He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden

 

 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 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 is 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 

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to meet 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 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 commandments 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 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 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 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.   Here, after another confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes (see above), Jesus has withdrawn to Gentile territory, the region of Tyre and Sidon.  Clearly at this point in His ministry, before the time of "His hour," He has sought to withdraw from the scrutiny of these religious leaders.  But, as the text says, He could not be hidden.  This woman is not Jewish, but nevertheless she recognizes Christ and His authority. (In St. Matthew's Gospel, she calls Him "Son of David," a Jewish title for the Messiah; here she refers to Him as Lord and fell at His feet as if in worship.)  Asking for an exorcism for her daughter, she places her faith in Christ.  My study Bible comments that in responding to Christ, she shows both her persistent faith (she kept asking Him) and her humility.  We must keep in mind that Christ's ministry and that of the apostles initial mission (before Christ's Ascension and the Great Commission) was to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:6, 15:24).  But this is Gentile territory, and this woman is not a Jew.  By responding for the puppies (suggesting persistent begging at the table), or little dogs, she accepts her place after the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  My study Bible comments that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples who witness (and in St. Matthew's account, grew tired of her requests), and for her  own sake.

 

  Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Again Christ is avoiding the scrutiny put upon Him in regions where He would be more well-known, He returns to the Sea of Galilee via the Decapolis, another nominally Gentile region but with mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews.

 

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 is 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 comments on the detail given here that Christ sighed.  It notes that this is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.

 

  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 that here, the Lord shows us we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  However, interestingly, it notes, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation, seeing them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.

 

In today's reading, we are given two instances in which Jesus seeks to avoid public attention, and yet is unable to do so.  In the first instance, He entered a house in the Gentile region called Tyre and Sidon.  The Gospel tells us that He wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  But somehow, His reputation has preceded Him.  Perhaps His disciples spoke about Him, perhaps there are people in this place who have heard about the signs and healings that follow this Teacher. Whatever way it happens, she believes there's hope for her daughter, who is demon-possessed.  In the account found in St. Matthew's Gospel, she displays her tremendous love for her daughter, because she pleads, "Have mercy on me," and "Lord, help me!" putting herself in her daughter's place (Matthew 15:21-28).  But, as in the healings among the Jews, it's her faith that makes all the difference, combined with her tenacious pleading, and her willing humility before Christ.  What we notice is not so much these attributes that are shared by those who receive Christ's power in other stories in the Gospels, but the unexpected.  Christ wanted to be hidden, but could not be so.  A similar thing happens in the second part of our reading for today, because He still wants to remain "under the radar," so to speak.  But the people who are astonished that He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak (signs of the coming of the Messiah) will not follow His command to speak to no one about what they have seen.  These instances mirror the explosive growth of the Kingdom, but the difference here is that this surprising growth via word of mouth happens even contrary to Jesus' desire and intention, and so perhaps to His surprise.  It is seemingly as if even He cannot predict this extraordinary effect, the ways in which His reputation grows, and the fierce desire people have for His help.  It's like a train racing along although the engineer cannot understand why it doesn't stop.  Of course, since we are speaking about Jesus and His ministry, we don't know exactly how the human Jesus perceives that it's not the time for open confrontation with the authorities and tries to retire a little for a while.  But this growth among even Gentiles is a hint about what is to come after His Ascension and the future of His ministry, and His Church to come.  The Spirit is working, the power of the gospel message is working, the Father is always working (John 5:7).  Christ has a need to understand where His ministry is headed, and how fast, but things unfold in ways that seem to say God the Father is leading Him along, preparing Him, and all things move all the time toward the fullness of the Church which even we, 2,000 years later, have not yet seen.  Sometimes life presents us with turns we don't expect, outcomes that tell us there's something new we need to live with, and to learn how God wants us to approach life as it is now, and this is seemingly also our Lord's messianic journey and ministry.  At each new turn He prays to the Father, and finds where He is to go, His human will always obedient to the Father, even as He remains yet fully the Son.  Notice that Christ's divine power is never used to stop the spread of the gospel, but there are times when it works in particular ways He didn't seem to expect -- such as when a woman touched Him in faith in the midst of a crowd in this reading, or even when He marveled at the unbelief of His neighbors in His hometown of Nazareth and so He could do no mighty work there as He had elsewhere (see this reading).  So, while we cannot fathom the mind of Christ, who was fully human and fully divine, He nonetheless sets an example for us when we encounter surprising turns in our own lives, completely contrary to our own expectations.  For He always turned to prayer, and to the will of God the Father.  In this way, He heals us by being present to us in prayer as well, when we are in our own encounters with the things that baffle us, make us marvel, and don't turn out the ways in which we expected -- or perhaps even counted upon.  Jesus, as one of us, has had His own surprising turns and outcomes, and so He can help us see the way forward through ours. 

