The Syro-Phoenican woman Swayfield 15-03-2025
Story: The Cathedral in Freiburg (in Breisgau), Germany had recently installed new magnificent Gottfried Silberman Organ, that took three years to build (1711 to 1714).
The Old Cathedral Organist, on retirement had been made Custodian of the Organ.
One day, a well dressed young man /came up to the Custodian and asked /if he could play the Organ.
The Custodian looked at him and said.
“No, no one except the present organist and me has ever touched the keys to play the Organ and I am not about to make an exception”
For he didn’t think the young man could seriously play.
But the young stranger pestered him and finally the Custodian let him play - thinking he wouldn’t play for very long.
But to the Custodian's surprise, the young man's fingers danced over the keyboard in a way that the Custodian had never heard before.
The stranger played on and on. The Custodian was spellbound.
When the stranger got up to leave, the Custodian could not contain himself and said "Who are you - what is your name??"
As the young man slowly walked away, he turned and said
"My name is Felix Mendelsohn."
The Custodian gasped.
He said to himself, " I almost did not let the master play." The Custodian had almost let his prejudice get the better of him. (Word Press "Meeting in the Clouds" with thanks)
We all have prejudices which we need to overcome.
Have you ever wondered why St Matthew included this story about Jesus in his Gospel?
Because I would suggest it deals with Jewish Prejudice
As you may know the first century Jews used to refer to non- Jews as Gentile dogs.
And it used to grate me when I first of Jesus saying to the Canaanite woman
"It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
But I don’t think that this is the central message of the story and so I’d like to park that for now
Rather I would like to dig further behind the story. I’d like to ask the question
WHY did Matthew include this story in this Gospel.
To find the answer, we need to look at the context of the story within the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
The whole of Matthew Chapter 15 goes to the subject of what is and what is not unclean.
1. What is unclean (Mt 15. 1-20)
The chapter opens with the Pharisees attacking Jesus because his disciples don’t adhere strictly to the letter of their man made laws.
They said to Jesus:
“Why do your disciples break the traditions of the elders. They don’t wash their hands before they eat”
Getting to the heart of their question , Jesus replies by saying that
“What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " (v.11).
2. Who is Unclean (Mt 15.21-29)
Jesus then goes on to reinforce his teaching by interacting with a person the Pharisees would consider unclean – a Gentile woman.
In the story of the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter – Jesus shows compassion to the needs of an “unclean” person thereby DIGNIFYING her.
3.Who cares for the unclean (Mt 15.30-39)
Jesus shows his care for the unclean by feeding them.
Mt 15 ends with the feeding of the four thousand Gentiles (again people the Jews would consider unclean) – and we read that seven baskets of leftovers picked up afterwards (v37).
Unlike the feeding of the five thousand in the previous chapter who were Jews – the four thousand who are fed are Gentiles.
The seven baskets compares to the twelve baskets that were leftover at the feeding of the five thousand in the previous chapter. (Mt 14: 13-21).
The significance of 12 baskets. The 12 tribes of Israel
Seven is a godly number suggesting to me that this symbolises that the Gentiles are no longer unclean.
We read in the book of Revelation in Chapters 1-3 that Jesus speaks to seven churches of Asia.
We also see in Revelation Chapter 6.1 the Seven Seals on the book of Life that need opening.
And in Revelation 8.1-6 the seven angels who bring judgement on the earth and their seven trumpets
The feeding of the four thousand Gentile men is one of the stories that also appears in St Mark’s Gospel and so what can we glean from the parallel passage in St Mark’s Gospel (Mk 7:31).
Here we read that Jesus was in the region of the Decapolis – a group of ten independently governed Greek cities in the Transjordan region when he performed this miracle.
The key to understanding the stories of Jesus in Mt 15 is that the Gospel is available NOT ONLY to God’s chosen people – the Jews - but also to us Gentiles too.
And this reminds us that NO –ONE is beyond the pale in God’s eyes.
The Gospel is not just for a select body of fine upright men and women.
Rather the story of the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter REMINDS us that the Kingdom of God is available for the ”riff raff” too.
I’d like to end my thoughts on this story today by coming back to that part of the story that often grated when Jesus said:.
"It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
Jesus knew that his primary mission AT THAT TIME was to take the Gospel to the Jewish people – and if he hadn’t been singleminded – he would never have achieved that goal which his Heavenly Father had set him.
And I wonder if we see Jesus struggling with his calling when the Canaanite woman comes to him.
He says in verse 24:
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”
But in Greek there is no punctuation and so it has to be inferred
Michael Green in his commentary “The Message of Matthew ” suggests that the same passage
might also be translated as
“Was I sent only to the lost sheep of Israel?”
Which puts a completely different complexion on the story
And Michael Green goes on to suggest that Jesus continues to muse by saying
“Is it fair to take the children’s bread and give it to the pups” ( v.26)
(Again using different punctuation)
And immediately, brilliantly the Syro Phoenican woman picks up the half derogatory, half affectionate description.
(The Greek word Kyn-aria here translated as “dogs really means “puppies”).
And she comes out with a reply full of humour and faith
“Yes, Lord even the pups eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (v.27) Michael Green –The Message of Matthew p. 172-173)
Look at her response, which Jesus so highly commends.
1. It is interesting to note that she doesn’t take offence. I certainly would have/ in her position
2. She doesn’t say “Who do you think you are Jesus - making such derogatory references about my people and me”
3. She doesn’t argue that her claims are as good as anyone else’s.
4. She doesn’t throw down the gauntlet by arguing about whether a Jew is better than a Gentile.
5. She doesn’t question the purpose of God in which he chose the Jewish nation as his special people.
All that she knows is that her daughter is in a terrible condition and that she needs help.
“Yes, Lord even the pups eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”
Even the puppies are part of the family!
In essence, she is saying that - although she recognises that Jesus’ mission for that present moment of time was to provide for the “children” – ie the Jews - surely there must be some scraps left over for a Gentile “puppy”.
Jesus reply sums it up “Lady, you have great faith! Your request is granted” (v. 28).
Perhaps the real lesson of the story of the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter is that we must approach Jesus with humility in our prayers.
We need to bring him our problems and concerns humbly rather than imperiously tell HIM WHAT HE HAS TO DO FOR US
