… This is one of the most vexing passages in Mark’s gospel. Why didn’t Jesus want anyone to know he was in Tyre? How do we account for Jesus’ reluctance to cast the demon out of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter? Why does he refer to the Syrophoenician woman as a dog? What is it about her response that moves Jesus to heal her daughter?
Each of these questions is a matter of scholarly debate. I’ll offer some suggestions on how we might understand them, fully aware that these are disputed matters.
People from the region around Tyre and Sidon are called “Phoenicians.” This is a predominantly gentile region. Tyre was in northern Galilee. Sidon was in southern Syria. Hence the descriptor “Syrophoenician.” Both were on the Mediterranean coast. You can see them in the upper-left corner of this map. Continue Reading…….
Omnia Methodist 