Rev. George
Miller
August 23,
2020
Matthew
15:21-28
Once upon a time there was a
beautiful coastal town called Capernaum, located on the northern shore.
It was the spot for delicious
seafood, sparkling sunsets, and good, God-fearing folk- a perfect place to retire
or raise a family.
In this town lived a Roman
soldier of great prestige. A member of
the military, he had at his disposal a big, comfortable home, and many servants.
As a Roman, he was one of
the enemy invaders who had taken over the land and was there to make sure the
citizens didn’t get out of line.
As a gentile, he worshipped
many gods, like Jupiter and Mars.
One day a man visited this
peaceful fishing town. A man known for
the gift of gab and the ability to heal; a Jew named Jesus.
The soldier went up to him
and said “Lord, my servant is in pain and terrible distress.”
Jesus responded “OK, dude. I’ll
come to your home and cure him.”
To which the soldier says “Bro,
I’m really not worthy, and I don’t want to bother you. If you just say the word,
I’m sure my butler will be healed.”
When Jesus hears this, he’s
amazed. “Whoa dude! I’ve been to many places and seen so many faces, but I’ve never
met anyone with faith like yours!”
“Even though you’re not a
Jew you’re welcome to come drink beer and eat hot wings with me in Heaven’s
Kingdom.”
“Go! Your faith has made
your manservant well.”
As told in Matthew 8, this
story is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, as it features the healing of a Gentile.
Jesus mainly saw his ministry as to the children of
Israel. Until this point, the people
Jesus heals, feeds, and sits with are people from his own faith group.
This stunning interaction seems to mark a new day, a
new way. Now that the 1st Gentile has been voted in by Jesus, all
the Gentiles are welcome and there is no more prejudice…right?
Wrong…because just 7 chapters later we have another
story featuring another gentile, with a much different response.
Jesus has had a hard day at work. The town’s faith leaders haven’t been nice to
Jesus, nitpicking how he does things.
So Jesus does what any messianic son-of-God would do-
he runs away.
He leaves town and travels to the boondocks of no man’s
land, a place that makes Zolfo Springs seem trendy.
While there, a non-Jewish native approaches him. She’s shouting- “Have mercy on me, Lord. My daughter is sick; we need your help.”
Jesus ignores her; pretends he doesn’t hear her screaming
like she’s giving birth. He keeps on
walking as if she’s not even there.
But she’s an ambitious, nasty woman, so she keeps shouting
for help.
The disciples can’t handle how shrill and abrasive she
sounds. They go up to Jesus. “Dude, make her go away. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard.”
Jesus says “I don’t have time for this. I told you before, I was only sent here for the
children of Israel.”
But this woman?
She’s resilient. Just like the magi,
just like the disciples, she kneels before him.
“Lord, help me.
Help my daughter.”
Jesus finally stops.
Acknowledges her.
Says “But you and your daughter are dogs. It’s not good to take the children’s breadsticks
and throw them to mutts like you.”
To which the woman says “Call us mutts if you must,
but even dogs get to eat the scraps that fall from the table.”
Blindsided, Jesus says “Woman, great is your faith.
What you desire is done!”
Like that!, another daughter is made well by the
ministry of Emmanuel.
Before getting too happy, we have a lot to contend
with. This is a challenging text, confronting
how we see Jesus.
An indigenous, rural woman of Gentile descent comes to
Jesus for help, and he refuses. She
screams for help, and he ignores her.
She begs on behalf of her daughter, but he states she’s not good enough because
she is different.
And yet, just a few chapters before Jesus had no problem
being bros with a Roman soldier, gladly healing his minimum-wage earning
servant.
Why two similar stories, yet two different responses? A man appeals to Jesus and he is quick to respond. But a woman must yell just to be ignored.
The centurion is invited to dine at the Lord’s table,
but the mother is told there’s not enough food to go around.
This Roman brags that he can send men scurrying left
and right, but this woman’s child is referred to as a dog.
He gets to stand while speaking, but she must bow before
she is heard.
There’s so much in this scripture to parse out. So much to discuss, to debate, to hold Jesus
accountable for.
People will try to give Jesus an easy excuse; to give
him an out.
“Oh, he’s just a man, after all.”
“He’s not being racist; he’s just reflecting the attitude
of the day.”
“He doesn’t really mean her daughter is a dog, more
like a cute puppy.”
Ask any woman what it means when a man calls you a
dog, and they know.
We all know.
So once again, we are left asking “What the heck is
the Good News?”
What do we do if Jesus is knocked off the pedestal and
his more human, culturally-based self is on display?
The Good News comes from understanding and celebrating
who the true hero of this story is.
The hero is not Jesus; it’s not the disciples. It’s the woman who refused to be insulted and
refused to take no for an answer.
Besides Jesus and Peter, the mother in today’s reading
is perhaps the most fully realized person in the Gospel.
With just a few descriptive phrases we know so much
about her.
Her words and actions that tell who she is, what she’s
about. What extent she’ll go to get what
she wants, what she will do for the sake of her daughter.
She is a woman who refuses to be ignored. She is a person who refuses to let injustice
go unchecked.
She is someone who knows how to play the game and use society’s
biased views to her advantage.
She may be rural, but she is city smart.
She may be a Gentile, but she understands better than
anyone else who the Messiah is and what being called “Lord” is really about.
She knows that for the Son of David, having mercy is
part of the job description.
She may not go to the Synagogue on Saturday, but she
knows that the True Messiah will do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly.
So when she sees Jesus not being humble, not being
kind, not being just, she calls him out.
“Call us dogs if you must, but offer my daughter a
crumb of the healing you are called to give your own children.” (adapted from O. Wesley Allen Jr.)
This woman is amazing.
She joins the likes of Rachel, Shiprah, Puah, Deborah
and Jael as Citizens of Heaven who fought for what they deserved and for what was
right.
Here is one more thing- this ambitious, amazing woman
goes down in history as the 1st and only person in all of the
Gospels to teach Jesus something he did not know.
Instead of Jesus changing her, she changes him.
She recognizes his authority and what responsibility that
entails.
She refuses to be ignored.
She lobs his insult right back.
She gets her daughter healed.
She makes Jesus a better person than he was before.
THAT is spiritual lineage we come from. THESE are the theological bones that build
our body.
She is a woman who refuses to be ignored, refuses to
be silenced, and by doing so brings change and healing into our world.
May we all be so brave, so bold, and so ambitious.
For that we can say “Amen.”
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