"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11
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(21) Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. (22) And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.' (23) But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, 'Send her away, for she cries out after us.' (24) But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (25) Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!' (26) But He answered and said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' (27) And she said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.' (28) Then Jesus answered and said to her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

(24) From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. (25) For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. (26) The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. (27) But Jesus said to her, 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' (28) And she answered and said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.' (29) Then He said to her, 'For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.' (30) And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

New King James Version copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

In this miracle (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30), Jesus uses His meeting with a pagan woman from beyond the borders of Judea to illustrate the future potential of the Gentiles. While Christ spent most of His time ministering to Israelites (Matthew 15:24), on a few occasions He did mercifully intervene on behalf of Gentiles.

The Gentile identity of the woman who sought exorcism for her daughter is emphasized three times in the accounts: in Matthew 15:22, she is "of Canaan"; and in Mark 7:26, she is called both "a Greek" and "a Syro-Phoenician," a person from Phoenicia, then regarded as part of Syria. Jesus performs this miracle in the coastal area of Tyre and Sidon, the same area where Elijah performed the miracles of providing meal in the barrel and raising the Gentile widow's son from the dead (I Kings 17:8-24).

Later, the apostle Paul stopped at Tyre and met with some Christians there (Acts 21:3-4), showing some of the influence Christ had on these Gentiles. Not only was this miracle part of that influence, but Luke 6:17-20 also tells us that many from that area came to Judea, bringing their sick and demon-possessed to Christ for healing.

Regarding the exorcism of the daughter, we see that Christ declares the girl to be healed, and it is so. Clearly, the woman believes that distance does not matter regarding Christ's power to heal, for when Jesus tells her to go home and that her daughter is healed, she leaves Him with complete confidence that His word is true and omnipotent. She is another of Jesus' "other sheep" (John 10:16), a Gentile, not an Israelite to whom He had primarily come. She undoubtedly made this miracle known to other Gentiles, opening the door for the apostles to proclaim Christ's purpose for coming into the world: to bring salvation one day to all humanity.

— Martin G. Collins

To learn more, see:
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Syro-Phoenician (Part Two)



 

Topics:

Calling the Gentiles

Christ Intervenes on Behalf of Gentiles

Christ's Intervention on Behalf of Gentiles

Conversion of Gentiles

Exorcising a Syro-Phonecian

Jesus Christ's Miracles: Exorcism of Demons

Phonecian Religion




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