Mark 7:24-37 The Syrophoenician woman

Mark 7:24-37

Opening Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Introduction: I find this passage about Jesus’ interaction with the Syrophoenician Woman difficult. Where is his compassion? And what an insult to refer to the Gentiles as dogs (“for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”). When I read that passage I am reminded of Jesus’ human nature who would have struggled at times with the prejudices of his culture during that time period.

I am also struck that Jesus appears to be “bone tired”. Scholars debate as to if Mark was confused about geographical details, or if Jesus really did go that far out of his way to escape the crowds in Galilee. Today’s passage starts off telling us that he went away to the region of Tyre, which is Gentile country. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. There is no mention of the disciples, so I wonder if he was traveling by himself. Earlier in Mark, he has been going full bore preaching, teaching, and healing. He tries to go off with his disciples, and the crowds track him down. They are so needy! Out of compassion, he is healing many who come to him; however, he is called to preach, and if he stays in one location until all are healed, he will not have a chance to preach the Good News in the different towns. He is being pulled in several directions. 1) He needs to teach the disciples, and knows that his time is limited. 2) He is called to preach the Good News, and 3) He is called to heal the sick. That is a lot of energy going out. The helping profession now has a term for that; it is called “Compassion Fatigue.” Viktor Frankl is quoted as saying “That which is to give light must endure burning.” When the woman came and begged for his help for her daughter, I imagine he might have been tempted to say “So tell it to someone who cares.”

However, the woman gains his respect by using logic to counter his argument. She was the wrong gender, religion, and ethnic origin to approach Jesus, but she didn’t care. She was going to do what was necessary in order for her daughter tobe healed. It took courage and chutzpah to approach Jesus. I am sure that his body language communicated strongly that he was “peopled out.” However, when she challenged his logic, he was forced to see that she was a human being.

I see two main applications for us today. The first is how we treat people when we are suffering from Compassion Fatigue. The second is how we treat people who are different from us, whether it is race, religion, socioeconomic background, etc.

Compassion Fatigue. – God has called us to be his disciples. Even though it is important to practice self-care and to have boundaries so that others don’t suck us dry, we are never “off-duty” as Christians. An anonymous forth-century monk said, “The only virtue is not to feel contempt.” Mildred Boesser has told the following story in clergy gatherings. She said that a number of years ago a clergyman (it was only men back then) came to them in crisis. He and his family were taking vacation at home. Someone came to the door and told him that one of his family members had just died. The clergyman decided to practice boundaries and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m on vacation right now.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized what a mistake he had made, but it was too late to take the words back. He was not able to repair the damage he had done in his relationship with the congregation, and had to leave that congregation.

There are also times that we are called to minister in at least two places at once. How we handle that is really important. In 2003 when Norman was in the hospital for the last time, the Doctor had been in that morning and said that Norman would not be able to return home, and that he would need to be on supplemental oxygen if he was released from the hospital. It was starting to soak into my awareness that Norman was dying. I was the clergy person at Christ Church at that time. I came to the office at St. Mary’s that morning just as Michael+ was coming out. I fell apart when he asked me how I was doing. He let me know that he had another meeting he was on the way to, but that Connie was there. He brought Connie out of her office, and then he prayed. He also physically touched me. So, even though he could not spend time with me, in that short time, he ministered to me, and he connected me with someone who could help. I went into Connie’s office and told her what was going on. I went from crying to being able to laugh about some things. She was also able to identify that one of the practical things she could do for me was to take the service at Christ Church that Sunday.

Since we are not ever “off-duty” as Christians, when we do not have the reserves to meet someone’s needs, we need to at least “do no harm.”

People who are different from us. – It can be uncomfortable to “love your neighbor” when they are different from us. Maybe they are in the same denomination, but have different theological beliefs. Maybe their sexual orientation is different, or their race is different. They might be homeless and/or mentally ill and/or chemically dependent. They might even have a different religion. We can still recognize them as human beings. Several weeks ago, I was coming into work. There is a waiting area with hard benches, and then a door that Security buzzes open in order to come into the rest of the facility. I was walking through the waiting area, and called out “Good Morning, Gentlemen!” One of the young men sitting there said, “You don’t know how good it feels to hear that. It has been several weeks since anyone has told me that.” I was surprised that such a simple thing had made his day, and it didn’t “cost” me anything.

Working as a counselor has been such a privilege! I have been forced to grow as a person as I am exposed to all kinds of different people. I have been challenged to see past the tattoos, the baggy pants, their criminal history, and their distrust of authority figures, and to see the person inside. The more I learn about the various cultures, whether it is ethnic, occupational, or environmental, the more I am able to connect with others by sharing a common “language.” When I first started working at Cordova Center, I was easily intimidated. Now that I am comfortable with that population, when I get a “gut feeling” that I am in danger around a resident, I listen to that feeling. It has happened less than the number of fingers on one hand since I started there in 1994.

Just as all the readings today focus on the same theme, we are also reminded of our responsibilities when we renew our Baptismal Covenant. I invite you to join me in renewing our Baptismal Covenant now. Please turn to p.304 in the BCP. At first I was just going to have us renew our promises that start of the bottom of the page; however, we first have to address our relationship with God in order to carry out the rest of the promises.


The Baptismal Covenant

Celebrant Do you believe in God the Father?

People I believe in God, the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth.


Celebrant Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

People I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

And born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

Was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

And is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.


Celebrant Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

People I believe in the Holy Spirit,

The holy catholic Church,

The communion of saints,

The forgiveness of sins,

The resurrection of the body,

And the life everlasting.


Celebrant Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and

Fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

People I will, with God’s help.


Celebrant Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever

You fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

People I will, with God’s help.


Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the Good

News of God in Christ?

People I will, with God’s help.


Celebrant Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving

Your neighbor as yourself?

People I will, with God’s help.


Celebrant Will you strive for justice and peace among all

People, and respect the dignity of every human

Being?

People I will, with God’s help.



Amen.