Session 7: Class Notes

Mark 9 takes us into some big questions.  Let's dive in!

First, a prolegomena (ie things that need to be said before we can say the things we need to say).

In class, or on the blog, I'm apt to say something like, "What is Mark trying to show us here?" or "The repetition of this element demonstrates how important it is to the author of the gospel".  What do I mean when I refer to this unknown person(s)?

I am convinced of the inspiration of scripture.  This means that for me, when I refer to the author of the gospel I am referring to something larger than an individual.  I believe that the writers of the gospel reliedwere reliant upon oral tradition passed down to them.  I also believe that the gospel writers were working in concert with the Holy Spirit.  The exact nature of that relationship is a mystery to me yet I am convinced that the spirit of God was active in the creation of the gospels.

So when I say things like, "Clearly it wasn't important for Mark to talk about such-and-such", what I am referring to when I say, "Mark" is the relationship and combined work of an individual, the broader community of faith, and the Holy Spirit.

OK, back to notes on Mark 9!

Mark 9:2-8 - The Transfiguration aka Disco Jesus!

One way to approach this wonderful and strange story is to ask two questions:

The Transfiguration

1. What did the disciples see?
2. What do we see?

1. What did the disciples (Peter, James, & John aka the inner circle) see?

• The mountain top story is comprised mostly of references to the Hebrew scriptures.
• "His clothes became dazzling white..."  The transfiguration of Jesus into a bright white light mirrors other Hebraic stories.  Moses' face shone brightly after talking to God in Exodus 34.  In Daniel 7:9, God (named as the Ancient of Days) appears with dazzling white clothes.
• "And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus."  Elijah and Moses are prominent prophets of the Hebrew scriptures that both encountered God mountain.  Moses was the prophet by which all other Hebrew prophets were measured.  Both Elijah and Moses confronted tyrannical powers and principalities.
• "Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice,"  In the Hebrew scriptures clouds are often associated with the presence of God.  It was a cloud that led the Israelites by day through the wilderness.  It was a cloud that descended upon the home of the Ark  of the Covenant.  It was in a cloud that God met Moses on the mountain top.
• "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"  This is the second time a voice from the heavens has declared Jesus to be the son.  While Jesus is shining the voice declares that the disciples (and us) should "listen".  Listen or hear, is the first word of the Shema, the foundational faith statement of Judaism.  "Hear O' Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4).  What's fascinating about this is the presence of Moses.  Tradition says that Moses wrote the first five books of the bible, the Torah.  The Torah is the bedrock of the Hebrew scriptures and includes the Shema.  The voice from the heavens, God, does not say listen to Moses, or listen to the scriptures, but rather listen to Jesus.
• The references to the Hebrew scriptures make clear the point that Jesus is in the tradition with the founders of the faith and is greater than the founders of the faith.  The author of Mark is making the point that Jesus is now the foundation of the faith.  Why might this have been an important point to make to the nascent faith community?

2. What do we see?

• Up until this point in the gospel of Mark we have seen a very human Jesus.  His emotions and  physical conditions have made him very relatable.  The healing stories have pointed to another power at work yet because healers were not (and are not now) completely nonexistent, these demonstrations of power have been limited in their other-worldly feel.  At the transfiguration this changes.
• Putting ourselves in this story it is easy to feel the disciples' loss of words.  What would we say amidst such awe?  It reminds me of Habakkuk 2:20, "The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth fall silent before him".  For centuries, Christian theologians have seen the transfiguration as a moment when the divinity of Jesus breaks through. 
• To talk about Jesus as both human and divine is to speak of the incarnation (ie the act of being made flesh).
• The Incarnation is a mystery and since the earliest days of the faith, the followers of Christ have struggled to understand what it means.
• What does it mean to be divine?  (the summation of the omnipresent + omniscient + omnipotent or is divinity more than a philosophical concept?)
• What does it mean to be human? (skin, emotions, intellect, or does the human spirit mean something more?)
• Was Jesus a human that became divine?
• Was Jesus divine and he merely looked like a human?
• Was Jesus the human mode of God? (kind of like ice is the frozen mode of water)
• The struggle to articulate the mystery has led to numerous councils, atrocities, and beautiful wonders.
• For me, the mystery of the incarnation will always be a mystery that invites us to explore and explore again.  One way to explore the mystery is to ask, "What does the incarnation mean to me?"  In other words, "Why does it matter?"  Biblical scholar Jurgen Moltmann nails it for me when he says,