 

 

 

For this saying to your way

 

 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 to 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 

Yesterday 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 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 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.   Tyre and Sidon were cities in a Gentile region on the coast, north of Galilee.  They were ancient Phoenician cities, and still exist today in modern Lebanon.  Jesus has withdrawn to this place, and wanted no one to know it, in order to get away from the scrutiny of the Pharisees and scribes who now seek Him out to find fault and oppose His ministry.  But, as the text says, He could not be hidden.  It's likely that His reputation follows Him even here. 

 

 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."  In St. Matthew's version of this story, Jesus declares, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 12:54).  These are what is meant by the children.  Little dogs is the translation of the Greek, indicating puppies begging under the table, a reference to her persistence, as she kept asking.

 

 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 to 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.  Note that this woman first showed her faith by her persistence; here she shows it in her humility in response to Christ.  My study Bible comments that she accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  Christ's hesitancy, it explains, was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples (see Matthew 15:23), and for her own sake.

 

 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."  My study Bible comments on the verse that tells us that Jesus sighed.  It calls this a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  

 

 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 comments that here, our Lord shows us we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, it says, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation, seeing them as a good example -- that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to. 

 

 As pointed out by my study Bible, persistence is an important quality in our faith.  In the case of Jesus and the woman who repeatedly asked for a healing for her daughter, we can consider Christ's identity as Lord in this story.  According to the story in St. Matthew's Gospel, at first Jesus did not respond to her.  This seems to correspond with what we read here in St. Mark's version also, as we're told that she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  We also have His response in St. Matthew's Gospel, that He wasn't sent except to the Jews; that is, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But according to my study Bible, Christ's methods are not meant to be cruel nor rejecting of this woman, but actually to draw out both her persistence and her humility.  In His true divine identity, it seems important to understand that He does no healing without faith; that, in fact many of Christ's healings are openly attributed to the faith of the one being healed, or the faith of friends or a loved one.  In this case, His delay in this sense offers the woman a chance to establish a correct relationship with Christ by demonstrating her persistence, and her willingnss to accept Him as Lord in this sense.  He's already known for His healings, but we have increasingly come to know the role faith plays in them.  See, for example, His experience in His hometown of Nazareth, where, we're told, "He could do no mighty work there" because of their unbelief.  Elsewhere, Jesus reminds us of the precious quality of what He offers which is found in our faith, such as in the Sermon on the Mount, when He teaches, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).  Through her persistence she demonstrates that she truly wants what He offers, but more than that, she understands who He is and relates to Him in a proper way befitting who He is.  This is no demand for honor, but rather an important distinction between those who wish to use Him for what He can do for them, and those who will recognize and come to faith in Him.  And we should never forget this important understanding.  Christ offers to the world salvation, but this is not possible without faith, without a kind of understanding of who He is, and the right relationship with Him that would ask of us.  While this woman persistently asks for His help, and with great wit, intelligence, and humility responds to Him so as to elicit His help, in the second part of the reading we encounter a person who is deaf, and whose speech is hindered.  If we think of it symbolically in the context of the reading, where the woman could appeal to and listen to Christ, this man has truly a great impediment:  he cannot hear Him, nor can he clearly speak and request what he wants.  But those who bring him to Christ beg Him to heal him.  Note that this is also in the Decapolis, a region of mixed Gentile and Jewish populations, the home that the man healed from a Legion of demons returned to.  The restoration of this man's hearing and speaking once again enables that "right-relatedness" to the Lord in a spiritual sense; he's given back the capacity to directly speak to and hear Him.  Within the Decapolis, we assume he is Jewish, and so Jesus continues to draw up those who will come to Him, gathering into salvation those who come in faith.  With today's reading, we might consider carefully what we ask for, and whom we ask.  When we approach Christ, is it with an understanding, acceptance, and truly valuing what He offers to us?  What are the conditions of faith for us, and how do they teach us the ways to live our lives, what relationship that we have with God?  Are we, ourselves, lost sheep?  And how do we consider ourselves to be found?  All of these questions have an answer to be found in that relationship of faith, one that asks of us -- as well as the Syro-Phoenician woman -- persistence and humility, and repeated prayer.  Let us find ourselves in our proper relation to Him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then 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 into 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 Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the 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 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 into a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  Tyre and Sidon is a Gentile region which was to the north of Galilee.  As the text indicates, Jesus goes here to withdraw after yet another conflict and challenge to the Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  It is for this reasons that He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it.  However, His identity and fame by this time mean that He could not be hidden.  In St. Matthew's version of this story, this withdrawal from the Pharisees into Gentile territory is emphasized through Jesus' remark, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:23).  Thus, He was not there to preach.

