September 6, 10:15 a.m.
“A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
from Mark 7:24-37
This is one of those stories where, when you read it the first time, you’re just cruising along, not really paying attention, because it’s one more person who wants Jesus to work his magic and do some healing. Ho hum. Been there, done that. And then you get to the part where Jesus starts talking about children and dogs. And somewhere at the back of your brain, a little voice says, “Wait, WHAT?!?” Did Jesus just call that woman’s daughter a dog? What the heck is going on here?” Good questions. What IS going on here? Is Jesus being a gigantic jerk? Because it sure seems like it. Join us on Sunday as Pastor Curt proposes an answer that might surprise you.
