Hi everyone, welcome back to the logical.
Bible study podcast, where we do an exegesis of them.
The Gospel reading from today's mass and we are up to Mark,
chapter 7, verse 24 to 30, which is what you'll hear it Master
day. So as always, we'll start by
reading the passage and then we'll dive in and have a look at
what it meant in its original context, which is actually
pretty important with this particular passage because this
is one where Jesus has been interpreted by many people.
Has been quite rude and dismissive. so, Mark chapter 7,
Jesus left ganesa, Rhett and set out for the territory of tire
there. He went into a house and did not
want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass
unrecognized. A woman, whose little daughter
had an unclean Spirit heard about him, straight away and
came and fell at his feet. Now, the woman was a pagan by
Bertha syrophoenician and she begged him to cast The Devil out
of her daughter. And he said to her, the children
should be fed first because it is not fair to take the
children's food and throw it to the house dogs.
But she spoke up. I yes, sir, she replied, but the
house dogs under the table can eat the children's scraps.
And he said to her for saying this you may go home Happy, the
devil has gone out of your daughter.
So, she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed
and the devil gone. So let's start by the context
and what has come just before this, in Mark's gospel because
that's really important with this passage.
So, just before this, there was that Jesus talked about the
food, the ritual laws, no longer applying he declared all foods
clean, according to Mark. So Jesus has just declared that.
Nothing external can defile a person.
So, and that implies this strict barrier that it had existed
between Jews and Gentiles, no longer applies.
So, the barrier that that used to exist between Jews and
Gentiles was, particularly evident when a table because
Jews were not allowed to eat with Gentiles.
That's going to come in quite important.
In this story, verse 24 is the start of our passage.
It says Jesus left ganesa rest that's in our translation.
Now the actual texture of your reader.
Another translation it doesn't actually say Jesus left
anywhere. It doesn't specify where he left
the location of where Jesus left is unknown because the previous
In which Jesus talked about the food laws, it's not entirely
clear, whether that is. So the lectionary that we hear
from has just added in the word ganesa, it to make it a bit more
readable than just though. Translate is just sort of said,
okay? We'll just pick your nests or it
because that's a spot nearby and it helps the story flow a bit
better. But just keep in mind that
sometimes the lectionary puts in sort of joining words to make
things flow a bit smoother that weren't actually in the original
Greek. And it says he, he sets out for
the territory of sight of tire. So tire is a large Gentile
territory about 40 miles, north to the north of Galilee and it
provides an appropriate setting for the account because it's
mostly Gentile area. If you look at a map to date, I
would be on the coast of Lebanon.
So Jesus enters a house which probably means someone's
welcomed him in. That's what if Jesus is entering
a house entire. That means that one of the
Gentiles must have accepted the gospel and has welcomed him into
the house and he does not want anyone to know he was there.
So this was a new region for Jesus, but he's probably already
famous their word has already spread as we know throughout the
entire area. And so people have heard about
Jesus and Jesus, if he's going to go there, probably once at
this stage to go Incognito, because he knows that if word
gets out that he's there, then there's going to be a huge crowd
and you won't be able to get anything done.
Jesus, it appears does not yet want to do Mass preaching to the
Gentiles, but his three-and-a-half-year ministries
his preaching is basically for the Jews.
He doesn't want to do an official Ministry to the
Gentiles as such But the text says, he could not be hid.
So, apparently large crowds found him even though he was
trying to hide, Verse 25 were introduced to a woman, whose
little daughter had an unclean spirit.
So this woman is coming asking for the healing of her.
Child, not for herself. Let's keep that in mind.
So she's not selfishly asking for her own healing.
She's coming on behalf of her daughter.
And she hears about him and came and fell at his feet.
So, this is both an actor Faith because she hears about him and
she believes he can do something about it and she's and
Desperation as well. She's falling at his feet and
Mark, says, the woman was a pagan and another translation
there would be Greek. The woman was a Greek.
So in other words, she's a gentile, this is a reference,
not to her birthplace but to her religion and her culture, she's
from the Greek Gentile culture. Why does Market Play this.
Well, Mark is writing for Gentiles and he wants his
Gentile readers to pay particular attention to this
story. So you can imagine his Gentile
readers when they first read. This would have set up and paid
attention and said, oh, that. That's kind of like me.
