The encounter between Jesus and the Gentile woman is a place where many people are offended by Jesus. He just isn’t behaving like a good Messiah. His words are rude and crass to the pitiful Gentile woman. If I had been the messiah I would have just said to the woman, “I am happy you came to me. I was just explaining to the fellas that God wants to reach out to people on the margins. I will gladly heal your daughter.” That’s what I would have done. I just want to fix things.
What did Jesus do? First, he demonstrates an essential quality of The Messiah that I certainly do not have. Patience. Jesus is a wonderful counselor. Unlike some wanna be messiah’s that rush in where angels fear to tread and start healing everybody in sight, Jesus, the patient Messiah, let’s the story unfold so that when he is through both the Canaanite woman and his disciples (and us) have something enduring to take home.
When I read this story I remember that Jesus wasn’t a superhero. He wasn’t the generic savior of the world. He is the Messiah of Israel. The mission of Israel’s Messiah is to be the savior of the world. (John 3:16) Jesus’ encounter with the woman allows the woman to move from rushing to the man she heard was performing miracles in Israel, to affirming, through worship, confession, and understanding, that Jesus, as Israel’s Messiah, was the One who could heal her daughter.
A friend loved the church and wanted to see the church grow and flourish. Weekly he would come by my office to encourage me. He had a list of topics that he wanted me to avoid in my sermons. He didn’t want me to offend anyone. Eventually he came to understand that a low carb, low calorie, non-fattening, messiah may not be offensive, but is not The Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world.
What does today’s reading reveal to you
about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do
or remember about this passage.
Does God want you to change anything in your life?
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