He
said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
Mark 7:29
Mark 7 [28.] But she answered him, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Mark 7 [29.] He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
Mark 7 [30.] She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.
Meaning:
After the Syrophoenician mother's humble and daring reply, Jesus answers with authority and kindness. In one sentence he commends her words, sends her home and announces that her daughter is free. No touch, no visit and no ritual are needed: the word of Jesus is enough, even across distance and across the boundary between Jew and Gentile.
- “For This Saying”
Jesus links the healing to what she said. Her words were not clever bargaining; they expressed faith. She believed that Jesus had mercy and power to spare, and that even a crumb from him would be enough. Matthew records Jesus saying, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire" (Matthew 15:28). Mark's shorter wording, "For this saying," highlights the same truth: Jesus delights in the trust that clings to him even when the answer at first seems to be "not yet."
- Healing at a Distance
The daughter was not present. Jesus did not go to the house, lay hands on her or command the demon face to face. He simply declared, "The demon has gone out of your daughter." The only other healing at a distance in the first three Gospels is also for a Gentile: the centurion's servant, whom Jesus healed with the words, "Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed" (Matthew 8:13).
This reflects the power of God's word celebrated in the Psalms: "He sends his word, and heals them" (Psalm 107:19-21). It also shows Jesus' authority over evil spirits, an authority that does not stop at the borders of Israel. Throughout Mark, demons recognize and obey him, from the synagogue in Capernaum to the tombs of the Gerasenes, and now in a house near Tyre.
- “Go Your Way”
Jesus sends her home with nothing to hold but his promise. She has to walk back believing, before she can see the result. In the same way he told the woman healed of bleeding, "Go in peace" (Mark 5:34). Faith is often asked to take the road home trusting Jesus' word, not yet seeing the evidence.
The Significance of Mark 7:29
- Faith Rests on Jesus’ Word
The mother received no sign, only a sentence. Yet that word carried the full authority of God. Scripture says God's word "will not return to me void" (Isaiah 55:10-11). Believers today also live by the promises of Christ, trusting what he has said even when we cannot yet see how he will fulfil it.
- Jesus Honors Those Who Seek Him
"Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). This Gentile mother sought Jesus persistently and was rewarded. Her story encourages every parent who brings a child's needs to the Lord.
Cross-References:
Matthew 15:28: "Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour." Matthew's parallel names the woman's great faith.
Matthew 8:13: "Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour." Another Gentile, another healing at a distance, the same command to go.
Psalm 107:20: "He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves." God's word carries healing power wherever it is sent.
Hebrews 11:6: "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him." God rewards those who seek him in faith, as this mother did.
Conclusion: In Mark 7:29 Jesus rewards a mother's humble faith with a word of freedom for her daughter. His authority reaches across distance and across every human boundary. The verse invites us to take Jesus at his word, to go our way trusting him, and to believe that his promises are as powerful as his presence.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible