Syrophoenician Woman amidst Christ:
by Darcy Reis
Meaning of Color:
All of the color that surrounds this woman represents the essence of Christ.
The red is indicative of the ever-surrounding presence of Christ in among humanity and all ofGod's creation. The color moving downward from red to purple represents the love and passion of Christcoming downward to humanity from God.
The orange-red located behind her head, toward the center of the painting, is a representation ofthe way God is breaking through the world and reaching out to all peoples, not just the chosen people ofIsrael, in this moment captured in Mark 7:24-30. When she asks for Jesus to heal her daughter, Heresponds, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.'To which she retorts, "(Lord, lord, Master), even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Jesus then says, "For saying that, the demon has left your daughter." Thus, a spiritual purification is available toall whom seek out Christ and ask to be healed.
The distinct point where the red and purple colors blend is difficult to distinguish. This representsthe difficulty Christians have of discovering the point where being grounded in the freedom of the life ofChrist meets the boundaries of living within the cultural/social/and religious stratifications set by humans.
The purple represents his Christ's divine qualities and dominion as lord, Lord, and Master overhumanity. Just as Christians are grounded in the relationship they share in Christ, this Syrophoenicianwoman is grounded in her faith and trust in Jesus.
Located within the grounding of the purple is a hint of green, which represents a new beginning,grounded in new life and hope in Christ among God's creation.
About the Syrophoenician Woman:
She is dressed in a robe that has been dyed purple; typical of the expensive purple dye extractedfrom shellfish in the region of Tyre. (Crimson is also a dye extracted from shellfish in this region, and thiscolor is used as shadows in her robe) Many Biblical commentators believe that the woman in this Marcanpassage is of wealthy status because of the prominence of this area as a major port city. Her placementagainst Jesus in this passage is representative of the socio-economic dynamics culturally in place when thisBiblical narrative is believed to have been written. In spite of her wealth and privilege, this woman comesto Jesus in need of having her daughter healed. Although He has no economic status, Jesus has power overher, and it is her faith in who Jesus is that allows her the opportunity of finding true wealth in Hiscompassion.
She is bowing down at his feet, hoping for a small portion of the leftover bread of life that hasbeen given first to the children of Israel. As a Gentile, she is not expecting to take anything away, butmerely wanting to share in whatever of God's blessings might fall her in her direction.
The proportion of her hands is intentionally larger in scale than what would normally be expected.This represents:
- The realization she has of the enormous abnormality of what she is asking from usualsocial/religious/cultural expectations.
- Also, her larger hands, open and begging, represent her great faith, trust, and courage in askingChrist to heal her daughter.
- She comes to Christ with a very large request.
This translates to Christians the Truth in the Word of Christ: no request is too large for him to hear, andgreat healing can come of this request.