Mark 7

In Mark 7, a Syrophoenician woman is apparently able to win one with him.

Jesus warns that the real danger lies within our minds and hearts.

Throughout scripture, human bodies are not an obstacle to righteousness; they are its location.

Recent books that are shaping discussions in New Testament studies

Ephphatha is Jesus’ own original language. Be opened!

And are we practicing it?

A well-placed wisecrack can pull the mighty down from their thrones.

Did Jesus just call that woman a dog?

What does it mean to be seen as a defiled person?

In the Talmud, there is a story of a group of rabbis arguing over the status of a particular clay oven. Is it clean or unclean? Rabbi Eliezer stands alone against the interpretation given by his fellow sages, and he begins to call upon nature to confirm him.

I have spent most of my Christian life in deep discomfort with Mark 7. I now read it as an early example of the priesthood of all believers.

We love to look at people and judge them on the basis of what we see. We looked at Lance Armstrong and saw a guy who beat cancer and won Tour de France titles. We saw Bill Cosby as a barrier-breaking comedian and father figure.

On September 9, when many of our members return from Labor Day vacations or summer travels, the gospel text from Mark and the sacrament of communion might be a powerful combination to welcome folks back to the gospel-centered community.

Whether she knows it or not, the Syrophoenician woman’s reference to the table is a persuasive image for her audience. The table stands at the center of Jesus’ ministry.

It’s scary. Sometimes, we Scrappers have to swallow our pride in order to start working with the institution that turned us away. Often, Scrappers develop autonomy and a certain voice that we fear we'll lose if we move into partnership with an established organization. We worry that the structure will steal our ideas and they'll have the money and power to pull them off—without us. 

Jesus does not serve the vague “God of everybody.” He serves the scandalously particular God of Israel.

Mark's story is about the irony of keeping our hands ritually washed while being up to our elbows in evil.

Jesus seems to engage in just the sort of activity that James warns against.