Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Mark 7:24
For much of this week I and many others have been watching in horror as the Taliban has taken back full control of Afghanistan. We hear reports of them going door to door looking for collaborators, we hear stories from people we know, trust, and love, who are running and hiding.
It certainly brings a different feeling to Mark's statement about Jesus "and he did not want anyone to know he was there."
There are few things more intimidating than entering a strange home in a strange land, particularly one where you are a minority, and a persecuted minority at that. That was Jesus' situation as he enters the home of this woman in Tyre, and it is the situation that many, many Afghans find themselves in today - either seeking shelter in strangers' homes in Afghanistan, in an airplane hangar in Qatar or Dubai, or on a U.S. Military base somewhere in Europe.
However Jesus, like any of us, could not hide in a stranger's home for long. Often we think about Jesus' rude reaction to the request of the Syrophoenician woman, but rarely do we talk about the hospitality she shows. She invites Jesus to share his best. She does not coddle him, or talk down to him, or hide him in a corner, but invited him to share his gifts with the room. "Heal my daughter."
For once it is Jesus' who is caught off guard! "uh, I'm not supposed to do that." But the woman remains gracious, reminds him of his power and his call, and the daughter is healed.
It is quite likely that shortly, either at Memorial or elsewhere in the Diocese, we will welcome into our midst refugees from Afghanistan. They may want to melt into the wall, and we may feel uncomfortable, confused, even scared.
Let us remember instead to celebrate the arrival of new voices into our midst, with new gifts and new challenges. To acknowledge our differences but to remember that what unites us is much bigger and is an opportunity for healing - not just for us but for the whole world.