Jurgen Moltmann

“When God becomes man in Jesus of Nazareth, he not only enters into the finitude of man, but in his death on the cross also enters into the situation of man's godforsakenness. In Jesus he does not die the natural death of a finite being, but the violent death of the criminal on the cross, the death of complete abandonment by God. The suffering in the passion of Jesus is abandonment, rejection by God, his Father. God does not become a religion, so that man participates in him by corresponding religious thoughts and feelings. God does not become a law, so that man participates in him through obedience to a law. God does not become an ideal, so that man achieves community with him through constant striving. He humbles himself and takes upon himself the eternal death of the godless and the godforsaken, so that all the godless and the godforsaken can experience communion with him.” - JM

Oh and...

“God allows himself to be humiliated and crucified in the Son, in order to free the oppressors and the oppressed from oppression and to open up to them the situation of free, sympathetic humanity.” - JM

Oh, oh, and...

“God became man that dehumanized men might become true men. We become true men in the community of the incarnate, the suffering and loving, the human God.” - JM

You might just want to check out Jurgen Moltmann's "The Crucified God"

Finally, the story of the Transfiguration is the story of a "Thin Place."  We spoke a little about this Tuesday night.  Here are a few good articles that share more about this idea.

• Where Heaven and Earth Collide
• Where Can I Touch the Edge of Heaven
• Where Heaven and Earth Come Closer

And now a few quick notes from the other stories in Mark 9

Mark 9:9-13 - Transfiguration Epilogue

• The Messianic Secret appears again.
• The disciples questions around raising from the dead reveals the first century context.  Resurrection was a relatively new development in Judaism.  The afterlife isn't a significant concept in the Hebrew scriptures, when discussion arises on the topic it usually centers around Sheol.  In the Daniel (the latest book in the Hebrew scriptures) we see our first glimpse at a theology of resurrection, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth[a] shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt".  In Jesus time the Pharisees taught such a resurrection while Sadduccees denied such a reality.

Mark 9:14-29 - Healing of the Boy

• While many commentators contend that the boy was stricken with epilepsy the question over what exactly was afflicting the boy is not central for Mark.  The  key is that there was a power at work to destroy him and once again Jesus is revealed to have power over those forces which diminish our humanity.
• "I believe; help my unbelief", a great prayer that could express the heart of all those who seek to follow the way of Christ.
• Why were the disciples unable to heal the boy?  I cover that in the Session 7: Q&O post.

Mark 9:30-32 - Jesus Foretells His Death

• This passage is not far removed from the voice of God telling the disciples to listen to Jesus.  Yet they fail to hear and comprehend Jesus' proclamation of his death.

Mark 9:33-37 - Who is the Greatest?

• It's important to understand that in first century Palestine, children had little to no power.  In fact, the Aramaic word for child, "Talya" could also be translated as "slave".  There were no child beauty pageants, or products marketed just for children.  No cherub baby figurines or Anne Geddes photography with babies dressed up as bumble bees.  Children were not thought of as fully human. 
• Given an understanding of the status of children we see the radical nature of Jesus' teaching that to welcome children (one completely without power and dehumanized) is to welcome God.

Mark 9:38-41 - The Reversal

• There has got to be word here to followers of Christ who write off other followers of Christ because they don't share the exact same beliefs.  Note that Jesus puts the importance on the actions of the unknown miracle worker, the emphasis is on the fruit that is born.
• I discuss this section more in the Session 7: Q&O post.

Mark 9:42-50 - The Unquenchable Fire

• I don't believe Jesus is speaking literally here, yet rather employing vivid language to make a point about the gravity of sin.  In other words, if taking out an eye would prevent you from ever sinning again, is that a trade you would make?  Obviously, removing an eye wouldn't stop our heart from coveting or lusting.
• The word translated as "Hell" is "Gehenna".  Gehenna was a valley on the other side of the southern and western walls of Jerusalem.  In centuries past it was the location where people worshiped the god Moloch.  The worship of Moloch involved sacrificing children in fire.  This history made Gehenna a ritually unclean place.  Over time it became a garbage dump.  It was thought of as always smoldering (whether literally or figuratively with sin of its past) and rotting.  It was an unclean place of decay, death, and evil.

