August 14: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 56:1,6-8
Matthew 15:21-28
The most democratic place in Halifax is the north end of Seaview Park. You don’t need a dog to get in, but it helps.
Lawyers and prison guards, teachers and students, retired and unemployed, even the odd minister or priest come with purebred dogs, cross – breeds, and good old “Heinz 57” dogs. My almost – Lab loves to chase a ball—anyone’s ball—at the park.
In our gospel today, Jesus meets a woman who doesn’t know how to stay in her place. People like Jesus call her a Gentile dog.
Jesus’ disciples want her to scat! They followed Jesus to “the district of Tyre and Sidon.” Gentile territory. If you go to the dog park, you’re going to meet some dogs.
She’s a Canaanite. An ancient enemy. Of mixed race and mongrel religion. A woman alone. Her daughter’s possessed by an evil spirit. People would say that was because of something wicked the mother did.
Best for Jesus to follow the Dog Whisperer’s advice: No talk. No touch. No eye contact. He just quotes his personal mission statement. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That’s why he’s in Tyre and Sidon. To round up purebreds from among the mutts.
Jesus’ sense of mission came from prophetic words like Isaiah’s. When exiles have come home, rebuilt the temple, restored true worship, begun to observe the Sabbath, the whole world will join in faith and worship.
Before that can happen Jesus must issue the first call, to his own people. Dogs will have their day. This woman and her tormented daughter may not see it. But it will come for her people.
But she comes and kneels, and says, “Lord, help me.” Jesus rattles off a proverb of sorts: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Jesus starts to walk away. He hears from behind, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Anyone who has ever let a dog in the house has tried to keep it out of the kitchen. Dogs don’t understand this. They’re part of the family. Most families drop crumbs on the floor.
This woman believes even a crumb from Jesus can help her child. She sees the one true God in him, by her own lights, ahead of schedule. Like my Shadow, who knows she’ll eat at 5:30 but starts to make noises at 4:45, just in case.
God might let grace flow a little early. And wherever Jesus goes, despite his intent, grace leaks out. Even to Gentile dogs.
This vision of healing and wholeness, worship that unites instead of dividing people, Sabbath – rest from the ordeal of making our own way in the world is too good to leave in some imagined future when we hope God will finally act.
God has come to us in Jesus. Now’s the time to tear up the place cards. Put more leaves in the table. Bring in more chairs.
Meeting this Canaanite woman changes Jesus. As the rest of Matthew’s gospel unfolds, we see Jesus more attuned to the poor and the outcast. He grows beyond inherited prejudices.
Coming face to face with people we think we are supposed to hate changes us. Prejudice and tradition dog us all.
In Jesus’ day it was, “All Gentiles are dogs.” For us it may be, “All Muslims are terrorists – in – waiting.” “All homosexuals are perverted sexual predators.” Or, “All poor people are lazy.”
We can all look back, and say, “I used to think …” Shake our heads at our foolishness. And look ahead, to see where God will challenge us to grow some more. To meet, to understand, and to be changed by people still “other” and strange to us.
