Miracles among the Gentiles
And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:37)
Mark’s intention, in giving us a faithful and true account of his life, is to reveal that Christ showed no real favoritism toward anyone. He loved the beggar as much as he did the rich man, and the Gentile as much as he did the Jew. He includes two vignettes of Christ’s healing ministry that occurred to the north of Galilee in the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, and then the Decapolis to the East, areas of Gentile populations.
The peoples there were mixed somewhat, with migrations happening from both the Jews and the Gentiles. Christ said at Zaccheus’ house that he had come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), so we should not be surprised to find him so far north and east searching for the lost.
Tell no man: Christ knew the timings of God, the seasons the Father had given him to preach, to heal, and then to face rejection and crucifixion. There were many times in which he told people he had healed to tell no one about what had happened (Mark 5:43), or to tell no one who he was. Because of his popularity he could not move freely, or visit cities. Instead he remained in more remote places and people came to him (Mark 1:45).
Here is a place in the sacred story where we need to exercise faith. Christ had a reason for telling people not to tell others about their healing. It has been supposed that perhaps it was because he knew the timing of God for his mission to die for the sins of the world and his fame would impede that plan. Or, others have supposed, that he told them not to tell others because it would detract from his teaching and preaching.
Whatever the purpose, it showed his sincerity. He was not performing miracles for what he could receive from them, rather they were done to help people. His goal was not to gain the applause of earth’s people, but to fulfill the plan of the Father.
The Phoenician woman: He had gone north to Tyre and Sidon and wanted to be hidden from the public for a while. He entered a house, but even then people noticed him and word spread. We have a difficult time understanding the humanity of Jesus. We tend to give him almost superman-like powers in his earthly ministry, but Christ was fully human, as well as being fully divine. He tired like other men. He needed rest like all men.
A Gentile woman found him and begged him to come and heal her daughter, throwing herself at his feet. The girl had an “unclean spirit” (7:25) or a “demon” (7:29) in her. Her symptoms are not described, though it could have been that the demon left her exhausted all the time. Demons desire to possess human bodies as God in Christ did, but are unable to do so in the same way. Christ was born as the Son of God, fully God and fully man, and did not suddenly come upon the body of Jesus of Nazareth.
We learn here in prayer that the gravity of our need must be matched by the humility of our souls. His words to her may sound cruel or hard to us, but his statement evoked from her a humble and correct answer. Christ said, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27). The “children” mean the Jewish nation, and the “dogs” would be the Gentiles. He had come as the Jewish Messiah, and through them God’s intention had always been that they would bless the world — become a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 49:6).
These words actually revealed the intention of God to eventually minister to Gentiles, and within just a few more years from that moment there would be churches all over that region — even dogs get crumbs. But the greater reason for his response was to let the woman show how much of Jewish religion she understood, whether she grasped God’s plan for the Jewish nation, and whether she was calling on Christ from a base of knowledge or out of Gentile superstitious polytheism.
Her words revealed her humility — “even the puppies under the table get the crumbs from the children” — it was as humble as it could be. She trusted in his heart and knew he had come to fulfill Jewish prophecy, but still she could expect to receive something. Her humility was what Jesus was looking for, and he said that for her response the demon was cast out of her daughter and that she was healed. Even though he did not visit her home, he had authority to cast out demons from a distance — no ceremony, no incantation was necessary.
When we pray, we should take as humble a position as possible in our requests. David prayed to God not as the king or the future king of Israel, but as one “poor and needy” (Psa 86:1) and as “the son of your maidservant” (Psa. 86:16). The Lord stoops to help the needy and delights in doing so. He gives grace to the humble but resists the proud (James 4:6).
The deaf mute: We are not told that this man was a Gentile, but it would not be surprising to know that he was, since Jesus was now east of Galilee in the area called Decapolis, or “Ten Cities.” No demon is mentioned here. The man had some physical problem and Christ put his fingers into his ears, as if to unstop them, and put his spit upon the man’s tongue, as if it were medicine. These were symbolic gestures. The power was all in the authority of Jesus to heal, whether near or far.
He looked up to heaven and said, “Be opened,” and immediately the man was healed in his hearing and in his speech — he spoke plainly. It is unclear whether he was completely mute or simply had some impediment in his speech, but whatever it was Christ removed it by his power. Christ did not heal by magical incantations or even religious ones. His power healed, as his truth heals hearts today.
There is an eschatological element to this miracle, for it fulfills in part the prophecy of Isaiah and points to the unfulfilled as happening in the future.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. (Isaiah 35:5–7)
There is no reason to suppose that only the prophecy about the blind, deaf, and mute will be fulfilled and not the others about the topography of the land. Passages like this are why I remain a Premillenialist in my understanding of scripture. Peter said, “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). Christ will return and fulfill these prophecies completely. His first coming was to pay for our salvation and to begin the work that he will complete at his Second Coming.
Our response: Humility in prayer is our part, to see ourselves from heaven’s perspective, poor and needy, and to trust in the heart of God. And we should bring all of our hurts to Christ in prayer. He loves everyone and turns none away who come to him in faith and humility. His power to heal physically and emotionally and spiritually is unquestioned. Whatever troubles our souls we may bring to him.
