Women in the Gospel of Mark

The Amazing Bible. Book Club

The Gospel of Mark is the only gospel who called Jesus, the Son of Mary (6:3), plus mark included sisters in his "family of God" in 3:21. Mark compares the poor widow who gave only two small copper coins, yet gave all she had, to the rich who gave out of their wealth (12:41-44). In 14:8-9, the woman who anointed Jesus for burial was criticized by the disciples, but Jesus praised her and said, "Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." When the male disciples all fled when Jesus was crucified, the women were watching from a distance (15:40-41), and a few watched where he was buried (15:47). Then in chapter 16 it was the women who went to the tomb, and if Mark ends with 16:8, where the oldest manuscripts stop, it ends with a cliff hanger, "They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." Thankfully we know from the other gospels that the women did go and tell the men, and at first they did not believe. The main focus on today's lesson was the Syrophoenician woman, whose daughter had an evil spirit. She humbled herself before Jesus and bowed before Him. She asked for healing of her daughter, and when Jesus gave her a test, but saying, "First let the children eat all they want,' for he told her, 'For it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.'" She did not rebuke Jesus, like Peter had done, she did not turn away sad or angry, like the rich young ruler, she said, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (Dr. Abraham's translation.) Kuruvilla said "Outside of Scripture citations and Jesus' words, this is the only time a human addresses Jesus as 'Lord' in the entire Gospel of Mark" (p. 151). Jesus told her she was healed, and to go on home, and she went and found it as Jesus had said. Jesus said it, and she believed it. Dr. Kuruvilla called her, "a model disciple" (p. 152). Mark understood and showed us that it was not because of gender, or financial status, or ethnicity, but faith in Jesus, that makes one a part of His family, the Family of God.