Jesus, Women, Foreigners, Slaves and Dogs

 After an interesting, and probably heated discussion with the Pharisees and Scribes about the importance of people over human developed doctrine Jesus moves on to the Gentile districts of Tyre and Sidon. 

As he arrived a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” When Jesus finally answered, he said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:21-28) 

How interesting. Jesus had just reminded the Scribes and Pharisees of the importance of caring for father and mother without using God as an excuse. Now rather than caring for the poor woman’s child, loving his neighbor as himself, he calls her a dog! How can our loving Lord do that? Church Historian, Diana Butler Bass, preaching by Zoom to All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta made some observations that I found compelling. She stated that in Judea of Jesus’ day men often prayed, “thank God I am not a slave or a foreigner or a woman. Tradition? Jesus’ response followed the pattern of men of his time. And then, whether this was his intent all along or the woman’s faith and courage changed his mind, he healed her daughter. 

Bass suggests that Jesus’ actions on this day, setting up and then knocking down the barriers that divide one human from another, may have set the example for what became one of the first Christian Baptismal Covenants, recorded by Paul in Galatians 3:28. “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all are one in Christ Jesus.” 

Where in our lives can we live into Jesus’ actions and Paul’s teachings? Who do we need to welcome or heal or shelter or teach in the name of Jesus, regardless of gender or station in life or race or religion? I am convinced that Jesus, the Canaanite Woman and St. Paul knew that God is bigger than most people believe. I am convinced that God is bigger than I believe and that God cares about the people most of us would ignore or avoid. Life is really complicated now, we are frustrated, afraid, and angry.  Most of us are doing our best just to live one day at a time, praying that Covid-19 will eventually end and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The good news is that Jesus came that none of us will ever have to be the dogs under the table, or the ones who put another human in the place of the dog under that table. 

May we all have in our hearts the love of Jesus and the courage and faith of the Canaanite woman.

Go Ahead to the Other Side

 

Go Ahead to the Other Side

(Based on Matthew 14:13-33)

 

After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus went in a boat to a deserted place to be alone. Something he often did: to pray, to ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to carry out the mission God had sent him to do. As often happened, Jesus did not remain alone for long. The crowds heard of it and followed him on foot. Scripture tells us that “Jesus had compassion on them and cured their sick.” The healing continued late into the afternoon. We all know the story: Jesus took five loaves and two fish blessed them and feed the crowd, “five thousand men, plus women and children.”

 

“Jesus then made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. He then went up the mountain by himself to pray. By evening the disciples’ boat was being tossed and battered by the wind and they were making no progress, As Jesus came walking toward them on the sea, they were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”(Matthew 14:22-27)

As we live today in strange and frightening times: times of pandemics and earthquakes and hurricanes; times of protests, some of which have turned violent; times when we distrust people who are different than we are: people who look different, or think differently or act differently or believe differently, I wonder if we are not just as frightened as were Jesus ‘disciples in the storm on the lake that night so long ago. I for one need to hear Jesus say, “take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

 

Just as Jesus sent the disciples on ahead to the other side, I believe he is sending us to the other side of today’s trials and tribulations: of pandemics and protests, of deaths and devastation, to meet him and continue his work, our work of curing and healing. Like the disciples, we will not get to the other side without going through this storm. I also believe that like Peter, bless his heart, we will trust Jesus enough to get out of the boat to go to him. And like Peter, we will see the strong winds and waves, the fear, anger, death and destruction around us and begin to sink, calling out to Jesus, “Lord Save me!” And as Jesus did for Peter, he will reach out his hand and catch us, restoring our faith and sharing with us his strength wisdom and courage.

 

With Jesus holding our hands, we will emerge on the other side of the Coronavirus, protests, distrust and death, confusion and fear to be not part of problem, but part of the solution, God’s solution. We will be God’s hands and feet, helping to rebuild cities, helping to rebuild relationships. We will recognize one another as children of God, learn to love and trust rather than hate and fear. As we hear, again and again, the words of Jesus, “take heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” we can pray with St. Francis:

 

“Lord, make us instruments of your peace, Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.