The Syrophœnician woman's daughter and the deaf mute

St Mark Chapter VII : Verses 24-36

The Syrophœnician woman. J-J Tissot

[24] And rising from thence he went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: and entering into a house, he would that no man should know it, and he could not be hid. 

[25] For a woman as soon as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, came in and fell down at his feet.

[26] For the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician born. And she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 

[27] Who said to her: Suffer first the children to be filled: for it is not good to take the bread of the children, and cast it to the dogs. 

[28] But she answered and said to him: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat under the table of the crumbs of the children. 

[29] And he said to her: For this saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 

[30] And when she was come into her house, she found the girl lying upon the bed, and that the devil was gone out.
[31] And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 

[32] And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him. 

[33] And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue: 

[34] And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened. 

[35] And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right.
[36] And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it. [37] And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

[24] Et inde surgens abiit in fines Tyri et Sidonis : et ingressus domum, neminem voluit scire, et non potuit latere. [25] Mulier enim statim ut audivit de eo, cujus filia habebat spiritum immundum, intravit, et procidit ad pedes ejus. [26] Erat enim mulier gentilis, Syrophœnissa genere. Et rogabat eum ut dæmonium ejiceret de filia ejus. [27] Qui dixit illi : Sine prius saturari filios : non est enim bonum sumere panem filiorum, et mittere canibus. [28] At illa respondit, et dixit illi : Utique Domine, nam et catelli comedunt sub mensa de micis puerorum. [29] Et ait illi : Propter hunc sermonem vade : exiit daemonium a filia tua. [30] Et cum abiisset domum suam, invenit puellam jacentem supra lectum, et dæmonium exiisse. [31] Et iterum exiens de finibus Tyri, venit per Sidonem ad mare Galilææ inter medios fines Decapoleos. [32] Et adducunt ei surdum, et mutum, et deprecabantur eum, ut imponat illi manum. [33] Et apprehendens eum de turba seorsum, misit digitos suos in auriculas ejus : et exspuens, tetigit linguam ejus : [34] et suscipiens in cælum, ingemuit, et ait illi : Ephphetha, quod est, Adaperire. [35] Et statim apertæ sunt aures ejus, et solutum est vinculum linguæ ejus, et loquebatur recte. [36] Et præcepit illis ne cui dicerent. Quanto autem eis præcipiebat, tanto magis plus prædicabant : [37] et eo amplius admirabantur, dicentes : Bene omnia fecit : et surdos fecit audire, et mutos loqui.

Notes

24. Rising. They had been resting in a house.

    from thence. From the house, and also from the city of Capharnaum. 

    the coasts. Border-land or frontier.

    Tyre. A noted ancient city on the coast of Phoenicia. (See Geog. Notes, p. 86.)

    Sidon. Also a wealthy populous Phoenician city. It was about a day’s journey north of Tyre. (See Geog. Notes, p. 86.)

    he would that no man should know it. Three reasons may be assigned for this desire :

(1) Jesus desired to rest awhile.

(2) He did not wish to excite the Pharisees by preaching to the Gentiles.

(3) His mission was only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The work of the conversion of the Gentiles was to be confided to His Apostles.

    he could not be hid. The fame of His works preceded Him even before the call of the Twelve. They, about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude , hearing the things which He did, came to Him (St Mark iii. 8). 

25. fell down at his feet. Towards His feet, not necessarily quite close. 

26. Gentile. Some MSS. have “ a Greek.” In any case “ Greek ” was a generic term including all who were not Jews, just as in the East all Europeans are “Franks.” She was probably a heathen, or she might have been a “proselyte” to the Jewish faith.

a Syrophœnician born. This gives her nationality. She was a descendant of the ancient people of Canaan, who had been driven northwards when the Isrælites conquered Canaan. The Phoenicians being in Syria were called Syrophœnicians, those inhabiting Libya in Africa were styled Libyphœnicians, i.e. Carthaginians.

    A tradition gives her name as Zulusta or Justa, and at the present day a mosque (formerly a Christian chapel) opposite the eastern gate of Sidon, stands in commemoration of the miracles worked in her favour.

    she besought him. St Matthew adds, crying out .... Have mercy on me 0 Lord, thou Son of David (xv. 22).

cast forth the devil out. Possessions of the devil were common among idolatrous nations, who frequently worshipped the devil.

27. Who said to her. After a long pause only. Jesus tried this woman’s faith : —

(a) by His silence : “ Who answered her not a word” (St Matt. xv. 23).

(b) by His apparent refusal : I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel (St Matt. xv. 24).

