“And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.” Mark 7:24-30

What right do we have to go to Jesus for help? Not only are we, for the most part, not descended from Israel, we are poor miserable sinners undeserving of God’s grace and mercy. We have no standing of our own, no basis, to expect God’s Son to hear us or to help us!

As we see from Mark 7:24ff., that did not stop a Greek-speaking Syrophoenician woman from coming to Jesus for help and deliverance for her daughter who was demon possessed. She was a Gentile from the Phoenician part of Syria and not of the House of Israel, and Jesus was sent first to His own people; but she still came, asking not to take away what rightly was for the people of Israel but to eat of the crumbs which fall from Israel’s table.

This woman’s daughter was demon possessed, something we hear little of in our day though it likely still exists but is diagnosed with other names. It appears, in such cases, that the devil or one of his evil spirits takes control of a person’s body, often seeking to destroy both body and soul. She begged Jesus to cast out this demon and make her daughter whole again. And Jesus granted her petition. The demon was cast out and her daughter was made well.

While we may not be bodily possessed by the devil, the truth is that each and every one of us comes into this world under the control and sway of the evil one. Ever since the fall of Genesis 3, people are born into this world “dead in trespasses and sins: wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1,2; cf. Psalm 51:5). The Bible tells us “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). And the Bible tells us that “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Only Jesus, God the Son, can free us from our spiritual bondage and reveal Himself to us as the Redeemer of the world. Only Jesus can raise us up from spiritual darkness and death and free us from the control of the devil (cf. John 8:23-24; 34-36).

We are not, for the most part, of the House of Israel. Nor are we deserving that Jesus should deliver us from our bondage to the devil. But when we humbly come to Jesus in faith, what happens? God delivers “us from the power of darkness” and translates us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

The Bible tells us of Jesus: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:14-17). The only-begotten Son of God took on human flesh and blood that He might obey God’s law in our stead and offer up Himself as a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins — all that we might obtain mercy and forgiveness through faith in His name.

And God “made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself” and He brought us to trust in Christ after that we “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:9,13). “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7; cf. John 5:24-26).

God graciously called us to faith in Christ Jesus through the gospel. And, when we come to Christ in faith, believing He atoned for our sins and the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:1,2), He forgives us all our sins, delivers us from the bondage of the devil and gives us new life in Him! Jesus makes us whole.

Have mercy upon us, Lord Jesus! We are unworthy sinners deserving only of wrath and punishment, but we look to You and Your sacrificial death upon the cross for mercy and forgiveness. Amen.

[Scripture quotations from the King James Version of the Bible]

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18 (Read Psalm 119:17-24)

Unless the LORD God opens our eyes and gives us understanding, His Word, the Bible, remains a closed book to us.

Oh, we may learn many things from the Bible and even know the historical events it records. However, its central message will remain veiled and hidden from our sight (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Without the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, we will not come to see our sinfulness as God sees it; nor will we come to know of His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Jesus spoke of this when He quoted from Isaiah 6 in regard to the people of His day (Matthew 13:14-15): “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Jesus also said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life … And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:63,65).

Unless the LORD opens your eyes, you too will miss the life-giving message of the Bible. But, when the LORD opens our eyes to see and understand our sinfulness and rebellion against the LORD, and when He reveals to us the glorious salvation He has provided in His Son, Jesus Christ, we will truly see wondrous things in His Word!

O Spirit of the living God, open our eyes that we may see and understand the message of Your life-giving Word, repent of our sinful ways and trust in Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death for our eternal salvation. In His name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture quotations from the King James Version of the Bible]

And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:20-23 (Read Mark 7:1-23)

How can we be clean and acceptable to God? Do we ever place more emphasis on man-made rituals than on God-given commandments and miss out on the great blessings God would give us because our traditions keep us from hearing and believing the promises of God’s Word?

The Pharisees and scribes found fault with Jesus because some of His disciples ate bread without first washing their hands in accord with the tradition of the elders — a special washing of the hands before eating to be certain that no uncleanness the hands may have touched would be transferred to the food and into their bodies.

In fact, the Pharisees not only held to such a washing of the hands (either rigorously or up to the elbow) but also insisted on the washing (baptizing in the Greek) of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and reclining couches. (The use of the word baptize here indicates that baptism means a washing with water which does not require immersion – significant in our understanding of modes of Baptism.)

How does Jesus answer this finding of fault? He applied the prophecy of Isaiah to the Pharisees and scribes because they elevated the traditions passed down to them by the elders above the very Word of God recorded in the Scriptures (v. 6-7): “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’” (cf. Isaiah 29:13).

Jesus further explained (v. 8): “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

As another example, Jesus told them (v. 9-13): “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” By their tradition of exempting property devoted to God, they also exempted people from doing what God’s commandments required of them in regard to caring for their aging parents (cf. 1 Timothy 5:4).

What was the problem with the tradition of washing one’s hands to prevent uncleanness before God? It missed the point and did not address the real issue of uncleanness before God.

Jesus said to the crowds of people around Him (v.14-16): “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”

What did He mean, Jesus explained it to His disciples (v. 18-23): “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods? … What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Washing one’s hands before eating has its hygienic benefits, but it does not make or keep one clean before God. The real problem is what is inside us and comes out of our evil hearts — evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, etc. These things which come from within our evil hearts defile us and make us guilty and unclean before a holy and just God (cf. Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:9-20).

This, of course, is the problem with teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. It fails to address the real problem, our sinfulness. Our traditions cannot make us righteous in God’s eyes and sometimes can get in the way and keep us from hearing and believing the truth. And, then our worship becomes empty and worthless!

What is the solution to our uncleanness and sin? How can we be righteous in God’s eyes and stand in His presence?

The answer is not in anything we can do but in what God has done for us. We cannot make ourselves acceptable to God by following any man-made rituals or traditions. But God sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin and made true man that He might take our place under God’s law and fulfill it for us and then bear our just punishment and make full atonement for all our sins (and the sins of the whole world) by suffering and dying upon the cross as our substitute (cf. Galatians 4:4-5; John 1:29; 3:16; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:6).

And because Christ died for our sins and rose again, having paid in full our punishment, God is merciful to us and offers and gives to us forgiveness and life through faith in Christ Jesus. He declares us just and righteous in His eyes when we give up on our own works and traditions and look to Jesus and His cross for mercy and forgiveness (cf. John 3:14-15; Romans 3:21-26; 4:5; Ephesians 1:6-7; 1 John 1:7 – 2:2; Psalm 32:1-5; Hebrews 10:11ff.).

Cleanse our hearts and lives, O God, not by our works and traditions but by the perfect works and holy sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in our stead. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]