The Uncultured Saints

🤔 *Pharisee feuds and defilement*—what even is that about?! 📖

In this week’s episode of ‘The Uncultured Saints’ Pastors Goodman and Lietzau explore…

💥 Why Jesus clashed with the Pharisees
🙅🏽‍♂️ What it means to be "defiled"
 How Jesus redefines clean vs. unclean

## Jesus and the Syrophoenician Woman

In Mark 7:24-30, Jesus encounters a Syrophoenician woman. 

This interaction, on the surface, might come across as perplexing and confrontational. 

When the woman pleads for help for her demon-possessed daughter, Jesus initially responds with what seems like a rebuff:

“Let the little children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”

The woman, undeterred, responds:

“Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.”

Her faith and humility are evident in this reply. 

Jesus acknowledges her faith and heals her daughter. 

But, this interaction isn’t just about the woman and her daughter.

It also serves as a vital lesson for Jesus’ disciples and all onlookers (and you and me!).

During Jesus’ time, strict societal and religious boundaries defined who was considered clean and worthy. 

The Syrophoenician woman defies these norms, illustrating that faith knows no bounds. 

Jesus emphasizes that true defilement isn’t about external factors but what comes from within a person. 

By healing her daughter, Jesus shows that God's grace and mercy extend beyond the Jewish community to all who have faith.


What is The Uncultured Saints?

We’re told the same thing over and over. Christianity doesn’t fit with today’s culture. The thing is, it isn’t the culture saying it. It’s the church. We’ve done a great job figuring out what we’re not. Sometimes we forget what we are. We’re the saints, washed in the blood of the lamb. We’re sinners Jesus made holy. This defines us. There are places Christianity doesn’t fit with today’s culture because Christianity isn’t bound by culture. We’re free in Christ to be uncultured. Not against it. Not apart from it. Undefined by it, because we’re defined by something greater. Join Pr. Goodman and Pr. Lietzau, the uncultured saints, as we tackle today’s issues through the lens of the Lutheran Confessions and find answers to today’s questions rooted in a timeless truth in Christ.