Dear Friends,

Jesus teaches equal treatment in Mathew 15:21-28, the gospel for this coming Sunday. The following is from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible:

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

It was not too long ago that Jesus had fed the five thousand, walked on water and argued the Law with the Pharisees. It was time for a break and so Jesus left the Jewish territories (Israel) where he was known and traveled with his Disciples to the district containing the cities of Tyre and Sidon which are in southern Lebanon. It might be considered a beach vacation in a Gentile district.

(“Tyre was the most powerful city-state of ancient Phoenicia and first manufactured the purple dye which made Tyre famous and was so rare and expensive that the color purple became synonymous with royalty.”)  

A Canaanite woman, who apparently knows who he is, approached Jesus and asked for mercy and for healing of her daughter.  This was very unusual since, at the time, women did not speak to men in public.  Moreover, Canaanites were a group of people with a different culture from the Israelites.  They were considered Israel’s enemy.  The Disciples certainly felt superior to the woman and begged Jesus to send her away.  After all, why should you help someone of a different culture?  Jesus initially agrees, saying that he was only sent to save the house of Israel and the woman was clearly not of that house.

Nevertheless, the Canaanite woman has great faith in Jesus and again asks him to heal her daughter.  He again rebukes her by telling her what is meant for children (Israel) is not to be wasted on dogs (Canaanites). The woman agrees but points out that even the dogs receive benefits from the master so why should not the woman’s desire be filled. Jesus recognizes her great faith and his action reflects that he has broaden his mission to be more inclusive and includes the Canaanites. The woman’s desire is fulfilled, and her daughter healed. By his action, Jesus teaches equal treatment for the Canaanite and the children of Israel.

The question for us today is: do we have the courage, the faith, to follow Jesus’ example? Do we answer the cries for those we might consider “Canaanites” in our midst when they ask for equal treatment or do we listen to those voices that say, “Send them away”?

Blessings to you All,

Dick Fichter
Vestry Member
Worship Ministry Liaison

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* Come online to our Stronger Together Reconnection Chat tomorrow night (Thursday, Aug 13) anytime between 8:30 – 9:30 PM. ALL are welcome!

* Join us online on Sunday at 10 AM for worship on YouTube. As we did last Sunday, we will be coming to you live from the worship space. We are grateful for Rev. Rosemari Sullivan as she leads us through worship on Sunday.

* Join us THIS Sunday evening at 7 PM in Epiphany’s parking lot for our Drive-In Prayer Service and Food Drive. We are joining together safely outside in the parking lot from our cars to pray a peaceful evening Compline. Bring a few items to donate to our food bank, jointly hosted by our friends across the street at Community of Faith UMC. ALL are welcome to attend. For more information, see our website.

* As always, Epiphany’s vestry and staff are here to support you in any way we can. Please contact Susan Buckner, Senior Warden at: srwarden@epiphanyec.org