Some say Jesus was perfect, all-knowing and all-loving. If so, what are we to make of his snippy retort to the Canaanite woman who wanted healing for her daughter.* “I only came for the lost sheep of Israel,” Jesus said, and, when she persisted, he added, “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Implying that the woman and her kind were dogs was clearly a racial slur.
The woman could have stopped at his retort, but she didn’t. You can hear the urgency in her words, in her fight for healthcare: “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” And for that, Jesus heals her daughter and blesses her faith.
Rather than label Jesus a racist, someone who can’t see their own prejudice and won’t acknowledge their bias, Jesus hears her courage and determination. He sees his own narrowness, his own limited view, and he responds by changing his mind and opening the circle of his caring. That, for me, is the good news.
Sometimes I identify with the woman, pleading for justice or mercy, for those who feel marginalized and targeted as “other.” And sometimes I identify with Jesus in this story, caught in my own narrow understanding, when my selfishness is exposed by another’s need. The real question is how we respond.
At the core of this confrontation is an invitation – to welcome those who have been shut out of power, to keep expanding the table of blessing, and to listen to voices which challenge the status quo. There will be plenty of opportunities for that as we enter this electoral season on top of the COVID pandemic. Notice how you can respond.
–Marjory Zoet Bankson, Editor of Inward/Outward
- When have you challenged the status quo with your need?
- When have you been surprised by kindness instead of rejection?
- Where do you see this confrontation happening in our political life?
