In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.  In that day you will ask in My name, and do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

- John 16:16-33

Starting with Monday's reading, we have been going through Jesus' Farewell Discourse to the apostles.   (See also readings of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.)   Yesterday (Friday), we read that Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

  "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."   My study bible teaches us here that the first little while refers to Christ's arrest, death, and burial.  The second is His time in the tomb until His Resurrection.

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world."   My study bible tells us that no longer remembers doesn't imply that faithful people will forget the Passion and the Cross of Christ, any more than a woman "forgets" labor.  Instead, these sufferings are seen only in light of the victory of the Resurrection, just like a woman's labor is only seen in light of the blessing of a child, of new life.  This victory transfigures our perception of sufferings.  The victory of Christ allows us to rejoice even in anguish because of the infinitely greater good that comes from it (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:10).

"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."    This is the second time that Jesus has referred to His gift of joy.  The first was in the previous chapter, in our reading for Wednesday, when He taught them, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).  The double iteration tells us Jesus' emphasis on joy, on this gift of joy that comes from abiding in Him.  To abide in Him is linked to asking the Father in Jesus' name.  "In His name" is abiding in His teachings, commands, and presence.  In the same reading on Wednesday, Jesus repeatedly teaches, "Abide in Me."

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father."  My study bible tells us that the time when Christ would speak plainly about the Father was during the forty days following the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).

"In that day you will ask in My name, and do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."   My study bible notes, "We know prayer is offered in the name of God the Father, for Christ taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9), and He Himself prayed to the Father (11:41; 12:28; 17:1).  In Christ, we have direct access to the Father, and thus we pray in the name of the Son as well.  After Pentecost, we learn the Holy Spirit Himself 'makes intercessions for us' (Romans 8:26), and we are instructed to pray always 'in the Spirit' (Ephesians 6:18)."  Therefore as Christians we pray "continually and with confidence" to all three Persons of the Trinity, "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  In today's reading Jesus promises joy for the second time, and here He promises peace yet again.  In the reading for Tuesday, Jesus taught, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. "  There is the emphasis on gifts of both peace and joy.  This is in the midst of tribulation, difficulties.  When Jesus states that He has overcome the world, it's using a word that has as its root "victory" in the Greek. 

Once again, Jesus promises both joy and peace.  But these elements of joy and peace, we have to note, don't come as a result of something the world does for us.  They exist despite what the world may be doing.  In this discourse, Jesus teaches the apostles about what is coming for them, what is coming for Him. It is just before His Passion.  In yesterday's reading, we read the warning that the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  So this peace and joy are gifts of Christ to us, but they are not promises that the world will embrace us.  Rather, we are taught to abide in Him, and in His love and the Father's love.  Jesus says of the peace He gives that "not as the world gives do I give to you."  Perhaps the greatest hint of what these gifts of peace and joy really are in us comes in the final verse in today's reading, when Jesus tells us, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."   Tribulation is a word in the Greek that implies a narrow place, something that gives us irritation, hems us in,  "rubs us the wrong way," we might say.   The word implies being caught "between a rock and a hard place."   But even in situations in which we may feel trapped, or there is something we cannot avoid, Jesus' victory is ours.  And that's the word here translated as overcome.   The word is "nenika" - from "nike"/νικη, "victory."  It reminds us of an early symbol of a Cross with the letters IC XC ("Jesus Christ" in Greek symbols) written across the top bar of the cross, and NIKA ("wins" or "conquers" or "overcomes") written across the bottom (see an example here and above at the top of this post).     Christ's victory is in overcoming the world, despite what it offers.  It is in the peace and joy He offers to us.  And this is conquering the world, it's the victory of Christ, even as He goes to the Cross.  This means that His Kingdom established within us and among us is a kind of "liberated zone" (with a nod here to this post at Khanya blog).   This isn't the victory of a worldly king, but the One who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and without an army, the One who goes to the Cross giving us peace and joy.  We become the liberated zone of this Kingdom via our faith, via the gifts of peace and joy, and particularly of the Holy Spirit which we receive because of the Cross, because He goes to the Father.  It is a victory of Resurrection and new life (like the child born to a woman after labor), no matter what else we may think is happening in the world around us.  It is the victory of abiding in Him and sharing His love, not living as slaves to the world and what it seems to demand.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

