The Second Sunday in Lent (March 5, 2021 - Brightview)

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

“For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness.”

Today’s reading is really quite puzzling upon first read. From a certain perspective, it seems that Christ is downright mean to this non-Jewish, Canaanite women.

Just prior to the passage we read, Jesus was arguing with the Pharisees about the Sabbath. After withdrawing, goes to a largely non-Jewish area of Tyre and Sidon.

There, he encounters a Canaanite woman who cries out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon” (15:22).

Christ seems to give her a cold shoulder at first. She keeps crying out to the point that the disciples ask Jesus to send her away.

Christ’s response to her seems abrupt: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Probably not the answer most of us were expecting.

She persists, continuing to seek Jesus’ help. To which he replies, “it is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” He’s saying the Jews are like the children in a household and for him to heal a non-Jew would be to take from the children’s plates to feed the dogs. That’s bad parenting.

To her credit, she comes back with a very witty response, associating herself with a beloved family pet, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Jesus, impressed by her remark, proclaims, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire” and her daughter was healed instantly.

This is an admittedly difficult passage (for some reason, the Western Christian tradition has settled on some very difficult Gospel texts for us to wrestle with in Lent). Some interpreters have gone so far as to say that Jesus learns from the Canaanite woman not to be racist and overcomes his prejudice. I don’t find this a compelling reading at all.

While these interpreters are reminding us of Jesus’ full humanity, they seem to have forgotten that he’s fully God too.

What is actually going on here is that the Disciples act as Intercessors. Their request is that Christ would heal the woman’s daughter so she could go on her way (they knew Christ could do it).

Jesus then tests the woman. At this point in his ministry, he was primarily bringing his Gospel to the Jews. But this is an example of a non-Jew who has faith in the Son of God, a theme for Matthew in his Gospel.

The encounter Jesus has with the Canaanite woman is one of witty banter more than prejudiced opposition.

It functions to show the inclusivity of the Gospel and ultimately God’s universal love for all people. This echoes the same principle in Solomon’s prayer at the Temple dedication. The difference is that instead of encountering God through a building in a particular geographic location, she has an actual encounter with God in the flesh. Her persistence proves her faith, something Jesus commends, and as a result, her daughter is healed.

This is a picture of the fact that all people, regardless of their race, sex, class, or any other part of their identity can come into relationship with God through Christ.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.