Mark 7:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."

NIV: Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

NASB: And He said to her, 'Because of this answer, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.'

CSB: Then he told her, "Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter."

NLT: Good answer!' he said. 'Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.'

KJV: And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

NKJV: Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

The woman is a Canaanite, from a line whose patriarch disgraced Noah (Genesis 9:20–25), and which God had told the Israelites to eliminate (Deuteronomy 20:17). But Jesus says, "O woman, great is your faith!" (Matthew 15:28). The Pharisees with their extensive hand-washing traditions and their fear of ceremonial uncleanness are upstaged by a Gentile woman kneeling on the floor. They add rule upon rule because they don't have faith that God will keep them from being defiled. The woman humbles herself and asks, which is what God wants from all of us.

Jesus and the disciples have searched for a quiet place where they can rest and where Jesus can teach, but have been thwarted by demons (Mark 5:1–13) and unexpected mobs (Mark 6:30–34). In a private home in a Gentile district, a woman comes to demonstrate the greatest lesson of all. Salvation knows no traditions to follow, no boundaries to observe, no historical/cultural baggage to acknowledge. Just faith.

It's easy today to become overburdened by religious "shoulds." Traditions and social niceties can be expressions of our faith and a convenient way to maintain order and peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). But we must never put manmade convention above the needs of others or the worship of God. As C. S. Lewis said, unpleasant things are not interruptions of our lives; they are our lives, and many are God-sent.

Mark 7:24–30 follows a lengthy dissertation on what makes a person clean or unclean. Jesus takes His disciples to Gentile territory. There, He acts in strict contrast to the elders' traditions by interacting closely with Gentiles. First, He heals the daughter of a Canaanite woman. Mark's account of the faith of the Canaanite woman is relatively short. Matthew 15:21–28, written specifically to Jews, is fleshed out to better drive home the point. Through the end of chapter 7 and into chapter 8, He heals a deaf man and several of his neighbors (Matthew 15:24–30). Finally, He decisively dismisses any concern about clean or unclean food by providing a meal for four thousand, many of whom are undoubtedly Gentiles.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.