Verse by Verse

1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”

Also found in Matthew 16:28 and Luke 9:27.

This verse should be included at the end of chapter 8.

There are various interpretation of this verse. This is what I wrote in my study on Matthew 16:28.

This verse is not saying that the kingdom would come while members of the Lord’s audience were still alive. It is saying that some of the disciples would see the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), when Jesus appeared in His majesty. This was a taste of what it will be like at His second coming when He returns in glory. Peter refers to this event in his second epistle.

2 Peter 1:16-19 —  For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

But this is what it says in the November 2011 Berean Searchlight:

In Matthew 16:28, the Lord said that “there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.” We know it is commonly taught that this prophecy was fulfilled six days later when the Lord was transfigured before James, Peter and John (Matthew 17:1-5), who became “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16-18). However, we feel that seeing the Lord’s majesty is not the same as seeing “the Son of man coming in His kingdom.” Indeed, Luke’s version of our Lord’s words have Him saying that “there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom” (Luke 9:27). If a prediction of seeing the king dom can be satisfied with a vision of the kingdom, how do we know that those who are born again will see more than just a vision of the kingdom (John 3:3)?

We feel it is more natural to believe that the Lord was saying that some who were standing there would live to see the actual kingdom of heaven established on earth. Remember, most if not all of the disciples, and certainly all of the apostles, were alive six days later for the transfiguration, and the Lord had said that only “some” would live to see the kingdom.

Later, after speaking of events that will transpire during the Great Tribulation, the Lord asserted that “this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). We know it is commonly taught that the Greek word translated generation here should be translated something similar to race, making this a prediction that the Hebrew race would not die out, but would rather remain in existence unto the Tribulation. Here we have to agree with preterists, who label this interpretation as “a reach” and “a stretch.”

We believe this construal, and all other attempts to explain away our Lord’s plain statements to this effect, originated with well-meaning Bible teachers who did not understand that the present dispensation of grace interrupted the fulfillment of our Lord’s plain prophecies. Had the dispensation of grace not interrupted the prophetic program, that generation would have lived to see the Tribulation, and the subsequent establishment of the kingdom of heaven.

But in another volume of the Searchlight, it interprets the verse the way I did in Matthew. So …

Whichever interpretation is correct, the verse needs to be understood in its dispensational context. The Lord was not referring to the coming of the Church, because makes it clear that that truth was not revealed until he revealed it (Colossians 1:24-27).

³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

³⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Also found in Matthew 16:24-26 and Luke 9:23-25.

come (v.34) — become a disciple, enter fellowship with the Lord. The word is used in John 5:40 of those who will not come and will not have life.

deny (v.34) = forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s interest

cross (v.34) — death itself

cross (v.34) — The first mention in Mark of the cross is here, and with its familiar Roman associations the word must have fallen upon apostolic ears far more startlingly than it does upon ours. For the follower it means precisely what it meant for the Lord; not mere inconvenience or discomfort, but death. The mind of the disciple in relation to the world is defined in this way. He will experience an essential antagonism resulting in persecution and he will exhibit non-resistance to that persecution (John 15:19; Galatians 6:14). He will accept the last consequences of obedience and take the last risk. In relation to himself his attitude will be that of self-denial, which means the complete dethronement of self that the life may be Christ-centered. — Guthrie, page 869.

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follow (v.34) = take the same road as another — not following behind, but accompanying — taking the same road and fellowshipping along the way

The first two imperatives are aorist, giving a summary command to be obeyed at once. the “coming after” and the “taking up” are to be obeyed at once and are to be a once-for-all act. That is, these acts are to be looked upon as a permanent attitude and practice of life. The whole life is to be characterized by an habitual coming after and taking up of the cross. After having once for all given over the life to the Lord, the believer must henceforth count it ever so given over. he is not his own anymore. He belongs to the Lord. He is the Lord’s property. The word “follow” however, is in the present imperative, which commands the doing of an action and its habitual moment by moment continuance. — Wuest, pages 170-171.

