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 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 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.  This same story also occurs is St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 15:21-28), but with a couple of distinct differences, both of which reveal the Jewish orientation of that Gospel.  Matthew records Christ saying, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Additionally, in St. Matthew's account, the Gentile woman uses the Jewish messianic title "Son of David" to address Jesus.  But these differences, and Mark's account affirm something important to understand.  Jesus went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but rather to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees, my study Bible comments.  We first recall that just prior to this (see Saturday's reading, above) Jesus had been engaged in an open confrontation with the Pharisees and some of the scribes, as they had come from Jerusalem and questioned Him about His disciples' practices.  In today's reading, St. Mark's Gospel tells us that Jesus entered a house and wanted no one to know that He was there.  When Jesus says, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs," this sounds extremely harsh to our ears.  First of all, we have to understand this is not a reference not to outside dogs, but to house dogs who are puppies who beg under the table.  We also must take it in context of the statement in Matthew's Gospel that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But importantly it does, in fact, prompt the showing of her faith in both her persistence and her humility before Christ.  She doesn't respond with an angry argument or insult, but rather with a very smart way to express who she is:  "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  We can see how favorably Christ views her precisely for her response:  "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 

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 here that Christ's sigh is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  Let us note that the Decapolis is yet another [mostly] Gentile region, with widespread Greco-Roman cultural influence.  (The name means "ten cities" in Greek.)

 

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."  According to my study Bible, the Lord here show us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  But, as an interesting contrast, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ.  He sees them as a good example under the circumstances, that in fact we should proclaim those who have done good to us, even if they do not want us to.

Today's text tells us that Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and we can easily infer it is a response to the conflict with the religious leaders from Jerusalem (see Saturday's reading, above).  But most interestingly, the Gospel tells us that He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  This inability to stay hidden, even against Christ's reported intentions is a surprising and notable message.  We can only guess at what Christ knew in advance, or what becomes revealed through His ministry, either through the will of God the Father, or perhaps the workings of God the Holy Spirit.  We've seen -- perhaps most dramatically -- in the recent reading, how it is Christ's almost visceral compassion that led His ministry into a new, powerful, and essential turning point, in the feeding of the five thousand men (in this reading).  It's instructive to review the Greek language of the text for "moved with compassion."  This verb is a word based on what is today the modern Greek word for spleen.  But it means, essentially, to be moved in the inward parts.  To use an American idiom, we could say it means being moved "in the gut"; that is, in the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver.  According to Strong's definitions, these later came to be understood as the seat of the affections.   This term is also used in Mark 1:41, when Christ is said (in English) to have been moved with compassion to touch a leper and heal him.  In both cases, we can understand this term as leading to actions He might not have considered otherwise; each breaks a new kind of ground for His ministry.  The feeding in the wilderness does not simply evoke the feeding of Israel in the wilderness by the Lord, but clearly prefigures the Eucharist.  The touching of the leper is forbidden by the Law; but Christ as the author of the Law reminds us that "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Here, the fact that he could not be hidden works in a similar way to Christ's suddenly being touched in the inward parts with compassion.  There is an action which seems unplanned, almost uncontrolled, but in fact cannot be stopped.  And it is yet another great turning point.  For this inability to be hidden leads to the woman's acceptance by Jesus, pointing to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost -- as my study Bible phrases it, no longer as dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.   This 'movement of the inner parts' as well as the fact that Christ "could not be hidden" remind us of the hidden movements and mysterious growth of the kingdom of heaven portrayed in Christ's parables, perhaps especially the parables of the growing seed (found only in Mark's Gospel) and of the mustard seed (see this reading).  The "growth" we witness in today's reading is of two different types.  First of all, because He could not be hidden, there is the growth in who constitutes the people of God.  And second, the miraculous healing whose proclamation also cannot be stopped, despite the efforts of Jesus to do so.  In both instances the Kingdom has now been extended to Gentiles -- to the Greek-speaking Syro-Phoenician woman of Tyre and Sidon, and among the Gentiles in the Decapolis who no doubt hear the good news.   What can see is that the Kingdom has a type of energy that grows of its own energies, in unexpected and unstoppable ways, reminding us of the nature of the Holy Spirit, as taught by Jesus to Nicodemus:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).

 

 

Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

- Mark 7:24-37

On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.   When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand.  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear; let him hear!"  When  He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

  From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.   Jesus is once again in Gentile territory.  These are cities on the coast of Palestine, to the west and north of Galilee.  My study bible says, "That the mother kept asking Him for her daughter's deliverance teaches perseverance in prayer.  Jesus resists her, not to make her persuade Him, but to test her faith.  Such persistence the Lord seeks from all."

