Mark 7:24-30

4. Jesus’ teaching about bread and the exorcism of a Phoenician girl 7:24-30 (cf. Matthew 15:21-28)

Jesus increased His ministry to Gentiles as He experienced increasing rejection from the Jews. This third withdrawal from Galilee took Jesus outside Palestine for the first time. Mark also recorded Jesus doing more things outside Galilee and fewer things within Galilee than the other evangelists. By pointing this out Mark helped his readers realize that ministry to Gentiles was God’s will in view of Israel’s final rejection of Jesus. One writer believed the point of this story was simply that Jesus could heal. [Note: R. S. Sugirtharajah, "The Syrophoenician Woman," The Expository Times 98:1 (October 1986):13-15.] But this seems shortsighted. Mark included three events that occurred outside Palestine and one following Jesus’ return.

There is a logical connection between this section and the one that precedes it (Mark 7:1-23). Jesus had explained why He did not observe the traditional separation from defiling associations. Now He illustrated that by going into Gentile territory. This contact would have rendered Him ceremonial unclean according to the Jews’ traditions.