When reading today's Gospel, one could get the impression that Jesus was trying to offend or insult the women he is speaking to. Do you think this was deliberate? Did you ever wonder why there are only two stories in Scripture where Jesus complimented individuals for their “great” faith?
Here is the surprise element: neither one was a Jewish person! One was a man (a Roman centurion) and the other was a pagan woman (a Canaanite). In today’s story from Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite mother is described as pleading with Jesus to cure her daughter who seems to be possessed by a demon. Since Jesus’ primary ministry was to the House of Israel, he slips into one of the idioms of the day – really a negative stereotype – to point out that fact to the woman. “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”
Today we might think that is terribly harsh; but we forget our own use of stereotypes or clichés that sound harsh to other cultures. For example: Catholics are often called “mackerel snappers”; northerners were called “damn Yankees” or “carpetbaggers” by those in the deep South; Jewish merchants were stereotyped as greedy (e.g., Shakespeare’s character “Shylock”); and the list goes on. Some name-calling was very rude; at other times it was simply cultural banter. The culture that Jesus lived in was no exception.
However, Jesus recognizes the woman’s quickness to reply “in kind.” Picking up on the food metaphor, she uses it herself to prove a point: there is plenty of food to go around, even for dogs. However, she was not referring to nutrition. She was referring metaphorically to the power that Jesus possessed to heal. Jesus perceived her correct insight, and granted her request because of her “great” faith.
We can draw an excellent lesson from this exchange between Jesus and the woman. It is this: don’t put Jesus in a box about what he can't or won't do. If you have a need, take it to him. He alone is worthy, but he reads our hearts and responds accordingly. Have faith!
The woman in today’s gospel recognized in Jesus the messianic power attributed to the awaited “Son of David” (CCC #439). If you truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, then trust him and fashion your prayer requests accordingly.
