Mathew is writing to a community mostly made-up Jewish converts to the Christian way of life. One of the common threads that runs through his gospel is that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Nations. Note that in Mathew’s infancy narratives, he has the magi coming from distant lands to pay homage to Jesus. Just before Jesus’ Ascension he commands the Apostles to go forth and “make disciples of all nations….”. That universal theme is subtly addressed in today’s Gospel passage.
Jews perceived the Gentiles to be an inferior class of people. The Jews of Jesus’ day would sometimes express their disdain for Gentiles, calling them dogs. In today’s Gospel passage, Matthew has the apostles expressing a similar attitude toward the Canaanite woman, “Get rid of her. She keeps bothering us.” The apostle’s desire is to have her go away. Their attitude towards the woman is offensive.
Despite the foul treatment, the Canaanite woman is persistent and ignores the disrespectful way she is treated. She approaches Jesus and acknowledges Jesus as “Lord” and identifies Jesus using his royal title “Son of David.” The woman does him homage and pleads with him, “Lord help me! My daughter is tormented by a demon”. In reply, Jesus states, “I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel” and goes on to say that, “it is not right to take the food of the children and give it to the dogs.” His statement acknowledges Israel’s special place; however, the woman is clever and humble. She replies, “but even the dogs get the scraps that fall from the master’s table.” Jesus states, “woman, great is your faith.” There is no other place in Matthew’s Gospel that the phrase “great is your faith” is used. Because of her great faith, Jesus cured the woman’s daughter.
Matthew, in retelling this story uses the apostles’ words to highlight to the tension between the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus’ use of the word “dogs” furthers the reality of the situation. The woman’s “great faith” highlights the universal nature of God’s love. Matthew attributes “great faith” to a woman who is not a Jew. This passage challenges us to recognize the dignity of every person. The universal nature of God’s love is all inclusive. No race, nor creed, can our charity exclude.
