BibleWorm

This week we’re continuing our summer series on “Disputing with God” with the story of Jesus’s encounter with a Syro-Phoenician woman as told in Matthew 15:21-28. This story makes us comfortable in a lot of ways, as Jesus appears to ignore the pleas of a foreign woman, who Matthew refers to as a Canaanite, whose daughter is possessed by a demon. Jesus refuses to help, first saying that his mission is only for the lost sheep of Israel and then saying that it is not fair to give the children’s bread to the dogs. When she reminds Jesus that even the dogs eat the children’s crumbs, Jesus commends her great faith and heals her daughter. We struggle with the demeaning language in this text, both Jesus’ reference to her as a dog and her apparent acceptance of that designation even while we admire her persistence as a parent to do whatever it takes to achieve healing for her daughter. We wonder, does this woman change Jesus’ understanding of his own mission, and if so, what cost did she pay to do it?