Mark 7:24-37 Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but 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.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Reflection Oh dear, what are we to do with this dark and disturbing version of Jesus? How dare he liken the Syrophoenician woman and her daughter to dogs? But Jesus is just being Jesus, a radical reformer of the Jewish tradition, compelled to care for the Jews, whom he understands to be the children of God. As a faithful Jew Jesus is especially concerned for the people of his tribe who are suffering because of the misuse of power by religious and political officials, the people with the power.
And what happens? “Ephphatha,” be opened.” When Jesus deigns to withhold his healing power from the Gentile woman and her daughter essentially the woman demands that he be open, open his mind and heart to see humanity in the face of foreigners like her. The Syrophoenician mother demands that Jesus neither consciously nor unconsciously participate in cruelty to the powerless, precisely what his ministry is meant to be. “Be opened,” and immediately Jesus puts down his blindness, prejudice or unconscious bias, we do not know which. What happens? Jesus beholds the holiness of the foreign mother and daughter. They are healed and he is released, free to continue his ministry.
Let me suggest that before Jesus could bring his ministry to the Decapolis, the land of the Gentiles, he had to be opened, “Ephphatha.” Jesus’ mind and heart had to be opened and released from the demons of unconsciously, unwittingly or unintentionally withholding or misusing his power and thereby participating in cruelty to the powerless? And, immediately after Jesus is opened, he continues his ministry beyond the boundaries of his tribal identity, unconstrained by unconscious bias, opening the ears and releasing the tongue of the deaf, mute man. “Ephphatha.”
It is time, way over due, for every single one of us to be opened, “Ephphatha.” It is time to lay down the demons of our preference, prejudice and politic and be opened to the holiness of every human being. In so doing we will exercise our power rightly on behalf of the powerless and we will be released from the demons that undermine our well intentioned ministries.
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