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.  My study Bible comments that Christ's refusal at first to heal her daughter comes not only because His ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews, but also serves to reveal her profound faith and love.  Her persistence, her alacrity in her response, and her humility before Him all speak of her faith.  My study Bible says that she accepts her place beneath the Jews ("the children"), who were the chosen people of God, but still desires a share in God's grace.  It notes that Christ's hesitancy is not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means to reveal her virtues.  This is confirmed in Christ's response, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  Little dogs are house dogs, puppies.  One can imagine her persistence in the way that a puppy may plead under a table for the good food thereon.  My study Bible further comments that her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life. 

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 indicates that Christ's sigh in looking up to heaven is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature. 

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."  Here, according to my study Bible, Jesus shows us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, it notes, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ under these circumstances.  He sees them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to. 

 

 Theophylact's praise of the people who proclaim Christ's work, although He commanded them that they should tell no one, is an intriguing understanding of grace and graciousness.  From a certain perspective, it is a way to enact the reciprocal practice of mercy, of the joyful receipt of a gift.  It speaks to all of gratitude for something very fine and good.  In this sense, we can understand Theophylact's approval and praise.  In a sense slightly similar to the voluntary expression of humility by the Syro-Phoenician woman, the people's exuberant praise for Christ is an acknowledgement of something or Someone who is much greater than they, or than others they have known.  It is a way to express that God is worthy of praise at all times.  In the understanding from the Gospels, and the Old Testament Scriptures, we call this giving glory to God, an appropriate thing to do in all times and circumstances.  This seems difficult to do -- or perhaps it doesn't seem to make sense -- when we go through difficult times.  One might turn to the first part of our reading today, and a modern sense of what's fair would be appalled and upset at Christ's reference to the Syro-Phoenician woman as a "little dog."  But then one would have to recall that it was in the very earliest days of the Church that the idea that all the faithful were one family as believers, Jews and Gentiles.  Instead, we need to see the responses Christ gives to this woman as something to be thankful for, even to glorify God, because -- as my study Bible remarks -- Jesus' response to this woman draws her out, and shows to all her faith, persistence, intelligence, and commitment of love for her daughter.  In our own lives, the same can be said of difficulties met with faith and the help of God.  This particular episode described here in today's reading also opens up the door to the fruitfulness of Christ's mission, and its eventual turn toward the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  Let us remember gratitude as a great key to our faith, one that unlocks all kinds of ways in which we may experience the love of God and the insights that will give us.  For faith is not purely a rational choice, it's not just expedient, neither is it merely something we practice because everyone else is doing it.  It's the work of God we're given to do. 

Then 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 

 

On Saturday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, 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 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 other 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 al 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.  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.   As this story appears in Matthew's Gospel  (Matthew 15:21-28), it includes a couple of details Mark's does not.  In Matthew's Gospel, the Jewish orientation of the Gospel is clear:  Jesus states there that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and the woman uses the title "Son of David" for Christ, a Jewish term for the Messiah.  My study Bible comments that Christ went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees, with whom He's just had another dispute (see Saturday's reading, above).  Here in Mark's Gospel, this is made clear when we read that Christ wanted no one to know He was there.  But, as we read, He could not be hidden.

