Good morning,
Checking in a day early this week, as I’ll be down at Cairn University tomorrow to attend their annual pastor’s conference (and hang out with Greg for the day.)
On Sunday we are going to journey through Mark 7, which includes an interesting account of Jesus ministering to a woman in Gentile country. For the sake of time I won’t be able to go into detail about it in the message, but I wanted to share some thoughts about it in this space.
The woman’s daughter is afflicted with a demon, and she seeks out Jesus for help. Mark records their conversation in verses 26-29:
Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.”
This conversation seems strange to us, because it seems at first glance like Jesus is insulting this woman. Some folks have even accused Jesus of racism because of it! So, what is going on?
Well, it is true that the Jews often referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” The Greek word is kuon, which means “wild cur.” That word appears several times in the New Testament, such as in Philippians 3:2:
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
That word, kuon, is never used in a positive sense.
BUT, here’s the deal – that’s not the word that Jesus uses in Mark 7! The word that Jesus uses here, when translated to Greek, is kunarion. Kunarion means “small dog” or “pet dog.” In other words, a beloved member of a family. In the Greek they look similar, but kunarion is a completely different word than kuon.
Still, Jesus does seem to refer to the Gentiles as small dogs, and that seems weird. If we look at the context of the passage, however, we see that Jesus is clearly using a metaphor. He is explaining the purpose of His earthly ministry to the woman (and, just as importantly, the disciples) in a way that they could understand.
At the time that this encounter takes place, Jesus’ primary focus and priority were the people of Israel, not the Gentiles. So, if He would start ministering to the Gentiles in a significant way (and therefore taking His attention from the Jews), He would be ignoring His mission. This would be like a father taking food from his children in order to throw it to their pets. That’s the point that He is making.
He is also testing this woman’s faith. Jesus frequently did that with people who came to Him, especially when they wanted something from Him. Did she truly have faith in Jesus, or was she just wanting His help?
It’s clear that the woman understood what He was saying and didn’t take the metaphor as an insult. Rather, she persisted in asking for His help and points out (with great wit and humility) that Jesus has more than enough power to help the Gentiles. The Gentiles did not need to wait to receive Jesus’ blessings until a later time. They could feed when the children did, namely, during Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus is impressed with the woman’s faith and gives her the blessing that she sought. The fact that the woman took Jesus at His word and left for her home without Him also shows her faith. So, despite what some “voices” suggest, Jesus didn’t use a slur and certainly isn’t guilty of racism.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Time change this week! Don’t forget to set those clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night. We’ll have plenty of coffee on hand!
- Next Steps at the Bridge luncheon is this Sunday after the worship service.
- Don’t forget that we are collecting canned pasta for Oxford Neighborhood Services. Donations can be placed on the table in the lobby. Collection runs from Sunday through 3/26!
- Solid Rock Youth Center in Quarryville is having their annual auction and ham dinner on Friday, March 24. Head to www.solidrockquarryville.com for more details and/or to register.
- Junior Youth service project is set for Saturday, 3/25 from 10 am to noon at the church.
- Senior High Youth next meet on 3/26 after the worship service.
- If you are interested in sharing special music during our Palm Sunday, Good Friday, or Easter services, please let me know.
Many churches have cherished traditions that they practice throughout the year. These traditions are fun and often help us develop unity and an identity as a church. BUT, traditions can also take on a life of their own. On Sunday we’ll see how Jesus set aside tradition to teach the disciples a revolutionary truth!
See you on Sunday!