First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Reflection:
The words of the Lord here reveal that God intends for all nations to come to Him and participate in His kingdom. In the time of the writing of Isaiah, the Gentiles (non-Jews) were often looked upon by the Israelites as foreigners who were outside the boundaries of God’s chosen people. But the Lord speaks of a time when “foreigners” (i.e. Gentiles) will come to the Lord, love Him, and be His servants. This time will include the coming of the Lord’s salvation and the revelation of His justice. Reading this through the lens of the New Testament, we know that the time the Lord was speaking about was the Messianic age, when Jesus would come to offer salvation to all people. With Jesus coming and ushering in the Messianic age, the doors were opened for the Gentiles to have full participation in the kingdom of God. They can join in right worship of God, offering acceptable offerings and sacrifices to Him. For the Lord has proclaimed, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” We see this come to fruition, in part, in the Gospel reading when the Canaanite woman (a Gentile) places her faith in Jesus to free her daughter from a demon.
Second Reading: Roman 11:13-15, 29-32
Reflection:
The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Romans to address issues between Jews and Gentiles who had become Christians. In the early Church, the prophecy from Isaiah came to fruition and Gentiles, in droves, received the message of Jesus Christ and were converted. This reality, despite it being foretold, caused difficulties for many Jews, as they sought to reconcile what they knew from the Scriptures with the experience of Gentiles worshipping alongside them in their churches. Paul here addresses the Gentile believers and reminds them that the Jews were given the promises of God first. They are the chosen people. But many of the Jews rejected their own Messiah, Jesus, when He came. As a result of their rejection, the door was opened for the Gentiles and many of them received what the Jews rejected. But that is not the end of the story. Paul desires the Jews (who are his own “race”) to be saved. He has great hope that those who have rejected Jesus will repent and be converted because he knows God is merciful and faithful to His covenant promises. “For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” In other words, we are all (Jews and Gentiles alike) sinners and, therefore, deserving equally of condemnation, but God has offered mercy through Jesus Christ to all (Jews and Gentiles alike), which means all (Jews and Gentiles alike) have the opportunity to receive salvation through faith.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 15:21-28
Reflection:
Tyre and Sidon were located in a Gentile region north of Palestine. Thus, it makes sense that Jesus and the disciples would come across a Canaanite (i.e. Gentile) woman there. This passage can seem perplexing at first read, but we need to read a bit between the lines to get the full meaning. Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, but He came for all nations. He is, in fact, the savior of the world. We see in the gospels, though, that Jesus spent most of His time among the Jews and here, along with elsewhere, explained that He had come first for the Jews. Yet, we have glimpses throughout the gospels of Jesus’ intent to reach the Gentiles too (think, for example, of the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well). This Sunday’s Gospel reading is one of those accounts.
The woman must have already heard about Jesus, for she believed He could do something to help her daughter, who was tormented by a demon. Throughout the account, the woman expressed great faith. She immediately addressed Jesus as “Lord, Son of David.” Thus, she recognized His authority and even indicated belief that He is the Jewish Messiah, for the Messiah was to be the “Son of David.” Jesus, at first, did not answer her. While that may seem rude, we will see that Jesus was setting the scene to teach everyone watching (and us today) a profound lesson. The disciples spoke up, asking Jesus to send her away because she was becoming a nuisance. Jesus’ response, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” indicates that His mission first involved bringing the message of salvation to Israel and restoring the kingdom. But we know from the first two readings that He also came for all nations. In essence, He was testing the woman’s faith to see how genuine she was. Her response to Jesus’ words evidence her great faith, for she paid Him “homage” and said, “Lord, help me!”
Jesus’ next statement is all the more perplexing: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) were commonly referred to as “dogs” by the Jews at this time. The “children,” then, were the Israelites. Jesus did not necessarily affirm this designation, but used this common cultural language to again test the woman’s faith. The woman again evidenced her great faith. She did not question Jesus nor snap back in pride. Rather, she humbly recognized the Israelites are, in fact, the children of God, but then pointed out that even she, a Gentile, can “eat the scraps that fall from the table.” Jesus commended her great faith and freed her daughter from the demon as a result. The Canaanite knew the Israelites were God’s chosen people, but she also saw that God still had not excluded the Gentiles from His plan. She recognized He was opening the door for the Gentiles to come to the table too.
Application:
- The Canaanite woman is a great example of faith to us. She reminds us that whoever we are and whatever we are facing in life, we can cry out to Jesus for help, trusting He will answer. What request do you need to bring to the feet of Jesus in faith?
