The healing power of words (or not)!

Reflecting on Mark 7:24-30

“For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” (Mark 7:29)
As a Jesus follower, I am aware of the power of words.
How we speak shapes our lives as much as how we behave.
Words impact us, but they also impact others, for good or for bad.
Our calling as children of Adam and Eve is to name things.
But what if the way we name things is wrong or cruel?
The bible repeatedly warns about the power of the tongue.

“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 3:6)

Yesterday we saw the damage of naming people as dogs.
I suspect that this woman viewed Jews as dogs, though it went both ways.
Jesus is exposing her vicious tongue, her arrogant and hurtful words.
But now she speaks differently, in a surprising way.
She compares herself to a dog, and reduces herself before Jesus, before the Jews.
Her reply here is unusual, but Jesus sees hope in it.
Jesus does not want her to see herself as a dog.
But He is challenging the inner spirit and attitude that thinks this way.
In her reply, He sense the impact of this moment, and the change that occurs.
This is a turning point for her, and for her daughter.

I’ve spoken before of demons as negative bodiless voices.
I wonder if part of the daughters problem was the mother’s cruel tongue.
The negative spirit in the mother has taken hold of the daughter.
Not in the same way, but as one cut and wounded by her words.
In fact, many people live under the curse of their parents’ negativity.
Parents who are critical, negative, condemning or demeaning.
A child growing up in this setting will be ‘possessed’ by this spirit.
They often spend their whole lives struggling with this negative spirit.

Maybe I am reading too much into this story.
But these are very real scenarios that still occur today.
We hold the power of life and death in our tongues.
And our words bring hope or harm to others, and to ourselves.
This woman’s reply indicates a spirit of humility and brokenness.
I feel that Jesus has set her free from a demon

How do my words affect me; do I speak with hope or defeat?
My experience in church and with much of christianity has been negative.
I am often pointing out what is not right, what seems wrong.
Does my negativity not only discourage others, but also hold me back?
Am I more often complaining or criticizing, or expressing kindness?
What kind of world am I creating with the way that I speak?
What kind of spirits am I releasing with my words?

As children of Adam and Eve, we are naming the world around us.
What is the affect of the words we use?
Do we, like God, create a better world by how we speak?
Or are we echoing the serpent’s lies, bringing life under a curse?
A curse that not only affects us, but our children, our neighbours, our world?
As Jesus followers, we need to be aware of the power of words.
And we need to allow Jesus to heal and shape the spirit within us…
So that our words bring life, not death; hope, not harm!

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, may the way that I speak bring hope, help and healing... not harm. May the spirit within me not be one of complaint or criticism, but of compassion and kindness. Ignite my tongue with the healing flame of heaven, and put out the embers of hell that still spark from my mouth.