Mark!!

Lesson*#8*Interlude*(7:*1*–*8:*26)*

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With!the!murder!of!John!the!Bap5st!in!Lesson!#7,!Jesus!faces!

the!stark!reality!that!if!he!con5nues!teaching,!preaching!and!

healing!in!Galilee—as!he!has!been!doing—he!will!face!the!same!

brutal!death!as!his!cousin,!John.!!!!

Understanding!this!marks!a!turning!point!for!Jesus!in!the!

Gospel*according*to*Mark.!!Un5l!now!as!readers!we!might!

ques5on!whether!Jesus!fully!understood!the!consequences!of!

his!ac5ons,!whether!he!knew!the!ul5mate!price!he!would!pay!

for!them,!and!whether!he!fully!comprehended!the!implica5ons!

for!himself!and!for!his!disciples.!!

AGer!John’s!murder!Jesus’!night!on!the!mountain!there!is!no!

longer!any!doubt:!!Jesus!will!go!to!Jerusalem—into!the!mouth!

of!the!beast—where!he!will!confront!headJon!the!religious!

leaders!and!the!Roman!authori5es,!be!arrested,!tried!and!

brutally!crucified.!!!

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His!decision!made,!Jesus!reengages!the!growing!conflict!that!has!

accompanied!his!public!ministry!in!Galilee.!!As!we!enter!Lesson!#8!we!

learn!that!Jesus’!ac5vi5es!in!Galilee!have!aPracted!the!aPen5on!of!

the!religious!leaders!in!Jerusalem,!for!“when!the!Pharisees!with!some!

scribes!who!had!come!from!Jerusalem!gathered!around!him!.!.!.”!they!

began!to!ques5on!him!regarding!details!of!the!Law:!!“Why!do!your!

disciples!not!follow!the!tradi5on!of!the!elders!but!instead!eat!a!meal!

with!unclean!hands”!(7:!1,!5)?!!!!

Juxtaposed!to!the!murder!of!John!the!Bap5st!and!Jesus’!night!on!the!

mountain,!this!otherwise!appropriate!ques5on!on!a!minor!point!of!

the!Law!ignites!a!deep!rage!within!Jesus:!!“He!responds,!‘Well!did!

Isaiah!prophesy!about!you!hypocrites!.!.!.”!(7:!6),!and!he!goes!on!to!

savage!the!religious!leaders,!throwing!gasoline!on!a!smoldering!fire.!!

When!his!disciples!ques5on!him!about!the!encounter,!Jesus!blasts!

them,!too:!!“Are!you!likewise!without!understanding”!(7:!18)?!!Jesus’!

frustra5on!and!anger!are!visceral,!virtually!leaping!off!the!page!!

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Jesus!then!leaves!Galilee!and!heads!north!toward!Tyre!(in!modernJday!Lebanon),!where!he!encounters!a!

Syrophoenician!woman!(whom!he!deeply!insults!),!and!he!

then!heads!back!by!way!of!Sidon!to!the!Sea!of!Galilee.!!

Once!home,!nothing!has!changed.!!

With!that,!Jesus!makes!a!pivotal!decision.!!He!takes!his!

disciples!43!miles!north!of!the!Sea!of!Galilee!to!Caesarea!

Philippi,!a!GrecoJRoman!town!at!the!southwestern!foot!of!Mt.!Hermon,!where!the!turning!point!in!our!story!will!take!

place.!

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As!we!saw!the!tone!of!our!story!change!

entering!Lesson!#7!where!Jesus!seemed!

deflated,!so!does!the!tone!change!again!in!

Lesson!#8!as!Jesus!reengages!the!conflict!in!

Galilee.!!

In!Lesson!#8!we!learn!that!the!religious!

authori5es!in!Jerusalem!have!taken!note!of!

Jesus,!and!he!is!now!on!their!radar.!!!!

Jesus!responds!to!the!“scribes!from!

Jerusalem”!like!a!pit!bull!going!aGer!raw!meat!!!!

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“Why*do*your*disciples*not*follow*the*tradiEon*of*the*elders*but*instead*eat*a*meal*with*unclean*hands?”*(7:!5)!