- Matthew 8:28-34

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"   My study bible has an extensive note on today's entire passage.  I will quote from what is relevant here:  "The two Gergesene demoniacs are unsuitable for society and live at great distance from the village.  They are possessed by mental derangement, which makes them aggressive and self-destructive.  The demons in them recognize Jesus as the Son of God.  They know they have nothing in common with Him, for Jesus seeks man's salvation; but His presence torments them and expels them.  They are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Thus, even before His Resurrection Jesus rescues people from the devil's control."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus set off with His disciples across the sea, where they faced great danger in a storm.  Here is the "other side," in Gentile territory; in some sense, it's like a symbolic wasteland or desert.  The encounter here is with demons, and human beings tormented and oppressed by them.

  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.   My study bible's note continues:  "Jesus does not yield to their [the demons'] request, but sends them out by His will:  though the malice and deceitfulness of the demons is great, they can do nothing unless He permits them.  Even the demoniacs had enjoyed God's providential care.  The demons' entering into the swine, which were unclean for the Jews, is a sign of the reality of the demoniacs' healing.  Jesus' sovereign power is not only over physical infirmity, but over mental illness as well.  It shows us the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice."

  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.  Let us note the environment of the two demoniacs:  it's not a place where healing is appreciated!  All they can think of is the loss of their swine, and Jesus is not welcome.  His power is perhaps too strange, challenging, and frightening. 

There's a potent metaphor here -- or perhaps metaphor isn't a strong enough word -- regarding mental illness.  We note that the environment for these once-deranged men isn't a healthy one; it's not one that supports true healing, which at its root is a spiritual problem.  The healing of these men shakes up their world too much for those around them, and so the "whole city" begs Jesus to leave.  The changes that may be necessary for real healing -- and the resistance that can be felt in an environment surrounding those with mental illness -- are insights here that we can't just gloss over.  The other important part of this story is the very strangeness of the place.  Jesus and His disciples go across the Sea of Galilee, to the "other side" into this Gentile territory where swine (unclean animals for the Jews) are being raised.  The loss of the swine is more important to the people there than the healing Jesus brings to these men, via the casting out of the demons that possessed them.  What is the value of the human beings here, and the value of the swine?  Their values are upside down, and although it's not a place where Jesus is received, nevertheless, His power is at work all over the world:  among the Jews, and among the Gentiles even in this place where the unclean animals are preferred to the healing of the men.  First Jesus has rebuked the wind and the waves of the storm on the sea; here, He rebukes the demons -- even in a place where faith isn't strong.  As for the possessed men themselves, we don't hear from them in this episode in Matthew.  (In other Gospels, similar stories tell us of one man possessed, and in at least one case, he "worships" Jesus.)  But the demons know Jesus, they recognize Him not only as Son but also as Judge.  And here is a recurring sign of the appearance of Messiah.  The demons know what the people don't.  Jesus' power as liberator from sin and oppression extends everywhere, even where people don't know His name, and do not want what He has to offer.  Again, in other stories, the healed demoniac begs to get into the boat with Jesus and the disciples, but Jesus sends him back to his own city and home, to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done for him.  But here, these men are strangely silent, which emphasizes their terrible powerlessness and oppression.  Yet, Christ has come here to liberate them; we simply don't know the rest of the story.  Christ as Messiah is a liberator of captives.  As Isaiah's passage also tells us, He's here to give sight to the blind.  But today's reading shows us we're free to reject that vision He offers, as the people who live in this place beg Him to leave.  In the Gospels, our entire world is a spiritual battleground, and Christ is here as liberator for each one of us.  It doesn't matter where we are, who we are among.  Even the silent prayers of the powerless are heard.  He is still here and His power is over all the world, in every place, in every hour.  Let us understand it's up to us to accept what He offers, and to accept the changes He brings as well.  To be liberated, and to truly see, may involve some adjustment on our part -- just as the disciples had to face their fear as they followed Him across the Sea of Galilee.  Can we follow Him, as well?