I'm a gentile. And then Mark also adds that
this woman is by birth, a syrophoenician meaning she was
born in Syria, a region to the east of Israel.
And she begs him to cast The Demon out of her daughter.
Jesus has this strange response in verse 27.
He says the children should be fed first because it is not fair
to take the children's food and throw it to the house dogs.
Now this at first glance seems pretty out of character for
Jesus because he actually says no to the healing basically, and
it's also seems can be can come across as quite rude because he
appears to be calling her a dog. So the terms here need a bit of
unpacking. So on a basic level it is true
that the Jews did not particularly have a fond
attitude towards the Gentile. So on a basic level at this
historical period, the general attitude, the Jews had about
Gentiles was Of favorable and was common for them to refer to
Gentiles as dogs. Keep in mind, this is a culture,
which is quite direct. People would didn't believe in
political correctness. There would just say what they
meant and generally people weren't offended.
It was just, you said what you thought about it, and that was
it. So, it could be.
That Jesus is just saying. Yeah, Gentiles are dogs.
That is true, in a sense. In regards to, if we think about
Jesus message of Salvation, he makes it clear on several
occasions that his primary mission is to the Jews.
He's not particularly interested.
That's perhaps not the right word of to use here but he
hasn't come for the Jews and anything he's going to do for
the Gentiles is secondary, his primary focus is on the Jews and
so that's that will be an initial level.
However I think there's more going on here when Jesus uses
the term dog and children. So firstly, who were the
children when Jesus says, the children should be fed first
while the children represent the Jews, the people of Israel and
you can look there at Exodus 422 where God calls the Jews, his
children, and also Hosea 21. So Jesus, you are saying the
children are like that. Jews are like the children at a
table. Imagine a house table, we've got
adults, and then children around the table.
And then we have the word dog here or in our translation
house, dog. So the Greek word for this is
kind Ariane and it's more accurately translated small
household puppies. So, this is a domesticated dog.
Not a wild, ruthless dog. This is a dog.
That's part of the family, kind of a A small puppy in the house.
So, imagine you've got a family sitting around the table, eating
dinner. You've got the children there,
and then you've got the dog on the floor as well.
So at a meal time, these household puppies would get fed.
They did actually get food, but only after the people at the
table have had their fill and this is the meaning Jesus is
driving it. So Jesus is using this word, dog
is actually making quite a clever.
Profound theological point. So what he's saying is all are
welcome at the Masters. Abel.
So the Gentiles and this woman are not excluded from the table,
but the kingdom of God, and that would include things like
casting out demons is first to be given to the Jews.
Jesus is saying that, that the kingdom of God and all that
entails has come first for the Jews who were the children
around the table. Now even the fact that he says,
should be given first to the Jews, implies that later, the
Gentiles will get a share in the kingdom of God.
Jesus had a particular mission on Earth and we need to
acknowledge that he has come primarily to bring the kingdom
of God, to the Jews. Not to the whole world.
Although he did, you know, he knew that that would happen.
Eventually, that was primarily the job of the Apostles in his
short three and a half human history.
It was just for the Jews. So by saying by Jesus saying
it's not right to give the food to the dogs, he's not just
shutting the woman down. He's actually letting the
gentlewoman know that there is a distinction here between Jews
and Gentiles. And that if she wants to be part
of the kingdom of God, she needs to do some extra work here in
order to do a miracle. So in a sense here, Jesus is not
shutting her down what he's doing.
He's actually asking the woman to go a bit further and to
justify her request. So he's testing her face.
In a sense. And her response here in verse
28 is yes, sir. And so she acknowledges she
agrees with him. She doesn't argue with him.
She acknowledges that what he said is a true principle and a
better translation of Sir here is Lord, she's the only person
in the entire Gospel of Mark, who recognizes Jesus as Lord.
And so she calls him Lord. So from this, we can gather
she's not just using him. She actually knows who he is and
respects him as we said in an earlier podcast.
There's some debate about Out what Lord means when it's used
in the gospels, because it had two meanings in that culture.
It could mean, Lord is in just someone above, me could also
mean Lord is in God. And so, that's a legitimate
meaning, either way And we don't know which one that she means
here. So she's she says, yes, sir.
But the house dogs under the table, can eat the children
scraps. So the woman acknowledges that
salvation does primarily belong to Israel.
And she's willing, she says, I'm willing to settle for crumbs.
