Mark 7:24-37
24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. w He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. a 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” [1]
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Jesus’ words to the Syrian woman are rather shocking. It’s hard to hear it as anything other than an insult, as well as a slur on her being a Gentile. Obviously there is more going on here than meets the eye, and there are things that are left unsaid that today leave us confused.
But the brief encounter with Jesus has a sharp turning point. Jesus commends the woman and grants her request. What is it about her response that Jesus commends? I believe that it was her complete humility before Jesus. She came before Him as one with no sense of entitlement. She acknowledged that she was a mere beggar before the Lord.
This is the truth of our status before God. The fact that He has given us such great promises of grace and provision should not lead to a sense of entitlement before Him, as though He owes us anything at all. Entitlement is rooted in pride, in the desire to make God our servant, rather than to fall before Him as His Servants. We are beggars, dependent on mercy always.
Lord Jesus, let Your Holy Spirit lead me into true humility before You, acknowledging that all that I am and all that I have flows from your grace and mercy alone.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Mk 7:24–37). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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