Mark 7:24-30
I
love murder/crime mystery shows. I can never seem to figure out whodunit, until
the big reveal. I fall victim to all the authors rabbit trails and obfuscation.
They hook me and I jump. I really love the plots that include some code of some
type. But code only helps when you know the code you are speaking. It doesn’t
do any good to speak a code if you don’t know what it means. When you meet your
contact in Moscow and speak the words, “It is raining in Detroit” and you don’t
know that that means to call off the operation, you words have no meaning to
you, but may have an unintended meaning to the hearer.
Have
you ever noticed that some people see prejudice under every rock! They seem to
thrive on being the victim. Whether anyone is exhibiting prejudice or not, they
see to find it everywhere. The words spoken turn into code words, even when the
person speaking doesn’t know the code. My guess is that the prejudice resides
in the hearer much more than in the speaker. How could it be the speaker if the
code isn’t known by the speaker?
I
hear code in the words of Humanists. Humanists are people who deny God’s
existence, who seek explanations only in the realm of what can be measured and
tested. See Here for
more information. When they speak they speak from that worldview. Without any
external moral absolutes, they attempt to create a society based on a utopian
ideal that humans can actually get along, that there is no ulterior motive, that
people naturally want what is best for everyone. I am not sure what world they
are living in, but it certainly isn’t our war torn, sin ravaged world of today.
Our
text today deals with a woman who has self-imposed prejudice. We would probably
say she has a self-esteem problem. She comes from the other side of the tracks.
Her ethnic background spelled compromise in religious matters. She was an
outsider in Palestine. She might have spoken with an accent, signaling her
outsider status.
As
we read the text it might seem as if Jesus buys into her self-imposed image. He
does use an illustration of children and dogs in a culture that did not value
dogs. He could have used many others to make His point.
But
Jesus sees faith in her heart. Her daughter has been overpowered by a demon.
She has been unable to get her relief. She hears about Jesus’ abilities and she
comes, even though He has tried to keep His presence a secret.
What
I see her exhibiting is humility. Jesus tests the level of her humility with
his illustration. He does not humiliate her. He meets her at her point of need
and heals her daughter.
Are
you humble enough to allow Jesus to test your humility? Or do you require a certain
status in society, a voice at the table? Must you have your vote? Must the vote
go your way or you rebel?