(c) by a reproach: It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.

    Suffer first. Our Lord gives her nevertheless a gleam of hope : — first the children, afterwards the dogs.

    dogs. Unclean animals, useful however for keeping the streets free from offal.

    The Jews were accustomed to call the Gentiles “ dogs,” and the term dog, or worse still, “ dead dog,” was an expression conveying extreme contempt and abhorrence. And Abisai, the son of Sarvia, said to the king : Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king ? (2 Kings xvi. 9). Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie (Apoc. xxii. 15). Mahometans still call Christians “ dogs.”

28. Yea , Lord. The poor woman assents. Notice the virtues she practises : — humility , perseverance, confidence.

whelps. The little dogs, perhaps domesticated pets.

crumbs. This may mean the fragments that remained after the meal, or the bread on which the guests had wiped their fingers, and which was the dogs’ portion.

29. he said to her. Our Lord’s words to her were, O woman, great is thy faith, be it done to thee as thou wilt (St Matt. xv. 28). For this saying , go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter. As Jesus had praised the faith of the Capharnaum nobleman, so here He praises another Gentile. Never do we find Him praising the faith of an Israelite. Notice also that the faith of the mother saved the child.

30. lying upon the bed. Resting peacefully after the convulsions caused by the devil bad ceased, for he had “grievously tormented ” the girl. (A better translation would be “ child.”)

Lessons taught by this Miracle.

(1) If our Lord does not immediately answer our prayer, it is that He wishes to try our faith, and to make us pray more earnestly.

(2) Humility and confidence always finally prevail.

(3) Some graces need more earnest supplications in order to obtain them.

(4) The lively faith of one Christian can obtain graces for another.

31. coasts. Better “borders” or regions by Sidon to the Sea of Galilee. The journey would lie northwards, past Sidon, towards Lebanon. He could have crossed the mountain range by passing over the river Leontes, and then journeyed along the eastern bank of the Jordan, past Cæsarea Philippi, and so on to the sea, thus ending the circuit in northern Galilee. If Jesus did enter Sidon (or Zidon), it was the second time He had been in the land of idolaters ; the first time was when, as a child, He was taken to Egypt.

    Decapolis. Ten cities. (See Geog. Notes, p. 83.)

32. and dumb. Literally, had an impediment in his speech. The man could not utter intelligible sounds. It is also possible either that the organs of speech may have been paralysed, or that having been born deaf, the man did not know how to speak.

    they besought him. Another instance of intercessory prayer. In like manner the paralytic and the blind man at Bethsaida were brought to Christ by their friends.

33. apart. Various reasons have been assigned for our Lord taking the man apart.

(1) He wished to avoid publicity.

(2) He desired to be alone with the man.

(3) He wished to make a deeper impression by observing a ceremonial.

(4) He could thus avoid the continual interruptions of the crowd.

    fingers into his ears, etc. Our Lord in this case, as in that of the cure of the blind man at Bethsaida, effected the cure —

(1) gradually and

(2) by means of exterior signs, since He

(а) put His Angers in bis ears (symbolical of curing deafness),

(b) touched his tongue with saliva,

(c) looked up to Heaven (an act of adoration),

(d) sighed,

(e) said one word of command, “Ephpheta.”

    In like manner, in the Catholic Church, ceremonies are used to set forth more clearly the spiritual effects of the Sacraments. All the ceremonies of the Church have a spiritual meaning, and Catholics should be well instructed in the ceremonies used in the administration of the Sacraments and in the worship of God, since they contribute to our instruction, and enable us to worship God with greater reverence and decorum. The law of Moses taught that ceremonies were to be observed both publicly and in private prayer. In administering the Sacrament of Baptism solemnly, the priest also touches the child’s ears and nostrils with spittle and pronounces the word “ Ephpheta.”

    spitting , he touched his tongue. Saliva was used as a remedy for sores and for diseases of the eye, but here it was used as a symbol, not for its curative effects.

34. looking up to heaven. An action which signifies prayer, gratitude, and union with God. Jesus did the same —

(1) when He blessed the loaves and fishes (vi. 41).

(2) when He raised Lazarus (St John xi. 41).

(3) at the Last Supper, when He prayed for His disciples (St John xvii.).

    he groaned. Jesus groaned or sighed heavily, as He had sighed deeply in spirit when the Pharisees tempting Him asked for a sign from heaven. It was a sigh of compassion and of prayer, and testified to the intense human sympathies of our Lord.

    Ephpheta. St Mark gives the original Aramaic word which our Lord used, and then translates it for his readers.

