27-28 | Although Jews regularly considered Gentiles dogs, Jesus knew this woman would understand this description as an invitation to ask for what would later become available to all Gentiles. The woman called Jesus kyrios, which in this context almost certainly meant “Sir.” This is also the Greek term for “Yahweh.” Significantly, the only time Mark uses the term, it is on a Gentile’s lips!

7:29-30 | Recognizing a real and remarkable faith in this woman, Jesus immediately granted her request, casting out the demon at a distance, without touching the girl or even seeing her.

7:31-33 | Here Jesus healed a deaf man with impeded speech in a very personal way. Such healing miracles were expected of the Messiah (Isa. 35:5-6). That these miracles would be done for Gentiles was a complete surprise.

7:34 | Although the modern custom is to bow one’s head and close one’s eyes during prayer, Jesus often looked to heaven as He prayed (6:41; Luke 9:16). God gives no set rituals or postures for prayer; it is all about a person’s heart.

7:37 | The words astonished beyond measure are found nowhere else in Greek literature. They mean “in the extreme.” Jesus seemed to be hitting a new high in His popularity – all in response to His healing of the deaf-mute.