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."  In keeping with what was noted in the previous section (that Christ wanted a respite from His conflict with the Pharisees), Jesus makes His way back toward the Sea of Galilee in a kind of "roundabout" way.  He goes through the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  The Decapolis (a name meaning "Ten Cities") was a region of Greek and Roman cities, at His time mixed with Jewish populations.  My study Bible comments on fact that we are told, "He sighed," as Christ looked up to heaven and gave the command that His ears  be opened.  It says that Christ's sigh is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  In His command to tell no one my study Bible sees a teaching that we mustn't seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  But Theophylact upholds those who disobey Jesus in this circumstance, and sees them as a good example -- that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.  Both teachings are valuable and compatible with one another.  We might also look upon this command as yet another attempt by Christ not to unnecessarily draw the attention of the Pharisees before His hour.  

In certain senses, today's reading conveys to us a character of humility in Jesus.   It's important to note, also, that this trait of humility is mingled with Christ's striking hallmark of compassion.  Perhaps it is most significantly these two qualities that mark saintliness in those whom the Church has honored as holy people.  We can read humility into the idea that Jesus really wants to disappear from sight for a while, and avoid confrontation with the Pharisees -- and so He travels into Gentile territory.  Looking closely at this map, one can see the cities of Tyre and Sidon on the coastline north of Galilee (in the area marked as Phoenicia).  And in the second part of today's reading, we can see that He goes out of His way to travel eastward in a roundabout circle, via the Decapolis, to come back to the Sea of Galilee.  All of this is to avoid more confrontation with the religious leaders from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish religious life.  All we have to do is recall Christ's divine identity, witnessed to by the miraculous healing that He does as well as His authority over the unclean spirit in the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman, to understand that His power and authority could obviously work to achieve all kinds of things for him -- including avoiding the Pharisees.  But He doesn't do that.  The time for confrontation is not up to Him alone or what His preferences are; in all things, Christ follows God the Father.  And that time for open confrontation will come when He enters Jerusalem on His way to the Cross.  In humility, He does what human beings need to do when the time for confrontation is not appropriate:  He avoids it, and travels far from the scrutiny of the religious leaders, and does not want Himself to be known, as the text tells us.  This is humility on a number of levels:  He won't use His extraordinary power to achieve what He means to achieve by some spectacular miracle or proof, He won't use that power in some miraculous way to avoid the Pharisees, He won't use any sort of manipulative power to overwhelm the human beings who seek Him.  He humbles Himself in accordance with His mission, and His fulfillment of the promise of the Incarnation that He live as one of us.  If we consider His reluctance to heal this woman's daughter, He also displays a kind of humility in accepting her request, as well as compassion.  Now, we might take a look at His words to her, comparing her to the little pups who beg under the table, and consider that what He says is uncharacteristically insulting and harsh!  But nonetheless, her bold and clever to reply to Him tells us another story -- that there is something conveyed in His manner so that she still has the confidence to approach Him and reply back.  Moreover, He yields and richly replies to her answer, even praising her for her persistence, and, we might suppose, her quick response using His own metaphor back to Him!  Reminding ourselves again of His majestic divinity as Son, we might find it surprising that He shows what appears to be a change of mind on His part, and yields to her persuasion.  Again, for the Son of God, this is a deep appearance of humility, to be persuaded by this particular woman to do something He at first refused.  But of course, this is also an expression of compassion, an exception that proves the rule, so to speak.  In the second healing, we find similarly a kind of humility in going far away from the crowd, and also admonishing the healed man's friends to tell no one.  In conventional human terms, we might think one would typically seek to be known for the good we do -- but not Jesus.  He has a mission to accomplish, and that is not how it will be accomplished.  That would not be in keeping with His obedience to God the Father.  Christ's sigh, as noted by my study Bible, is an expression of compassion for the suffering of human beings.  The command He gives, "Be opened!" as well as the expression that the healed man's tongue was "loosed" is an indication of liberation for human being kept captive by and hobbled by the things that ail us.  If we examine closely the actions of Christ throughout the Gospels, we will see consistent expressions of these qualities of humility and compassion, even as He heals and liberates.  His is a ministry that does not seek to "prove" things to those who won't believe, nor to "Lord it over" others by manipulation or force of any kind.  We must somehow meet Him with the faith that recognizes the goodness in His qualities, the desirability of such a Lord who is gentle and lowly of heart, and seeks to be "like Him."  If we think about it, the traditional qualities we learn from custom and culture which indicate what it is to be a gracious person all come from Christ.  Let us all endeavor to remain the people who can appreciate and cherish these qualities, seeking to emulate and value them in our lives.  

