Monthly Archives: September 2025

MARK’S GOSPEL…A GENTILE WOMAN – 20

Bible Study, ,

Mark 2:24-30 NIV

“Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 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. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“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.”

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”

Jesus’ movements at times were unusual and unpredictable. On this occasion, He left home soil and went into foreign territory. Why? We know that He was led by the Spirit at all times, but more than once He made it clear that He had come, primarily, to the Jews. However, now He was among hated Gentiles. Did He go that long distance for one person? Did He know that a distraught mother needed Him?

If not before the time, at that moment, His purpose became clear. For whatever other reason He might have trespassed into Gentile territory, a Greek woman saw a once-off opportunity to get help for her child. No doubt, Jesus’ reputation went before Him. When she found out He was in her town, she made her move.

Why did Jesus seem so reluctant to help her? Why did He try to put her off? Their conversation sounded like a game, banter between two strangers…she said… He said…she argued back…He responded! What was Jesus testing? Was He trying to determine whether her request was real or some kind of trap?

Jesus actually used some rather insulting language. He said words that conveyed the common Jewish attitude to Gentiles…dogs! Unlike today, dogs were not pampered pets. They were treated like a kind of despised vermin.

The woman’s response shows that she both understood her place but was also bold enough to secure an answer. Dog or not, she would not be put off. If healing her daughter was mere crumbs, she was happy to receive them for her child’s sake. She was not in doubt about Jesus’ ability to heal but her persistence had to break through His reluctance.

Real faith never gives up despite the obstacles. Is this the lesson we learn from the Syro-Phoenician woman? Was Jesus really reluctant to heal her or was He about something more?

The outcome tells the story. The short exchange with her told Jesus that she was genuine. She wasn’t put off by taboos or protocols. She desperately wanted help for her daughter. She pushed through to an open expression of faith in Jesus. “I knew you could do it. I knew you would do it.”

This story not only highlights Jesus’ genuine concern for all people but also fulfills a Messianic prophecy spoken centuries before His coming…

Isaiah 42:6 NIV

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness…”

Ever mindful of His role as “the Word of God”, and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, Jesus did exactly as He was led to do, and another phase of His ministry as God’s Messiah opened up more and more. In the full light of day, after Pentecost, Paul was specifically designated the apostle to the Gentiles, of which this woman was one of the forerunners. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…WORDS A MIRROR – 18

Bible Study,

Mark 7:1-2, 5, 14-15 NIV

[1] The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus [2] and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 

[5] So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”…

[14] Again, Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 

A profound lesson from Jesus! He pulls the rug from under, not only every false religion but also from every perceived insult and “hurt” that sets off a chain reaction of retaliation and revenge.

False religions set much stire on cleaning the outside but have no answer for polluted hearts. They focus on external behavior, hoping that somehow,  what they do to the outside will filter through to their inside. Jesus said it doesn’t work like that!

Mark 7:17-23 NIV

[17] After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. [18] “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? [19] For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) [20] He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

What is the source of so much violent reaction from individuals, groups, and even nations? Perceived injury, emotional hurts, hypersensitive egos?

Jesus told His disciples the truth…all the wickedness in the world comes from the heart of the perpetrator, not from the words or behaviour of the victim.

Wow! That changes things, doesn’t it! Just imagine…the next time you are maligned or insulted, instead of reacting with anger or plotting to get back at your aggressor, you calmly remember that words are a mirror of the soul. Its the person accusing who is guilty , not the accused.

Jesus’ sober explanation of the source of evil should alert us to at least two realities…those who speak evil are inadvertantly exposing their own hearts and…we had better watch our own words lest we, too, reveal our own wickedness. 

The Bible, in many places, teaches us to guard our words because words are powerful tools for good or evil. For example, the well-known proverb…

Proverbs 18:21 NIV

[21] “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

…and James’ warning…

James 3:2, 6, 8-9 NIV

[2] We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check…

[6] The tongue also, is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell…

[8] …no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.”

…and, likewise, Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees…

Matthew 12:34-37 NIV

[34] “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. [35] A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [36] But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

What is the solution? James said that no one can tame the tongue. If the tongue is the mirror of the heart, then the solution is to change the heart.

God promised Israel that, in a new dispensation, at the right time, He would do a heart transplant on His people through His Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 NIV

[24] “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Only by this divine intervention, this divine “surgery”, is it possible to have new hearts that produce the good words of righteousness and truth.

As we arm our minds with truth,  so, our words will reflect what God requires…

Psalms 15:1-3 NIV

[1] “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? [2] The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; [3] whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others…”

So, Paul urges us…

Colossians 4:6 NIV

[6] “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

MARK’S GOSPEL…PASSING BY – 17

Bible Study, ,

Mark 6:45-52 NIV

[45] “Immediately, Jesus  made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. [46] After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. [47] Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. [48] He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn, he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, [50] because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [51] Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, [52] for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

For the disciples, life with Jesus was an adventure on steroids! What would He do next? No matter what happened, no matter what fix they got into, Jesus had a miracle.

