One may find the gospel this weekend as one of the most difficult accounts to interpret and understand in the New Testament. Without looking into the historical and cultural backgrounds of this story, one could easily be confused with the significance of this story. Matthew mentioned that Jesus was in the district of Tyre and Sidon, two coastal and pagan cities, twenty-five and fifty miles north of Galilee in present-day Lebanon. As predominantly pagan territories, it would not be surprising for Jesus to encounter this Canaanite woman, a pagan. By describing the nationality of this woman, Matthew was telling us that it took every ounce of courage from this woman, a Gentile, to talk to Jesus, who is a Jew. Jews and the Gentiles were certainly not the best of friends during the time of Jesus. What did Jesus mean when he told the Canaanite woman, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs?" For Jesus himself to use this very word as a metaphor might be a shock to many of us modern listeners. Was Jesus discriminating the poor Canaanite woman in the Gospel today? Another way of rephrasing this statement is this: "Is it not right for me to help or feed first my fellow Jews before I help or throw any blessing to you, a pagan"? It may seem harsh, but what Jesus was trying to do was the exact opposite. During the time of Jesus, the term "dogs" was a derogatory Jewish word for the Gentiles. Dogs were regarded by the Jews as unclean, because they would eat anything given to them, including pork. The woman noticed, however, that Jesus had used the Greek word
kunariois—the word for household pets—rather than the ordinary Greek word for dogs—kuon. She also observed that Jesus had used the word for dogs in a joking way, a sort of test of the woman's faith. So, she immediately matched wits with Jesus. Her argument runs like this: Pets are not outsiders, but insiders. They not only belong to the family, but are part of the family. While they do not have a seat at the table, they enjoy intimacy at the family's feet. Hence the woman replied: "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table", expressing her faith that Jesus could and would heal her daughter. Jesus was completely won over by the depth of her faith, her confidence and her wit and hence, responded exuberantly, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." We notice that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he granted her request and finally, the fourth time, her persistence was rewarded, and her plea was answered. This Gospel episode is an account of a woman who got more from the Kingdom of God than she hoped for. The woman came to Jesus asking for one miracle, and she got two. This is really a double miracle, for the daughter was exorcised of her demonic possession and received a new life, and the mother, through her experience with Christ, found a new life as well. Jesus was actually showing this woman and us that, despite the fact that society had condemned this woman because she was different and a pagan, God does not abandon her; in fact, he visits her in her own territory and delivers to her the message personally that she is invited to the great feast, and that she is no longer to be found under the table waiting for the crumbs to fall. She is called to partake in the banquet of God and experience the redeeming grace of God just like the Jews.
If there’s one thing that is quite clear in the Gospel today is for us to destroy those things that separate/alienate us from one another. Many of the deplorable atrocities and tragedies in the world are due to the different categories and separations that we build against one another. This reminds me of the sad and deplorable events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. As followers of Christ, any kind of discrimination, bigotry and hatred contradict the very core of who we are and what we stand for, regardless where we stand in the political pendulum. When we get to know one another as Jesus got to know the Canaanite woman in this brief episode in his ministry, we see that people are people, whatever labels they may wear. Friends, whoever we are and wherever we are in our Christian life, we share a sublime common denominator; that is, we are created according to God’s own image and likeness, therefore essentially good. Looking at our own lives right now, who are those people in our lives whom we can be instruments of God’s love and mercy so that they might be able to get near to Christ? Are there things that we need to destroy that separate us from one another? – Fr. Cary