Exorcism and Healing
Today's reading offers two more examples of Jesus working to heal others. The first is an interesting broadening of Jesus' ministry beyond the Jews. Here a Syrophoenician woman asks for an evil spirit to be removed from her daughter, but Jesus is frustrated, saying that he already has plenty of Jews to heal. The woman then uses a pitiful example of dogs eating crumbs dropped by humans; this softens Jesus' heart and he fulfills the mother's request.
Similarly, Jesus encounters a deaf man, whom he takes aside to cure. However, the crowd learns of yet another miraculous healing and asks who this man Jesus is, who can make the deaf hear and the mute speak.
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