More Than Enough Grace
Matthew 15:21-28
As I mentioned previously, I am the Senior Minister of Central Presbyterian Church in New York City, and we have a very young congregation. In fact, 55% of our attendees are 34 or younger. Many of the people who come through our doors have very little exposure to Christianity. Maybe they are brand new to the faith, or it has been many years since they darkened the door of a church. But they’re curious. They’ve got questions, especially about Jesus, and they’re interested to learn more.
As a result, one of the things I love to do is help people make sense of some of the harder passages in the Bible. And our Gospel reading today is certainly one of them. The difficulty with this passage is that Jesus’ words seem inconsistent with his character. They appear to go against everything we know about him. We might think of Jesus as the epitome of love, compassion, and generosity of spirit. But here he comes across as rude and dismissive at best, and bigoted and intolerant at worst.
Which would lead some people to say, “Those are all things that are wrong with Christians today. It’s no wonder. Look where they got it. Apparently Jesus was no better!” But I would suggest that there is more going on in this encounter than we may realize at first. So during our time together, let’s consider two things: first, the incident, and second, the interpretation.
I. THE INCIDENT
First, the incident. What happens?
Matthew tells us that Jesus has been running non-stop. And this is one of the few times Jesus leaves the borders of ancient Israel, the land of his people. Why? Because even Jesus needed a break. He’s trying to lay low and get some time away, just like we might come up here to the North Country for a little R & R.
Jesus heads to Tyre and Sidon, on the coast, in what is now considered Lebanon. But his vacation is interrupted. An unnamed woman finds out where Jesus is and begs him, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
Most of us probably don’t know what to make of her condition. We don’t know her symptoms. But they must have been terrible. And this mother is willing to do whatever it takes to help her daughter.
The only problem was that she was what we might consider a “religious outsider.” She is referred to as a “Canaanite woman,” which means she was from a pagan background. She was not part of the ancient people of God. And you have to understand that, in that culture, a Jewish rabbi would not be caught dead talking to someone like her.
Even so, Jesus’ response seems shocking and harsh. This woman is overwhelmed and desperate. The disciples beg Jesus to send her away, and he says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel,” suggesting that his primary mission was to rescue his fellow Judeans. In Mark’s version of the same story, Jesus says, “Let the children be fed first” before continuing: “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Ouch!
It sounds like Jesus not only refuses to help this woman, but he insults her. Let me remind you that it is generally not considered very polite to call someone a dog! But This woman refuses to give up. She replies, “Even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Her persistence is rewarded. Jesus praises this woman for her faith: “Great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Surprisingly enough, this woman, of all people, becomes a model of faith. She didn’t have much to go on. She probably didn’t have the Bible. She didn’t know the Scriptures. She didn’t have a community of fellow believers to learn from. Nevertheless, she recognizes Jesus for who he is, and God answers her prayer in response to her faith.
This reveals an important truth, one that may be especially encouraging to those receiving baptism today: You don’t have to have all the answers. Even the tiniest amount of faith is enough. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It doesn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter what has been done to you. All you have to do is ache for Jesus’ help, and he won’t turn you away.
II. THE INTERPRETATION
Now, you might say, “That’s a nice, heart-warming story.” But it doesn’t change the fact that the woman comes off looking good, while Jesus, at least at first glance, not so much. So the real question is: How should we interpret this incident?
Let me give you one wrong interpretation and then a better one. The wrong interpretation would be: Jesus was bigoted and intolerant, and the woman corrected him. This is an increasingly popular and modern way to read the passage. Some might suggest that Jesus did, in fact, have narrow-minded, ethnocentric views. He only wanted to help his fellow Judeans. But the woman out-argues Jesus. She challenges his restrictive way of thinking and sets him straight. On this reading, the person who is converted in this encounter is not the Canaanite woman. It is Jesus!
But that reading ignores both the context and the details—the big picture and the fine print.
So let’s consider a better interpretation.
Notice the word “first.” In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Let the children be fed first.” In other words, he is not suggesting that the Gentiles will never be fed. But he has a particular mission to fulfill. As Matthew puts it, he has been sent to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
As Israel’s Messiah, Jesus has a mission to complete, culminating in his death and resurrection. Then, and only then, will the Gospel go to the whole world. Of course, Jesus wants his message eventually to reach the Gentiles, but if he does not first fulfill his role as Israel’s Messiah, then he will be of no help to anyone.
Likewise, notice the term “dog.” It is true that sometimes Judeans in the first century used the word “dogs” as a contemptuous term for Gentiles, referring to scavenging street dogs. But importantly Jesus does not use the word for a dirty stray. He uses the diminutive word referring to a small dog that lived in the house. He uses the word for a family pet!
If you live here year-round, you might have a pet Labrador, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, or Bernese Mountain Dog. But we live in New York City, which means we have a tiny, little 3.5-pound Shih-Tzu that fits in the palm of your hand. She is appropriately named Snuggles. I’ve heard stories that Arch Montgomery’s Labrador puppy ate not one, but two toads this summer (and paid for it later). By contrast, we introduced Snuggles to a toad on Friday night, and she ran away. That’s the kind of dog she is. She’s an inside dog.
So, if it helps when it comes to interpreting this difficult passage, think of Snuggles!
That completely changes the situation. And it explains why the woman is not offended by Jesus; she is drawn to him. There’s a big difference between calling someone “a dog” and using an illustration involving a puppy.
Jesus is not hurling an ethnic slur. He is giving this woman a simple, one-line parable. Imagine our family sits down at the dinner table, and one of my kids asks: “Can I feed Snuggles?” My response would be, “Not yet. It’s not the right time. We don’t interrupt dinner to feed Snuggles.” In the same way, Jesus is saying, “I have a mission to complete. I need to stay on task. I haven’t come to Lebanon as a traveling magician or miracle-worker. The reason why I’m here is to catch my breath in the midst of a risky and dangerous mission that I know will lead me to a very dark and difficult place.”
And the woman gets it! She understands. As a result, she brilliantly enters into the parable: “But even the dogs can eat the children’s crumbs” — which means that both the children and the family pets can eat at the same time. In other words, she is saying, “I understand your mission. I’m not asking you to abandon it. But if you really are who I think you are, even the crumbs of grace are enough for me.”
That’s why Jesus commends her faith.
She’s not just looking for a wonder-worker. Notice, however faintly or dimly, she recognizes Jesus as the Lord, the Son of David, and places herself at his mercy. She knows that Jesus acts out of a model of abundance rather than scarcity. If we only knew how much love, grace, and mercy Jesus had to offer, it would be the key to the healing and wholeness of our individual lives and of our world.
There is more than enough grace at Jesus’ table for people like her. There more than enough grace at Jesus’ table and for people like us – no matter who we are, no matter where we’re from, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what has been done to us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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