Seen and Heard: Mark 7:24-37 - 16th Sunday after Pentecost

From there [Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.  

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." (NRSV)

Shipwrecked VBS 2018.  Courtesy of Callie Bobo Photography.

As a child of the 1980s, I was brought up in the tradition of “children should be seen and not heard,” at least as far as my church was concerned.

Noisy children were not tolerated in the sanctuary during worship.  Period.  If you made any kind of noise, the usher would tell you to pipe down or take your child to the nursery.  Even the pastor was known to stop in the middle of his sermon and demand the parent to remove their crying baby.  (By the way, Sunday worship attendance exceeded 1,000 people back then).

I didn’t have my first communion until age 14—because I wasn’t confirmed, and therefore I didn’t understand its true meaning to receive it properly.

The only time a child could be both seen and heard was in when we sang in the children’s choir—or were given speaking parts in the annual Christmas pageant.

I know this rule was not unique to my childhood church.  Yet as I look around the church, it makes me wonder if my generation learned that rule so well that neither they—nor their own children—are seen or heard in church…

In Jesus’ day, there were unspoken but widely held norms about who got to speak—and who was supposed to keep their mouth shut.  It wasn’t just children—it also included women, and people of lower economic status and undesirable ethnicities.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a woman who was neither to be seen nor heard in the presence of Jesus.  She was a Syrophoenician woman…  A Gentile…

Her little daughter had an unclean spirit, and she begged Jesus to cast out the demon and heal her daughter.  Jesus, however, is uncharacteristically cold to her: “Let the children first be satisfied, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs (like you).”

Jesus does have a point: Jews are the priority of his ministry.  He is the Jews’ Messiah, after all.  Speaking from my own experience, members of this church take priority.   Let’s not forget that Jesus was a human being—who was tired and in need of some space.  No human can be everything to everyone.

But then the miracles start happening: the woman does not ask for “the children’s bread.”  She accepts that her kind does not have priority with Jesus—and that it’s alright with her.  Some crumbs on the floor will be sufficient.  At this point, she has Jesus cornered.  He cannot turn away.  The girl is made well. 

The other miracle is that faith is found in a woman who’s totally unfamiliar with the teachings of Judaism; yet she hears about Jesus and has faith in him.  Here and now, God’s love and power cannot exist within ethnic boundary lines.  Here and now, the crumbs of his grace are transforming lives.  Here and now, everyone has a place at Jesus’ table.  Grace and faith are found where you’d least expect it.

So what does this mean for us?

One of the worst things people say is that our churches are empty because there aren’t any Lutherans around—as if we exist only for people of our own kind.  I’d bet that if you ask someone who wasn’t born in a Lutheran Church why they came to this church, it probably wasn’t because we’re a Lutheran Church, or because we’re ELCA.  You may be surprised to learn that I only joined the ELCA when I began seminary—but not because I was attracted to the ELCA.  It’s because of people who followed the example of Jesus and said, “you belong here.”

Now, more than ever, we need to look at our church and ask ourselves, “who do we exist for?  Who belongs here—but isn’t here?  What persons in our community aren’t being seen or heard?

This Sunday, our church made history.  We let the children take over a worship service.  And why not?  It’s their church too! 

Therefore, they should be seen and heard!  Don’t say, “the children are the future of the church” if they’re already here.  It’s their church now!  See them!  Love them!  Show them that church isn’t some building you go to but a family you belong to!  Learn their names.  Send them birthday cards. 

And hear them, too.  Children are naturally curious.  Tell them about the man you see in the pictures and stained glass!  Teach them about this Jesus you love and trust.  Let them ask questions—and if you can’t answer them, bring them to me and I’ll give it a try!  Listen to their stories about what Jesus has done for them.  Let them serve and make a difference.

Young people deserve to shape the church that is already theirs.  They deserve music that comforts and inspires; a liturgy that magnifies Christ’s presence; preaching they can understand; and mission that allows them to bless others by what they’re most passionate about.  We can be a strong church that’s faithful to Christ’s mission, which our children and grandchildren are excited about inviting their friends.  Not to be entertained, but to encounter Jesus in the Word, the Sacraments, the worship, and the people.

Jesus’ ministry was all about seeing the unseen people, giving them a voice, and loving them lavishly.  The future of the church consists of the unseen and unheard persons of our community. 

The future of the church is made up of the people whom we have yet to welcome into God’s family and yet have a place at our Lord’s table.  There don’t need to be Lutherans out there for this church to grow; just people who long for unconditional love and belonging; people who need the encouragement of the Gospel; people who need the good works we can do.  We follow Jesus out into the world to seek them, find them, hear them, serve them, and love them.  In God’s kingdom, everyone gets seen and heard—especially the children.