Mark 7:24-26

Passage

Jesus and His disciples now head to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  These are ancient Phoenician cities, in modern geography they are in the south of Lebanon.  Jesus came to the house of an unknown person, and He did not want it to be known that He was there.  However, the word got out and soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Jesus and came looking for Him.  She was a Gentile, of a Syrophoenician heritage.  She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus heads out of the lands that are predominantly filled with Hebrews.  Not only does He go there, but we get the impression that this is some secret kind of mission.  Jesus doesn’t want word getting around that He is there.  Of course, there is the possibility that Jesus is afraid that if the word gets out that He is hanging out in Gentile land that His ministry among the Jews would be compromised.  Considering that Jesus is God and He later tells Peter to go to a Gentile’s house and minister to them, I personally don’t buy into this explanation at all.  When is Jesus ever afraid?

Truthfully, I think there are two legitimate reasons for Jesus to go to Tyre and Sidon and keep it silent.  First, I think Jesus is looking for rest.  I think He wants some time alone with His disciples.  Remember that He’s been looking for some respite with His disciples for a long time and has been unable to find it.  The second reason that I think Jesus goes is that Jesus is trying to make a point to the disciples that it is okay to teach some things in private.  It is okay to have an “inner cadre” of disciples.  It’s okay to minister to the masses but also have some people that get special attention.  It’s just a part of the discipleship process.

Does it make sense that Jesus is still looking for respite?  Think about all the stories that have happened since Jesus began looking for some time away with His disciples.  What can you learn about life with respect to all that Jesus does while looking for respite?  How does it make you feel to see again that Jesus is intentional about spending time away from the crowd and with His disciples?

Second Thought:

The word got out anyway.  People know that Jesus has come.  Even Jesus cannot hide from the masses.  When we are devoted to ministry, the calling will follow us around everywhere we go.

Is there anything scary about realizing that even the Son of God couldn’t escape His reputation?  Why do you think the crowds pursued Him wherever He went?  What can those of us who desire to devote our life to God’s work learn from this dynamic of Jesus’ life?

Third Thought:

The woman begs Him to help her.  She’s not stupid.  She knows Jesus isn’t “one of her people.”  We’ll get into this more tomorrow, but it is necessary to talk about today because she begs Jesus to help.  She is desperate for the sake of her daughter.  Her love for her daughter is so sacrificial that she is willing to cross a social barrier and beg from someone who by all rights shouldn’t even be in her presence.

What can we see in the example of the depth of this woman’s love?  What do you think it means to love sacrificially?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:27-30