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I am having trouble understanding Mark 7 24-30
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Why did Jesus respond to the woman when he asked her to heal her daughter with this response:
“Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs”
And what does the woman mean when she says to Jesus “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs”
I don’t understand this exchange of words and the meaning behind them, could someone please illuminate this for me? Why did Jesus talk about feeding children when the woman asked to heal her daughter? And why did the woman respond about the dogs under the table eating crumbs, and he rewards her for good faith I feel like I am missing something and it’s going right over my head.
In the Word on Fire Bible, +Bishop Barron writes of this encounter the following:
The story of Jesus' conversation with the Syrophoenician woman is one of those famously problematic passages in the New Testament. This poor woman, a Canaanite, a foreigner, comes forward and tells Jesus of her daughter who is troubled by a demon, and the Lord just ignores her. When she persists, Jesus says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). When she prostrates herself at his feet, Jesus says, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
Of course, the woman gets off one of the best one-liners in the Scriptures, almost all of which otherwise belong to Jesus himself: "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." At this point, Jesus praises her for her faith and cures her daughter.What's going on here is really interesting and provocative.
The Syrophoenician woman is being invited into a life of discipleship, into the following of Jesus. She is resisted-~not because Jesus is having a bad day but because he wants the strength of her faith to show itself. And it does.
Is the crumb for dogs a metaphor or idiomatic expression? I just don’t understand the passage, or the explanation.
Top Comment: I think it is important to read all of Chapter 7 to understand the context of this particular passage: In the beginning of the chapter, many people have come to see Jesus. Some came with good intentions; others did not. Among that group were the Pharisees, who used a very detailed knowledge of Mosaic Law to basically do whatever they wanted and then justify it as being "godly." The Pharisees challenged Jesus and the disciples on their not observing the Jewish practice of washing before eating. And they weren't doing this in a nice way: they were trying to trap him. They were doing this out of hubris and the desire to undercut Christ's teaching authority. We see here how pride can lead you to destroy the spirit of the Law, even if you are meticulously trying to follow the letter of the law. And Jesus responds by ripping these guys a new one. Cut to the next scene: Christ enters a house and this woman enters. This woman is Greek (i.e. a gentile) and therefore not a follower of Mosaic Law. And of course there was some racism between Jews and gentiles, so this woman was not exactly a revered member of the community. First, she doesn't challenge Jesus; she "begged him" to help her daughter. This is a sign of faith and humility. Christ's response, calling her a "dog," is really off-putting in English. But in the Greek, it's a diminutive form more like "little puppy." In that sense, you now read it "It is not right to take food from the children and give it to their little puppies." The allusion here is to the children of Israel and those, now through the ministry of Christ, who are attached to their household (i.e. gentiles). The woman doesn't fly into a huff and storm out. She doesn't argue with Him about being called a puppy. Rather, she patiently points out that even the puppies are fed in the household. This is another sign of faith and patience. Christ then, of course, heals her daughter. So the lessons from Chapter 7 are: Pride and arrogance get you nowhere It doesn't matter if you follow the letter of the Law if you don't also follow the spirit of the Law Faith, submission, humility, and patience are what brings you to the spirit of the Law -- and therefore into accordance with the will of God Christ came to minister not only to the Jews, but also the gentiles, who are now a spiritual member of the House of Israel
MATTHEW 7:24-27
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Many of you don’t stand a chance of what’s to come if you don’t repent and truly turn yourself in to God.
Many have built their foundation on the sand and some are even worse with no foundation.
You refuse to let go of the world and yourself. And God is patiently been calling you back to him but like the Israelites out of Egypt, you’re stiffnecked and refuse. You continue in your sinful ways and disobedience. You refuse to abide in him as his word instructs.
But God is yearning for your return with open arms ready to forgive if you truly repent.
If you continue in your ways, what is to come will devour you. You will not be ready, you will faint in times of trouble and you are far from ready for the grooms return.
Will you repent and give your hearts fully to the Lord Jesus Christ, or will you continue in your sinful and selfish ways on the path of death and destruction?
Many refuse to be doers of the word in Matthew and recalled in James, and will hear Matthew 7:21-23 ring true.
Many will not be blessed because they refuse to meet the conditions of Psalm 128:1-2...
Time is running out.
What is the decision you are going to make today, this very moment.
May the Holy Spirit work in your hearts and convict those who truly need to adhere to this warning.
Turn yourself in to the Lord Jesus Christ and give him your whole life once and for all.
Too many in here falling away and lost as they were before professing Christ in their lives. Too many deceived thinking you’re saved when you don’t abide in Jesus Christ and follow his commandments.
Please repent. Awaken from your slothful sleep!
Top Comment: I believe what Christ said, as written in Matthew 7:24-27, is for everyone who hears these words of His. Thus, I suspect that includes me.
