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. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Mark 7:25,26
How badly does something have to bother you before you immediately do something about it? It’s more than just an annoying fly buzzing around your head. It gets you right where you live.
Here’s a woman who hears about Jesus and immediately runs after him. Her daughter was in desperate trouble and needed the kind of help only Jesus could supply. She didn’t let her background or past stop her. She had so many strikes against her, it’s not even funny.
· First, she’s a woman in a time and culture when women were second-class citizens at best. They couldn’t testify in court; they didn’t have a place in worship. I know it’s not fair or right. It’s more than regrettable. But that’s the way it was.
· Second, she’s alone. The historical account is silent about a man being in her life, so we must tread lightly. She must have been married at some point because she has a daughter. But where is the husband? Why isn’t he actively involved in the life of his wife and daughter?
· Third, here’s a desperate woman with a demon possessed daughter. I’d bet the farm that she has tried each and every option available to her, and then some.
· Fourth, she was different. As a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia, everything about her was different: her religion, her language, and her race. She was the ultimate outsider.
With all this going against her, she hears about Jesus and immediately goes to him anyway. She doesn’t let her differences or shortcomings stop her. She doesn’t call ahead and make an appointment to be certain that Jesus will see her, listen to her
Leaving her daughter behind, she goes on a journey of faith. She has no assurance that Jesus will meet with her, listen to her, answer her. The only thing she brings with her is her substantial baggage.
I wonder if she had prayed over and over for the demon to leave. I wonder if she called on others to “do their thing” to get the demon out. If I had to guess, my bet is that she had tried everyone and everything else. She had come to the end of her rope. There was nothing left to try – until she heard about Jesus.
When she catches up with Jesus, she begins to beg him to heal her daughter, driving the demon out of her daughter. She doesn’t just say it once. No, she repeats her impassioned plea over and over.
This frantic mother is at her wits end. She has nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. She’s out of options and out of time. It’s at this final step that she come to Jesus and begs him to do something to help her daughter.
What does it take for God to get our attention? What must happen in life for us to abandon all our answers, insights, and abilities in order to get on our knees in front of Jesus?
How bad does life have to get before we beg him over and over again? That’s how bad life is for this mother. She seems to be all alone except for her daughter. And when the girl gets taken over by a demon, her mother makes a beeline to Jesus.
When was the last time you made an immediate call to Jesus? You were out of choices and Jesus was the last hope you had.
As hard and harsh as it sounds, this is exactly where we need to be. Not strong, independent people that can figure it out on our own. But weak, dependent people that don’t have a clue which way to turn.
When Jesus said that we are to come to him, it wasn’t when we were strong, but when we were weary. Not when we could handle everything, but when we were burdened.
Does that sound like you? Weary. Burdened. If yes, then it’s time to immediately drop everything and run to Jesus.
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