St. Paul's with St. Agatha's, Woldingham

This week's prayer

Today’s Gospel story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman is rather a challenging one for us to hear. It leaves us feeling distinctly uncomfortable when Jesus initially seems to ignore the woman’s pleas; then appears to brush her off by telling her that his mission is intended for the children of Israel; and finally makes a comparison between her and dogs – an insult in the culture of that time. So, we need to think a little more carefully about what might really have been going on in this powerful encounter between Jesus and the woman. Firstly, it takes place in Gentile territory. And the woman is described as a Canaanite – belonging to the indigenous people of the region, and descendants of an ancient enemy of the Israelites. We need to remember, too, that Matthew’s Gospel initially tends to emphasise Jesus’ mission to the Israelites, rather than his wider mission to all people. And that is what seems to be happening here. Jesus’ first response to the woman appears to reinforce the division between Jews and Gentiles, and therefore between himself and this woman in need. But the woman doesn’t give up. She kneels before Jesus and pleads with him once more: “Lord, help me.” And again, Jesus’ response feels remarkably ungracious, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” We cannot avoid the harshness of those words. It would hardly have been surprising if the woman had given up at this point. But she doesn’t. Instead, she takes Jesus’ own image of the dogs and turns it around: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She remains respectful. She acknowledges Jesus’ status. She recognises the distinction he has made between Jews and Gentiles. But she also has the courage to challenge him, to state her case, and to claim a share in Jesus’ healing power for her daughter. And something changes. Jesus no longer rejects her as being outside the scope of his ministry. Instead, he publicly praises her faith: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And so, in this remarkable encounter, something which initially looked like an insuperable boundary between them has shifted. A Jewish man and a Gentile woman, separated by race, religion, history and prejudice, have encountered one another. They have spoken honestly. The woman has refused to accept the boundaries that seemed to exclude her. And Jesus responds by recognising and praising her faith. The result is not simply that the woman’s daughter is healed. The Canaanite woman becomes a sign of the fact that God’s love cannot finally be confined within the boundaries that human beings create. And perhaps that is one of the challenges this Gospel story brings to us. Because there will need to be many honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations if those boundaries are to be crossed. And that can happen when people who are different from one another actually take the trouble to listen to one another and to understand one another – and begin to see one another as neighbours rather than as enemies. Perhaps there are people we encounter in our daily lives whom we tend to avoid, or whom we find difficult to get along with, because they don’t do the same things as we do, or don’t believe the same things as we do. Might God sometimes be calling us to make the effort to get to know more about them? To understand their concerns a little better? And, above all, to remember that they too are beloved children of God, included within God’s circle of love? We pray now for the grace to do this: Merciful God, we confess that, just like Jesus’ disciples, we too sometimes lose patience with people who need our help and support. Like the disciples, we find ourselves wishing that they would just go away and leave us in peace. In Your mercy, forgive us. Remind us again of the deep love You showed toward us when we were still in need— a love so deep that it sent You willingly to the cross on our behalf. Show us how to love others as You have loved us. Teach us Your compassion, so that we may be Your hands and feet to those in need. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.