Tests of Faith (Mark 7:24-30)

Today's Gospel continues the theme of yesterday's Gospel about opening up the faith to the Gentiles. In yesterday's Gospel, Jesus declared all food clean. In today's Gospel, Jesus goes to Tyre, a non-Jewish place and a Greek asks Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

Knowing that Jesus had just come from a debate with Pharisees who by definition are against the infiltration of foreign influences, especially Hellinistic influences, on Judaism, the healing of a Greek's daughter provides a clear message regarding Jesus' mission. He didn't come only for the Jews (which was probably a message the disciples tried to grapple with after Jesus' ascension).

Of course, Jesus could have made things easier for the woman by just granting the request right away. Instead, he feigned resistance and said something to the effect that she wasn't a Jew and so why should he bother with her request. Her reply was that even if she wasn't a Jew, she'd still accept any scraps from the blessings given to Jews. at which Jesus healed her daughter (must note that this is another one of those healings without physical contact. And it's a Gentile again!) The woman was able to demonstrate her faith that God was not just a God for the Jews.

Since I started this exercise of writing everyday about the mass readings, this is the second episode I encountered where Jesus doesn't heal a person right away but introduces a test of faith. The first one involves a blind man. When the person passes the test, Jesus grants the request.

I guess the lesson to be learned is that we must not be deterred from asking God for things that we know is good for us. Maybe sometimes he is just testing out faith.