September 6, 2009 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Study
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
PROPER 18, YEAR B
SEPTEMBER 6, 2009

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Sunday closest to September 7
Proper 18
Year B
RCL

or

Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146

James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 7:24-37

The Collect

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Old Testament
Isaiah 35:4-7a

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you."
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.


The Psalm
Psalm 146 Page 803, BCP
Lauda, anima mea

1
Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, O my soul! *
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

2
Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.

3
When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.

4
Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!*
whose hope is in the LORD their God;

5
Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;

6
Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.

7
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

8
The LORD loves the righteous;
the LORD cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.

9
The LORD shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!


James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. [For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.


Mark 7:24-37

Jesus 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, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 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." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

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. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."


EXEGESIS:

CHAPTERS 6-8: EYES TO SEE & EARS TO HEAR

Beginning with the Feeding of the Five Thousand (6:30-44), Mark relates a series of miracles, including the restoration of the deaf man's hearing and speech (7:31-37) and a blind man's sight (8:22-26). The passage culminates in Peter's confession of faith, "You are the Messiah" (8:29). Along the way, Jesus encounters the antagonism of the scribes and Pharisees (7:1-23; 8:11-13) and the lack of faith of the disciples (8:14-21). When the latter worry about not having enough bread (keep in mind that Mark has just related both the Feeding of the Five Thousand and the Feeding of the Four Thousand), Jesus says, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?" (8:17-18). Jesus' has come to impart physical healing, but his greater purpose is opening spiritual eyes and ears.


VERSES 24-30: THE GENTILE WOMAN OF SYROPHOENICIAN ORIGIN

24From 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, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He 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" (Greek: kynariois) 28But she answered him, "Sir (kurie –– sir or Lord), even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go––the demon has left your daughter." 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.


"From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre" (v. 24a). This is Gentile country. The region of Tyre and Sidon was the home of Jezebel, Elijah's enemy (1 Kings 16:31). It inspired the ire of the prophets (Ezekiel 26:15-17; Zechariah 9:3). "Tyre probably represented the most extreme expression of paganism, both actually and symbolically, that a Jew could expect to encounter…. In journeying to 'the vicinity of Tyre,' and particularly in receiving a Syrophoenician woman, Jesus expands the scope of his ministry beyond anything conceivable of the Messiah. From a socioreligious perspective, Jesus' visit to Tyre universalizes the concept of Messiah in terms of geography, ethnicity, gender, and religion in a way entirely unprecedented in Judaism" (Edwards, 217).

"He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there" (v. 24b). Given the character of this story, the house seems likely to be a Jewish home. Jesus' purpose for visiting this area is unclear. Verse 24 makes it sound as if he is looking for solitude from the crowds that have pursued him in his Galilean ministry. Perhaps he simply wants time alone with the disciples.

Craddock suggests that, having redefined clean and unclean (vv. 1-23), Jesus is now putting that teaching into practice by ministering to the unclean (Craddock, 405). Williamson echoes that sentiment, saying, "If in the preceding passage Jesus 'declared all foods clean' (7:19), in these stories he declares all persons clean" (Williamson, 137; see also Brooks, 120).

When Mark wrote this Gospel (65-70 A.D.), the church included many Gentiles. The fact that Mark must explain Jewish customs (7:3-4; 7:11, 19) suggests that his readership is predominantly Gentile. By Mark's time, the church has gone through considerable struggles to determine its right relationship to Gentiles. This story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman reflects that struggle in its earliest moments. "The Markan Jesus... rejects both Jewish exclusivism ('The Gentiles get no 'bread' unless they become Jews first...') and Gentile supersessionism ('The Jewish 'bread' has been taken from them and now given to us Gentiles')" (Boring, 213).

"Yet he could not escape notice" (v. 24c). In both this story and the next, Jesus' efforts to maintain a low profile are frustrated. Just as the sun cannot be hidden in the sky, neither can the Son be hidden on the earth.

The "woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin" (vv. 25-26). Mark double-emphasizes that this woman who lives in Gentile territory is herself a Gentile –– a Syrophoenician Gentile, no less –– a Gentile of this abominable Gentile area. "She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (v. 26).

Phoenicia is a long narrow coastal strip bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and mountains on the east –– the coastal plain of modern-day Lebanon. Its southern boundary is Mount Carmel (due east of the Sea of Galilee), and it extends approximately 185 miles (300 km) north from there. Major cities include Ptolemais, Tyre, and Sidon. "Syrophoenician" links this woman with Syria and Phoenicia.

