Mark Study 32
The Unlikely
Mark Study #32 by Michael Spencer
Step into the study, pour yourself a cup of coffee, get comfortable and let's enjoy the Gospel of Mark.
Our scripture this week is Mark 7:24-30. Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
I have been amazed at how easy it is to fail to see those controversies in the early church that occupied much of their thought and energy and are the focus of much of the New Testament. Because such controversies are not alive today, we easily overlook them, or even imagine they do not exist. In fact, the very writing of the Gospels was often prompted by the controversies of the day involving who could be a Christian and how one became a Christian. As good students of the Bible, we should carefully consider our tendency to reinterpret or fail to read passages based on our presuppositions about what the Bible should be concerned with. Such is the case with the story before us. Clearly, this story comes from a context where Christianity's inclusion of non-Jews was a controversial topic. Such a passage is an easy candidate for misinterpretation or simply neglect if we do not see how deep was this concern.
This passage is vitally connected with the previous one. Jesus had staked out a much different position on the issue of "clean and unclean" than the religious rulers of his day. This point of contention between Christians and Jews certainly went back to Jesus himself. His radical reinterpretation of contamination put the emphasis on the sin found within the human heart and not on the external acceptability of food or people. This was not simply a minor point within the teachings of Jesus. It was a major redefinition of moral categories and a completely new understanding of what it meant to be right with God. And the implications of this rejection of traditionally guidelines of acceptability had far-reaching implications (implications not often fully grasped by modern evangelical Christians.)
If the narrative context holds any sway, we look back to 6:30-31, 46 for a motive for this change of location. Jesus may have been seeking a retreat from the crowds and demands of his early success. Chapter 6:53-56 shows that the crowds continue to follow Jesus and demand his attention. Mark wants the reader to know about the crush and demands of the crowds and not only about the opportunities they presented. The Gospels record a certain ambiguity in Jesus about the crowds. He has a compassionate response to them as a healer and teacher, but he also sees the shallowness in many of the crowds that pursued him (John 6:24-26). In the crowds at Jerusalem, we see the early proclamation of Jesus as King and the almost immediate rejection of him in favor of Barabbas. It is entirely in line with what we know of Jesus that he would be seeking rest and relief as well as time with his disciples. Mark tells us that Jesus wanted his presence in the area to be a secret, but this was impossible. In the same way, Jesus tells many people not to announce what he has done for them, but this is also unlikely. Jesus' reputation exceeds his efforts to withdraw into momentary privacy.
The region of Tyre is the region of ancient Phoenicia and modern Lebanon. This was a Gentile area, with strong Greek cultural ties and a superior cultural and technological tradition to the Jews. The entire area would have been "unclean" to the pious Jew and is a demonstration of the truth arrived at earlier in chapter 7. If there are no unclean foods, there are no unclean people simply by their geography and culture. This is seen again in Acts when Peter is given a vision about the cleanness of previously unclean animals and this is immediately followed by the opportunity to minister to Cornelius the Roman in his home, a home Peter probably would not have entered earlier. Though this is Jesus' only incursion into Gentile territory, it is not insignificant. It previews a wider mission of Christianity to a world that Judaism had declared unclean and undeserving.
Jesus' encounter with a Gentile woman needs some background, particularly as we try to understand Jesus' statement to her. It is difficult for many of us to understand the Jewish attitude towards Gentiles without a sense of racial superiority. This is not the case. Two factors really are important to understand. First, the Jews had been born with a sense of "coming out from among them." This goes back to Abraham and certainly to the Exodus. The belief in one God and the ritual of circumcision set Jews apart and this mind-set of being different by God's choice was never absent. Then the invasion of Canaan and the years of conflict with Canaanite nations had reenforced the Jewish sense of separation. Prophets had called the Jews back to this and the law had underlined it. Simply being separate in so many ways laid the foundation for an easy form of prejudice.
Secondly, the Jewish political experience with Gentiles had been uniformly negative. Starting with Egypt and including Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, the Jews had existed under the heel of Gentile conquerers for hundreds of years. This bred resentment, prejudice and distrust. Combined with the natural Jewish sense of being separate, Jews in the time of Jesus comfortable referred to Gentiles as "dogs" and thanked God that they were not Gentiles. Again, this was not in any way a kind of racism or ethnic superiority, but the simple result of history and culture. It is still seen among Jews today, particularly among orthodox Jewish groups that must interact with other cultural groups, such as African-Americans. The results have often been ugly, and pathetic, given that both groups have similar histories.
The woman who invades Jesus' retreat is a greek-speaking Phoenician. We know nothing about her status or background, though Matthew tells us (Matthew 15:21ff) that she knew enough about Jesus to refer to him as "Son of David," so she has some understanding of the context of Jesus ministry and identity. What we do know is Mark's portrayal of her immediate physical demonstration of faith. She falls at his feet- a demonstration of worship- and persistently, repeatedly begs him to heal her demon possessed daughter. Both these actions are typical demonstrations of faith in the Gospels and the recognition of faith in Jesus is one of the prime agendas of the Gospel writers. Recall how Jesus commends the faith of the friends of the paralyzed man in chapter 2 and the faith of the bleeding woman in chapter 5. The qualities of faith are always portrayed for us in people who take action outside of the "normal" because of their confidence in Jesus. Jesus questions the faith of those who do not allow their actions and attitudes to be impacted by their belief in Jesus. It was Spurgeon who said Jesus had an eye for faith like a jeweler has an eye for a fine stone and can pick it out of any group of ordinary stones.
