Mark 7:24-37
“How Are the Children?”
September 9, 2018
“How are the children?” The dear ones who are here with us today are being well-cared for and encouraged and supported and prayed for while cooking up treats as they learn about God’s promise that came with the rainbow – that never again would there be a great flood that would cover over creation.
“How are the children?” is a traditional greeting among the very accomplished and storied tribe in Africa known as the Masai. The Masai place a really high value on the well-being of children. Warriors in the tribe who don’t have any children themselves along with everyone else gives the traditional answer “All the children are well” in the same way we might ask “How are you?” and give the standard answer, “Fine.” In the case of the Masai, their answer of “all the children are well” means “Life is good.” What is great about this greeting though is that the question is not “how are your children?” but rather is inclusive and includes all children.
Today’s reading, at least the first part, has baffled and surprised generations of Christians. Some folks who don’t want to acknowledge the prejudices of the time or a Jesus who might be using cruel language by referring to Gentiles by the derogatory term of “dogs” seem to stumble over themselves trying to make excuses. The Syrophonecian woman is a desperate mother willing to do anything for her child even if that means standing her ground knowing that she is already viewed as second class or worse because of her gender and being a Gentile. She challenges Jesus because she has nothing left to lose if the demon within her daughter cannot be purged. When Jesus has what should certainly be considered a remarkable change of heart he moves from the prejudice of his human side to the wisdom of his divine nature. The determination of this unnamed woman who is one of only two women in all of Mark’s Gospel to have a speaking part – the other is at Jesus’ tomb – is cause enough for Jesus to acknowledge that the salvation he offers is not only for the Jewish people but for everyone – including the outsiders with no power or cultural influence.
Back in Jesus’ time those who were poor, sick, mentally ill, orphaned, from another land or female were afforded little or no respect and had few if any rights. Unfortunately we continue in the 21st century to scapegoat the outsiders – addicts, inmates, the homeless and those from other nations and so many other folks – blaming them for the woes of our country. We perpetuate an “us versus them” mentality, maybe thinking that if we distance ourselves enough from these others we will be able to create the illusion of purity and safety. And so often the ones who suffer deeply and the longest are the children, usually not for anything they’ve done but for the simple act of coming into a world different or “not like us.”
To use as a societal yardstick the question of how are the children is to recognize that children are a reflection of how we take care of the most vulnerable among us as well as care for the future of our world. It was Nelson Mandela who gave voice to this idea when he said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” And “our children” means all of those within our borders.
Last week, as of August 31st, the count was at 497 minor children who are in U.S. government-funded shelters without their parents with 22 of those being under the age of 5 years old. And there is great concern for their mental and emotional well-being not just now but in the future as the trauma of separation takes hold and we are left to worry about what happens for the long haul with the children. A law suit on behalf of these children has been filed to establish a fund to pay for the mental health treatment of children who were taken from their parents.
There is plenty of concern to go around, even for our children locally. Our new middle and high school principal Sarah Merrill spoke the other night here in town of a changing world for all our children. The levels of children living in poverty as well as those experiencing the effects of the opioid crisis or incarceration of a parent are high enough right here in town to be of real concern for all of us. The Syrophonecian mother was able to bring out the compassion in Jesus for her demon-possessed daughter and he had compassion enough still for the man who couldn’t hear nor speak when he commanded “Be open.”
Speaking up in the face of suffering and hardship can make a difference. We have voices we can use and we have hearts that can be opened to make room for those who are struggling. In acts of mercy and justice, speaking up for those who face stigma and outsider status is what we are called to do. And perhaps Jesus’ warning as he does so often in Mark’s Gospel to not make a production out of it provides us with some guidance that it will be in modest and unassuming ways, with letters and phone calls and advocacy and sharing our resources that we might change the course of history for those vulnerable ones in our midst.
That is certainly one of the advantages we have of living in small towns in a small state where our individual acts have the power to influence. It is up to us how we will use the voice we’ve been given for the cause of justice and mercy that Jesus came to proclaim. Let us pray with these words from a clergy woman in Texas who shared them in concern for what she had witnessed near the border as we daily remember to ask ourselves, “How are the children?”
Holy One on High, our hearts are broken to see our fellow human beings treated with cruelty. Our hearts are broken when we hear of small children being torn from their mother’s arms. When we imagine their fears, when we imagine their tears, we shed tears as well.
Protector of all, grant these parents and children strength to endure the journey of their lives. Let them feel our love and concern. Let them know that though they suffer their plight is not unknown.
Granter of compassion, imbue our leaders with compassionate hearts and sound minds. Inspire them to make decisions that protect our boarders…Yes! But also, decisions that protect the safety and dignity of those who cry out to be saved…of all human beings who want nothing more than safety and security…a future for their families and their selves.
Our Father on high, give us strength of purpose to speak up for what we believe in, to see the good in others, to act justly and to demand justice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Amen. (Rabbi Mara Nathan, 6/6/18, rac.org)