I recall years ago listening to a webcast conference themed “Everything Belongs,” when, one of the presenters told of an event that happened immediately after his last presentation. Someone in the audience approached him and explained how he felt that the presenter had “demonized” a particular political figure during the course of his talk. The presenter told the conference attendees how much he appreciated being “called out” on this, and admitted how he had fallen into the tempting trap of cheap humor that does not build up but in fact tears down. The presenter in humility accepted responsibility for doing this and apologized to the crowd. He also went on to speak some on how easy it is to draw up an “us and them” scenario, especially when others’ thinking and actions seem so diametrically opposed to ours. And so the conference on “Everything Belongs” continued.
I have a good deal of respect for both the man who pointed this out to the presenter as well as the presenter’s humble responsibility and apology. In a way, all of us had been “indicted” by our laughter at the joke that “demonized” this particular political person. It’s that checkpoint of consciousness to which we must be alert so that we can interrupt the pattern of exclusion, rather than disguising it in our own “justified” environment.
In Matthew’s Gospel today (MT 15: 21-28), we have the somewhat off-putting scene where Jesus almost appears to be exclusive. A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and asks him to cure her daughter. In fact, she says…
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
Jesus initially ignores her request and if fact seems to ignore her completely. The disciples try to get rid of the woman, despite her persistence, when Jesus finally answers by pointing up the seeming distinction of the woman – she is not “of the house of Israel.” Despite this response, she persists in her request for help and then the somewhat shocking dialogue is heard…
“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
Wow! A “dog?” Really!? Some scriptural scholars have indicated that the reference is tied to the idea of a dog as the pet of a child. Even so, this is clearly not a complement. So there you have it – Jesus is human. As in all the stories, Jesus is IN the story actively engaging, not standing on the outside judging. Could he here be actively showing us how we respond when confronted with not only someone who is different than us, but someone different, who is in need of something from us, or perhaps more specifically, in need of US period? What a powerful demonstration of the comfortable walls we can erect to protect an “identity” that sets us apart from others.
This is one of those times in the Gospel stories where the persistence of the one asking for something seems to be that which transforms the environment. And Jesus embraces this undeniably authentic expression of strong faith. Jesus and the disciples here are confronted clearly with the Gospel message from “the outside” so to speak. This woman from the outside… from people who were not faithful to Yahweh, and in fact were considered enemies of the Jewish people… is stepping out and forward in her desperate need for healing and relationship. The demon of ignorant rigidity is formidable but not invincible!
“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Almost as if Jesus is recognizing Himself here, He is also inviting us to recognize HIM… in this woman. She has “got it.” She understands what is at stake if we don’t reach out…EVERTHING! The “demon” in her daughter is banished by the woman’s persistent courage in faith. This relationship (or relatedness) is all important because it not only heals the woman but it has within itself the capacity to transform the hearts and minds of those she is engaging.
The powerful beauty of this Gospel story is that Jesus is fully engaged in the field of humanity. And in His humanity, He reveals the divinity that lies dormant within our humanity. He responds and accepts this woman’s appeal and in the process hearts are healed in the creation of transformed space.
Reflecting on the conference presenter who through inappropriate humor “demonized” someone, it occurs to me that recognizing and embracing the “other,” or someone from the “outside,” does not have anything to do with agreement. We can disagree about issues and interpretations and if we are authentic, we can name them for each other so that we can look at them together. I don’t pretend that this is an easy task, especially when well-galvanized egos are in play. I do believe, however, that we meet each other when we begin to realize that Christ is constantly coming to us from the “outside” – from difference, from others- namely to reveal the great illusion of the “outside.” It’s just something we hold onto for identity and security. There is no “outside,” but Jesus, the Christ, is always coming to us through our illusion of who or what is “outside” or apart from us. And His coming is always in Love…Always!
The “outside” suddenly is seen and experienced as the merciful “inside,” which is an environment of openness, response-ability, commitment, persistence, courage and patience. The Christ story continues on when we allow it to break through in such a way that the scraps can’t fall from the table to feed those “below,” because the table’s legs have been broken, so that the space of peace and healing is shared without the illusion of separateness. We find God’s persistent favor in a desert of age-old mercy that has the capacity to restore, rebuild and connect!
Peace
Thomas
(originally published August 3, 2016)