First observations on Mark 7: 24-37

Gospel text for Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B [Sept 6, 2009]

v. 24 “He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice” [The Message]. Thirteen foreign men [and maybe some hangers-on] arrive in a town and nobody is expected to notice? It seems that somebody must have asked a few questions and somebody spoke, perhaps after sophisticated questioning, perhaps more voluntarily. Likely one of the twelve? Maybe somebody connected with the owner of the house [landlord/landlady? Host?] or somebody connected with him/her?

Why do some versions say Tyre and Sidon and others just Tyre? Different texts, or is it more like Tampa and St. Petersberg?

V. 25 The woman hears at once. More reason to suspect that information may have been leaked earlier from a local source.

Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. Likely considered Greek by the Hebrews and non-Greek by the Greeks? Matthew’s similar story says Canaanite. May be different stories, but there is so much similarity. Maybe all the labels are true, they are all labels bestowed by others. In any case they refer to a Gentile. In Matthew, Jesus did not answer her until until the disciples tell him to shoo her off. It does not seem unlikely that they were less than polite.

Jesus knew the Greatest Commandment, that neighbors need to be loved as much as selves. There must have been a reason He reminded the foreign woman of her non-Jewishness and its assumed inferiority.

Is the lesson that if we have faith that we all get our place at the table? Or that because of this woman and her attitudes/teaching [and others like her] that the table is available to all?

The demon gets evicted without the physical presence of the Redeemer. Jairus’ daughter was raised off-site as well. Has anybody else ever wondered why some miracles require direct presence and others do not? But the distance healing shows that the power of God is more than a bit of prestidigitation.

The second miracle (vv. 31-37) involves direct physical contact. Same question only in reverse.

How many times do the healed and those around them break the command to tell nobody?

v. 36 Everything he does is good. He has done everything excellently. He has done it all and done it well. How wonderful it would be if things even half as good could be said about us.