He could not be hidden

 

 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 who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on them.  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 this 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 

 

Yesterday 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 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 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.  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.  After His conflict with the scribes and Pharisees in Saturday's reading (see above), Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region.  For this reason the text tells us that He wanted no one to know it.  But it also illuminates for us the reality that Christ could not be hidden.  We might speculate that this shows what it is that Christ is both human and divine; it is His divine nature that cannot remain hidden.  Jesus' response, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs" is thrown into relief by a detail of Matthew's report of this (Matthew 15:21-28), in which Jesus comments, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).  These are the children to whom Jesus refers.  But, as in Matthew's version of this story, this woman is extremely persistent, and will not be put off by Jesus' remarks, so she responds, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."   She is at once humble, accepting what Christ has said, and persistent in her faith and her love for her daughter.  For this expression of both humility and faith her daughter is healed.  

 

 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 who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on them.  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."   My study Bible comments that Jesus' sigh is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature. 

 

Immediately his ears were opened, and this 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."   There are visceral implications here of the repressive nature of evil, and the signs of Christ's action of liberation, of freeing.  This man's ears and tongue were in a sense "locked" and "closed."  Jesus commands them to be opened and loosed.   My study Bible comments that Christ's admonition to tell no one shows that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  But interestingly, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.  It is, of course, one more example of Christ's desire to remain hidden, and yet He cannot do so.

In both of today's stories, we witness an interesting contradistinction of Christ's humanity and His divinity.  In His humanity, He wishes to be hidden; He has just had an open conflict with the Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem, the center of the religious authority.  He withdraws to the Gentile area of Tyre and Sidon, but He cannot be hidden.  Later He returns roundabout toward Galilee, and He's in the Decapolis (meaning "ten cities" in Greek), which is a Greek-speaking region in which both Roman and Greek culture are mixed with a Jewish population as well.  We can look closely at the oppression that exists among these Gentile peoples in today's reading:  the young daughter of the Greek-speaking Syro-Phoenician woman is oppressed by a demon.  The woman falls at Jesus' feet and repeatedly begs Him for healing because of this oppression of her daughter.  In the Decapolis there is a man who is both deaf and also unable to speak (having an "impediment in his speech").  In the Greek word describing this impediment, the root meaning includes that of "laborious toil," something imposed which makes speech terribly difficult for him.  "Laborious toil" is also a key component of the meanings of the Greek word for evil, or "the evil one."  The language used in today's text for healing by Christ describes liberation:  His act of healing "opens" the man's ears, and His tongue is "loosed," just as the demon has "gone out" from the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman.  While the malice and envy (also archetypal hallmarks of evil) of the Pharisees and scribes forces Jesus to withdraw and seek to remain hidden for a time, His divine nature remains powerfully liberating for those with faith, and there is no impediment that stands in the way of this powerful healing work that is part and parcel of Jesus and His ministry in the world.  Nothing stops this force for liberation, for healing, for salvation.  Its action is always at work.  It's as if we can parse out this text to tell us that while human nature will find ways to sin under the influence of the evil one, the powerful force of God to liberate and heal is always at work in our world through Christ and His ministry, through the redeeming influence of the Holy Spirit and all the forces of God at work for us.  The powerful implement by which this transforming power remains available and at work is faith; it is something in us that, through even the powerful impediments that seek to block our good and suppress our connection to God, we may find our thread, our way in life, through faith which brings us back and into communion with Christ, whose action is to liberate.  As we take a closer look at these stories, we may also think back upon our own lives, and how Christ's faith has worked in our lives.  It does not necessarily preserve us from encounters with evil or temptations to fall into traps of fear, or even the malice and envy of others, but it does work through faith to help us through what seeks to oppress and to oppose God's power in our lives.  We are not spared the difficulties of the world, just as the we have read of the disciples going through difficulties such as windstorms and terrifying experiences.  But it is our faith that keeps us tied to Christ, and the work of the Spirit and all the power of holiness in those with whom we pray, that great cloud of witnesses described by St. Paul (Hebrews 12:1).  We can look back at our lives and see the ways that the thread of faith leads us through difficulties, and remember the unstoppable nature of God which works through all things, even the impediments.

