Pentecost 15 B: What the Syrophoenician Woman Teaches
Dear Partner in Preaching,
A lot rides on how you interpret Jesus’ surprising reaction to the request of the Syrophoenician woman. Okay, “surprising” is an understatement. How about down right rude? After all, she comes to him bowed down, in the posture of worship, begging that he cure her daughter of an unclean spirit, something we already know he can easily do. And yet he brushes her off, refusing her request and casting her aside, throwing in an ethnic slur just for good measure.
And the haunting question is, why?
Here’s the traditional answer to this question: He is not actually refusing her but rather testing her. That is, the rebuff, the insult, the rejection – these aren’t real at all but rather the means by which to test her faith, to see if she really, really believes in him. And, of course, she passes.
The trouble with this interpretation is that a) nothing like it occurs anywhere else in the Gospel of Mark, b) there is no mention of testing in the story (as in Job, for instance), and c) it creates a rather cold-hearted picture of a God who taunts and tests us in our deepest moments of need.
If not this interpretation, then what? Why on earth, that is, would Jesus react to someone in need in such a callous manner?
And here is the untraditional answer to this question: Perhaps, just perhaps, Jesus had not yet realized the full extent of God’s mission or the radical nature of the kingdom he proclaimed.
Look, I know that’s a somewhat uncomfortable conclusion to reach. We want to think of Jesus as full-bodied, perfect, and immutable from birth, kind of like Athena springing full-grown from the head of Zeus. But if we are to take Mark’s narrative seriously, never mind the incarnational and creedal affirmation that Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine, then perhaps we should not be surprised to see a development in Jesus’ own recognition of God’s vision for the world. After all, the profoundly expansive notion of a kingdom that included everyone – no exceptions! – was completely and totally novel. (And still is!)
If so – if we can imagine that this woman didn’t simply pass a clever test but instead, and as Jesus himself says, demonstrated profound faith – then we might acknowledge that this brave mother actually taught the Teacher and, therefore, might have some things to teach us as well.
Two things in particular stand out. First, she teaches us about the power of the stranger. Newcomers, strangers, people who are different from us – they stretch our perspective and teach us things about themselves, about the world, and about us. But only if we will listen. And while from time to time you will meet persons as bold – or desperate – as is the woman in this story who will offer their insight to us unprompted, more often these folks sit at the margins of our faith communities if they enter the door at all. So we will need to reach out to them and convince them that we care about their opinion. So one question might be to ask – both in the sermon and in later meetings with leadership – whom are we overlooking? Who is a part of our fellowship but does not often participate, does not sit at the center, is not enfranchised but might have a great deal to teach us.
Second, this woman teaches us about the nature of faith. While it’s tempting to see this story as one of self-actualization – the woman not only believed in Jesus but also and more importantly believed in herself – I’m not sure that’s the case at all. I mean, I have no idea whether this woman believed herself worthy of God’s attention and Jesus’ time. But I do know that she believed her daughter was. That is, she was convinced that her precious, beloved daughter who was being oppressed by this unclean spirit was absolutely deserving of Jesus’ attention and so she was willing to go to great lengths to help her, even to the point of arguing with this famous teacher and healer.
And I think that’s often the case with faith. It shows itself most fully when exercised on behalf of others. This isn’t to say that I’m against self-affirmation and actualization – indeed, I think the promises of Baptism are among the most affirming and life giving there are in the world! Rather, it’s simply to say that we are not created to be isolated beings but rather find our true selves most deeply in community, in relationship, and when we are advocating for another.
Might we on this day, Dear Partner, invite our congregations to imagine that they will be renewed in mission and energy and spirit when – and I’m tempted to say “only when” – they identify those persons around them who need their advocacy and care? I am convinced that congregational renewal does not come from figuring out what hymns we – that is, those still attending – want to sing, what programs we most want, or what pastor we really deserve. Rather, congregational renewal comes when we look around us – to our households, schools, communities, and world – to discern who needs us, what they need from us, and how we might leverage our resources to be their advocates before God and the world.
Elsewhere in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says that only those who give away their lives will find it. I think that’s true both in our individual and congregational experience. And I think Jesus first learned just how true that is from this fiercely loving mother.
Blessings on your preaching, Dear Partner, as the words you offer this week may draw persons from the margin of the community to share the insights God has granted them and invite your congregation to discover a mission grounded in the self-sacrificing and life-giving Gospel of our Lord. Thank you for your ministry.
Yours in Christ,
David
“Perhaps, just perhaps, Jesus had not yet realized the full extent of God’s mission or the radical nature of the kingdom he proclaimed.” How is this interpretation impacted when looking at the whole of the Markan narrative? In Mark 5, Jesus heals the Gerasene Demoniac, and tells the man to share about God’s mercy with his friends. He then goes to proclaim in the Decapolis. So it appears that Jesus expands his ministry to the Gentiles in Mark 5 (prior to his interaction with the Syrophoenician woman). Does this impact your above interpretation at all?
