SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2023 | AFTER PENTECOST (PROPER 15 A)

Obviously, Bible is not a book on hygiene, food safety, or disease control. Jesus is being figurative - hygiene has no religious defilement consequences. But what we say from our heart does.

Jesus seems to be playing a little bit of hard to get here - perhaps testing her? Yes, his focus pre-crucifixion were the Jews - they were to be reached first. But the Canaanite woman persisted, knowing that she doesn’t have the standing, but also believing in the goodness of Jesus - believing in abundance of God’s mercy as opposed to the scarcity of the world. In God’s economy, there is no need to differentiate between peoples and what help they may receive as there is no scarcity of God’s mercy/bread, unlike the real world....

Good morning,

We are still deep in the narrative of Matthew - Jesus travels around, meets people, and generally continues his earthly ministry. First of all, I think the beginning of the gospel reading shows that the Bible is definitely NOT a book on modern hygiene, food safety, or disease control. Just the choice of words - defilement (koinoō), to be impure in the gospels firmly means moral impurity, while usage elsewhere can also refer to ritual impurity. In any case, it is not about germs.

I personally believe that God instituted many of the laws that can be found in the Hebrew Bible both for spiritual and practical reason - a good ritual has both. Not eating pork had the distinguishing property from the surrounding nations, but it was also very practical - without refrigeration, pork wasn’t the most reliable of meats in the desert and parasites are a concern as well. It is similar with shellfish, snakes, and rodents.

I think that God was trying to reach people with the important stuff where they were and instituting ritualistic uncleanliness/impurity was easier than trying to have them wrap their heads around germ theory - there was a lot progress to be made until that could happen! I think honoring both the spiritual/historical and practical side of these rituals was good, BUT it had become a problem if religious leaders decided adherence to the ritual showed, first and foremost, your moral purity. A ritual then becomes like a stick to hit other people....including Jesus.

That is where Jesus, as the earthly incarnation of God, had to step in - if they want to talk about defilement, moral impurity, it’s not about what goes in, but what comes OUT of the mouth as a person expresses oneself through speech “from the heart.” And some didn’t want to hear that because that one is so much more work!

At a first glance, I am not sure that many would identify the following story as related, but I think it is. Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman, a literal nobody that would definitely be considered “impure” by many compatriots of Jesus at the time. And I think Jesus plays the “devil’s advocate” a little here - fulfilling the expectation that the Messiah reaches the Chosen nation first and that reaching others would somehow diminish God’s mercy for them. However, the woman is not deterred and presses on, perhaps believing that God’s mercy extends even to her and her daughter that they can have a portion of what is served at the table. Jesus finally affirms her, because her faith in the goodness of the Lord prevails. She believed that God’s grace is above any impurity, ritualistic or moral. And Jesus rewards that with a miracle.

And I think we have much to learn from this Canaanite woman - it is far too easy to obsess about rules, rituals, and regulations. But to affirm basic and universal goodness of our God requires steadfast faith. God’s mercy is for all, regardless whoever they are and what they choose to do or not to do.

God’s mercy belongs to those in Maui that have been affected by devastating wildfires, where more than 114 have died and many more lives were disrupted by this consequence of man-made climate change that sprung up from unregulated avarice of those believing that God’s good creation is here for them to strip mine it of all resources like there is no tomorrow. Despite everything, God’s mercy IS with people of Maui and we pray for more.

God’s mercy belongs to the poor, marginalized, oppressed, sick and dying, not just the rich, healthy, and privileged. For God’s mercy is not dependent on some rituals or purity, past or present. Should we still try our best to uphold moral purity through our thoughts and actions? Jesus thinks so, but he will not tolerate those that are trying to codify such efforts into an oppressive system of laws.

Because as the second part of the gospel shows - it never stops with JUST food or handwashing, but it will sneak its way into judging other people and even whole nations! Let us wash our hands, think before we speak, but more importantly - let us act and live like God’s mercy truly is for everybody, the whole world, nay the whole creation! As we pray for Maui and all those in need, let us pray with the belief that God’s care and mercy is already with them, just as it is with us. Amen.

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