Be opened

 

 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 impedimet in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on them.  And He took him aside form the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighted, 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, 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 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 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.   Let us keep in mind that Jesus, having just had a run-in and conflict with the Pharisees and scribes who'd come from Jerusalem to Him, is seeking a place where He can be hidden.  He has come to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region to the north of Galilee.  So Jesus' purpose in coming here is to escape public notice for the time, 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."   Jesus' reputation precedes Him.  Although this woman is not a Jew, she nevertheless came and kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  When He says, "Let the children be filled first," He's referring to those to whom He's come first to minister, the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24), to whom He's been sent for His direct ministry during His human lifetime.  While it sounds very insulting in a Near or Middle Eastern setting to refer to people as dogs, here he speaks of little dogs; that is, puppies or house dogs, not outdoor dogs or commonly seen strays.  This seems to refer more to her insistent pestering and begging (she "kept asking" Him) than her Gentile status.

And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." This woman's quick and smart response suggests she understands precisely what He means by referring to little dogs; that is, those puppies who beg under the table for the children's crumbs.  Anyone who's ever had a begging puppy under the table knows how persistent they can be!

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.  Her persistence is a model for prayer; she did not give up in her pursuit of Christ.  In Matthew's Gospel, this story is more drawn out; it is more clear that Jesus intentionally provokes her persistence.  Also in this saying she illustrates her humility:  she is willing to accept what Christ teaches about His ministry to the house of Israel ("the children") and does not argue with His statement.  But she finds a way to persist and to engage Him.  In doing so, she also shows her deep love for her daughter, whom she's trying to save.  Let us note that to cast out the demon is essentially a spiritual act; she accepting Jesus' authority in this respect, and putting her faith in Him.  My study Bible comments that her ultimate acceptance by Christ points to the gathering of the Gentiles in to the Church after Pentecost, no longer as little dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.

 

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 them.  And He took him aside form the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighted, 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."  My study Bible comments that He sighed as a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  His command to tell no one shows that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  My study Bible also cites Theophylact, who upholds those who disobey Christ in this circumstance; he sees them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.

 

Today's reading begins to give us hints of the opening up of Christ's ministry beyond only the Jews.  It teaches us about the faith and persistence in faith of a Gentile woman, and how she was rewarded by Christ for that persistence and her desire for what He offers.  Moreover, the healing of the deaf man who also had an impediment in his speech, takes place in the Decapolis, an area of Galilee with a strong Gentile influence as these are Greco-Roman cities.  It's interesting that Christ the Word "opens" this man's ears to hear and his tongue to speak.  We could understand a parallel here to Christ giving the ancient world, even Greco-Roman culture with its poetry, theater, literature, and philosophy a means to hear and to express concepts which did not exist for them, a new language to illumine and "open" everything.  But the story of the Greek woman with a demon-possessed daughter reflects the real key to the opening up of Christ's word to the world, and that is faith, and persistence in faith.  We need to really know that what He offers is an answer that is not going to be found anywhere else.  Our deepest struggles require something more than an intellectual brilliance or even the creativity the ancient world possessed in reaching for the good, the true, and the beautiful.  For it is Christ the Word who is in His Person the good, the true, and the beautiful, and He gives us keys that unlock the deeper doors of salvation to the root problems of the struggles of this world.  And this is what the ancient world would come to embrace in Jesus.  There are things that can only be healed by grace and by faith, by our communion with Christ.  We may know beautiful thoughts and concepts, important notions of the good, a rational sense of philosophical truth, but there are deeper struggles within human beings, and deeper structures of spiritual truth which need the discernment Christ offers and also His strength to rely upon.  He is the one who unlocks mysteries the ancients could not see before He came into the world, and gives us keys to the kingdom of God.  Finally, it is the Word of God whom we need to hear and whose praises we need to express in our lives, and this sets us back into a right orientation to creation itself.  It is this that the ancient world was awaiting, and which would transfigure philosophy, science, architecture, arts, theater, and all the brilliant understanding the ancients had into new orientation of what the question for truth, beauty, and goodness should serve -- and through which all of those things would be transfigured into greater expression.  Let us remember that this is what Christ does in our own lives, He opens us up to be transfigured, to understand what is better to serve, to give us an orientation which is at once more directly in communion with the Lord and also opens us up to the deeper mysteries of life and how we are to live it.  The ancient world with its splendid achievements needed to "be opened" to the realities of Christ which would transfigure life.  For even we who live with the achievements of today's world  may be willing to become like "little dogs" in order to receive such an enormous gift, to "be opened" to hear and express the good news of His gospel.

