The Tupelo journal., 1906-06-01
H GENTLE
WOMAN'S FAITH
Sunday School Lesson for June 5, 1906
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Mark 7:24-3O. Memory
verse, 80.
GOLDEN T~EXT.-"Great is thy faith:
be it unto thee even as thou will. Matt.
I5:2S.
TIME.-Summer, A. D. 20. a few weeks
after last lesson.
FLACE.-On border of country of Tyre
n Sidon, 40 or SO miles northwest of Sea OF
Galilee.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
V. "a. From thence went"
From Capernaum or its vicinity, Jesus
and the twelve went into the neighbor-
hood Of Tyre. Borders" The coun-
try district within the domain of the
cities named. Would have no man
know it." He did not wish notoriety
of any sort. He had come hither that
He might quietly teach His apostles.
Gould not be hid" 1t soon became
known that the great Healer was
there.
v. 25. For" What is about to be
told brought Him such fame that it
probably accounts for his brief stay
in this region. In the Rev. Yer. this
verse begins with But straightway."
Immediately upon hearing of His ar
rival, a woman who had a great need
sought Him out. Young daughter"
A little child. Had an unclean
spirit" She was the victim of what
was known as demoniacal possession.
Heard of Him." Perhaps she or her
neighbors had been among those who
fiocked to Galilee to see and hear
Jesus mark 3:8).
v. 26. "a Greek" Probably she
spoke the Greek language. "~Syrophoe-
nician." She was a Phoenician by
race, and lived in the political division
known as Syria; some other Phoeni-
clans lived in northern Africa, and
were termed Libyo-Phoenicians. Be
sought Him." By combining Mat
| thew's account with that of Mark, we
see that the following conversation
took place:
Woman-Have mercy on me, o
Lord, thou son of David; lily daughter
is g%rievously vexed with a devil.
Jesus remains silent.
Disciples-Send her away, for she
| crieth after us.
Jesus Ito disciples)-I am not sent
| but unto the lost sheep of the house OF
Israel.
Woman (worshiping)-Lord, help
me!
Jesus Ito woman)-Let the children
first be filed; for it is not meet to
| take the children's bread and to cast
it unto the dogs.
Woman-Truth, Lord; yet the dogs
under the table eat of the cAildren's
crumbs.
Jesus-O, woman, great is thy faith:
be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Go
thy way; the devil is gone out of thy
daughter.
AS we see how Jesus tried the wom-
| an, first by His silence, then by ap-
| parent rebuff, We feel sure that He
was trying to bring her into the
household of faith" that she, as we'll
as her daughter, might be blessed.
v. q. LET the children first be
filed" Jesus words to the disciples
(see above), which she had heard,
| would give her to understand that He
meant Gentiles must wait until Israel
ties were provided for. mot meet"
Not fitting. Unto the dogs" The
| Jews thought that they alone were
children of God, and they called people
of other nations dogs" to indicate
that their lives were unclean, and
perhaps that they parked" at true
Goodness.
V. %. "She answered." One Of weak
| faith might have gone home discour-
aged or perhaps %resentful, but this
woman's faith was energized by
| mother-love, and she was ready to
bear anything if she might gain her
daughters restoration. Eyes, Lord"
She agreed to what Jesus said, and
| addressed Him as the sovereign Lord
of mankind. "Yet the dogs" etc. The
woman humbly accepts what He says
and from the truth of the proverb
draws a new plea.
29. For this saying" Because OF
the faith and love shown by this say
ing. Jesus was greatly pleased by her
faith, for it put her where He could
bless her; she had opened her heart
to Him. See Matthews rendering in
our Golden Text. 1.-THE devil is gone
out" Jesus had not seen or touched
the child, but He assures the mother
that she is cured.
v. 30. WAS come to her house." Be-
lieving Jesus word, she fastened
homeward and found her daughter. re-
leased from her malady, ''laid"-or
more literally "thrown"-upon the
bed. Probably a CONFUSION had ac-
companied her release. What a happy
home that humble cottage now be-
came! Note the obstacles which this
woman overcame: % Nationality:
she was to Jews a foreigner. CD Re-
ligion; she was a C%anaanite and pagan.
(3) Speech; she was a Greek, a Gen.
tile. "a Sex; she was a woman, and
not accustomed t appear in public.
Beyond all these. Jesus, Himself.
seemed to put obstacles in her way.
Practical Points.
v. Is. Sooner or later Christ and the
seeking soul are sure to meet.-1
Chron. 1873.
v. 26. Each soul is tormented by
demons of sin, which only Christ can
cast out.-Rom. 7:24, rs.
v. q. When Jesus seems deaf to
our cry, He is opening the way and