The Canaanite Woman Asks for Healing for her Daughter
Limbourg, Herman de, approximately 1385-approximately 1416, Limbourg, Jean de, approximately 1385-approximately 1416, Limbourg, Pol de, approximately 1385-approximately 1416. The Canaanite Woman asks for healing for her daughter, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55920 [retrieved September 3, 2021]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio_164r_-_The_Canaanite_Woman.jpg.
Ephphatha
Now listen to this,
You hucksters of religion,
All you faith healers,
Gatherers of crowds,
Who came to smite the populace
With miracles, spectaculars;
When Jesus healed a deaf man,
He took the man aside, privately,
Away from gawkers.
Jesus did not yield to crowd promotion,
As do some who appear in his name (in vain?).
He took the man aside, apart, away
From the multitude. He put his fingers
Into the deaf-mute’s ears. He spat
And touched his tongue. Does Jesus’
Spit offend you? He looked into heaven.
He sighed and said, “Ephphatha! Be opened!”
Do you think you know his secret now?
Do you think method is the key to power?
Repeat the procedure exactly.
Try the sequence in proper order.
Isolate the experimental subject
Stick finger on tongue. Look heavenward.
Sigh. Say the magic word. Got it? Try it.
When his ears were opened
And his tongue released,
The [man] spoke plainly. Of course.
Now that we have rehearsed the event,
Do we understand it better?
Of course not.
Let’s start with something easier.
Try listening to what others say.
Experience the loss of your own deafness.
Say how you feel, and watch your tongue come untied.
Get somebody you can trust to practice on.
Try it on your wife or husband,
Father, mother, brothers, sisters, children, friends.
You already know how to sigh.
Now learn to open up.
Ephphatha! Be opened!
See, that’s all there is to it!
Wayne Saffen
Now listen to this,
You hucksters of religion,
All you faith healers,
Gatherers of crowds,
Who came to smite the populace
With miracles, spectaculars;
When Jesus healed a deaf man,
He took the man aside, privately,
Away from gawkers.
Jesus did not yield to crowd promotion,
As do some who appear in his name (in vain?).
He took the man aside, apart, away
From the multitude. He put his fingers
Into the deaf-mute’s ears. He spat
And touched his tongue. Does Jesus’
Spit offend you? He looked into heaven.
He sighed and said, “Ephphatha! Be opened!”
Do you think you know his secret now?
Do you think method is the key to power?
Repeat the procedure exactly.
Try the sequence in proper order.
Isolate the experimental subject
Stick finger on tongue. Look heavenward.
Sigh. Say the magic word. Got it? Try it.
When his ears were opened
And his tongue released,
The [man] spoke plainly. Of course.
Now that we have rehearsed the event,
Do we understand it better?
Of course not.
Let’s start with something easier.
Try listening to what others say.
Experience the loss of your own deafness.
Say how you feel, and watch your tongue come untied.
Get somebody you can trust to practice on.
Try it on your wife or husband,
Father, mother, brothers, sisters, children, friends.
You already know how to sigh.
Now learn to open up.
Ephphatha! Be opened!
See, that’s all there is to it!
Wayne Saffen
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 1
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
When we read the story of the Gentile mother in Mark 7:24-30, we sometimes read Jesus' comment to her as insulting and dismissive, and honestly it kind of was. What we sometimes miss is Jesus' motivation.
The woman actually had two strikes against her before she even came to Jesus. First, she was a woman and second, she was a Gentile. Nevertheless, she is so desperate for deliverance for her daughter that she approaches a Jewish man to ask for a miracle. In her society, men and women didn't have much to do with each other in public and neither did Jews and Gentiles. For her to approach Jesus is an act of supreme courage and desperation.
When she asks Jesus to deliver her daughter, Jesus equates her with a dog and tells her to wait her turn; he has more important things to do and more important people to deal with right now. Maybe he will get to her need later on. This is very unlike Jesus. He goes out of his way to include those who would normally be excluded. She presses in, however, and won't give up. In Matthew's telling of this story (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus is impressed by this woman's faith and delivers her daughter.
Jesus recognized the courage and desperation that it took for the woman to approach him. His seeming rebuff of her was actually an opportunity for her to press in more, to exercise, grow, and demonstrate her faith. Ultimately, Jesus holds her up as an example of faith to the others who were around him. Sometimes when we pray and it seems like God doesn't answer, it isn't because he has more important things to do, more important people to deal with, or just that he doesn't like us. Sometimes it is because he wants us to press in more, to exercise and grow our faith, and sometimes it is because he wants our faith, our persistence, to serve as an example for others. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me faith like the Gentile mother.
Overview
When we read the story of the Gentile mother in Mark 7:24-30, we sometimes read Jesus' comment to her as insulting and dismissive, and honestly it kind of was. What we sometimes miss is Jesus' motivation.
The woman actually had two strikes against her before she even came to Jesus. First, she was a woman and second, she was a Gentile. Nevertheless, she is so desperate for deliverance for her daughter that she approaches a Jewish man to ask for a miracle. In her society, men and women didn't have much to do with each other in public and neither did Jews and Gentiles. For her to approach Jesus is an act of supreme courage and desperation.
When she asks Jesus to deliver her daughter, Jesus equates her with a dog and tells her to wait her turn; he has more important things to do and more important people to deal with right now. Maybe he will get to her need later on. This is very unlike Jesus. He goes out of his way to include those who would normally be excluded. She presses in, however, and won't give up. In Matthew's telling of this story (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus is impressed by this woman's faith and delivers her daughter.
Jesus recognized the courage and desperation that it took for the woman to approach him. His seeming rebuff of her was actually an opportunity for her to press in more, to exercise, grow, and demonstrate her faith. Ultimately, Jesus holds her up as an example of faith to the others who were around him. Sometimes when we pray and it seems like God doesn't answer, it isn't because he has more important things to do, more important people to deal with, or just that he doesn't like us. Sometimes it is because he wants us to press in more, to exercise and grow our faith, and sometimes it is because he wants our faith, our persistence, to serve as an example for others. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me faith like the Gentile mother.
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
In Mark 7:31-37 we have the story of Jesus healing a man who could not hear or speak. A group of people bring this man to Jesus and beg him to heal the man. Jesus takes him away from the crowd, touches his ears and his tongue, and heals him. Jesus asks the few people who were with him to tell no one, but the word quickly spreads. The people were amazed at the miracle and marveled at Jesus declaring, "he has done all things well." This statement of praise and thanksgiving is the focus of this breath prayer. As you pray it, marvel and the goodness of God and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you have done all things well.
Overview
In Mark 7:31-37 we have the story of Jesus healing a man who could not hear or speak. A group of people bring this man to Jesus and beg him to heal the man. Jesus takes him away from the crowd, touches his ears and his tongue, and heals him. Jesus asks the few people who were with him to tell no one, but the word quickly spreads. The people were amazed at the miracle and marveled at Jesus declaring, "he has done all things well." This statement of praise and thanksgiving is the focus of this breath prayer. As you pray it, marvel and the goodness of God and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you have done all things well.