The Sunday of Abram (G)

Mark 7:24-30

²⁴ And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. ²⁵ But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ 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.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹ And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

There is always a division among people.  The Jews always made the distinction between Jews and Gentiles.  Those inside and those outside are separated.  But here Jesus makes the separation between the children who are to be fed and those who are not fed.  He tells this woman she is not a child who deserves food.

What would your response be?  Come to church some Sunday morning and the pastor tells you let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. You would yell loudly about being called a dog.  You would make a scene and talk about how unfriendly this pastor was.  You would then talk bad about the church all around town.

But here is the trick, Jesus says this.  Jesus acts like the unfriendly Pastor.  But the lesson here should not be that we should act like Jesus, and be rude even though we are speaking the truth.  But we should act like the woman.  She is called a dog and treated like an outcast.  But she does not curse the man for saying that but accepts her faults and disgrace.  She accepts being a dog.

This is the station in life we should all accept.  We are all just bunch of dogs.  We do not deserve to receive bread especially not the children's bread.  But thanks be to Jesus Christ who makes us children of God.  He has offered his blessings to all nations and all people.