look at all the things i've left behind

you're the one to change my mind

The holy gospel according to St. Mark 7:24-37!

This is one of the most scandalous encounters in the Bible!

Aside from the fact that the woman is the wrong gender, the wrong race, and the wrong religion to be approaching Jesus like that; the really offensive part of this tête-à-tête is how gruff, and frankly disrespectful, Jesus comes across!

A desperate mother falls at Jesus’ feet, begging him to cast a demon from her daughter. Full of “compassion,” Jesus replies, “it isn’t fair to take the children’s food, and throw it to the dogs.” 

…Ouch!

But then, in a move almost everyone hates just as much, the woman doesn’t take Jesus to task for being so insensitive! Instead, she just agrees!

“Sure,” she shrugs, “But, even the dogs snatch up a loose crumb or two.”

…With that, Jesus tells the woman to go back home; the demon has left her daughter. 

And, indeed, upon returning home, the woman confirms Jesus’ word. Her once possessed daughter, is now sleeping peacefully upon her bed!

And in reaction to this miraculous exorcism, we modern, sophisticated and open-minded people, are deeply offended!

What’s Jesus doing calling this poor woman and her daughter dogs?!?! And, what’s this self-respecting woman doing agreeing with him?!?!

It’s plainly offensive!

…But then again, so is church.

…The first funeral I did was my grandfather’s.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to do the funeral alone. My grandpa’s brother, my uncle Bill, helped.

Uncle Bill is a retired priest. 

Bill had been married with children. But when his wife died young, instead of getting remarried, he entered the priesthood. 

He spent most of his ministry on a reservation in the Dakotas.

Bill said I should put the funeral liturgy together and we would split officiating the service; but Bill would give the eulogy. 

As I put the liturgy together for the first time, I got to the “Commendation of the Dead.” This is at the end of the funeral, right before the sending. 

The liturgy goes: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming…

“A sinner of your own redeeming,” I balked! 

No one wants to hear the person whose died called a sinner, and at their funeral no less, I thought! 

So, in an act of pastoral care, I edited the liturgy. I took that part out.

Well, uncle Bill looking over the funeral service, noticed my humble revision. 

Feigning ignorance he said, “there’s an error here,” and changed it back.

…Now, my grandfather was a good man. He helped his kids out. He was a good grandfather, too. He was a big hand in teaching me and my cousin to drive. 

As we insist here in the church, he was a saint.

But, as we also insist here in the church, he was also a sinner.

Grandpa struggled with alcoholism much of his life. 

For years he made the lives of my mom, grandma, aunts and uncle hell. His brother, Bill, and the rest of my grandpa’s siblings too, probably suffered their fair share of over his disease as well.

Blessedly, though, by the time I was born, my grandpa was sober. 

His addiction had driven much of his life into the ground, but by the time I was born, it was being resurrected. 

I always knew my grandpa as a friend to my grandmother, and a beloved, reliable member of the family.

But, none of that changed the fact that, like the rest of us, he had a demon or two lurking in his past…

You see, the liturgy was right, my grandpa was a sinner.

But at that time, I was too green to get past the offensiveness of that word; sinner…

I got a lesson at his funeral, though, because it wasn’t just the liturgy my uncle insisted upon getting right. He also insisted upon getting my grandpa’s life right…

At the eulogy, uncle Bill just acknowledged his brother, my grandpa, struggled with addiction.

He spoke candidly about the pain my grandfather’s disease caused. The pain is caused others, and presumably the pain it caused my grandpa himself, too. 

And, he also reflected on what a blessing it was that, out of that wreckage, the Lord delivered my grandpa!

That my grandpa got to enjoy many years of sobriety. That he received the forgiveness of his ex-wife, children and siblings. That his grandchildren never saw the misery of his disease. 

And I watched as those words fell, not as an accusation, but a balm!

It turned out, everyone knew the truth! My grandfather, good a man as he was, was still a sinner. And hearing that the Lord is the great redeemer of sinners, wasn’t an offensive word. It was a comforting one!

Naming my grandpa’s sin didn’t unleash all those old demons, it cast them out.

…When it finally got to the part in the funeral where it was my job to say, “a sinner of your own redeeming,” I realized the most offensive thing I could do would be to refuse to say those words!

Which is exactly what the Syrophoenician woman knew!

She doesn’t bicker about Jesus’ offensive retort. 

“I may be a dog,” the woman replies. Essentially agreeing that she’s the wrong gender, race or religion!

She doesn’t argue about any of those qualities, because she’s not approaching Jesus on account of that, anyway! 

She’s coming to Jesus on account of the largess of his grace. And his grace, alone!

The woman knew that there’s plenty to go around of what the Lord has to offer! And, more importantly, she knew that when it comes to Lord’s table, none of us earn our spot there! 

We all come as beggar to the table of grace!

…Now, this may be offensive to our sense of self-reliance; but what’s self-reliance done for any us lately, anyway?

I’ll tell you! Kept us from the Lord’s table! Insisted we’re too proud to beg! Gotten the direction of faith all wrong!

You don’t earn your spot at the Lord’s table, you’re given it! Grace is GOD’S one-way Love!

And that’s what the Syrophoenician woman refused to take her eyes off!

When you’re laid to rest, the offensive words the church has insisted are said over all God’s people, will be said over you, too. That you’re sinner of God’s own redeeming.

And in that moment, those words will not be offensive, they will be comforting! They will be Healing! They will be effective! They will create saving faith every time!

Even as they do now! 

None of us approach Jesus’ table on account of our merits! We’re all here by grace, thank God! 

And if getting that grace at the beginning of the service, at the Confession and Forgiveness, wasn’t enough; get a little more now! We’re not stingy here! + On account of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit you are forgiven ya ol’ sinner!

You don’t have to earn your spot here. Jesus did that long ago! It’s no longer a matter of worthiness. Now, it’s all about grace!

That’s what the Syrophoenician women knew. And she didn’t go home disappointed. 

And neither will you.

It’s all completed. Come to this table, partake in the bounty of your Lord’s mercy. It’s all your’s. Gratis! Free!