Sermon, preached at Hope Lutheran based on Mark 7: 24-30.
Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino world champion professional boxer, named the boxer of the decade in 2010. This did not happen overnight for Pacquiao started boxing at the age of 14 while living in the streets of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Manny turned professional when he was 16 years old, and now nearly 20+ years later has a record of 60-4 as an amateur and currently has a record of 60-7-2 as a professional, with 39 wins by knockout.
Manny is, one could easily say, a successful professional boxer, so it should interest us how that came to be. Obviously he had some natural talent however in the world of professional boxing, Manny developed his skills over time in training which included sparring against other boxers. There's nothing unusual rather it is standard practice to have fighters train against other boxers --- it's a case of steel sharpening steel. Sparring of course does not mean that one will be as successful as Manny, nonetheless it an important component of training and is not limited to boxing. Sparring is a factor in wrestling, Karate, Taekwondo and a host of other sports.
This matter of sparring, that is, going up against another for purposes of improving or honing one's own output, is not limited to the contact sports. One place where, over the centuries, a kind of sparring was common was among the rabbis who studied Jewish law. It's not uncommon over the centuries to see such rabbis described as “sparring” with one another over biblical texts and points. Here is but one example, from a reference book published in 2017 including from the period of Jesus: in making a point about the interrelatedness of biblical texts, it was recorded, “This is nicely illustrated in a rabbinic tale about R. Simeon ben Azzai, sparring partner of Rabbi Aqiba” (emphasis added).
Now why should that interest us? Well, do you recall that in several places in the gospels, Jesus' contemporaries address him as “rabbi?” Most certainly it was a term of respect, and it denoted that the person so addressed was considered a teacher and spiritual leader. Therefore, when we keep in mind that people called Jesus “rabbi,” and that rabbinic sparring was not unknown, it goes a long way in helping us unlock one aspect of what may be going on in the 1st half of our gospel reading, one that many of us find troubling.
The challenge for 21st century ears is that this dialogue between Jesus and woman seems to portray Jesus as treating the Syrophoenician woman poorly.
Before we get to deeply into that let us set up the context. The author tells us up front that Jesus has retreated to Tyre, a Gentile area, in present day Lebanon and doesn't want anyone to know where he is --- “definitely did not want.” Jesus, in fact, is “preached out, prayed out and peopled out,” as commentator John M. Rottman puts it. Jesus needs not only some down time, but more importantly, some alone time with himself and some up time with his heavenly Father.
Then we are told that somehow, word gets out that Jesus, now with a growing reputation as a healer --- confirmed in the 2nd half of our gospel --- is in a house, and a woman whose daughter has “an unclean spirit” finds Jesus. This unclean spirit could cover a broad spectrum from epilepsy to mental illness to a persuasive evil. Regardless this woman asks for his help; she wants Jesus to literally in Biblical Greek “throw” out this spirit in her daughter.
Now let us not that by ordinary standards of the day, the male Jewish Jesus could and should have ignored her completely. First, she's a Gentile, and Jews and Gentiles had and unfortunately have had centuries of bad blood between them. Second, she's a Gentile woman in an era when it was considered inappropriate for a woman to approach a man to whom she is not related. Not only did she address him, she threw herself at his feet.
Now remember, back to what is stated in our lesson, Jesus is worn out, wanting only to rest and recharge, and she is intruding. Given all of that, we could hear Jesus' response to her in the context of “Go away, and don't bother me.” Not that that is much better to our 21st century “Jesus is always kind and good” mindset.
Instead what Jesus did say was “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” His meaning, apparently, is that his primary mission is to his fellow Jews, and it's not right to take that priority and throw it to dogs --- the Gentiles.
Now as I have said, to us modern readers, that sounds awful; it sounds -- well -- un-Christlike. In our day and age, when Jesus is erroneously portrayed as a peaceful, white, blond almost inhuman male this seems incongruous.
Now to be fair, although Jesus was using a common word among the Jewish community of that era for Gentiles, there have been countless commentaries on the fact that the word Jesus used that is usually translated into English as “dogs” was a diminutive, more like “puppies.” And based on our tendency in this nation to be far more concerned about our pets than fellow humans, that may sound better. Nonetheless, still, we must wonder is that any way to behave toward a woman who's desperate?
