Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

MATTHEW 15:21-28
A LONG TIME AGO BEFORE THERE WERE GOSPELS AND AFTER JESUS HAD DIED, THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SPREAD THE FAITH WOULD OFTEN BE ASKED ABOUT JESUS. NEARLY EVERYONE COULD TELL THE STORY OF HIS PASSION, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION; THAT'S WHY THE ACCOUNTS IN ALL FOUR GOSPELS ARE SIMILAR (BUT NOT IDENTICAL). JUST AS WITH CHILDREN AND BEDTIME STORIES, THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, WHO WERE MOSTLY ILLITERATE, COULD TELL IF YOU WERE CHANGING THE STORY. BUT THE APOSTLES WHO SPREAD THE FAITH TOLD OTHER STORIES; SOMETIMES THEY WOULD RECALL A PARABLE THAT JESUS HAD TOLD; OTHER TIMES, AS HERE, AN EVENT IN JESUS LIFE. ABOUT SIXTY YEARS AFTER JESUS, MARK DECIDED TO WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF JESUS' LIFE AND HE SELECTED MANY STORIES WHICH HE WOVE INTO THE BASIC FRAMEWORK OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY. MARK WAS TRYING TO SHOW EARLY CHRISTIANS THAT JESUS HIMSELF HAD BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD AND PERSECUTED, AND THEY COULD EXPECT NO LESS; BUT IF THEY PERSISTED, THEY TOO WOULD BE GLORIFIED. MATTHEW, WE KNOW, BORROWED HEAVILY FROM MARK'S GOSPEL WHEN HE WROTE HIS OWN STORY TWENTY YEARS LATER. BUT MATTHEW HAD A DIFFERENT PURPOSE; HE WANTED TO SHOW THAT JESUS FULFILLED THE PROPHECIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. YOU HEARD ONE OF THEM TODAY, IN THE READING FROM ISAIAH -- THE IDEA THAT IN THE END, ALL WOULD BE WELCOME ON GOD'S HOLY MOUNTAIN.
IN THE STORY IN MARK, THE ENCOUNTER TAKES PLACE IN A HOUSE, BECAUSE JESUS WAS LAYING LOW, HIDING FROM THE CROWDS THAT WANTED MIRACLES FROM HIM. THE WOMAN IS REFERRED TO AS "SYROPHOENICIAN" WHICH WAS A NEUTRAL TERM FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS NOT JEWISH BUT NOT GREEK EITHER, AND LIVED IN THE COUNTRY NORTH OF ISRAEL. AND THERE IS NOT A WORD ABOUT THE APOSTLES. SO WHEN MATTHEW TELLS THE STORY, IT MAY BE USEFUL TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY HE TELLS THIS STORY DIFFERENTLY.
MATTHEW PUTS MORE DRAMA INTO THE ENCOUNTER. THE APOSTLES ARE SAYING, "LORD, SEND HER AWAY!" IN GREEK, THAT IS "KYRIE, APOLYSON" THE WOMAN SAYS, "LORD, HELP ME" -- "KYRIE, ELEISON."
IF YOUR LANGUAGE WAS GREEK, YOU WOULD HEAR HOW ONE ECHOES THE OTHER. IN MATTHEW, THE WOMAN IS CALLED A CAANANITE. WHICH IS LIKE CALLING A A GERMAN A "KRAUT". I COULD HAVE USED ANY NUMBER OF OTHER EXAMPLES, BUT I HAVE ENOUGH GERMAN IN ME SO THAT I CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT ONE. AND BEFORE JESUS DELIVERS HIS FAMOUS INSULT, MATTHEW HAS HIM IGNORING THE WOMAN.
A LOT OF SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN OFFENDED BY THE WORDS OF JESUS AND HAVE TRIED TO SOFTEN THE SCENE; MAYBE JESUS WAS SMILING WHEN HE CALLED HER A DOG; MAYBE HE USED A TERM FOR PUPPY; WE DON'T KNOW. BUT FOR MATTHEW, AND PROBABLY FOR MARK, JESUS IS JUST USING THE WORDS THAT THE APOSTLES WERE THINKING.
IN MARK JESUS SAYS NOTHING ABOUT BEING SENT TO THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL, BUT IN MATTHEW, JESUS SPEAKS THESE WORDS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE APOSTLES BELIEVED -- THE MESSIAH WAS FOR ISRAEL. IN MARK, AFTER THE WOMAN SAYS "EVEN THE DOGS GET THE CRUMBS THAT FALL FROM THE CHILDREN'S TABLE" JESUS REPLIES, "FOR SAYING THAT, YOU MAY GO. THE DEMON HAS LEFT YOUR DAUGHTER." BUT IN MATTHEW, JESUS EXCLAIMS, "WOMAN, GREAT IS YOUR FAITH! LET IT BE DONE FOR YOU AS YOU WISH!" NOTICE THAT HE CALLS THIS FOREIGNER, THIS ONE HE PREVIOUSLY IMPLIED WAS A DOG, "WOMAN!" -- THE SAME TERM OF HONOR THAT HE USES WHEN HE SPEAKS TO HIS OWN MOTHER.
WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL TO HEAR THIS STORY -- NOT READ IT, HEAR IT -- FOR THE FIRST TIME? HOW MUCH MATTHEW TEACHES US IN THIS STORY FROM JESUS' LIFE.
TWO MAIN IDEAS EMERGE. FIRST, THE APOSTLES HAVE BEEN ACTING AS HUMAN BEINGS ACT. FOR EVERY ONE OF US THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE IN OUR CIRCLE AND THOSE WHO AREN'T. WE MAY NOT BE OPENLY HOSTILE TO THOSE OTHER PEOPLE, WE MAY NOT EVEN DISLIKE THEM; BUT WE DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THEM, WE DON'T REALLY WANT THEM IN OUR LIVES. AND JESUS PLAYS ALONG. THE APOSTLES HAVE MADE A JUDGMENT ABOUT THIS UNCLEAN, FOREIGN WOMAN, AND FULLY EXPECT JESUS WILL AGREE. "SEND HER AWAY!" THEY COMMAND. AND ISN'T THIS OFTEN OUR PRAYER? JESUS, DO THIS FOR ME, DO THAT; JESUS, LET MY WILL BE DONE.
AND AFTER THE CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMAN, A CONVERSATION IN WHICH THE WOMAN GETS PRETTY FRESH WITH THE SON OF GOD, JESUS MAKES THE INCREDIBLE POINT THAT FAITH IS WHAT MATTERS, AND GREAT FAITH ACCOMPLISHES MIRACLES. AND THE VERY WORD HE USES -- WOMAN -- TELLS US AND HIS APOSTLES THAT THIS GENTILE IS HONORABLE, WORTHY OF BEING PART OF THE FAMILY THAT JESUS IS CALLING TOGETHER.
THE SECOND POINT IS THIS. THIS WOMAN IS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL OF US OF HOW WE ARE TO PRAY. SHE IS BOLD; SHE DOESN'T STAND ON CEREMONY; SHE BOTHERS JESUS, SHE CALLS OUT AFTER HIM. AND HOW OFTEN DID JESUS COMMEND THAT KIND OF PRAYER -- THE WIDOW WHO GOT THE UNJUST JUDGE TO GIVE HER HER DUE, JUST BY BEING PERSISTENT; THE NEIGHBOR WHO GOT THE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BY BANGING ON THE DOOR UNTIL HE GOT HIS WAY. AND INITIALLY, HER PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED; BUT SHE DOESN'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. JESUS TELLS HER THAT HE HAS NO INTENTION OF ANSWERING THE PRAYER OF A PAGAN, BUT SHE DOESN'T SLINK AWAY, EMBARRASSED, SWEARING NEVER TO GO NEAR HIM AGAIN. AND THERE ARE MANY OF US WHO LOSE OUR FAITH WHEN OUR PRAYERS AREN'T ANSWERED, OR WHEN ANOTHER CHURCH IS CLOSED, OR ANOTHER PRIEST SCANDAL EMERGES. BUT HER FAITH NEVER WAVERS. AND NOTICE THAT SHE DOES NOT ASK FOR ANYTHING FOR HERSELF; HER PLEA IS FOR HER DAUGHTER. HOW STRONG IS A MOTHER'S LOVE FOR HER CHILD! AND IT IS OUT OF THIS LOVE THAT SHE EXPOSES HERSELF TO POSSIBLE RIDICULE AND REJECTION; SHE PUTS IT ALL ON THE LINE. WHEN WE PRAY, DO WE DO THE SAME? DO WE SHOW THAT WE MEAN IT BY PERSISTENT PRAYER, BY FASTING, BY ALMSGIVING? DO WE WANT WHAT WE PRAY FOR ENOUGH TO PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE?
MARK'S STORY IS AN ENCOUNTER BETWEEN JESUS AND A FOREIGN WOMAN, AND JESUS GRANTS HER PRAYER. MATTHEW'S STORY IS ABOUT THIS BUT ALSO SO MUCH MORE; IT IS A PIVOTAL POINT IN HIS GOSPEL, A POINT WHEN JESUS MAKES IT CLEAR THAT FAITH IS THE TICKET -- NOT BEING JEWISH, NOT KEEPING THE LAW -- AND THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM HIS FAMILY, A FAMILY WHOSE ONE DISTINGUISHING MARK IS FAITH.