There is some suggestion that Jesus' words to this woman are proverbial, i.e. he may be quoting a common proverb of the day. This cannot be proven, but the statement has a proverbial "ring" to it. The "children" in this saying are not only the children of a family, but the children of Israel. The "dogs" here are "little dogs," i.e. household pets who would be part of any family. As difficult as it may be for the modern reader to picture Jesus saying this, he actually takes a pejorative and turns it into a bit of humor. Matthew 15:24 says "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Mark may not have this saying, but the initial impression is the same. A Gentile has no right to make a request. It is at this point I think we have to make an important interpretive decision: Is Jesus being serious? How can he refuse to help a woman who has worshiped him, acknowledged who he is and repeatedly begged him to help? If Jesus is sincere, then I would see this as a proof positive Jesus was a sinner like other men. I can see no other choice. But I do not believe that is the case. Instead, irony is at work.
The use of irony in the Gospels is common. It allows the Gospel to work on an entirely different level than the level of the text itself. The reader is invited to see something between the lines, or more correctly, in the opposite direction of the spoken word. I believe this story is based on the irony that exists in the situation. Here was a woman who, within the world Jesus had challenged in earlier in this chapter, was not deserving because it would have been impossible for her to have faith. But the reader sees this woman's faith from the outset. Like all true believers, her faith is obvious and not hidden. Jesus words- which I believe are certainly proverbial and probably an echo of the disciple's attitudes (Matthew 15:23)- are what the woman would expect and had heard before. In this treatment, Jesus is testing the woman's faith.
The idea of testing the faith of the genuine believer is not at all strange in the Bible, so we should not be surprised to find it here. It seems to be God's nature to at times go silent, or give puzzling replies and instructions as a way of testing out faith. Life itself tests the faith of the believer every day. Enemies and adversaries challenge real faith. Cynics ridicule it; demons attack it. Even fellow Christians become a test for faith! The father of the faithful was asked to sacrifice the son of the promise. Jacob was given the promise and years of abuse at the hand of a trickster like himself. The Psalms echo with the sound of tested faith crying out to God. Each of us who knows God at all could narrate those times when God has tested our faith. We haven't always responded well to the experience, but that doesn't change the reality of the experience. God tested his own Son and he will certainly test his brothers and sisters. This woman finds Jesus silent, then puzzling. But her response exceeds many of ours.
The woman is not insulted, for she knows Jesus is the one who can expel the demon that afflicts her daughter. Her faith is combined with love and persists. Even the little dogs eat under the table with the family. This is a particularly touching and brilliant answer, one that shows not a trace of bitterness, much humility and, most of all, a submission to Jesus no matter what. Mark does not report Jesus' facial response, but we can easily imagine a smile that greeted these words. Here was a woman who knew that the God and father of the "children" was the God of the "dogs" as well. Prejudice, history and politics may have done their work, but they cannot turn aside a heart that knows God is greater than all the stupid things men say about him. Even among the unlikely, God has those who know and seek after him. Jesus commends her saying, for it shows faith and faith has no ethnic or social boundary.
I cannot read this story without thinking of the faith of African-American Christians. Here are people torn from their culture, mistreated, killed, abused and blamed; people defined as soul-less animals; people whose families were torn about and whose daughters were raped. And all this by people who called themselves Christians; people who sat in church and read this very story. Yet, miraculously and amazingly, real and genuine love for Jesus took root in these people. They recognized in Jesus someone who was like them- rejected and abused, yet good; yet, God. And African-American Christianity has far exceeded mainstream American Christianity in its vitality of worship, its relevance to the world in which it lives and its power to identify with the suffering of others. That is the faith of this woman.
She went home and found her daughter freed from the demon. Jesus never saw her; never touched her. He merely said it was so and it was. her faith was not misplaced. It was for this kind of woman that Jesus told his disciples they must go into all the world. For the world is full of people who should not believe. A friend told me that MIT has more Christians on the campus than some Christian schools. In the midst of Islamic families, young people are being converted. Out of the morass of the gay/lesbian subculture, God has people to save. From the worlds of politics, entertainment and media, Jesus sees many like this woman. And so we are to speak to those worlds, and not simply to our own.
Questions
Why do we need to understand the controversies that may lay behind some of the New Testament, even if these do not apply to us?
Why did Jesus reject the cleanliness laws of the religious leaders? The Jewish leaders would surely have said these laws were necessary. What would have been their reasoning?
What was Jesus' original motive for going to Gentile territory? What does this tell us about Jesus?
Some Christian leaders cannot get away from their church members without leaving town. How could we respect our leader's right to rest?
Michael says Christians are still not fully living out the implications of Jesus declaring cleanliness laws mute. What does Michael have in mind?
How were they crowds that followed Jesus both a positive and a negative? What can we learn from this today?
How does the lesson in Mark 7 after food refer to people?
This is Jesus' only trip into Gentile territory. Why did Jesus restrict his ministry to Jewish areas?
Would Christianity have taken root among Gentiles if it had not first taken root among Jews?
What are the two factors that contributed to a Jewish sense of being superior to others? We often see those who are mistreated by prejudice become prejudiced themselves. How does this happen?
What qualities of faith are apparent in the woman's approach to Jesus?
Jesus response to this woman raises a real interpretive problem. What is it? Would it be possible for Jesus to be totally sincere in his response?
What is irony and how does Michael see it at work here? Are there other examples of irony in the Gospels?
How is Jesus testing the woman's faith? How do we often react when God tests our faith? What is God's purpose in doing this?
Speculate about what Jesus may have been thinking as he spoke to this woman. What might the disciples have been thinking? What about the woman?
What can we learn from the woman's response? What qualities does it show in her?
What would the disciples have thought when this incident was over? Do you think he enjoyed surprising them?
Michael says this passage is an encouragement to evangelism among the unlikely. How?
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