Gospel conversation 14 39 1 Mark

It's our favourite controversial Gospel story - the Syro-Phoenician woman's encounter with Jesus. Kelvin provides some vital background to understanding this complex scene, and then Esther, Kelvin, and Mannie explore what's happening and where we find good news.
Mark 7:24-37
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go-the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’

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Jesus died so that we may live:
Everything Jesus ever did was for the glory of the Father and for us. Jesus said it was a very big honor to die for our sins. Jesus died so that we can receive God’s Holy Spirit, which is the only way we can receive God’s truth through Jesus. Jesus died so that by God’s Holy Spirit we can be saved. Jesus died so we would remember God the Father and have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus died so that we can return back to the Father once we become lost to sin. Jesus knows how much the Father loves us that he sacrificed himself for our sake. Jesus of his own free will gave his life for us; no man took his life, but Jesus gave his life to save ours (John 10:18). God and Jesus did this so that we can know the only true God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. They did this so that we may become a family again (John 17:3), for they are one in spirit and in truth (John 10:30, John 17:21-23).