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Top Comment: God bless you. I've been a Christian for about 14 years now and I would like to share my perspective. 1- I believe that how Jesus interacted in that situation wasn't meant to be taken at face value. As if He is disrespecting the woman and implying He didn't want to help her. That is not true! We must not lose sight of what's most important when we try to interpret Jesus' Words. What is most important? “Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’” - Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus will NOT contradict Himself! 2- It's not just that situation where Jesus said something "difficult" that people misinterpret based on trying to interpret at face value. Here are some other examples: -Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:26 -Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." - Matthew 5:29-30 -Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." - John 6:54 If Jesus said something that is "difficult", then that means we must seek a deeper understanding instead of taking His words at face value and assuming He is contradicting Himself. 3- Going back to Mark 7:24-30. The point that Jesus was making in this interaction is based on a parable He told in Luke 18:1-8. Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up: In a town there was once a judge who didn't fear God or care about people. In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, “Make sure that I get fair treatment in court.” For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, “Even though I don't fear God or care about people, I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don't help her, she will wear me out.” The Lord said: Think about what that crooked judge said. Won't God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won't he be concerned for them? He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith? The reason why Jesus gave the woman push back was to show how we must "keep on praying and never give up".
Romans 7:19-24 is NOT about an ongoing struggle with sin in the born-again life.
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A lot of Christians assume that in Romans 7:19-24, Paul was talking about an ongoing struggle with sin as a born-again Christian. In fact that was my assumption for many years; one of many errors that I inherited from pastors.
This simply cannot be the case, and this idea is easily dispelled by reading the entire chapter in it's greater context (Romans 6-8).
Romans 7:7-18 makes it clear that Paul was addressing how the Law of Moses provokes sin from the flesh.
But if we're in Christ, we're not under the Law of Moses, and no longer "sold under sin."
[Rom 6.14 NASB95] 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
[Rom 7.14 NASB95] 14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, SOLD INTO BONDAGE TO SIN.
So when reading Romans 6-8 as a contextual whole, it becomes clear that Romans 7:7-24 is Paul's narrative about an unredeemed individual, sold under the bondage of sin through the Law of Moses. Paul used the historic present tense to communicate this narrative.
Verse 25 then simply recapitulates the two points made in the chapter; freedom in Christ vs bondage under the Law and sin.
So what does this mean?
There is no reason to keep sinning as a born-again Christian; nothing making sin inevitable. On the contrary, God offers us an escape from sin as long as we walk by the Spirit.
[1Co 10:13 NASB95] 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."
[Gal 5:16 NASB95] 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
We have all sinned in the past, and if we return to sin, we're not abiding in Christ, and we will die in our sins. But if we do sin - if, not when - then we have an advocate with the Father.
[1Jo 1:8-10 NASB95] 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
[1Jo 2:1 NASB95] 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you SO THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN. And IF anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
Jesus made himself clear in John 15 that we are to abide in Christ through obedience to his commandments. Those who do not abide will be removed from Christ. There is no salvation outside of Christ.
Jesus' commandments are not burdensome (1John 5:3).
[1Jo 3:23-24 NASB95] 23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Top Comment: James tells us to confess our sins in the church to each other in James 5:16. This implies there are sinners in the church. I'm not sure what you're implying - that a true Christian never sins or instead you're just saying that Paul never said anything about sin in the Christian walk, despite what we may otherwise have thought. Of course, if a Christian sins, they should reflect, repent, and ask God for forgiveness. I'm just not really understanding how you're using Paul's words to imply that someone who becomes born again instantly has all of their problems solved and never sins again from that moment forward. Have you never sinned since becoming a believer? Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean by "ongoing struggle with sin." What does that look like to you? Is that like an ongoing pornography addiction or is it something like: a white lie today and anger with your brother tomorrow = 2 sins two days in a row = ongoing struggle? Of course we must strive to be Christ-like every single day. Read more, pray more, understand more. But saying Christians will never struggle against sin almost paints a picture that some people never sin again after week 5 of being a believer, while the rest of us try to become more Christ-like over a lifetime and still fall short.
Romans 7:24–25 is an awesome and very freeing verse
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"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." -Romans 7:24–25
THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO SIN WE SHOULD ALWAYS FOLLOW THE WAYS OF CHRIST WE STILL NEED TO RESIST SIN BUT...
Your flesh will always commit sin. Of course, we should still do our best to resist temptation, but we don't need to dwell on "our" sins. The flesh will always keep committing sin because it is a slave, but the soul that will go to God is cleansed by Jesus Christ forever and will enter Heaven as long as we accept and believe in Him.
Top Comment: I love all of Romans. Yes, great verses!
Mark 7:24-30 had my man Jesus WILDIN!
Main Post: Mark 7:24-30 had my man Jesus WILDIN!
Top Comment: This whole passage is always greatly misunderstood, calling Gentiles unclean dogs is what the Pharisees were famous for, in this instance when Jesus is addressing the woman and telling her that Gentiles are unclean dogs, he is actually addressing the Pharisees that were present at the time. in an indirect manner, knowing very well that that what he said is what they were thinking in their hearts, and knowing that the woman's humble answer, and unwavering faith will put the Pharisees present into shame. this whole Passage is Jesus telling the Pharisees that the Gentiles whom they call unclean dogs have more faith than them, and are more deserving than them.
