Following the road northwest from Galilee, over the mountain range, you will reach the ancient coastal city of Tyre on the Mediterranean. Tyre, founded by the Phoenicians, had maintained a close relationship with Israel since ancient times. King David had a strong friendship with King Hiram of Tyre, receiving cedar wood, stonemasons, and carpenters to build his palace. Likewise, Solomon, David’s son, received skilled artisans, cedar, pine, and gold from King Hiram to construct the temple. The amount of gold sent by Hiram to Solomon reached as much as 120 talents, equivalent to the daily wages of over one to two million laborers. This not only indicates the close ties between the two nations, who supported each other financially without hesitation, but also reflects the immense wealth of Tyre.
The Phoenicians rose to prominence amid the power struggles between ancient Egypt, the Hittite kingdom, and the Amorite Babylonians. With their excellent navigation skills, they established city-states along the Mediterranean coast and amassed great wealth through trade. Their cities extended across Italy, North Africa, and even the Iberian Peninsula, including Carthage, which rivaled Rome in the western Mediterranean. Although these city-states were politically independent, Tyre was undoubtedly the cultural center and one of the most powerful Phoenician city-states.
The prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Amos foretold judgment upon Tyre because, despite Tyre’s earlier dedication to God in helping build the temple, their evil deeds gradually became evident. The damage Tyre caused to Israel was significant: Jezebel, the queen who led northern Israel into Baal worship, was the daughter of the king of Sidon, a powerful Phoenician city allied with Tyre. The Canaanite and Phoenician idol Moloch spread to Judah, leading parents to sacrifice their infants. God spoke through Jeremiah condemning this, saying,
“And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I didn’t command, nor did it come into my mind.”
During the times of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the Jews had become so corrupt that they committed acts in the valley just south of Jerusalem—things that God had neither commanded nor even imagined. The influence of the Phoenicians, such as those from Tyre, was significant in this corruption. Not only the Jews but also the Phoenicians themselves led in these abominable acts that provoked God's wrath. During the Punic Wars against Rome, the people of Carthage, a Phoenician city, even sacrificed the children of the lower classes as offerings, and when defeated in battle, the nobles competed to burn their own infants in the fire of Moloch. Even at that time, the number of infants who died in this way exceeded three hundred; how could the prophets not cry out judgment against them?
As prophesied, Tyre was heavily damaged by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and was later completely destroyed by Alexander the Great. After that, Tyre became a Greek colony and eventually came under Roman rule.
* * *
Walking along the mountain path to Tyre, Mary Magdalene wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had recently heard that Jesus, who had left Capernaum not long ago, was now in Tyre. Although He seemed to want no one to know where He was going—disappearing without a sound—rumors about Him inevitably spread. As soon as she heard, she immediately set out for Tyre.
“Teacher, why were You there and said nothing?”
Mary Magdalene felt a pang of hurt at Jesus’ silence, as if He did not understand how much she cared for Him. Her affection was not romantic, but was born out of deep respect and gratitude. Jesus was her life’s benefactor. Once, when she was possessed by seven demons and unable to live a normal life, worse than death itself, Jesus came to her and cast the demons out. No one helped her; everyone avoided her. But Jesus brought light into her dark life, and since then, she had faithfully followed and served Him. She was always near when He performed miracles and listened closely to His teachings. How could she not love Him?
There were several other women who, like her, followed and served Jesus. Among them were Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod Antipas’s steward; Susanna; and Salome, the mother of James and John, who were disciples of Jesus. These women, along with Mary Magdalene, helped and supported Jesus in His ministry. Mary Magdalene usually traveled with one of them, but this time, in her urgency, she had come alone. Though it felt a little lonely, she could move faster without having to keep pace with anyone else. Determined not to lose a moment, she hurried over the mountain with quick steps.
Mary Magdalene could not understand why Jesus had gone so far. When He sent out His disciples to preach, He told them not to enter Gentile or Samaritan towns, yet He Himself traveled freely to places like Decapolis, Samaria, and now even Tyre. Seeing Him move from place to place like this, she couldn’t help but feel that, if this continued, one day Jesus might leave for a distant place without warning.
