A Gentile who was a True Israelite

The bottom line is that from the outside and at first glance we have no way of knowing who might be most open to the Gospel and saving faith in Jesus?

What we do know is clear. Make disciples who make disciples. Be salt and light and live like the called out - the church.

Most of those in Jesus’ day, the disciples included, would have seen this Gentile woman as one of those most unlikely to fall at Jesus’ feet and in faith beg Him to intervene on behalf of her daughter who had an unclean spirit.

The unnamed Gentile woman’s unlikely coming to Jesus -

Jesus’ encounter with this Syrophoenician woman is starkly different than the confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes west of Galilee.

Those men had been fixated on the ceremonial law and the tradition of the Elders.

The tradition of the Elders, that had been affirmed by most Israelites was that there could be no salvation apart from the law and converting to the Jewish faith.

Mark’s account makes it very clear that a pagan Gentile can find Jesus, without the Torah and without the traditions of the Elders.

Tyre and Sidon

2 Phoenician cities north of Galilee on the Mediterranean Sea

Port that serviced Galilee

Port that relied on Galilee for some of its food -

Midway between these cities - Sarepta - Zarephath -

Region/vicinity

Previous names location - Gennesaret - 6:53

Syrophoenician/Gentile by birth

At that time Phoenicia was part of the province of Syria.

Present day Lebanon

Gentile region - home of Jezebel

Pagan culture

In Elijah’s day, Jezebel - wife of Ahab - and the prophets of Baal corrupted the Northern Kingdom

1 Kings 16:31–32 ESV

And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.

1 Kings 16:

OT prophets denounced the wealth and terror of Sidon.

Ezekiel 26:17 ESV

And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you, “ ‘How you have perished, you who were inhabited from the seas, O city renowned, who was mighty on the sea; she and her inhabitants imposed their terror on all her inhabitants!

Zechariah 9:3 ESV

Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets.

Josephus referred to those in Tyre as “notoriously our bitterest enemies.”

2nd century Tyre and Sidon joined with Ptolemais who sided the Seleucids in the Maccabean Revolt

Pagan influence felt in Palestine. Jesus referred to Gentile prayers.

Matthew 6:7 ESV

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Matt

Probably paganism to the core.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Mark A Gentile Who Was a “True Israelite” (7:24–30)

Jesus’ visit to Tyre universalizes the concept of Messiah in terms of geography, ethnicity, gender, and religion in a way entirely unprecedented in Judaism.

Jesus’ most recent ministry generally rejected

For the last weeks and probably months, except for a few exceptions, |Jesus’ preaching and ministry was rejected. The last significant welcome responses were recorded my Mark in chapter 5.

Healing of Garesene demoniac -

Driven out of the area by the pig herders and city folk -

Healing the woman who had been ill for 12 years & raising Jairus 12 year old daughter from the dead -

Rejected in home town of Nazareth -

SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY OF THE 12 - ,

Taught a huge crowd of 5,000 men whom He also fed but they wanted a political rather than a spiritual Messiah.

Healed the sick in Gennesaret - Mk 7:53-56

Pharisees and scribes from JERUSALEM confronted Jesus asking Him why His disciples did not walk according to the tradition of the Elders. Jesus explained that their traditions voided some the Word of God - 7:13 - and betrayed a total misunderstanding of the sinfulness of the human heart.

Jesus’ presence generally unknown

First time there

Enter into a house - did not want anyone to know

Because Jesus later affirmed that the children of Israel were His primary ministry focus, there is no basis to assume that Jesus went there to preach and teach. While nothing is spelled out some time of rest and teaching the disciples.. Later Mark mentioned that Jesus did not want anyone to know where He was, He wanted to teach the disciples who to do date did not understand Jesus mission.

Mark 9:30–32 ESV

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Mk 9:30-

- Instances of them not understanding.

Mark 6:52 ESV

for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Mark 6:42 ESV

And they all ate and were satisfied.

Mark 7:18 ESV

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,

Mark 8:17–21 ESV

And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Mk 8:

Jesus’ initial response and the disciples’ suggestion

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