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By the seventh chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has been very busy. In the chapter before he fed the five thousand, walked on the water, and had a big confrontation with the Pharisees. It was time for him to get away for a break. So he journeyed north to the Mediterranean town of Tyre, far from the Jewish homeland. His intention was to hide out in a private house for a while. But it was impossible for him to escape notice. He is spotted by a Syrophoenician woman whose daughter has an unclean spirit. Throwing herself at his feet, she begs him to heal the little girl. Jesus’ response seems harsh. He says in effect that healing is for the in-group alone, the people of Israel. "Feed the children first before throwing their food to the dogs." But, like so many persistent women in the Bible, she insists on being taken seriously. "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs." Jesus is impressed and commends her for her faith. And she goes home to find her daughter healed.

A number of things can be said about this story. First, Mark shows us a very human Jesus. He is overworked and in search of rest. He is edgy and irritable and clearly resents the interruption. Next, there is a real barrier between this woman and Jesus. She is an outsider in every way: she is a woman, so her gender sets her apart from Jesus. Her ethnicity is a barrier. Her religion is a barrier. Jesus is looking for a comfort zone for himself, as well as defending the comfort of belonging to an in-group. The woman on the other side of the divide knows that Jesus has the power to heal her daughter. Her tenacity is rooted in her love of her child, and it is this tenacity that breaks down the barrier.

What does this story say to us today? In-groups and out-groups are a way of life: religious in-groups, family in-groups, ethnic in-groups, economic in-groups, political in-groups. In-groups provide us, whether we honestly admit it or not, with a sense of comfort and security. They feel good. And what feels good to us must be protected. The reality is that every group defends its comfort level – especially religious groups. We do that by defending the boundaries. Even Jesus fell victim to this. But the story shows that boundaries are broken down not so much because the insiders are gracious, as because the outsiders are persistent. All they really want is to be included in the blessings. That’s all. That was the essence of Dr. Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream" speech. But insiders fear they have something to lose. But the truth is that God’s blessings are so abundant there is nothing to lose. All we may lose is a bit of momentary comfort. But God came, after all, to afflict the comfortable.

Once upon a time God brought our church a family that was unusual – in terms of their ethnicity, life-style, and extreme need. And they had a bit of an attitude. We spent a certain amount of time fussing among ourselves about how outrageous they were and how unable we really were to help them. This went on for a while but they didn’t go away. Then something interesting happened. Someone said, "Well, they are here. God brought them to us. Why shouldn’t we do our best to help them." So they became a project. We asked what they needed and people pitched in in a variety of ways. And it worked. Their lives changed. And very soon, attitude turned to gratitude. Their need and their insistence on our helping them, in fact, broke down a boundary. And it provided us with an opportunity to do what we do best. And that is to care for people. Even though we initially resisted recognizing it, this family was a gift to us. And lives were transformed.

I believe that is how God works. That is how God worked in the story of Jesus and the woman, and in our story. For in both, the insiders were faced with people in need, children in need, and faced with that need, the barriers dissolved.

Before you is the table of the Lord. It is open to all. There are no boundaries or barriers between you and this table, between you and God. Welcome to this feast of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
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