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Miracle Worker

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus said to a Syrophoenician woman, “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. (Mark 7:27-30)

Jesus is a miracle worker. He had been performing signs and miracles for a bit of time now and he had really upset the leaders of the time. He went in a house to get away from the crowds, but Jesus couldn’t hide from anyone. A woman desperate for a healing for her daughter went to him, but she was not Jewish. Jesus did something shocking; he said that the children needed to be fed first, referring to the children of God, the Israelites.

Jesus compared the woman of Syrophoenician origin to a dog. However much this had to be an insult, the woman continued in her mission to get her daughter healed from the demon that possessed her, to get the unclean spirit removed. This woman’s sole mission in finding Jesus was to help her daughter. She spoke and said that even dogs get to eat scraps. Impressed by her faith, Jesus told her to go home, that her daughter had been healed. By great faith, her daughter was healed. Jesus showed his disciples that day that even the people who are not Israelites are children of God. Jesus showed his compassion for all.

After he left the area, he went to another region, where people were wanting and expecting him to heal their people. In the reading, we see this: 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. (Mark 7:31-33)

Jesus once again did a miracle in private, as to not bring attention to himself. He loosened the man’s tongue and gave him the gift of hearing and speaking. He told the man to not say anything, but the more times he told people not to tell, the more they told. He showed great compassion to the people in these stories, just as he shows us great compassion today.

Blessings,
Laura Higbee
Salem Office Administrator

Tags: Weekly Word