The topic may seem petty to us, though in these Covid days, we would be agreeing with the Pharisees that hand washing should indeed be a priority! But the debate is highly significant, as Jesus and the Pharisees are really defining boundaries in regard to who belongs in the kingdom, and who is excluded.
Jesus refuses to agree that following tradition means being obedience to the will of God, roundly stating that what feeling and thoughts you have in your heart are what is important . So whilst the Pharisees in this gospel follow the law and traditions of their faith, this does not mean they follow what God requires in a faithful person. Motivations are important, says Jesus, and traditions can be very self-serving. Selfishness, love of status and disdain for others cannot be concealed by an external gloss of righteousness, despite the Pharisees’ claim.
But Jesus himself is about to be put to the test here. As he heads towards Tyre and Sidon, he is accosted by a lone woman seeking healing for her demon-possessed daughter. Matthew alters Mark’s gospel here, designating her as a Canaanite, a race that inspired Jewish scorn. Jesus’ first reaction is to follow the social mores of his day, and not only tells her he has come to serve only Israel, but also suggests she is no more than a dog. The claims of the Jews are presented as superior to her own.
But this Canaanite woman, obviously familiar with Jewish stories (she has previously addressed Jesus as Son of David) is also wise. Already emulating Lady Wisdom of Proverbs by being a loud woman shouting for justice in the public roads, she backs this up by pointing out while she might be a dog, she is still entitled to the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. Her retort is clever and funny and true and wise.
And Jesus knows it. He suddenly finds himself in a position where, faced with this challenge, he has to make a choice. Does he stick with the tradition, thereby putting himself in the same position of hypocrisy that the he has just accused the Pharisees of, or does he admit to himself that he needs to put his money where his mouth is and acknowledge that the woman is right in the truth she is proclaiming? There is no choice really, and Jesus pronounces the faith of the Canaanite woman to be great, while instantly healing her daughter. This wise and believing Canaanite woman has caused Jesus himself to transform his thinking and to share the benefits of the messianic age with her.
If the Messiah can allow himself to be corrected and transformed, surely this gives us great hope. Imagine what our world would look like if we emulated this self-reflective behaviour and acted on it. We could transform our world, and change learnt and potentially harmful responses that perpetuate resentment and hatred to stories of grace. Jesus, with his final acceptance of the woman and his gift of healing, has set aside the learnt conventions of ethnic hatred. By doing so, he invites all us also to do the same.
The illustration is a painting by Sadao Watanabe "New Testament Jesus and the Canaanite Woman"
