Sermon by Felicity Thompson, Seminarian, 8/20/2023, Matthew 15: 21-28
Today we are talking about FAITH.
Today’s gospel reading tells us about faith. Jesus has just left a place where he is upset about people who create stumbling blocks for others. The Pharisees are making religion out of stumbling blocks. Yes, I said the Pharisees are making religion out of stumbling blocks. The Pharisees are not just people of the past, they are here with us today. They could be people like me. They could be people like you. The question is: tell me who your God is. There should be a connection between our heart and our hands. We should do what we say we believe in, share the bounty of God’s love with others. How do people feel in our presence? Do they feel loved or do they feel rejected?
So, the Canaanite woman appears on the scene. The Canaanite woman is carrying her stumbling block. She comes to Jesus seeking healing for her demon-possessed daughter. Our congregations cry for justice for those with mental health challenges. She is desperate.
While I was writing this sermon, I could relate. I remember having a very sick child at home who I feared would die. I admit, the first couple of days, I was carrying my stumbling block. A stumbling block always appears when we lose trust.
So what was so strong about this woman’s faith? Why did she throw down her stumbling block? What caused her to have trust in the Lord? It was her love for her child. Our congregations cry for justice for our children who are threatened by gun violence.
If your faith can move mountains, your faith can move stumbling blocks. Let’s go back to the Canaanite woman. Initially, Jesus seems reluctant to help her, stating that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Our congregations cry for leadership that will transcend our differences.
However, the woman persists in her faith, humbly kneeling before Jesus and expressing her trust in Him.She knew Jesus was the only person who could heal her child. Exercising her faith, she threw down her stumbling block and broke through barriers. So this Gentile woman, also known as the Syrophoenician woman, the Canaanite woman, yes, the other, exhibiting hubris came before Jesus and commanded his attention. In our communities there are cries for justice for the oppressed.
This woman had been pushed to the edge. She probably lived in an occupied area. Let’s say, her neighborhood has been gentrified. And here she is challenging privilege. She certainly is not part of the “in” crowd as she is looked at with disdain by the disciples. She is a Canaanite in the district of Tyre and Sidon. This is significant because the people of Tyre and Sidon were enemies of Israel because of their foreign gods. These were impure places. This was unclean land. She is a foreign woman, and a host of other things, the Syrophoenician woman, the Gentile, the dog. She shows up with an attitude too. Your faith can move mountains.
She trusts the God she serves. She is not going to sit in the back of the bus. She wants to experience the healing powers of God, right now. Her persistence serves her well. Your faith can move mountains.
And Jesus said, “it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She responds with, “yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”. Your faith can move mountains.
In those days, the children were the people of Israel, and the dogs were the Gentiles. The Canaanite woman sought Jesus and made sure she got his attention. The Jews are the chosen people of God. They didn’t speak to Gentiles. It didn't bother her, she crossed the line. She crossed the borders. She did the unexpected. Your faith can move mountains. There are those in our congregations crying for justice on gender issues.
Gentiles and people of her social class, don’t necessarily speak the language of the empire, Greek. She made her appeal to Jesus speaking Greek. Your faith can move mountains. There are those in our communities crying for justice from economic pain.
Jesus tests this woman, he offends her and is rude to her, referring to her and her community as dogs. As a woman of color, I can relate to this woman. She dropped her stumbling block. I feel she has heard of the miracles performed by Jesus. She humbles herself and puts herself in a vulnerable position. Your faith can move mountains.
Jesus sees this Canaanite woman’s heart. He sees that this Gentile woman is exercising her faith. He sees that she has thrown down her stumbling block. And even though he is resting the day she seeks him out, he stops having an attitude. Yes, Jesus had an attitude! There are those in our communities demanding relief from racial strife.
The Canaanite woman represents those of us who have to cross boundaries, and that is all of us, some more than others. We are not all crossing the same boundaries. We are not all crossing the same boundaries. We are not all crossing the same boundaries, but you can relate - - relate. Here we see social systems addressed. In this encounter Jesus does not appear to be the kind and approachable man usually portrayed in the gospel of Matthew. He’s a rude guy. Our congregations cry for relief from rudeness.
A long line of theologians speculate on the back story based on the social scientific context of the time. I was fortunate to come across the writings of South African social scientist, Mookgo Kgatle, who compared the plight of indigenous South African women to that of the Canaanite woman.
The Canaanite woman may have been a widow, a single parent or an enslaved woman. Our congregations pray for those who are estranged. And imagine, she was publicly demanding relief for a daughter, not a son. There are those in our communities crying against the challenges we encounter with issues of gender.
She continues begging for Jesus’ attention as Jesus replies in offensive language. Those of us among our sisters and brothers who define others as - Gentiles, indigenous, dogs and dollards, you may be carrying a cinder block, throw down your stumbling blocks. There are those in our communities crying for justice.
Much like the Canaanite woman, the Canaanites and the Israelites sometimes had common issues, but their relations were lukewarm. As people of faith, we have common challenges within our communities. Strong faith comes from unexpected places. This woman’s strong faith got Jesus’ attention.
All of the promises are fulfilled when Jesus tells this foreign woman, “Woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you wish.” Your faith can move mountains.
The Syrophoenician woman doesn’t have a name. I feel for her so I am going to lend her my middle name, Adetimoju. Adetimoju was an oppressed woman. Adetimoju was a foreigner, she was from a different social class, and in this instance, a nuisance.
If this Syrophoenician woman could overcome the enormous challenge of getting in Jesus’ face we can overcome the modern challenges of sexuality, gender, race, economics, mental health challenges, family strife, estrangement, a deeply divided nation, these moving issues. Faith can move mountains!
It seems like the Canaanite woman does not need my name after all. With her strong faith, she could be any of us. Yes
I am reminded by Father Steve’s sermon last week that we need trust to have faith.
This talk of the Beloved Community. It isn’t just talk. Let us think of how we learn to trust each other. Let us think about the times we experience God in our lives because of our faith. Let us show each other that we have the faith of the Syrophoenician woman.
God is faithful. God is trustworthy. God is consistent. God is good.