Sunday August 17, 2008: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28

The story of the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel reminds me of the story of one of my favorite movies John Q starred by my all time favorite actor, Denzel Washington. John Q’s son needs an organ transplant and his insurance will not cover it. John Q doesn’t have the money to pay in order for the child to get on the list of those waiting for an organ. When all attempts to persuade the hospital failed, he decided to hold everyone in the hospital hostage. At some point, he is so desperate that he decides to take away his own life so that the son will live. The woman in today’s gospel was so desperate and was willing to take all insult in order for her daughter to be healed. She first was ignored, then was told she is an outsider and if that was not enough, Jesus Christ called her a “dog” a very negative association. This will not necessarily be our expectation of Jesus Christ. This Jesus looks mean and unkind towards this woman who is in great need. Some scholars have tried to argue that Jesus’ use of the word “dog” for her was not derogatory because the kind of dog Jesus was referring to was a pet. This kind of interpretation misses the point that Jesus Christ is trying to communicate in this encounter. This is a teaching moment for Jesus Christ. He uses this incident to teach the woman humility and persistence and to teach the apostles about faith and to introduce them to a universal mission.

When this woman called on Jesus, she was first ignored. Jesus Christ did not ignore her because he did not care about her. Jesus knew her heart and was going to minister to her. St. Augustine tells us that this woman was not ignored so that mercy will be denied but that desire will be enkindled and not only that but also so that humility will be praised. If Jesus Christ had immediately responded to her and give her what she wanted, her great value would have been diminished. Jesus Christ stretched her and pulled her from her safe zone. Her persistence shows her great desire. There is a difference between the actions of Jesus and that of the apostles who wanted to get rid of her. She was a nuisance to them. Jesus Christ on the other hand wanted to engage her and bring out the value in her, which is her great faith. While the poor need our handouts, they treasure most our engagement with them and entering into their world. I personally don’t just enjoy handing out money to beggars on the street. I try to engage them. Unlike the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel, sometimes the beggars walk away from me because they feel like if I am interrogating them. While I will want to help, I am not ready to feed their alcohol or drug addictions either. The woman in today’s gospel was very sincere about the help she needed. This encounter of need teaches humility. We can say this woman was a humble woman. She was willing to accept all insults for the sake of her daughter.

Jesus Christ credits this woman great faith. In last week gospel, Jesus Christ described Peter as man of “little faith.” In today’s gospel, “great faith” is credited to this woman. What the Jewish Peter did not have, the gentile woman had. This will not be the last time Jesus will credit a gentile with great faith and it will not be the last time he will refer to his closest Jewish followers as having little faith. This woman stands as a model of faith not only to the apostles who wanted to get rid of her but also to all of us Christians. It is unimaginable that a Canaanite woman would be set as a model by Jesus Christ for his disciples. Canaanites were enemies of Israel and in Exodus 23:23, God even called for the extermination of the Canaanites together with the Amorites, the Hittites, etc. Jews were not to associate with them in anyway. Here, Jesus Christ is not only associating with her, but he is presenting his faith to us as a model of true faith.

This woman is also an example of Jesus Christ’s outreach to the gentiles, his universal mission. Although Jesus Christ came for the “lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he understands his mission as having a more universal significance – Israel here being those that believe in him. The first reading of today echoes that sentiment. The saved are not only the people of the Old Israel but also the new Israel which will comprise of a lot of foreigners would also be saved if they keep the covenant of God. That Covenant now is Christ. It is not given in Sinai but it is given in the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and we enter into it through baptism. The story in today’s gospel comes between two feeding accounts. The first feeding account is in Matthew 14 where Jesus feeds 5000 and the second account is in Matthew 15 where Jesus Christ feeds 4000. Some scholars have argued that the second account and the first are a repetition of the same account. I do not accept this reading because the second account has a nuance that is not in the first account. The second account is a symbolic representation of the gentile mission. In the second account, the initiative to feed these 4000 is that of Jesus. Since Jesus Christ performed this miracle in Galilee and for Matthew Galilee is made up of Gentiles, it will be proper to understand this account of Jesus’ feeding of 4000 gentiles. These are the people that Jews were not to associate with. Jesus is opening up a new outreach to them. Since food sustains life, Jesus Christ is offering them not only earthly life but also is interested in their salvation. These outsiders, foreigners, the undeserved of salvation, etc. are being ministered to by Jesus Christ. He commands in Matthew 28:19 that as his apostles, we need to go out and minister to these people.

We all have people we consider outsiders. They are either outsiders because of their moral problems, religious affiliations, political leanings, ethnic background, color of their skin or choices. These outsiders may be family members, friends, co-workers or even members of our community. We do not treat them as one of us. Jesus Christ invites us to reach out to these “outsiders.” We have made them outsiders for too long. Jesus Christ made the woman in today’s gospel an outsider but he brought her right back in. Those people we have made outsiders, we are challenged by Jesus Christ today to go and bring them back inside.