Post by Cindy on May 8, 2020 9:57:49 GMT -5
This was in my notes for Mark 7:24–30 - the story about Jesus healing the daughter of a Gentile who was possessed by a demon; reading the story and these notes reminded me of some precious people that I'm praying for, and encouraged me.. I thought it might encourage others too. First the scriptures then the notes:
“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 evil 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. “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 their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but 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 her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.” (Mark 7:24–30)
Jesus came to this area so that He might have some privacy, but a concerned mother discovered He was there and came to Him for help. There were many obstacles in her way, yet she overcame them all by faith and got what she needed. To begin with, HER NATIONALITY WAS AGAINST HER: she was a Gentile and Jesus was a Jew. Besides that, SHE WAS A WOMAN, and society in that day was dominated by the men. SATAN WAS AGAINST HER, for one of his demons had taken control in her daughter’s life. THE DISCIPLES WERE AGAINST HER; they wanted Jesus to send her away and let Him (and them) have some rest. FOR A TIME, IT LOOKED AS THOUGH EVEN JESUS WAS AGAINST HER! It was not an easy situation, and yet she triumphed because of her great faith. The Bible exposition commentary
And then came this note: One of the greatest dangers to faith is the temptation to believe that what can be seen is the real and that the unseen is less real. Paul makes the point that for the believer what cannot be seen is the most important, for it is what is real (2 Cor 4:18). This sounds a bit strange until we realize that Paul is talking about the life of faith: Faith is the assurance of things unseen. The life of faith is characterized by a constant and firm belief that something will happen. If we let go of this, then we begin to trust what we can see. When this occurs, we have taken a very small step toward legalism because we can see when people are obeying rules and subscribing to regulations. In turn, we can also see when they aren't! When this happens, we begin to judge such people by what can be seen. The dogmas of correct behavior cancel out the belief or faith that a person may change or that a person may not be as she appears. One such example of the triumph of faith over dogma in this context can be seen in the way Jesus related to a Greek woman who had a demon-possessed daughter. Although according to Jewish laws Jesus did not need to relate to this woman, He chose to do so. He responded to someone who was unclean—a Greek, and a woman at that—but one who had a faithful heart. Here was someone who had faith even though Jewish dogma condemned her. She did not let the rules and regulations of the day stop her from receiving Jesus. She did not allow legalism to rob her of her desire to have her daughter healed. See Heb 11:1. The Woman’s Study Bible
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
“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 evil 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. “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 their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but 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 her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.” (Mark 7:24–30)
Jesus came to this area so that He might have some privacy, but a concerned mother discovered He was there and came to Him for help. There were many obstacles in her way, yet she overcame them all by faith and got what she needed. To begin with, HER NATIONALITY WAS AGAINST HER: she was a Gentile and Jesus was a Jew. Besides that, SHE WAS A WOMAN, and society in that day was dominated by the men. SATAN WAS AGAINST HER, for one of his demons had taken control in her daughter’s life. THE DISCIPLES WERE AGAINST HER; they wanted Jesus to send her away and let Him (and them) have some rest. FOR A TIME, IT LOOKED AS THOUGH EVEN JESUS WAS AGAINST HER! It was not an easy situation, and yet she triumphed because of her great faith. The Bible exposition commentary
And then came this note: One of the greatest dangers to faith is the temptation to believe that what can be seen is the real and that the unseen is less real. Paul makes the point that for the believer what cannot be seen is the most important, for it is what is real (2 Cor 4:18). This sounds a bit strange until we realize that Paul is talking about the life of faith: Faith is the assurance of things unseen. The life of faith is characterized by a constant and firm belief that something will happen. If we let go of this, then we begin to trust what we can see. When this occurs, we have taken a very small step toward legalism because we can see when people are obeying rules and subscribing to regulations. In turn, we can also see when they aren't! When this happens, we begin to judge such people by what can be seen. The dogmas of correct behavior cancel out the belief or faith that a person may change or that a person may not be as she appears. One such example of the triumph of faith over dogma in this context can be seen in the way Jesus related to a Greek woman who had a demon-possessed daughter. Although according to Jewish laws Jesus did not need to relate to this woman, He chose to do so. He responded to someone who was unclean—a Greek, and a woman at that—but one who had a faithful heart. Here was someone who had faith even though Jewish dogma condemned her. She did not let the rules and regulations of the day stop her from receiving Jesus. She did not allow legalism to rob her of her desire to have her daughter healed. See Heb 11:1. The Woman’s Study Bible
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
!!