We are shocked at Jesus' response. "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (kynariois) (v. 27). This is one of the most troubling verses in the New Testament. The mother is asking healing, not for herself, but for her daughter. It must be difficult for a Gentile woman to ask a Jewish man for help, but her need is overwhelming. She comes in faith as a deferential supplicant –– what more could Jesus ask? As it turns out, he could ask that she be Jewish –– "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."

Some scholars try to soften Jesus' words, suggesting that this is a well-known proverb that would not sound so harsh in context –– or that the diminutive, kynariois, refers to household pets, implying an affectionate tone. However, it seems inappropriate to try to domesticate Jesus' words. We cannot validate this saying as a common proverb, and it is a cutting remark even if it refers to household pets. Most Biblical references to dogs are negative (see Exodus 22:31; 1 Samuel 24:14; 2 Samuel 16:9; 1 Kings 21:23; 22:38; 2 Kings 9:36; Isaiah 56:10; Matthew 7:6; Luke 16:21; Philippians 3:2).

R.T. France gives a refreshing perspective with regard to this problem. He says, "Misunderstandings of (this passage) spring largely from the failure to read it as a whole..... The whole encounter builds up to the totally positive conclusion of vv. 29-30, while the preceding dialogue serves to underline the radical nature of this new stage in Jesus' ministry into which he has allowed himself to be 'persuaded' by the woman's realism and wit. He appears like the wise teacher who allows, and indeed incites, his pupil to mount a victorious argument against the foil of his own reluctance. He functions as what in a different context might be called 'devil's advocate', and is not disappointed to be 'defeated' in argument" (France, 296).

The scriptures are clear that Jesus knows people's hearts and responds accordingly. A rich man comes asking what he must do to gain eternal life, and Jesus, knowing how the man loves money, says, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me" (Mark 10:21). There are other accounts like this in the New Testament –– accounts where Jesus knows people's hearts and responds accordingly (see 12:15). If that is true, Jesus surely knows this mother's heart too –– and knows that she will not buckle if he presses her a bit. He does so to give her the opportunity to win her case.

Jesus clearly feels it necessary to focus his mission on the Jews. "The four Gospels, all of which were written for primarily Gentile audiences, indicate that Jesus' contacts with Gentiles were few and exceptional" (Hare, 85). The time will come when Gentiles will be welcome in the church, but the time is not yet.

As Paul said in his letter to the Romans (written earlier than Mark's Gospel), "To the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). There is a natural order in every good endeavor. A builder must lay a solid foundation before erecting walls and roof. So it is that Jesus limits his ministry to Gentiles in deference to the people whom God chose so many centuries prior. Ministry to Gentiles will come in good time.

"But she answered him, 'Sir (kurie –– sir or Lord), even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs' " (v. 28). In this Gospel, on several occasions Jesus refers to himself as Lord (2:28; 5:19; 11:3; 12:36), but this is the only place where another person calls him "Lord." It is ironic that the person calling him "Lord" is a Gentile woman rather than one of his disciples.

The woman answers well, acknowledging the special place of the Jews, calling attention to her own need, and using Jesus' words to press her plea. The kynarion –– pets indeed –– are part of the household and are under the master's care. The woman uses the image of children carelessly (or perhaps purposely) dropping bits of food on the floor. What harm will come from allowing the kynarion to partake of the scraps that will not be eaten by the children in any event? What harm will come of their participating in the bounty of the messianic banquet?

"Then he said to her, 'For saying that, you may go –– the demon has left your daughter' " (v. 29). Note that:

• Jesus does not accompany her to her home. He does not touch the child. He does not issue a healing command. He simply reports a healing that has already taken place. The emphasis in this story is not on the healing but on Jesus' relationship to Gentiles.

• In Matthew's account, Jesus commends the woman's faith (Matthew 15:28), but here he commends her good answer.

"So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone" (v. 30). The woman does not plead for Jesus to come to visit her daughter. She first expressed a simple but profound faith by coming to Jesus, and she now expresses a simple but profound faith by departing. Her faith is much like that of the Roman centurion (Matthew 5:5-13; Luke 7:1-10) –– also a Gentile. Arriving at her home, she finds the demon gone and the child well.