Everyone is looking for You

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

- Mark 1:29-45

We are in the beginning of the Gospel of Mark.   In Saturday's reading, we were told that after John the Baptist was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Here's something that tells us about Jesus' disciples; at least Peter is a family man.  Throughout the Gospels, we find people are related in many ways who are involved in Jesus' ministry (as notes quoted in Saturday's reading and commentary tell us regarding the two sets of brothers first called to discipleship).  So ministry draws people out of their daily lives, and also intersects and interweaves those lives.  In this case, Peter's mother-in-law is ill.  Jesus heals in many ways throughout the Gospels, but perhaps what we can note here is something about this "restoration" of Peter's mother-in-law.   The fever "leaves" her (via Jesus' hand) in the same sense in the Greek that our sins "leave" us in the same root word we translate as "forgive."  She then returns to her place to "serve" in the same sense of the word from which "deacon" derives (as in the disciples who served the broken bread at the Last Supper).  She then is free to "minister" to them (yet another translation).  Looking yet again at the language in the Greek, "rising up" is akin to awakening from sleep, also of spiritual significance in terms of her taking her place in this ministry.   Jesus' ministry transfigures all relationships.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Jesus' healing ministry is established early on here in Galilee.  Healing and the casting off of demons are intertwined; the spiritual battle behind this ministry is clear in the hints given us.  But it's still a kind of hidden battle; the demons are forbidden from expressing Jesus' identity openly.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study bible points out that "Mark is the only Gospel which gives us a full 24-hour day in Jesus' life, a day built around prayer and ministry.  Jesus is the model for both, and He does not separate them.  Jesus' priority is prayer to His Father:  prayer before service.  He goes to a solitary place to be free from distraction, despite the multitudes' need of Him.  His ministry comes out of His relationship with His Father, not foremost out of people's need.  Here He moves along to the next towns.  He knows His task, and performs it although the crowds clamor around Him."

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.   A note here reads:  "As the dialogue between the leper and Jesus demonstrates, Jesus heals from compassion -- not from duty or a need to prove Himself, or in order to gather a following.  Jesus' authority is comprehensive:  (1) in teaching, (2) over demons, and (3) over sickness -- powerful testimony to His divinity.  But He wishes this and His messiahship to be kept a secret."