35. ears were opened, — i.e. he heard.

    string of his tongue was loosed. Whatever prevented him from speaking was removed.

36. tell no man, This command was totally unheeded. Possibly the people regarded it, not as a strict injunction, but as an act of humility on our Saviour’s part.

37. so much the more, etc. Their wonder and amazement made silence an impossibility. The results of this miracle being made known can be inferred from St Matthew, where we read, And there came to him great multitudes , having with them the dumb , the blind , the lame , the maimed , and many others : and they cast them down at his feet , and he healed them : So that the multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak , the lame walk, the blind see ; and they glorified the God of Israel (xv. 30, 31). From the expression “ God of Israel,” we may conclude that many of those who were healed or who witnessed the miracles, were Gentiles, of whom there were many at Decapolis.

    deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. A manifest reference to Isaias xxxv. 5. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped . ... the tongue of the dumb shall be free.

Additional Notes

24. he went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. It is doubtful whether Jesus crossed the borderland or not. St Matthew says, “And behold, a woman of Canaan who came out of those coasts,” etc. (xv. 22). These words would seem to imply that the woman crossed the frontier to our Lord, who remained in Galilean territory ; but since St Matthew also says (verse 29), “going out of the coasts of Tyre he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee,” it seems as though our Lord did enter the Gentile territory. Possibly the woman came to Him in the borderland of Galilee, and then followed Him to the coasts, i.e. “ land ” of Tyre.

    Order of events according to St Matthew (xv.) and St Mark —

(a) The Gentile woman came out to meet our Lord, and implored His aid.

(b) Jesus kept silence.

(c) The disciples ask Jesus to send her away, and implicitly request Him to heal her daughter.

(d) Jesus replied that He was not sent to the Gentiles.

(e) The Syrophœnician follows them (evidently into the house), still crying out.

(f) Jesus compares the Gentiles to “ dogs.”

(g) The woman humbly accepts the reproach.

(h) Jesus praises her faith and heals her daughter.

    This miracle is another example of a cure worked at a distance. Two other like cases are recorded —

(1) The cure of the nobleman’s son at Capharnaum (St John iv. ,46).

(2) The cure of the centurion’s servant (St Luke vii. 6).

    The case of this lonely woman not suffering our Lord “ to go ” until He had blessed her, is the greatest of the three ascending degrees of faith. The paralytic broke through outward hindrances, blind Bartimeus through the opposition of his fellows, but this woman triumphed over the apparent refusal of our Lord Himself (Trench).

    Christ’s answer to the woman. “ I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “ It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.” These words may seem strange at first sight, since we know that Christ came to save all mankind. The explanation is that it was not part of His divine plan to labour among the Gentiles Himself. They were His sheep and belonged to that “ other fold,” whence they were to be brought to the one true fold, but at a later date and by the ministry of His Apostles. Jesus gave His assistance to individual Gentiles, but He did not evangelize them as a nation. It was therefore because the time was not opportune, that Jesus refused to preach and heal among the Gentiles. Besides, had He evangelized them in person, the Jews would have been more than ever disinclined to accept Him as the Messias, since their prejudices would not allow them to believe that the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile was to be broken down by Christ’s teaching. This result was only obtained years later, and after St Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, and many others had strenuously contended for it.

The healing of the deaf mute

On Ceremonies. Ceremonies are used among men to ensure decorum, to express a hidden truth or fact, to excite affection or emotion in the minds of those who perform or witness them, and as a mark of respect. Since man can only grasp truths through the senses, such ceremonies are absolutely necessary. In like manner, the Catholic Church has established ceremonies in order —

(1) to procure decorum and uniformity in the worship of God, and in the administration of the Sacraments ;

(2) to represent the sanctity such offices exact ;

(3) to bring home certain truths to the intelligence ;

(4) to shew reverence to sacred things.

    

    God Himself ordained certain ceremonial rites for the Jews, e.g. circumcision, forms of sacrifices, etc. Christ often used exterior signs when working miracles, and in imitation of Him the Church has laid down rules concerning the ceremonies which are to be used in the public worship of the Church, and the Council of Trent condemns those who make light of these sacred symbols. To pray with uplifted hands is a ceremony, and no essential part of prayer, yet God blessed the Isrælites when, during the battle with Amalec, Moses prayed with uplifted hands and Israel overcame, “ but if he let them down a little, Amalec overcame. And Moses’ hands were heavy, so they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat on it : and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides. And it came to pass that his hands were not weary until sunset” (Ex. xvii. 11-12).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.