Page 1 of 7 LECTIO DIVINA Matthew 15:21-28 20 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A Fr. Michael Brizio, IMC www.shareinhisloveministries.com 1) OPENING PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 2) READING OF THE GOSPEL (What the Word says): Matthew 15:21-28 21 Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon. 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us. 24 He said in reply, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, Lord, help me. 26 He said in reply, It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs. 27 She said, Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. 28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Page 2 of 7 3) EXPLANATION (What the Word means): v.21: Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon Jesus moves from Gennesaret, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee to Tyre and Sidon, respectively 25 and 50 miles north of Galilee on the Mediterranean shore. It is a long walk, and we are not told why he goes there. It is the farthest north that he will travel, and the only time in this Gospel that he goes outside Jewish/Samaritan territory except to escape Herod as a baby (2:13-23) and to visit Gadara (8:28-34). It is one of three occasions in this Gospel when he heals Gentiles (8:5-13; 28-34). This time it is not a case of outsiders coming to him (4:24, 25); he himself goes out to them. It is not clear whether Jesus actually enters Tyre and Sidon or simply goes to the border of the Gentile area. Mark says that he entered a house (Mark 7:24), but does not specify its location. Matthew does not tell us why Jesus goes to this area. The crowds had earlier frustrated his search for solitude, but it seems unlikely that he would seek spiritual renewal in pagan territory. v.22a: And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district The term Canaanite has inevitable associations with the pagan inhabitants of Palestine displaced by the Jews and thus contrasts the woman all the more with the people of God (Hagner). v.22b: came and called out, Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! The woman addresses Jesus both as Lord and son of David, words that a Jew might use for the Messiah. We are surprised to hear such words on the lips of a Canaanite woman. Only once before has Jesus heard such words (14:33). Her words contrast with those of the Pharisees and scribes who, just a moment ago, criticized Jesus for allowing his disciples to eat without the appropriate ritual cleansing. Their words were intended to expose Jesus and to ruin his reputation. This woman has only words of reverence and faith. The clarity of her vision contrasts with the disciples lack of vision (14:13-33). Like the Samaritan woman, this woman is doubly an outsider - a foreigner and a woman.
Page 3 of 7 Considering that the people in Jesus own country have not so perceived him, and even his disciples are yet to speak of him messianically (16:13-20), this title on the lips of a Canaanite living in another country is most unusual. But perhaps that is Matthew s point; first from a Gentile, a foreign woman, came the confession of faith (Craddock, 408) The woman s words, Have pity on me, Lord (Greek: Eleeson me kyrie) bring to mind the Kyrie, eleison (Lord, have mercy) of the Mass. One scholar notes that her words are all Christian confessions reflecting the liturgy of the church, adapted from the prayer language of the Psalter (Boring, 336). v.22c: My daughter is tormented by a demon. This is an issue that we would expect Jesus to address quickly and gladly, and he does exorcise demons elsewhere (8:28-9:1; Mark 1:21-28; Luke 8:2). v.23a: But he did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus acted as if he had not even heard her. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus immediately responds to anyone who cries out to him for mercy or salvation or healing. His initial silence toward the Canaanite woman is stunning (Reid, 92). v.23b: His disciples came and asked him, Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us. The disciples evidently considered this woman, who was constantly crying out after them, an intolerable nuisance, and ask Jesus to send her away, just as they earlier asked him to send away the hungry crowd (14:15). The woman has addressed Jesus as Lord, but the disciples fail to do so as they tell Jesus to send her away. It is not clear whether they want him just to get rid of her or to give her what she wants so that she will leave. They will probably be happy enough with either result, as long as she stops bothering them. v.24: He said in reply, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Page 4 of 7 Jesus does not listen to the disciples request to send her away, but he answers the disciples (not the woman). And, Jesus cannot allow himself to be distracted. He has a whole nation to save, and he has a special obligation to minister first to Jews. Jesus wishes to make it perfectly clear to all concerned that the wide-opening of the doors for the influx of the Gentiles into the kingdom of heaven is a matter that pertains to the future. For the present, his mission is to those whom he tenderly calls the lost sheep (9:36; 10:6) of the house of Israel. v.25: But the woman came and did him homage, saying, Lord, help me. Matthew vividly pictures the woman in the act of worshipping Jesus, perhaps even prostrating herself at his feet again and again. There is in her an attitude of reverence, of bitter agony, and her intense love for her little daughter. Now, in the heat of her agonizing appeal she says, Help me. She and her daughter are inseparable; she identifies herself with her child. She