Meditation point
25/6/20
MK 7:24-30
The story begins with the mysterious statement that Jesus went to the vicinity of Tyre and did not want anyone to know it. What was going on? Well, Jesus been spending all of his time ministering in Jewish provinces, and that ministry was drawing overwhelming crowds, and he was exhausted. So Jesus left the Jewish provinces and went into a Gentile territory, Tyre, in order to get some rest.But it doesn’t work. A woman hears of his arrival and makes her way boldly to Jesus.Though she’s a Syrophoenician, because of Tyre’s proximity to Judea she would have known the Jewish customs. She knows that she has none of the religious, moral, and cultural credentials necessary to approach a Jewish rabbi—she is a Phoenician, a Gentile, a pagan, a woman, and her daughter has an unclean spirit. She knows that in every way, according to the standards of the day, she is unclean and therefore disqualified to approach any devout Jew, let alone a rabbi. But she doesn’t care. She enters the house without an invitation, falls down and begins begging Jesus to exorcise a demon from her daughter. The verb beg here is a present progressive—she keeps on begging.
We are shocked at Jesus’ response. “Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (kynariois) (v. 27).This is one of the most troubling verses in the New Testament. The mother is asking healing, not for herself, but for her daughter. It must be difficult for a Gentile woman to ask a Jewish man for help, but her need is overwhelming.Some scholars try to soften Jesus’ words, suggesting that this is a well-known proverb that would not sound so harsh in context—or that the diminutive, kynariois, refers to household pets, implying an affectionate tone.
But she answered him, ‘Yes, Lord (kurie—sir or Lord). Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs'” (v. 28). In this Gospel, on several occasions Jesus refers to himself as Lord (2:28; 5:19; 11:3; 12:36), but this is the only place where another person calls him “Lord.” It is ironic that the person calling him “Lord” is a Gentile woman rather than one of his disciples.
The woman answers well, acknowledging the special place of the Jews, calling attention to her own need, and using Jesus’ words to press her plea. The kynarion—pets indeed—are part of the household and are under the master’s care.The woman uses the image of children carelessly (or perhaps purposely) dropping bits of food on the floor.
“He said to her, ‘For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter'” (v. 29).Here we should Note that Jesus does not accompany her to her home. He does not touch the child. He does not issue a healing command. He simply reports a healing that has already taken place. The emphasis in this story is not on the healing but on Jesus’ relationship to Gentiles and also In Matthew’s account, Jesus commends the woman’s faith (Matthew 15:28), but here he commends her good answer.
She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out” (v. 30). The woman does not plead for Jesus to come to visit her daughter. She first expressed a simple but profound faith by coming to Jesus, and she now expresses a simple but profound faith by departing.
This woman serves as an example of persistent prayer that refuses to be discouraged when prayer is not immediately answered. She provides us with a model for engaging God fully and passionately in prayer rather than simply reciting rote prayers or a laundry list of our needs. Not every fervent prayer will be answered as we ask, but God honors fervor and has little regard for half-hearted, lukewarm prayer (Revelation 3:16). This woman also serves as a model of a parent who loves her child enough to take an active role in the child’s life. She could have found excuses for not going to Jesus, but she went. She could have allowed herself to be discouraged at Jesus’ initial response, but she persisted. Her daughter’s life was at stake, and she wasn’t about to accept defeat.
So dear brothers we can say that we all have been given every opportunity to see the times of suffering and difficult times through the eyes of faith, just like This woman, a Gentile, chooses to see through the eyes of faith.
And if we put ourselves in the shoes of the Gentile woman, I think we will find another truth that is very practical to our own lives. That means during the times of our hardships in our life at one time we will finally begin to hear and understand His voice and call on your life–just like the Gentile woman who had nothing to offer Jesus–to lean on His grace alone.
So brothers I invite you to spend some time today pondering these question that What is the “demon” in our lives that we are asking Jesus to cast out today? And What will you ask Jesus for today? Jesus is waiting for you!🙏🙏
Bro. Attichirayil jackson
Good Shepherd Major Seminary
Kunnoth
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