Can Jesus Lose an Argument? (Mark 7.24-37) Sept. 8, 2024

If you do not know, I have two sons other than the two that you see running around here some Sundays. They do not visit as much anymore as they live in Maryland and have lives of their own, which is as it should be. But when they were younger, they would come every summer and stay with Jackie and myself.

One year we took them to the Carolina Raptor Center to see the birds of prey that they have there and to learn more about them. We went to an educational program where they showed us a Barn Owl and stated that there were other owls including a Barred Owl. Now this was very interesting to me as I had never heard of a Barred Owl and wanted to learn more.

Along the way, Jackie was discussing with Micah (the oldest) about the owls and what he thought of the presentation. He liked it and had as usual soaked up much of the information. Jackie said she liked it too and was interested in seeing the Barred Owl, to which Micah corrected her and said it was a Barn Owl. Now, one thing to know about Micah is that when he is interested in something, he usually gets all the information on that subject and retains it. So, he was confident that he was correct and insisted on his statement. Jackie was equally insistent that she was correct. My other son, Jonah, and I stayed out of the discussion.

After walking the trail with all the raptors, we came to the gift shop and decided to look at some of the offerings they had. There was a book on the birds that we had just seen, and one showed a picture of an owl that was clearly marked Barred Owl. Jackie pointed this page out to Micah, who looked at it and replied with an “Oh”. It was a humorous end to an argument that started with someone who thought they knew what they were talking about and found out that they did not.

The text for today is really two stories. One is of Jesus and a woman. The other is of Jesus and his healing a man. Though they are tied together by the lectionary, most will preach on one or the other story because they both are full enough to be preached on their own merits. I have chosen the first text because it is a bit shocking and revelatory.

Today we find Jesus in a new place and a new situation. He was trying to get away from the crowds that had been following and questioning him. He was busy healing and casting out spirits from those who came to him in need. He was finished (for the time) teaching and debating with the Pharisees and scribes. He needed, and wanted, to get away from all this for a little while. To do so he traveled to the region of Tyre and there went to a house wanting no one to know he was there. This was a good attempt to be away as Tyre was a Greek, or Gentile, area and not as many Jews would have been there as in Galilee. Though there were not many Jews, it is most probable that Jesus stayed with a Jewish host so that ritual uncleanness was avoided. And though he tried to not be known and probably went to great lengths to remain anonymous, news travels fast and he was discovered. The text tells us that immediately, not wasting any time, upon hearing about him (that he was in the area) a woman, and not just any woman, but a Greek/Gentile, sought him out and fell at his feet.

Now this woman had a daughter who had an unclean spirit. She fell at Jesus’ feet to ask him to remove the demon (notice that it is no longer an unclean spirit) from her daughter. This is interesting as an unclean spirit is sometimes not a demon. But the fact that it changes to a demon is a fact that is often missed. Why does it change? There is really no good evidence to explain this, so we have to go along with the text and assume that it was a demon in the first place.

Obviously, the news of Jesus’ deeds had reached this region, and this woman believed that he could do what she asked him to do. The fact that she was a Greek and a Syrophoenician is interesting. We find someone who understood healings and exorcisms and knew that Jesus had done these in his ministry. What she asked was not unusual for Jesus to hear but it was unusual for one from a different people to ask as there probably were others who were known to be able to do the same thing in the area.

We are not told the mood of Jesus as this point. He may have been tired. He may have been frustrated that what he wanted (to escape notice) had not worked. He may have been aggravated that here was someone asking for something from him again. Whatever he was feeling, Jesus answers in a way that is startling for us who have a picture of him being kindly and gentle with all. He says, “First, let the children be satisfied; it is not good to take bread from them and give it to the dogs.” Is Jesus saying that this woman is a dog? Is this what he thinks of women and those who are not Jews? In ancient Israel dogs were not seen as members of the family the way that they are today. They were viewed as scavengers that were on the fringes of villages and towns. They were to be avoided at all costs. This was the view of most Jews toward Gentiles. Was Jesus actually saying this about this woman? Was he stating a racist view of these people? Could this be the human side of Jesus coming through; tired, frustrated and cranky? Maybe so. But there it is. Now, in the Greek the words here for dog (kunariois and kunaria) mean “little dog”. We find that this is meant to be dogs that are in the house, perhaps pets, but inside dogs, not stray or feral dogs. While this softens the blow a little bit and many use this to try to get Jesus in a better light, Jesus is still calling these people, and this woman, dogs. And the reason for him saying this is because, he says, he came to minister to those he has tried to get away from for a little while, the Jews, the children of God. It is most disturbing when we hear this and is why many preachers elect to preach on the second part of the text for today.