Here is a possibility. We may not be hearing the exchange the way the woman did, and Jesus intended. We may be overhearing a sparring match. Then Jesus' comments to her about the puppies is, in fact, not rude, but an invitation to her --- to be his sparring partner. Jesus may be honoring her with this invitation, because any kind of rabbinical sparring, or even an intellectual discussion was explicitly denied to women in that time, especially a Gentile woman.
The author retelling this event does not give us how much time passed but it seems like she doesn't hesitate for even a nanosecond to dish it right back at Jesus: “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.”
In an astonishing turnabout, Jesus agrees with the woman and grants her request. Note also that Jesus doesn't say anything about the woman's faith, rather, it is her argument that he applauds --- “because of this word” --- “for saying that” --- “go.” We can almost imagine Jesus nodding his head in admiration when the woman fires this at him.
Another reason to believe this interpretation may be helpful is that it in the context of sparring it should not necessarily surprise us for there is biblical precedent for sparring with God.
Take Hannah found in the book 1 Samuel in the Old Testament. In that case we find Hannah praying and praying and praying, and finally has a compromise with God, a child but one dedicated back to God. Or take Abraham. When God told Abraham of the forthcoming destruction of Sodom, Abraham pushed back by asking if God would spare the city if 50 righteous people could be found there. Abraham then whittled the number down, successively, to 45, 40, 30, 20 and 10.
There's also the time when God, speaking from the burning bush, called Moses to lead the Hebrew tribe out of Egypt. What we may forget is that Moses spent most of the ensuing conversation talking back to God, arguing that God had called the wrong person. He didn't win that argument, but, in the process, Moses did receive the help he needed to succeed. And if we really want an interesting review of sparring, the book of Habakkuk is, if nothing else, a transcript of the prophet disputing with God.
In each of these cases, important changes took place in their lives of faith. Hannah got her heart’s desire only to then to have to give him for God’s purpose. Abraham learned more about God's expectations for righteousness. Moses the one who wondered why on earth God chose him freed his people and led them through the wilderness using the tools God gave him. Habakkuk learned about trusting God during trouble.
So, what does all this mean for us? For one thing, it's a reminder that questioning, pushing back, expressing doubt, showing irreverence and arguing are not out of bounds in our relationship with God. We needn't fear that we'll offend God. Of course, God will have the final word. Yet in the sparring, we may receive insight, inspiration, understanding, “a blessing” if you want to call it that --- or if not that, at least the comfort that comes from having aired our grievances, doubts and fears even if the reaction isn't what we'd hoped for.
Second this event with Jesus and this woman tells us that speaking plainly about the things that nag us could be considered an act of faith. There is no mention of faith in this story, yet, was it only desperation that brought this woman across the threshold, across the cultural divide and the sexism of 1st century Palestine? Our faith may be thin or weak, or based on desperation but, even in a diminished condition, it's a route to truth. What's more, faith given by grace is a channel through which God works.
To further support this view, if we read this story of Jesus and this unnamed woman from Matthew’s gospel, Matthew adds a detail that Mark doesn't mention. In Matthew's account, after the woman spars with Jesus, he replies, “Woman, great is your faith!” What faith did she show?
There is one more aspect to this event for in sparring with Jesus, this woman was, in fact, serving as steel that sharpened his steel. This woman had her daughter healed but what did Jesus gain in sparring with this woman? Perhaps like Manny it added strength for the impending journey to the cross.
As 21st century Christians citizens, let us not be afraid that in the hustle and bustle of our lives, in despair, anger or simply with a sigh, sparring with Jesus is not out of the question. Sparring does not depend on when’s degrees whether black belt or no belt in faith, on one’s number of knockouts or getting knocked down. Rather the question is “What is God inviting us to spar?” Because if we have learned anything, that in Scripture, when we do spar with God taking what is deep in hearts and minds up to God, not only do we learn something about God we learn about this faith we have received by God’s grace. Amen.
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