Author's Note: This is part 2 (of 2) of a paper originally prepared for the Spiritual Nurture Program of the School of the Spirit in November 1993. If you have not yet read Part 1, I suggest you do so before reading this part.
... a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." (Mark 7:25-29, NIV)
In this story, Jesus is shown initially acting out of the prejudices of his day. But he allows this Gentile woman to correct him. By being humble and teachable, he is able to recover from his own weakness and respond out of God's love.
It is not surprising that both commentators in The Interpreter's Bible describe this passage as difficult. It is rare for the Gospel writers to picture Jesus, the incarnation of the deity, as in error. Perhaps it is an indication of the importance of being teachable by even the most unlikely persons that God allowed Jesus to slip in this instance, and the story (found also in Matthew) found its way into the canon.
If even Jesus could be corrected by someone of low status, how much more do we need to be humble and open to learn from anyone? If we are honest with ourselves, we know we are capable of error, prejudice and bad judgment. But God is merciful, and will come in almost any form to teach us and make us more perfect instruments of the Divine Will if we will only allow it.
Jesus' humility was also shown in the story of the rich man, in which he asks, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18, NRSV) This is not a craven or false humility. It is rather one which acknowledges that our gifts come from God. Jesus, after denying his own goodness, went on to speak confidently of the truth, both as it applies to all and as it applied especially to this man. So also we are called to be humble about ourselves, but confident that God can and will work through us.
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35, NRSV)
In contrast to the ways of the world, Jesus calls us to be servants rather than to lord it over others. This is another aspect of Christian humility.
Jesus himself is the prime exemplar of this attitude. "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45, NRSV)
We are called as spiritual nurturers to serve others in the name of that most perfect servant, Jesus Christ. It is not the world's honor and recognition we should seek, but rather the honor of being a humble servant grateful for the opportunity to return some of the boundless love we have been shown.
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:21-22, NIV)
The love of Jesus was not a sappy love, ready to tell each person what they wanted to hear. It was a tough love, willing to speak the truth, no matter how hard.
Speaking to someone's condition will not always please them. Jesus' wisdom is that it is a truer love to challenge someone to live a Gospel life, no matter how drastic a change in lifestyle that may mean.
The Christian life is not soft and comfortable. "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34, NRSV) But it is the way to life. "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." (Mark 8:35, NRSV)
The spiritual nurturer is called to help people take up their crosses. The nurturer understands that this is a life-giving mission.
The spiritual nurturer can learn much from studying the life and teachings of Jesus. The nurturer must be centered on the source of all good gifts, God. He or she needs to lead a life centered in prayer. The motivation for nurture should be love and compassion. Nurture requires perception and discernment. The nurturer must not be proud, but humble and teachable. He or she leads by being an example of servanthood. The nurturer must speak not what the person wants to hear, but the truth. And let there be no doubt as to the call:
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18, NIV)
Key to Bible translation abbreviations used:
| NIV | New International Version |
| NRSV | New Revised Standard Version |
| TEV | Today's English Version (Good News Bible) |