Draw the Circle Wide

​The Canaanite Woman and Jesus

Matthew 15:21-28  (Good News Translation) 

21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”
23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”
​24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”
25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.
26 Jesus answered, “It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
27 “That's true, sir,” she answered, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.”
28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.

Reflection

In this short story about the Canaanite woman and Jesus we see Jesus having to confront his own prejudices about who belongs and who doesn’t. 

In Jesus’ day belonging was very important especially when it came to Judaism. Judaism had rules and laws regulating all kinds of activities that we just take for granted. Ritual hand washing, eating; what could be eaten, how it was prepared, how the meat was slaughtered, what could be eaten with what- if you have ever been in a Kosher kitchen, there are two sets of dishes kept in separate cupboards: meat and dairy. To this day Orthodox Jews keep the Sabbath even to the extent of not turning on or off lights. In the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal the elevators stop at every floor so that practicing Jews will not have to press the floor button and thus avoid working on the Sabbath. There are laws and there are rules and thus a distinction between Jew and Gentile, between clean and unclean, between worthy and unworthy, between deserving and underserving, between Yahweh’s Chosen People and others. 

You can see where I am going here, these aren’t just distinctions first century Jews held or that Jesus held – we think the same way! What and to whom we apply them may be different. Yet, when I think of “my” tax dollars being used to help someone I also think “they” should be worthy of that help otherwise I think “they should get a job, stop using drugs, etc, etc…  See worthy – unworthy, deserving – undeserving, in the circle – out of the circle. 

And that Canaanite woman, who was she to this Jewish healer and teacher who understood his mission to be to his people, to his God’s people, Yahweh’s people. This Canaanite woman, she was from outside his circle, not worthy of his attention, less than human when he likens her to a dog. 

And this Canaanite woman is on a mission too – to save her daughter. She stands up to Jesus and compels him to see her and to take her plight seriously- she involves him in her circle. 

This story reminds me of the Black Lives Matter Movement today. People of  Colour, who are and have been treated as outside the circle historically (at least for the last 500 years or so based on the colour of their skin) are beginning to tell their stories (both past and present) and are being seen for the people they are. In Jesus’ time and place the colour of your skin didn’t matter, slavery wasn’t a matter of skin colour, but whether you were Jew or Gentile did matter – at least to the Jews! 

The moment Jesus stops and really sees the Canaanite woman is the moment he overcomes the narrative that he was born into. 

Maybe that is all it takes, a moment of really seeing – who we are!

Draw the Circle Wide

Refrain
Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still.
Let this be our song: no one stands alone.
Standing side by side, draw the circle, draw the circle wide...

God the still-point of the circle
Round you all creation turns
Nothing lost but held forever in God's gracious arms

Refrain

Let our hearts touch far horizons
So encompass great and small
Let our loving know no borders Faithful to God's call

Refrain

Let the dreams we dream be larger
Than we've ever dreamed before
Let the dream of Christ be in us
Open every door!

Refrain