But... Jesus isn't supposed to be rude?!

Mark 7:24-30

Context
This scripture follows immediately after last week's reading - in which Mark told us that all foods were clean. Tyre is outside of Israel, where Jesus never preaches (Jesus' entire teaching/preaching ministry takes place in Israel.) Tyre was a place of great wealth through most of ancient Israel's history, and was much wealthier than Jesus' home of Galilee.

Listening to the writer
In context, Mark's intent seems clear enough - Jesus has just declared all foods clean, and now we learn that non-Jews (even from economically wealthier areas) are also "clean" and worthy of God's care. But what do we do with Jesus' behavior? Did it seem out of place for Mark?

Imagine that an MSU student emailed me a question, and I responded “Sorry, I only have time to teach CMU students - not Spartan dogs.” If you witnessed this interaction, what would you think of my behavior?

Various justifications of Jesus' behavior have been given over the centuries:
1) He's God. He can say whatever he pleases, and by definition, it's OK.
2) He was really calling the women a pet dog, so it's not as rude as it sounds.
3) He was testing the woman's faith - sometimes God tests our faith in ways we don't like.
4) He was tired and revealed his culture's prejudices - and then learned to ignore them.
Which of these explanations (or others) makes the most sense to you?
What does your answer imply regarding your assumptions about God, Jesus, and appropriate interactions between God and humanity?

Listening to God
How would you feel if you found that God considered Jews as children and you as a dog?

The woman takes Jesus’ reply in stride and simply sticks to her need. How do you respond when you feel that God (or the church) has treated you rudely? Does the woman’s response challenge you?

When the woman argues (politely) with Jesus, she gets what she asks for. Have you ever felt the courage to argue with God?

Spend some time in prayer (or argument?) with God over an issue that is troubling you or causing pain in your life.

Miscellaneous Meanderings
I remember the first time I read this story as a teen. It was NOT the kind of story we ever heard in church - either during worship or in Sunday School.
Who was this Jesus I worshiped? This story was so unlike my idea of the One who created the world, came to earth, and died for my sin. If this was an example of Jesus loving the Gentiles, I wasn't sure I was going to make it as one of His. Among other things, I certainly wouldn't have had the wits and political ability that the woman had, to give a politely defiant answer.
The story changed me. Whatever you make of this story, I hope you don't come out of the interaction unchanged. Allow God to challenge your assumptions - just as Jesus and the woman challenged each other - and find yourself blessed when the exchange is over.

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