Date: September 8, 2024

Scripture: Mark 7:24-37

Sermon Title: “Ephphatha: Be Opened!”

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Bob Jon

You can also listen on Podcast from iTunes and Spotify. Search for “Podcasting from Rev. Bob Jon.”

When I was a kid, my family rarely went on a vacation. My father thought that it was the virtue of a pastor not to take a vacation. So, he always stayed busy leading the worship services, visiting the parishioners, and praying for them. As a matter of fact, even when we went fishing, we had to keep it secret from others and pretend we were not going. My brother and I got into the backseat of our family van, excitedly wearing the picnic hat and holding the fishing gear. And our father told us, “Put your seat all the way to the back and lie down until we are out of the town.” 

Mark tells us that Jesus went away to the region of Tyre. Mark does not tell us why, but we can guess that Jesus was getting tired and needed some vacation because Tyre is a gentile town located on the west coast of Israel. He was always busy teaching the crowd, healing the sick, and even feeding the multitude. He was also dealing with conflict with the religious leaders who were calling him “crazy.” Jesus often took time to go away to a remote place and pray to God. And Jesus also needed some time to go away so he could rest and feel refreshed. 

Last year, I wanted to go away for a few days to rest. My family and I often go to New Jersey, as there is a big Korean community with authentic Korean foods. But this time I wanted to get some rest, not doing too much. So, we found a place in Vermont through Airbnb near the border with Canada. The house was on the top of the hill, surrounded by mountains. I loved walking the trail with my family and spending time at the lakes. A recent article from Harvard Business Review lists several benefits of taking vacation, which includes better focus and creativity. As a matter of fact, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of Hamilton acknowledges that he conceived of Hamilton while on vacation. Maybe I need another vacation. 

So, Jesus is also taking time for himself, or at least he thought he could stay alone and maybe catch up with the “sleep debt” which is often caused by “work-related stress and anxiety.” Jesus wanted to be alone. However, the word spread quickly in the town that Jesus was in the town. They had heard about all the amazing things he had done. So, people started approaching the house and knocking on the door. One of the crowds was a woman whose little daughter was sick as the Gospel tells us that she was possessed by an unclean spirit. She came to Jesus and bowed down at his feet. 

Now, the town of Tyre is a gentile territory. It was located on the west coast of Israel and thrived in the import/export business. The majority of the population was Gentiles, which may be the reason why Jesus chose the city as a place of rest, a place of vacation. So the readers of Mark probably already assumed that this woman was a gentile. But the writer of Mark wants to emphasize who she was, “Oh, by the way, this woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.” It is like the writer wants to tell us, “Hold on your seat. This woman was not a Jew; she was not one of their own.”

This woman knew that her people did not get along with the Jews. But she still came and felt at Jesus’ feet, begging him to heal her daughter and cast the demon out of her. We believe Jesus is full of compassion and grace for the sick and wounded. But his response sounds rather harsh. He says, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” I remember when I was doing my master’s degree theology at Boston University, my assigned reading for the preaching class was from the reading from today. After struggling with the text, I said, “Well, this is one of the most mysterious aspects of Jesus, and I do not know why he said it.” 

Some biblical scholars have different theories about this text. Some scholars say that when Jesus compared this poor woman and her kind with the dog, he actually meant it to be more benign in his tone, like comparing her people with a puppy. Another scholar named Gerd Theissen points out the economic gap between the Jews in the hinterlands and Gentiles in seacoast areas like Tyre and Sidon. Many Jewish farmers grew crops in their lands, which were taken by the Gentiles to be enjoyed and exported in commerce. These Jewish farmers were growing destitute, hungry, and even losing their lands, while gentiles in the cities were feeding on the tears and labor of these people. So, Jesus is saying, “I am here to take care of my own people first.” 

As harsh as Jesus sounds, I believe that we often take such a mentality as well, individually and collectively. When my son plays basketball game, I just wish that my boy plays like Michael Jordan. When other children score, I don’t boo them but just give the unenthusiastic applause. But when my kid scores, I shout, “Yes, Daniel! That’s it!” When the COVID-19 vaccine was finally available for your age group, how many of us were desperate to find the vaccines, even driving over 1 hour to find it? It is like we are competing with other families and other people. I just need to take care of my own family first. Even as a nation, when we are urged to show compassion for those who are impacted by natural disasters, famine, and war in the world, we often respond, “We need to take care of our people first, like homeless and war veterans.” 

So, Jesus calls this woman and her ethnicity “dogs,” who need to come after feeding children first. For most people, such an insult would make them storm out of the place. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Jesus!” “How can you be so cold-blooded, Jesus?” That would make most people leave quite outraged. But she does not budge, stays her ground, engages with him, and even challenges him. “Yes, sir, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”  

I don’t know if you have heard the cries of mothers desperate for their children. I know a mother whose son got into a terrible motorcycle accident when he was only a teenager. He got a severe brain injury, which left him paralyzed completely. He used to be such a handsome and athletic boy, excelling in baseball and football. But after he was put into the group home, her pastors refused to come and see him because they could not deal with such a tragedy. But this mother was persistent, going to see her son twice or three times every week for 31 years. She believed that she could still communicate with him by looking at his eyes. Her wish was that she would live just one more day than her son which our Lord granted to her a couple of years ago. He passed away peacefully at age 48. 

This gentile woman says, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” In other words, “Sir, you can call me whatever you want. But until you do something for my daughter, I am not moving.” The Bible does not say this but I want to imagine that Jesus dropped his jaw at the response of this woman. And he said, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” And when she went home, she found her daughter lying on the bed, healthy and sound in her body and mind. 

And because of her persistence, something changes in Jesus. He went by way of Sidon, which was another gentile region, and healed the deaf person. This man’s friends brought him who could not speak nor hear. And just like the Syrophoenician woman, they begged him to do something for him. He put his fingers into his ears and spat and touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven and sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha!” which means ‘Be opened!’” He healed another gentile because of the persistence of his friends and even performed the miracle of feeding the four thousand people in the gentile territory. In other words, Jesus expands the territory of his ministry to include the gentiles. Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm comments, “In light of this foreign woman’s words, Jesus does not simply have second thoughts: his vision and vocation are radically reoriented.” 

A 9-year-old boy lies in his mother’s arms in Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. He is suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration. His mother says, “I am losing my son in front of my eyes.” Many of us were horrified to see the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel almost a year ago, which left 1,200 people killed and 250 others kidnapped. Today, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and injured 86,000. Many of us are tempted to look the other way, as we do not need to add more stress to our busy lives. Besides, we could justify this retaliation as Hamas initiated the attack. In the midst of all this tragedy and misery, the words of Dr. King ring true. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

And we follow Jesus as our Messiah, who listened to the persistent plea of a mother who was watching her daughter die and healed her. As he opened the ears and mouth of a deaf person by saying, “Ephphatha: Be Opened!” we can pray for God to open our hearts so may hear the cries of mothers and fathers who hold their children who died from the mass shootings in our country, the cries of mothers and fathers who embark on a perilous journey to leave their homes in search of new homes for their children, and the cries of mothers and fathers who watch their children die from the bombings, lack of food and water, and illness. May God open our eyes, ears, and mouth that we may see what Christ sees in our world today, hear the cries of those who suffer, and speak the words of love and truth. 

Amen.