By the end of today's reading, it's very clear that Jesus' ministry is spreading like wildfire; He can't be contained in anything He does, even when He forbids the healed leper from speaking.  His fame has spread everywhere, so that it is no longer possible for Him to openly enter the city but must remain outside in deserted places, while people come to Him from every direction.  There's always something in the Gospels about the actions of "the people" that we have to look at.  The crowds are the crowds.  In another note in my study bible, it's said that  "the crowds follow the crowds."  Again we get this sense of a sort of chorus in an ancient Greek play, where the crowds are simply there as backdrop and show the response of the world.  Jesus doesn't respond to the crowds as my study bible notes in the above verses; His sense of authority, duty and ministry comes from the Father, and everything begins with prayer, including the day portrayed here in today's reading.  I think that Jesus' response to the crowds must also give us pause.  What determines what we do, what we think, how we feel and judge about things?  We are also taught that Jesus acts from compassion.  This word for compassion in the Greek is the word from which we derive "spleen" but it indicates an inner sense of being moved, of a depth of feelings in our inner core -- almost the way one might say one feels "in the gut" or in the heart.  But let's make this clear, from the beginning -- and in this case, in the early morning -- Jesus is responding to the things given by the Father, and not merely to the crowds and the demands of others.  There's a connection here to the leper who wishes to be cleansed, but it's an extension of Jesus' relation as Son to the Father, an extension of this love.  And I believe that's what we are to see in this ministry.  Jesus' is a transforming and transfiguring ministry.  If we but look again at Peter's mother-in-law and her capacity also to minister being restored to her, if we look at the relationship of these two sets of brothers (Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John Zebedee) who are also called by Jesus to ministry and discipleship, and even this healed leper who is cleansed and told by Jesus to go to the priest and be restored to the temple community, we see Jesus' transfiguring grace at work.  In this extension of love and mercy through relationship to the Father we see the root of justice at work.  Through "liberation" (from a fever, from leprosy, from a demon) Jesus restores right-relatedness, the true righteousness of this Kingdom in relation to the Father and the full nature of what this Kingdom is all about.  That's the root that we must see, in contrast to "the crowd."  This Kingdom is not about what people demand, emotions that are easily swayed.  Rather it is about right-relationship, restoration, and transfiguration so that we all may attain to whatever place in that ministry that may be filled by us.  This is His healing work and we are all called to be a part of it.  So start your time today with prayer.  Find your place in the extension of God's mercy that asks you to give your life for this purpose:  not to the crowds, but to this root of all-transfiguring grace.  You may be led not to speak of some things.  You may be led to serve.  You may find yourself restored to community in particular ways and through particular means.  It comes down to where we start in prayer, what (or who) we seek to serve -- and what our liberation is for. 

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 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

On Saturday, our previous reading told of an encounter between Jesus and some of the leadership of the temple, the Pharisees and scribes. These men were complaining about Jesus' disciples, that they did not perform the ritual purification of washing. They ask Jesus why His disciples do not hold to the tradition of the elders; this is an oral tradition of interpretations of the Law. Jesus replies that they are hypocrites, for this oral tradition is upheld in instances where it in fact prevents the purposes of the Law of Moses from being carried out. He teaches the crowds that "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." Later, he explains in private to His disciples that it is not food - what goes into a man - that defiles, but rather what comes out. That is, the things that come from the heart can pollute such as evil thoughts, envy, "adulteries, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." See This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. In Mark's gospel, Jesus repeatedly travels from Jewish to Gentile territory, and back again, and we are given His encounters in each. Now Jesus is in Gentile territory again. These are Gentile cities on the coast of Palestine.

And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. It's really so fascinating that Jesus tries a number of times to escape the crowds that follow Him everywhere. He has tried to get away with the apostles, to rest and speak with them, just before the feeding of the five thousand. After this event, He withdrew to the mountain to pray alone, but we learned that His disciples needed Him, prompting another astonishing miracle. Yet again, in today's reading, Jesus goes into a home and didn't want anyone to know of Him, but "He could not be hidden." The mysterious Messiah would be elusive, but try as He might, He cannot be hidden. Everyone seeks Him out, everywhere - even here in Gentile territory.

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. This story appears elsewhere in the Gospels, and I quite love it. This Greek-speaking woman pursues Jesus for a purpose - she wants healing for her daughter. The sense in which she asks is kind of like a "special request" or a question posed from a student to a teacher. She needs an answer.

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." This seems like an extraordinarily insulting and harsh answer. Perhaps it reflects His growing tiredness during this ministry where He is seemingly forever seeking rest, to elude the crowds that follow Him everywhere. But if we think more closely about it, there are several other things going on - in this particular answer. Women play such a great role in all the Gospels, and here is no exception. This is unusual, first of all, for a Gentile woman to be speaking to a Jewish man at all - especially in such a forward way! She's pushy! Secondly, she asks as if she is in personal relationship with Him, like a favored student, a pupil who's been chosen by a master to be a disciple. So when He says, "let the children be filled first," it's understood that He's speaking of the "children of Israel," to whom He has first been sent. But there is more here. Jesus' answer, while seemingly insulting, is also a little sly and subtle. He doesn't send her away. Rather, in some way, He goads her. She's already pestering Him; in this sense we might think that she is like a small dog, under the table, begging to be fed.

