| The Canaanite Woman |
Lenten Sermon
By Sub- Deacon Edwin Tompkins Good Shepherd, Belleville Illinois
Candidate for Holy Orders (Deaconate) April 29,2005
The Canaanite Woman
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight.
The Gospel reminds us that Christ came first to the Jews, then the Gentiles. But how few of the
Jews believes in Him especially among the religious authorities ”the priests, the scribes, and the
Pharisees. Where will God find laborers for his vineyards if the Chosen People will not come?
The term "Canaanite" is an Old Testament expression for the people who lived in the Holy Land
before the coming of the Hebrews. The Canaanites were guilty of such vile sins that God saw fit to
destroy most of them as is described in the Book of Joshua. St. Matthew is using this expression
to emphasize that this is a woman from outside the community of faith, and one who one would not
expect to share in our values and beliefs.
In the epistle, St. Paul warns us not to follow the practices of those outside the Church. We as
Christians need to keep ourselves spiritually clean. The "Canaanites" of our day encourage and
entice us to sin as they have always done, and we need to be on guard. "For God hath not called
us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." However, the woman of the Gospel is a most unusual
Canaanite.
She does not come to Christ for herself. She comes for her grievously ill daughter vexed with a
devil. The original Greek language of this passage indicates that this is one of the worst kinds of
possession. The fact that her daughter was possessed energized her sense of compassion in
seeking help from Jesus. Importantly, first, she confesses Him to be the Messiah. Her petition is
"Have mercy on me."
Doesn't it seem strange that Christ would rebuff her? So often we see Him accept the outcasts,
the children, and the forgotten that others would hold back. But Christ treated her in this way to
try her. What would we have done if Christ treated us in this way?
To the apostles' appeals, Christ answers that He has come but for the lost sheep of the House of
Israel. In the Apostles' defense, in the Greek of this text, it is clear that they hoped Jesus would
help her so that she would leave them in peace.
Finally, he rebuffs her with, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs."
Here is the strength of her faith and resolution, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from the master's table." In her eyes there must be hope” especially when the "children" are
careless and unthinking.
The Lord said, "O Woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee as thou wilt," and her daughter was
"made whole" from that hour. A miracle is
bestowed on an outsider who came with a faith unlooked for.
Like her, have you had moments when your prayers were seemingly left
unanswered? Perhaps you have experienced a life's dream taken from you. Perhaps a sickness
or pain lingers on. Maybe a loved one has made a poor life decision and hasn't been able to turn
from a course of destruction. Perhaps someone dear to you has been utterly lost despite your
strongest prayers. The Canaanite woman is a model for us in this. When it seemed her prayers
would not be answered, what did she do? She persevered. She did not lose heart when those
around her tried to discourage her. When faced with a direct answer from God that seemed bitter
and unresponsive, she did not turn and leave. She accepted the truth that God had offered but
asked for His compassion to turn what might have proved to be a curse into a blessing.
The Canaanite woman has left us too with a model of humility and patience. We are reminded of
her every time we hear the words of the prayer in the Holy Communion service. "We do not
presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy
manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy
Table. But thou are the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy:"
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit . Amen
By Sub- Deacon Edwin Tompkins Good Shepherd, Belleville Illinois
Candidate for Holy Orders (Deaconate) April 29,2005
The Canaanite Woman
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight.
The Gospel reminds us that Christ came first to the Jews, then the Gentiles. But how few of the
Jews believes in Him especially among the religious authorities ”the priests, the scribes, and the
Pharisees. Where will God find laborers for his vineyards if the Chosen People will not come?
The term "Canaanite" is an Old Testament expression for the people who lived in the Holy Land
before the coming of the Hebrews. The Canaanites were guilty of such vile sins that God saw fit to
destroy most of them as is described in the Book of Joshua. St. Matthew is using this expression
to emphasize that this is a woman from outside the community of faith, and one who one would not
expect to share in our values and beliefs.
In the epistle, St. Paul warns us not to follow the practices of those outside the Church. We as
Christians need to keep ourselves spiritually clean. The "Canaanites" of our day encourage and
entice us to sin as they have always done, and we need to be on guard. "For God hath not called
us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." However, the woman of the Gospel is a most unusual
Canaanite.
She does not come to Christ for herself. She comes for her grievously ill daughter vexed with a
devil. The original Greek language of this passage indicates that this is one of the worst kinds of
possession. The fact that her daughter was possessed energized her sense of compassion in
seeking help from Jesus. Importantly, first, she confesses Him to be the Messiah. Her petition is
"Have mercy on me."
Doesn't it seem strange that Christ would rebuff her? So often we see Him accept the outcasts,
the children, and the forgotten that others would hold back. But Christ treated her in this way to
try her. What would we have done if Christ treated us in this way?
To the apostles' appeals, Christ answers that He has come but for the lost sheep of the House of
Israel. In the Apostles' defense, in the Greek of this text, it is clear that they hoped Jesus would
help her so that she would leave them in peace.
Finally, he rebuffs her with, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs."
Here is the strength of her faith and resolution, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from the master's table." In her eyes there must be hope” especially when the "children" are
careless and unthinking.
The Lord said, "O Woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee as thou wilt," and her daughter was
"made whole" from that hour. A miracle is
bestowed on an outsider who came with a faith unlooked for.
Like her, have you had moments when your prayers were seemingly left
unanswered? Perhaps you have experienced a life's dream taken from you. Perhaps a sickness
or pain lingers on. Maybe a loved one has made a poor life decision and hasn't been able to turn
from a course of destruction. Perhaps someone dear to you has been utterly lost despite your
strongest prayers. The Canaanite woman is a model for us in this. When it seemed her prayers
would not be answered, what did she do? She persevered. She did not lose heart when those
around her tried to discourage her. When faced with a direct answer from God that seemed bitter
and unresponsive, she did not turn and leave. She accepted the truth that God had offered but
asked for His compassion to turn what might have proved to be a curse into a blessing.
The Canaanite woman has left us too with a model of humility and patience. We are reminded of
her every time we hear the words of the prayer in the Holy Communion service. "We do not
presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy
manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy
Table. But thou are the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy:"
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit . Amen
| The Question of Sudan |