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, ²⁵ but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ 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.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Sir,^[h] even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹ Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.” Mark 7:24-30

This text in Mark, the back and forth dialogue between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman is harsh – and perhaps it is intended to be harsh by Jesus. This kind of dialogue between Jesus and someone who is asking for his help could give some people a difficult time, but there is a greater lesson that we can all learn – a lesson that is greater than the ability to verbally spar with one another. The lesson might be this – that when someone has an argument or a point that is worth consideration, we should not automatically reject it, but carefully consider it and its validity.  When the woman responds to Jesus’ harsh comment with a comment that clearly and obviously affects him deeply, he is forced to consider her point of view. And when he considers it, Jesus responds positively to her situation – he heals her daughter. 

We should not hold to our own arguments and opinions only for the sake of winning, or for our own selfish gain.  We must be like the deaf man – with Jesus commanding us to  “Ephphatha” — to “be open” – and to really listen to each other. What harm is there is considering another’s opinion except that our minds and our ears may be opened to new ways to perceive our world.

Pastor Dave

“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) ⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” ⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
⁷ They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:1-8

I remember, when I was growing up, my sisters constantly argued about whose turn it was to do the dishes. No, this was not one of my chores—I had others like taking out the trash. This text reminds me of those days when two teenagers argued about washing dishes. Jesus and the Pharisees are having a similar argument – an argument about the cleanliness of hands, and dishes and the futility of the argument. For you see, Jesus says, our concern should not be about whether outside things are clean and how they may affect the body, but it is the things that come from the heart inside the body that will determine how clean we are. In other words, we may argue about how clean a dish is, or whether a dish should be cleaned, or whose turn it is to clean that dish, but in the end, if only filth comes to be served on the dish, what good does it do to clean the dish. Or, in other words, it is what comes from inside us, our words, actions, and deeds of love that define our faith – not how good looking, or well dressed, or pious we appear to be.  “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  (Psalm 51)

Pastor Dave