“[For] the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” [1]
These words from Paul’s letter to the Romans are important for us to keep in our minds as we struggle with this morning’s lesson from the Gospel of Matthew. The unfortunate truth is that for humanity it has always been, and will forever continue to be an easy task for individuals or even societies, to either disavow or entirely strip away the gifts and callings of those who are classified as others … especially those who are outsiders.
Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Jewish parents. This means that Jesus was/is a part of the “chosen people of God.” He was sent by God to bring the Children of Israel back to God and away from the ways of this world. In the preceding chapters of Matthew’s Gospel we will find time and time again where Jesus is at odds with the Jewish Religious Leadership.
Last week, we talked about Peter challenging what he thought might be just an illusion of Jesus walking on the surface of the sea. When Jesus called Peter to step out and walk towards him; Peter did, but then Peter’s faith failed him. Jesus had to rescue him. And now once again, at the start of Chapter 15, the Pharisees and the scribes are challenging Jesus because his disciples are continiously breaking the traditions of the elders.[2] And so Jesus is stressed and is once more focusing closely on achieving the goal set before him; to bring the choosen people back into a truly closer relationship with God.
And now a Canaanite woman calls to him while he is struggling with how to reach out to the choosen people. He is able to ignore her pleas, but the disciples are now calling for him to send her away.
I’m not Jesus … not even close. But when I’m trying to write a sermon – and someone knocks at the door asking for directions … and a car turns around in the drive-way … and when the phone rings, and it’s someone who’s not even a member of our Church who asks in a forigen language if I can help them … Well, it is tempting to be anything but compassionate.
But the response of the woman is different and interesting. Rather than flipping him off or screaming some obscenity, she comes and kneels before him, calling him “Lord,” and begging him for help.
Maybe the answer that Jesus gave was for her, his disciples, or himself … we’ll never really know. All we do know for sure is that he continues to concentrate on the chosen people of God while implying that she is a worthless individual … a dog. Jesus is continuing to focus on his theological mission rather than what she is trying to communicate. But when she answers that even the dogs will be able to eat from the crumbs under the table she is able to clearly communicate that, “Theology, valuable and necessary as it is, need not stand in the way of divine compassion or human faith.” [3] And Jesus acknowledges that her faith is great; maybe even greater than Peter’s was while he was out for a walk on the waves of the sea. Jesus healed the daughter of the woman … a foreigner … someone of a different faith if any faith at all. But the reality that Jesus saw was that she did have faith; faith in someone outside of herself, faith in Jesus, faith in God.
[1] Romans 11:29 NRSV
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