Pentecost 16B/Proper 18 (Mark 7:24-37)

In the Hebrew Bible, one of the attitudes that upsets God is stubbornness. After creating the golden calf, the Israelites are considered “stiff-necked” (Exodus 32:9-10). King Hezekiah refers to this characteristic to urge people to change their hearts: “Do not now be stiff-necked as your ancestors were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever” (2 Chronicles 30:8).​

We have experienced in others, as well as in ourselves, this attitude of obstinacy. This is different from a sense of firm conviction in that it is self-serving. There is this clinging or attachment to the view that I am right, with no room whatsoever to consider that I could be wrong. It shuts down all possible boundaries. In this closed loop, there is no learning or growth. One is surrounded by walls of self-righteousness, and its core is built on ignorance or lack of self-awareness. When locked, its resident might feel secure but in turn becomes isolated from others. There is disconnection.

In the gospel lesson today, we see the Syrophoenician woman who presents a completely different attitude than stubbornness or rigidity. It is one of openness, fluidity, and adaptability. This openness seems to be contagious, as Jesus echoes her openness when he says, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Jesus' saying is to release the deaf person from isolation. Metaphorically, it is to open up the presence of God within and without.

So, what is it about the Syrophoenician woman that Jesus and we can model after? We have no idea how mature she is spiritually. The only information about her background is that she is not Jewish and is the mother of a daughter who is ill. Because of her motherly love, which is only focused on the well-being of her daughter, she goes out of herself, leaving no room to care about how Jesus is treating her or how she is supposed to be treated. Everything else becomes secondary. That she becomes selfless means she is creating a version of herself that is so free, fluid, and adaptable to fluctuating conditions. She is, in a way, boundless.

It doesn’t matter how Jesus or others identify her. A puppy or kitty cat? Bring it on. She is ready to take on any label because she is beyond it. Even if someone labels her as reverent, venerable, and honorable, she would demonstrate the same attitude as if she were referred to as a dog. She is released from any form of identity. No labels can stop her from getting what she needs. Love is unstoppable. Even Jesus cannot stop her but rather yields himself to become what she is.

The Syrophoenician woman reminds me of Aesop's fable "The Oak and the Reeds”:

A giant oak stood near a river. It was tall and strong, with thick branches and deep roots. Nearby, a cluster of reeds grew, slender and flexible. One day, a powerful storm swept through the area. The oak, proud of its strength, stood firm against the howling wind. It resisted the gusts with all its might, confident that it could withstand the storm. The reeds, on the other hand, bent and swayed with the wind, yielding to its force. As the storm grew fiercer, the wind blew harder and harder. Eventually, the mighty oak, unable to bend, broke under the relentless force of the wind and crashed to the ground. The reeds, however, survived the storm, bending and flexing until the wind subsided.

The moral of the story is that it is better to be flexible and adaptable in the face of challenges rather than rigid and unyielding. Flexibility allows one to endure hardships and emerge stronger, while rigidity can lead to downfall.

One of my favorite quotes from Lao Tzu is, “Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” How do we make ourselves and our minds like water? We cultivate the presence of God within, where we are truly free from biological, cultural, and even spiritual and religious labels and markers. In the very presence of God, we can “be melting snow, washing ourselves of ourselves” as Rumi once echoed.