Title: Jesus’ Salvation is for All  8.16.20

This coming Sunday’s reading is a familiar one from Matthew, 15:21-28.  Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman who approaches Him and asks Him to help her daughter, who is possessed by a demon.  The Apostles suggest that Jesus send her away because she keeps calling out to them.  Jesus does not send her away, but rather tells her that it is not right to take the food of the children and feed it to the dogs.  The putative suggestion is that she, as a Canaanite, is a dog, and therefore not deserving of Jesus’ help.  In response, the woman says to Jesus that even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters, seemingly meaning that she, as a Canaanite, will take what she can get, even the scraps.  Jesus tells her that her faith is great, and the daughter is healed immediately.

I struggle with this reading.  There are so many layers and so many things to draw out of it.  But I think that the most logical explanation is that Jesus’ salvation is for all, not just for some.  And, by extension, no one should ever try to come between Jesus and someone seeking His salvation.  

So why does Jesus insinuate that she is a dog?  I don’t like the idea that the woman has to persist somehow in order to get Jesus’ salvation.  What is the point supposed to be?  That if you don’t ask the right way, or ask enough times, Jesus will deny your prayers?  I don’t think that can be.

Maybe Jesus is not testing the woman.  Maybe he’s testing the Apostles.  They wanted Jesus to send her away when she approached Him.  Maybe Jesus is showing them what it looks like to be ugly to someone because of who they are.  Jesus calls this woman a dog in one moment and then answers her prayer in the affirmative the next.  Maybe this is His way of saying to the Apostles, “Is this what you wanted me to do?  Call her a dog and send her away?  Shame on you.  She has faith and therefore is my follower, and is deserving of my grace, regardless of what you think of her.” 

Moral of the story: we should never get between Jesus and anyone seeking His salvation.  It would be better for us that a millstone be tied around our necks and that we be thrown into the sea than to try to come between someone seeking Jesus and Jesus himself, the Gospel says elsewhere.  We should help each other to find Jesus, not prevent one another from doing so.  We should never try to prevent people from coming to Jesus because they are divorced, because they are homosexual, or because of anything else that people might suggest is anathema to coming into communion with Jesus.  Jesus’ salvation is for all.  No limits.  Not carve-outs.  FOR ALL.  FOR ALL.  FOR ALL.