REMARKABLE FAITH
Mark 7:24-30
I have certain resources that I use to find stories to illustrate the truths that we are examining as we walk through God’s Word each week. This past week I set out to find a good illustration on great faith. I quickly realized that none could compare to the examples of faith that are recorded in the Gospels. Stories like the leper that fell before Jesus and worshipped Him and said “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean (Matthew 8:2) This kind of faith was also seen in Jairus when he came to Jesus begging Him to heal His daughter who was at the point of death. Great faith is also illustrated in the story of the woman who suffered from an issue of blood for 12 years. She sought Jesus out and said "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." (Mark 5:28) Great faith is seen in the Centurion who requested that Jesus heal one of his servants that was paralyzed and suffering. He trusted that if Jesus would only speak the word then his servant would be healed. On that occasion, Jesus marveled and said to those who were with Him "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Matthew 8:10)
Our selected text records another of those great illustrations of faith. A Gentile woman approached Jesus on behalf of her daughter who was possessed by an “unclean spirit”. At first, Jesus ignored the woman, and then it seemed that He declines her request. But this Gentile woman was undeterred; she continued to plead with Him to deliver her daughter. She is a picture of someone who will not take no for an answer!
This woman came before Jesus with humility, consistency, and faith. So much so that Jesus said to her "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." (Matthew 15:28) Matthew goes on to tell us that “her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Friends, it pays to have faith in God!
- I would like to examine this woman’s story and preach on the subject “Remarkable Faith”. In the process, I hope that you see the necessity and the benefit of putting your faith in Jesus. Let’s begin by considering:
I. THE OCCASION OF THIS WOMAN’S REMARKABLE FAITH
v24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
Jesus and His Disciples had spent more than a year in Galilee. Now, Jesus’ Galilean ministry has come to a close. The people had seen His miracles; they had heard His teaching, and they had ample time to put their faith in Him as the Messiah. There were many who did just that, but the majority of the people rejected Him. Throughout the first half of Mark’s Gospel account we have seen vast multitudes following Jesus. But they were superficial followers, they were amazed by His mighty works, but they did not see Him for who He really was. John tells us that there came a point when the majority of them turned away from Him and “followed Him no more” (John 6:66)
It was at this time that the opposition to Jesus began to increase. The religious leaders constantly challenged and opposed Him. The Pharisees and Herodians were collaborating as to how to destroy Him. And King Herod wanted to execute Him. (Luke 13:31) For these reasons Jesus departed Galilee and entered into a Gentile region. He did not do this out of fear; rather it was because His ministry focus had shifted.
The shadow of the Cross was growing closer; the Crucifixion was some months away, and Jesus knew that it was necessary for Him to prepare the Disciples for what was ahead. Therefore, “He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon” (v24) These were two Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast North of Galilee. As we will find in this passage, Jesus was first called to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Children of Israel. But He would also minister to the Gentiles and later, He would send His Disciples to minister to them as well. Jesus said in - Mark 13:10 that the Gospel must be preached to all the nations.
On this specific occasion, Jesus did not come to this region looking for a ministry opportunity; He was hoping to get some rest. But as soon as He arrived word spread that He was in the area. (v24 He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden)
- This Syrophoenician woman encountered Jesus shortly after He arrived in the area. She hoped that He would help her with a very serious situation. Let’s look to verse 25 and see:
II. THE OBJECT OF THIS WOMAN’S REMARKABLE FAITH
v25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
The miracle that is recorded in this passage is no less amazing than any other miracle that Jesus performed. But the true focus of this passage is not the deliverance of a demon possessed girl, the focus is actually on her remarkable faith; and the object of her faith was Jesus. This woman put her faith, hope and trust in the miracle working power of the Savior. Even though they had entered into Gentile territory, Jesus was well known in this area. Many Jews had relocated to this region and many others from this area had been among the multitudes that had followed Him in Galilee. Somehow, someway this woman had heard of the mighty works that Jesus had performed in the past. And she was in desperate need of a miracle. Her daughter was possessed by an “unclean spirit”.
There are several occasions in the Gospels where we see the terror that comes to those who are possessed by demons. In Mark 1 Jesus encountered a man in the Synagogue that was possessed by an “unclean spirit’. This demon had complete control of the man and tormented him daily. Jesus rebuked that demons and said "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. (Mark 1:25-26)
In Mark 5 Jesus encountered a man who was possessed by many demons. This man spent his days living in the tombs. He possessed supernatural strength and no one could tame him. He was so tormented that he ran naked through the mountains and the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
In Mark 9 a man brought His son to Jesus because he was possessed by an “unclean spirit”. He said that whenever the spirit seized his son “it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. They brought the boy to Jesus “And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.”
We are not given specific details concerning the effects that the unclean spirit had on this Gentile woman’s daughter, but it is safe to assume that her condition was similar to the others. In Matthew 15:22 we are told that she described her daughter as being “severely demon possessed”. She was possessed and in extreme trouble and her mother did not have the power to help her. But she came to Jesus and put her faith in the only one who could help her precious daughter. Her story is a beautiful picture of faith. But when she approached Jesus, she did not instantly receive what she came looking for.
- Notice if you will:
III. THE OBSTACLES CONCERNING THIS WOMAN’S REMARKABLE FAITH
v26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
It seemed that there were several obstacles that were standing in the way of this woman receiving a miracle. In fact, seeing who this woman was and where she came from serves to highlight just how great her faith was. One issue that cannot be ignored is the fact that she was a woman. In that day and in that culture, women were seen as being inferior to men. Secondly, she was a “Gentile”. A Gentile refers to someone who is not a Jew. Mark further describes her as a “Syrophoenician”. Phoenicia had been annexed into Syria by a Roman general named Pompey. Matthew goes on to tell us that she was a descendent of the “Canaanites”. The Canaanites had been enemies of the ancient Israelites.