 

For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter

 

 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 with Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the 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 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.  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.   The first verse here tells us that Jesus has come to this Gentile region not to preach, but to withdraw after His encounter with the Pharisees and scribes in yesterday's reading (above).  They had come to Galilee from Jerusalem to question Him.  The text tells us that He went into a house, and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  When Jesus refers to the children's bread He speaks in terms of the Jewish people.  In Matthew's reporting of this story, Jesus says to the woman, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).  Note this woman's accepting response:  she shows both humility toward Christ and also persistence in her faith and pursuing a healing for her daughter whom she clearly loves dearly.  Christ's response signals His clear approval.  My study bible says that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples (as is more clear in Matthew's version) and for her own sake.  

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."  My study bible notes that Christ sighed as a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  

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 comments here that our Lord shows us that we mustn't seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  However, Theophylact, in his commentary, upholds those who disobey Jesus in this circumstance, and sees them as a good example -- that we should proclaim those who have done good to us, even if they do not want us to.

 

The two stories in today's reading strike me as pertinent to issues in our modern lives that have to do with how we treat one another.  It is practically inconceivable that people would not take offense at Christ's comments to the Syro-Phoenician woman, comparing the "children" with the "little dogs."  I think, first of all, we have to consider that the little dogs of which He speaks would be the little puppies in the house under the table -- as opposed to the highly negative image held by Middle Easterners about grown dogs which would strictly belong outdoors.  But simply put, He is distinguishing -- in accordance with Matthew's Gospel -- between the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" and the Gentiles in the region in which she lives.  Nobody would countenance any sort of racial or other prejudice in this or any other circumstance, and clearly Jesus had important women followers and supporters of His ministry.  But the reason He gives:  that He comes from among the Jews, as a Jew, and in ministry to the Jews, is an important one.  It is not fiction, nor prejudice, and His movement will immediately go forward as one that belongs to all people and in which there is no distinction between people, as St. Paul writes in Galatians 3:28:  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  In the Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul goes even further in proclaiming the innate respect we must all have for one another:  "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:9-11).  Anyone familiar with the fullness of Christ's teachings, as well as this immediate perspective of the early Church on our total lack of difference between human beings in Christ, must therefore understand Christ's remarks in the way that the Church does:  as prodding this woman toward persistence and an expression of faith, as well as a teaching to His apostles.  After all, in the context of Mark's Gospel, she is the first Gentile whose faith He has honored with such a healing.  Let us remember that Mark's was the first Gospel to be written, and it was meant for the membership of the Church which was both Gentile and Jew, including those from Syro-Phoenicia.  It would seem that we moderns have a lot to learn about discerning intent and understanding of the heart when it comes to evaluating a person's words and what they do.  In the second story in today's reading, we have another important teaching along these same lines in the teaching of Theophylact, in which he praises those who spread the praises of Christ, even if He told them not to.  That is because Theophylact declares that there is great honor in proclaiming the good things that another has done for oneself.  In a modern age, and seemingly in accordance with behavior in social networks and media of all kinds, the immediate proclamation of bad intent and evil character, the malicious maligning of those who've possibly said a word we don't like, one we can take out of context and to which we can impute all manner of meaning which was unintended, is the absolute opposite of what the Gospels teach us to do in terms of how we treat one another.  Does the Syro-Phoenician woman respond to Christ with hatred for His first refusal to immediately accept her demand?  Or does she respond with wit, truth, tact, deference, and respect -- all while disagreeing with Him and pursuing her aim for her daughter?  Now that is an elegant and bold response, requiring real intelligence if we have ever beheld one.  It is especially important that we take note that Christ praises her specifically for her insistent response to Him!  He tells her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  It seems doubtful that such a polished and winning response by this woman is possible under today's set of rules for public decorum.  Today's popular call would be for sheer indignation or outrage.  In addition, we might assume that she went on to proclaim the good things that Christ did for her, rather than condemn Him for His figure of speech or allegory.  One is left to simply imagine a world in which the true works of a person -- and the good intentions they held for others -- were the actual ways we judged, rather than by appearances.  What kindness and understanding might result?  Would we be so quick to judge and to pillory over social media?  And just imagine if we all had the kindness and justice to praise those who have done good for us to others.  One must stop to consider that it would be quite a different world, with quite different things to teach to our children, than the one we see around us.  It speaks to me of a lack of the values taught in the Gospels, and the social need for them.  We are quick to judge, and slow to praise, instead of the other way around.  Let us consider once again just judgment, and of what attitude that consists.  Let us look to these texts to define gracious behavior, and the true picture of the world we'd like to be living in.

