17 August 2014
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
What in the heck is Jesus doing in today's gospel? His actions in today’s Gospel seem very much out of character!
As the story unfolds, Jesus has traveled to “Gentile” territory. He is met by a Canaanite who boldly calls out to him to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus is silent. Is he ignoring the woman? What is he thinking, feeling, plotting? The disciples, eager as always to protect Jesus (or their own interests), want her sent away. Perhaps they are thinking, “There is enough ministering to be done among our own! Jesus shouldn't waste time with foreigners!” The disciples do not seem to understand that God includes everyone, but the woman understands, as we see when her encounter with Jesus continues.
The foreign woman insists on being heard. Jesus’ first response is puzzling and somewhat insulting: “It is not right to take the food of children and throw it to the dogs.” The woman counters with cleverness and spunk. She knows she is worthy of his consideration. Whether through self-confidence or desperation, she persists. And Jesus recognizes and rewards her for her faith.
But what about us? Do we see others as “foreign,” and keep them at a distance? What about immigrants, the poor, the uneducated? Did the pagan inclinations of the woman “from the other side of the tracks” matter to Jesus?
What do you think?
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
