Anchor My Faith

A Woman and a Little Daughter

Scripture: Matthew 15:22; Mark 7:24-26

With this lesson we start a new section of narrative in which we look at the faith of a Gentile woman and the resistance Jesus demonstrated in meeting her request. Before the woman arrives let us establish where Jesus is now.

^{Mk 7:24} “And from there [Jesus] arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.”

Jesus and his disciples were at Gennesaret, located on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee, and from there they traveled to the region Tyre and Sidon, ancient cities of Phoenicia, which are port cities located in modern Lebanon on the Mediterranean coast, north northwest of the Sea of Galilee. (On the map seen at the link, Gennesaret is just below Capernaum and Sidon was north of Tyre.) This was a Hellenistic Gentile region where Jesus was known, especially among the resettled Jewish residents. We know that Jesus was called to bring the news of God’s kingdom to the people of Israel, but he sees later missions to the Gentiles through his disciples.

When they arrive, they entered a house there, but we are not told whose house it was; probably the house of someone he knew there. He tried to arrive and enter the house unnoticed, but as with anyone who is famous, it is nearly impossible to not be noticed by someone who passes on the information.

²⁵ “But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.” (ESV)

This woman apparently knew about Jesus and his ability to heal and was apparently in the right location to know of Jesus coming and location and immediately upon knowing that she brought her little daughter to Jesus to have him heal her of an unclean spirit. This woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and so was technically not one that Jesus was sent to minister to.

^{Mt 15:22} ” [She cried out], “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”’

Falling at his feet, she cries out to Jesus, calling him Lord and Son of David, and request that he have mercy on her. She probably used the title of Lord as an expression of great respect, not fully realizing what she was saying. However, her use of the title “Son of David” shows some knowledge of Jewish thoughts about him. She explains to him that her daughter was severely oppressed by a demon and wants him to help.

We will see how Jesus responds in the next lesson. We will end this lesson by pointing out a difficulty with the harmonization. Looking at the worksheet, you will notice what information is selected, especially under points 1 and 2. Putting these two points together into a single narrative is sometimes not that easy. The “falling down at his feet” of Mark 7:25 is the same as “she came and knelt before him” of Matthew 15:25, but they are not together in the narrative, possibly causing some confusion.

Conclusion

Jesus had created some strong enemies with his teaching and decided it was time to move to a friendlier area and heads up to the region of Tyre and Sidon, where he is met by a Canaanite woman, a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, who has a daughter severely oppressed by a demon. Will Jesus heal the daughter?