The healing stories in today’s gospel reading put meat on the bones of Jesus’ long argument with the Pharisees over what is “clean” and “unclean,” and where the true source of “defilement is found (7:1-23). Having declared that defilement is not from things outside the body, Jesus demonstrates his unconcern with ritual purity by journeying into Gentile territory.

The region of Tyre, west and north of Galilee, had vigorously fought against the Jews during the Maccabean Revolt and was dubbed by first century Jewish historian Josephus to be “our bitterest enemies” (Ag.Ap.1.13). If there was any region that the Pharisees would have deemed particularly “unclean” it would have been Tyre. Jesus steps right in it!

Not only does Jesus intentionally enter Gentile territory, he appears to go to th…