Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!

Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she cried out after us." But he answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But he answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

- Matthew 15:21-28

In today's reading, Jesus is in the land of the Gentiles. We recall Matthew's orientation as a gospel primarily aimed at a Jewish audience. In the last reading (on Saturday), Jesus had gone to the other side of the lake (the Sea of Galilee) and to the land of Gennesaret. There he found great faith, such that the people there believed that all they had to do was touch the hem of his garment and be healed of sickness.

My study bible begins with a note on this entire passage: "This story, of a humble Gentile woman who is tested and then praised by Jesus for her faith, is mentioned also in Mark 7:24-30 but with two major differences: (1) Matthew says the lost sheep of the house of Israel (v. 24), while Mark says only, "Let the children be filled first." (2) In Matthew the woman is recorded as shouting, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David (v.22). The Jewish orientation of Matthew's version accounts for his concern to show Jesus as the Son of David, endowed with divine majesty even in his humanity."

Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she cried out after us." Jesus travels from Gennesaret (just northeast on the Sea of Galilee) to the region of Tyre and Sidon, further northeast on the coast - see map of the Decapolis at this time. As my study bible pointed out in the note quoted in the previous paragraph, this woman, although not a Jew, recognizes Jesus with a Jewish messianic title: "O Lord, Son of David." As a Gentile, she is drawn to this great Teacher she recognizes as the expected messiah of the Jews. In Saturday's reading, we also recall the story of Peter's attempt to walk on water toward Jesus - after Jesus signals him to try, saying, "Come." When Peter begins to sink, he cries, "Lord, save me!" This cry of the woman, "Have mercy on me," is the same cry. She needs help. She turns to him for that help. Not only does Jesus remain silent, but his disciples urge him to tell her to get away from them, for she is pestering them. This is a picture of prayer. We persist in asking, reminding, seeking a dialogue with God, with the divine. This is what this woman is doing.

But he answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." My study bible notes here: "Jesus' answer should not be understood as an insult, but as a way to reveal the treasure of the woman's faith. In her can be envisioned the future Gentile Church, the true Israel, coming to Christ." In a sense, this is very Middle or Near Eastern, this dialogue. He is, in a way, goading her, bringing out of her an answer - her reply. It is a test of faith through dialogue. Again, we come to our prayer life, which asks of us persistence - and an understanding of what we truly want and need via that need for persistence.

Then she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But he answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." My study bible notes, "The faith and humility of this woman are shown in that (1) Jesus' hesitancy was not enough to discourage her; (2) in her answer, she implies that she is a dog, and she calls the Jews masters." Again, this dialogue tests her faith. We note that the text tells us that she "worshiped him." Instead of walking away, as his disciples urged him to do, Jesus is goading her on, awaiting her answer. In this time, it would have been normal for this Jewish man not to even speak to a Gentile woman, even expected. Yet, he engages her, despite his disciples' request to repudiate her and send her away. Her answer reveals her strong wit, her intelligence, her persistence, and her faith. Of such are the disciples Jesus seeks for himself.

Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. It's not just that her persistence pays off - she also reveals her character. She has spirit in her persistence, alacrity, intelligence and wit. And she also has the truth firmly in her grasp and will not let go. She recognizes Jesus not only as the Jewish messiah, Son of David, but as the Lord she worships. She will not let him go without a fight. In the bible, this is always a positive indication of character, as in Jacob's wrestling with the angel for a blessing (as he was on his way to Canaan). To struggle with God in a positive sense is what happens in this dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. She also "wrestles her blessing" from Christ. This is done in faith, and it is a sign to us of our engagement with him, and what he asks for. To "wrestle with God" is to engage in dialogue and prayer. It is also in a sense, similar to the story of Job, who wants his day with God and will not give up in his struggle until that time. So we are also asked for persistence.

In 1 Corinthians, St. Paul writes: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." So, our struggle with God is similar. We know only in part. We seek to grow in faith. We know that there is a time when we shall "know fully" - even as we are fully known. To become a child of God by adoption, as in the story above, is to come to our identity, to find who we are in that relationship. The struggle of a prayer life, then, is a constant struggle for the blessing of knowledge "to know as we are known." We seek who we are in our prayer life. The Canaanite woman recognizes Jesus as the Messiah of the Jews, and yet she also declares she worships him as well, calls him Lord, and asks for his blessing -- in this case, the freedom of her daughter from demonic possession and enslavement. She wrestles with him, and comes to know his life, and find herself in that relationship, where she belongs. She is emblematic of the Gentile Church, that which is to come, she assumes identity through her struggle. Let us remember that to engage with God is a lifelong story, a struggle for understanding, to come to know as we are known by "the knower of hearts." As with any other relationship, we invest our time with persistence and patience in prayer, and to grow in love. He but awaits our struggle, according to this story, and we do so in faith.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)