My family just got back from a little R&R up north by Lake Vermillion. It was incredibly peaceful and gave us a chance to rest – some went fishing, others went for walks with the dog, others just took lots of naps. It was lovely. So I can appreciate Jesus wanting to escape the incessant trick questions of the scribes and Pharisees. He had spent time trying to open their hearts and minds to see the kingdom of God in their midst. But when they refused, he too went “up North” to a town called Tyre in the gentile – non-Jewish-- part of the country. No one would look for a rabbi there, right?
Except a bold and loving mother who would do anything to save her demon-possessed dying daughter. So, once she heard that Jesus the miracle worker was there – because after all, people talk – she defied all the rules, found Jesus, bowed down at his feet and begged him to heal her daughter.
This next part of the Gospel is – I’ll confess – is hard to hear. Mark has already told us that Jesus is tired and that he doesn’t want to see anybody. For unlike the Gospel of John which has Jesus practically floating about the earth, in Mark, Jesus is much more human. In doing a little research, I found that the Syrophoenician gentiles and Hebrew Jewish people were arch enemies – the prophet Ezekiel rails against the Syrophoenicians for three whole chapters. So, some theologians point out that the two tribes probably had much worse names for each other. Others claim that the word Jesus said was “puppy” rather than “dog.” But does that make it any better? Jesus may have been saying what other people in his tribe would say. But I have higher standards for Jesus.
To be fair, I think the point that Jesus is trying to make is that he was sent to the Jewish people, “the children” of God. That was his mission. Yet… still… I don’t like to hear Jesus calling this woman a dog or any other slur. It doesn’t sound like the Jesus I know.
The gentile Syrophoenician woman had probably heard that slur before – but she may also have heard the story of the feeding of the 5,000 – with the 12 baskets of bread left over. 12 baskets of leftovers – one for each of the Hebrew tribes. She was not asking to be one of the 5,000 children. They had already been fed. All she was asking for was a crumb for her daughter. Just a crumb of Jesus’ healing power. That would be enough.
Jesus’ response is awkwardly translated. He basically says, “Because of this Word, go, your daughter is healed.”
I think Jesus recognized the Word of God, the Word of love in the mouth of a person who no one would expect to speak God’s Word – a Syrophoenician gentile woman. And that Word seems to have opened up Jesus’ ministry to all people.
Because Jesus then travelled to Galilee by way of Sidon. That is like saying, that you are going to Minnehaha Falls by way of Duluth. Instead of going and preaching amongst his own people, Jesus goes deep into gentile territory.
And, on the way, a group of people – like the Syrophoenician woman --begged Jesus to heal a man who was not only deaf but also had a speech impediment. While the little girl was healed with just a word from Jesus, this was a very physical healing – Jesus put his fingers in his ears, spat, touched his tongue – and then declared: “Ephphatha” – be opened. And the man’s ears were opened.
“Ephphatha” – Be opened. Jesus’ ministry was opened up. He went on to heal and teach and then feed 4,000 people in the land of the Decapolis – that is - in 10 Greek cities. Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies of the scriptures that the lame would walk, the blind would see and the deaf would hear – but he had expanded his ministry to include not just the Hebrew children but also all of God’s people.
“Ephphatha” – Be opened. Jesus had been trying to open up the minds and hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes. But they were blind to his ministry. Jesus was also trying to open the hearts and minds of his disciples and followers so that they could hear the Word of God in a new way.
When I think about Jesus’ healing stories – I both love them and I’m challenged by them because – while I love that they illustrate that Jesus was bringing God’s kingdom into the world for all people…I sometimes wonder what they teach us today?
In both stories, people beg Jesus to heal someone else. So… one lesson might be to dare to ask Jesus for health and healing. For Jesus invites us to pray, to bring to God both our needs and the needs of the neighbor.
After all, all of the prayers to Jesus in today’s Gospel were prayers for the sake of someone else. These were the prayers of the people.
A pastor colleague of mine was diagnosed with leukemia and needed to undergo a blood marrow transplant. A Caring Bridge site was begun and the call went out for prayers. So…his congregation prayed. His family prayed. His colleagues prayed. His friends prayed. People who didn’t even really know him prayed. It was a long slow process – but earlier this summer, Karl declared – on Caring Bridge -- that he was celebrating his two year old birthday after receiving his new blood. He wasn’t looking forward to all his immunization shots but he decided that since he was turning two, he would throw a two year old tantrum for no reason. And take a nap in the middle of the day. I smiled when I read the cheeky declaration of the 54year old with two year old blood. Prayers were answered. Alleluia!
But what if the eyes of your loved one don’t get opened? What if the fully deserving, innocent beloved person doesn’t get healed?
We were barely done celebrating Karl’s two year old tantrum when– just a couple of weeks later – I read on Caring Bridge that he had contracted meningitis and was very, very sick. Again, the call went out for prayers. And so, of course, again we prayed. His congregation prayed. His family prayed. His colleagues prayed. His friends prayed. Strangers prayed. But this time, the prayers weren’t answered in the way that we had hoped. Karl died.
At his funeral, I had expected to hear about how amazing Karl was. But instead, Karl had instructed his friend, the pastor, to tell the story of Jesus life, death and resurrection. Karl wanted to use this time to open others up to the love of Christ that he knew. That had been his prayer as we had all been praying for him. For during this time of struggle and pain, clearly Karl had grown even closer to Christ. He had opened his heart and his life to the love of God.
So now the question is for you: how do you/ how do we need to “Be Opened” - “Ephathatha” to hear and to see what God is doing in our world and in our community? And in our lives?
Perhaps our prayer could be to open the eyes of our hearts to see God at work in our world. Or perhaps our prayer could be to open the ears of our hearts to hear God’s voice. And perhaps our prayer could also be to open our hearts, our minds, our lives to see and hear the needs and cares, the hopes and the dreams of our neighbor. After we listen – and ask God to open us up – then perhaps we could ask God to help us take the next step.
Thanks be to God who goes in front of us, beside us and behind us. Amen.
September 8,, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane