24.   And from thence he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered into a house, and would have no man know it; and he could not be hid. 25   But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. 26   Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. 27   And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. 28   But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29   And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. 30   And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out. 31.   And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. 32   And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him. 33   And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; 34   and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35   And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

(For the first 23 verses of Mark 7 see the Notes.)

Verse 24. From whence? Mark 6:53. Why would Jesus want to be unobserved? Compare Mark 6:31. Did He gain this point?

Verse 25. How had this woman obtained this knowledge and faith? (Rom. 10:14). What great need drove her to Jesus' feet? Do people who are at ease and feel no burden or need come to Jesus? (Matt. 11:28; John 7:37; Luke 4:18).

Verse 26. Was this an Israelitish woman, or a Gentile? How much covenant-right did she have to the Lord's help? (Eph. 2:11, 12). What did she nevertheless do? How much answer did she get for a while? See Matt. 15:23. Did that appear to discourage her?

Verse 27. When the Lord at last spoke, was it a favorable answer? Did the Lord really intend to refuse her? Why then did he keep her in such suspense? and why the apparent refusal? Ought we to give up when we bring our need to the Lord and He seems not to hear?

Verse 28. What did the woman answer? Did that answer show humility? undaunted courage? What did Jesus say it showed? See Matt. 15:28.

Verses 29, 30. How did the Lord reward

her humble, persistent faith? How could Jesus say that? (Ps. 33:9.) Did the woman believe it? Did she find her confidence justified by the facts? (John 11:40). How can even a Gentile have share in Israel's blessings, and the covenants of promise? (Gal. 3:7-9).

Verse 31. When had Jesus been in this region before? Mark 5:1. What preparation had been made for Him for this visit? Mark 5:19, 20.

Verse 32. Did the people show some faith here? Do we show faith when we bring a soul to Jesus for salvation? Why do we not attempt it oftener? [156]

Verses 33-35. In what extraordinary manner did Jesus heal this man? Would this impress the deaf man to whom Jesus could not talk? Why did those ears have to open when Jesus said "Be opened"?

      A lesson of great interest and importance occupies the first 23 verses.

1. TRADITION.

      The word "paradosis," translated "tradition," occurs thirteen times, 10 times in a bad sense; 3 times, however, in a good sense, as the orally-delivered doctrine of the apostles. "The only tradition designed by God to be obligatory on the church in all ages was soon committed to writing. . . . The most ancient and universal tradition [given to the church] is the all-sufficiency of Scripture for salvation, 'that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,' (2 Tim. 3:15-17)." (Faussett). When we realize what violence is constantly being done to even the word written black on white, how, on pretext of "interpretation," it has been twisted and garbled by designing men to serve their sectarian ends, how could confidence be placed in any "tradition" pretending to have come from apostolic sources? Of the one tradition based on Jesus' words, that gained currency in apostolic times, we are told that it was mistaken. (John 21:22, 23). Yet by traditions of "the fathers," the Roman church justifies her practices, forms, rituals, ceremonies, etc., etc., and that often in flat contradiction and defiance of the written word of God--exactly as did the Jews. The Jews both then, and to this day, have been entangled in a net-work of traditions. These were originally but comments on the scriptures made by prominent rabbis; but gradually came to be regarded as of equal and even superior in value and authority; and the Jew dares not to read his scriptures without his Talmud and Targums. Thus they are effectually barred from personal contact with the word of God, and with God.

2. THE WORD OF GOD.

      Our lesson shows how absolutely Jesus took the written word of the Old Testament (and in this reference, the Law) as God's word. He contrasts it as "the commandment of God" against the "tradition of men," he calls it plainly, "the word of God" (vs. 8. 13); for "God said . . .;" but "Ye say." (Matt. 15:4, 5). This word spoken by God Himself, He identifies with the utterance of Moses: "For Moses said. . . ." Here then we learn Jesus' estimate of the Old Testament word. Nor does He allow of any such fictitious distinction as that raised by Seventh-Dayists between the "law of Moses" and "the law of God." What Moses said, God said.

3. JESUS' ATTITUDE.

      Toward the word of God, His attitude is one of deepest reverence and respect; toward their tradition, of unqualified condemnation. Yea, "in vain," do they worship God teaching as their doctrine the commandments of men. (v. 7). A religion inculcated as human custom, and human ordinances and commandments in the religion of God, is of no value in the sight of God, but serves only to destroy. (Col. 2:16-23). Then He shows that the true religion does not consist in externalities (which men magnify in proportion as the inward reality dies out) but in the renewing of the heart.

4. PETER'S TIMID CONCERN.

      These announcements were to the Jewish mind like staggering blows. The disciples were dismayed because Jesus had to such extent incurred the enmity of the Pharisees, and had laid Himself open by so openly countering their intensest prejudices, which were also the prejudices of all the people. Peter could not believe the Lord meant it. So he assumes what men yet assume when the Lord's teaching strikes too hard: He means it in some figurative way; He is speaking in parables again (as in Mark 4). So he asks Jesus please to explain "the parable." The answer is a rebuke, and a reiteration of the same truth. It was no parable. (Matt. 15:12-20). [157]

Source: First Lord's Day Lesson of April. Lesson 1. April 7, 1918. Jesus Sets Men Free (Mark 7:24-35). The