He Has Done All Things Well

“He Has Done All Things Well”

“and from thence having risen, he went away to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and having entered into the house, he wished none to know, and he was not able to be hid.” Mark 7:24  (following verses from the YLT)

This area was on the western coast of the Mediterranean about 30 miles away. An area given over to idol worship and paganism.  The Jews did not like this area and despised those people. Consider the miracles and healings he had performed in the past weeks and you can see why Jesus just needed some time alone.

Mark 7:25-26  “for a woman having heard about him, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having come, fell at his feet, 26and the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by nation–and was asking him, that the demon he may cast forth out of her daughter.”

This woman didn’t care what god Jesus represented, she just wanted relief for her daughter. 

Mark 7:27  “And Jesus said to her, ‘Suffer first the children to be filled, for it is not good to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to the little dogs.’” 

Jesus was referencing to his coming to the lost sheep of Israel: children = Israel, dogs = gentiles. Notice I underlined three words: ‘filled’, ‘bread’, and ‘it’. Each word represents the same thing: The Gospel. Jesus came to the Jews first, no argument about that. Jesus was making a point in front of His disciples; He was there for the house of Israel and once they rejected him, the salvation promised would be extended to the world. Here is a transliteration of this verse that Jesus was “parabling”:“Be patient while the Gospel is presented to the Jews. It is not in the Fathers plan to preach to the gentiles first. Once they reject it, you can reap the benefits of miracles, healings and everything that accompanies this new covenant I bring.”

Mark 7:28  “And she answered and saith to him, ‘Yes, sir; for the little dogs also under the table do eat of the children’s crumbs.’” 

Interestingly, this is a prophetic statement in that the Gospel went first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. 

Mark 7:29  “And he said to her, ‘Because of this word go; the demon hath gone forth out of thy daughter’ 30and having come away to her house, she found the demon gone forth, and the daughter laid upon the couch.’”

We see Jesus dealing with demonic activity.  It might have even been just a day earlier that He was not labeling certain personality traits as demonic, but as originating from the heart. He was clearly balanced in his approach to the differences. I have seen believers supposedly set free from the demon of beer drinking…. Jesus didn’t see it that way. 

Mark 7:31  “And again, having gone forth from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis”

They returned back to the Sea of Galilee which was due East 30 miles. Decapolis being the 10 towns surrounding the sea, mostly to the western areas.

Mark 7:32-34 “and they bring to him a deaf, stuttering man, and they call on him that he may put the hand on him. 33And having taken him away from the multitude by himself, he put his fingers to his ears, and having spit, he touched his tongue, 34and having looked to the heaven, he sighed, and saith to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, `Be thou open’” 

Jesus spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.  This is interesting to note because a lot of scholars believe no one spoke Hebrew in that century.  Supposedly it died during the 2nd Century b.c. and Aramaic took its place.  But here’s proof, along with the inscription on the cross, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.  Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus in Hebrew.  When Jesus read in the Synagogue, he was reading Hebrew.  Hebrew was alive and being spoken. 

Mark 7:35 “and immediately were his ears opened and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he was speaking plain.”

I’ve heard of people having a demon of speech and deafness. We see Jesus operating in three distinct functions; pointing out where sin originates, casting out a devil, and healing a man. 

Mark 7:36  “And he charged them that they may tell no one, but the more he was charging them, the more abundantly they were proclaiming it.”

Jewish custom was that if you wanted something spoken of and spread that you request it not be shared. Vice versa, if you wanted it kept quiet, tell the person to share it everywhere. Jesus was operating in the culture of that time by making sure this news traveled quickly. Mark 7:37 “and they were being beyond measure astonished, saying, ‘He hath done all things well. Both the deaf he doth make to hear, and the dumb to speak.”

All verses from Young’s Literal translation unless noted otherwise