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Tuesday 29 January 2013

Mark 7:24-30 - Casting out a demon

Tyre was a Gentile city. As we have seen Jesus had been followed by crowds wherever He went and sought some privacy. This, as before, failed. A woman with a demon possessed daughter came to Him  and fell at His feet. There has been a lot of controversy in the past year or so over some cases of so-called exorcism of children. This is an area where we need to be very careful. Demons are real, and all people, young and old, can be affected. At the same time it is an area where abuse can also come in. So it is imperative that we act with all wisdom, love and respect for people.
The woman was Greek and she wanted Jesus to drive the demon out. Jesus' answer seems rather harsh to us. The "children" are the children of Israel, and His mission was first to the Jews, and only after that to go to the rest of the world. 
The woman answered almost cheekily, but also with faith. Jesus responded by healing her daughter. Note that He did this without involving the daughter directly at all and without any great show. While demons may sometimes create a big fuss, for the most part it should be a simple exercise of authority. Demons know who Jesus is, and they have to respond to His authority.
Notice also that Jesus was prepared to "overlook the rules" (ie Israel first) when confronted with faith.

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