Mark 7:24-37
24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
All Nations Enjoy God's Love and Mercy
Jesus takes His disciples outside the Land of Israel, where the Jews, His disciples included, consider people inferior to the Israelite race. They were known as dogs, impure and dirty.
Jesus speaks the disciples' perspective to help them reconsider and adjust their understanding and treatment of others. Jesus shows that women outside of Israel have faith and reminds them that a woman represents a whole nation.
Nobody is excluded from God's love and mercy, neither the Jew who was forced to live outside the community, nor the gentile who doesn't belong to Israel.
Jesus heals the daughter of the Phoenician woman and the deaf man in the Decapolis, both of whom belong to other nations. All people are called to form the one New Kingdom, whose cornerstone is Jesus. In His Kingdom, everyone has his/her place of respect and dignity. We are all called to treat others without discrimination or racism. In our time, we still need what Jesus taught two thousand years ago!
Jesus addresses healing the disciples’ concept before He heals the daughter of the Phoenician woman and the deaf man. Do we feel invited to reflect on our concept of others who are from different roots, cultures and denominations?
Following the Lord Jesus means that we are ready and have the courage to change some of our prejudgments or concepts. He can renew our relations with others on the basis of our common relation to Christ the Lord. With St. Paul in I Corinthians 10:17, we can say, “We are all one body, because we share the same bread.”