Bible Text: Mark 7:24-37 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
In 2006, a year before he announced his intention to run for president, Barak Obama published a book entitled, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.” Now, full disclosure, I have not read the book, but the title and the story behind the book really intrigued me. Oprah Winfrey not only endorsed this book but also endorsed his run for president based on the principles in this book. These principles later became part of his campaign. But the title actually comes from a sermon which was delivered by Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright in the 1990s. Wright was inspired to preach on hope based on a lecture he attended based on a G.F. Watts painting entitled, “Hope” (SHOW PICTURE). Wright described the painting and then stated, “with her clothes in rags, her body scarred and bruised and bleeding, her harp all but destroyed and with only one string left, she had the audacity to make music and praise God” He later encouraged us to “take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope.” Obama modified and adapted this sermon into a speech when he was keynote speaker in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention where he stated, “Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope: In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us…a belief in things not seen, a belief that there are better days ahead.” It was this speech that propelled him into a celebrity and likely why his second book had the same title. While the dictionary can define audacity as being “rude or disrespectful” it can also be defined as “the willingness to take bold risks” or “to be courageous”. So, the audacity to hope is seen as being bold or courageous in hope. Audacious behaviour characterizes the first part of our gospel reading, both in the rude and disrespectful behaviour of Jesus and the bold and courageous behaviour of the Syrophoenician woman. In many ways, this woman personifies what it is to have the audacity to hope.
The passage begins with Jesus on a journey. While it does not explicitly say so, we get the sense that Jesus is tired, particularly because he enters a house and does not want anyone to know he is there. Jesus wants some downtime. Jesus is on his way to Tyre when a gentile, or more accurately a Greek woman of Syrophoenician descent approaches him. The author of Mark is not known for his descriptive words. This Gospel is the shortest, most grammatically curt and often omits descriptions. So, when Mark introduces this woman and not only says she is Greek but also Syrophoenician, it means it was worth it to Mark to share this piece of information. But why? In Matthew’s version of the story she is a Canaanite. It is quite possible, that she was all three. A woman of Canaanite descent, which was now part of the region of Syria; a native of the Phoenician seaboard who was Greek in religion and likely speech. To say nothing of the fact that she was a woman, there were essentially three or four more knocks against her within the eyes of the Jewish people. I have a theory that the reason she is described in such a way is to make very clear, three times clear, that this woman had nothing to do with who Jesus was or what he stood for. There is literally no reason for her to trust that Jesus can do anything for her. Yet, she has the audacity to approach him as he enters a home for some privacy.
This woman calls out to Jesus asking him to cast out a demon from her daughter. Note that this daughter is not with her- the daughter is at home- meaning that this woman’s hope in Jesus is such that she feels he can heal her daughter without even seeing her. She has the audacity to have deep faith and trust. Jesus’ response, however, is not the kind, gentle, or courteous Jesus we have come to know. Jesus has the audacity to call her a dog. Now, to call any woman a dog is rather unkind, and you should know that the Greek word that Jesus uses is an informal term that is in the diminutive, meaning, he uses a similar term to what people would use to describe a female dog. Jesus dismisses and completely insults this woman. But here’s the incredible thing to this story the woman owns this title, she does not say, “I am not a dog” instead she says, “yes but even the dogs eat the crumbs.” This woman turns his words around and uses the dog metaphor to her advantage. She has the audacity to debate the Son of God!
This passage is a very complicated story within the gospels but I have to admit that I admire that this story is included in the Cannon at all, in both Mark and Matthew. You know, in some ways, it tells me that we can challenge God or we can turn to God in anger and desperation and debate. Jesus recognizes this woman’s ability to go head to head with him and he dismisses the demon from her daughter. What’s curious is that in most of Jesus’ healing stories he says that it is their faith that has made them well or changed the situation. Clearly this woman has faith in Jesus’ ability- but I wonder- does she go back to her Greek gods after all this? The text doesn’t say. In Matthew’s version Jesus does indeed say that it is her faith that has made her daughter well but not in Mark. This passage certainly does teach me of a mother’s deep love- she will do anything for her child, even risk being called names.
This woman acts with boldness and dares to confront Jesus which brings about change. Perhaps it is this story that paved the way for the early church to begin preaching to the gentiles. In a Church of Scotland resource on Creation Time it describes hope as being something that “encourages us not to give up when the temptation is to be overwhelmed by the enormity [of the problem]…Hope is an agent of transformation which calls us to be daring and bold and even impudent at times. Passing on the gift of hope happens between people of every generation. The hopes of older and younger generations can enthuse and inspire each other if we take time to listen; to allow our encounters to speak to our hearts and live the change we experience.”
Audacity and tenacity are part of the other healing story that we hear as well. A man who cannot hear or speak is brought by friends to Jesus. It is his friends who speak on his behalf, not unlike the woman who speaks on her daughter’s behalf. Sometimes we need to have the audacity to hope for people other than ourselves. Like the man’s friends- who are we going to give voice to? We not only go to Jesus for ourselves; we also go to Jesus for others. We need to be the voice for those who cannot speak. The people are also rather audacious in their response to Jesus’ healing ministry. Jesus keeps telling them to keep these experiences to themselves, but the more he tells them to keep quiet, the louder they become.
The prophet Isaiah also had the audacity to hope that God was still present within the people despite their experiences in exile. But note that hoping is not a static response. To hope means also to act- we speak up for others as well as our selves. We approach God with pleas. We go straight to God and say, “Hey- we need help here!” and we continue to say that until there is transformation. And we are part of that transformation; we do what we can to restore hope by being witnesses to God’s love around us. So, for example, if we are hoping that more people will come to church or see our faith community as having value, are we going to have the audacity to act?
Amen