About Mark: Few who read these words will be Jews, so we must understand the narrow ethnocentrism of the Jews that pervade the Gospels. Ethnocentrism occurs when we judge the culture of others by our own cultural standards. The Jews went further, viewing themselves as God's elect nation, and all others as inferior and unclean. To be sure, God revealed himself through Jewish history, commencing with Abraham and his family. Much of the Old Testament relates to the experience of this people as a nation, which begins with their exodus from Egypt to establish their homeland in Palestine. From the beginning God intended the whole world to be blessed by Israel's understanding of God, saying to Abraham, "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). But instead of seeing their blessing as a treasure for the world, ethnocentrism took over and erected social and religious barriers to keep the world out.
One of the first struggles of Christianity, vividly described throughout the New Testament, was to break down those barriers to reach the world. During Jesus' life he established the nucleus of the movement within Israel itself. The first disciples were all Jews. But there is no mistaking his emphatic commission to take the gospel to the world, repeated again and again at the end of each Gospel and forming the motif of the Book of Acts where the Gospel is preached first in Jerusalem and Judea, then Samaria, then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The account begins at Jerusalem and ends at Rome.
Mark's Gospel is tied to the period preceding this commission, but makes Jesus' ultimate intentions perfectly clear, as the story in this section shows.
24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Comment: OF CHILDREN AND PUPPIES
MUCH WORSE THAN the Jews' fetish with purification laws, about which the Pharisees had accosted the disciples in the previous section, was their sinful ethnocentrism that regarded all but Jews as Gentiles, inferior and unclean, merely a dog. Today's story teaches what Peter learnt about unclean people in the house of Cornelius, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean" (Acts 10:28).
The heroine of this story has at least two strikes against her (26); she is a woman, and a Gentile - of Syrophoenecian origins. Yet her faith is far superior in its intensity, humility, and appreciation of the grace of God, than that found in any of the Pharisees. The conversation allows Jesus to affirm that he has come to the Jews first. He appears to mimic the usual Jewish line about the Gentile dogs, which she then picks up on with a winsome repartee.
"The command to return home is important for in Mark, Jesus speaks in this manner each time he perceives the profound confidence of those who request healing (2:11, 5:34, 7:29, 10:52)" (William Lane). Placed after the discussion of uncleanness in 7:1-23, this incident confirms that all kinds of uncleanness are remedied by Jesus, .... if we will only approach him with the attitudes displayed by this woman. Though an “unclean" woman, her request is granted. Though her daughter has an unclean spirit (25), she is healed.
Discipleship today: From the previous section we know that Jesus takes uncleanness seriously. Jesus came to promote and personify holiness.
Christians are inspired (inspirited) by the Holy Spirit. It is evident that holiness in his eyes cannot be equated with tradition, ceremony, or cultural purity. If this woman's faith tells us anything, holiness is personal trust in Jesus Christ. Even good humour is part of it. But we should not forget that underlying this story is a tragedy; a daughter is possessed with an evil spirit, driving her mother to desperation. Such cases occur, and more so in cultures like this woman's - where paganism holds sway.
The mastery of Jesus over such powers is clear. In whatever way our lives are contaminated by uncleanness, renewal and release are found in Jesus. Where has your life been affected by uncleanness? What do you need Jesus to do for your renewal and release? Is your approach to Jesus like that of this woman?
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