Living in the Spirit

August 16, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

I am so glad this story made it into the book of Matthew. Jesus is many things to many people, but one of his primary roles is being a model for how we can live our faith. Jesus is quoted as saying, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ I hear that as saying your problem is not my problem or you are asking for something that is not in my job description. Of scriptures in the gospels that attest to the fact that Jesus was fully human, this is one of the best. How many times do we think or say that is not my job?

The Canaanite women did not let Jesus get away with his dodge. He realized his error and healed her daughter.

We all carry with us the way we have always done lots of things. Among them are attitudes and behaviors that now bring the descriptors of racists, misogynistic, white privilege, which unnerve us. We think they have nothing to do with us, but they do.

I know two people who came to the USA who shared the same experience with me. One came many years ago from Germany following World War II. The other was here from China working on a graduate degree. They both told me that for the longest time, they had to think about what they were going to say in their native language and then translate it in their heads into English before speaking. By the time I knew them, they both seemed comfortable with English, but it was a challenge to get to that point.  I think that process is what many of us must practice as we discern patterns of our behavior or speech that contribute to a lack of understanding among the diverse peoples of our world. It is awkward at first, but if we invest in recognizing those things we have always done but now know are not appropriate, we can review them in our heads and control acting inappropriately. Some day it will seem like we have always done it that way.

Prayer: Lord, help us to model Jesus in recognizing that all God’s children need our love and compassion. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.