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life (v.35) — not referring here to one’s physical existence and its needs but referring to the soul, that part of man which wills, and thinks, and feels, or in other words, to the  will power, the reason, and the emotions, the personality with his actions, hopes, and aspirations. The person who desires to so live that these will find self-gratification, will lose that which alone makes the activity of these things worthwhile and satisfying. God has so created man, that he does not find complete rest and satisfaction until his entire being is swallowed up in the sweet will of God. … Our Lord is not here giving the terms upon which God will give salvation, for self-denial never saved a soul from sin. Only Jesus’ blood can do that. Jesus is here giving His philosophy of life. — Wuest, page 171.

world (v.36) — the world system of evil of which Satan is the head, all unsaved people his servants, together with the pursuits , pleasures, purposes, people, and places where God is not wanted.

loses (v.36) = receives injury, suffers loss

While self-denial doesn’t save, a refusal to submit to God and the pursuit of self-satisfaction will result in eternal death.

Whoever is (v.38) — This is not a statement concerning the future conduct of a person, but about that person’s present attitude about Jesus. … The conduct of the individual now determines Christ’s future conduct with reference to that person. — Wuest, page 172.

when He comes (v.38) — Not the Rapture. This is the second coming at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom.

The conditions of discipleship are three: First: the attitude of the disciple to himself—let him deny himself. Second: the attitude of the disciple to the world—and take up his cross. Third: the attitude of the disciple to Christ—follow Me. — Williams, page 737.

All of this—the passage itself and all the comments above—must be understood in the proper dispensational context. Jesus was preaching under the Law. The dispensation of Grace had not yet been revealed.

³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

³² He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

³³ But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Also found in Matthew 16:21-23 and Luke 9:22.

must (v.31) — “must” is dei “it is necessary in the nature of the case. The word points to the inevitableness and rationale of the Cross. Since God is love and man is a sinner, He will provide a salvation for him. But since He is also just, it is necessary in the nature of the case, for Him to die on the Cross and thus pay the penalty that would satisfy the demands of that justice which required that sin be paid for. — Wuest, page 167.

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rejected (v.31) = lit. “to reject one after having put a person to the test for the purpose of approving him, that person not meeting the specifications set down.” The religious leaders of Israel put Jesus to the test for the purpose of approving Him as Messiah, for they were looking for their Messiah. But He did not meet their specifications. He was not the kind of a Messiah the Jews wanted. They wanted a military leader who would liberate them from the yoke of Rome, not a Savior would would free them from their bondage to sin. Peter in his first letter (1 Peter 2:7 — same Greek word, “disallowed”) speaks of the same thing. The article appears before each word, elders, chief priests, and scribes, saddling each … with his separate responsibility. The announcement of His resurrection made no impression upon the disciples, as their future behavior at that event clearly shows. — Wuest, pages 167-168.

spoke (v.32) — tense indicates continuous action. He repeatedly told them.

openly (v.32) = plainly, unmistakably — plain speech as opposed to the hints and veiled allusions He had been giving (for example, Mark 2:20).

took (v.32) — the idea is that Peter took Jesus off to the side and held Him so that they would be facing each other.

Jesus has spoken plainly, so Peter wasn’t confused. He wasn’t looking for more information — he was opposing.

turned around and looked at the disciples (v.33) — Peter had taken the Lord aside and turned Him so they were face to face. But when the Lord heard what Peter had to say, He turned and faced the other disciples before responding. The others must have overheard or been otherwise aware of what Peter had said.

rebuke (v.33) — the same word used in verse 32 for Peter’s statement to the Lord. It refers to a rebuke that doesn’t not bring the person rebuked to see his sin. It wasn’t a rebuke that convicted. Or course not, in the case of Peter’s rebuke of the Lord because the Lord had done nothing wrong. In the case of the Lord’s rebuke of Peter, Peter hadn’t yet realized the wrong he had done.

