Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some people just do not belong.  They might be annoying, they might not “fit,” or they might not be the “right” sort of person.  The vast majority of people in the church today would not have met the criteria set by the apostles for the Canaanite woman who came to find healing for her daughter.  The disciples ask Jesus to “send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”

Why didn’t she belong?  Let’s start with three reasons: she’s a woman, she’s a Gentile, and she’s annoying because “she keeps calling out after us.”  The same sort of woman often shows up in the Gospel stories.  Throughout the parables, there is often a persistent woman, a woman who will not quit looking for her coin until she finds it, another woman will not quit knocking on the judge’s door until she gets the answer that she wants.

Jesus interacted with determined women as well.  One woman who had been bleeding for twelve years reached out and touched the hem of his garment, even though she was “unclean” and was not supposed to be touching any man.  Another woman’s back was bent for eighteen years.  She received healing, even though it was the Sabbath.  It was not lawful for either one of them to be healed, but they still made sure that it happened.

Today’s passage is no exception.  We have a woman who is not Jewish, asking Jesus to cast a demon out of her daughter.  Jesus says no.  He says he’s not going to heal her because that would be like taking children’s food off the table and giving it to the dogs.  She hears his words of rejection but nevertheless stands her ground as a woman, a Canaanite, and a mother.  Jesus heals the daughter.

We can learn a lot from these persistent women – women who reach out, women who persevere, women who are not afraid to state what they need, women who negotiate.  In our modern day, women make 75 cents for every dollar that a man makes.  The more prestigious the position, the more disparity there is between men and women.  As women acquire more education or move up the corporate ladder, they are more likely to make much less than their male counterparts.

A friend of mine who heads up the women’s studies program at the University of Washington says that women are socialized to play games that are fair and equal – games like dolls or house – while men are encouraged to play competitive sports.  She says that men like to negotiate because they are used to playing football and soccer, and because of that, they are socialized to win, while women are socialized to build relationships.

Even in such a different time and culture, Jesus upheld these women who broke the rules, who were persistent, who reached out when they were supposed to keep their arms to their sides, who gave their last dime, who knocked until the door was finally open.  I think there’s a message for us here, in this woman who taught Jesus.  She gave in a bit.  She was clever in her answer.  And it seems that she taught Jesus something.  He changed his mind.

Isaiah and many other prophets spoke of a time when all the nations would be welcomed into the covenant.  In the ministry of Jesus and baptism in the church we see the prophecy of Isaiah coming to fruition.  God’s plan in welcoming the Gentiles was not to exclude Israel, just as God’s election of Israel was intended ultimately to welcome all of humanity into the family of God.

Paul A. Magnano

Pastor