It is frustrating to hear people say "don't judge me, Jesus said don't judge anyone"
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This is just wrong! Matthew 7:1-5 is not telling us not to Judge, it's telling us HOW to judge, Jesus is saying we can't judge hypocritically not that we can't ever judge!
Matthew 7:1-5
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam isin thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
Also John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Again this is telling us how to judge, not saying don't ever judge anything. this idea that you can't judge or rebuke anybody is not what Jesus said! And I hate seeing people take this out of context to defend blatant sins like homosexuality, abortion, and other sins all the time. "Don't judge me only God can judge me" They take these judging verses out of context
This idea that Jesus didn't rebuke sinners, never judged anybody or was some kind of weak hippie or sissy is a joke! #NotMyJesus
Jesus also sharply rebuked the pharisees, he wasn't always nice, like so many falsely claim. he knew when he needed to be tough and when to be gentle. Jesus even rebuked his disciples on multiple occasions!
So TLDR Jesus didn't say we shouldn't judge anything or anyone like the LGBTQ, or other sinful hate groups are always falsely screaming at Christians. Lord Jesus tells us to first look at ourselves to make sure we are not also guilty, to not be hypocrites. but John 7:24 makes it clear "but judge righteous judgment" that we not only can judge, but we should judge. Just don't be hypocrites about it.
Top Comment: A couple of things. Absolutely, we are directed to confront Christians about sin. Non-christians however, know not what is good and the things of God are foolishness to them. They need converted, and as Paul says, being everything to everyone, so that I might win some. Sometimes they need confronted about their lifestyle, sometimes they need comfort and acceptance. Once they become a Christian though, the power of the Holy Spirit and fellow christians should lovingly correct using scripture.
To me Matthew 7:21-24 heavily proves Jesus is God and proves his divinity .
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So in this passage Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people and he states “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
In this passage Jesus is very clearly referring to judgment day , he also very clearly says “to me” and “many will say to ME on that day (judgement) “ he doesn’t say “ many will say to my father “ he very clearly says “ME” it is known throughout many religions (such as Islam) that only God can judge the living and the dead , here Jesus is very clearly talking about judging the living and the dead because he says “ many will say to me on that day “ so this event where he judges is yet to take place and can be assumed it is the day of judgement as he talks about it in a future sense .
Also in this passage Jesus implies to get into the kingdom of heaven is not through your works , he says “ only the one who does the will of my father “ . So what is the will of the father? The will of the father is being obedient to his word, which is to believe in Jesus and thus receive the free gift of eternal life. That is the will of the Father. So we can assume Jesus is saying here to believe in him and his words to enter the kingdom of heaven, not through works or how Good you are . To me this also eradicates the Muslim view that Jesus was Muslim.
Continuing into Matthew 7:24 Jesus says “ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” This means building one's life on a solid foundation (God's word) versus a weak one (ignoring God's word). The verse emphasizes that true wisdom comes not just from hearing but from actively putting God's teachings into practice.so Jesus is saying we need a foundation of his words /Gods words and if we read in context as we have in Matthew 7:21 Jesus clearly wants us to understand his words and have his words as our foundation which we can say is Gods .
I know most fellow Christian’s will agree with this but I just wanted to put it out there and present an idea here that Jesus is claiming to be God as allot of people in other religions oppose the fact that he is God . If I have severely misinterpreted this please let me know . God bless
Top Comment: On the contrary, I believe it shows that he's not God. Look at what's written in John 5:22: "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son," If Jesus was God, he wouldn't need the Father to give him all judgment, because that would already be his right by virtue of being God.
Having trouble with Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28
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Hello, relatively recent convert here who has been feeling ambivalent about the faith lately. Some passages have been giving me trouble, particularly Mark 7:24-30, as it seems to strongly suggest that Jesus looks down on non-Jews. Along with Mathew 15:21-28, it's getting harder for me to escape the notion that Jesus' mission was to save/fulfill the Jews, as we don't see a lot of scriptural support for the salvation of gentiles until we get to Paul's writings.
Here is the verse from Mark:
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.
And from Matthew:
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Conceptually, it's hard for me to believe in a faith where it seems that Jesus believes gentiles such as myself are "dogs" deserving "crumbs" relative to the "children" of Israel, who receive "bread". Are gentiles meant to accept second-class status relative to Jews in Christianity, as Jesus' words seem to imply? And is there any gospel evidence that Jesus came to save gentiles as well? Would appreciate any help contextualizing these passages.
Thanks and God bless.
Top Comment: Why are you isolating verses against the whole scope of the New Testament??
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 KJV
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Try to not judge by appearances. I’ll admit I’ve judged by appearances many times, but was it righteous? No.
Instead we should judge by righteousness. Our judgment must be in righteousness according to God’s Holy Laws, not our opinion. Our opinion is meaningless, compared to God’s eternal word.
Now this doesn’t mean don’t judge at all (that would miss the whole point of this verse). But if you will judge, do it out of righteousness. All Glory To God.
Top Comment: Don’t forget the time God cursed Moses’s sister for judging him for marrying a black woman. Numbers 12. All races came from one man, we are all brothers and sisters.