Get thee behind me Satan (v.33) — It was an agonizing cry, for Jesus recognized a repetition of the temptation of Satan when the latter said to Him, after he had shown Him the great Roman empire, “These things, all of them, I will give to you, if having fallen down, you will worship me” (Matthew 4:9). This is the order of the words in the Greek text. Notice the bargaining power of the Devil. It was a temptation to go around the Cross and receive the rulership of the world empire from the hands of Satan, the price, the worship of him. Here was Satan again, using the foremost of the disciples, to tempt our Lord to go around the Cross. It is the opinion of the present writer that our Lord did not call Peter, Satan, but that, recognizing the source, He spoke directly to the tempter, including Peter in the rebuke. Since Satan is incorrigible, he could not be brought to repentance, and epitimao [the word for an ineffective rebuke] is most fitting here. Or Lord, in His utterance, brands Peter’s words as Satanic. — Wuest, pages 169-170.

mindful (v.33) = to be of one’s party to side with him, to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek or strive for. Paul used the word in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in  you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

²⁷ Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

²⁸ So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

³⁰ Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

Also found in Matthew 16:13-20 and Luke 9:18-21.

towns (v.27) — Mark has “a village.” Matthew has mere “region.” Apparently they did not enter the city itself. Jesus seems to have avoided the towns in which the Herodian passion for ambitious architecture was displayed. Besides at this time He desired solitude. … Here Jesus was safe from annoyance by Herod Antipas and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Here He is to prepare His disciples for His coming crucifixion just a little over six months ahead. — Wuest, page 165.

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Caesarea Philippi (v.27) — Herod Philip was tetrarch in this territory. Compared to his half brothers Archelaus and Antipas, Philip was a just ruler. He had no reason to be suspicious of Jesus as Antipas was. Jesus probably remained with His disciples in this region where the inhabitants were predominantly Gentile and where little occasion would arise for Jewish opposition or large crowds. — Thomas, page 115.

Caesarea Philippi was the northernmost town that the Lord visited. It was north and a little bit east of the Sea of Galilee.

asked (v.27) = kept on asking

said (v.29) = kept on saying. Mark used a person pronoun for emphasis — “He Himself kept questioning.” “You” is used for contrast — “As for you, in contradistinction to others, who are you saying that I am?”

Peter did not hesitate. In answer to the question, “Who say ye? Is your judgment like the world’s?” He does not reply, “We believe, we say,” but with all the vigour of a mind at rest, “Thou art the Christ;” that is not even a subject of discussion; the fact is so. — Chadwich, page 218.

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Again [v.29], Mark uses a pronoun for emphasis. it is, “As for you, you are the Christ.” … It is the judgment of the present writer that the translation here should be “Messiah,” the transliteration of the Hebrew word meaning “the Anointed One.” It has a definite content of meaning with reference to Israel which the word “Christ” does not have to the English reader. In Psalm 2:2, the kings of the earth are said to take counsel against the Lord and His anointed, the word “anointed” here being Messiah” in the original. The word designates that King whom God will provide for Israel, who will occupy the throne of David forever. Thus Peter was confessing the fact that he believed that Jesus of Nazareth was that coming King. — Wuest, page 166

Christ (v.29) = lit. “Anointed One,” the Messiah

²² Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.

²³ So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

²⁶ Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

This miracle is only found in Mark.

Bethsaida (v.22) — on the northeast shore of Galilee

The unbelief of Bethsaida seems to have affected the blind man, for his healing was not instantaneous. He, in truth, represented the blindness of heart which darkened the spiritual vision of the disciples, and which was so difficult to vanish. — Williams, page 736.