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Since!God!provides!the!food!we!eat,!it!is!

holy.!!Therefore,!we!bless!God!for!the!

food!he!has!provided,!and!we!perform!a!

hand!washing!called!NeElat*Yadayim*to!sanc5fy!ourselves!before!ea5ng!the!food!

God!has!offered.!It!is!a!ceremonial*washing,!having!nothing!to!do!with!

hygiene.!

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We!wash!our!hands!with!a!special!2J

handled!cup,!pouring!water!3!5mes!over!

the!right!hand!and!then!3!5mes!over!the!

leG!hand,!while!reci5ng!a!blessing.!!

The!Rabbi!says!.!.!.!

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Likewise,!in!the!Roman!Catholic!Church!when!Mass!

is!celebrated!and!the!giGs!of!

bread!and!wine!are!being!

prepared!at!the!altar,!the!

priest!ceremonially*washes!his!hands,!saying,!“Lord,!

wash!away!my!iniquity;!

cleanse!me!from!my!sins.”!!

The!priest’s!ac5on!descends!

directly!from!the!ceremonial!

hand!washing!before!meals!

in!Judaism.!

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The!Greek!word!translated!!“hypocrites”!is!uJpokritw:n [hupoJkri’Jton],!a!masculine,!

plural!noun!meaning!in!classical!

Greek!a!“stage!actor,”!

“pretender,”!or!“dissembler.”!!!

It!is!a!scathing*indictment!of!the!

professional!theologians,!the!

religious!leaders!from!Jerusalem,!and!the!most!incendiary!insult!in!

Jesus’!vocabulary.*!

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And!then!Jesus!con5nues!.!.!.!!

“How*well*you*have*set*aside*the*commandment*of*God*in*order*to*uphold*your*tradiEon!**For*Moses*said*.*.*.”*!

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!I’m out’ta

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!!Capernaum!

!!Tyre!

!!�38!miles!

!!�34!miles!

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In!one!of!the!most!difficult!passages!in!

the!synop5c!gospels,!Jesus!clearly!insults!

the!Syrophoenician!woman—a!gen5le—

who!asks!for!his!help!by!calling!her!a!

“dog.” !!!

There!is!no!gejng!around!it:!!calling!someone!

a!“dog”!in!the!Near!East!is!an!insult,!both!in!

biblical!5mes!and!today:!

• Golaith,!insulted!by!David,!says:!“Am!I!a!dog!

that!you!come!at!me!with!a!s5ck?”!(1!Samuel!

17:!43);!

• When!evil!king!Ahab!dies!“dogs!licked!up!his!

blood”!as!it’s!washed!from!his!chariot!where!

the!“pros5tutes!bathed”!(1!Kings!22:!38);!and!

• When!Ahab’s!vile!wife!Jezebel!dies,!dogs!

“devoured!her!flesh”!and!she!thus!becomes!

dung!in!the!fields!(2!Kings!9:!36J37).!

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But!everyone!likes!me!!!

Dr.!C’s!“BuPercup”!(RIP)!

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! Decapolis!!!!!!Region!

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Why!does!Jesus!go!north!to!Sidon!and!

then!back!to!Galilee!by!

way!of!the!Decapolis?!

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Makes!no!sense!!to!me!!

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We!need!to!look!at!this!

scene!very*carefully.!!!!

AGer!Jesus’!heated!encounter!

with!the!scribes!from!

Jerusalem!and!his!frustrated!

clash!with!his!disciples,!he!

heads!north!to!Tyre,!withdrawing!from!Galilee!in!

anger.!!!

In!Tyre!he!clashes!with!the!Syrophoenician!woman,!calling!

her!a!“dog,”!his!frustra5on!and!

impa5ence!again!clearly!

evident.!!!!

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If!that’s!the!case,!one!would!expect!the!Syrophoenician!

woman!to!strike!back!at!the!

insult,!but!she!doesn’t;!instead,!

she!responds!with!humility!and!

kindness.!!

Jesus*seems*taken*aback!*!

He!grants!her!wish,!and!then!

moves!on,!not!returning!to!

Galilee,!but!con5nuing!north!to!

Sidon.!!

Where*is*he*going?*!

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Jesus!con5nues!pujng!another!30!miles!between!himself!and!

Galilee!!!

Once!at!Sidon,!however,!Jesus!

seems!to!change!his!mind,!heading!

back!to!Galilee,!but!in!a!rather!

circuitous!route,!entering!through!the!eastern!region!of!the!

