Sermon on Matthew 15.10-28

So! Some people will do just about anything to get out of preaching a tough sermon, like our Gospel reading from last week. We have Jesus responding to something that’s been said just before we jump in, we’ve got Jesus acting in rather non-Jesus ways, we’ve got an apparently sudden change of mind and heart. It’s a tough gospel passage. In case you missed last week, well – so did I! So, I decided that we shouldn’t just skip over the tough stuff. That’s why the gospel passage I’ve just read is the same one assigned for last Sunday; my thoughts here are the ones you would have heard last week had I been able to be here. So. Let’s delve into Matthew.

We start with a great declaration: “LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND!” Then Jesus reminds us that what we eat is going to literally go right through us; our food is earthly, it stays in this realm. Our food, our eating habits, our table manners, do not defile us. But what we say, how we justify our actions, CAN defile us.

Let’s think about this – where is this coming from? Well, Jesus has just been approached by some Pharisees, who have gone out of their way to insult him. They’ve shared their unsolicited opinion on how Jesus and his disciples have broken tradition, broken God’s law, by not washing their hands before eating. Now these Pharisees aren’t known for being compassionate folks – they’re known for being harsh and judgemental and critical of anyone and everyone who doesn’t live up to their (unattainable) standards. These are folks who have even turned against their own families, friends, neighbours with their sharp tongues and acerbic assessments; denying so-called “unworthy” people access to the synagogue, to the teachings, to the community of faith.

It is in front of these folks that Jesus calls to the crowd and says LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND. He’s letting the people know that they are worthy and loved in the eyes of God. Letting them know that the judgement does not come from a few self-chosen elite humans who are themselves imperfect.

It’s a bold move by Jesus; it’s a stark statement that he is making to the Pharisees and to the crowds. He’s setting the foundation for a shift of power away from human rulers and toward God; a shift from a focus on the set of laws and habits to a focus on living and loving.

Is it any wonder, then, that the disciples point out how offensive his comments were to the Pharisees?  Is it any wonder that Jesus isn’t concerned so much about them, but is more concerned about the crowds? Jesus even goes so far as to suggest that these holy people, in their adherence to the law and not to love, are meeting their own agenda and ignoring God’s will, and in fact demonstrating how they are defiled, as the darkness dwells within them,

Not washing your hands before eating isn’t the wisest choice hygienically, but it’s not going to prevent you from a relationship with God. What you say to one another, and how you treat each other – well now that is something that matters as it reflects your heart – your love, your compassion, your interest in community. Or the lack thereof.

Our own relationships today are the same – we may not remember every word, every encounter – but we do remember how people have made us feel. And so our challenge here is to realize that what we do and say will similarly have an impact on the people we encounter – if we judge harshly, we will be showing our own defilement; but when we respond with compassion and love, regardless of our human imperfections - we are showing our understanding of being worthy children of God.

Then of course, Jesus moves on. And his disciples follow him. And so does a woman. In Matthew’s account, she’s a Canaanite; in Mark’s version she’s Syro-Phoenician. Does it matter? Well, not terribly… but the distinction is important. The Syrians and Phoenicians were both unfriendly states next to the Israelites. The Canaanites had lived in that land, near Tyre and Sidon, until the Israelite invasion. So – wherever this woman is from, we get the point that she is not one of them. She is not welcomed, she is not wanted, she is – well, ick. One of THEM. Avoid eye contact.

And then she speaks – she engages – despite all the laws telling her she can’t, she speaks to Jesus, asking for his help. And Jesus does: nothing. He remains silent. He ignores her. This is quite different from what we’ve been seeing of Jesus – chapter 14 of Matthew is talking about all the miracles he’s been doing for the people: feeding the 5,000; walking on the water; calming the storm; healing everyone brought to him at Genesserat.  Jesus, our Jesus, who has been showing nothing but compassion and grace and love for all, does nothing.

Maybe he’s waiting to see what the disciples will do. After all, they’ve just shown that they’re not fully understanding what this ‘ministry’ thing is all about, with the whole defilement thing they had to ask him to explain. I can picture Jesus’ exasperation: Do you STILL not understand?! Sigh. Let me tell it to you again, plainly. Love one another; show compassion to all, don’t judge.

So here, we have Jesus doing nothing, with a woman clearly asking for help not even for herself but for her daughter! This is the PERFECT test case for the disciples to step up, to respond in loving service. To put into action the lessons they’ve just learned by Jesus’ examples and words. The timing is ideal; the disciples just need to think “What would Jesus Do?”; he even gives them the space to jump in.

But they don’t, do they? They get stuck in their old ways. A woman – we don’t talk to them. A woman speaking to US?! That’s even worse – so bold, no modesty, we want to avoid women like that. And oh my goodness, this brazen, inappropriate person isn’t even a Jew! OI! Hey Jesus, don’t you see all the earthly cultural norms this woman is breaking? Don’t you recognize how awful she is? Send her away! Tell her to get lost!

