When reading about Jesus’ treatment of women, we see a man like no other of His day. Women were treated with respect and dignity, as equals to their male counterparts, with one glaring exception…one interaction that is cringeworthy to many women.
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| The Woman of Canaan by Michael Angelo Immenraet Retrieved from Wikipedia |
“And Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.’ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” Matt. 15:21-28, ESV
This is one of the most difficult stories of Jesus to comprehend. It simply does not sound like the Jesus we’ve come to know in the rest of the gospels. So far in Jesus’ ministry, His compassion was constantly on display. But this time, he seems incredibly hard-hearted. Did He lack compassion for this one woman? Or, is something else going on behind the scenes that we don’t easily recognize?
Something we often forget about when we read the parables is the ever present community. Our culture is highly individualistic but most communities in the world, and the ancient world, function as tightly knit communities. Individuals live, move, and have his or her being as part of a community. Throughout the gospels as we read stories from Jesus and about Jesus, it’s important to remember the community that surrounds everything that’s happening…on- or offstage. Its presence must be factored into what we read and how we understand it. In His interaction with the Canaanite woman, Jesus is not just dealing with the woman, but is also interacting with the disciples and the community.
When this unnamed woman cries out to Jesus for mercy, she breaks two social barriers. She, a woman, speaks to a man. She’s also a Gentile who speaks to a Jew. It’s interesting that she asks Jesus to have mercy on HER. She doesn’t say, “Have mercy on my daughter!” This mother was experiencing pain and agony watching her daughter’s torment.
But, so uncharacteristic of Jesus, her request is met with silence. Is this indifference and rejection? While it seems so insensitive to us, His silence is perfectly normal to his disciples and it met societal expectations. No self-respecting rabbi would ever speak to a woman in public. Rabbis didn’t even talk to the female members of their own family in public. The disciples witness his silence and mistake it for a normal societal taboo against talking to a woman in public and voice their strong-held view. They implore him to get rid of her.
Remember: Jesus is dealing with the woman AND educating his disciples. Similar to asking the paralytic, “Do you want to be healed,” Jesus is testing the woman, and simultaneously setting the stage to teach his disciples a lesson. He uses the occasion to challenge the deeply held prejudiced views of his disciples, and reveal the depth of the Canaanite woman’s courage and faith.
By telling her that He is sent only to Israel, He is saying to the woman, “You are a Canaanite and a woman. I am, as you say, the son of David. You aren’t part of my divine mandate. Why should I serve you?”
What the disciples hear is a view similar to their own. “Of course I want to get rid of her! We have no time for such female Gentile trash!”
I can almost feel the tension in this scene. Would she take the hint and leave?
No, she doesn’t. Had she seen Jesus before and knew that this man, more than any other, would have compassion and the ability to deliver her daughter? Had she run out of options and felt this was her last chance and she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer? Whatever the reason, she did not go away but instead asks again. She has a lot of audacity to continue this discussion…but she also has tremendous faith in Jesus and that gives her the courage to keep pressing Him. In her second attempt, she forsook formal, respectful nouns of address and came and knelt before him, pleading with Him, ‘Lord, help me.’
At first, she was just following them, yelling after them for help. But, now she assumes the position of a beggar. The disciples are well aware of their historical prophetic admonitions to help the orphan and the widow. They are well aware of the numerous punishments that Israel endured because of their neglect of orphans and widows. Only the hardest of hearts could deny this woman’s request. Would Jesus venture beyond His mandate to serve Israel and help this Gentile woman?
Jesus not only denies it, He does so in a way that is degrading. “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Why is this poor woman put through the wringer before Jesus grants her need? He compares her to a dog! If that’s not bad enough, He compares healing her daughter to feeding the dogs what is meant for children!
To neglect a beggar is one thing, but to insult her with such degrading language is something entirely different. Dogs in this culture are almost as despised as pigs and certainly not pets as in our culture today. Pigs might be worse, but only slightly so. Jesus is taking the theological attitude of the disciples, the cultural expectations and norm, and pressing them to their ultimate conclusion. In the process, he inevitably reveals how absurd and insensitive their views actually are.
“You guys would be so happy if I just sent her away, and just limited my ministry to Israel. Ok. I’ll verbalize…I’ll model…where that theology leads us. And give you a chance to observe the response of this “unclean” Gentile woman. I know you think Gentiles are dogs and you want me to treat them that way. Pay close attention…this is what it looks like! This is where it leads! Are you comfortable with this scene playing out before your eyes???”
He gives concrete expression to the theology they believed. It’s authentic to their attitudes and feelings, but shocking when put into words and thrown in the face of desperate kneeling woman pleading for her daughter.
“It’s acutely embarrassing to hear and see one’s deepest prejudices verbalized and demonstrated. As that happens, one is obliged to face those biases, often for the first time.”(1)
Though Jesus uses very strong language, there is still a touch of gentleness. He uses the diminutive of kyon(dog), kynarion…little dogs. How will she respond? This is the most demanding section of the test for her. Will she respond with a corresponding insult against arrogant Jews who despise and attack Gentiles, even those in pain? Or will her love for her daughter and her faith in Jesus’ power to heal, her confidence that He does have compassion even on Gentiles, and her commitment to him as Lord be strong enough to absorb the insult and press on…once again..with her request?
Amazingly, despite the seeming humiliation and degradation, she counters His answer with her own that reveals her faith, courage, and perseverance,“Yes, Lord, yet even the [little] dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Woah!! She passes with flying colors! She doesn’t allow the offensive nature of Jesus’ words to deter her for a moment. She accepts the insult and deftly turns it into a renewed request.
“Yes, I know that in your eyes we may appear as little dogs, and as little dogs we deserve nothing. But, the little dogs are thrown the little pieces of bread at the end of the meal. You are still my Lord/Master. I know that you can heal and that you have compassion for all. Do you not have a single crumb for my daughter?”
This time, Jesus responds with a “Yes, I will do what you desire.” The silence that met her initial request is broken with a word of healing power.
The disciples are watching and listening. They have never seen such a display of total confidence in Jesus in spite of his hard words, nor such faith and courage on display. Her faith-filled response is a deadly blow to their carefully nurtured prejudices against women and Gentiles. They now have a new paradigm for who God is and to whom he extends his love. And a woman’s faith is rendered unforgettable.
Furthermore, their prejudices were blatantly on display throughout this interaction. Their views spoken by Jesus felt shockingly incongruent. The woman responded in faith to Jesus’ words; would His disciples respond in repentance to His outward expression of their internal prejudices? Through evidence found in the gospels, and in the first couple centuries of church history, the views of Jesus’ disciples were affected by His attitude toward women. Did this scene that portrayed their views with such ugliness play a part in their adoption of Jesus’ views?
I don’t know. But I do wonder if His disciples today, when faced with the ugliness of our own views, how do we respond? When our political or religious views are played out before our eyes and it doesn’t look pretty, does it cause a change of heart? Identity politics often causes us to forget, or not think deeply about, the end result of our political views. Identity politics has the potential to silence us when we should speak out, or provoke us to push away someone who is in need of Jesus with skin on….”Send her away!”
The disciples had a choice…would they choose their cultural identity or the heart of Jesus? We have the same choice….identity politics or the heart of Jesus for the broken.
The disciples had a choice…would they choose their cultural identity or the heart of Jesus? We have the same choice….identity politics or the heart of Jesus for the broken.
Endnotes:
1. Bailey, Kenneth. 2008. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), p. 223.