And she answers likewise, immediately catching on to the metaphor: And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." She's not one of the ones sitting at the table with the other "students," but she is there, and she also wishes to be fed and to be heard. 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." She's not put off at all, rather she answers back!

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. He rewards her persistent behavior. In a commentary by Chrysostom, he notes that Jesus must have intended all along to help the woman, otherwise the healing of the daughter would not have happened. But her great persistence, her deep desire for something from Christ - a healing for her daughter - is something special and rewarded and desired. Chrysostom writes that Jesus goes out of His borders (as a Jew in Gentile territory) and so does she (as a non-Jewish woman who speaks up to Him), and so they come together in relationship. This is the image of prayer; it is relationship and communion. It is also a sort of "wrestling with God" as appears earlier in Scripture. In the best Jewish tradition, this woman does the same. Jacob was told, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome." But note, this struggle is for blessing and communion and a recognition of the mastery of God; likewise this woman asks for the Master of all to command the enemy, a demon, out of her daughter. She becomes a subject of this kingdom, and this she begs for her 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. The Decapolis is again a Greek-speaking region, and this is home territory to Jesus, near 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 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. My study bible says here: "Jesus heals in various ways. Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act (take up a bed; wash in a pool), sometimes He touches people. Here He takes a man aside for a private and unusual act of healing. The ways of God at times do not make sense to us, not because He is illogical, but because His nature transcends our capacity to understand." Again, in this reading, we can't help but notice that at issue here is the speaking ability of a man, the quality of his being able to communicate and to express himself. As it was with the woman above, her outspokenness was encouraged and even goaded, and rewarded by Christ. So it is here that He seeks to open the mouth of a man, with an "impediment" -- perhaps he stutters, at any rate he cannot express himself, and it is also connected to his hearing. The language of the Gospel says that this is a kind of chaining or bondage, and his tongue is "unloosed" as if it is set free from bondage. My study bible also adds, "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." Jesus turns to God the way the Syro-Phoenician woman has turned to Him. There are many levels of prayer and communion that are happening in today's reading, and layers of freedom, of unleashing, throughout.

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 is the irony: the man's tongue is "loosed" and his mouth and ears are "opened" but we are back in Jewish territory, and Jesus wants the man and His friends to tell no one. "But the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it." To make the deaf to hear and the mute to speak is quite literally an attribute of the Messiah, straight from prophecy. My study bible says, "Here Jesus' attempt to keep His messianic identity a secret is foiled by the people's enthusiasm. The gospel is so powerful that it simply cannot be contained."

So, in today's reading, we receive layers of communication and freedom. Borders are crossed, boundaries are dropped. The woman is free to speak to Jesus, even to answer Him back in a quite snappy way while she demands help for her daughter and pesters Him for what He has to offer to the house of Israel: the healing and release from the bondage of demons. The man's mouth and tongue are "loosed" and his ears are "opened" so that he, too, can speak and communicate. His friends are astonished, and contrary to Jesus' words to them, they spread this great Messianic secret about Jesus. All in all the reading is about freedom - freed from bondage we become in communion with our Lord, we speak, we plead, we wrestle. As individuals, we come to Him, and He gives us our freedom to be ourselves in His recognition of our need, and His bringing us closer to God. Christ, if we pay attention to these Gospels, frees us and empowers us. In Him, we are freed to become ourselves, in the image in which we are created. His mastery is our liberation; He gives us who we are, we are restored and out of bondage and slavery and impediment. This is the message of this Gospel. Can you hear it? Can you wrestle with Him for yourself, or are you a slave to your own impediment? Clearly, He desires us all to come to Him. He declares to us all "Ephphatha" - "be opened!"