Bible Text: Matthew 15:21-28 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
I have always admired the life story of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta or as she is most known, Mother Teresa. It is an incredible story of political challenges being an ethnic Albanian born in Macedonia, raised since the age of 8 by a single mother, and leaving home at the age of 18, when she joined the order of the Sisters of Loreto, never to see her family again. But it was on a train ride to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for an annual retreat that she received what she identifies as “the call within the call”. It was part of the vows of the Sisters of Loreto to spend some time living among and assisting the poor. However, Mother Teresa went above and beyond this vow. She replaced the Loreto habit for the simple white and blue sari that we identify with her. She became an Indian citizen and trained in basic medical care so that she could provide both physical and spiritual care to the slums, to the untouchables, in Indian society. The reality of the situation is often overlooked- that she not only spent her time serving the poorest of the poor but she had no income herself and she too had to beg for food and supplies. She even wrote in her diary following her first year of working in the slums, “Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today I learned a good lesson. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. Then the comfort of Loreto, my former convent, came to tempt me. “You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again”…My God, out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come.” From 1946 to 1997, for just over 50 years Mother Teresa worked with, lived among and served the untouchable and undesirables of India. Her story reminds me of the woman we encounter in the Gospel reading this morning. A woman who even Jesus himself felt was no better than dogs, was an untouchable, was over the line.
As I mentioned this is a difficult passage, for many reasons. It is difficult because Jesus is harsh, even rude. Jesus displays characteristics that we don’t necessarily associate with the son of God. We have trouble reconciling this Jesus with the Jesus who heals, feeds and provides for those who follow him around. It is also challenging because it demands some guess work, never a good way to do Biblical interpretation but in this reading we have to infer a lot of what is going on based on the fact that it doesn’t seem to fit with the flow of Jesus’ ministry. Also, it is one of the only times in which Jesus appears to change his mind.
At the on set Jesus completely ignores the woman. He acts as if he doesn’t hear her, certainly doesn’t see her, and continues on his way. As her pleas become louder it becomes harder to ignore her. It is not until the disciples find her to be a nuisance and they ask Jesus to do something about it that He responds. And he certainly does not respond in the way we expect. Unlike with the story of the children- when the disciples are telling parents to take their annoying offspring away and Jesus abruptly interrupts saying that children are indeed most welcome- in this story he concurs with the disciples. This woman is no better than a dog, one of those strays that nips at your heels until you kick it away.
Here’s the problem. This woman is a Canaanite. If you remember, Canaan is the land that the Israelites came to and claimed as their own following the Exodus. All those rules and regulations found in the book of Leviticus exist precisely to separate the Israelites from the Canaanites. It is entire book dedicated to making sure the Canaanites know that they are not like the Israelites. That there is a clear line and distinction between us and them. This Canaanite woman comes from the coastal region of Syria where multiple gods are worshipped, where they worship statues and idols, and where they ignore the laws regarding diet or practice. She is an outsider and an untouchable in the eyes of the New Testament Jewish community.
Here’s another problem. Earlier in the Gospel Jesus is in Nazareth, his home town, and everyone rejects him. They take offence to his teachings and the basically run him out of town. The Pharisees and scribes in Jerusalem challenge him and debate how he lives and serves with his disciples. Even when Jesus performs amazing miracles like feeding five thousand or walking on water every where he goes people deny who he really is, people discredit him, people refuse to listen. No matter how many times he tries to tell them or show them that he is the Messiah- the people of Israel refuse to call him by that name.
The Canaanite woman, this untouchable, sees Jesus coming and says, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son. of. David.” The title Son of David was reserved for the Messiah. It is the name Jesus’ own people refuse to say. When this woman addresses him as such she is naming him something that even his own disciples have yet to say. For Jesus, perhaps it felt like a cruel joke. Finally he hears the words he’s been wanting to hear and they come from the mouth of an untouchable, a Canaanite! Whatever line had been drawn this woman has crossed it and Jesus just isn’t willing to allow her to do so with such ease.
Even in our own lives we have to draw the line somewhere. Otherwise we too could end up poor, weary, worn out, among the untouchables. Even clergy are told time and time again to make sure they have a good self-care routine before caring for others. We even feel guilt-free because we are able to justify the line. We can’t help all the people all the time. I imagine I would not have talked of Mother Teresa had that been her motto.
But because this Canaanite woman is persistent, because this woman simply will not allow the line to define her, because this woman refuses to let Jesus win in this staring contest, Jesus blinks and there is a sudden paradigm shift. Jesus exclaims, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
Now, I maintained for a long time that Jesus knew this would happen, that he was merely allowing this woman to be a teaching tool to those around him, because there is no way my Jesus would be so mean. But as I read and reread this story it occurred to me that maybe Jesus did change his mind. Maybe instead of being a teaching tool this woman taught Jesus. Jesus realizes that if the lost sheep of Israel won’t listen then perhaps Jesus is God’s redeemer for the whole world, Jews, Gentiles, even Canaanites.
Jesus learns something new about God’s purpose for his ministry. That it is bigger, wider and greater than he could have imagined. The old lines that were drawn are unable to contain his new vision. Sometimes God’s purposes for us are like that too- we have a clear definition, a clear mission or vision statement. When I worked at the University of Victoria they called that a strategic plan. But when we open ourselves up to a learning moment we realize that our definition, mission or vision is too small that in fact God’s purposes for our ministry is bigger, wider and greater, than we could have imagined. The trick is, we have to be willing to cross the line, to think outside the box. Perhaps we should push at boundaries, embrace new ideas. I know it is not in our nature as Presbyterians but maybe change is a good thing. Now there may be moments when we would prefer to ignore the signs, ignore the realities, ignore the nudges coming from the fringes. There may be times when we will loose our tempers but like the Canaanite woman God’s call is persistent. God will not give up on us simply because we are too linear to listen. Amen