Williams isn’t the only one who holds the above belief. Other commentaries suggests that the partial healing of the blind man after Jesus first put His hands on him was similar to the spiritual condition of the disciples at this time. It was only later, after the resurrection, that they gained full sight.

spit (v.23) — Spittle was regarded as a means of cure by the ancients … The application of the spittle [may have been] to encourage the faith of the blind man. — Wuest, page 165.

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The narrative contains three compounds of blepo [“look’] (ana, dia, en); the first denotes looking up in the tentative manner of blind men, the second, looking through (a mist as it wee) so as to see clearly, the third, looking into so as to see distinctly, as one sees the exact outlines of a near object. — Wuest, pages 164-165.

clearly (v.25) = at a distance and clearly

nor tell anyone in the town (v.26) — not in the best texts

¹³ And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.

¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.

¹⁵ Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?

¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.”

²¹ So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

Also found in Matthew 16:5-12.

He left them (v.13) = sent away, sent from one’s self, bade to go away — used in the sense of “let alone, disregard, to not discuss now.” He abruptly terminated the conversation with the Pharisees.

He charged them (v.15) = He repeatedly charged them

take heed (v.15) = become acquainted with by experience, use your head, put the teaching of the Pharisees to the test of experience — Tense is “begin to do this and continue doing it.”

beware (v.15) = perceive by the mind’s eye, consider. “Be constantly keeping a watchful eye open to consider and take heed of.”

leaven (v.15) — Leaven, or yeast, is a substance which ferments in order to produce its effect and spreads throughout every fiber of the dough. The diffusion of this souring substance illustrates and evil quality of false teachers. — KJBC, page 1248

In Scripture, leaven always refers to evil in some form.

reasoned among themselves (v.16) — Tense indicates an ongoing discussion, deliberation

Why do you reason? (v.17) — He wasn’t asking what they were reasoning about and whether it was about having no bread. He knew they were reasoning about having no bread and asked why they would reason about that.

Do you not yet perceive (v.17) — tense indicates continuous action. Jesus said this repeatedly, half speaking to them and half to Himself. Matthew wrote that Jesus finally had to explain to them that He was speaking about the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Is  your heart still hardened? (v.17) — The tense speaks of a process that went on in past time which reached its state of completion, and whose results exist in the present time. The hardening process in the disciple’s hearts had progressed to the state of completeness, and the present results constituted them as men who were in a state of settled hardness. — Wuest, page 163.

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Jesus’ recent miracles with the five thousand and the four thousand showed He need not be concerned over a lack of bread. His recent explanation about the true source of defilement should have been fresh in the disciples’ minds. Just a moment of reflection would have shown them that He was talking about spiritual defilement. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians all had distorted ideas about the Kingdom. — Thomas, page 114.

The picture I get here is that, as the boat crossed the lake, the Lord was still thinking about the discouraging conversation He’d had with the Pharisees. His thinking caused Him to warn the disciples about false teaching. But the disciples had stopped thinking about what Jesus had said and begun worrying about what they were going to eat. Which was silly because they had just see Jesus multiply bread to meet everyone’s needs. Jesus was even more discouraged because His followers had so quickly turned to physical concerns and weren’t thinking about spiritual things.

¹⁰ immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

¹² But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Also found in Matthew 15:39 and Matthew 16:1-4.

Dalmanutha (v.10) — The location of this town is unknown, although it is likely on the western side of Galilee in the region of Decapolis.

came out (v.11) — They pursued Jesus into a region that was heavily populated by Gentiles.

began to dispute (v.11) — Tense indicates continuous action. They began and kept it up. They weren’t looking for a solution, they were hoping to find a way to disprove Jesus’ claims.

dispute (v.11) = lit. “examine together, discuss, dispute.” Seems to indicate that Jesus responded and defended Himself, that He took part in the dispute.

sign (v.11) = miracle. They were wanting to see the Lord’s credentials, since a miracle would prove He spoke for God.

testing (v.11) = put to the test to see what good or evil is in a thing or person. They were testing to see if Jesus was the Messiah or an imposter.