Is it possible that Jesus is intentional in forming his disciples without going to the point of testing the woman? Could Jesus have been demonstrating the logical end of the tensions between races/cultures? In other words, when you treat the other like a dog, children become sick and live in hell on earth. When you treat the other like a dog, it dehumanizes them. But hope opens the door to faith. Hope and faith lead to reconciliation and healing, breaks down walls, and restores unity to humankind. I haven’t finished flushing that out, but that’s what I’m wrestling with.
Thank you Dorian, very timely thought given the poight of so many displaced people in our country and our world.
One thing that always stands out for me in this story is that Jesus does not say “your faith in me made you well
,” or “I healed you,” he simply says that her faith healed her. Healing faith existed before the resurrection, so……….
Also wanted to point out that this is the only one who bests Jesus in a debate, and she’s a female foreigner…..
I’m thinking along the same lines as Dorian. Typically, this story is presented in either of two ways. First, Jesus is a product of his culture and so the woman is teaching him that even foreigners receive God’s grace. Some people emphasize that as a revolutionary new idea. “Hey, even Jesus had to learn. Whoa!” Or, second, Jesus is testing the woman to see if she is worthy of his grace. He doesn’t really mean what he says, but instead he just wants to see if she’s worthy of his help. But both of those approaches are problematic. First, as God, doesn’t Jesus know that his own grace is for everyone? Sure, he’s a product of his environment – but, using that logic, we could also say he is a product of our sinful human nature too since that is our environment as people. Yet, as God incarnate, Jesus is human and also more than human. He gives his grace to all. He crossed boundaries. He doesn’t play by our regular human rules. That’s just the way he works. (This fits with Dorian’s example about the Gerasene Demoniac.) Also, the second approach is problematic because Jesus never tests anyone else like that – not to mention that this text never mentions that it’s a test. Plus, Jesus doesn’t set our faith as a precondition before he’ll help us. If that were true, then none of us would be worthy of his help. Grace is grace because we don’t deserve it. So, in thinking about this puzzling text, a third way struck me. Perhaps when we are shocked at “Why would Jesus call this woman a dog when he’s supposed to love her?” the answer Jesus gives back to us is, “Well, why would you call her a dog when you’re supposed to love her too?” Maybe his original disciples weren’t shocked at his insult to her. Maybe they were more shocked that he healed her daughter. For us, it’s the reverse. We’re shocked at the insult he says, but we expect the healing. Maybe Jesus thinks the same thing about us. He’s shocked when we treat others as if they were beneath us – since that’s what we often do. And yet, the good news is, Jesus still heals. Jesus is still with this woman. Jesus still pours his no-boundaries grace upon her. And he does that to us too. We are broken and pleading and need help in our lives too – so he gives his grace to us. Then he sends us out to shock others, not with our insults, but with our proclamation of good news for all people: “the demon has left your daughter.” If God’s grace is for this woman and for us, then it is certainly for all people. That’s much more shocking then calling someone a b****. Our culture expects that kind of mean treatment of others (much like Jesus’ disciples did). What’s more shocking, though, is showing God’s abundant grace for all – both back then and here and now. Sometimes the law is called a mirror for our own behavior. I think this text is a great example of that mirror and the stupidity of that behavior. Plus, this text is also a great proclamation of the gospel. That’s because Jesus still goes to this woman. (Notice that he goes to Tyre, he goes to her area, he goes to her world – and our world – on purpose). After going to her (and to us), Jesus provides the healing and grace and love that she needs and that we need and that none of us ever deserve. That’s what I’ll be proclaiming from this text.
Several of the preceding and following texts make this an interesting chiasm. The previous pericope in which the Pharisees try to indict Jesus for the practices of his disciples finds Jesus challenging the nature of tradition. It is as if Jesus then finds himself in a dilemma brought on by his own preaching, and the challenge of the Syrophoenician woman. “Traditionally” it was o.k. to refer to someone of her background as a dog, but her insistence in light of the previous pericope can only move in the direction of inclusiveness lest Jesus be indicted by his own words (or his own hypocrisy). The following pericope, the opening of the eyes of a blind man, moves us from one isolated event, to Jesus doing another healing of an outsider, and this is followed by the feeding of the four thousand, also in a gentile region. I wonder if Jesus words in the pericope of the blind man have a double meaning. Yes, the eyes of the blind man are opened with the word “Ephphatha,” but given what occurs next, it may also signal the opening of the Kingdom of God to all believers.
The focus on “opening” helps me connect these two stories. From this point, we might see Mark as an ongoing series of “opening” where more and more of God’s mercy is revealed – to Jesus’ disciples, to the readers, and perhaps to Jesus – as the story progresses, culminating perhaps in Jesus’ cry of despair and the centurion’s unexpected confession where God’s mercy is revealed in the least likely place of all.
Just a note that it was a man who could neither hear nor speak that Jesus says, “Be opened” to. The healing of the blind man comes after that. And, I find your contribution to be valuable.
