24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 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. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Once again we see Jesus needing some quiet but the desperate need of the people had them coming everywhere He went. A Gentile woman came to Jesus and begged Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. These are words of desperation yet Jesus told her that the children should be fed first and it would not be right to throw the children’s bread to the dogs. He was trying to spend time with His disciples and feed into their lives and she was interrupting. Her response was that even the house dogs get to eat at the same time as the children because they get the crumbs that fall to the floor during the meal. She showed humility and faith and because of that, Jesus healed her daughter and sent her on her way.
All this woman wanted was a crumb. She recognised Jesus’ power was vast and He could easily heal her daughter and she wasn’t going to leave without getting what she could. We have access to the full meal with Jesus, not just the crumbs. What are you doing about getting all the spiritual nourishment you can from Jesus today?
As Jesus moved on, a man was brought to him who was both deaf and mute. Those who brought him begged Jesus to lay His hand on him, to heal him. Jesus took him aside privately, put His fingers in his hears, spat on the ground and touched his tongue, and looked up to heaven and said, “Be opened.” Immediately he could hear and speak. Again Jesus told them not to tell anyone but the more he told them to stop, the more they proclaimed that he made the deaf hear and the mute speak. Jesus wanted to be known as more than just a popular miracle worker. The interesting method Jesus used to cure this man’s disability was possibly done so that the man could participate in faith. Jesus may have been using signs and easy to lip read language. A person who has not been able to hear would usually be unable to speak properly and yet this man was so completely healed that he was able to speak plainly as part of his healing.
It’s easy to see how someone might want to shout from the roof tops if they have been healed physically. Yet physical healing does nothing for one’s spiritual eternity. How much more should we be proclaiming our spiritual healing to everyone who would listen. How big a deal is it to you that you have been saved from eternal punishment, from the spiritual disability to hear and speak with God? Who have you told about this lately?