Session 7: Q&O

Here's an assortment of questions and observations I heard from the group during our class.

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What did he say?
Someone mentioned that the incarnation was important for him because it gave him hope that he could be like Christ.  I mentioned that this sentiment reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite early church fathers, Athanasius the Great, who said,

"He was incarnate that we might be made God"

Athanasius literally wrote the book On the Incarnation.  It was his way of talking about Jesus as fully human and fully divine which became highly influential to the early church.  Now, the quote above does not mean that through Jesus we become gods.  This quote is expressing a broader theological concept prominent in the Eastern Orthodox church known as theosis.  Theosis is the lifelong transformative process of union with God.



He's Making a List, Checking it Twice
I mentioned that one of the reasons we might have a hard time remembering all of the disciples is because there are two separate lists.  Below is a chart of the four gospels and who they name as the 12.  Also, just for kicks you should check out this HR Letter of Recommendation on the 12 Apostles.

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Simon ("who’s name is changed to Peter")	Simon ("who’s name is changed to Peter")	Simon ("who’s name is changed to Peter")	Simon Peter / Cephas
Andrew ("Peter's brother")	Andrew	Andrew ("Peter’s brother")	Andrew ("Peter’s brother")
James ("son of Zebedee")	James ("son of Zebedee")	James	one of the "sons of Zebedee"
John ("James's brother")	John ("brother of James")	John	one of the "sons of Zebedee"
Philip	Philip	Philip	Philip
Bartholomew	Bartholomew	Bartholomew	Nathanael
Thomas	Thomas	Thomas	Thomas ("also called Didymus")
Matthew	Matthew	Matthew	not mentioned
James ("son of Alphaeus")	James ("son of Alphaeus")	James ("son of Alphaeus")	not mentioned
Thaddaeus	Thaddaeus	Jude ("son of James")	Jude
Simon ("the Cananean")	Simon ("the Cananean")	Simon ("who was called the Zealot")	not mentioned
Judas Iscariot	Judas Iscariot	Judas Iscariot	Judas ("son of Simon Iscariot")

Dropping the Ball?

After class someone asked me, "Why were the disciples unable to cast out the demon?  Hadn't Jesus taught them how to pray?"  Great question.  My first response, "I don't know."  I can offer a couple of reflections though on the question.  First let's look at the verse.

"When Jesus had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, 'Why could we not cast the demon out?' He said to them, 'This kind can come out only through prayer.'" - Mark 9:28-29

A couple of things to note:

• The disciples weren't new to the casting out gig.  Jesus had commissioned them to such a work earlier in their ministry and they seemed to be successful. "So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.  They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them" - Mark 6:12-13.
• Just after our story in Mark 9, we hear of people who are not direct disciples of Jesus casting out demons in Jesus name and the disciples seem a bit jealous. "John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”  The irony here is that once again those on the "outside" seem to be getting it better than those on the "inside".

Why were the disciples unable to cast out the demon?  My guess,

• This is another example in Mark where we are meant to see the disciples as foolish.  They aren't getting it.  Perhaps the question we need to wrestle with is, "Why is it so important that the disciples come across as bumbling and dense?"
• Jesus said this kind only comes out with prayer.  Authentic prayer is inherently an act of humility (or perhaps another way to say it is, "to walk humbly is to pray without ceasing").  Whatever formulation(s) of prayer Jesus likely taught them, their response to the other who was healing ("he is not following us") seems to demonstrate a lack of humility.  Perhaps, the power to overcome demons is not found in the right words but is a power rooted in humility.

Session 6: Class Notes

Many thanks to Carl for leading the session on 11/10!

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit speaks and stirs within us all.  For me, this means that the work of clergy is to help others to hear and to respond to the Spirit of God.  Thus, you might say that, ultimately, a pastor is actively trying to work him/herself out of a job.

Here are the notes Carl passed on to me from the session on Mark chapter 8.

