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Mark

Mark 
Day 
Day 165

2 Peter 1:12 "...though you know and are established in the present truth."

Day 165 – Mark 7

“…though you know and are established in the present truth.” 2 Peter 1:12

MINISTERING IN TYRE AND SIDON

Jesus, as was His custom, never stayed very long in one city. He had an itinerary to keep. Soon the Disciples found themselves in Tyre and Sidon.

“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.”
MARK 7:24

1. Solitude sought

That Jesus sought solitude from time to time should no longer surprise anyone. This was an established practice of Jesus to find quiet moments for Himself and His disciples.

2. Fame of Jesus

The fame of Jesus always preceded Him. All too soon, news got around that Jesus had come to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

THE QUEST OF A SYRO-PHOENICIAN WOMAN

News of Jesus in a particular region attracted people. It was only a question of time before He would be swamped!

“For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit
heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she
kept asking Him to cast out the demon out of her daughter.”
MARK 7:25-26

1. The identity of this lady

Mark seemed to have taken great pains to describe the ethnicity of this woman. He noted the following:-

a) She was a Gentile
This was highly profiled. She was not of Israel! Mark pointed out that she was a Greek and a Syro-Phoenician by birth.
b) She had no claims on Jesus at all
Did she not know that Jesus was from Israel, and that He was the Saviour of the nation? How dared she pester Jesus with her request?

2. The desperate needs of the Syro-Phoenician

Her need was such that she threw caution to the wind. She had nothing to lose but everything to gain, if she could only persuade Jesus to help her! She knew all too well the animosity between Jew and Gentile in her time! But surely, Jesus was above all ethnic prejudices? Surely, His heart would be compassionate enough to help her daughter!