SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
(Reminiscere)
Readings:
Key Verses (using the World English Bible):
1 Thes. 4:1: “We beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.”
Matt. 15:25-26: “[The Canaanite woman] came and worshiped [Jesus], saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ But he answered, ‘It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’”
Reflection
Historically, Christianity has confessed a Savior that is simultaneously both human and divine, an expression of faith from which most of modern Christianity descends. It’s certainly the ‘symbol’ of faith I profess—and I take advantage of both churchly and secular connotations of the word—and it’s the lens through which I write this blog. But, in the spirit of Lenten honesty and confession, let’s all be real about something. Most of us probably only rarely think of Jesus as ‘human’. Sure, we depict him in human form, and we imagine he actually experienced hunger, thirst, and even pain as on the cross. But they say that “to err is human”, and I daresay that being wrong is the one thing most of us can’t imagine Jesus ever doing.
And that’s precisely why I like today’s Gospel reading because that’s exactly what it shows: Jesus at his most human.
As Jesus and his disciples are on the road, a Canaanite woman cries out for him, imploring his mercy for herself, and his healing for her demon-possessed daughter. ‘Canaanite’ may not mean much to us today, but ancient Judeans would’ve quickly associated her with paganism, idolatry, and sin. Her land was the Promised Land, to which God had led the ancient Israelites, commanding them to expel and expunge its inhabitants from that territory. Jesus and his disciples therefore act accordingly—they ignore her at first, and ask that she be sent away. When that doesn’t work, Jesus tries to get rid of her by saying that his mission is only for Israel, avoiding the fact that Israel’s mission once directly involved the Canaanite people.
What’s most striking to me, though, is how she persists without showing a hint of offense. She knows that Jesus descends from those who once occupied and ethnically cleansed her land—she calls him “Son of David”, after all—but she chases after him anyway. Maybe she’s desperate because she loves her daughter so much. Maybe she doesn’t blame contemporary Judeans for what their ancestors did. At any rate, she kneels before him and says simply, “Lord, help me.” Jesus’ response is harsh: he can’t take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. Which one is which is quite clear, and if he’s calling this woman a dog—well, I’ll leave it at that. Again, she shows no offense. One might even say she turns the other cheek. Maybe she is a dog, she suggests, but even so, she’s not asking for much, only to eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.
This is where I think Jesus learned something. And I think he learned that he was wrong. He was wrong for judging her harshly, the same way he already knew he would soon be judged during his last week on earth. He was wrong for ignoring her and trying to abandon her, the same way his followers would soon ignore and abandon him. He was wrong for thinking that his mission was only for Israel, for his arms would soon be outstretched upon the cross in order to encompass all peoples. The written word cannot capture spoken tone, which is why, when Jesus says to her, “Woman, great is your faith!”, some Christian scholars conclude that this had all just been a set-up to test her faith. But I hear gratitude in his voice: “Thank you! Thank you for teaching and encouraging me; for reminding me of who I am, and what I came to do!”
I like the idea of a Jesus that can be wrong; a Jesus that can learn a lesson. The idea is not as foreign as one would think; Luke records that, as a child, “Jesus increased in wisdom”. And for me, there’s no other way that Jesus can be both fully divine and also fully human. Learning we can be wrong, and trying to make amends, is one of the most human experiences we can have. Reading the story this way encourages my faith because it makes Jesus more accessible to my own flawed human nature. In this story, he expressed irritation, superiority, and even prejudice, just like all of us have.
But, as the Letter to the Hebrews puts it, he was “in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin”. The Christian claim is that he ultimately never gave in to temptation. He, who was able to err because of his fully human nature, was able always to make complete restitution because of his fully divine nature. That’s something that none of us, who are only human, can ever do. That’s why I think this interpretation honors, not attacks, the historic faith because it underscores our total need for God’s help whenever we fall into sin and error.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God,
you see that we have no power in ourselves
to help ourselves.
Keep us both outwardly in our bodies,
and inwardly in our souls,
that we may be defended from all adversities
which may happen to the body,
and from all evil thoughts
which may assault and hurt the soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
—Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, 1662
Merciful God,
grant that we, with ready minds,
may ever entreat and appease you
and, pursuing the forgiveness of sins,
may be freed from all harmful assaults;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
—Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent, Gelasian Sacramentary, 5th century; adapted translation from Latin by Joseph A. Soltero
Hymn: “The glory of these forty days”
(Words: 6th century Latin, ‘Clarum decus jejunii’; translated to English by Maurice F. Bell, 1862-1947; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015
Tune: ‘Erhalt uns, Herr’, melody from Geistliche Lieder, 1543)
The glory of these forty days
We celebrate with songs of praise,
For Christ, through whom all things were made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.
Alone and fasting, Moses saw
The loving God who gave the law,
And to Elijah, fasting, came
The steeds and chariots of flame.
So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
Delivered from the lions’ might,
And John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became
The herald of Messiah’s name.
Then grant, O Lord, that, like them, we
With you in fast and prayer may be.
Our spirits strengthen with your grace,
And give us joy to see your face.
O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
To you be every prayer addressed,
Who are in threefold Name adored,
From age to age, one only Lord.
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