Comparing the Feeding Stories in Mark

The picture above reveals observations made about the feeding story in Mark 6 compared to the feeding story in Mark 8.  Whether these stories reflect varying interpretations of a single event or whether there were two (possibly more?) separate events is somewhat immaterial.  What's significant is that as Mark's gospel is relatively short (devoting less than 10 chapters to roughly 3 years of Jesus ministry), both stories are included and given a good amount of attention.  The details of each story highlight unique points of emphasis (was 12 baskets leftover meant to say that there was enough for all of Israel [12 tribes], was 7 baskets leftover meant to imply that there was enough for everyone [seven is the biblical number of completion]).  Yet, overall it asks us the question, what is the link between "the good news of the kingdom of God" and sustenance?

Below are Carl's notes on Mark 8 in preparation for the night's study.

Jesus' question in Mark 8 is a turning point in the gospel.  We begin to pick up speed heading towards Jerusalem.  The Messiah would have to go to Jerusalem.  Yet, here he redefines what it means to the Messiah, the anointed one.  He makes it clear that he does not go to Jerusalem to conquer the present enemies of Israel but he that goes to die.  The question Jesus will interpret and inform all of his for the remainder of the story.  His question, "Who do you say that I am?" continues to inform and interpret our choices, actions, and life today.

Session 5: Q & O

Questions and Observations from Our Time Together

In my notes on Mark 6, I noted that the story of the feeding of the 5,000 in Mark 6:30-44 employs the four fold construction common to the celebration of Holy Communion.  The bread is taken, blessed, broken, and given.  I remarked that I believe this four fold structure (taken, blessed, broken, given) is way to understand the life of Christ as well as the life of those who follow Christ.  Let me share a bit more about what I mean.

The structure of taken, blessed*, broken, given*, occurs repeatedly throughout the gospels:

• Matthew 14:13-21
• Matthew 26:26-28
• Mark 6:30-44
• Mark 8:1-10
• Mark 14:22-24
• Luke 9:12-17
• Luke 22:17-20
• Luke 24:28-32

*In some of the stories "blessed" is spoken of as "given thanks for" and words such as "shared" or "distributed" are used for "given".

"Behold what you are. Become what you receive."

Taken - To be taken is to be recognized, embraced, and chosen.  This is most poignantly seen in Jesus life at his baptism.  When he emerges from the waters the various gospel traditions each speak of voice that marks him as the beloved.  "You are my beloved son, in you I am well pleased," Mark 1:11.  The scriptures affirm with conviction that in Christ we too are the beloved daughters and sons of God (1 Thessalonians 1:4, 1 John 3:2).  To be chosen is not something we earn but a gift of grace bestowed upon.  Being chosen by God does not follow exclusionary nature often seen in the world (ie if one is chosen that means others are not chosen).  Instead, when we open ourselves up to the idea that we are beloved by God, that we have a unique role to play in God's story, that we are chosen to live into the divine mystery, it opens the eyes of our soul to see the chosenness in others.  When we dare to see ourselves as taken by God, we can see that none are abandoned.  We are taken/chosen, in order that we might be blessed.

Blessed - To be blessed is to have words of life spoken over you and through you.  Again, in the baptism story we see blessing spoken over Christ.  We see it again throughout his ministry as he spoke words of life over others and as the divine spoke words of life over him (eg the transfiguration in Matthew 17:5, "This is my son the beloved, in him I am well pleased.  Listen to him" ).  We too are blessed by gifts in order that we might be a blessing.  The scriptures speak of spiritual gifts, of opportunities for good works prepared for us, of words of life and healing spoken over us.  Through creation, the scriptures, through others, and any number of ways God affirms the beauty, strength, and good that he created within us.  By these gifts we are blessed with a role to play in the bringing to life the divine dream for creation.  Yet, our blessedness and our blessing though is inextricably tied to our brokenness.

Broken - To be broken is be opened up.  Because Jesus spoke words of life and healing, because he challenged the systems and ways that lead to death and separation, Jesus was broken.  On the night of his betrayal, in the wee hours of his arrest and torture, in his crucifixion, he is broken in spirit and in body.  Even before the gruesome events of Good Friday we see evidence of his heart breaking for creation (eg Luke 7 & 13).  We too know brokenness; broken relationships, broken dreams, broken bodies, broken lives.  All of us have experienced brokenness in one fashion or another.  The reality of life is that sometimes circumstances, sometimes compassion, sometimes failure or success has a way of breaking our hearts and minds open.  We live with our brokenness by owning it and by placing it under the light of our blessing.  Through this our brokenness can because a way that our lives our shared.

