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But a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, 

and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.

Mark 7:25-26

Preparing for the sermon this week, I couldn’t get the words of Dr. Matthew Skinner, one of my seminary professors, out of my head.  “Sometimes,” he intoned, “there’s a fine line between desperation and faith.” 

Think about all the stories in the Bible where people turn to Jesus in their most desperate moments. The woman who pushes through a crowd just to touch Jesus’ cloak.  The lepers who leave seclusion to approach Jesus on the road.  The paralytic who is lowered through a roof just to get to Jesus.

Sometimes it takes us hitting rock bottom to truly trust God.  When all other hope runs out, and all you have is a sliver of faith to cling to, you not only find God but discover that faith is a much stronger thing than you ever imagined. 

It’s certainly the case in our Gospel reading on Sunday.  A Greek woman, has a daughter with an unclean spirit.  Though the text doesn’t specify the condition, we all can relate to the feeling of being powerless, hopeless, and desperate.   Her daughter was sick, and nobody could help her.

The woman must have been at the end of her rope to approach Jesus.  A Greek woman approaching a Jewish rabbi for healing?  It would have been downright scandalous in some circles.  But maybe she figured, “What do I have to lose?”

That’s not faith … not exactly.  But maybe it’s a start.