“This is all because of the Pharisees and the scribes,” she thought bitterly. Jesus must have fled to Tyre because of them. Why did they make such a fuss over traditions like washing hands before eating? They had traveled all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee just to criticize Him. Before, they had attacked Him for allowing His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath. Why were they so determined to trap and accuse Him?
Her anger flared as she remembered those confrontations, but then Jesus’ sharp words to them came to mind, calming her once more. He had said:
“Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”’ he shall not honor his father or mother. You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
Then Jesus told the crowd:
“That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
He taught that food entering the mouth goes into the stomach and then leaves the body, so it does not defile a person. But what comes from the heart—evil thoughts such as murder, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, blasphemies—these defile a person. This teaching was completely different from what the Pharisees taught. Mary Magdalene resolved to live by His words, though the Pharisees only grew more furious. Since they constantly found fault with Jesus, it was no wonder He fled all the way to Tyre.
Before her eyes, Tyre appeared. Once a city ruined as the prophets had foretold, it was now revived, regaining its former glory. Ships arrived and departed constantly in the bustling trade port, alive with the energy of sailors. Somewhere in that city was Jesus. Forgetting her fatigue, Mary Magdalene ran toward the city.
* * *
A desperate cry came from among the crowd:
“Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely demon possessed.”
This was the voice of a woman at the place where Mary Magdalene had gone to find Jesus. Pushing through the crowd, Mary saw Jesus standing with His disciples and the woman pleading before Him. The woman kept crying out, but Jesus said nothing and seemed intent on moving on. Mary found this behavior very strange.
“Huh? Why is Jesus acting like that? In Galilee, He never ignored anyone’s desperate pleas. He always showed compassion, embraced them with a warm smile, and healed them. Why then is He ignoring this woman and not saying a word?”
Mary hurried to where Jesus was. At that moment, she heard the voices of the disciples.
“Send her away; for she cries after us.”
Jesus replied coldly,
“I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
His voice sounded unusually stern. Mary couldn’t understand why He acted this way, especially since the woman was not criticizing Him like the Pharisees did. According to Jesus’ words, it seemed He was refusing her because she was not Jewish. But the strange thing was that He had previously healed people from Tyre and Sidon. Why heal them then but refuse now?
Who could understand this situation—not only Mary but also the confused disciples and the Tyrians watching? Jesus often said and did things that shocked people, and it took careful reflection to grasp His true meaning. While Jesus gave these shocks to reveal deeper truths, those who did not yet know His ultimate purpose simply accepted the situation as it was. Yet the woman, undeterred by Jesus’ cold demeanor, stepped forward, knelt before Him, and said,
“Lord, help me.”
Her eyes, expression, and tone were filled with earnestness. But Jesus’ answer remained cold:
“Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Anyone else would have given up at such a reply. Her expression, too, wavered for a moment as if about to break, but she summoned her courage and spoke again.
“Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Tears of sincerity fell to the ground. This Greek woman, born in Syrophoenicia, came from a wealthy Phoenician culture that worshipped many gods and performed evil sacrifices, and from a Greek culture that, while worshipping even more gods, also prized human reason. Yet here, in this moment, she laid all that aside to save her child. Then came the voice she longed to hear:
“Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire. For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
Surprised by the sudden change, the woman looked up at Jesus. The cold expression was gone, replaced by a face as warm as spring sunlight melting the frozen world. His voice gently embraced her troubled heart. She thanked Jesus and quickly disappeared. When she reached home, she would discover that at the very moment Jesus spoke, her daughter had been healed.
Jesus then took His disciples and traveled through Sidon, passed through the region of Decapolis, and returned to the Sea of Galilee. He deliberately passed through Gentile lands, accompanied by the disciples who would later share this story.
The passages from Jeremiah 7:31, Matthew 15:3-11, 19-27, Mark 7:27-29 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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