The Power of Interceding Action

There was no getting away at all. Having just spent time debating with the religious leaders who had travelled down from Jerusalem to see what this man called Jesus was actually up to. They were on a fact finding tour to monitor Jesus’ activity in and around the Sea of Galilee. As people brought their sick and dying to him to be healed word about him had spread both far and wide.
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Jesus left that place and travelled to the vicinity of Tyre, some thirty miles away. He entered a house there and did not want anyone to know he was there. He wanted to keep his presence a secret, but that would prove to be impossible.
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There was a woman there, a mother whose daughter was very ill. She was possessed by an evil spirit. The woman was not Jewish, she was Greek. The whole vicinity of Tyre was Gentile and one would have thought that Jesus could have rested here as he would have been, or should’ve been relatively unknown.
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As soon as this mother heard that Jesus was there she came and fell at Jesus’ feet. There are so many people in the Gospel who have done the same. They see or hear Jesus and they come and fall at his feet. The man with leprosy came to Jesus and fell on his knees and said "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Because of his leprosy, he was a social outcast. Jesus broke with the religious custom of his day, and reached out his hand and touched the man and simply said, "I am willing, you are clean.
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Then there is the elderly woman who had been sick for twelve years. She too was a social outcast. Because of her illness she too was considered unclean.
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She believed that all she needed to do was to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe and she knew, she just knew she would be healed. She did and she was. When Jesus turned around and asked who touched him, the disciples were amazed as there were so many people pushing and shoving and the woman trembling with fear, fell on her knees and owned up to being the one who had touch his robe. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace."
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Just moments earlier, a synagogue ruler by the name of Jarius had also got down on his knees and begged Jesus to come with him and lay his hands on his little daughter who was deathly ill. Jesus set off with Jairus to go to his home.
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There is the account of the rich young man, who ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees and asked Jesus "What must I do to have eternal life?"
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When Jesus told the young man to go and sell everything that he had and give the money to the poor, the rich young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus said "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of an needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
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Now what these three people had in common was the fact that they were all Jewish. Each had come to Jesus for a different reason - but they were Jews.
The woman in our story today was not Jewish, and I said earlier, she was Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia, and when she encountered Jesus he made that very clear. In fact one might be forgiven for thinking that Jesus actually insulted her with his reply to her request to drive the demon out of her daughter.
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"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs."
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Was Jesus calling this woman a dog? In those days dogs were not the nice domestic pets we have today, but rather were viewed as scavengers. Jesus was speaking of the children of Israel, which might seem to suggest that he was in fact calling this woman "a dog" or a scavenger. The equivalent in English would be to call a woman "a bitch" which we know it a female dog, but when applied to a woman has a totally different meaning entirely. In those days, there were no knives or forks, people ate with their hands, and they would use bread to wipe their hands on, and then throw the bread down on the floor for the dogs.
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However, this woman did not hear derogatory or belittling remarks or insults. For Jesus to not be compassionate, kind and caring would have been so far out character, and we know from other encounters that the only people Jesus insulted were those among the religious and political elite.
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And so the woman replies, ‘Yes, Lord, but the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs." She was not to be so easily discouraged or put off. She didn’t want the meat or the bread that belonged to the children of Israel, she only wanted the crumbs. She would settle for the crumbs. For such a reply Jesus told her that she may go for the demon had left her daughter. She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
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Now I am sure you recognize this story or at least recognize some of the wording associated with this story. Each Sunday when we celebrate Holy Communion, we recite the words of the Prayer of Humble Access and say, "we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table ..."
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Reflecting on this particular story, what stands out is the woman’s persistence and courage. She would do anything she had to - even lower herself to the status of dogs who scavenged around the tables looking for crumbs. However, what Jesus is saying to this woman, and through this woman, that the children of Israel would have first refusal to the Gospel of good-news. They would have first opportunity, but if they refused to listen, then the bread of life wold be offered to people like this woman, whose faith was perhaps greater than that of the Jewish people - and particularly the Jewish religious leaders whose only purpose and aim was to find fault with Jesus and have him arrested as well.
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The Jewish people were guilty of not listening. They shut their ears to Jesus.
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The second story from the Gospel this morning concerns a man who was deaf and not able to speak very well. Some people brought this man to meet Jesus.

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Jesus had left the vicinity of Tyre and gone into the region of Decapolis. You will remember that Jesus had been there once before when he cast out demons from a man called Legion - because the demons were many - and caused the demons to go into a herd of pigs - and the people pleaded with Jesus to leave.
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However the healing of this man called Legion was so dramatic that the people could not help but be amazed. And now when word had leaked out that Jesus is once again in the area, some people brought to Jesus this man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus to place his hand on the man.
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What happens next shows the beauty of our Lord’s compassion. Jesus took the man aside, away from the glaring eyes of the crowd that had gathered. He afforded the man privacy, permitting him to keep his dignity. Next Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears perhaps to let the man who could not hear understand each step that Jesus took in this man’s healing. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s lips. Perhaps Jesus was using a form of sign language to guide this man who could not hear so that he fully understood what Jesus was up to.
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Then Jesus looked up to heaven, to perhaps show where his power came from, then with a great sigh said to the deaf man "Ephphatha!" which means ‘Be Opened!" At this the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
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Now Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone, but the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it and telling anyone who would lend an ear and listen. The people were overwhelmed with amazement at the power of Jesus.
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As we come to worship we risk being touched by this Jesus. If we hear his message and feel his touch - then our lives will be changed for ever and ever.
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When we encounter Jesus - his touch opens us up, first to Him, then to each other, and finally to those outside of the Church. Like the nameless people in our Gospel, they brought their friend to Jesus. Do you think for one moment this man who could not hear and could not speak properly would be able to keep silent about what Jesus had done for him. Surely he‘d tell everyone he met?