Jesus deliberately goes out to the Gentiles, foreshadowing the kind of work that He is going to send His disciples to do after His resurrection (c.f. Matt 28:19-20).
(A)On the hidden mission to the Gentiles (Mark 7:24-30)
Jesus arose and went to Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24). In the previous verse, He was being challenged by the Jewish religious leaders of the day, and He had clarified that the true nature of uncleanness is not what goes in but what comes out of the heart.
Now Tyre and Sidon was not nearby and Jesus headed there with intention, marking a decisive break from the previous place. Jesus was intentional about this and deliberately wanted to be obscure.
We see here, that Jesus is not big on publicity. Jesus’ richest teaching is done in small groups. Have you made time for Him and spent time in His word lately?
However, He could not be hidden. His name was known. How? This is not the first time that Jesus did this and His fame had spread to Tyre and Sidon (Mark 3:8).
A woman sought Jesus out and managed to find Him though He was in a private residence (Mark 7:25-26). This was likely due to her desperation, as she fell down at His feet and begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. These were intentional word choices. She knew that only Jesus could meet her need. Nothing could solve this problem of demon possession.
Mark also tells us that she is a Syrophoenician by birth. She was not only a non-Jew, but by ancestry, a Canaanite who worshipped Baal. Baal is an important Canaanite god as 1 Kings 18 records for us a confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel.
In 1 Kings 17:1-16, the prophet Elijah also went to this region to perform miracles and wonders to the widow at Zarephath. Upon seeing the miracles that Elijah performed, she proclaimed 1 Kings 17:24. Indeed, miracles are always signposts that point to what is true and verify the legitimacy of the prophet. Miracles should not be seen as ends in themselves. They are signs of confirmation for revelation. If we do not understand this revelatory function, we will miss what God is really trying to reveal.
Something similar is taking place in Mark. It is amazing that Jesus casts the demon out but the point is that Jesus, like Elijah, is the one who speaks truth on God’s behalf.
How did Jesus respond to the begging woman? Jesus has a startling reply. He does not comfort her nor does He head to see the daughter. Instead, He has a rather cryptic reply in Mark 7:27. In his reply, the children refer to Israel, the dogs are the Gentiles and the bread refers to His grace, teaching, and works. Jesus seems to be going out of His way to provoke her.
But let us pause and consider how we think about ourselves and what we think of Jesus. Do we think that it is too much for us to be called “dogs”? Do we think too highly of ourselves? Do we really think highly of Him? Has it occurred to you that when we speak of Christ, we are not speaking of a peer, one that we can be offended by?
She answers in two parts (Mark 7:28). Firstly, she agreed with Jesus’ assessment as she agreed with what He said. Jesus is right to go to the Jews first and called Him “Lord” and not “LORD”, as she does not know the covenant name of God. She recognises His greatness and nobility.
Secondly, she answered that the dogs under the table await eagerly all that falls from the children. Hear the humility in her voice! There is zero entitlement in her voice. She recognises how utterly dependent she is upon His grace.
Jesus praises her posture and He heals her daughter (Mark 7:29-30). Jesus came for her, tested her and her humility shone through. He came all the way for this encounter with this woman.
Mark has recorded a parallel account to Elijah’s visit to the widow in 1 Kings 17. Then, Elijah performed these miracles to the woman in a period of barrenness when the people worshipped Baal instead of Yahweh. Now, Jesus goes to Tyre and Sidon to show this woman who He is, that she might bow before Him in the flesh.
Jesus could not be hidden. He was proclaimed and therefore, she heard of Him and came to Him. We too, heard of this Saviour because someone came to us and told us about Jesus. We heard what He did for us, turned from our sins and throw ourselves at His feet in desperation. We know nothing of our greatness, but only of our sin. This is how the gospel goes out. This is how the gospel always goes out. May we not hide Jesus and fail to proclaim Him.
Are we offended by the fact that we are “dogs”? This is the nature of the gospel. We have to come an end to ourselves and turn to Jesus. Only then will the gospel go out.
(B) Astonished by the One who does all things well (Mark 7:31-37)
The scene changes once more. Jesus went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee. People bring to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Jesus to heal by laying His hand on Him (Mark 7:31-32). Now, Jesus can heal in any way that He wants, so the emphasis here is on the people’s need.
Jesus took the man aside privately and heals by touching the parts of the man that was affected (Mark 7:33). He also looks up to heaven, sighed and said, “Ephphatha”, which means “Be opened” and he was healed (Mark 7:34). He drew attention to his impediments because God did not design man to be this way but creation has been marred after the Fall. For something to be deficient, this means that there had to be an original, perfect design. He sighed because He knew the impact of sin or He knew the unbelief of the people present. Was He saying that the man’s ears, tongue or heaven is to be open? We are not sure but what we can be clear about is that we see how Jesus has authority.
The miracles are not disruption to the natural order but points to the original design. Hence, here, we see that Jesus is not suspending reality but is returning this man to fullness and wholeness.
Jesus charged them to tell no one, but the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it (Mark 7:36).
Are you looking for a “miracle” today? What are you really looking for? What do you long for? What breaks your heart? Would you sigh as Jesus did when you look upon this fallen world? Do we understand what He came to do? If so, we will proclaim Him more zealously!
Now, the time had not yet come. It is clear in Jesus’ mind that the time for His glory had not yet come (c.f. Jn 7:4-8). Mark highlights how He prefers the patient, obscure form of ministry. This changes after His death and resurrection.
Do you want to do great things? This is a very human desire but we should not miss how Jesus thinks differently. Friends one of the best things we can do in our life is to preach the gospel, die and be forgotten.
Mark 7:37 picks up on Isaiah 35. Jesus performed Isaiah 35 for the crowd to see. As a result, they were “astonished beyond measure”. We should not grow too desirous of miracles and we should also not grow so familiar with the miracles of Christ that we lose our sense of wonder. Then and now, miracles are always shocking. The people in Jesus’ time also did not expect miracles. They declare, “He has done all things well…” Just like what Isaiah 35 tells us, these miracles are the sign that God is here to restore all things. These acts are signs of creation receiving its Maker. It is a sign of heaven arriving on earth, the divine transforming that which is mortal.
With these miracles, can it be that Heaven has come?
He came for the Jews. He went out to the Gentiles. This is the Jesus who has come to us today. He will not leave us in the lurch. He does all things well.