Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18, 8 September 2024: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125; James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17; Mark 7:24-37
Today’s gospel tells the story of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus has gone to a house where he hopes for some privacy, time away from the crowds. But people find out where he is, and inevitably come seeking healing. The Syrophoenician woman doesn’t have a name, just an identity. She comes for her daughter, who is possessed by “an unclean spirit”. And Jesus’ first response is somewhat shocking: he tells her that his work is for the Jews, and “it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Rather than challenging his characterization, the woman accepts it but turns it around: “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And Jesus accepts her rebuke, and tells her that he daughter is healed.
I always find the first part of this shocking because I like to think of Jesus as welcoming and inclusive, which he generally was. But this week I’ve been thinking about the second part: that he accepted his first response was wrong, and changed. The rebuke came from a gentile, and a woman: who was she to push back? It is a reminder that Jesus was human: he was challenged, and he accepted it. He changed. Our society often honors those who hold fast to their ideas, but it we should honor those who, when faced with new ideas or experiences, are willing to change.
In today’s epistle, James’ message could almost be a commentary on the gospel. He is not here concerned about ethnic and religious exclusion, but about favoritism based on wealth. He thinks his audience has favored the rich. Favoritism, he points out, is not part of following Jesus. More to the point, the rich, through their actions, hurt others. “Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?”
This is also connected to action: James reminds us that faith is not enough. It does not provide food for the hungry, or shelter for the homeless. And that is what they need, not prayers. “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead”.
These readings remind us that we are all connected: Jesus is distinguishing between Jews and Gentiles, while James sees Christians favoring the rich over the poor. But to make such distinctions runs counter to the core teachings of both the Hebrew scriptures and of Jesus: to love your neighbor as yourself. And together Jesus and James remind us that inclusion is a work in progress.
May we open our hearts to all, and do what we can to serve their bodies as well as their souls.