Given - In speaking about his life in the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit."  The church has long connect Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant to Christ.  When speaking of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 he says, "by his wounds we are healed."  It is through being broken that Christ, in mystery and in power, is shared and multiplied.  In our own lives, it is by moving through this process of being taken, blessed, and broken that we begin to shed our insecurity, our fear, our self-centeredness and are empowered to give of ourselves.  The spirit of God does the miraculous when we live and speak from that place of authenticity that only comes from vulnerability.  Our stories of being taken, blessed, and broken can be shared to be inspiration for others and help them to see their takeness/chosenness (and so begins the cycle again).

Luke 24 shares a story of disciples wandering in bewilderment trying to figure out what to make of the Jesus death and the wild stories circulating of how his body vanished from the tomb.  It says that as they were walking along the road a stranger came alongside of them.  The stranger asked about their conversation and they shared with him about the death of Jesus.  The stranger proceeded to tell them about the prophets and how this person of Jesus fit perfectly with the message of the prophets.  They were enthralled.  When they reached their home they invited the stranger to stay for a meal.  They gathered around the table and there it says the stranger took bread, blessed it, broken and gave it to them.  In that instant they recognized that the stranger was in fact Jesus.  I am convinced that when we live the life of the beloved, when we are taken, blessed, broken, and given then others will see Christ in us.

The late teacher Henri Nouwen wrote of this in his book, Life of the Beloved.  This quote from the book summarizes the idea beautifully.

“To identify the movements of the Spirit in our lives, I have found it helpful to use for words: taken, blessed, broken and given. These words summarize my life as a priest because each day, when I come together around the table with members of my community, I take bread, bless it, break it and give it. These words also summarize my life as a Christian, because, as a Christian, I am called to become bread for the world: bread that is taken, blessed, broken and given. Most importantly, however, they summarize my life as a human being because in every moment of my life somewhere, somehow the taking, the blessings, the breaking and the giving are happening.” - Henri Nouwen

If you're interested, perhaps I can share with you my experience of living in China and how I see that time in my life through this structure of being taken, blessed, broken, and given.

Marcus Borg

Finally, last night Marcus Borg's book, The Heart of Christianity, was lifted up.  I think it's a great read and I would also highly recommend his final book, Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most.  For me, this final book communicated what I heard so often from him in person, his theology through the lens of a pastoral heart.

I also think the book he co-wrote with NT Wright The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, is very interesting as both Borg and Wright studied under the same teacher and came to differing conclusions as to the Historical Jesus.  It's illuminating to hear their differences.  Oh and fun fact, Marcus Borg was a prominent member of the Jesus Seminar.

Session 5: Class Notes

Wow!  Last night we lived into the feeding of the multitudes stories with a variety of delicious contributions.  I'm not sure if there were 12 (or 7) baskets left over but there was certainly plenty for all.  Many, many thanks!

Here are the notes from our discussion last night on Mark 7.  Also, if you haven't yet checked out Pastor David's Daily Devotional then I encourage you to find it by clicking here.  Aligning with his Daily Devotion was a big part of why were studying Mark.

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We began by following up on the question,"How do we discern Jesus from Mark?"  In other words, in reading Mark's Gospel can we separate Jesus from Mark's interpretation of Jesus?  Well, let's take a look at some possible responses:

• Yes!  A group of biblical scholars, clergy, and theologians came together about 30 years ago in their mission to identify what they called, the Historical Jesus.  This group, known as the Jesus Seminar, used a variety of criteria to determine which parts of the gospel stories were likely something Jesus actually said or did and which parts were likely embellishments developed by the early church (perhaps because of how stories passed through oral tradition evolve or because the early church was responding to issues or their day and they were envisioning how Jesus would have responded).
• No!  Jesus, as all of us, was birthed from and rooted in a particular context.  All we have (past and present) are people's observations and experiences of Jesus.  Rather than attempting to strip Jesus of subjective testimony to give us a clear picture, it is our collective shared experience that gives us a fuller understanding of the person and work of Jesus.  The scriptures themselves lean towards this perspective by giving us multiple perspectives on Jesus.
• Well...  At the core of this question I hear a desire to get to the heart of the matter.  What is truly at the core of Christ's teaching, of his life?  Moving to the heart of the matter is a great direction to move.  It is a thoughtful movement, it is a prayerful movement.  It is a movement that cannot be limited to an "out there" exercise but also an inner journey with God (What I am seeking?  Why am I seeking?  How will this journey change me?). 

