Religion column: Have we gotten too comfortable at the table?

The passage from Mark’s gospel this week gives us two healing stories: One is about a persistent parent who continues to advocate for her child and what her child deserves, despite the parent being insulted and discriminated against by Jesus himself.

The other is about persistent friends who begged Jesus to heal their friend.

The Rev. Sami Pack-Toner 

Courtesy the Rev. Sami Pack-Toner

Both times, Jesus healed because of the advocates. Both times, Jesus’ humanity shines through with impatience, curtness and avoidance. However, these healing stories are also different and distinct, despite the stories being in chronological order in Mark’s gospel. Each has a separate story and a separate need. Each one has a distinct journey that has brought them to the space where healing is needed.

A detail we must acknowledge is Jesus’ initial refusal to heal the daughter. It can be tempting to overlook uncomfortable wording like this. But any way one looks at it, this woman was an outsider in the context of Mark, and Jesus appears to reinforce that to her face.

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