He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it

 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

In Saturday's reading, the Pharisees and scribes had come down from Jerusalem to see Jesus.  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 the 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 it 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.  Jesus goes north into Gentile territory.  These are Gentile cities on the coast of Palestine.  In previous readings last week, we read that Jesus wanted to be apart with His disciples, so they could rest.  But thousands followed Him and anticipated where He was going in the boat, thus resulting in the feeding of the five thousand and more.  The text says He simply could not be hidden, even He seemingly did not have the power to conceal Himself; this gospel cannot 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.  We remember we're in Gentile territory.  Jesus' primary mission is to the Jews, but this exceptional encounter comes in Mark's gospel after several forays into Gentile territory.  This Gentile woman comes seeking Jesus although He wants to be hidden, and in a traditional perspective, this teaches us about perseverance.  Specifically, it is often interpreted as teaching us about perseverance in prayer.  My study bible suggests:  "Jesus resists her, not to make her persuade Him, but to test her faith.  Such persistence the Lord seeks from all."  We remember Jesus' role in this Gospel, as the stronger man who comes to liberate people from the "strong man" (Satan) that binds them. So His power responds to her faith, though she has been tested for the depth of that faith.  She comes home to find her daughter well, liberated from that which afflicted and oppressed her.

 

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.  The Decapolis was a region of ten cities of mixed population, but centers of Greek and Roman culture and history; each semi-autonomous in rule.  So once again, we're in a Gentile territory, although communities of Jews are also there.  My study bible notes here:  "Jesus heals in various ways.  Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act, sometimes He touches people.  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, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  My study bible notes, "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."  This is an extraordinary healing; we must keep in mind the power involved in the perspective of an ancient people to heal an impediment such as this one.  Isaiah predicted of the Messiah:  "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."

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."  My study bible says, "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."  Neither can this mute man's tongue be "contained" any longer in the liberating presence of Christ.  The "impediment" of the tongue is a "bond" or "chain" that is loosed.  And again, even here in a mixed culture, Gentile territory, the gospel news cannot be hidden, despite Jesus' own commandments. 

We get a sense of events taking their own turn today, seemingly in contradiction to Jesus' own wishes and desires.  It's as if there is a hidden and mysterious hand of the Father at work.  But we simply don't know.  The scripture tells us about Jesus' commands and desires, but it shows us that nothing about Jesus now can be hidden.  He Himself is in some sense compelled to become public.  People seek Him out when He wants to be hidden, and the good news is proclaimed when He wants it to be kept a secret.  We've just read in the previous reading about how conflict is coming with the religious establishment in Jerusalem; perhaps Jesus wants time, as much as possible, for the foundation of His ministry and mission before religious and messianic expectations are stirred that He knows will come in time.  But these are guesses.  What we understand is that this gospel cannot be contained, just as Jesus' power unlooses the bonds of the enemy, and liberates people from their chains and oppression.  This power is at work despite His protests to keep it secret, and it is secret in plain sight for all peoples:  in Gentile territory, in mixed territory, and for "the children."  It's a sign from the Gospel that tells us that this liberation is far too big simply for one people or one lineage:  it's a heritage that belongs to the whole world because it is in fact a cosmic or universal power coming into the world, and it simply is too great to be contained.  God comes to us incarnate in the form of one Man, Jesus, but God's power is absolute, universal, beyond all bounds that we know, boundaries and limitations do not apply.  In fact, a great mystery is at work, far greater than anything we can know.  It comes to liberate and it cannot be bound itself.  It will always surprise us, and grow beyond what we can know or predict, and take forms we can't of ourselves control.  It is like the mustard seed, to which Christ Himself likened it.  When we treat it as anything less than an astonishing power, we may be in for a surprise ourselves and make a great mistake.  It is here to liberate, and cannot be contained itself.