Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2024

Mark 7:24-37

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

Last Sunday, in Mark’s Gospel we witnessed a tense encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees and Scribes when they engaged in a discussion about the strict purity code that ruled the people of Israel. During this exchange, the Pharisees and Scribes accused Jesus and his disciples of neglecting the traditional practice of washing hands before meals, as prescribed by the “tradition of the elders”. Essentially, they called Jesus and his disciples impure, and in response, Jesus replied, ^“There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile… It is what comes out of a person that defiles” (7,15).  The Jewish purity code also influenced any relationship with Gentiles. Since Gentiles did not adhere to these regulations, they were considered impure, resulting in a clear practice of segregation between Jews and non-Jews.  Throughout the book of Mark, Jesus repeatedly crosses the boundaries of purity and impurity by engaging with individuals, locations, and practices that according to the purity code he should not have crossed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus finds himself in Tyre, a region inhabited by Gentiles, where he confronts his own stance on relations with non-Jews. In Tyre, a Gentile woman, a Syrophoenician, approaches Jesus seeking help for her daughter who is afflicted by an unclean spirit (today this would be considered a sickness). Despite facing multiple disadvantages in the eyes of the Jewish purity code—being a woman, a Gentile, and perceived impure, along with her daughter with an unclean spirit—the woman shows remarkable faith and courage in beseeching Jesus for help. In response to her plea, Jesus initially responds with harsh words, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (7,27). Jesus is speaking to the woman through his Jewish’ perspective and likening serving Gentiles to taking bread from children and throwing it to the dogs. Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs and in this context, Jesus as a Jew, metaphorically describes the people of Israel as children and the Gentiles as dogs.

The gentile woman and her daughter have been called dogs by Jesus. However, the woman counters Jesus’ analogy asserting, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (7,28). She astutely defies Jesus’ perspective using his own analogy, emphasizing that even those considered outsiders in the Jewish purity framework are deserving of God’s blessings. In her second interaction, the Gentile woman reminds Jesus that she and her daughter also have the right to access God’s grace, regardless of their ethnicity. Without further arguments and acknowledging this woman’s clever insight, Jesus declares, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter” (7,29). The Gentile woman’s faith and inclusive view enlightened Jesus’ narrow perspective about Gentiles as non-deserving of God’s grace.

How many times have we decided that others should not have the same rights we have? As Christians, do we believe that those who are not Christians do not deserve the grace of God?"

Today, the Syrophoenician woman calls us to reflect on how often we have viewed others as inferiors due to differences in religious, political, socio-economic, or ethnic backgrounds. This woman proclaims the good news of God in our world reminding us that all humans have same right. She reaffirms that God’s blessings are not limited to a select few but are meant for all.  Jesus also teaches us that we can break the chains of discrimination that leads to inequality, inequity in the world. He calls us to leave behind our prejudiced mentality and give our attention and care to all those in need, regardless of the diversity of their origins.   

Sisters and brothers, may we, Jesus’ followers, share the abundance in our lives with those who have been marginalized by discriminatory practices in society. May the Gentile woman inspire us to make a claim for our and others’ rights. May Jesus lead us to acknowledge and treat all humans as equals, just as God created us.  Amen.