On Line Bible Study - For the week May 11-19, 2009

Lesson 387

Mark 7: ²⁴Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

²⁸"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." ²⁹Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

³⁰She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Donahue and Harrington suggest this story is all about "boundaries". Jesus has left Jewish territory and entered Gentile lands. From history we know that the people of Tyre were not only Gentiles; they were antagonistic against the Jews. According to Josephus the Tyrians imprisoned and killed many Jews at the outbreak of the Jewish Wars in 66. So not only was this foreign territory; it was hostile territory as well.

The "boundaries" that Jesus is poking at and puncturing

• From "friendly" to "hostile" territory;
  
• "private" / "public";
• "Greek" / "Jew";
• "Good" / "Evil"
  

His next stop would be the Decapolis - a grouping of 10 cities who primary culture and majority population was Greek. As with the woman whose daughter was overcome by a demon in Tyre, so too the people begged Jesus to heal a man who was deaf and could hardly speak.

Mark 7: 33 Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. ³⁴He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). ³⁵At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Recalling the conversation that opened the chapter - about what makes a person "clean" or "unclean" - Jesus foray into hostile, Gentile territory is a testimony to his living his own message. One can't help but wonder, however, how it is that Jesus' reputation was such that these "foreigners" would have so much faith in him. Could it be that the testimony of the demon-possessed man from Chapter 5 has reached so many people?

Jesus was not afraid to make the difficult trips, to face the hostile crowds, to proclaim healing (salvation?) in the parts of his world that were both most needy to hear it, and most antagonistic towards it! There is real irony here .... so many of his own resisted him, while so many of these foreigners came begging to him.

Are there ways you are "hostile" to the message of healing and peace (and salvation?) that Jesus proclaims?

We head into Chapter 8 next time.