Thanks David. I too have taken a view of Jesus learning through the encounter revplockhart.blogspot.com.au Which does mean viewing Jesus humanity as a place of learning – Jesus does not know everything otherwise he is not fully human. The responding discussion to your reflection is very helpful and I am revisiting my thoughts. I was particularly appreciative of Kurt Lammi’s comment that the disciples would have been more offended that Jesus healed the child than that he inferred that the woman was a dog – for us it is the reverse. I wonder whether our faith is so often shaped by what offends us more or least… what makes us most uncomfortable. Is this where Jesus speaks to us?
I love this and it brings a bigger theological question: Is God using this woman to teach Jesus (Son of God and Trinitarian God)? Therefore, can God teach God’s own self? Kind of like as you say something it hits you and your mind goes “oh, that’s how that goes!”
Are any clergy readers thinking of preaching this gospel text in response to the AME Church’s call to “every church, temple, mosque and faith communion to make their worship service on this Sunday a time to confess and repent for the sin and evil of racism”? (http://ame-church.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Liberty-and-Justice-for-All-SundayWorship.pdf) And if so, what are your ideas for doing so? Thanks!
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark has asked us to address that and has used the story of Rev. Alexander Crummell as an example of one who suffered from racial oppression and yet persevered in faith and love of Christ. The Union of Black Episcopalians celebrates the life and legacy of this saint and the racial justice ministry of this organization, an outgrowth of his advocacy.
Two ways I see the Gospel relating to this is that this despised Syrophoenician woman through her persistence and faith was a catalyst for the Gospel to go beyond the confined boundaries of culture and religion in which Jesus lived. It is a witness of ‘opening’ to healing and wholeness for all people which of course is the next story of the man who now is opened and receives God’s grace and that leads to the feeding of 4000, abundance of God’s grace. How can we be advocates of God’s grace in the world–How can we reclaim neighborhoods in kindness and in peace? What beacon of hope do we bring to those who are the other? Are we listening to the needs, are we forgiving? Are we hearing and seeing and calling on all of our God given resources to help to bring glimpses of God’s kingdom to others? And so on and so on. Appreciate hearing your comments.
Much is made that Jesus in his statement is “wrong” – which he is. But I guess I see this more as proof that God’s will is constantly unfolding. And that’s the good news for us – that our imperfect world continues to be perfected by God’s Spirit moving across the world and through humankind to bring on God’s kingdom.
very good
Harsh, but hear it in the context of what Mark has been talking about. Jesus is saying, ‘I am trying to get the chosen people here to understand their chosenness; this is what I’m sent by my Father to do. How can they reach out to the rest of the world to tell about this God if they misunderstand themselves?’
And she says, “Sir even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” I can imagine Jesus throwing his head back with laughter and delight. Well, if they don’t get it, at least she does! “The demon has left your daughter.”
I love your sermon thanks
Helpful thoughts for me in particular this cycle as I begin serving in a new congregation on that date and will thus be a newcomer / stranger myself.
All of this talk about Jesus being fully divine and fully human is, in my opinion, an imposition on the text. The confession that in Jesus we experience what God is, “Jesus is God,” or more appropriately for me “God is Jesus,” comes after the fact. It is a confession looking back. If the OT is any indication, God always seems to be learning something new.
Is it difficult to accept that Jesus, a Jewish young male is being racist perhaps. Is he not taught from a young age to give praise to God for being a Jew rather than a Gentile, male rather than female?
David,
Your reflections are always so insightful and inspiring. Your reflection today led me happily away from traditional interpretations.
The shock generated by Jesus’ initial response to the Syrophoenician Woman- both in referring to her as a “dog”, and in making her state her case though she has prostrated herself before him and is already begging him to help, seem to lend credence to the idea he is testing her. However, I don’t believe she is the one being tested. I believe we are the ones being tested and she is the object lesson of a profound teaching. Jesus’ second response to her is that she “is correct.” The rudeness with which he initially regards her ought to be shocking, and so should our thinking that it should be normative for Christians. This is the kind of response that has now become normative in our society, and it is so incredibly wrong. This is a test from Jesus for us all, and one we must pass.
Thanks be to God for the faith of so many like the Syrophoenician Woman who call us to be better than we are.
After I preached a sermon on this text, a parishioner asked me, “If this happened as you say it did, then wouldn’t that mean Jesus sinned. It is a tenant of our faith Jesus is sinless and perfect and blameless. This story is about testing this woman’s faith, and Jesus did not sin.” What would be your response to this?
I think it’s a super-fair question and makes you realize how deep our piety shapes our theology and vice versa. I think I would say that having things to learn, or having one’s vision expanded, is different than sinning. Jesus elsewhere says, speaking of the last day, “Only the Father knows the day or the hour,” etc. And at the cross cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” So…I think it’s fair to say that how God works so save us all in grace even surprised Jesus at times. If nothing else, at least it sparks some conversation. And, hey, he/she was really listening to you! 🙂