20 Aug SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2023

When Jesus “left that place and went away” he crossed the border and left what was traditionally known as Jewish territory in the country of Israel. He “left that place and went away” with intention, just like always, heading toward the districts of Tyre and Sidon: coastal towns northwest of the region called Galilee, located in their own region called Phoenicia.

The Canaanite woman was even farther from home. She had traveled north many kilometers. It couldn’t have been easy having a daughter “severely oppressed by a demon”. Perhaps like many people who struggle with complex problems, she had been driven away.

In any case, she was still motivated to find a solution and was seeking a better life for her and her daughter. Like many of the homeless, she was forced to keep moving, to look for acceptance and/or treatment in new locations. And like the homeless, what they experienced in every place was the clear message that she and her daughter were considered less than.

Though Jesus’ reply seems shocking, I doubt the Canaanite woman was surprised. According to the English Standard Version Study Bible, the term “Canaanite” as used here in the New Testament simply means a non-Jewish pagan person living in that region. A temple to the pagan god of healing, Eshmun, was just 3 miles northeast of Sidon. So what inspired her to seek Jesus that day? Frustration, desperation, or both?

Her humble posture and words acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Her plea is clear as she kneels before him and asks for help. Imagine the Canaanite woman as a homeless person on a street corner or median strip. There she is, her daughter kept close by her side for safety, kneeling on the pavement. Her face is on the same level as the faces of drivers sitting in their cars. Her position is dangerous and vulnerable. Just by being there, this woman and child who approaches Jesus and his disciples and personally asks for help is in itself a bold leap of faith.

The first challenging question we must pose regarding this gospel passage is whether God ever refuses a person’s plea for mercy. I mean, “Lord, have mercy,” is my most frequent expression. It’s the go-to phrase that always comes to mind the instant something bad appears to happen, when I hear sirens, fire engines, or a medivac helicopter, I exclaim, “Lord, have mercy.” Do I utter those words in vain after reading how Jesus appears to ignore the woman’s first cry for mercy? Matthew writes, “he did not answer her at all.” It seems she heads right then toward Jesus’ disciples and begins shouting at them. In effect, they too, go to Jesus saying, “Lord, have mercy. This woman won’t stop shouting after us.” They were getting a taste of being tormented themselves not unlike the mother and daughter were day in and day out.

Jesus responds to his disciples, but sidesteps the issue of the woman and daughter’s torment by saying. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Think back to a time when you were seated at a busy restaurant and handed menus only to be abandoned by whatever server had been assigned to your section.

You watch everyone around you getting attention. They are greeted and given silverware. They receive a beverage of their choosing, and the meals that they order while you sit waiting. No one since the hostess has acknowledged you much less taken your order or provided service.

Jesus is like the server who walks by, sees you, then informs you that he cannot fulfill your request, deliver what you ask for or require. You are not sitting at a table in his section or at one to which he is currently assigned. “Sorry. Don’t ask or expect anything from me,” he tells the woman and daughter.

The woman slides from the booth bench seat into the restaurant aisle and gets on her knees. Customers nearby have already pulled out their phones and are recording their interaction. “Lord, help me,” she says. He answers, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Ouch. Now it seems as though she’s not even welcome to be inside the establishment. The Canaanite woman doesn’t even qualify as a service dog. No pagans allowed.

There is no hint of compassion or understanding regarding her or her daughter’s condition. The ESV states that “Jews frequently insulted Gentiles by calling them dogs which in ancient Palestine were wild, homeless scavengers. But apparently, the woman was familiar with the promise to bless non-jews (or Gentiles) through Abraham in Genesis 12:3 which states that “all families of the earth shall be blessed.”

It was as if she knew that she had a claim to two seats on the Southwest flight. She and her daughter could only get in line when invited by the airline agent in charge with the microphone. She was well aware that her and her daughter were not among those eligible for advanced boarding or preferred seating. They did not hold first class status nor tickets in sections A or B. They were late making the decision to fly Jesus airlines. They were late arriving at the airport and had trouble locating the departure gate in Tyre.