It is useless to give evidence to unbelief (v.11). Had He given the most overwhelming proofs of His Messiahship they would not have believed upon Him. — Williams, page 736.

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[The Pharisees and Sadducees] held that thunder and lightning revealed God more certainly than supernatural victories of compassion, tenderness and love. What could be done for moral blindness such as this? How could any sign be devised which unwilling hearts would not evade? No wonder that hearing this demand, Jesus signed deeply in His spirit. — Chadwick, page 210.

sighed (v.12) = groaned

Jesus knew that there was no way to pass their test, because even if He had showed them some miracle from heaven, they would have found a reason to reject it.

1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them,

² “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

³ And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

⁴ Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

⁶ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.

⁷ They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.

⁸ So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.

⁹ Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away,

Also found in Matthew 15:32-38.

On the earlier occasion (Mark 6:35-44), when Jesus fed a crowd, the disciples had approached Him and asked what should be done. Here, Jesus initiates the conversation.

The disciples (v.4) had apparently learned nothing from the earlier miracle. (See Mark 6:52; 8:16.)

satisfy (v.4) = lit. “feed, fill, satisfy with food”

wilderness (v.4) = uninhabited region. The people had apparently followed Him with no thought of their own needs.

filled (v.8) — The people all had as much food as they wanted.

The durative (continuing, not completed) tense is used in verses 5-6. Wuest translates these verses like this:

And He went to asking them, How many loaves of bread do you have? and they said, Seven. And He commands the crowd to recline on the ground. and having taken the seven loaves of bread, having given thanks, He broke, and kept on giving them to His disciples in order that they might keep on setting them forth. And they served the crowd. — Wuest, page 158.

blessed (v.7) = asked God’s blessing on a thing, prayed Him to bless it to one’s use.

baskets (v.8) — The word used for basket is different from the word used in Mark 6:43. There, it refers to a small basket used to carry provisions — like a lunch basket. Here, in Mark 8, the word refers to a large basket, one that can hold a man. It’s the word used in Acts 9:25, where Paul is lowered down the wall in a basket.

four thousand (v.9) — Matthew 15:38 indicates that the number 4,000 did not include woman and children, some of which were also likely there.

³¹ Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.

³² Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.

³³ And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.

³⁴ Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

³⁵ Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

³⁶ Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

³⁷ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Matthew only mentions that Jesus traveled and healed in the area but makes no mention of the specific deaf, mute man who Jesus healed.

Phoenicia is northwest of the Sea of Galilee. Our Lord thus went southeast, and skirted the eastern shore of this sea to reach the region of Decapolis, which was on the southeastern shore. — Wuest, page 154.

impediment (v.32) = lit. “with difficulty.” The man was not absolutely dumb. Various commentators suggest he stuttered, or spoke harshly, or mumbled.

aside (v.33) = privately. The miracle was not performed in the midst of a crowd. Perhaps at this time Jesus did not want the crowd to bring a lot of sick people to Him, or perhaps it had something to do with the timing of His ministry — the Jews had accepted Him as healer but not as Messiah.

The Lord could, and did, heal in many different ways — by word, by touch, even remotely. Perhaps He stuck His fingers in the mans ears and touched His tongue to arrest His attention and evoke his faith, or to show exactly what He was about since He couldn’t explain it to a deaf man.

sighed (v.34) — the word can mean “groaned.” Jesus looked up in prayer and signed, perhaps in sympathy. Wuest believes it may have been an indication of the physical and mental toll that healing took on Jesus.

ears (v.35) = hearing

impediment (v.35) = band, string, that which bound his tongue

he spoke (v.35) — Tense is “he began to be speaking”

plainly (v.35) — before, he could only make inarticulate noises

commanded (v.36) — The Greek indicates that this command was made for the personal interest of Jesus. It was for His sake and for the sake of His future ministry that He commanded them not to tell anyone what had happened. But the more urgently and often He asked them not to talk, the more they talked.

proclaimed (v.36) = made a public proclamation.

astonished beyond measure (v.37) = struck with astonishment. Includes the double superlative “in superabundance” and “above.” The were astonished so much that they lost their self-possession.

