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Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28
At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The healing of this woman’s daughter is one of only two miracles in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus performs at a distance. The other being a centurion’s slave. In both cases, the person healed is a Gentile, not a Jew.
This is important for two reasons.
First, Jews held a very exclusive idea of God. They were a holy people; an appointed race; a nation set apart by God to be blameless in his sight.
As the Psalmist tells, “He proclaims his statutes and laws to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; he has not taught them his decrees” (Psalm 147:20).
Second, in the ancient world, Jews and Gentiles were enemies. Jews allowed themselves no contact with other people or nations, lest they became impure – and by extension, unpleasing in God’s eyes.
Thus, for Jesus to heal a Gentile was mindboggling, if not outright scandalous, which is why Mattew wants his listeners to experience the tension building between Jesus and this desperate mother in today’s Gospel.
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First, she hears of Jesus approaching and rushes out to greet him, shouting repeatedly for mercy. In spite of being dismissed by the disciples, and completely ignored by the Lord, she continues in desperation, pleading for help.
When Jesus finally does acknowledge her, she falls at his feet, disregards him calling her a “dog,” and returns a blessing, instead, calling him both “Lord” and “Son of David,” titles of respect, if not also an acknowledgment of his divinity.
Only after this woman has been brought to the very brink of despair, does the Lord heal her daughter and commend her faith, saying he’s not found anything as profound in Israel.
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What might this harrowing passage mean for us?
It serves as a reminder that there is nothing more appealing to the Lord than a person of faith, which transcends every boundary, including nation and race.
Sometimes the Lord tests our faith only to strengthen it.
And God has come to save us all, beginning with those – like this mother – who will do anything to reach him.
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Image credits: (1) Back to the Bible (2) Jesus and the Canaanite Woman, Benjamin Beeks, Medium (3) Tumblr