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From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.
Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
- Mark 7:24-37
On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand. There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear; let him hear!" When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?" And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. Jesus is once again in Gentile territory. These are cities on the coast of Palestine, to the west and north of Galilee. My study bible says, "That the mother kept asking Him for her daughter's deliverance teaches perseverance in prayer. Jesus resists her, not to make her persuade Him, but to test her faith. Such persistence the Lord seeks from all."
But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed. In the biblical Greek, that the woman kept "asking" can also be interpreted as "begging" according to some dictionaries (and my study bible) -- it is, in this context, someone who is imploring another in a superior position. In that sort of picture, Jesus addresses her as a kind of puppy at the table, one that keeps pestering. What we notice most here is Jesus' favorable attitude to her persistence, and especially her witty and engaging response to Him, one that is full of zeal for what He offers.
Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. My study bible tells us that "looking up to heaven is a sign of intimacy with the Father in prayer. He sighed out of deep compassion for the man's pitiful condition." It also notes, "Jesus heals in various ways. Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act (take up a bed, 2:10-12; wash in a pool, John 9:7), sometimes He touches people (1:40-42). Here He takes a man aside for a private and unusual act of healing. The ways of God at times do not make sense to us, not because He is illogical, but because His nature transcends our capacity to understand."
Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." A note tells us that "here Jesus' attempt to keep His messianic identity secret is foiled by the people's enthusiasm. The gospel is so powerful that it simply cannot be contained."
Today's reading bears signs of the parable of the Mustard Seed, and the many other parables Jesus taught to describe this Kingdom and its work in the world. There is just so much more to this than meets the eye, so much more to what Christ Himself plants -- even in His very presence (for example, hiding Himself inside a house in Gentile territory) -- that everything that results from His presence, from this seed planted into the world, is surprising: beyond our concepts, outside of every box we know, and simply cannot be hidden. This mustard seed (appropriately golden yellow!), this Man (the Sower) who goes from one place to the next, planting His seeds -- well, this Kingdom just springing up all over, bearing fruit and flowers and branches and twigs and roots, giving shade to the birds: it simply can't be contained. The Sower Himself seems to be pleasantly delighted with the exuberance of growth and root: in the smart and clever reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman who wants a healing for her daughter, for example. Her alacrity and creativity -- and persistence -- are part of the springing up of the growth of this mustard seed. Her very persistence and character magnify the effects of this seed, this Kingdom, this leaven that is planted to change the whole mixture. The creativity of her response to Him is another way in which the Kingdom energizes, gives zeal and direction. And persistence itself is like a hidden gem, a seed, a kind of mystery that becomes "hidden in plain sight" in today's reading. We see Jesus' persistence in His mission, going from here to there, surprised by this Gentile woman and her faith and intelligence, delighted with her witty reply to Him -- and back to Galilee, to the Decapolis, and healing in so many unique ways, a way to address each ailment or illness that comes before Him. In this sense, creativity and persistence are linked, as we see both in Jesus and His ministry, and mirrored in the reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman. Jesus is tireless and His ministry keeps expanding, but perhaps the greatest blossoming of all is His surprise and occasional "marveling" at the way things go in response to Him (even in occasions in which the outcome seems negative). Jesus' secret can't be hidden. Even in the "opening" of this man's ears and tongue in today's reading, we can read a kind of blossoming, a branching out, a sprouting forth of leaves, a true spring. And I think it's important that we take a look at these metaphors, these articles of Jesus' parables, for our own lives and how His Kingdom works in us. It's not easy to be out of the box. It's not easy not to fit easily and comfortably into prescribed forms or types or alternatives the world will present us with for identity. But I find that Christ will call us into totally unique places; as each one of us is created uniquely, a walk with Christ, a life steeped in prayer, will often lead to choices where we feel totally alone with God, where we can't rely on circumstances to tell us easily what is what, and what choice we should make -- especially who we are. The uniqueness in the assertive reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman, the amazing mystery in the way Jesus goes aside in private to heal the blind and deaf man, these are just examples of the great creativity and uniqueness that springs up everywhere Jesus goes. And let us never forget that His ministry and its great creativity and flowering also includes the negative; it makes its own seeds in the midst of evil, of those who turn away, of those who betray Him -- and even crucify and kill Him. And this is the way that we must look at our own lives in the light of Christ. There is nothing in which God's hidden seed does not exist. There is no place into which we are not called to find "His way," no matter how negative or limited the circumstances, no matter how circumscribed it may seem our choices are. Everywhere there is God's way, but we need the courage and the persistence to find that out-of-the-box answer, to defy the "ruler of this world" by setting our sights on the Resurrection, by carrying the cross we're given, even if it seems there is nobody with us, and we're lost in the dark. A unique path will often feel that way, even as we're called, just as He was. He will set the example. Let us remember the golden brightness of the mustard seed. It is there, even when it is "hidden in plain sight" -- just not in a form we already expect. It is His unique Way we seek through all things, no matter what the world presents us with. But we must have eyes to see and ears to hear beyond the worldly obvious, and we must remain persistent in our zeal, creativity, and courage.