The disciples were battling a storm on the lake. Jesus was on the shore, watching them struggle. So, what did He do? He hitched up His robe and set off across the water to go them. Just like that!

There’s more to this story than a seemingly simple miracle. Mark wove into this event a few words that open up a window into the meaning of Jesus’ actions.

According to Mark, Jesus did something that made no sense in the context of the story unless we read it in its broader use in Scripture.

“He was about TO PASS BY them…” Why would Jesus have done that if He had wanted to help them?

Now, let’s examine these words in other contexts…

Moses…

Exodus 33:18-19 NIV

[18] “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” [19] And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness TO PASS IN FRONT OF YOU, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 

Exodus 34:5-6 NIV

[5] “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. [6] And HE PASSED IN FRONT of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”

Elijah…

1 Kings 19:9, 11-12 NIV

[9] “There, he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”…

[11] The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for THE LORD IS ABOUT TO PASS BY.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind , there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. [12] After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

So, what was that all about? The expression “pass by” hints at something big…some revelation of God’s character, in Moses’ case, or God’s ways in Elijah’s case that is much more than God simply crossing in front of these men. 

To Moses, God revealed His “chesed”, His covenant love,  so that Moses could appeal to His mercy to forgive Israel’s sin and reinstate them as His covenant people. 

To Elijah, God revealed His ways, not in raw natural power but in the power of His whispered word. He instructed Elijah to go back and carry out His commands as part of His plans through which He would work out His purposes for Israel. 

So, what did Jesus want to reveal to His disciples when He PASSED BY them?

Let’s look at their reaction. 

Mark 6:49-50, 52 NIV

[49]…”but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, [50] because they all saw him and were terrified…

[52] … They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

…and His words, “It is I!” or rather, ’I AM!” Jesus, what are you saying!…A revelation of His true identity, the “I AM!”

How terrible for the disciples! They missed the whole point of Jesus’ revelation because of their unbelief! Despite the miracle of the multipled loaves, they had no expectation that Jesus would save them because He was Yahweh, I AM. They had not yet learned to entrust themselves to Him as God in every detail of their lives.

They didn’t see the familiar figure of Jesus. They saw a ghost! What were they expecting?

This story speaks a loud message to us. When we are in trouble and we ask for help, what do we expect? A ghost? Does Jesus answer us with a  phantom answer or with the real thing? Is He really God or not?

Let’s give Jesus credit for who He really is to us!

Matthew 7:9-11 NIV

[9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Jesus is looking for real faith, not “situational” faith or “conditional” faith…not the faith that suits our circumstances but the faith that recognises “I AM” in everything.

MARK’S GOSPEL…INTERRUPTIONS -16

Christian life

Mark 6:30-34 NIV

[30] “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. [31] Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” [32] So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. [33] But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. [34] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

This Servant of Yahweh had to perform a fine balancing act… between the clamouring need of the people and His own and His disciples’ need of rest.

On some occassions, He simply walked away and went elsewhere. On this occasion, according to Mark’s report, He rolled up His sleeves and got to work. How did He differentiate beween one kind of need and another?

Mark specifically comments on Jesus’ motivation. He was more affected by the spirirual condition of the “sheep” than by their physical needs. In His eyes, they were “shepherdless sheep”, people without a leader to give them direction or protection.

Jesus’ response, strangely enough, was to “teach them many things”. Gone His weariness! Gone His plan to escape the crowds, to get some “R and R” in a secluded place! He tried to escape but…

That didn’t work! In fact, when Jesus and His disciples arrived at their solitary place, the crowds were already there!

Real compassion means “Do something about it.” Jesus’ compassion plugged into their real need. He began to teach them…not heal them, not feed them (although He did feed them later on).

Healing and feeding were temporary measures to meet physical needs. Teaching them truth would arm them for life and affect their quality of life and their eternal destiny.

If we go back to the story of the woman Jesus healed of bleeding, it was her faith in the truth of God’s promise in Malachi 4:3 that delivered the healing. Faith in Jesus must be, first, in His identity, second, in His ability and, third, in His veracity,  that is in His word.

When Jesus came from heaven and became a man, He arrived, equipped with grace and truth…

John 1:14 NIV

[14] “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

…grace for our weaknesses…

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

[9] “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

…and truth for our freedom…

John 8:31-32, 34, 36 NIV

[31] “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”…

[34] Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…

[36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

Healing their illnesses and feeding their bellies would not set them free from the ravages of sin. Only truth could renew their minds and set them on course to faith in Jesus who did for them what the law of Moses could never do.

