Pastor Tom Johnson, August 14, 2023
Jesus leaves Jewish territory toward Gentile territory. He is on the margins. He is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. A Canaanite woman leaves Gentile territory toward Jewish territory. She is on the margins. She is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. She had to have known about Jesus. She uses the messianic title “Son of David.” She prays the prayer the multitudes have already prayed in Israel: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” She comes to Jesus calling him the King of the Jews knowing he is Global King, King of kings, Lord of lords. We know little of her story, only that a demon is tormenting her daughter. Perhaps it was a result of false, Canaanite religion—or a brutal form of spiritual and mental illness. Maybe she exhausted all of the healers and exorcists of her region.
The Canaanite woman is shouting. But Jesus gives her the silent treatment. He won’t even acknowledge her. Jesus is acting like a typical Gentile-phobic Jew. This opens the door for the disciples to take this Gentile-phobia a step further. They urge Jesus to send the woman away. Stop pretending she is not there, Jesus, and just make her go away. She is a Canaanite and a woman! Jesus says he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day. We know that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free. He came for the sheep in the fold as well as the sheep outside the fold. He is the Savior of the world.
After she kneels before him, he gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus’ actions and words are perplexing, troubling, and strangely brilliant. He won’t even dignify her by including her in the human race—as was the prevailing attitude of his day. The food—the gifts of God are for the people of God. In the kingdom that is passing away, you are either in or out. You are either a winner or a loser. You are either a child of god or a scavenging animal.
Is this not what is wrong about our world? Dare I begin to do what Jesus did and bring to light the horrible name-calling of today and yesterday? We should acknowledge that we still use dehumanizing language today. It may be a person with a darker skin tone, a different culture, another language, an immigrant, or a refugee. It may be a person whose appearance, choices, or affections go against dominant cultural norms. There have been many times in human history and even today when many wish that they—whoever they are—would just go away. If they aren’t seen then we can go back to our comfortable world where “those people” don’t exist.
We know it was her faith—Jesus tells us it is her faith that made her leave her homeland with all their own phobias, prejudices, and racism and go to Jesus. She shouts, persists, and kneels to have the world’s Messiah answer her prayer. She believes that Jesus did not come for just the Jewish race but the human race—even those considered to be outside the boundaries of Israel. Jesus believes in her. He knows that her faith and prayers will endure his silence and name-calling. She shows us how to endure God’s silence when we pray. His silence does not mean God does not care or is absent. She believes the Kingdom Jesus is ushering is for every tribe and language and people and nation.
Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again: “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” He throws her this curveball knowing she will hit it out of the park. It’s going to be a home run for the Canaanite team. She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Instead of protesting Jesus’ choices of words. Instead of fighting back. She uses the term “dogs” to expand our vision of the Master’s Table. She humbles herself. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs,” she says. She lifts up the Master of the Table. She knows he is good. She knows that in him there is neither slave nor free, male nor female, Jew or Gentile. Jesus, Son of David does not just come for the sheep of Israel’s fold but for the sheep outside the fold.
Jesus says to her, “Woman,”—not dog—“Woman, great is your faith!” Indeed her faith is great. She expands our vision of God’s love in Christ. She will not accept denigrating, dehumanizing labels. She knows some may see her and her daughter as dirty, scavenging Gentile dogs, but God sees them as his precious creation. She does not let others define who she and her daughter are. She doesn’t even let Jesus do it. She knows Jesus is giving her an opportunity to shine this new light upon our humanity in Christ. One sixth century biblical scholar named Epiphanius said this Canaanite woman is “the mother of the Gentiles.” She brings her daughter to Jesus to be healed. She is now a forerunner for all us Gentiles to come. She not only brings her daughter but brings hope and good news to all of us non-Jews. So we come to the Master’s Table today—not for scraps—but as beloved children. We don’t call each other names but sister and brother. Our cup runs over. We have bountiful bread. He gives his Body and Blood for the life of the world, for forgiveness, and to strengthen us body and soul to life everlasting.
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