She said, “Yes, Lord. You are right. We don’t deserve what is served at the master’s table, but we are entitled to what, by all accounts, anyone would consider as leftovers, discards, or counted as food for none other than homeless, scavenging dogs.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

There is much emphasis, or should I say, onus in the Bible upon people to approach God with already developed faith of a certain degree. Faith is a prerequisite, so to speak. One who desires relief from torment must first believe that God is able and willing to deliver and declare them free from it.

Does it seem reasonable for healing to come about through our efforts at seeking relief from Jesus as if it is our duty or responsibility? Is it faith in sufficient measure that warrants Jesus’ attention and doling out of power? This way of thinking is what has broken many a Christian heart: being told that they were not healed due to a lack of faith on their part.

This way of thinking retraumatizes people who are already victims, who suffer from circumstance beyond their control. You know me, I’m all about holding people accountable for the error of their ways, at least getting them to take responsibility for what they could have or should do differently. But blame isn’t even a part of today’s gospel story. No one looks to the root cause of the woman’s displacement or the torment of her daughter by a demon. No one questions how she ended up in Tyre begging for mercy.

Faith credited as an attribute of a person in the Bible is really no more than an honest statement of their dire need.

When Jesus says that a person has faith, he merely acknowledges that that person believes a solution to their problem exists. They believe in their hearts and know that they deserve not only consideration, but actual solutions.

When Jesus says that a person has faith, he acknowledges their belief that efforts will pay off. Why? Because throughout the Bible, God and Jesus reward seeking behavior. They want people who suffer to seek the presence of God and/or Jesus. And when frustrated by a lack of response from God directly, for those who are suffering to go and seek out advocacy from his disciples.

Here’s a pivotal or key point. Jesus gives permission for the woman and her daughter to bother his disciples. He deems it reasonable to allow them to suffer too by virtue of the fact that there are some in society who do not have what they need. Jesus deems it “okay” for a time, that his disciples should have their lives made miserable or unbearable for the sake of turning them into advocates.

The disciples don’t change, at first. They are still selfish, unwilling and perhaps unable to help the woman and her daughter in need themselves, but nonetheless, God uses their complaint to accomplish a good thing. God uses the constant outcry and shouting of those in need to drive his disciples directly to Jesus.

As a result, all people are heard. God gladly listens to his disciples complain about having their space invaded and their resources drained, their desire to have their own suffering recognized and relieved. There are many parallels here to demands for basic human rights, equal treatment under the law, social justice, economic opportunity, good education, fair wages and decent housing.

Whatever causes personal grief is worthy of recognition and our response. Whatever causes personal torment deserves to be heard and addressed even if doing so is not our preference, makes us uncomfortable or at worst, causes us misery. Sometimes our misery is what it takes for God to accomplish something good.

I think the lesson of today’s gospel story is this: Every individual has claim to a seat on the plane or at least, to something from the table. We may ignore or insult them, but those in torment will not go away. They may not deserve the best or the exact same accommodation, but they cannot and should not be denied some comfort or having their most basic needs met. The Canaanite woman was a persona non-grata, unwelcome and unacceptable. Who in our midst fits her description?

Pretty much anyone we don’t wish to hear from or deal with, anyone who asks for help, argues any degree of entitlement, chooses to act out vehemently, appears inconvenient, who makes demands, or requires us to see what life is like for them. Let us pray.

Lord, that list includes many people whose voices we wish not to hear, whose faces we wish not to see, whose hardship we wish not to deal with. Do what it takes to accomplish something good by involving us in their plight. We may not participate willingly or for unselfish reasons, but at least we will be acting as disciples and help your will be done so that all families of the earth may be blessed through Abraham’s descendants and most notably, Jesus Christ. In your holy name we pray, Amen.