Scripture/Sermon of the Day

24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And when she went home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Cures a Deaf Man

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

I. When you hear this story — FIRST — why did Mark have to tell us that she was Syrophoenician? He could hav said, “A woman approached Jesus.” In other places in the gospels, this is all the information given — a man or a woman who needs healing comes to Jesus. Like the woman who went to Jesus who had a bleeding problem. She wanted to be healed without showing herself to Jesus. Just touch the hem of his robe — from behind. But where was she from? Was she Jewish, or was she Syrophoenician? Or Canaanite or Samaritan? We don’t know — maybe the gospel writers (Mark, Luke and Matthew) didn’t think that detail was important. But in this mornings passage, Mark wants us to know that there’s something even bigger here than the woman’s desire for her daughter’s healing, and that is — SHE’S A FOREIGNER!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!! SHE’S A STRANGER — SHE’S NOT FROM JESUS’ TRIBE — SHE’S AN ALIEN!!!

II. I have heard and read many sermons about this passage — and most talk about the woman’s faith. But this passage is about more than faith. There’s no scandal in having faith. But to the people who heard this story two thousand years ago in Israel — this story was disturbing— it made Jesus look like a traitor to Israel. According to Jewish laws and traditions, shouldn’t be talking to a foreign woman.

Why did he go to Tyre anyway? A good Jew would not go there. Why did Jesus go to foreign places and talk to the “aliens” living there — PAGANS, HERETICS IDOLATORS? What will this do to Jesus’ image? Where are his handlers? The disciples need to get Jesus out of there — take him back to Israel and “hide” this story. Clean it up!

III. In the next two months, we will hear a lot about foreigners — whether we’re Democrat or Republican — there’s going to be a presidential election in November and both parties are talking a lot about IMMIGRANTS, FOREIGNERS, ILLEGAL ALIENS. Some say they are “POISONING THE BLOOD OF OUR COUNTRY” (“our country?”— as if it belongs to us — as if we own it. Last I read in my history books — didn’t we steal this land from people who already lived here?). MIGRANTS have recently been called — in political speeches — “ANIMALS.” People crossing the border were called “RAPISTS, BRINGING CRIME, BRINGING DRUGS.”

IV. I met one of these families. Two men, a woman and a boy about 16. I talked about them here before — I was at the parsonage pulling weeds from the garden and the boy walked up behind me — startled me — and said “Please help!” because his families truck — one of the tires — was on fire because the brake got stuck. He asked me for water. I looked at the truck and the three adults there smiled and waved to me.

I didn’t want to get involved with this — a truck on fire? What if it exploded? I’m a minister, not a fireman! I went to the truck and talked to the adults — I said “I’ll call 911 — there’s a fire truck right across the street.”

V. All of them, with heavy accents (only the boy spoke English) said — “No! No! Don’t call.” I realized they’re probably here illegally and didn’t want to be deported. So the boy and I filled one of my trash cans with water and we carried it to the truck and the two men threw the water on the fire and put it out. They were so grateful. The woman wore a crucifix around her neck. They were putting their hands together and thanking me and then thanking “Jesus and Dios.” I asked the boy how they were going to move the truck since the brakes could cause another fire. He said they’d drive slow and not use the brakes. They drove away in the half-burned, old truck, smiling and waving and saying “Gracias, gracias!”

VI. None of them seemed to be rapists or criminals or drug dealers. The writing on the side of the truck said they were landscapers. They were here, I thought, the same way my family was here in the early part of the 20th century, trying to have a better life.

VII. Which is why the Syrophonecian woman came to Jesus. She wanted a better life for herself and her daughter, who suffered from a demon. Which is why we come to Jesus — we also want a better life.

As Jesus is concerned, we’re all foreigners. He lives in a place he calls the kingdom of heaven, where there is only love and forgiveness and mercy, and we’re in a land full of suffering, hatred, name-calling, violence, and retribution. These are our demons. So we come to Jesus, as foreigners, like the Syrophonecian woman did, seeking a better life.