Cleanliness is next to Godliness?  Mark 7:1-23
Subtlety is slipping away as Jesus becomes increasingly direct in his confrontation of practices and perspectives that are contrary to his vision of the reign of God.  Jesus takes head on the beliefs about what makes something (or someone) clean or dirty.  Remember, ritual purity had implications that extended beyond, "Eeeww, he has cooties".  If the community deemed a person or persons unclean then they were cut off from relationships, access to resources, and from the divine.  Taking a swing at the purity code was also implying a decreased importance of the temple and it's role in religious life.  Imagine a popular preacher coming to town, setting up a big tent, captivating the city with healing and teaching and saying something that sounded like, "Going to services on Sundays is not important to God."  How might local pastors react?

In this story and teaching around purity we noted a couple of details.

• Verse 3 explains the custom of ritual washing.  Is this evidence that Mark was writing for a primarily non-Jewish audience as he had to explain this custom?
• Verse 19 gives a side bar that Jesus declared all foods clean.  Is this evidence that Mark was writing for a primarily Jewish audience as non-Jews would have already treated all food as clean?
• What's corban?  When the Jesus' accusers attempt to discredit him by pointing out that he disrespects tradition (eg not washing hands).  Jesus goes on the offensive and exposes the way they disrespect the law of God with loopholes.  In first century Judaism a persons adult children were their support system.  It seems though that some were ignoring their responsibility to their parents and the law (honor your father and mother) by using a religious loophole.  An individual could set aside some or all of their assets as an offering to God called corban.  A corban would be taken to the temple as an offering to God and a portion of the offering would go to the religious functionaries for their services.  However, an asset could be designated as corban payable after death.  So, a son (or a daughter, but it was a patriarchal society so likely, a son) could say, "Sorry mom, sorry dad, I can't give "X" to help support you because it is corban" while still using and reaping from their benefits of "X" because it will not be given to the temple until the son dies.  It appears that some religious authorities were either advising this action or at least condoning it (likely for personal gain as they received a percentage of the offering).  Devious.
• What’s missing?  There's a good chance that your Bible does not have Mark 7:16 and if it does then there is a footnote.  This is because not all of the early manuscripts of Mark are the same.  Some include “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” in between what we have labeled verse 15 and verse 17 and other manuscripts do not.  The general rule of them applied here is that the older and simple variations are considered the more accurate.  Thus verse 16 was removed from most bibles as it was not included in many of the older manuscripts more recently discovered.  This idea of variance in the text will be important later in Mark's Gospel.

Gentle Jesus?  Mark 7:24-30

This story is difficult.  You might want to read it a couple of times.  Here's a quick breakdown.

Icon of the Faithful Mother

• Jesus (and likely friends) are in the gentile city of Tyre.  The people of this city would have been seen by-and-large as "less-than" in the eyes of a pious Jew.  This is an "unclean" place.
• Jesus is trying to hide but is discovered by a gentile woman who has heard of him.
• The woman comes to Jesus begging for her daughter to be healed.
• Jesus initially responds by saying that his power is first and foremost for the Jews, that it would not be right to give her, a non-Jew, priority.  In his response he equates her to a dog (dogs in that time were thought of as disgusting scavengers).
• The woman persists and asserts that even if she is a "dog" that she too has a claim to the power of Christ to heal (remember, healing is symbolic evidence or a manifestation of the reign of God, she is claiming that she has a right to live in, and enjoy, the reign of God).
• Jesus heals her daughter thereby confirming her conviction.

