Jesus enters non-Jewish territory, in the district of Tyre and Sidon.  Academics understand that Matthew’s Gospel is written towards Jewish audiences, so in this gospel Jesus being in non-Jewish territories is significant.  The writer of Matthew’s Gospel often takes us back into Hebrew scripture to help us see Jesus through the lens of Messianic hopes.  To help us see Jesus as God’s Son, the fulfilment of Scripture.  So, Jesus travels to Tyre and Sidon, which are two coastal cities on the Mediterranean coast; now in present-day Lebanon.  And these two towns still flourish. Well, not so much now, in the present, on going war.

This Canaanite woman, signals to us the reader, that Jesus is encountering ‘the other’.  And this ‘other’; this Canaanite Woman, … she is shouting.  She’s shouting at him.  “My daughter is tormented by a demon.”  This, ‘Other’: this cultural enemy of the Jews, comes in distresses and is shouting at him “My daughter is tormented by a demon.”  This ‘other’, stranger, enemy, idolator, this ritually unclean woman, comes demanding help from somebody she describes as ‘Lord: and Son of David’.

The stories of women across the world reflect what this woman experiences in this gospel: to be unseen: to be valued less: paid less. And the glass ceiling exists, even now in this country.  Women in leadership tell stories of ‘the boys club’: and the demonisation the feminine gender in leadership: we’ve seen the truck and the billboards.  Women of colour tell us similar and much worse stories of their everyday life.

And in this story, this desperate woman, is shouting in public.

If you’ve ever been in a public place and a stranger starts shouting… where do you feel that resonating in your being?  What senses awaken in you?

This Canaanite woman knows the not-so-invisible boundaries she is crossing: sex, gender, culture: religion: oppression, demonisation.  And imagine, if you will, the internal world for this woman.  Any member of a minority group knows how much of what is thrown at you, becomes the internalised impossibilities of your life.  Those expectations will limit your own expectations of life and living; just because of things inherent, like what sex you are born.

And sometimes, in the impossibilities of it all… in a public place, a stranger starts shouting.

In this story, our Jewish Rabbi, Jesus, ignores her.  He simply ignores her. He seemingly pretends that she is invisible to him. 

ASSIDE STORY: My friend works as a chaplain in a school.  She recently walked the path of her marriage ending… I’m please to say, 3 years later, she is a good place.  Just this week, in the school where she works, a staff member came to see her: this staff member has realised that her marriage was going to end: but the messenger was different.

This teacher has a 6 year old daughter: this little girl was asking daddy to come and play a board game with her and mummy.  He said he wasn’t playing.  He left the room.  The little girl look at her mother and said this: “Daddy doesn’t like you mummy.”  The mother tried to re-focus things: ‘Honey, he just wants to do something else just now.’  “No Mummy, he always leaves the room when you come in.”

And this husband ignores her.  He simply ignores her. He seemingly pretends that she is invisible to him.

But the child sees.  

The Gospel story continues…

Jesus’ disciples ask him to send her away: and Jesus continues in his mission: in his ignorance: in his assumed male power; in his cultural position: in his religious righteousness: and his own narrow understanding of himself he states: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Send her away, she is not us: but then she does something, maybe we’ve all done…

She falls at Jesus feet.  I will not go away. I have nothing anyhow. I am desperate, “Lord, Help me.”

When did you fall at the feet of Jesus with nothing left?

When have you fallen at the feet of Jesus with nothing?

This story just continues to get worse for us all: Jesus’ response is awful.  Persistent, that this ‘enemy’ woman is, Jesus insults her, insinuating that she’s a dog!  This was a common insult thrown at Gentiles. Dogs were regarded by the Jews as unclean, because they would eat anything given to them, including pork. The Gentiles, in the cultural eyes of Jewish Jesus, were no better than dogs.

But if you already have nothing… what have you got to loose?

She dares to answer back to power. She dares to answer back to gender and sex. She dares answer back to culture and religion. This Canaanite woman answers back to the man she addresses and Lord and the Son of Man…

She answers back: for she has nothing, and she’s about to loose the one thing she gave life to; “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Finally, at last, comes the unexpected response from Jesus: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”  Now, finally, comes his insight, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”  Only now, does Jesus get it: “Woman, great is your faith!”

Today, we encounter the Canaanite woman.  Jesus learns that ‘the enemy’ has a face, that she is a woman, and has a  daughter: and her many differences are of no consequence in the Kingdom Jesus is supposed to be here to usher in: indeed, the woman need him as much as he needs her; so she can teach him about his vocation.

An enacted, embodied parable…

And in the verses in between last week and this week, Matthew tells us a story of Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees — and Jesus insults the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites. 

And in the very next story he insults this Canaanite woman. 

Jesus insults the religious in power; and they react with offence. 

He then insults a marginalised, foreign woman; and she responds with “great faith.” 

Do I need to spell it out?  This story is a parabolic teaching moment.  For us all…

And in the face of everything; when everything overwhelms, might we too humble ourselves: and answer back to God: who will meet us.  We might even throw ourselves at his feet… Help me.  Amen.