But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.   In the biblical Greek, that the woman kept "asking" can also be interpreted as "begging" according to some dictionaries (and my study bible) -- it is, in this context, someone who is imploring another in a superior position.  In that sort of picture, Jesus addresses her as a kind of puppy at the table, one that keeps pestering.  What we notice most here is Jesus' favorable attitude to her persistence, and especially her witty and engaging response to Him, one that is full of zeal for what He offers. 

 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.   My study bible tells us that "looking up to heaven is a sign of intimacy with the Father in prayer.  He sighed out of deep compassion for the man's pitiful condition."  It also notes, "Jesus heals in various ways.  Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act (take up a bed, 2:10-12; wash in a pool, John 9:7), sometimes He touches people (1:40-42).  Here He takes a man aside for a private and unusual act of healing.  The ways of God at times do not make sense to us, not because He is illogical, but because His nature transcends our capacity to understand."

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  A note tells us that "here Jesus' attempt to keep His messianic identity secret is foiled by the people's enthusiasm.  The gospel is so powerful that it simply cannot be contained."

Today's reading bears signs of the parable of the Mustard Seed, and the many other parables Jesus taught to describe this Kingdom and its work in the world.  There is just so much more to this than meets the eye, so much more to what Christ Himself plants -- even in His very presence (for example, hiding Himself inside a house in Gentile territory) -- that everything that results from His presence, from this seed planted into the world, is surprising:  beyond our concepts, outside of every box we know, and simply cannot be hidden.  This mustard seed (appropriately golden yellow!), this Man (the Sower) who goes from one place to the next, planting His seeds -- well, this Kingdom just springing up all over, bearing fruit and flowers and branches and twigs and roots, giving shade to the birds:  it simply can't be contained.  The Sower Himself seems to be pleasantly delighted with the exuberance of growth and root:  in the smart and clever reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman who wants a healing for her daughter, for example.  Her alacrity and creativity -- and persistence -- are part of the springing up of the growth of this mustard seed.  Her very persistence and character magnify the effects of this seed, this Kingdom, this leaven that is planted to change the whole mixture.  The creativity of her response to Him is another way in which the Kingdom energizes, gives zeal and direction.  And persistence itself is like a hidden gem, a seed, a kind of mystery that becomes "hidden in plain sight" in today's reading.  We see Jesus' persistence in His mission, going from here to there, surprised by this Gentile woman and her faith and intelligence, delighted with her witty reply to Him -- and back to Galilee, to the Decapolis, and healing in so many unique ways, a way to address each ailment or illness that comes before Him.  In this sense, creativity and persistence are linked, as we see both in Jesus and His ministry, and mirrored in the reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman.  Jesus is tireless and His ministry keeps expanding, but perhaps the greatest blossoming of all is His surprise and occasional "marveling" at the way things go in response to Him (even in occasions in which the outcome seems negative).  Jesus' secret can't be hidden.  Even in the "opening" of this man's ears and tongue in today's reading, we can read a kind of blossoming, a branching out, a sprouting forth of leaves, a true spring.  And I think it's important that we take a look at these metaphors, these articles of Jesus' parables, for our own lives and how His Kingdom works in us.  It's not easy to be out of the box.  It's not easy not to fit easily and comfortably into prescribed forms or types or alternatives the world will present us with for identity.  But I find that Christ will call us into totally unique places; as each one of us is created uniquely, a walk with Christ, a life steeped in prayer, will often lead to choices where we feel totally alone with God, where we can't rely on circumstances to tell us easily what is what, and what choice we should make -- especially who we are.  The uniqueness in the assertive reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman, the amazing mystery in the way Jesus goes aside in private to heal the blind and deaf man, these are just examples of the great creativity and uniqueness that springs up everywhere Jesus goes.  And let us never forget that His ministry and its great creativity and flowering also includes the negative; it makes its own seeds in the midst of evil, of those who turn away, of those who betray Him -- and even crucify and kill Him.  And this is the way that we must look at our own lives in the light of Christ.  There is nothing in which God's hidden seed does not exist.  There is no place into which we are not called to find "His way," no matter how negative or limited the circumstances, no matter how circumscribed it may seem our choices are.  Everywhere there is God's way, but we need the courage and the persistence to find that out-of-the-box answer, to defy the "ruler of this world" by setting our sights on the Resurrection, by carrying the cross we're given, even if it seems there is nobody with us, and we're lost in the dark.  A unique path will often feel that way, even as we're called, just as He was.  He will set the example.  Let us remember the golden brightness of the mustard seed.  It is there, even when it is "hidden in plain sight" -- just not in a form we already expect.  It is His unique Way we seek through all things, no matter what the world presents us with.  But we must have eyes to see and ears to hear beyond the worldly obvious, and we must remain persistent in our zeal, creativity, and courage.