Can anyone else picture Jesus just hanging his head and sighing again? So he says exactly what the disciples seem to expect: I was sent for the chosen few. The lost sheep of Israel. The in-crowd. The cool kids.

And I can almost imagine what Jesus is thinking: Okay, disciples, jump in – realize that this behavior is NOT how I act, that it’s SO out of character that it MUST be a test. Jump in and offer to help her, help her daughter. Get out of your own heads enough to see that this woman is worthy of love and respect. Go ahead. Jump in!

And: they don’t. Again.

And here’s where the woman gets REALLY bold. REALLY daring – she kneels in front of him. This has become aggressive as Jesus is now forced to acknowledge her: he either has to change his path to get around her, or he has to touch her – which would make him ritually unclean. And despite this aggressive posturing, her position becomes one of supplication. She is kneeling, after all, with a simple request. Lord, help me. I have nowhere else to go, I have nothing left. Help me.

Again, this would be the PERFECT time for the disciples to jump in – to recognize the desperation, the blatant grief and suffering.  And again, they don’t. So Jesus takes it one step further. He does the least Jesus-like thing he can do. He insults her. You’re a dog! He says. You’re a savage beast, you don’t even deserve the smallest amount of what I have to give to my family.

Again I imagine Jesus’ thoughts: OKAY disciples, that’s as nasty as I can get. SOMEONE say something. SOMEONE speak up. SOMEONE shout out that this is wrong, that this goes against everything I stand for, that this is exactly the opposite of what I’ve been teaching you. Someone speak up for this poor woman before she debases herself any further!

            But they don’t. They’ve become complacent, they’ve returned to the ‘normal’ way of thinking, where cultural divides matter more than human compassion. Where associations outweigh need. Where society dictates norms. Where my personal preferences are more important than your stated needs.

            And so Jesus realizes that they don’t get it yet, that this woman has suffered even more while he’s been waiting for his disciples to jump in. And so Jesus acts exactly as he should, exactly how we all expect. Exactly how his disciples DON’T expect, which may be what they need to shake them out of their comfort zone and into active ministry. Jesus shows her his great, perfect love – just as she deserves.

Woman, great is your faith. To stand up against injustice. To challenge structures that oppress. To risk her own well-being for the benefit of her daughter. To declare her worthiness to receive the crumbs of God’s grace that fall from the table. To seek God’s love as it stood right before her. To see beyond human barriers and barricades to a place where peace and justice prevail. To see love, in human form, and to continue towards that love despite opposition and rejection. Great is your faith indeed, you sassy, outspoken woman. Let it be done for you as you wish!

Jesus hasn’t done this because he’s changed his mind; rather he responds with such love and compassion because the woman has suffered enough – by her circumstance, by his insult, by the disciples’ lack of action. Let it be done for you as you wish, Jesus says, and I’ll try to teach my disciples another time. You understand; they do not: I’ll not make you suffer this indignity any longer just because my followers are a little slow on the uptake today.

Jesus heals the woman’s daughter because he can, because the disciples can learn the lesson after all, because all of his followers can learn the lesson. He heals her daughter despite all the earthly reasons why he shouldn’t, he heals her daughter to remind all of his disciples (from that time to this) that no matter what labels, what actions, what history a person has, they are worthy of love, of compassion, of grace. Jesus heals her daughter and commends her faith to remind us that we too, are worthy of love (even when we feel unloveable), of compassion (even when we’ve been told we’re not), of grace – because at some point we all just want-hope- to receive the crumbs of grace falling from God’s table.

So this passage is difficult indeed. It’s full of cultural references and societal norms, that have changed over time and space. And so we can get confused by the surface issues of how people are acting and reacting and miss the ultimate message. Because this story is about US, here and now. Sometimes we’re the Pharisees, harshly judging others; sometimes we’re the crowd hoping against hope to be found worthy of compassion. Sometimes we’re the disciples, trying our best to understand yet failing to respond to the most basic opportunity in front of us. Sometimes we’re like the woman, unafraid to speak up in faith despite how unpopular it may make us. Sometimes we just want to be known and seen and loved; to be free from labels that divide and just be known as a child of God.

So at the heart of the matter, this gospel passage is a lesson for us all: to love. Love fully, completely, with all that you have. Don’t deny love because of laws, or because someone else said to. Don’t deny love because your friends are, or because society may frown on it. Don’t deny love because of who might be watching or because you feel uncomfortable. Don’t deny love to anyone, anytime.

The lesson Jesus wants all his disciples to understand is to live in and share love. Love boldly, outrageously, ridiculously, faithfully. Love the way that you have received love – as a wondrous gift from God.