Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.' But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' He answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.' She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15.21-28)
Many of the recent comments I've read focus on the possibility that what we read here is an account of Jesus' growing self-awareness, his understanding of himself and his mission only gradually expanding to encompass the universal scope of the work his Father had sent him to do, and of himself as Saviour of the world, not just of Israel. Now, I'm not doubting that Jesus did come, at least in some respects, gradually to a full understanding of who and why he was, and of the divine dimension of his identity. It seems unlikely that he was born with the whole package, as it were, clear in his mind from day one. However, I'd always read this passage rather differently, and I was amused to discover this morning that the great Quaker theologian and philosopher D. Elton Trueblood read it much the same way.
What if Jesus were actually teasing the Canaanite woman? What if there was an obvious twinkle in his eye when he spoke those words, and an eyebrow raised in the direction of his disciples, who were after all rather prone to trying to maintain the exclusivity of his ministry (sending away the little children, for instance, and ignoring Bartimaeus)? Her witty reply would then make sense, and would be be far more believable humanly that way, than as a response to a cold-eyed denial. Come to think of it, can you really, honestly, imagine a cold-eyed denial from Jesus to anyone, let alone a woman distraught about her daughter's suffering?
If you'd like to read more on this, I can recommend Glenn Miller's fascinating article; and his eye-opening remarks about Greek words for dogs!
1 comment:
Fascinating, Mike. Thank you.
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