This woman was from an area that was consumed with pagan idolatry. Tyre & Sidon were major worship centers for the fertility goddess Astarte. It is quite possible (even likely) that this woman had been actively involved in idol worship. Her gender, her race, her religion and a host of others issues could have prevented this woman from seeking Jesus. Many in her position would have thought that seeking Him out would be an exercise in futility. But this came and fell before Jesus and made her request. This shows us just how desperate her situation was, and it further her great faith. Notice that Mark says she “kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.” Matthew tells us that when she first made her request, “Jesus did not say a word to her”. (Matthew 15:23a)
Not only did Jesus ignore her, the Disciples became irritated with her and tried to get Jesus to send her away. “And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” (Matthew 15:23b) In spite of the response from Jesus and the Disciples, this woman refused to leave. She continued to cry out to Jesus for help.
After some time Jesus finally spoke to her, but what He had to say was not what she wanted to hear. (v27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
In this study, we have been walking with Jesus step by step throughout His earthly ministry. We have seen His mighty works, heard His marvelous teaching and over and over again we have seen His amazing compassion for those in need. I think we would all agree that His response on this occasion is surprising, confusing and even rude! But we are about to see that there is much more to His response than what is on the surface.
In His response, Jesus used three different metaphors. He speaks of bread, children and dogs. The “bread” represents His message. The “Children” are the Jewish people. The “dogs” represent Gentiles. The key word in this verse is “first”. This speaks to the fact that the “gentiles” will eventually become recipients of God’s grace.
We have the benefit of looking at this event in hindsight, and it is apparent that Jesus was not rejecting this woman; rather, He was testing her faith. Let it be said that she passed this test with flying colors. She did not get offended by Jesus’ response. Nor did she become discouraged and walk away! She was humble, she was persistent and she was also very discerning. It seems that she understood that God had called Israel first for a particular purpose.
Paul said that the Gospel of Christ is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) God had a divine plan and a divine order, and His divine plan always included the salvation of the Gentiles. In fact, in the Old Testament times, Elijah ministered to a Gentile woman in this very area.
1 Kings 17:8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
Elijah obeyed God’s command and he met a widow woman who was in a desperate situation. She lived in a time of drought and great famine. The only food that she possessed was a handful of flour and a little measure of oil. She was planning on using this to prepare the last meal for her and her son. Elijah instructed her to use those meager possessions to bake him a cake of bread. Because of her faith, God provided enough food for Elijah and this woman and her son for many days. But then things took a turn for the worse. Her son became sick and died. Elijah took the boy in his arms and cried out to the Lord. Then he “stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.” (I Kings 17:21-22)
Now, all of these many years later, Jesus is ministering to another Gentile woman in the same vicinity. Her story shows us how to respond to the obstacles that would hinder our faith. There were many things that should have prevented her from approaching Jesus. Once she encountered Him, someone with lesser faith would have walked away discouraged. But she was resilient in her faith and this was one of the things that made it so “remarkable”.
The reason that Jesus had ignored this woman was not because she was burdening Him while he was trying to get some rest. Jesus did not decline her request because she was unworthy. Jesus didn’t respond the way He did because she was a woman, a Gentile or even because she had been involved in idol worship. Jesus did what He did as a means of testing her faith and she passed the test. She did not let any of the obstacles cause her to lose her faith in what Jesus could and would do!
There are many obstacles that may hinder you from coming to Jesus for salvation. When you consider certain things about your past you may feel unworthy to approach the Sinless Son of God. When you examine where you are currently, you may feel that there is no way that He would ever accept you. But you must understand that we are not accepted by God because of the things that we do or don’t do. Salvation is possible because of the love that God has extended toward us.
God knew all that there was to know about you before sending Jesus to die for your sins. Knowing all that you have done, all that you are doing and all that you will do… God sent Jesus anyway! (Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)
There was nothing that this Syrophoenician woman could have done to deserve what Jesus was about to do for her. But because of His love and compassion, He accepted her and granted her request.
There is another important lesson that we can learn from this woman. Sometimes Jesus doesn’t move when we want Him to and He doesn’t always move how we want Him to, but He is God, He knows best and when He does move it will be in the right way and at the perfect time.
- As we move to verses 28-29 we will see:
IV. THE OUTCOME OF THIS WOMAN’S REMARKABLE FAITH
v28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." 29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."
When Jesus said “it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." The woman responded by saying “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." The phrase “yes, Lord” shows us that this woman was in agreement with Jesus. She knew that she was a sinful gentile who had no right or claim to God’s blessings.
Her response was much different than that of the Pharisees in the previous verses of this chapter. The Pharisees were focused on legalism; this woman knew her works were not sufficient. The Pharisees were filled with pride; this woman came to Jesus in humility. The Pharisees thought that they deserved God’s favor because of their observance of the Law, this woman knew that she deserved nothing and only asked for “crumbs from the Master’s table”.
Jesus honored her faith and granted her request. When she arrived at her home she found her daughter free from the bondage of the demon. (v30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.)
This Gentile woman possessed remarkable faith in Jesus Christ, and her faith secured results and answered prayers.
If you will put your trust in Jesus, you can experience a miracle at His hands. I am referring to the miracle of salvation. Like this woman, there is no way that you could ever deserve anything that Jesus has to offer. But He loves you enough to work a miracle in your life. I pray that you will put your trust in Him, repent and believe in Him for salvation.
For those of us who have done this, may we learn from this woman’s example and continuously put our faith in Jesus. So much so that He would see us as people who have “Remarkable Faith”.