This woman serves as an example of persistent prayer that refuses to be discouraged when prayer is not immediately answered. She provides us with a model for engaging God fully and passionately in prayer rather than simply reciting rote prayers or a laundry list of our needs. Not every fervent prayer will be answered as we ask, but God honors fervor and has little regard for half-hearted, lukewarm prayer (Revelation 3:16). The archetypical model of fervent prayer is Jacob wrestling with God at Peniel until he received a blessing (Genesis 32:22-32).

This woman also serves as a model of a parent who loves her child enough to take an active role in the child's life. She could have found excuses for not going to Jesus, but she went. She could have allowed herself to be discouraged at Jesus' initial response, but she persisted. "Suppose that all Christian parents and all churches had the same persistence and ingenuity in bringing to their children the saving influence of Christ!" (Luccock, 755). It would be a different world! Many parents today are content to practice laissez faire parenting, and the results are often disastrous. The church needs to call parents to take an active role in guiding their children. Just as the inattentive gardener begets weeds, so do inattentive parents beget troubled children.

The woman also provides a stark contrast to the scribes and Pharisees who challenged Jesus in the preceding story (7:1-23). They know what the prophets said about the coming messiah. They have seen (or at least heard about) the Feeding of the Five Thousand (6:30-44) and the healing of the sick in Gennesaret (6:53-56), but they chose to find fault with Jesus and his disciples (7:1-23). In other words, given every opportunity to see through the eyes of faith, they chose to see through the eyes of unfaith. This woman, a Gentile, chooses to see through the eyes of faith.


VERSES 31-35: THE DEAF AND MUTE MAN

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech (Greek: mogilalon); and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released (Greek: kai eluthe ho desmos tes glosses –– and was loosened the bond of the tongue), and he spoke plainly.


"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" (v. 31). This itinerary seems odd. Sidon is north of Tyre and the Sea of Galilee is southeast, so Jesus goes out of his way to visit Sidon. Some scholars suggest that Mark is unfamiliar with the geography of this area, but it seems more likely that Jesus simply decides to visit Sidon before leaving the area.

The word Decapolis comes from two Greek words (deka and polis) that mean "ten cities" –– although more than ten cities were members over time. Most member cities are located south and east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, but Damascus (located 60 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee) is a member city. The Decapolis is not only these cities but also the region in which they are located. The population of the region is primarily Gentile, but there are Jews living there as well.

These cities were established by Greeks, and the Jews resented this Gentile presence on their border –– a resentment that sometimes broke into open warfare. The Greeks responded by devising a loose confederation of cities to provide for the common defense, not only against Jewish incursions, but also against desert marauders.

The Romans encouraged the growth of Greek culture in the Decapolis as a way of limiting Jewish influence in the region.

The mention of the Decapolis in verse 31 is significant because it shows that Jesus is choosing to stay in Gentile territory rather than to return to the more familiar nearby cities of Galilee.

"They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him" (v. 32). This is reminiscent of the healing of the paralytic, whose friends brought him to Jesus (2:1-12). We know very little about this man or his friends. Some reliable scholars think of them as Gentiles (Edwards, 226-227), but it seems possible that they are Jewish. Given Mark's care to label the Syrophoenician woman as Gentile (v. 26), it would seem that he would do the same here if the man were not Jewish. Also, the laying on of hands is a Jewish healing practice, and the request that Jesus perform this act (v. 32) may indicate that the man's friends are Jewish. However, there is no mention of faith on the part of the friends or the deaf man.

Deaf people commonly have difficulty speaking clearly, because they cannot hear how words sound. The man has "an impediment in his speech," which might indicate that he was not deaf from birth but that he learned some speech (however imperfectly) before becoming deaf.

There is a significant parallel between the deaf man and Jesus' disciples. The man can neither hear nor speak properly. The disciples cannot understand what Jesus is telling them, and are thus hampered in their proclamation. They, too, need Jesus' touch so that they might see, hear, and understand.

We, too, need Jesus' touch so that we might understand. Just as Jesus' first disciples failed to understand and to proclaim him faithfully, the church today often experiences the same failings:

• Preachers are tempted to proclaim a Prosperity Gospel ("Believe and Grow Rich!") instead of challenging people to take up their cross and follow Jesus. Not only is the Prosperity Gospel is an easier "sell" than the cross (at least in some quarters), but preachers are more likely to grow rich by preaching it.

