A young girl with an unclean spirit. A deaf man who could hardly speak. A Gentile woman begging for her demon-possessed daughter to be healed, believing that even the smallest amount of Jesus’s power could change everything. (She was right.) These were just some of the lives changed forever by the hand of Jesus in Mark 7.
Later, a deaf man came, longing for healing. So Jesus took the man away from the crowd in private. “After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him…‘Be opened!’” At these simple words, the man’s hearing and speech were restored (v.33–36). Incredible, right? I think the onlookers at the end of this chapter summarized it best: “They were extremely astonished and said, ‘He has done everything well’” (Mark 7:37).
I sometimes wish I could’ve been there to see all these incredible miracles with my own eyes. Because I would’ve immediately believed that Jesus is the Son of God—right? In Mark, we see that Jesus and His disciples were judged harshly by the religious elite; they didn’t stick to the religious rules and traditions of the day, and the Pharisees were angry about it. But Jesus proved there is a difference between the traditions of man and the heart of God.
If we’re not careful, it can be easy to fall into a legalistic mindset as followers of Jesus. If Jesus does all things well and I want to be more like Him, that means I need to do everything well too. That’s often the logic we cling to. But becoming more like Christ isn’t about following rules—it’s about following Him.
True faith isn’t only about what we say we believe; it’s about our hearts and how we live (v.6). God Himself is greater than our traditions and the way we’ve done things in the past (v.9). And we can’t fool God. Everything that comes out of us is a result of what is in our heart (v.15). What we let grow inside of us is what will come out. From the esteemed religious leaders came judgment, gossip, scheming, and hatred. From Jesus came wisdom, healing, and power. To become more like the God who does all things well, we need to spend a lot less time trying to impress each other and a whole lot more time abiding in Him.
So what is growing inside of you? Is it selfishness? Jealousy of other people? Slander about your boss? Or are you digging deep into the Word of God and continually asking Him for help? Pray today that you would seek to grow closer to the one who does all things well.
Yes! The commentary I read by N.T. Wright made mention that the Jews did refer to the Gentiles as dogs. So while Jesus was not actually calling her a dog context is everything. That would have been a common reference which she understood.
Powerful devotional today! Loved it ♥️♥️
“ What we let grow inside of us is what will come out.” Made me reflect and see what was happening inside of me, inside of my heart…
Loved the podcast! I admit I’m a Lisa Harper fan! I always try to listen to the podcast at the beginning of the week. It really helps with my studies for the week. I need to also remember it’s not about the rules it’s about the relationship.
Thank you Joy. I read and re-read that passage and didn’t understand. Now I am curious why Jesus sometimes told people NOT to speak of his healing and other times he directed people to go tell others.
I CANNOT emphasize enough!!!!!! This week’s SRT podcast, with Lisa Harper- GO!! LISTEN!! NOW!!! :) The first half was amazing- I skipped the “commercials” in the middle and am only about 10 min past that section, I’ll have to finish tomorrow on the way back from carpool- and let me say I can’t wait. There is explanation given for ALL of these questions. Not to mention, even deeper commentary on the whys and hows of all of this Jesus did. It’s mind blowing. What a savior…
“But becoming more like Christ isn’t about following rules—it’s about following Him. True faith isn’t only about what we say we believe; it’s about our hearts and how we live.”
These 2 lines are so true and not easy to live. But as we follow Jesus and become more like Him, we start to live as He lived and our hearts and actions will reflect more and more of Him in love for
Him and our neighbors.
I need to start making Psalm 51:10 a daily prayer, as a reminder to myself that Jesus will always allow me to try again and that his mercies are new each day.
Shew the conviction of the devotion today! And also what tenderness in my heart I felt in the Bible reading of the miracles He did.