Decapolis.!

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Could*it*be*that!having!leG!Galilee!in!anger!and!frustra5on,!Jesus!is!

determined!to!“give!up!the!

fight?”!!

And*could*it*be*that!the!Syrophoenician!woman’s!

response!gave!him!pause!and!!

prompted!him!to!reconsider?!!

And*could*it*be*that!on!his!con5nuing!walk!north!to!Sidon!he!

determined!to!go!back!to!Galilee!

and!con5nue!the!fight?!!

And*could*it*be*that!by!taking!a!circuitous!route!he!had!5me!to!think!and!to!plan!his!next!moves?!

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Yes,!that!could!

very!well!be!the!

case!!!

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Bartholomeus!Breenbergh,!Jesus*Healing*a*Deaf*and*Dumb*Man*(oil!on!canvas),!1635.!!Louvre!Museum,!Paris.!

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Jesus!Mul5plies!the!Loaves!&!Fish!!

!Mark!6:!31J44 ! ! !Mark!8:!1J10!!

!Decapolis! ! ! ! !Decapolis!

!Late!in!the!day ! ! !3!days!later!

!5,000!men! ! ! ! !4,000!men!

!(masculine,*plural)* * *(masculine,*plural)*!5!loaves! ! ! ! !7!loaves!

!2!fish ! ! ! ! !“a!few”!fish!

!12!baskets!leG ! ! !7!baskets!leG!

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Possible!site!of!Dalmanutha.!!!

Map*courtesy*of*Biblos.com*

Dalmanutha!"!

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Sea!of!Galilee!(Google!Earth)!

Decapolis!!Heals*deaf*man*Feeds*4,000*

Dalmanutha!"!

! Bethsaida!!!!!Heals*blind*man*

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Demand*for*Sign*

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Gioacchino!Assereto,!Christ*Healing*the*Blind*Man*(oil!on!canvas),!1640.!Carnegie!Museum!of!Art,!PiPsburgh,!PA.!

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On!three!occasions!Jesus!

heals!a!person!by!spijng!!!

1.   The!deaf!man!in!the!Decapolis!

!“He*put*his*finger*into*the*man’s*ears*and,*spi\ng,*touched*his*tongue”*(Mark!

7:!33);!

2. !The!blind!man!of!Bethsaida!

!“He*took*the*blind*man*by*the*hand*and*led*him*outside*the*village.**Pu\ng*spi^le*on*his*eyes*he*laid*his*hands*on*him*.*.*.”*(Mark!8:!23);!

3. !The!man!born!blind!in!Jerusalem!

!“When*he*had*said*this,*he*spat*on*the*ground*and*made*clay*with*the*saliva”*(John!9:!6).!

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How!odd!is!that!!!

I!have!read!countless!explana5ons!for!why!Jesus!spits!in!these!three!healings,!from!the!

early!Church!Fathers!to!contemporary!biblical!cri5cism,!and!I!have!yet!to!

encounter!a!convincing!explana5on.!!

Clearly,!Jesus!can!heal!in!a!variety!of!ways:!!

1)!laying!hands!on!someone!(Peter’s!motherJinJlaw);!2)!speaking!to!someone!

who!is!present!(the!paraly5c);!3)!speaking!

about!someone!who!is!not!present!(the!Syrophoenician!woman’s!daughter);!and!so!

on.!!!

I!have!no*idea*why!Jesus!spits!in!these!three!healings.!!

(Don’t!let!that!get!out!)!

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Ques5ons!for!discussion!and!thought!**

1.   Why!does!Jesus!react!so!aggressively!when!the!scribes!from!Jerusalem!ques5on!him!about!he!and!his!disciples!ea5ng!with!unwashed!hands?!

2.   What!is!significant!about!the!scribes!from!Jerusalem!asking!him!this!ques5on?!

3.   Why!does!Jesus!go!to!Tyre!and!Sidon?!

4.   What!does!Jesus!mean!by!calling!the!Syrophoenician!woman!a!“dog”?!

5.   Why!does!Jesus!take!such!a!circuitous!route!back!to!Galilee!from!Sidon?!

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Copyright!©!2014!by!William!C.!Creasy!

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