John 1:16-17 NIV

[16] “Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given. [17] For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

Unfortunately, too much focus today, is on the “healing and feeding” ministry of Jesus which is, at best, only physical, material, and temporary.  These benefits of the gospel must fall into place behind His greatest work…redemption, reconciliation, and restoration to fellowship with the Father, and our place in His kingdom as holy and beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God.

Jesus knew His priorities, recognised the real needs of the people, forgot His own need, and gave the sheep what they needed most, truth to feed their souls. 

Jesus’ declaration…

Matthew 6:7-8 NIV

[7] “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…

[8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

…should alert us to something more than health and food.

Our Father’s intimate knowledge of His children’s every need should encourage us to look much further than the everyday issues that preoccupy us.

What if the struggles we are in, the troubles we face, the trials and tests we endure, are just what we need to refine our faith and to prune our souls of sin as much as the money in our banks or the food in our fridges?

Jesus knows our needs as much as He knew the priorities that really affected His people. Trusting Him means giving Him the right to orchestrate our circumstances as is best for us without complaining and resisting. Giving credit to the devil for what God is doing in our lives is tantamount to blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.

Our issues will take on an eternal significance when we really, unconpromisingly believe that…

Romans 8:28-29 NIV

[28] “.. in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE TALITH – 15

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Mark 5:21, 24-25, 27-29 NIV

[21] “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 

[24] So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. [25] And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years…

[27] When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, [28] because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” [29] Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”

This beautiful story, so packed with symbolism and meaning, is often robbed of its significance if we do not understand the “tallit”.

The Israelites were simple in their understanding and use of language. They did not function in abstracts. They expressed their thoughts in pictures of everyday life. The things they saw, did, and used formed the basis of their understanding of spiritual truth. Hence, for example, God was, to them, not some elevated,  invisible Being with attributes of wisdom, grace, etc…however we, with our westen-orientated philosophical minds perceive God, but the one who was  “el”.  In their language, “el” was illustrated by an ox head and a shepherd’s staff, symbolising the one who had strength and authority.

So, God used “pictures”, symbols to teach them spiritual truth. In the early days of God’s association with Israel, He instructed His people to sew tassles, “tzitzit”, on the corners of their outer garment to remind them of the place of God’s “Torah” in their lives.

Google explains…

“In the Bible, tassels (Hebrew: tzitzit) are a tangible reminder of God’s commandments for the Israelites, symbolizing obedience, covenant, and their unique identity as God’s holy people. Worn on the corners of their garments, these fringes with a blue cord were a constant visual prompt for the Israelites to remember and obey God’s laws rather than follow their own desires.”

In Jesus’ day, the outer garment, called the “tallit”, was a kind of all-purpose poncho, used as a covering by day and a blanket at night which eventually devolved into a prayer shawl.

Google again,

“In the Bible, the tallit refers to a fringed garment, also known as a shawl or mantle, worn by Israelites to serve as a reminder of God’s commandments. The concept originates from God’s instruction to Moses to have the Israelites attach fringes (tzitzit) to the corners of their garments to remember God’s laws, as found in Numbers 15:37-40.’ “

Each tassel had five knots, symbolising the five books of Moses, and four spaces, reminding them of the four letters, YHWH, in God’s name.

The corners of the garment “kanaph”, on which the tassels were attached, were known as “wings”… so, Malachi prophesied that …

Malachi 4:2 NLT

[2] “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings (Hebrew, “kanaph”). And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”

Now, let’s put this explanation into our story of the woman with the bleeding problem. Probably with Malachi’s prophecy on her heart, she wanted to touch the tzitzit on thae “kanaph” of Jesus’ tallit, believing she would be healed…

…so it happened, exactly as she believed! Her action was not some random idea that, if she touched Him because of His reputation as a healer, she would be healed. She placed her faith squarely in God’s word, believing that Jesus was the one Malachi prophesied to be “the Sun of Righteousness” who had healing in His 

Notice how Jesus responded to her action. He called her, “Daughter!” and linked her standing in Israel to her faith. 

Mark 5:33-34 NIV

[33] “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. [34] He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Jesus recognised her as a member of the children of Israel, a true daughter of Abraham because…she believed in the truth of God’s word. 

This is a clear teaching of Scripture…

Galatians 3:26, 29 NIV

[26] “So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith… 

[29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Gods Word is never a hit-and-miss record of events but a carefully-woven tapestry of God and people, every detail a part of the whole. How important, then, that we read it all, trusting the Holy Spirit to be our Supreme Teacher, tying every detail together to give us understanding and to grow our faith in the author of this infallible and divinely-inspired book.