On this Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost we will be reading from the Gospel according to Mark. We will hear the double healing story of the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman and a man both deaf and dumb in speech. We will discuss the presence of religious distinctions in the story, and how even Jesus responds to people based on their religious group. The faith-filled woman has some important lessons to teach all of us...even Jesus it appears!
Our Scripture passage is found in the Gospel according to Mark. You may find the Scripture lesson by selecting the following link: (Mark 7:24-37).
For continuing study, reflect on these questions (found in the study guide below):
After reading the Scripture lesson, imagine yourself in the story and reflect on the following: what might the woman's thoughts/feelings/hopes be as she listens to Jesus' very difficult response to her; reflect on her response to Jesus, regardless that it appeared he wasn't interested in helping her; reflect on the thoughts/feelings/hopes of the deaf man; would you be able to "say nothing" of your miraculous encounter with Jesus, as he instructed?
After reading the "WHAT..." paragraph in the guide below, reflect on any thoughts of the author that you may agree with or disagree with. How does the woman inspire our own prayers?
After reading the "WHERE..." paragraph below, reflect specifically on the "human" aspect of Jesus' life and mission: how does Jesus' suffering include being misunderstood and the challenges of being human (loneliness, frustration, etc)?
After reading the "SO WHAT..." paragraph below, reflect on how you and your community can acknowledge the "human made" barriers in our lives, and how we might break down these barriers to spread God's grace and mercy.
After reading the "NOW WHAT..." paragraph below, consider how you might proclaim your experiences of God's grace and mercy.