²⁴ From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.

²⁵ For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.

²⁶ The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁸ And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

³⁰ And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Also found in Matthew 15:21-28.

Tyre and Sidon (v.24) — Port cities on the Mediterranean northwest of Galilee.

The new scene of our Lord’s ministry is quite in contrast to the previous one. Just before this He was in Jewish territory, in Galilee. but now He was entering purely heathen country, the land of Phoenicia. He had experienced the antagonism of the Jewish leaders, and had failed to obtain the necessary quiet and leisure for purposes of recuperation after very heavy ministry, and for the instruction of His disciples. he entered the private home of some native of the country. But Mark says, “It was not possible for Him to be hidden.” The news concerning the great Teacher and Healer, had spread beyond the confines of Israel into pagan country. … the little preposition eis, translated “into,” is worthy of note. Our Lord did not merely cross over the border into Phoenician territory, but He went deep into the heart of the country. — Wuest, pages 150-151.

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Mark is careful to describe the woman as to her religion, her language, and her race. She was Greek in religion … a Gentile as distinguished from a Jew. She was Syrian in tongue, and Phoenician in race. She was a Phoenician of Syria as distinguished from a Phoenician of North Africa. — Wuest, page 151.

kept asking (v.26) = a request, not a mere question. She kept right on asking.

The Jews looked upon all Gentiles as dogs. It was a term of reproach. … But our Lord did not use the Greek word kuon here, the term for a dog. And he must have spoken Greek to this woman for she would not know the Aramaic of the Jews. Greek was the international language of the day. The word Jesus used was kunarion “a little dog.” In answering the woman thus, He was just staying by His commission to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. And that order of procedure was not favoritism, but only the method of reaching the large number through a selected smaller group. The Jew was the chosen channel through which God has elected to reach the Gentiles. It would be just a wise efficiency to thus go to the Jew first. The Messiah, sent to Israel, was careful to preserve that order. And even when about to minister to the Gentiles to whom His compassionate heart went out, He was careful to remind her of the fact that she came second, not first, in the great program of God.

He uses the illustration of the children of the household at the table, and their little pets under the table. It is seemly, proper, he says, to see that the children are fed first, then the little dogs, their pets. — Wuest, page 152.

Lord (v.28) = one to whom a person or thing belonged, about which he has the power of deciding. The master of disposer of a thing.

crumbs (v.28) — the little scraps of food that children sneak to their pets under the table

for this saying (29) — I believe there was more going on here than most commentaries realize. Here are my notes from the parallel passage in Matthew 15:21-28.

Jesus came as the Messiah of Israel. His ministry was only to the Jews. When this Gentile woman approached Him as the Son of David, she had no claim on Him. She was one of those who were … without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). On this basis, He said nothing.

When the disciples asked Him to give her what she wanted (probably) so they could be rid of her, He explained, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). 

She asked Him again to help her daughter, this time dropping her claim. He again explained the higher position of Israel, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (Matthew 15:26).

She then asked a third time, and this time she worded her request in such a way that Jesus could grant her request. “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:27).

The word “masters’” is plural. She wasn’t referring to Him as her master but to those who were fed at the table — the Jews. She had come to the understanding that her blessing could only come through Israel.

This is where my commentaries miss the point, in my opinion. This experience wasn’t given to us to show that salvation was about to be taken from Israel and given to the Gentiles. The Lord was still teaching the kingdom message. A major point of that kingdom message is that the nations will be blessed through Israel. This passage underlines that point exactly.

has gone out (v.29) = lit. “has gone out, with the present result that it is out.” It was a permanent cure.

lying (v.30) — tense indicates relaxation, another indication of a cure.

The only curing miracle of the Lord one remotely.