Loving God, fill our hearts and minds with your love this day, empowering us with your Holy Spirit to share your love with all people, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Were any of you ever told to stay away from certain people, or from certain kinds of people?... It seems as though parents often tell their children to stay away from any person or group who are deemed to be a bad influence, or even dangerous.  In some instances, a child might be told to stay away from a particular person for fear that their bad habits or bad influence might rub off.  In other cases, children might be taught to stay away from a particular ethnic or religious group, usually for fear of being contaminated in some way.

         There was a similar concern about purity and protecting important religious traditions among those in the first century Jewish community.  This is reflected in practices like the ritual washing of hands before a meal and staying away from any food that was considered to be unclean.  The concern was also reflected in their attitude toward Gentiles, which was essentially to stay as far away from them as possible.

         However, as today’s gospel begins, Jesus suggests that perhaps ritual washing and avoiding certain foods misses the mark when it comes to purity.  Instead, Jesus teaches his followers that what is in your heart is the most important.  It is not what goes into your mouth, but what comes out of your mouth, that reveals what is in your heart.  Sinful behavior that hurts other people also originates in the heart.  These are the things that defile, or make people impure.

         Oddly enough, right after this discussion about purity, Jesus travels to Gentile territory – the district of Tyre and Sidon – which today is part of Lebanon.  However, while he is there, he appears to act like any Jewish rabbi would be expected to act.  He recites a reference to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 15:24) and uses descriptors like the children of Israel and Gentile dogs.  He even seems to willfully ignore the Canaanite woman’s cries for help.  What are we to make of this story where Jesus seems very unlike the Jesus that we know and love?

         Some have suggested that Jesus genuinely saw his mission as purely within Israel and that he has his eyes opened by this woman’s great faith.  Others (like William Barclay) have suggested that, in spite of the words Jesus uses, he was speaking with a smile and engaging in a bit of witty repartee.  I find it most likely that Jesus was actually teaching his disciples by repeating some of the stereotypes for Jews and Gentiles.

         Undoubtedly, there were some among his disciples who thought that Jesus’ mission should be limited to the people of Israel.  Thus, when this woman appears who is keeping a respectful distance, and thus is shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord” (Mt. 15:22), Jesus waits to see how his disciples will respond.  Initially, they want Jesus to send her away because they can’t stand the ruckus, and this is when Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 15:24).  I suspect that this was more of a question to the disciples than a statement to the Canaanite woman.  “Was I sent only for Israel?”

         It is only then that the woman dares to come closer, and to kneel before Jesus, saying, “Lord, help me” – a prayer that many of us may have uttered at one time or another.  Then, in spite of the fact that Jesus uses some of the stereotypical language of children and dogs, this woman is not going to be deterred.  In fact, she believes that even the crumbs from the Lord’s table will be enough to bring healing to her daughter.  And Jesus marvels at her great faith.

         This is just one of the stories in the gospels that hint at the ever-expanding wideness of God’s mercy.  Throughout the ministry of Jesus, we hear about his encounters with people who would have been considered impure and unclean by most of the religious leaders: lepers, tax collectors, sinners, the blind and the lame, those hemorrhaging blood, and even Gentiles.  By the time that the gospel of Matthew was written, those who followed Jesus were still wrestling with who could be welcomed into their community.

         Most of the debate in the first century was about the relationship between Jews and Gentiles – or Jews and Greeks, as Paul sometimes writes.  Some Jews wanted to hang onto their old practices and keep themselves separate from any Gentiles.  And some Gentiles (like those in Rome) thought that they had replaced the Jewish people and were now favoured by God – a notion that Paul rejects in his letter to the Romans, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).

         While human beings seem inclined to draw lines in the sand and put up dividing walls, God is more interested in reconciliation, and mercy toward all those who come with an open and honest heart.  Regardless of what people look like on the outside, or their race, or their origins, Jesus welcomes all those who come in repentance and faith – even us!  Not only that, but we are given the Holy Spirit, who purifies our hearts and produces in us things like love and peace and gentleness and self-control.

         Thanks be to God, who forgives and redeems us through Jesus, and gives everlasting life to all who follow Jesus in faith by the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

Lectionary 20(A)                              Matthew 15:10-28

August 20, 2023                              Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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