October 1, 2023 - Mark 7:27-37
October 1, 2023
Mark 7:24-37
Lessons Learned
by Wayne Gaeddert
1. Jesus is in the third year of His ministry.
2. This text marks the end of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.
3. The parallel passage is Matthew 15:21-31.
4. The region of Tyre and Sidon is Gentile territory.
5. Tyre was the center for Baal worship.
6. Tyre was the home of Jezebel.
7. Jesus’ words to the religious leaders were harsh; as leaders, they were leading the people astray.
8. Jesus’ words to common people seeking to know him were compassionate, they were seeking to follow Jesus.
9. Tyre and Sidon were cities in a Gentile region called Phoenicia which at the time was ruled by Rome.
10. Mark is very clear that the woman coming to Jesus was a Gentile.
11. Verse 27:
· “First let the children” implies that Gentiles were not to be excluded, they just were not first to receive the good news of the Kingdom.
· The ‘children’ refers to the Jewish people.
· The ‘dogs’ or ‘little dogs’ was a reference to Gentiles.
12. This story contrasts the Jewish leaders’ rejection of Jesus in verses 1-23 with the faith of a Gentile woman.
13. Mark was writing to Gentiles in Rome; this story highlights that God accepts Gentiles who come to him in faith.
14. “Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.” John 6:37 NASB
15. The conversation Jesus had with the woman highlights her faith.
16. Jesus talking to a Gentile woman would have been a learning experience for the disciples of Jesus.
17. The woman’s reply implies that the ‘crumbs’ from the blessing of God are a treasure to seek after.
18. Your faith is always on God’s radar screen.
19. Verse 31 represents a trip of about 120 – 150 miles.
20. The Decapolis (ten cities) was a Gentile region southeast of the Sea of Galilee.
21. Mark 5:20 records that the demoniac man Jesus had healed witnessed about Jesus in the area of Decapolis. The Parallel passage in Matt 15:29-31 indicates when Jesus now returned to the area, great crowds came to see him.
22. Jesus used sign language to communicate to the man what he was going to do for him.
23. The sigh of Jesus before he healed the man expressed his compassion for the man and his condition.
24. “He has done all things well’ is reminiscent of the concluding statement about original creation in Genesis 1:31.
25. Jesus had demonstrated by these miracles that he had done what only God can do.
26. This man is probably Jewish, Jesus used the Aramaic word ‘Ephphatha’.
27. The irony of the deaf-mute:
At first, he was permitted to speak, but not able to speak.
Then, he was able to speak, but not permitted to speak.
28. Application:
Don’t allow social barriers to prevent you from ministering to the needs of people in Jesus’ Name.
God rewards faith. (Matthew’s account says she had great faith.)
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;” Revelation 7:9 NASB
