A DESPERATE MOTHER
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. (Mark 7: 24-26).
What was He going to do? Jesus was a Jewish rabbi trying to find seclusion for a little while in a Gentile city. Unfortunately for Him, His fame had gone before Him. His presence in that region could not remain a secret because many of the people had already travelled many miles to Galilee and Judea to seek Him. As soon as He arrived in their region, they recognised Him and announced His presence.
Among them was a desperate mother. Her daughter was demon-possessed, probably not uncommon among the pagans of that area. The child’s mother had no hope outside of a miracle and, wonder of wonders, the renowned miracle-worker from Galilee had arrived in her country. What was she to do? Without hesitation she went to Him. Perhaps she did not know what proper behaviour was for a woman in Jewish circles but desperation drove her to the Master. She did the only thing she knew; she threw herself down at His feet in an act of humility and supplication. She worshipped Him.
‘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.’ (Mark 7: 27).
What on earth was Jesus getting at? Was He rejecting her by refusing to give her “the children’s bread”? Who were the “children”? What was their “bread”? Was He insulting her by calling her a dog? Was He acting just like His fellow Jews, arrogantly refusing to have anything to do with Gentiles? Our Jesus? How out of character for Him!
A few chapters before, He had risked the hazard of a storm on the lake to deliver a demon-possessed Gentile in the region of the Decapolis. Then He had returned to the same region in spite of being chased out by the citizens for destroying their pigs, only to find that they gladly received Him after the powerful testimony of the healed man had convinced them that He was not dangerous.
Why was He acting so differently here? Perhaps He had thought better of His action and decided not to help Gentiles after all. No! Emphatically, no! Jesus was not like that at all. When He acted in an unusual way, it was often to test the faith and the perseverance of the one seeking Him. Jesus was never after popularity. He always acted consistently with the Father. Even His presence in that region was under the Father’s authority.
How desperate was this mother to help her daughter or was she just another sensation-seeker?
‘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 the child lying on the bed and the demon gone (Mark 7: 28-30).
What a woman! Nothing would put her off from her determined purpose – not even an apparent insult from Jesus. She passed the test with flying colours. Jesus was not reluctant to help a Gentile. In fact, He didn’t see race or colour. Everyone was a person in His eyes, a son or daughter of God who needed to know that God was gracious and wanted them to return to His family regardless of who they were and what they had done. In her humility she was willing to receive only the leftovers of His compassion and mercy because that was enough to bring healing to her child. Even though her faith may have been as miniscule as a mustard seed, it was enough to engage with the compassion of Jesus and bring relief to her child in her torment.
Don’t you just love Jesus? If He ever displayed reluctance to show mercy it was only to encourage and increase faith by testing the sufferer’s perseverance. Why, then, are we so often slow to learn the lesson? Jesus is never reluctant to answer our prayers. Sometimes the delay is about timing. God’s story is much bigger than ours. Our chapter must fit into His story – not the other way around. Sometimes it’s about faith and patience. Weak faith must be strengthened and impatience overcome so that we trust God – period – rather than believing Him for what we can get out of Him.
His goal is that we rest in Him, regardless of the circumstances, like a baby at his mother’s breast, content to be still and enjoy the closeness to his mother, and not worry about whatever is going on around him.
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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