So this admission shows that she is interested in the broader
picture of the kingdom of God. She's not just interested in her
own selfish motives. It is quite an interesting
active Faith. This is a gentile acknowledging
that the Jews have first. first pickings of the kingdom of God,
this is quite a profound Insight that she has Verse 29.
Jesus says for saying this you may go home happy or another
translation is you may go your way.
So we can interpret This Woman's response as her just being
clever as in, she was able to think quickly on the spot and
say something clever. But I think Jesus understands
here that in order for her to have said this, she must have
great insight and Faith. So the woman's not just being
smart, she's actually showing great faith by acknowledging
that. She really only can have the
scraps but she says she's willing to settle for scraps of
the kingdom of God. So he says to the woman, the
demon has left your daughter. So Jesus grants healing to the
woman's daughter from a distance, which is interesting.
As a reward for the woman's Faith.
Perhaps, the only other time Jesus does heal a dip at a
distance here without seeing the person.
It appears the only other time he does.
This is with the centurions servant who is also a gentile in
Matthew 8 heals the Gentile servant from a distance just as
he does to the Gentiles. Here.
So there might be some sort of meaning here in terms of, if
there are Gentile, Jesus only heals from a distance.
There might be, there might be some theological inside there,
perhaps. We could say that Mark wants his
readers to know this, at least people can experience the Lord's
power. Even if they have never seen or
touched him provided, they have faith.
And that would have been quite reassuring to Marks Heroes,
because most of them would have never seen or touched Jesus,
either. First Thirty.
So she went off to her home and find a found the child lying on
the bed, and the devil gone. So Jesus rewards, her faith by
granting the healing she desires and in doing.
So, Jesus demonstrates that although he's come primarily for
the Jews, he is prepared to assist individual Gentiles in
need without compromising his singular Mission to Israel.
And obviously, Mark wants his gentle readers to know that the
Jesus has come to help Gentiles in need as well.
So there's been a lot of there is a lot of commentary about
this passage and what it means in terms of the early church
wrestling with this idea of is, the kingdom of God open to
Gentiles to. And obviously, that's a big
theme in the book of Acts. So, interestingly Luther Martin
Luther in the Middle Ages. Had a nice summary of this
passage. He says, the woman took Christ
at his words. He then treated her, not as a
dog, but as a child of Israel, So, and I think that's quite
true by sensing the woman's Faith.
Jesus chooses to treat her as though, she were a child of
Israel who deserves the kingdom. Now interestingly, if you've
read on a little further in Mark, Mark will soon actually
share an abundance of bread with Gentiles.
He actually goes on to share more than just scraps if you
like with Gentiles. He shares a massive meal with
them and that's your Mark chapter 8.
So in a sense, it could be that this sorrow Phoenician woman
opens. The way for further miracles for
the Gentiles in the gospel of Mark.
And all of these issues were being discussed at the time that
Mark is riding around 55 ad, the early church was heatedly
debating if and how the Gentiles could become followers of God.
So this passage could have quite sick could have been quite
significant in the early Christian Community because it
implies that all people, both Jews and Gentiles can have
fellowship with God and eat at the master's table.
Jesus is creating here, the eschatological or the final
people of God who are from all languages and Nations So there's
a lot of additional theological insights, that could come from
this passage but hopefully the way we've unpacked it in terms
of looking at the meaning of the word, dog and children helps us.
See, at least what? Jesus was probably trying to
communicate on the most literal sense here.
How does the Catholic Church develop teachings based on this
passage? Well, obviously we've discussed
a couple of things already with the church saying that the
kingdom of God is open to everyone.
And then also in paragraph 2616, there's a discussion there about
what kind of prayers Jesus hears.
And here's what it says prayer to Jesus is answered by him
already during his ministry through signs.
That anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection Jesus.
He is the prayer of faith expressed in words, such as from
the leper and gyrus the Canaanite woman and the good
thief or in silence such as the bearers of the paralytic.
The woman with a Hemorrhage, who touches his clothes, the tears,
the tears anointment of the sinful woman.
You'll hear that one of the people listed on that list there
was the Canaanite woman who is the woman that we're talking
about, In this passage. So Jesus heard her vocal prayer
just as he is willing to hear our vocal prayers as well.
That's the end of today's podcast.
Thanks again for listening. Hopefully you tune in again
tomorrow.