Jeremiah 31:1-7
Psalm 72:15-21
Matthew 15:21-28
Today’s Gospel reading may seem a bit confronting, mostly because of how Jesus responds to the person in need. Usually we read about how ready and willing he is to help, but this time, he ignores the woman’s cries until the disciples get so annoyed they ask him to get her to put a sock in it. This is extremely atypical to how the Gospel narratives portray our Lord.
Yet look at who this woman is: a Caananite. If you remember your ancient history, you might recall that the Caananites were extremely bad people. They were the inhabitants of the Promised Land that the freed Hebrew slaves were to invade and exterminate. This is because their wickedness had gotten so great that the outrage had risen up to heaven, so to speak.
And so Jesus, the God of Israel, takes one look at her and reminds everyone that he “was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” who, while no paragons of virtue themselves, had been hand-picked by God in eternity past to be his special people.
Yet she persists: “Lord, help me”. He replies, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she isn’t letting this go. She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” It is at this point our Lord turns and blesses her, healing her child instantly.
What is the message for us here? We have heard enough, I am sure, of a hard-hearted God who has to be nagged into submission. And the good news of Jesus is that God is not like this, but rather generous beyond reckoning. I think what this incident is teaching us is that we must remember the two sides of the Gospel story as pertains to human beings.
We are very low, because of our sinful state. Yet in Christ we are made higher than the angels. And so while we must not dwell on the misery of our original condition, if we remember the amazing journey Christ takes us on, the thankfulness of our hearts will burst forth in praise.
Who is God, the holy and perfect one, that he would condescend to come in human flesh, die in our place, and raise us to glory? Who are we, that God would do such a thing for us? The answer must lie in God’s great love for us. And so while our Lord’s words to the Caananite woman may seem harsh at first, sometimes we need that little nudge to remind us just how wonderful God is, and that he has done such wonderful things for us.
When we gather at the Lord’s Table, we pray what is called the Prayer of Humble Access. It was written by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury who wrote the first Book of Common Prayer. It is notable because while most of the prayers in the prayer book are very ancient prayers which he translated and sorted out for popular use, this one he wrote himself. And it is very telling that he would reference this story of the Caananite woman within it:
“We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. Yet you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy.”
As we gather to feast on the heavenly banquet, let us gather with hearts filled with thanksgiving and awe at the God who comes not only for the lost sheep of Israel, but for all his lost sheep, even us.