“Even the dogs gather the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables.” [Matthew 15.27]
A Sermon for Trinity 10, August 16th 2020
by Roberta Berke.  

Today’s gospel story tells how a Canaanite woman pesters Jesus until he heals her daughter. This story raises three questions: First, why is Jesus so rude to this woman? Second, why does she keep nagging Jesus? Third, how can we approach God?

Why is Jesus so rude to this woman? He completely ignores her. Then he insults her. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” The word “dogs” was, and still is, a foul insult in the Middle East. We’re not told why Jesus crossed over the border of Galilee and went into foreign territory. His travel into the district of Tyre and Sidon is surprising, because for centuries, these Canaanites were enemies of Israel. Sometimes Jesus withdrew from the clamouring crowds so that he could rest and pray. Perhaps Jesus wanted to get out of Herod’s jurisdiction. Recently, Herod had ordered the murder of John the Baptist. When writing his gospel, St. Matthew placed this story immediately after a dispute with the Pharisees. They argued with Jesus: which things are clean? Which things are unclean? What actions defile a person? This story also reflects controversies in the early church.  Because Jesus and his disciples were Jewish, could non-Jews become Christians? Must Christians observe all the Jewish purity laws?

The second person who puzzles us in this story is the Canaanite woman. She’s is humble, yet she’s also bold, clever, and very, very persistent. She kneels right in front of Jesus. She blocks his path. She forces him to listen to her request. She is alone. Like the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at the well, this Canaanite woman has come all by herself. At that time, respectable women did not walk about in public unaccompanied. Questions would have been asked about her morals. To the disciples, this Canaanite woman is doubly unclean: both as a woman and as a Gentile. Jesus’ disciples think she’s really obnoxious. They want to shove her out of the way, but they’re too afraid to touch her, lest they be polluted. Why does she persist in shouting out to Jesus, even though he ignores her and he insults her? As a mother, she’s desperate for her daughter to be healed. But even stronger than her maternal instinct is her faith in Jesus’ power. Three times she acknowledges Jesus as “Lord”. This word “Lord”, has a stronger meaning than it usually does today. “Lord” can be a respectful address, like “sir”. Lord” can also mean “master”, the title given by slaves to their owners. More powerfully still, “Lord” is the word used to write down the sacred name of God, which was too holy to be said out loud. And it is with this ultimate meaning of “Lord” as “God”, that this woman addresses Jesus. She acclaims him as “Son of David”, implying that he is the Messiah. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the crowds shouted when Jesus entered Jerusalem. People hoped that he was the Messiah. Jesus is very impressed by this Canaanite woman’s faith. “Great is your faith”, he exclaims. He grants her request, and he heals her daughter.

How can this woman show us the way to approach God in prayer? This woman’s daughter may have been stuck by a sudden Illness. The girl may have had a sudden epileptic fit. Or perhaps a high fever made her so delirious that she imagined a demon was attacking her. How suddenly our lives can be turned upside down. This Covid-19 virus has upset all of us. Everyday freedoms that we took for granted have been restricted or stopped. We can’t just browse in shops: we have to wear masks. Suddenly we realise our lives are precarious and fragile. This deadly, invisible virus forces us to ask for God’s help. But how can we approach God, God who is infinite and almighty?

When the Canaanite woman asks Jesus for help, she begins by acclaiming Jesus as her Lord. In the same way, the Lord’s Prayer begins by respectfully acknowledging God’s greatness. “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” After first accepting Jesus as her Lord, only then does the Canaanite woman make her request. One of my many failings in prayer is demanding, “Right, God, here’s your to-do list for today.” The primary purpose of prayer is to acknowledge God’s greatness and God’s presence, not to set out our wish lists. Our requests aren’t always granted. Our wishes may be granted in ways we don’t expect, or we don’t like. It’s not easy to be quiet, to wait, and to listen for God’s still small voice. Sometimes God’s silence may make us wonder if he’s there at all. We plead, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”  At times we can feel so flawed, so worthless and so sinful that we imagine God must despise us. Yet even if God appears to ignore us, we must persist in praying, just as that Canaanite woman did. The disciples despised her as an unclean foreigner. But God doesn’t despise anyone. No one, however flawed, is a foreigner in God’s sight. No one is outcast from God’s mercy. No one is banished from God’s grace. As we struggle to overcome this killer virus, we need God’s help. Suddenly we realise our lives are very fragile. Life is fragile: handle with prayer. AMEN.