Mark's gospel presents the shortened version (as he is want to do) of the Syrian woman who broke through all the boxes of societal restrictions and introduced the idea of "faith" being the essence of God's favor.
It todays liturgical readings it was couples with James 2 that makes it clear that God has no favorites and despises favoritism as antithetical to the true Gospel of Justice not Judgment, Gospel of Liberation not Enslavement, and the Gospel of Peace not War.
The All people are welcome to have equal importance in the Kingdom of God seems to be offset by the account of his woman being turned away by the disciples, then insulted as underserving by Jesus. "Why do you being a women and not a Jew feel you are welcome to the Children's (God's favorite people: the Children of Israel) bread. She turned what seem have heard as rude, even crude rejection into what it was and that is a clear message of the Gospel for all people to all people: "You are welcome to the Table of God's Favor for in the communion table that first night of celebration there was a thief, a betrayer, a denier, several deserters, and a Prideful self-protective one, all inconsistent expressions of true Christianity but all welcome at the table of those begin rebuilt, restructured, renewed in body soul an d spirit.
This woman who does not even great a name is a testimony to all the nameless that God knows, welcomes and ,ives you because (James 2:12) "Mercy always triumphs over Judgement".
Her argument was not an argument that Jesus was mean, crudely calling her a dog, sending her away empty with no healing for her daughter, and not a good representative of a God of love, she embodied the gospel more than the children of the bread. All she said was, "even the dogs getting to eat the scraps that fall from the master's table". Jesus announced her faith honored God so God would honor it and her daughter was a healed straight away.
The Flavor of GOD'S FAVOR IS NOT Favoritism but "Faith".
All people are people on whom God places his favor, their are no favorites and their are no exclusions of this favor. God's favor is the bread of grace and mercy and even the would be wild dogs of gentileville are equally invited to know and experience God's favor even as the "children of the Promise".
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