Second Presbyterian Church

"Come, All Of You!"
September 7, 2003

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2003 » Sermons for September 2003

23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
by The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Psalm 125
• James 2: 1-10
• Mark 7: 24-37

One of the things that all congregations try to do is to welcome visitors. When I was searching for a call, I was struck by how often congregations described themselves as "warm and caring," or "friendly." Part of why I was struck by these wonderful descriptions is that it is DIFFICULT to be warm and friendly - especially to people whom we generally judge as different and strange.

The Jews were not fond of their Gentile neighbors. Neither were they very fond of their Roman conquerors. They hated the Samaritans, their first cousins by blood. The fact that the Jews had no love for foreigners also rests upon the fact that foreigners also had no love for the Jews. It was a mutual non-admiration society; nobody liked anybody very much.

In addition, it was important for the Hebrews to maintain a sense of what was sacred so that their worship of God could be as pure as possible. The Jews had laws and traditions that were used to maintain their sense of the Sacred, the Holy, of the LORD. The Outer court of the temple was the Gentile court. Gentiles, non-Jews, were not allowed to go beyond that court. Gentiles, by definition, were not kosher; they were not clean. (Not personal hygiene, but ritual hygiene)

In the era of the Early Church, during the time when Mark was written, the church was in sharp conflict about what to do with believers who happened to be Gentile (non-Jewish)! You can read about this controversy in the Book of Acts, or in the letter to the Galatians. All the Gospel writers addressed this problem. It was the Jews who began looking and expecting a Messiah, a savior. So it is not difficult to appreciate their sense of trying to keep sole possession of the Messiah. After all, why would the Messiah, the one who would restore the throne of David, have any interest in Gentiles? Why would the concept of a Messiah have any relevance to anyone other than the Jews?

Yet it happened, more and more Gentile people were becoming believers in Jesus Christ as LORD, as Messiah, as Savior. So the issue soon became, "Well, if Gentiles are believing in Jesus, then they must convert first to Judaism before they can enter the congregation." Many Christians held this position. Many sharply opposed it.

Mark addressed this problem in our Gospel lesson about the Syrophoenician woman. Is the Messiah also for Gentiles? Is there room in the Kingdom of God for Gentiles? Mark, through this encounter, says, "Yes!" (He also affirms the place for Gentile Christians in other passages.) But here, Mark (along with Matthew) allows Jesus to be established well within his Jewish tradition and the Jewish mind-set to make the point that the Gentiles are included.

Let me illustrate. Jesus is in the region of Tyre. He had been arguing with the Jewish leaders, he had been healing the crowds and feeding them. He got out of the area of the Jews, to get away. He "did not want anyone to know he was there." Too late, somehow the Syrophoenician mother found out where Jesus was. She sought him out. Her poor daughter suffered from an unclean spirit; she was desperate, didn't know what to do. She has heard what wondrous things Jesus had done. She fell down at his feet and begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Jesus makes this surprise response. He says to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and feed it to the dogs." This surprises us, because Jesus is calling Gentiles, such as this woman a dog! How shocking! How politically incorrect! A "politically correct" Jesus (based upon our contemporary sensitivities) would not go around calling a group of people "dogs!"

But wait a minute; there's more than what meets the eye. In those days, there were mercenaries who were called miracle workers. They were people who went about plying their magic, their trade. Had the Syrophoenician mother thought that Jesus was one of these miracle workers? If she had, she would have immediately been insulted and stormed away from Jesus and his insults. But if the gentile woman knew who Jesus really was, she would catch the not-so-complimentary symbolism in Jesus' words and realize he was talking about the Jewish Messiah. And that he, Jesus, WAS THAT MESSIAH! She would realize that the children referred to the Jews; The food was the benefit of the Gospel; and the dogs were the Gentiles. She would even have noted that Jesus referred to the food for the children to be fed, would happen first. There is a clear implication that there would also be food for the Gentiles. Jesus was not saying, "You cannot have any." Rather, he was saying, "Wait your turn; you shall also be fed."

Now you tell me, can a mother with a suffering child tolerate a "wait" that seems way too long? No! Nor should she! Using an old Middle Eastern style, she retorts back to Jesus - without skipping a heart beat, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." What a response! She picks up the image that Jesus developed and immediately responds back in a manner that says, "I will not only not give up; I know that you are the Messiah!" That retort by the Syrophoenician woman said this: "I know you are the Messiah, the one who has come to redeem the world. You are not just a miracle worker! You, Jesus, have plenty of food to feed the children and the dogs! (The Kingdom of God is always overflowing - note the 12 baskets left over after the 5,000 were fed.)

In effect, Mark has this woman (a second class citizen), a Gentile (how insulting!) become the first human being to confess that Jesus is the Messiah! This Syrophoenician mother, this so-called dog, was the first Christian in Mark's Gospel. Peter's confession (on behalf of the disciples) doesn't take place for another 40 verses, in the next chapter! Even then, the Disciples don't understand until after Jesus' death and resurrection!

Jesus immediately realizes that this Gentile woman believes he is the Messiah. He responds, "For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter." And so it was, her daughter was healed.

Mark was telling the church to put their differences behind them! If you were Jew when you believed that Jesus is the Messiah, then you have been welcomed into the Kingdom of God. If you were Gentile when you believed that Jesus is the Messiah, then you have been welcomed into the Kingdom of God. Your Jew-ness, your Gentile-ness becomes irrelevant. Your belief in Jesus as Messiah is ALL that counts! Your belief in his death and resurrection is what matters: not your gender, not your race, not your economic standing (or lack of it). As a congregation we are to welcome all who come into our doors; we are to welcome them in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.