 

 

For this saying go your way

 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 Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, 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. 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.  On Saturday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus.  In some sense, they are the "regulators" of the faith.  They come and criticize His disciples and their practices, which Jesus defends vigorously, and Himself criticizes the Pharisees and their practices.  After this clash, in today's reading, He goes to the Gentile region north of Galilee, far away from Jerusalem and the authorities.  He wishes to withdraw from the public for awhile, 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.   In Matthew's Gospel, we find details in this story that are not in Mark (see Matthew 15:21-28).  When Jesus says, "Let the children be filled first," it's clear that He's speaking of "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," in Matthew's version.  And in Matthew, the woman uses the title for Jesus, "Son of David," a Jewish term for the Messiah.  Here in Mark's version, we are told that Jesus wanted no one to know He was there, also affirming that He is sent to the house of Israel.  But the point of the story remains the same:  this woman is praised by Jesus for her persistence, and for how much she desires what she knows Christ has to offer.  She lets nothing deter her.  She displays her faith by her persistence, her effort, and the intelligence she uses in service of that faith, and as such she is a  model for everyone.  

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."  My study bible remarks upon the fact that Jesus sighed, as noted by Mark.  It calls this sigh a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  In the Greek, this word is much more expressive, denoting feelings such as grief.  In modern Greek, it is more often used to mean "moan."

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 notes that Christ shows us we mustn't seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, a commentary by Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ -- seeing them as a good example in the sense that we should proclaim those who have done good to us, even if they don't want us to.

Persistence in prayer is a teaching often repeated in the Gospels and throughout the Bible.  Christ teaches us to be persistent; St. Paul writes teaches that we should "pray without ceasing" (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).   In Luke's Gospel, Jesus gives a parable specifically for the express purpose to teach "that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."  That is the parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8), in which a judge, who is without regard for God nor man, nevertheless gives a verdict for a widow who repeatedly makes complaints to him, "lest by her continual coming she weary me."  Jesus contrasts such a man with God, who loves those who continually pray.   The widow with her complaint and this Gentile woman who repeatedly returns to plead with Jesus mirror one another.  Both are seemingly pestering those who don't seem to want to hear from them, yet Jesus praises the Syro-Phoenician woman for her persistence, and specifically "for this saying" when she replies quite cleverly that even the dogs under the table may eat from the children's crumbs.  (Jesus has compared her to puppies, "little dogs."   Anyone who has ever had such a pet knows about the insistence of a begging puppy in the house.)    What is striking to me in this story is that Jesus praises her for not simply walking away and taking His initial reply for a final answer.  He admires her engaged and clever answer to His initial refusal.  That tells us about communion and communication.  It matters less in this story that she doesn't accept what He tells her than that she tries again to communicate what she wants from Him.  It's a story about love.  If you think about human relationships, we could compare it to a marriage.  What matters more to a person?  That a spouse or partner take "not now" for an answer, or that they know that what they bring to the table is so deeply important and necessary to the other?  If we are in a loving communion with God, then, all the evidence we have in the Bible tells us that even if it is to struggle with Him, God wants our communion and communication.  We take the example of Jacob who wrestled with the angel for a blessing to teach us this truth (Genesis 32:22-32).   As a result of his struggle with God, Jacob is renamed "Israel."  This woman struggles or contends with God as well, also asking for a blessing.  Let us consider how deeply our relationship goes, that we can struggle in love and communion.  What seems to matter more than anything else is if that communion is broken.   As long as we struggle in love, we are praised for our persistence and for how deeply we need what Creator offers in love.  Those who fail to recognize that engagement both ways -- in need and in what we have to offer -- fail to discern the true nature of love, which God teaches best of all.