To believe something is to be convinced that it is true. To believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life is to be convinced that He gives it to you by faith in Him alone. But there are many other things that the believer is called to believe in after he has received eternal life.

When we “hear” things through the Word of God, we are to believe them. For example, the Scriptures tell us that Christ will reward believers for the things they do for Him. They tell us that it is better to give than receive. They tell us that we are to forgive believers who sin against us. If we don’t, the Lord won’t forgive us. That would result in a loss of fellowship with Him. A Christian may not be convinced that these other things are true, even though he has believed in Jesus for eternal life and knows he has it.

There is a great illustration of these things in Mark 7. Jesus is teaching His disciples some new things. These disciples were already believers, but these things are hard for them to understand. Twice, He tells them to “hear” what He is saying. What He is saying to them goes against everything they have ever been told. The food they eat does not defile them. In fact, nothing they put in their mouths will make them unclean. That is not what Judaism taught them! Because of that, even though they heard what He was saying, many (all?) of them were not convinced it was true. That is why He tells them to “hear.”

Immediately after teaching them these new things, another person “hears” what the Lord says. This person is not like the disciples. She is a woman. She is not a Jew. She has not travelled around with Him and had the opportunity to learn from Him on a daily basis. In fact, she doesn’t even live in Israel. She lives in a foreign city called Tyre. When it comes to hearing what the Lord has to say, she has many disadvantages.

But she has heard certain things. People from her town had heard Him speak and seen Him cast out demons and heal the sick (Mark 3:8-11). Based upon what she was told, she believes that He is the Jewish Christ, the Son of David (Matt 15:22). It is obvious that she knows He can cast out demons. That is why she comes to Him. Her daughter is at home, possessed by one of these evil spirits. She wants Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

She knows all these things about Him because, as Mark notes, she had “heard” about Him (7:25). This is the same verb used when Jesus tells His disciples to “hear” what He is teaching them (7:14, 16). Mark is contrasting this woman with the disciples. The disciples were having a hard time being convinced that what Jesus was saying was true. This woman will not have the same problem.

At first, the Lord rejects her request. He tells her that His disciples must take priority over her needs. It is clear that He does this in order to put her to the test. She passes the test with flying colors. She is persistent, pointing out to the Lord that even if she must play second fiddle to the needs of the disciples, His power is so great He can meet the needs of both the disciples and her daughter.

The Lord praises her. He tells her to go home, and that the demon has left her daughter. Her faith is so great, she doesn’t even need Him to come to the house to touch her daughter. She heard what He said, and she believed it. The young girl is healed over a distance, simply by the word of the Lord. This is the only miracle in Mark that is performed in this manner. In Matthew, Jesus comments on her “great faith” (Matt 15:28).

This woman is such a great example for us. She knew He was the Christ. She had believed that. But she heard other things about Him. And she believed those things as well. His words were all she needed to hear.

Wouldn’t it be great if we were the same way? During the ministry of Christ, He said many things that are hard to believe. As we study them, may this woman be an example for us. No matter how hard these things may be to believe, when we hear the words of the Lord, let that be enough. The woman was convinced they were true. May we be as well.