Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Lent Speech 2013 – Healing of the Daughter of Canaanite woman

Speech By Michele Pothen

“The art of love is largely the art of persistence” In today’s reading we read of a miraculous incident in which Jesus heals the daughter of a Gentile after her mother pleaded on her behalf. However, this healing did not come easily. When I first heard this story as a child I thought, “Wait, I thought Jesus was the good guy. The guy who welcomed the children, dined with the tax collectors, and befriended the sinners. Why is he being so cruel? Why won’t he help this poor woman’s daughter?” When reading this passage with a shallow mindset it does seem as if Jesus’ words are insulting and unkind, but this was not the purpose. With further analysis of the context and conversation it can be concluded that Jesus’s unexpected approach was indeed a test of the woman’s faith, and we as Christians can learn from her persistence and dedication.


To begin, let’s look at the context of the situation. In chapter 14 Jesus learns his cousin John the Baptist has been beheaded and is simply looking for a deserted place to rest. But wherever he goes the crowd seems to follow to the point where had 5000 followers. He stayed and preached to them for three days. Afterwards, he gets criticized by the Pharisees, his fellow jews, because his disciples had not washed their hands. He called them hypocrites saying their heart does not follow what their lips say. It is said that Jesus and his disciples then go to the region of Tyre and Sidon, otherwise known as Gentile country, because the Israelites would never follow him there. It is here that Jesus comes in contact with the Canaanite woman who cries out to him, “Have mercy on me O Lord, Son of David!” She then explains that he daughter has been possessed by a demon. Surprisingly, Jesus ignores the woman. So she continues to cry out. At this point the disciple tell Jesus “Send her away for she cries out after us.” And Jesus replies “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of Israel.” Again the woman calls to him. Jesus answers and says “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” She quickly replies “Yes Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Jesus replies “Woman how great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed.
Since the Old Testament the Israelites have been feuding with the Canaanites. The Canaanites were the inhabitants of the promised land before the Israelites settled there. The Israelites had killed most of them off but still some remained and practiced their pagan faith. Which included ceremonies like child sacrifice and drinking blood. Even in writings from the New Testament the Canaanites are described as an accursed race with an inborn wickedness.
Keeping this in mind, understand how courageous the woman’s actions were. She is a gentile, with her own pagan faith and practices, and yet she is calling to Jesus pleading him to have mercy on her, even calling him the Son of David. In these simple words it is quite evident that she has renounced her pagan faith and accepted the true power of the messiah. This woman is desperate. Her daughter is possessed and there is nothing she can do by herself. She recognizes Jesus’s supreme power and abandons all social customs by seeking him out. Another interesting part in this verse is that fact that she said “Have mercy on ME.” She is asking for mercy on her behalf so God may forgive her sins and heal her daughter. This phrase shows the woman’s unmeasurable love by identifying her daughter’s well being as her own, and therefore her daughter’s sufferings as her own.
After hearing the woman’s pleas Jesus chooses to ignore her. The irony here is unmistakable. Jesus catered to the Pharisees, but they criticized him every moment they could. Here a Canaanite woman is coming to him begging, pleading, and worshipping, and yet Jesus ignores her. Finally the disciples tell Jesus to essentially, give her what she wants and make her go away. But Jesus refuses saying “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of Israel.” Meaning, my sole purpose on this earth is to guide the Israelites who have astray. Not the Canaanites, not the Egyptians, not the Indians; the Israelites. At this point it seems as if Jesus is letting something as petty as social barriers come between him and this woman. But really, this whole reaction is nothing but a test. A test to see how far this woman will go, how strong her faith is.
After much pleading Jesus finally responds to the woman saying “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Despite what it may seem, this comment is not nearly as harsh as it sounds. With further analysis and research it can be concluded that Jesus meant this as an innocent statement. Through these words he is asserting an already known fact; the gentiles are below the Israelites on a social ladder. He’s saying, it’s isn’t good to take the teaching and healing meant for the Israelites and give it to the Gentiles. However, the woman responds saying ““Yes Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Here she is recognizing her low social class. She is saying, Jesus your blessings are meant for all the world. They are so great I would gladly take your leftovers and be satisfied. Here the humility of the woman is highlighted. She is submitting herself to Jesus, begging him to give what is left of his blessings. Finally, Jesus reveals his true nature, admires the woman’s great faith and heals her daughter. By accepting the woman Jesus is lifting up the Gentiles and urging them to renounce their ways and join the Israelites in the Kingdom of Heaven.
From this miracle we can take out many things. The idea of faith. Persistence. This incident is the embodiment of the principle of asking, seeking, and knocking. Here we see the faith of a woman who didn’t quit with asking, a faith that wasn’t ashamed to seek diligently after Jesus, a faith that wasn’t afraid to keep knocking even in the face of no response. Persistent, shameless, fearless. That is how our faith should be when we approach God. Think about it, when was the last time you got into a stimulating conversation with a non-indian orthodox friend. To be honest, I can’t even remember. In fact, this past week I was eating lunch with a friend and she offered me a bite of her lunch which was filled with meat. I respectfully declined and told her that I was on lent. And she said “… but it’s Monday?” From there I could’ve explained to her the discipline fasting for 50 days provides, and related it to when Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. Instead, I replied “eh yeah it’s an orthodox thing.” Now I realize how weak my faith was at the moment. I was not persistent with my views and I was not fearless to explain my actions. We can all learn a lesson from the strong faith this woman showed to Jesus. This incident also teaches us another very important principle, the idea of meeting God halfway. Think about all the effort this woman put in just to reach Jesus. She tracked him down and then persisted until she healed his daughter. When we pray to God, how often does it begin to start like a shopping list? Dear God, please let me do well on this test, help me to get this job, allow me to do well on this sermon. What good will it do to pray for this and then think “alright, I prayed, all done now I can go watch TV, God’s got this one covered.” If we do not put in any work ourselves, how can God help us? In order for God to provide us with all these extra blessings we must do our part. Meet him halfway and he will take you far.

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