Powerful Faith

Today’s Gospel is one that I find particularly challenging – it’s the story of the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to cure her daughter, who is tormented by a demon. And Jesus initially tells her to go away, that His mission is to the house of Israel, that He cannot ‘take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.’ There are so many things about this Gospel that I find difficult and distasteful that my first instinct is to reject it – this cannot be the compassionate Jesus I think I know, and frankly, I find all the casting out of demons that one finds in the Bible more than a bit bizarre.

But a little bit of investigation into some Biblical commentary reveals something far more interesting – the woman was from a wealthy area of Gentiles, to whom the Jews that Jesus came to save were the ‘poor relations,’ and at this stage in His ministry, Jesus only viewed himself as serving the Jewish community. And He was also exhausted, being followed by a large crowd as He tried to get away for some respite (http://www.weatherly.org/clientimages/1820/sermon061409.pdf), and it seems like He just didn’t have the energy right then to deal with another request. But what many note is the incredible resilience of this woman on behalf of her child – she just wouldn’t take no for an answer because she trusted that this man could help her (http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/MorelliCanaaniteWoman.php). This is such an identifiable story – both on the part of Jesus, who was overworked and stressed and being asked for something tremendous outside of the scope of His work, and the woman, who loved her child so much she couldn’t be put off, she would get the help she needed. And she did – because her faith moved Jesus completely – ‘O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And as such, she also moved along Jesus’ mission – beginning the branching out to the Gentiles and not just the Jewish community (http:catholicexchange.com/2008/08/18/113488/).

This story really reveals both the very human element of Jesus as His divine mission unfolded, but also His willingness to adapt the plan – to meet need where it was found. I find it really easy to go with the flow sometimes and so hard to break out and do what is the ‘right’ or better thing – it’s comforting to know Jesus struggled with this, too, but ultimately chose to give where He was needed. And the resilient, persistent, buoyant faith of the Canaanite woman, is even more staggering – a revelation that God listens completely when we call out with faith and trust.