Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Two versions of the Faith of a Gentile Woman
Having read about the faith of the Syrophoenician woman in both Mark and Matthew, there are some subtle differences. In Mark, Jesus almost seems mean. It is a hard passage for me to understand. In Matthew (15) , however, Jesus almost seems like he is being sarcastic. This intrepretation may be incorrect, but I think it is at least plausible. a Canaanite woman comes and is crying out to Jesus to have mercy on her and heal her daughter. Jesus did not answer her. It almost seems like he is waiting for his disciples to do something. Finally, the disciples--get this--come and BEG him to send her away. Wow, aren't they compassionate. To me, Jesus' reply is almost sarcastic, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman is persistant, even though Jesus seems to return all her comments with cutting remarks. It almost seems like he is mocking the thoughts of the disciples. Then he shows that faith is for ALL people. I could be wrong, but I found this point of view interesting.
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2 comments:
Interesting observations. This is a hard passage to stomach. The disciples reaction to Jesus' comments are often the same we have when 'strangers' come to us: "Send them away." I also believe that this passage shows the humanity of Jesus; tried, hungry, and frustrated. I find comfort in the fact that Jesus was not always, patient and kind, yet He did live a sinless life. As my example, Jesus is, I believe something to be grasped. Not that I will acheive perfection in this life, but I should daily strive to be like Christ.
I agree that this passage is hard to interpret. It IS out of character for Jesus to be AS sarcastic as he was; with his disciples is one thing; they've been traveling with him for almost three years now and they STILL are worried about bread! But as for this woman, it may have been an issue of knowing her heart. Jesus was able to know the thoughts of the Pharisees when they were plotting against him. It could be that Jesus, knowing that her faith was strong, was truly seeking for her to be persistent. All she wanted was a little miraculous action from the Great Healer himself. My interpretation of this passage is fuzzy too, but all in all, her faith was the reason Jesus healed her daughter. (side note: isnt it cool that Jesus didnt have to BE there in order to heal at times...i think that is pretty sweet!)
Zach
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