In this amazing passage of two miracles, we find just one message. The first miracle is the healing of the daughter of a Greek woman, born in Syrian Phoenicia. In many ways, it is among the most significant of Jesus' miracles not just because the child received healing. Syrophoenicia is not a candidate region for the zip code 90210. The "pretty people" do not take up residence there. In fact, they do all they can to avoid going that way. It is a remote place sustained by commercial fishing and, if we can imagine, all the attendant odors are present every day. It is not far from the sea but it is not a vacation destination by any means. This woman whose daughter Jesus healed is described as "a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia" (v. 26). The area where she lives is called Syrophoenicia to distinguish it from the much more desirable North African coastal region called Lybophoenicia. Matthew calls her "a Canaanite" (Matthew 15:22). In short, she is not only a resident of an undesirable place, she is a woman marked by a disadvantaged heritage in those days.
What is more, she is called a Greek. To be called a Greek in that time and place is not necessarily a statement of heritage or language. It likely tells us more about her religious roots, or lack of them. It is not a compliment. In short, "Greek" means she is anything but Jewish; she is thus a Gentile, one the Jews regard as unclean. The street language of her region is influenced by the varieties of dialects that come via the sea people who do business there. Its foundation is heavily influenced by Greek, not the sophisticated Greek of the academics and well educated but common, or koine, Greek.
Her heritage, neighborhood, and station in life make no difference to Jesus. In this there is an unpleasant life lesson for the Jewish leaders who seem forever to be following the Lord with their critical spirits ever on the alert for his every perceived mistake. What we see through this woman's interaction with Jesus, and his with her, and the subsequent miracle, is that "God does not show favoritism" (Romans 2:11). It confirms the powerful truth that this gospel, which we as Christians are privileged to hold in trust, is "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16 NRSV). Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, reveals himself to a non-Jew, indeed, even a woman. It runs against every tradition the Jewish leaders hold dear.
The second miracle further underscores the demonstration of no favoritism by Jesus. The subject is a man whose deafness produced a speech impediment. Jesus meets this man about twenty miles away from where he healed the woman's daughter. The place is called Decapolis. Decapolis offers just about everything that Syrophoenicia lacks. It is a cosmopolitan region where educational opportunities and medical care are available to anyone who wants them and can afford them. Business is conducted there by well-dressed city residents, who leave their homes and servants each day as they make their way to the heart of the prosperous business district. We might even imagine that this man travels to Decapolis having been stricken by deafness before his childhood speech patterns were fully developed. We can suppose that he was not born deaf because in this era to be born deaf would mean that one would develop no speech abilities at all. Such a person is simply referred to with the social slur "deaf and dumb," and usually is sidelined from the mainstream by family members who realize society regards such birth defects as evidence of God's judgment.
The lesson of these two miracles is to show us the gospel has power for all people and in all places, regardless of heritage or life station. The really big lesson, however, is that Jesus is being revealed as more than a Jewish Messiah. He is the Savior of the world. This newly demonstrated truth does not sit well with the Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders. Christ's following crowd is more than simply impressed, however. "People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,' they said" (v. 37). From beginning to end, these two miracles present Christ's power for all to see just as we also see from the beginning to the end of his ministry. Jesus Christ refuses to be hidden. Consider these examples:
Who Jesus Is, Is Not Concealed
About his conception, the Old Testament prophets said that the Messiah would come in circumstances that only God could design. There are many references that could be cited. Here are just two: "The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Micah even revealed the place, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2).
The angel Gabriel came to Mary while she was still a virgin and told her she was the one whom God had chosen for the most vital of missions: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The "how" of Christ's conception is a mystery to the greatest minds in medicine and theology even today, but the "who" was told before he was conceived for you note that the angel, just as the prophets of old, spoke in the future tense.
Joseph, Mary's betrothed, thought she had had a secret affair until he too was allowed to know. "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins'" (Matthew 1:20-21).
Before Jesus was born, he was the inconcealable Christ!
In His Birth ...
It is no exaggeration to say that God put the little hamlet of Bethlehem "on the map" that night when an angel pointed some terrified field shepherds to the baby Jesus with these words.
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. — Luke 2:10b-12 (KJV)
We read on and see that it was as though one angel was not enough.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." — Luke 2:13-15 (KJV)
Christ's birth announcement did not come in an e-mail picture or by way of a Hallmark® card but by an angelic host. From that time forward, people of every religion and race would know the name of a seemingly insignificant little hamlet that before was known primarily by the Jews because it was the birthplace of their favorite king. Now, the world knows it as the birthplace of the King of kings. The desire to know more about him brings hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world to Bethlehem each year. In his birth, he is the inconcealable Christ.
