“Up Close and Personal” – Mark 7:24-37 – September 6, 2009
In Mark we have two stories about people who are outside the faith tradition. The first was a Syrophoenician woman who was a pagan. The second was a man who was deaf and dumb. In that day, people with disabilities were outcasts, not welcome in the mainstream of society. They were both powerless and the idea that God cared about them was beyond reach.
Since these characters were powerless to help themselves they needed someone to be their advocate. Not only were they denied normal rights and privileges, they were denied access to the faith. Just as there is strife between people in our day there was conflict between the Jews and Gentiles in Jesus’ day. The Syrophoenician woman needed help for her daughter and the deaf and dumb man needed an advocate to bring him to Jesus for healing.
In each story Jesus reached across a cultural barrier. Pagans and people with disabilities were outside the realm of Jewish tradition. As Jesus embraced these two outcasts, he was modeling a faith that went beyond known norms.
How difficult it is for us to relate to people who are different from ourselves. We are reluctant to interact with people of other cultures, other races or nationality. Unless we have an opportunity to get to know someone up close and personal we don’t really get to know them.
One evening I was channel flipping and I happened to catch an episode of the Tyra Banks Show. The episode dealt with our prejudices against people of other cultures. This particular episode had to do with our feelings toward Muslims. It illustrated the hard core feelings and differences between an American Citizen and a Muslim woman who was a student. Trya facilitated their relationship by having them be in dialogue with one another. The barriers between them were removed when they were intentional about getting to know one another, up close and personal.
I am convinced that the gospel is about relationships. God wants us to relate and build friendships with people who are different from ourselves. Doing so will create harmony and good will. It will also enable us to have a broader perspective of the world. We saw recently how close the friendship was between Ted Kennedy, a Democrat and Oran Hatch, a Republican. The two men were very close friends in spite of their political differences.
Both of these healing stories occur in private places. The Syrophoenician woman was in a private home and Jesus took the deaf and dumb man “aside, in private,” where he was healed. For me this suggests that the love of God is best given in one-on-one relationships. Healing is a very personal and private matter and perhaps more effective when it is done in the context of confidentiality and sensitivity. The two stories illustrate that people are more likely to grow in their faith when they can interact in a setting that is away from the crowd.
Everyone needs friendship and a sense of belonging. Since we have a tendency to keep a distance from anyone who is different from ourselves we deny ourselves the opportunity for new and meaningful relationships. When I was a youth my parents had an man from Africa stay with us for a few days since our church was supporting his school in Sierra Leone, West Africa. At an early age I was introduced to a man who was very different from me. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to get acquainted with him in such a personal way.
I believe our faith can be best expressed to others in private, one on one settings. Large gatherings with hi tech choreography may be impressive but it can’t compare with personal, intimate conversations. Jesus was teaching his disciples to enhance the faith by modeling close, one on one contact with anyone who was different.
The book, The Noticer, by Andy Andrews, is a true story about a man who notices people who are having problems. Orange Beach, Alabama, is a simple town filled with simple people. But they all have their share of problems—marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, businesspeople on the verge of bankruptcy, and many of the other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.
Fortunately, when things look the darkest, a mysterious old man named Jones has a miraculous way of showing up. A man of indiscriminate age and race with white hair and wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and carrying a battered old suitcase, Jones is a unique soul with angelic-like qualities. Communicating what he calls “a little perspective,” Jones explains that he has been given a gift of noticing things about life that others miss. In his simple interactions, he speaks to that part in everyone that is yearning to understand why things happen and what they can do about it.
In The Noticer Andy Andrews retells his own dramatic story of gaining life-changing perspective from a little old man named “Jones”. Jones, a self-proclaimed “noticer” weaves his way into the lives of people from all walks of life and challenges them to consider their perspective. The imprint that Jones leaves on these lives, including Andy’s, is nothing less than remarkable and inspirational.
For Andy, it wasn’t easy to let this stranger into his life. However, what he gained from the encounter was hope and courage to make changes in his life. He was limited by his narrow minded perspectives of the world. In the process he is healed and thus more open to a much broader vision.
It wasn’t easy for the Syrophoenician woman, who was an outsider, to approach Jesus. The love for her child helped her to persevere. She was determined to have her child return to wholeness and she recognized that she needed Jesus’ help. Her statement about "dogs eating the crumbs under the table," described the powerless position of children in society. Jesus acknowledged her observation, thus making the point to the disciples that children deserve better.
The woman then leaves and Jesus tells her that her daughter is now well. When she returns home she finds her daughter healed of her illness. Ironically, the powerless child has been given access to Jesus through her powerless mother. The story of the deaf man further accentuates an accessible God. He too has been brought to Jesus for healing. He too was healed and then able to hear and speak.
I believe there are times when we all want God to heal us. Some are afraid to pray for fear of not having their prayers answered. Others keep their feelings of rejection deep inside and are reluctant to share them. Had it not been for the determination of the woman’s mother, her daughter would not have been healed. Had it not been for the help of the deaf and dumb man’s friends he too would have not been healed.
Sometimes it is much easier to give up than keep on trying. We may have faith, but that doesn’t mean we won’t face challenges or obstacles. The Syrophoenician woman was determined to get help. She risked crossing sociological, religious and gender barriers to pursue her goal of getting help for her daughter. She was willing to get up close and personal with God.
God doesn’t want us to give up either. The disciples faced overwhelming odds from the Jewish authorities and the Roman government. Because of their perseverance and relationships they made, the church grew.
Although both stories appear to be about healing, they are really about speaking and listening. The Syrophoenician woman’s daughter was powerless to speak on her own, thus she would never be heard. The deaf and dumb man was also powerless, unable to communicate or understand what others were saying.
There are times when we feel we have no voice or that no one is listening. God however listens and understands. Other times we find it difficult to say what we mean or communicate our ideas and concerns. It is during those times that we need to be willing to let others speak for us in order for us to receive help.
These two stories illustrate that God is near, but there are times when we have to be willing to move toward God, up close and personal. Sharing our deepest pain is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is a sign of strength. Most importantly it is the recognition of our vulnerability and our dependence on God.
Everyone is vulnerable and God wants us to reach out, not just to our friends, but to people who are not like us. It is all about creating relationships and extending love to those who are unable to get help for themselves. Through our determination and the grace of God the church will grow as others are welcomed into the community of faith.
Dr. Keith Wagner