• The church too easily tolerates divisions within its midst –– racial, gender, national, denominational, and socio-economic –– because crossing these dividing lines makes us so uncomfortable. We find it far easier to stay with our own kind than to reach out to those who are different. However, Jesus' visit to the Decapolis demonstrates his commitment to those who are different and calls us to share that commitment.

• The scriptures call us to worship God –– to give God glory –– but our worship agenda is too often "what we get out of it" –– God serving us rather than us serving God.

• In these and a thousand other ways, we demonstrate our own blindness and deafness. We, too, need Christ's healing touch.

Jesus "took him aside in private, away from the crowd" (v. 33a). We don't know why Jesus takes the man aside for healing. Perhaps Jesus' action is related to his desire in the previous story to keep his presence secret (v. 24).

"and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue" (v. 33b). This healing is very different from that of the woman's daughter. In that story, Jesus took no action other than to report the healing to the mother (v. 29). If Jesus seemed too-little-engaged in that instance, he seems too-much-engaged in this one. He puts his fingers into the man's ears. He spits and touches the man's tongue. These are common healing procedures. If we were offended by Jesus' sharp words to the woman (v. 27), now we are offended by the fingers in the ears and the spittle on the tongue. If Jesus could heal the woman's daughter without even a word, why does he not do the same for this man?

"Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened' " (v. 34). Looking to heaven demonstrates Jesus' dependency on the Father. His sigh demonstrates his sympathy and compassion. "Ephphatha" is an Aramaic word, which Mark translates for his Gentile readers –– "Be opened."

"And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released" (Greek: eluthe ho desmos tes glosses –– was loosened the bond of the tongue) (v. 35) The image is that of a man whose tongue was in bondage –– literally tongue-tied –– and whose tongue, at Jesus' command, finds freedom of movement and expression.

While Jesus puts his fingers in the man's ears and touches his tongue, "the actual healing takes place through Jesus' authoritative word. The presence and accumulation of the therapeutic gestures form part of the process" (Guelich, 395).


VERSES 36-37: THEY WERE ASTOUNDED BEYOND MEASURE

36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed (Greek: ekerusson –– from kerusso –– a word related to kerygma, which is the preaching of the Gospel by the early church) it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."


"Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one" (v. 36a). The irony is that the deaf/mute man can now speak clearly, but Jesus forbids him and his friends to speak of this miracle –– the most important thing that has ever happened to him. Jesus has commanded silence in several earlier instances –– of unclean spirits (1:25, 34; 3:12) –– of a leper (1:44) –– and of the little girl's parents (5:43). We are not sure why, but there are several possibilities:

• Perhaps these commands to silence are intended to emphasize the impossibility of silence –– "that the spread of the good news about Jesus is an act of God, and no one can stop it –– not even Jesus himself (Marcus, 479).

• Perhaps "these physical cures cannot really be spoken of with understanding at this stage, because they point forward to events and spiritual changes which still lie in the future" –– after the resurrection (Hooker, 185).

• "The identical language in Ch. 1:44f. and Ch. 7:36 suggests that the purpose of the injunction was to avoid a recurrence of the situation which developed subsequent to the healing of the leper when the presence of crowds in each town clamoring for Jesus' healing touch hindered his movement and interrupted his healing mission" (Lane, 268).

"but the more he ordered them the more zealously they proclaimed it" (v. 36b). Just as in the previous story (v. 24), Jesus will not be permitted anonymity or privacy. However, Mark gives no hint that the crowd's kerygma –– their proclamation –– is bad (v. 36). Instead he portrays them as "astounded beyond measure" (v. 37).

"They were astounded beyond measure, saying, 'He has done everything well' " (v. 37a). Their proclamation, "he has done everything well" (v. 37), hearkens back to Genesis 1:31: "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."

Their assessment, "he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak" (v. 37b), alludes to Isaiah 35:5-6a: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy." This allusion is strengthened by the use of the word mogilalos in v. 32. This word is used only twice in the Bible –– here and in Isaiah 35:6 (LXX –– the Septuagint or Greek version of the Old Testament).

There is a good deal of linkage between Isaiah 35 and the Gospel of Mark. Geddert notes the following parallels:

1. The promise, "The wilderness and the dry land shall… see the glory of the LORD" (Isaiah 35:1-2), is fulfilled in the feeding miracles in the desert (Mark 6:35; 8:4).

