It feels good to be in the Gospel of
Mark again. In the Gospel of Mark, there is always this sense of urgency. We
know this because one of the most prominent words in Mark is the word “immediately.”
And so with this word, immediately, we could tend to think of things being
rushed. Almost like a skimming is necessary if you think about it as a journey.
So we may hear stories and think “yeah, I know what that means. Jesus feeds
5000, got it, heals a leper, two guys lower this other guy into the house
through the roof, Jesus heals him, raises a dead girl and lets move on.” It
would be easy to get that sense of rushing around; after all, it is the
shortest Gospel and is packed with many stories AND little detail.
We may even think the same of this
morning’s stories of healing. Here is Jesus on the move! He is trying to get
some peace and quiet, doesn’t want anyone to know where he is and that does not
work. This lady finds him. She is a syrophoenician woman. She is from the other
side of the tracks; outside the Jewish faith and, dare we say, a gentile! She
throws herself at his feet and starts begging for him to heal her daughter. He
flat out rejects her plea! Why?
Well some think he is doing this to
test her faith. That might be the rush answer; the quick answer because this
Gospel has Jesus always rushing around. Even the Syrophoenician woman
“Immediately heard about him” and she rushed in to plea to Jesus. So, we could
think this is just another testing story and move on, right?
Lutheran Theologian, David Lose,
poses another possible answer as to why Jesus answers so coldly. Possibly, Jesus
doesn’t fully understand God’s mission for him or God’s view of the world. We
know Jesus to be this perfect, divine being from the moment of his birth. In
our Gospel of Mark, the book begins at his baptism. So we know this Jesus as
being anointed by God, thrown into the wilderness to be tested, and coming out
of the wilderness. Jesus goes through the world healing people and teaching;
but this teaching and healing is to the people that God had chosen, the People
of Israel.
So Jesus is pretty much “preaching
to the choir.” He is travelling to parts of the land where they know the
customs, they know the laws of Moses and they know the practices and what is
required to live within the law. Jesus is doing the divine things throughout
the Community and land that God gave to the people of Israel. SO, it would make
sense that he knows what to do when he is in that community. He knows what to
do to proclaim God’s community from the inside.
Just as Jesus is fully divine, he is
also fully human. His human nature may not fully realize that God is calling
him to go outside the immediate community; to go to the people who don’t know
God or never heard the Word of God uttered in their midst. He may not realize
that God is calling him to the people from “the other side of the tracks,”
those Gentiles to teach them about the love of God or heal them to demonstrate
God’s abundant love and mercy.
Could this Syrophoenician woman be
teaching Jesus? What a concept! She is teaching him that God’s vision of the
world goes beyond the border region of the Jewish people. She is teaching Jesus
that all those Good things that he is doing is for everyone, despite community
borders, nationality, economic status, race, color, creed.! She is teaching
Jesus that the stranger is just as welcome as the insider!
This is not a story to just rush
through as are finding out. This is one of those stories of Jesus encountering
his teachable moment. This Gospel reading is one of those times where we are
called to slow down and read…re-read, if necessary, this encounter to grasp
that this is one of those times where God is reaching out to a broader community,
region, and people.
That is one of the beauties of this
Gospel reading. This story of Jesus and this woman could be revealing a
different part of God’s character. God is reaching out to people who have
different traditions, languages, practices, gifts, and experiences and, through
this story, God is inviting these people into a relationship with God; to
reveal a God who created everything, shows mercy in the forgiveness of sin,
promises to never abandon, heals, and claims them so that there is nothing that
will separate them from God’s love and promises eternal life.
I think we can all learn from what
God is teaching and who is God using in this lesson. God is using this woman to
teach us about hospitality; inviting people to hear the word of God. You never
know who is outside these doors waiting and wanting someone to invite them in
to hear words of Good News; that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the
forgiveness of everyone’s sin. God is teaching us to stretch our understanding
of God’s vision of the world; that God’s Good News is not just for us here in
this sanctuary, but that it is for everyone!
It is not just about the people who
are outside these doors either. Hospitality is also for those inside the
sanctuary. I know of a person in another congregation that had been attending
her church for years. After about three years, someone asked her if she would
help with a youth project. Her response was “I have been waiting for someone to
ask me to help. I have wanted to help for so long but no one ever said they
needed help.” She has been running the youth project ever since.
This teaching isn’t just limited to
this woman. Jesus Continues on to heal a deaf mute. Jesus teaches the community
and us that God’s Word… God’s invitation extends to those with disabilities as
well. A society that would write this person off is taught and we are taught
that God’s invitation is open to all people, at any time.
So, the question may be “how do we
invite? Who do we invite?” The answer is pretty simple in the question of who
to invite. Invite friends family, people you know who have not been here in a
while. Invite a stranger you have never spoken to; maybe someone you see having
a difficult time. The question of how do we invite can be easy as well. The
most and best way is to ASK! Studies show that most people who begin coming to
church is because they were invited by a friend, through direct contact, or
family member.
Another way is to use media to
advertise. Some of that can be just as easy. IF you have a facebook account;
check in before church. When you get here check in with your location and type
an easy message of “getting ready for worship.” Or, something to invite your
friends. Other ways can include door hangers, advertisements.
Today God uses this woman who pleads
for her child’s health for God to reach out to the broader community. God calls
us to reach out, as well, to share God’s love and mercy with the larger
community: AMEN!
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