so immerses herself into the trials and afflictions of others that these experiences become her own. But for the moment, Jesus answer was anything but encouraging. v.26: He said in reply, It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs. The dogs indicates here not the large, savage, and ugly dogs prowling about the garbage thrown into the streets, but the dogs kept in the homes as pets. Jesus had already fixed the attention of the woman upon the fact that he had not been sent to those outside of Israel (v.24). In the same vein he now adds that it would not be proper to give Israel s blessings - the blessings that belong to the children - to those who do not belong to Israel. It helps to recognize that this is a story told from a Jewish point of view. The recurring theme of Matthew s narrative (is) that the gospel belongs first to Israel. Though the Jewish religious authorities repeatedly come in for scathing judgment, the narrator of this Gospel wants to make absolutely clear that God has not abandoned the Jews, God s faithfulness to the covenant remains, and Jesus ministry is first and foremost to Israel (Brueggemann, 449-450). It also helps to remember that Jesus frequently tries to slow the pace of disclosure. This started at the very beginning of his ministry when his mother asked him to provide wine for a hapless wedding host. Jesus responded, My hour has not yet come (John 2:4). Jesus then arrives at the home of Jairus too late (Mark
Page 5 of 7 5:35); at the house of Martha and Mary four days late; and seems indifferent to the two blind men s cry (Matthew 9:27-28). While he relented and saved the day, he hesitated lest his premature disclosure compromise his mission to save the world. Later, he healed people and then told them to tell nobody. He was pacing himself. While he has compassion on crowds, he has a mission that goes beyond crowds. If he allows this woman to push him too far too fast, the people of Israel - his first priority - will dismiss him as a Gentile-lover. So this Canaanite woman begs Jesus to cross a boundary that threatens to undo him. After the resurrection, Jesus will open the door to the Gentiles in his Great Commission (28:18-20). Until then, he must give the Israelites every chance - but this Canaanite woman is breaking his heart now! v.27: She said, Please, Lord, for even the dogs, kunarios, eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. The woman notices that Jesus used the word, not for stray dogs (Greek, kuon) that wander the streets, but for household pets (Greek, kunarios). Pets are not outsiders but insiders. They not only belong to the family, as livestock do, but are part of the family, as livestock are not. Subordinate to other family members, they nevertheless enjoy privileges denied other animals. While they do not have a seat at the table, they enjoy intimacy at the family s feet. While dining, a good master will not allow his pet dogs to starve to death - he can hardly resist the pleasure of throwing a tender morsel to the pet. She does not even resent being compared with a house dog as contrasted with a child. She accepts her inferior position.
Page 6 of 7 We can almost see the gleam in her eye as she senses the power of her comment. While acknowledging Jesus lordship and her own modest place, she claims her rightful, if modest, privileges. She not only believes that Jesus can heal her daughter; she believes that he will heal her daughter. v.28a: Then Jesus said to her in reply, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish. Like the centurion at Capernaum in 8:5-13, the woman illustrates Gentile faith that puts Israel to shame (11:21). And like the centurion s servant or son, the woman s daughter is cured instantly when Jesus says: Let it be done (cf. 15:28; 8:13) (Gardner, 240). After parrying hostile religious leaders and prodding balky disciples, Jesus finds this faith-filled woman a joy. He delights in allowing her to best him - a truly remarkable contrast to the high-powered men who fail time after time to do so. v.28b: And her daughter was healed from that hour. The full promise of this incident will be realized only after the resurrection. However, the diminutive house-dogs is a step in a direction from which Jesus will never be able to retreat. The gentiles are no longer outside in the streets; they are now in the house. In a moment they will be at the table (Bruner, 553). 4) MEDITATION (What the Word suggests to me): a) We read the Word again. b) Select the word or a brief phrase which touched you or impressed you. Repeat this word/phrase aloud and slowly 3 times. Between each repetition allow a moment of silence for the Word to penetrate into our hearts. c) We will remain silent for 3 minutes, and let the Lord speak to us. d) We now share what the Lord has given us in this word. We avoid discussions or sermons or comments on what others have said. We share what the Lord has told us personally by using such expressions as, To me this word has said 5) QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: (What the Word asks me) a) Do I look with contempt to some groups of people? b) Am I ready to help people who are in difficulty? c) Do I have unconquerable faith in Jesus?
Page 7 of 7 d) In what area of my life do I need the Lord s mercy in a special way? 6) WORD OF LIFE (What the Word reminds me): Lord, help me. 7) ACTION (What the Word invites me to do): I will help someone in need 8) PRAYER (What the Word makes me pray): PSALM 67 O God, let all the nations praise you! May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! And may the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon us and with us remain forever and ever.