A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-One

Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:1-39 (NRSVUE)

We see the lack of compassion on display by the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem who would have been considered the religious leaders of Jesus' day.  They justify their lack of support for their aging parents by claiming that they already gave that support in offering to God.

As they continue to look at technicalities regarding hand washing (this was for ritual cleanliness, not sanitation as we know it today), we see the deeper concern of Jesus for the impurities of the heart.  A person could be ritually clean while harboring mal-intentioned thoughts against a neighbor.  Jesus asks people to be pure in heart (from the Beatitudes) which is more difficult - and more of a journey as we shall see.

In first century Judea, dogs looked 
more like this than like our pets

When Jesus then encounters the Canaanite woman, he engages in slander just after he spoke about the dangers of it, essentially calling the woman a dog.  Christians today struggle with this passage - especially given the theological branding of sinless that we place upon Jesus.  In going with sinless, we may have to do some interpretation on this text that is more speculation than interpretation.

Many Christians prefer to think of Jesus as being playful with her - <wink, wink> - as he uses language that would have been expected from Jews to Gentile women approaching unaccompanied by a husband, father or brother.  Could Jesus have been goading her into the answer and the faith he was looking for all along?

This is possible and would preserve the sinless state.  I think it depends on how you see Jesus - how much was he a product of his culture as a fully human being?  But also, how much range of knowledge do we afford Jesus given that he is also fully divine?  It can be complicated and there is no set computation that Christians must agree on when looking at what Jesus did or didn't know.

If we take the passage at face value, without any theological assumptions around Jesus, it appears that Jesus was able to learn from a Gentile woman rather than dismiss her haughtily, offended at her hubris.  This in itself may reflect purity in heart - it may be the most divine event in this chapter.  Can we receive something true from someone even of recognized lower status?  

We close with more healing and more feeding.  I've read that the earlier meal of the 5000 represents the tribes of Israel as twelve baskets were left over.  With seven baskets left over after this meal of 4000, I've read that this could represent the seven nations of the world - Gentiles.  Prior to this miracle, verse 31 mentions the healed praising "the God of Israel" which would be an odd designation for Jewish recipients to use.  

And so, we may see that Jesus is feeding Gentiles with the crumbs that have fallen from the master's table as we have more Jewish people fed (5000) than Gentiles (4000).  He is able to expand his reach and his love.  This would have been far edgier in the first century than we understand today.  It may just be that Jesus begins to see the Gentiles as his ancient ancestors and so does want to honor his father and mother as we saw at the beginning of this chapter.

What categories do you have for people that keep them at arm's length?  How does being in Christ help us to lower our arms?  Or maybe we could take it even farther and ask, how does being in Christ let us use our arms to embrace rather than push away?

Prayer for the day:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who did humble himself to become human, and to be born into the world for our salvation: teach us the grace of humility.  Root out of our hearts all pride and haughtiness, and so fashion us after your holy likeness in this world, that in the world to come we may be made like you in your eternal kingdom.  Amen.

  

Prayer by Willaim Walsham How, Church of England, 19th Century

Photo by Kim Bartlett - Animal People, Inc. via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 32

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’"

                                                Matthew 7:21-23 (NRSVue)

This can be a little difficult in that this teaching may leave us wondering if we are some of the people who think we have it right but really have it wrong.  It would be kind of a bummer to live your life believing that you were doing the will of God but missing the boat.

This idea is repeated in the parable of the ten bridesmaids.  The foolish who have no oil miss the arrival of the groom.  When they show up late to the party, he tells them that he never knew them.

If we look at this in Jesus' day, the message seems pretty clear to be about the Pharisees.  They were the most studious keepers of the Law in Judea.  They were well-respected and most assumed that they would be the first ones into heaven.  But earlier in the Sermon, Jesus tells us that our righteousness must exceed the Pharisees if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees were living in a society where they were under a slow cultural assault from Hellenization.  The Roman influence was hard to miss and the Pharisees sought to combat this by doubling down on observing the Law.  Those who wouldn't or couldn't observe it as they did were seen as unclean.  Jesus asks us to offer them a little grace which is also a part of the law.

So as we try to figure out God's will, it seems that Jesus is asking us to prefer people over the rest of the rules.

The hard part of this passage is that it also can pit us against our fellow believers.  We can imagine that we are the ones on the inside while those with whom we disagree are the ones who will be left outside of the party.  This kind of thinking actually goes against the meekness or humility that Jesus refers to in the Beatitudes.  And it actually puts us in the guise of modern-day Pharisees. 

So today's passage doesn't seem to be as much about flashy faithfulness but rather being nice to the people who feel like they are on the outs.  As we move through the Lenten season, how can we extend more kindness to those we meet today?  In this way, we'll be known by God.

Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we give thanks for the life we've been given.  We appreciate the times when we have felt loved and included by friends and family.  We also are grateful for the strangers we've encountered who have made a positive difference in our lives.  We confess that we have not always capitulated.  Help us to see others as you see them and to respond as if we were making a home for Jesus.  It is in his name we pray.  Amen.

Photo by Steve Robbins via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.