This passage can be difficult, if for nothing else than the idea of Jesus calling a mother seeking healing for her daughter a dog, is shocking.  What do we do with this?  How does this fit with the Jesus who was breaking down societal barriers and was uplifting the marginalized?  Is this the same Jesus who just a few verses prior said, "It is what comes out of a person that defiles"?   Why would Mark (and Matthew) include a story of Jesus that seems so contrary to what Jesus had been teaching?

I can't answer all those questions.  I can share a few details.

Many scholars attempt to soften the blow of Jesus' "dog" comment by saying:

• The term Jesus used for dog could be translated more as puppy so perhaps it was a term of endearment.
• Surely there was compassion in his eyes and gentleness in his voice that communicated for more powerfully than his words.
• Jesus was simply testing her faith and she passed.
• Jesus already knew how she would respond and he did this as an example to his followers (likely present) in order to expose their latent prejudice and override it by her faith.

Personally, I'm more apt to agree with theologian Sharon Ringe who calls this a moment when Jesus was "caught with his compassion down."  To own the weight of Jesus' words is to give full weight to the mother's persistence and faith (virtues extolled by Jesus).  I don't know why Jesus would say such a thing.  I do know that:

• Jesus was born into a cultural that exhibited racial and religious prejudice that had become woven into the fabric of their society, it had become institutionalized and systemic.
• The text says that this event interrupted Jesus as he was seeking some time to be alone.
• Jesus was fully human.  Perhaps, this is the most important thing that I know.

Let us also not lose sight of the rich beauty of this text.  The gentile woman exhibits extraordinary faith as she trusts in Jesus even when Jesus isn't being very Jesus-like.  She demonstrates a trust in the vision of the reign of God for all even when it appears at first that she is being denied entrance.  The faith of this gentile woman in this scene brings to mind the faith of the Jewish founding fathers.

• Exodus 32:9-14.  God sees that the Israelites are worshiping a golden calf they have made.  God decides to wipe them out and start again with Moses.  Moses says no!  Moses convinces God of the need to be faithful to his people.  In other words, Moses demonstrates faith in God even when it seems like God isn't acting like God.
• Genesis 18:20-33.  God shares his plan with Abraham to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham says, "Wait!  If you destroy the whole city because of the wickedness of some then you may also be destroying the righteous for no fault of their own."  This isn't just.  Abraham negotiates with God seeking to save the lives of the righteous (and everyone) in the city.    In other words, Abraham demonstrates faith in God even when it seems like God isn't acting like God.
• Psalm 44 (particularly verses 23-26).  The psalmist is crying out to God for justice.  He acknowledges what God has done in the past, he claims continued faithfulness to God and yet it seems like God has abandoned his people, that God has forgotten his covenant.  The psalmist cries out for God to wake up!  Through prayer to God, the psalmist calls out to God asking that God would be their God.  In other words, the psalmist demonstrates faith in God even when it seems like God isn't acting like God.

So why would the gospel writers include this story?  This question leads me to my, "So what?"

I am convinced that Christianity means following the way of Christ.  In this story I see Christ listening to another person that society deemed as "less-than" and opening himself up to be influenced, perhaps even changed by her.  In our society, the voices of those considered uneducated, poor, disreputable, unwelcome, are often the voices of the oppressed and their stories are sidelined.  Can I hear them?  Can their cries for healing pierce my heart?  Can they influence me and open me to the possibility of change?  I thank God for the foreign mother's faith, for Jesus' listening ear, and for the healing of this text.  I hope that I too will have the courage to hear and the opportunity to heal.

Final Notes Mark 7:31-37
Quick shout outs to Markan themes present in this story.

• Immediately!  Verses 25 and 35 once again demonstrate the urgency of Mark's Gospel.  Where are we going and what's the rush?
• Shhhhh....!  The Messianic Secret lives again in this story, this time with a comedic twist.  The man with a speech impediment is healed and is able to speak.  Jesus tells him not to talk though, which of course, is the first thing he does.  I outline some theories for the Messianic Secret in the Session 1 notes.  My theory, Mark wants us to understand that Jesus' identity is more than a healer and it's an identity he'll reveal later in the story.
• Faith Healing  Once again the role of faith is intimately tied to healing.  Faith is playing a prominent role in Mark's gospel.  But what is faith and how is it connected to healing?  We'll talk about this in the weeks ahead.