29. Mark 7:31-37: Back to the Gentiles (2)
Here we have the second of two healing stories that interpret Jesus’ critique of ethno-centric Jewish nationalism. “In the region of the Decapolis” (v.31), a league of ten Greco-Roman cities, the people bring a deaf man to Jesus begging him to heal the man. As we move toward the end of the first half of Mark’s gospel, we note that this story contains many elements we have already met in other healing stories. It is as if this is a summary of all the others, a picture of Jesus’ compassionate ministry, which here extends to the Gentiles (Myers, Say to this Mountain , 83). -the Decapolis was the site of the healing of the Gerasene demoniac (5:19) -the purity code is reversed as in the case of the bleeding woman (5:25ff.) -an Aramaic healing word is used as in the healing of Jairus’ daughter (5:41) -Jesus’ commands for silence are ignored (1:41) That Mark tells this story against the backdrop of Old Testament hope shows that he sees Jesus’ controversial dismissal o...