As I prepare my weekly sermon, I read all the lectionary passages and write words or thoughts that jump out at me. In the two passages chosen for today, the idea “be open” captivated me. This phrase seems to tie these scriptures together in a way that has particular meaning for me. “Be open” reminded me of possibilities I’d been thinking about, emotions that swing from dread and exhaustion to joy and blessing, and conversations I’ve had of late that are purposeful and challenging. Be open.

Each Sunday before I read scripture, I invite us to “hear a word of hope for your own life.” That is exactly what happened to Jesus in this passage from Mark’s gospel.

In Mark’s passage, Jesus ventures into Gentile territory in an attempt to be out of the limelight. In the middle of the story, Jesus and the disciples encounter a deaf man and in Mark’s account, Jesus doesn’t even greet the man. Jesus took him to a private place. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, spat, and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, as a gesture of prayer and gratitude, Jesus sighed. That reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans 8 that the Spirit prays for us with “sighs too deep for words.” Sometimes we don’t have the words for what is happening.

Jesus said to the deaf man in Aramaic, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Obviously Jesus has opened this man to hear and speak but in a broader sense, Jesus is opening the man to new ways to engage the world.

Sometimes our challenge is not to have any particular words for a situation but our challenge is to be open to listen to other people like this man whose needs were so pronounced. What does the “be open” imply for our faith?

Could “be open” also be an opportunity for Jesus’ understanding of his own ministry?

Mark begins this passage with another encounter. Jesus is in a private house and a woman finds him. As a Jewish male, Jesus is challenged by the fact that she is a woman, and we all know how women were perceived in that world. Second, she was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin, another mark against her. And she was the mother of a girl possessed with unclean spirits.

The woman asks for her daughter to be healed and Jesus responds, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” His response is uncharacteristic. We would like to soften this harsh response. The prevailing view is that Jesus was conflicted himself. He was in Gentile territory, and he struggled with the fact that his mission and ministry was directed toward the Jewish people.

Here, a Gentile woman was pleading for help for her daughter. Her response to Jesus is that even dogs under the table eat the children’s bread. What she is saying is even though you called me a dog, a designation Jews had for Gentiles, that even dogs that are out of sight, wind up getting the leftovers intended for God’s children, the Jewish people.

Something powerful happens to Jesus because of the woman’s persistence. She is clearly an outsider instructing an insider—and Jesus is willing to be opened in that moment. Up to this point, Jesus has not yet embraced his ministry beyond the Jews. She challenged Jesus to reach beyond his own people, beyond his perceived mandate, beyond his tradition, extending himself to this “other.”

Walter Brueggemman writes that Jesus is challenged by “a nobody of a woman who would not let him off the hook with his racial-ethnic bias that masqueraded as a religious scruple.” She forces the issue. And Jesus responded by healing the woman’s daughter of her unclean spirit.

Bruggeman continues, “Who knew that Jesus had to grow and give up old socio-religious conviction for the sake of God’s way in the world? The geographical move is forced by a nobody who would not let the Messiah rest in his comfort zone.”

The James passage begins with a “be open” question: “do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” James considers how people with faith can often be fairly closed when it comes to how we live out their faith. James is describing approaches to how we see people. Our response is usually more positive to those with whom we are most comfortable, usually based on our comfort rather than their need. James reiterates Jesus’ most basic tenet of our faith: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Be open.

Jesus came to open closed ears and help us move toward an active faith that goes the extra mile and acts accordingly to what we say we believe. Are you willing to be open to a world you haven’t seen before?

Are we willing to embrace the risk of including others who threaten us the way we see the world and ourselves? This means being open to new ideas, unforeseen circumstances, and entering possibilities beyond ourselves, even those we fear. What might seem troubling or doesn’t make good sense is an opportunity to be opened, for our lives and relationship with the Creator to be expanded.

My hope is that you will carry the words “be open” with you this coming week as a spiritual practice. Reread the scripture stories we read today. Consider your experiences that the phrase brings up, how the meaning of “be open” expands our practice of faith.

Allow the words “be open” to become your focus for prayer and reflection. Be more attentive to the idea of opening you find in another scripture or even the book you are reading or the daily news. Be more attentive to it in conversation and turn it toward new purposes. A week allows enough time for layers of meaning to unfold.

How can you be open…

… to a world you haven’t seen before…
… to the Spirit’s sighs when our words fail us…
… to a new understanding of our ministry together…