Nor was it just to lowly field shepherds that Jesus' birth was revealed! "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him' " (Matthew 2:1-2). Furthermore, we read that "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3). As with the two miracles in our reading, the poor, the wise, and the mighty all received a birth announcement of this one who refuses to be hidden.
In His Childhood And Youth ...
Jesus Christ's childhood and youth also confirmed who he was.
There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." — Luke 2:25-32
The Holy Spirit led Simeon to be present in the temple courtyard when Mary and Joseph arrived to consecrate Jesus to God. Simeon acknowledged that the Messiah had come in "the sight of all the people." How would Simeon identify Jesus as the Messiah except that it was no secret?
Every parent thinks their child is special — and each one is in his or her own way. When Jesus was twelve years old, however, his parents were reminded of just how extraordinarily special their son was for he astounded the temple teachers with his questions and his insights. When his parents returned to the temple to find their missing son, Jesus, before the whole group, reminded them that he was not truly their child by saying he was there about "my Father's business" (see Luke 2:41-49). Jesus was the youngster all the people in his congregation knew!
At His Baptism ...
John the Baptist told the people of one who would come, and when Jesus came John declared to the whole multitude, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). When John baptized Jesus, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove as the voice of heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). If such a declaration was to be made today, we would see it on the magazine racks at the checkout stands in every grocery store! That declaration by the Holy Spirit was the beginning of an earthly ministry in which, by one way or another, Jesus repeatedly divulged who he was. "He could not keep his presence secret" (v. 24).
On Calvary's Cross ...
That Friday when the sun went dark in the sky, even the centurion whose duty it was to watch over Jesus' crucifixion, declared, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). He is the inconcealable Christ!
In His Burial ...
Death, hell, and the grave where he was laid could not deny, nor cover up, who Jesus Christ was.
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." — Mark 16:2-6
The forces of Rome could not deny who Jesus was and could not lock him away for good because he was, and he is, the inconcealable Christ!
What He Can Do Cannot Be Concealed!
"It is no secret, what God can do!" If Jesus Christ "could not keep his presence secret," we certainly cannot do it! In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that we can no more hide who Jesus Christ is, and what he is capable of doing, than we can make an ocean dry! Through Jeremiah, Jesus assures us, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).
The number of pages on the worldwide web dealing with God, religion, and churches increased from fourteen million in 1999 to 200 million in 2004.1 That is a 700% increase in five years! What is more, that number keeps increasing at a very rapid rate. He is known more and more. The evidence of numerous archeological digs in recent years joins in the escalating chorus that tells the world the name of this inconcealable Lord.
What is your life's first ambition? Is it to become rich? Do you want to be famous? It may even be that you want to do something great for God! That sounds good but here is something better: The highest desire that can possess any human heart is a longing to know Jesus and make him known, and when we know Jesus we know God. We get to know God when we seek him with all our heart for that is what he promises.
You Can Know Jesus
When the way gets tough and the road seems hard, you can call on the Lord and he will reveal himself because Christ is not in the business of playing spiritual hide-and-seek. Perhaps you already have and you know the truth. An anonymous hymn writer composed the words of one of faith's great hymns and it speaks directly to our subject:
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
no, I was found of thee.
Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea.
'Twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
as thou, dear Lord, on me.
I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee!
For thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
always thou lovedst me.2
No doubt many of us have had that amazing experience of wondering where Jesus was in our time of need only to realize later that he was with us all the time. His promise is, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5a). So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5b). He cannot be hidden, for even "He could not keep his presence secret" (Mark 7:24). He is the omnipresent one who is always there for his people.
We Cannot Conceal Christ
The Bible says that when we receive Christ for ourselves, his Holy Spirit takes up residence in us and lives the life of Christ through us. That is why Paul declares the following words from 2 Corinthians with confidence.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. — 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Once you have him, you cannot hide Jesus. People notice the newness he brings to our changed lives. Even the Sanhedrin noticed.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. — Acts 4:13
Jesus could not hide himself. His disciples could not hide his presence in their lives. Nor can we. He has no secret service disciples. Indeed, he commissions us to go and tell the things that he has done. He is the inconcealable Christ!
One day everybody will recognize Jesus. For now it is possible to blindly and arrogantly disregard all the evidence of who he is and what he has done but this time will end, and may, indeed, end sooner than we think.
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:10-11
There will be no hiding that day, either for him or for us!
Why wait for that day? Why not this day come to Christ who is always before us and always with us and waits with arms wide open to receive all who come and "He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25). He assures us, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me" (Proverbs 8:17).
Thanks be to God that Jesus our Lord is the inconcealable Savior. Amen.
1. Kevin Sullivan, "Linking Ancient and Modern, A Worldwide Web of Worship," The Washington Post, March 14, 2007, p. A01.
2. Anonymous text, "I Sought The Lord," circa 1890, in the public domain.