The Canaanite Woman

The Canaanite Woman

from Praying with the Women of the Bible

by Bridget Mary Meehan

According to Matthew’s Gospel, the mission of Jesus

is directed to the Chosen People of Israel. The first example of a change in this direction was when Jesus released a girl from demonic possession at the persistent insistence of her mother. It was the impact of the woman’s faith that moved Jesus to go beyond the limits of his mission to the people of the covenant. As a Gentile, the Canaanite woman was a despised foreigner, a pagan, and an outsider. Yet, she is the one who reveals to Jesus that his ministry is to the whole world, not just the Chosen People.

According to the story, Jesus enters Tyre and Sidon in southern Phoenicia. He has been healing people and confronting the Pharisees; his disciples have warned him of the Pharisees’ hostility toward him. The disciples don’t seem to understand a parable and Jesus has to explain it to them again. In other words, Jesus was not having a good day when the woman came to him shouting her request.1

The story begins when the woman humbly approaches Jesus with her heartfelt plea for her daughter’s deliverance, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon” (Mt 15:22). Jesus ignores her. The disciples who want to get rid of this loud, disruptive woman advise him, saying: “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us” (Mt 15:23). Jesus’ response to her sounds negative: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15:24). The determined woman, risking humiliation, falls at his feet and pleads “Lord, help me” (Mt 15:25). Jesus uses a metaphor to help the woman understand that his mission is to the Chosen People: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (Mt 15:26). But the woman insists that the crumbs, the leftovers from his mission to the children of Israel, will be enough to heal her daughter. Astonished at the depth of her faith, Jesus assures her that her request will be granted. Her daughter is healed.2

According to scholars, the story reflects the debate in the early Church about how far the mission of Jesus extends. The words of the woman, who advocates table sharing with the Gentiles, not the healing action of Jesus, conveys the meaning of the text. The mission of Jesus is to all people of faith. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza comments on the intelligent, provocative retort of the woman: “She takes up Jesus’ parabolic image of the ‘tablechildren- housedogs’ and uses it to argue against him.” Her argument convinces Jesus and she has the last word.3 This is the only recorded instance in the gospel when Jesus was “bested” in a conversation—and it is by a woman.4 Marveling at her courage, Jesus gives her what she asks—her daughter is healed.

The Canaanite woman is an assertive woman who represents the despised “outsiders” in our world today. Audacious and sometimes offensive, she reminds us of our call to live the gospel message of inclusiveness: All are welcome at the table. This woman does not speak for herself, but on behalf of her sick daughter. Who are the “sick daughters” today, the outcast members of society for whom we would risk ridicule, rejection, embarrassment in order to help? Are we, like Jesus, at the point in our ministering that we need our perspectives stretched?

As an advocate for the “voiceless,” she reminds us that our ministry, like hers, is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. This calling is indeed as unpopular in our society today as it was in her time. Perhaps as we come to know this gutsy woman, we will discover the inner strength that we need in order to be an advocate for the foreigners, refugees, and the suffering members of our communities. The Canaanite woman challenges us to question systems of

exclusion that separate people from one another in our society. We can protest budget cuts and lobby to raise the minimum wage. We can insist on immigration policies that are fair





and just. We can elect candidates for public office who will make laws that benefit the lowly and forgotten people. We can insist that our country live up to the dreams and values that make us all proud to be citizens, such as justice and equality for all. We can make a leap of faith and embrace the invisible people in our midst. Or we can reach into our own pockets and financially assist someone whose education and cultural background, very different from our own, causes him/her to be caught in the cracks where social services do not meet the need. Each of us can do something. Each of us can make a difference. At our very doorstep we can find people in need of many things: food, clothing, housing, education, friendship, affirmation, financial help, and love. We can begin by getting to know their names and taking the time to show we care. We can look into their eyes with love and a smile. We can help the people in our communities who feel abandoned and hopeless, to find work, housing, health care, and most of all companionship. We can tutor a child in a school, help the homeless at a shelter, work at a refugee center, talk to lonely people on a hot line, visit AIDS patients in a hospice, support a child in a third world country, and so forth. The possibilities are endless. As she challenged Jesus’ understanding of who he was and opened the way for ministry to all people, the Canaanite woman invites us to swing open the doors of our hearts to all the “outsiders” in our midst. Then all of us together will experience the inclusive, compassionate, healing love of God in our world.







Reflection



“Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (Mt 15:21–

28).







Discussion Starters



1. The Canaanite woman reveals to Jesus that his ministry is to all people. Her argument convinces Jesus, and she has the last word. How are you like this persistent woman? Have you ever “won” any arguments with Jesus? Reflect on the impact of this audacious woman on Jesus, on you, on women, and on the Church’s understanding of its mission.

2. This woman who was an “outsider,” a despised foreigner, approached Jesus shouting for healing for her daughter. She made the disciples uncomfortable. Who are the “outsiders” in your life that make you uncomfortable? What challenges do these “outsiders” bring to you?

3. Who are the “outsiders” whom the Church and society have ignored and/or ostracized?

What gifts do these “outsiders” bring to Church and society? What can the Church do to




welcome those in need of the Church’s ministry today?

4. This woman pleaded for her sick daughter’s healing. What abandoned group of people can you help? How are you willing to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable on their behalf?







Prayer Experience



1. Become conscious of your breathing. As you breathe deeply, imagine tension leaving each area of your body and relaxation flowing in. Say to yourself, “I feel tension leaving my body and relaxation flowing from the top of my head, through my neck, shoulders, chest, back, arms, hands, fingers, stomach, hips, legs, feet, toes.

2. Read the story of the Canaanite woman slowly and thoughtfully.

3. Reflect on times either recently or in the past when you have been treated as an “outsider”…when you have been ignored…ostracized…abandoned…. Be aware of any thoughts, images, insights, memories, or sensations that emerge…. Write down a phrase, a sentence, or an image describing each experience.

4. Ask Sophia, Holy Wisdom, to help you get in touch with and express your anger at your exclusion…. Draw or write down, or make a list of your angry feelings and the causes or sources of your anger…. Express your anger by shouting, crying, running, dancing, drawing, writing, painting, gardening, whatever. As you do so, allow yourself to feel Sophia’s anger within you…. Allow this anger to energize you to demand healing….

5. Dialogue with your sister, the Canaanite woman, about her experience of being an “outsider”…a foreigner…a mother of a suffering child with no options left…willing to risk public humiliation…shouting for healing…. Listen to the wisdom of this persistent, pleading woman…. Ask her questions…. Share any insights or images that you have about her story…. Share your experiences of exclusion with her….

6. Reflect on the “outsiders” in your life that make you uncomfortable…. Offer thanks for the challenges that these people bring to you…. Be aware of the “outsiders” whom the Church and society have ignored and/or ostracized…. Ask forgiveness on behalf of the Church for these lost opportunities….



7. Ask Sophia to reveal to you ways that you can comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable…decide on one step you will take to speak out…to argue for…to be an advocate for…the abandoned in your church…in society….