EKPOMA REVIEW

This paper critically examined the text of Mark 7:24-30 in view of understanding the nature and scope of Jesus’ mission. Mark 7:24-30 established that Jesus visited a non-Jewish territory where he encountered a non- Jewish woman who presented her problem to him. This is in contrast to the tension between Jews and non-Jews in relation to God’s blessing. Thus, this paper evaluated Jesus’s mission in relation to its universal nature. Therefore, it argued that the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30 provided justification for an inclusive gospel. The historical-critical method of biblical exegesis was deployed. This paper discovered the following: That Mark 7:24-30 is the only account of exorcism from a distance in the gospel of Mark. That Jesus’ initial response presented the theological believe that God’s blessing where restricted to the Jews only. That the woman insisted that she can be part of the blessing. That her insistence was a show of great faith which also implied that faith in God is not restricted to Jews alone. That Jesus’s positive response to her, meant that salvation was for all humanity. Furthermore, this paper identified universality of salvation, faith beyond boundaries and mission as points from the text that justified inclusive gospel. This paper concluded that the goal of Jesus’ mission was for the salvation of all regardless of race or status and that Jesus’ mission shows his love for humanity which impresses on all who accept him to join in the propagation of his inclusive gospel.

Open Full Text (PDF)