2. The promise, "Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God…. He will come and save you' " (Isaiah 35:4), is fulfilled when Jesus comes to the disciples on the sea in a storm, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid" (Mark 6:50).

3. The promise, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped" (Isaiah 35:5) is fulfilled with the healing of the deaf/mute man (Mark 7:35) and the blind man (Mark 8:22-26).

4. The promise, "A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way" (Isaiah 35:8) is fulfilled when Jesus takes the twelve on the road to Jerusalem and begins to tell them what is going to happen to him (Mark 10:32).

5. The promise, "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing" (Isaiah 35:10) is fulfilled on Palm Sunday as the crowds greet Jesus with the words, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Mark 11:9).

"The parallels are close and the chronological order identical" (Geddert, 192).

The Isaiah passage looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, and the crowd's proclamation in verse 37 reveals Jesus as the Messiah. In the next chapter, Peter will confess Jesus as Messiah (8:27-30), but the crowd (perhaps without fully realizing the significance of their proclamation) has already beaten him to it.

THOUGHT PROVOKERS:

God doesn't always smooth the path,
but sometimes he puts springs in the wagon.

Marshall Lucas

* * * * * * * * * *

There are three ways that prepare us for life's trials. One is the Spartan way that says, "I have strength within me to do it, I am the captain of my soul. With the courage and will that is mine, I will be master when the struggle comes." Another way is the spirit of Socrates, who affirmed that we have minds, reason and judgment to evaluate and help us cope with the enigmas and struggles of life. The Christian way is the third approach. It doesn't exclude the other two, but it adds, "You don't begin with yourself, your will or your reason. You begin with God, who is the beginning and the end."

Lowell R. Ditzen

* * * * * * * * * *

I am quite happy to be called an optimist,
but my optimism is not of the utopian variety.
It is based on hope.
The optimist is a person who has the conviction
that God knows, can do, and will do
what is best for mankind.

Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

EDITOR'S NOTE: To fully appreciate the significance of Fr. Arrupe's comment, it is helpful to know something about his life. Serving as a missionary to Japan at the outbreak of World War II, he was arrested and imprisoned on the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Later, he was freed and allowed to continue his ministry. He was living in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb exploded there, and he used his medical skills to help the wounded and dying. On August 7, 1981, he suffered a stroke that robbed him of his ability to speak. He lived his last ten years with very little ability to communicate. He was a man who knew suffering and was "acquainted with infirmity" (Isaiah 53:3), but whose faith was undiminished throughout his long life.

* * * * * * * * * *

God does not offer us a way out of testings of life.
He offers us a way through,
and that makes all the difference.

W. T. Purkiser

* * * * * * * * * *

Many of us have experienced healing miracles without ever knowing it. Dr. Karl Menninger, founder of the Menninger Clinic, said:

"If all families were loving,
our national health would improve to the point
where we might have a surplus of physicians."

So if you were raised in a loving family or live in one now, it is quite possible that Christ has given you the gift of healing by helping you to avoid getting ill in the first place.

Richard Niell Donovan

* * * * * * * * * *
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Boring, M. Eugene, The New Testament Library, Mark, A Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006)

Brooks, James A, The New American Commentary: Mark (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991)

Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV –– Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)

Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)

Edwards, James R., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

France, R.T., The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

Geddert, Timothy J., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001)

Grant, Frederick C. and Luccock, Halford E., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951)

Guelich, Robert A., Word Biblical Commentary: Mark 1 - 8:26 (Dallas: Word Books, 1989)

Hamilton, V.P., "Decapolis," in Bromiley, Geoffrey (General Editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume One: A-D - Revised (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), pages 907-908

Hare, Douglas R. A., Westminster Bible Companion: Mark (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)

Hooker, Morna D., Black's New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to Saint Mark (Hendrickson Publishers, 1991)

Hurtado, Larry W., New International Biblical Commentary: Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1983, 1989)

Lane, William L., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974)

Marcus, Joel, The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 (New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Moule, C.F.D., The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible: The Gospel of Mark (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965)

Myers, Allen C. (ed.), The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987)

Perkins, Pheme, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)

Rasmussen, Carl G., Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1989)

Williamson, Lamar Jr., Interpretation: Mark (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983)

Richard Niell Donovan, SermonWriter.com