Read Mark 7:24-37 with your family. There are two stories of healing. In the second one Jesus uses dust and spit to heal someone so they can see, hear and talk again. It is a great story.

The first healing, however, is the really special one. Jesus is tired and doesn’t want to deal with anyone, so when he is asked to help a little girl, Jesus says he wasn’t sent to help her or her mother. What is most interesting, however, is that the mother doesn’t leave, she pushes Jesus and reminds Jesus what God’s love looks like, even for those from a different culture.

The church often teaches that Jesus always made the right choices, but sometimes he didn’t. This is an example where Jesus said something he shouldn’t have and had to realize he was wrong. The woman didn’t get angry with him, she simply showed him that she knew about God’s love too, and it was for everyone.

Jesus did heal the little girl and thank her mother. Jesus made a mistake and when he realized it was a mistake, he fixed it by changing his mind and his attitude.