May 8, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, May 8.
We're in a short series on mothers of the Bible, and I've tried to focus on some women who are not as well-known as Mary or Eve. And so, we've looked at Jochebed, the mother of Moses, and Eunice, the mother of Timothy. Today's character is so little known that we don't even know her name. Theologians refer to her as the Syrophoenician Woman . She was a mother of strong character and keen intellect, and she made a distinct impression on Jesus. And she deserves her moment in the spotlight.
In Mark Chapter 7, Jesus has just had another frustrating encounter with the Pharisees, and He needed a break, needed to get away for a moment. Mark 7:24 tells us that He travelled to the region of Tyre and "did not want anyone to know that He was there." Have you ever felt like that, felt the need to disappear? Isn't it comforting that Jesus not only knows what we go through but went through the same things Himself. At any rate, His efforts to be invisible went for naught, as a woman in the town heard that He was there and approached Him to ask for healing for her daughter.
This woman was a Greek. She was a Gentile. She had "three strikes against her" in first century Jewish culture. She was a non-Jew, she was a foreigner, and she was female. But this woman had the courage, and the faith, to walk right up to Jesus. His initial response was anything but encouraging, though. He said, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take their food and throw it to the dogs". Bible scholars believe that Jesus was explaining that His ministry, in that moment, was to the Jewish people, the "children of God". That was the foundation that He was building, a foundation that others, like the Apostle Paul, would expand to the entire world.
But this woman would not take no for an answer. She cleverly replied, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs". When Jesus heard this He told her to go back home, because her daughter was already healed. A woman with courage. A woman of keen intellect. ,m A mother who was willing to do anything for her child.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
