Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28
She Is Not One Of Us!
1. In today’s Gospel Jesus said to the Canaanite woman “It is not right to take the food of children and throw it to the dogs,” instead of being insulted, her answer was “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Who was this woman, and why was she so ill-treated by Jesus, who was naturally compassionate and empathic to women, children, the poor, and the sick? Being a Canaanite woman, means she was a Gentile, a non-Jewish. The Gentiles despised the Jews and vice-versa. She was an outsider. She did not belong to the family of God’s chosen people. This woman whose daughter was afflicted with sickness must have heard of the wonderful things which Jesus did; she followed him and his disciples, crying desperately for help. After ignoring her for some time, Jesus told her point-blank, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yes, Jesus was sent to minister to his Jewish people. This passage describes the first time that Jesus was outside of Jewish territory. It foreshadowed the going out of the gospel to the whole world.
2. How do we treat the outsiders of our world today? How do we relate with people who are different from us, speak other languages, have an accent, or do not belong to our class? How do we see the immigrants, Africans, native Indians, women, the poor, the disenfranchised, and the marginalized in our midst? We often put people into categories. They are Democrats; we are Republicans or Independents. We are not comfortable with people who have different political views from ours. You are either with us or against us. Those who do not belong to our group are the outsiders. Depending on the categories we place them in, the outsiders will always rely on us and the generosity of people around them. Their dependence is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness, but within that weakness lies their strength. An African proverb states that he who sees a person in the bush often forgets that they came from home. So, we see this woman, an outsider, going to Jesus for mercy, for love, for healing, not for herself but for her daughter, whom she loved dearly. She would not take ‘no’ for an answer until her daughter was healed. The disciples saw her as an embarrassment and a nuisance; and wanted Jesus to get rid of her. “Give her what she wants, and get rid of her.”, they demanded. Just the way we see and treat the outsiders we meet. They are embarrassments in our streets, feed on us like fleece, and we are tired of caring for them. We do not want them in our country taking all our jobs; we are spending too much money on their health care and welfare. The disciples’ reaction was not compassion and love and was far from a Christian response to someone in need. It was shameful and despicable. Jesus knew it. But just like all the outsiders, no insult would prevent her from getting what she wanted for her daughter. Yes, even the dogs eat the crumbs from the master’s table. But wait a minute! She was a foreigner, an outsider, a non-Jewish; her tribe was not among God’s chosen people; where did she get her faith from?
3. Her faith came from her love, not for herself, but for her daughter. It was love that made her approach this stranger. It was love that made her accept rebuff and insult. She saw compassion in the seeming words of insult from Jesus. There is nothing more substantial and nearer to God than our love for others. We live better when we live for others. This woman’s faith grew stronger when confronted by Jesus. She looked into the face of Jesus and discovered in her heart something divine and ended up calling him Lord. “Lord help me.” When faced with sickness and deprivation, the outsiders only have their Lord to fall back on; and that is when their faith grows ever stronger. God is genuinely close to the brokenhearted. She came crying out for help and ended up on her knees in a prayer of adoration. She humbled herself and acknowledged the God of her salvation. She was not discouraged because the prayer of a contrite heart will always win favor from the Lord.
4. The lesson from the gospel reading is that Jesus always takes advantage of every great opportunity to teach. Since his mission was to the Jews first, and this woman was a Gentile crying for mercy, Christ had to awaken true faith in her heart. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.” Her answer, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters,” demonstrated that her faith was strong enough for her miracle to be granted. “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Isn’t it funny that Jesus re-enforced her faith and showed it as an example to others?
5. Because of her faith, being an outsider
was no longer a barrier to approaching Jesus. Peter recognized this after he visited
Cornelius, a Gentile, when he said, “In truth, I see that God shows
no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is
acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35). And John noted, “But
to those who did accept him he gave the power to become children of God, to
those who believe in his name.” (Jn. 1:12). Our faith and the
water of baptism are stronger than racial and tribal bond. In Jesus, it doesn’t
matter whether you are an outsider; once you believe in God and commit yourself
to him, “Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation
is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.” May God,
who accepts us as we are, help us to accept others as they are. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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