Mark 7:24-37 | Genesis 2:4b-7
The pinnacle of Jesus’ ministry on earth came in the three days that encompassed his death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb. Such a powerful story about such powerful events forms the basis for the understanding that Jesus is the son of God, fully divine, and capable of receiving and bearing the power of God.
…and yet, when we read the totality of his life on earth and pay attention to its details in the gospels, we see that Jesus was indeed bound in my ways that we are, as humans. This is a challenge to the notion of some who’d prefer to have a perfected God (at least, in the terms of human philosophical perfection). The miracle of Jesus is that he was bound by his humanity - even lived into it - and yet still bore the full holiness of God.
Just note some of the elements of today’s passage:
Jesus couldn’t hide from people.
He at first denied a woman because of her ethnicity.
He changed his mind based upon solid human reasoning.
He stuck his fingers (picture it, really!) into a man’s ears and then used his own spit to heal his tongue!
He couldn’t keep people quiet about him.
We worship Christ and rightly so. But his call to us is not impossible, to bear the holiness and power of God in the earthly vessels we have been given.
Mark 7:24-37
Jesus left that place and went into the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had entered a house, but he couldn’t hide. In fact, a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him right away. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was Greek, Syrophoenician by birth. She begged Jesus to throw the demon out of her daughter. He responded, “The children have to be fed first. It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
But she answered, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
“Good answer!” he said. “Go on home. The demon has already left your daughter.” When she returned to her house, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.
After leaving the region of Tyre, Jesus went through Sidon toward the Galilee Sea through the region of the Ten Cities. Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and they begged him to place his hand on the man for healing. Jesus took him away from the crowd by himself and put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Looking into heaven, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Open up.” At once, his ears opened, his twisted tongue was released, and he began to speak clearly.
Jesus gave the people strict orders not to tell anyone. But the more he tried to silence them, the more eagerly they shared the news. People were overcome with wonder, saying, “He does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak.”
Genesis 2:4b-7
On the day the Lord God made earth and sky— before any wild plants appeared on the earth, and before any field crops grew, because the Lord God hadn’t yet sent rain on the earth and there was still no human being to farm the fertile land, though a stream rose from the earth and watered all of the fertile land— the Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life.
Prayer
God,
Thank you for the example of Jesus. I might imagine there are any number of ways you could have come to earth. But you came in a human being, as one of us and like us.
So I pray God that you help me day by day to live into the same humanity as him. You’ve asked for nothing more - not to escape my humanity, but to live within it as you intended.
Help me receive the grace - body and blood - to be so formed and shaped. And help me receive the power - breath and spirit - to be active in your mission.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.