The Syrophoenician Woman: Sovereignty
Mark 7:24-30
And from there He arose and went away to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. [25] But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, immediately came and fell at His feet. [26] Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. [27] And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." [28] But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." [29] And He said to her, "Because of this answer go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." [30] And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having departed.
I purposely saved this for one of the last of Jesus’ encounters because I felt that I needed more time to research and study it before teaching it, as well as my wanting to use it after the encounter with the centurion. Since these two are the only known Gentiles that Jesus encountered I wanted to do them together. It is important to see that Jesus came as the Jewish Messiah, but He also came as the Savior of Gentiles, too. But His first calling was to the Hebrew nation.
It is important to keep in mind that Jesus cannot be debated. He cannot be worked into a corner by logic or reason to do something that is not a part of His purpose. Whatever He does, He does according to the design of His heart. He cannot be manipulated to change His direction or the strategy of His Lordship. There are two particulars in our verses today that would seem, at first glance, to contradict the above statement…God’s Sovereignty.
In verse twenty-four, it says, “when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it, yet He could not escape notice.” First, Jesus was human. He got tired, got hungry, enjoyed fellowship, loved gatherings, etc. To seek some solitude should not seem like a terrible thing, but one might ask, “Didn’t He come to seek and to save those that were lost…He is God, what does He need rest for?” One might ask another question, “Since He was not just a man, but God, too, and needed rest (as a man), couldn’t He have arranged circumstances to ensure that He was left alone so He could get some rest?” Second, how does one hide the light of the sun in a bushel? The reputation that Jesus had at this time in His ministry was reaching every point of the land. As is recorded in the sixth chapter of Mark, Jesus had recently fed over five thousand people with five loves of bread and two fish. How is the magnitude of such an event kept quiet? It was almost becoming an impossibility for Him to go anywhere in which He was not recognized. So, if He is sovereign, and since the Spirit of God inspired these words, why would the Word suggest something that He wanted to happen that was not going to happen?
Another example of this kind of dilemma is found in the verses in Mark 6:31-34:
And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) [32] And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. [33] And the people saw them going, and many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. [34] And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Now why would Jesus have said to His disciples that they were to all get away to a lonely place for a short rest, if He knew that they would not get that rest? Why would Jesus have indicated that He wanted no one to know that he would be in the area of Tyre and Sidon, if He knew that people would know? To some, this might be a really big hurdle to get over. Some might use the seeming inconsistency as a means of throwing suspicion on the accuracy or believability of the Scriptures. If someone is to ask that kind of question, then let them answer this question first: how is it that a Holy and Righteous God would send His son into the world that the world through Him might be saved, knowing all the while that more people would reject Him than receive Him?
(vs. 25)
We are not told how the Syrophoenician woman heard about Jesus, but the confidence in her source of information was good enough for her to approach Jesus. She must have heard that He was not only a worker of miracles, but He was compassionate…He could be approached. Upon hearing of where Jesus was, she immediately came and fell at His feet. Remember the social taboos of such a thing: a non-Jew, woman-dog approaching a respected Rabbi…that is a no, no! However, desperation makes people do extraordinary, usually unacceptable and extravagant things. This woman was desperate. She threw herself at the Master’s feet. Her child had an unclean spirit that was tormenting her. In normal, loving homes, when a child is sick, the parents hurt for the child. How many times have you told your child or thought or prayed, “If I could take your hurt, I would gladly do it.”
(vs. 26)
The woman was from the area in Jesus’ day of modern day Lebanon. Though the escalation of or the awareness of tension in the area is fresh on our minds and in the news, hostility between the Jews and Arab (descendants of Ishmael) is no new thing. This was an obvious situation of heart over national or social customs. Jesus was certainly moved by her cries, by her boldness and by her need. Again, it needs be noted that the woman’s daughter’s needs were not unbeknownst to the Lord. He was not taken back by this “new information.” In fact, He was there for her. In Matthew’s account (15:22-23), we are given a little bit more of the encounter,
And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." [23] But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us."
Here we see that the disciple’s approach to people was, more often than not, completely opposite to that of the Master’s. It is true that they may have been trying to protect Jesus and give Him some privacy. Deeper than that, it could be that the disciples just didn’t want to be bothered by the “problems of the world.” They loved being “Jesus’ inner circle.” However, I do not know of any instance in the Scriptures where Jesus’ turns away the request for help. Jesus still has time for any who come to Him.
(vs.27)
Jesus was making reference to the fact that He was sent as the Messiah of the Jews. In speaking about not taking bread and giving it to the “dogs”, He was not speaking a slur on the woman or her race, but it was a colloquial manner of speaking. Jesus made reference that the “good news” would be an offering to the Gentiles at a future time, when He said, “let the children be satisfied first.” There is hope for all in this statement, though at this time she was not looking for what He is offering…in a similar vein as the woman at the well (remember, she was looking for convenience of not having to carry water, not for the Living Water that would satisfy her soul. She came solely for healing for her daughter. That is the way she initially came. But her reference to Jesus as “Lord” and as the “Son of David” could very well mean that she has become a seeker of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in her heart. It was outside the scope of God’s design for Jesus to depart His mission to the Jews, even though they, from a national standpoint, had generally rejected Him as their Messiah. A position that still is in effect today.
(vs. 28)
The very fact that Jesus maintained a dialog with her must have given her great hope. From her perspective, she was not asking for a lot from this One who had fed five thousand. What is the dispersal of a demon or two from a little girl in comparison to that? Perhaps she thought of herself as being one of those who was getting the leftovers from that feeding. Surely, she may have thought, there would have certainly been crumbs for the dogs to enjoy after such an abundant feast. This kind of logic, her staying with the “debate” with Jesus did not sway Him by her persistence to grant her request. I think that Jesus kept the dialog going to stretch her faith and then to bring her to see Him as her Savior.
(vs. 29)
It was the simple act of faith, that of coming to the Lord God that resulted in her daughter being delivered. It was not that she had a “I have built up this huge faith base in my heart.” I think she came based upon a great heart understanding: He is the King (Son of David); He has authority (as per last week when we studied the Centurion); He is compassion incarnate; there is something about who He is that I can trust Him;I will thrust my need on Him.
What can we glean for personal use?
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Romans 8:31-32
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Philip. 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.