Did you pause, blink, and squint at Jesus during his interaction with the Gentile woman in today’s chapter? This conversation can be deeply confusing. At first glance, it can seem like Jesus is distant, dismissive, and even rude. And the metaphor about dogs? Jarring. So what’s happening here?
Let’s unpack the context …
First, what Matthew places immediately before this story is intentional. Jesus was just teaching about inner purity:
“Don’t you understand yet? … the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Matthew 15:16, 18-20).
What makes a person clean or unclean isn’t about rituals or food (which is what a Jewish audience would have known up to this point). Jesus is highlighting that purity is about the human heart.
Second, as realtors say, “Location, location, location!” Jesus has taken his disciples up to Tyre and Sidon, which is Gentile territory. This is not a place where Jesus and his disciples would experience any semblance of a warm welcome. Josephus, the famous first-century historian, comments that “among the Phoenicians, the Tyrians are notoriously our bitterest enemies” (“Against Apion” 1:70, 71; LCL 1:191).
So, here comes the encounter with the Gentile (or Canaanite) woman …
When she approaches Jesus, she comes with persistence and faith. The disciples try to turn her away, which is the same thing they do when little children approach Jesus (later in Matthew 19).
Jesus is exposing the assumptions of his disciples. After teaching that purity and defilement come from the heart, Jesus has taken them into a situation where those hidden prejudices are revealed.
Initially, it seems like Jesus is following the expectations for a Jewish rabbi interacting with a Gentile woman. To Matthew’s original Jewish audience, Jesus is doing exactly what he’s supposed to do in this situation. But then, something drastically changes, and Matthew’s original audience would have gasped!
“Yes, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table” (v. 27). The woman’s statement cuts to the heart of the tension but also reveals her deep faith and unwillingness to back down from the tension. It shifts the atmosphere in this interaction!
Her boldness in the face of overwhelming cultural adversity and oppression is incredibly admirable, and Jesus responds in kind. He meets her in her place of deep faith. He bucks all the cultural and religious norms by addressing her honorable humanity. He assures her that he is addressing her request for her daughter to be healed.
This woman grasps what many in Israel had yet to figure out: Jesus truly is the Messiah, who is here not only for one community but the entire world. As she becomes the teacher in this story, the disciples (and the rest of us) can marvel that Jesus’ grace and love are truly here for everyone!
Reflection:
- Head knowledge is different than heart knowledge. While we might recognize that God’s love truly is for all people, are there any people in your life or groups of people in your community from whom you withhold God’s love?
- Like the disciples, Jesus might want to illuminate where you are holding bias or prejudice against people. Lent is a perfect time for this spiritual renewal that comes from Christ! What would it look like for you to humble yourself before Jesus and ask for forgiveness?
- After recognizing bias, humbling ourselves, and asking for forgiveness, a bold and faith-filled next question in prayer is: God, what do YOU want me to do to extend YOUR kindness to someone I have previously been biased toward? (Maybe this is a practice you incorporate this Lenten season!)