Women in History: The Syrophoenician Women

Mark 7:24-30

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[a] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Syrophoenician ethnicity is similar to that of a Gentile. During this time, Jews rarely associated with Gentiles because they were known to worship false gods. However, upon hearing that Jesus was nearby, this woman went and found Jesus. For a woman to have been placed in a group and stereotyped by her homeland, her story shares that Jesus sees past cultural boundaries and ethnicities.

The woman went to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, who was possessed by spirits. The woman went out of her way to intercede for her daughter. Her actions were done out of love and trust. As Christians, we too are called to intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ. With our world being flipped upside down, now is the time that we turn to God and put our trust and hope in Him to heal those around us from worry, fear, and sickness. We live in such a self-centered world. I am so guilty of taking my wants and my needs to God before others. As a Christian, you have the privilege to walk alongside others, but you don’t have to do it alone. We can cast our burdens and others to Christ, and He will take the weight off our backs.

Jesus saw the woman’s faith through her words and her actions, and he granted her daughter healing. I hope that we can turn our focus from being inward to seeing how we can be praying for others and the world around us during this time.