Jesus' Sarcasm: Mark 7:27-30
Jesus had a plan all along. This simple statement is easily overlooked. He’s God; of course He has a plan. Yet, I am amazed at how easily Jesus maneuvers between situations and still manages to tie things together. He can maneuver through three, four, even five different interactions and pull them altogether, showing His disciples how interconnected life is.
As an example, take Jesus’ response to the Syrophoenician woman in this passage. He says it is not right to give food intended for children to dogs. Jesus is using a very sophisticated form of communication here. Jesus is employing sarcasm.
It was common for Jews of Jesus’ day – and many other time periods – to think of non-Jews as dogs. In ancient Jewish culture, dogs were unclean because a dog is a scavenger and frequently eats anything it can get into its mouth. So long as it has nutritional value or an interesting smell, a dog will eat it. In calling the woman a dog, Jesus is drawing attention to her non-Jewish status. Jesus uses sarcasm to illustrate her Gentile nature to His disciples.
There is still more to discover. Dogs were considered unclean because of what they ate. In the last conflict Jesus had with the Pharisees, Jesus made the point that the external does not make us unclean. To make this point, he used the example that what we eat cannot make us unclean. Now, Jesus is using sarcasm to show His disciples that although He called this woman a dog – and thus declared her unclean – He doesn’t need to be afraid to deal with her.
There is another great effect to Jesus’ sarcasm. In a very famous quote, Oscar Wilde says, “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence.” Research shows when sarcasm is used in conversations between people who have developed relationship and trust with each other, the sarcasm generates increased creativity and intelligence. Sarcasm forces people to make comparisons, understand connections, and create a proper response. Sarcasm without relationship is very cutting; sarcasm within relationship is quite constructive.
As an example of this, examine how the woman replies. After Jesus calls her unclean in front of His disciples, she doesn’t hold back. She replies with an equally creative and intelligent response. She says, “Even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table.” This is an incredibly intelligent, creative and humble response. The woman doesn’t argue with Jesus. She accepts Jesus’ comment and argues Jesus still need not ignore her request.
Jesus appreciates her comment. He greatly appreciates the faith underneath her comment. Jesus rewards her faith and heals her daughter. In fact, Jesus doesn’t even need to be in the same room as the daughter. He heals her from afar. In one single act Jesus demonstrates His ability to heal and teaches His disciples to not fear becoming unclean by that which is outside of us. Jesus had a plan all along.