But the woman is not deterred by the response of Jesus. It seems that she takes the insult quite well. She very adroitly states that what Jesus says is true, but even the dogs get to eat the scraps the fall from the table. There are those in the area who may not be the children but are still at the table, although under it. They are to receive the blessings and the food that the children eat though it may be to a lesser extent. She may be a dog, but she knows that dogs eat when there are children at a table.

Jesus realizes that this woman understands the statement he made. He also realizes that she out maneuvered him and his argument. His reply to her is simple: “Because of this word (statement), go, the demon has gone out of your daughter.” There is no exclamation of what faith this woman has, no claim that she must have something those in Israel do not have, just a simple statement. This does not change the ministry from Jews to the Greeks or Gentiles, but a simple granting of a request. The Jews are still the ones to whom Jesus came to minister to. But it is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry and is seen as a moment in Mark’s gospel where he is speaking to those listening (a primarily Gentile audience) that Jesus came to minister to the whole world as well as the Jews.

The woman shows faith that her request was granted by not saying anything else to Jesus, but by going to her home. There she finds her daughter on her couch (or bed) with the demon gone. The woman believed that what Jesus spoke was done. No demands for proof or formulas. She simply trusted that the word Jesus gave in reply to her word was all that was needed.

Can Jesus lose an argument? We like to believe that Jesus is all-knowing because of creeds and doctrine. There are those who state that Jesus really knew how the woman would answer, he just wanted her to express her faith. Or they say that he was using his answer as a foil, not really meaning it in a pejorative manner, but that he had a twinkle in his eye when he said it. They say that he stated it in such a way that the only way the woman could have answered was in the way that she did. I don’t think that is what is happening here.

I believe that Jesus was tired, and he probably was the same way we get when we are tired, cranky. His response was curt and brooked no argument. But the woman’s reply must have sparked something in him that showed he was wrong in his brushing her off in such a harsh manner. His reply is one of someone saying, “You know what, you’re correct.” The Common English Bible states that Jesus replied, “Good answer!” The woman did not state that all people are equal (though they are) and that he needed to remember that. No, she accepted what he said about her and others, but also stated that even those who were looked down upon were able to be at the table.

Her tenacity is a testament to her faith. Many would have slinked away when they received an answer like the one that Jesus gave. But not this woman. She believed that here was one who could help her, and she was not about to let him get off so easily. Because of this and her answer, her daughter was made whole again.

Are we as tenacious as this woman? When we talk to God in prayer, what is our position? Leanne Van Dyk says, “One immediate connection of this story to our personal and ecclesial lives is the model of this audacious prayer. Our prayers are often meager and tepid. We pray in the subjunctive, using phrases that express our wishes and suggest possible actions to God. Sometimes our prayers do not convey confidence or urgency. It must quickly be said that such prayers do have some solid theology behind them! We do not know the mind of God. We are unaware of God’s particular providential plans. A prayer that sighs out, “Not my will, but yours be done” was prayed by none other than Jesus himself. The Syrophoenician woman models a no-holds-barred form of prayer that might instruct our personal and congregational prayers. This Gentile woman argued with Jesus; should our prayers be more argumentative, more filled with lament?”[1]Our prayers can be arguments, wrestling with God. The Psalms are full of lament and anger where the writer cries out to God, “Where are you?” And the prophets (such as Moses) argue with God that the people are God’s people. God has been known to change God’s mind when these arguments are presented. A prime example of this is when Abraham argues for Sodom and Gomorrah. God is willing to not destroy those two cities if a certain number was found because Abraham argued with God.

Are we willing to argue with God? Many would say as king Ahaz did to Isaiah, “God forbid! I don’t want to test God!” But I believe that God is able to take an argument and like Jesus is able to state, “Good answer! Because of this…” What would our lives look like if we were as bold as this Syrophoenician woman? Can we get over our thoughts that God does not like us to argue, that we are to acquiesce to what God “plans” for us? I believe you know the answer. The woman did. Amen.

[1]Green, Joel B.; Long, Thomas G.; Powery, Luke A.; Rigby, Cynthia L.; Sharp, Carolyn J.. Connections: Year B, Volume 3: Season after Pentecost (Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship) (p. 298). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.