I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. 

 

- Matthew 15:29–39 

 

 Yesterday we read that, following a dispute with Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, 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 cries 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.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.   Christ's healing of the multitudes, according to my study Bible, shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman in our reading from yesterday (see above).  According to commentary of St. John Chrysostom, Christ healed that woman's daughter "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delayed with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."

 

  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.   This second feeding of a multitude is not to be confused with the first (see Friday's reading), for they are two distinct miracles, my study Bible comments.  In the following chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, it is reported that Jesus chastised the disciples, with reference to the two miracles (Matthew 16:8-10).  My study Bible says that the variance is the number of loaves is significant.  In the first feeding of five thousand, there were five loaves, which symbolizes the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament Scriptures, or Torah).  In today's reading there are seven.  Seven is symbolic of completeness or fullness; here it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first feeding miracle, Jesus reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law; here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  My study Bible also asks us to note that these crowds had been with Christ for three days, which is the number of days He will rest in the tomb.  Participation in Christ's perfect, it notes, can only come through being united to Christ's death (see Romans 6:3-5).  

 

 Jesus now meets another circumstance with a miraculous feeding in the wilderness.  Clearly these are understood as two separate events, as my study Bible has pointed out.  But we might ask ourselves why:  why the two distinct miracles?  My study has already cited commentary regarding the differences in the numbers, particularly the seven loaves in this story as opposed to the five in the first feeding miracle.  Seven, it notes, is a number of completeness, of fullness.  In the symbolism of the Bible, it helps to understand the Greek word τελος/telos, usually defined as meaning "end."  But this word means much more than that; it signifies fullness of purpose, something fully played out and manifest.  Therefore it doesn't describe an end so much as it describes the fullness of a plan and its complete fruition.  This is how we should think of the "fullness" of number seven in the seven loaves, and the spiritual perfection my study Bible describes.  There will be no further Messiah, no greater Savior, for the One is here, and it is He who multiplies the loaves and the fishes to feed a multitude.  Not once, but twice, for now something else has happened in between, and that something is found in yesterday's reading, when a Gentile woman, justified by her faith, becomes the recipient of the grace of Christ to heal her severely demon-possessed daughter.  We could also take a look at the number four thousand, and associate it with historical liturgical services of prayer for the world, which bless the four corners of the earth, the four directions, indicating the fullness of the world and all it contains.  (See this example from the Armenian Apostolic Church.)  In the Eastern Orthodox Church, such a liturgical service takes place to commemorate the Elevation of the Holy Cross; it includes a blessing of the four directions of the earth with Cross, affirming the universal nature of Christ's salvation, belonging not just to the world but to the entire created order, the cosmos (κοσμος).  In feeding the four thousand, then, we see the number four symbolically multiplied to indicate the fullness of all that is, and all creatures in existence, all people for all time.  This is the reality of the spiritual perfection offered by Christ, for it is offered for all, even to those souls in Hades who awaited the good news of His gospel.  Four thousand, in light of this symbolic understanding, becomes uncountable, containing all and for all.  Today we live in a world connected through networks to all corners of the world through telecommunications of all kinds.  We have universal organizations which seek to bridge the entire world, and popular concerns, cares, and institutional drives that address problems that face the whole world, such as concerns over pollution, for example.  But let us consider that we have been given a Savior, who came into the world to give His flesh "for the life of the world" and that this universal meaning of the Cross with its four corners is our very symbol for the world He seeks to save; that is, indeed, for the life of the world.   As in the previous feeding in the wilderness, this feeding of the four thousand once again affirms and prefigures the Eucharist to come, with His flesh, the Cross, and Christ's identity as Savior all tied in together, all these elements in His saving mission for all of us.  When we consider the problems of the world, let us pray also to the One who came to save us all, to help us find our way to Him, and for the life of the world once and for all.  For that is a gift that will always be repeating and multiplying, as only God can do.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table

 

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 cries 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 

 

Yesterday we read that scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the  mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

 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."  My study Bible begins with a commentary on today's reading, explaining that this story of Christ's ministry to this Gentile woman illustrates the Jewish orientation of Matthew's Gospel.  This story is also told in St. Mark's Gospel (Mark 7:24-30).  However, there are two significant differences.  First, St. Matthew here records Christ's words regarding the lost sheep of the house of Israel (while St. Mark does not), and St. Matthew reports this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah (while St. Mark does not).  Christ has gone to Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region, not in order to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees (see His conflict with them in yesterday's reading, above).  This is confirmed in the version which appears in St. Mark's Gospel, where it's noted that Jesus "wanted no one to know" He was there (Mark 7:24), and here where Christ says He was only sent to the house of Israel.  Here also it's noted by my study Bible that this woman shows immeasurable love; she identifies so strongly with her daughter's suffering that she tells Jesus, "Have mercy on me."  She sees her daughter's well-being as her own, and her daughter's sufferings as her own.

 

But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries 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!" My study Bible comments that Christ refuses to answer her, not simply because she is a Gentile and Christ's ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews, but in so doing He also reveals her profound faith and love.  Several Church Fathers see the disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter, as if to say, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response, my study Bible says, confirms that this interpretation is correct, because He again refuses to heal her daughter, prolonging the encounter and His interaction with her.

 

 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.  Jesus has evoked this woman's love and her persistent faith through His responses; now He reveals her humility, my study Bible comments.  She accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in the grace of God.  Christ's hesitancy is not a lack of compassion, my study Bible explains, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples and also for her own sake.  Her ultimate acceptance by Jesus points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs, but rather as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

 

At first we may be both stunned and offended at the way Christ responds to this Gentile woman.  We in the West in the modern world are used to a plurality of religious faiths living amongst us and entitled under our Constitutions and legal systems.  This often leads to a secular perspective, divorced from faith, that proclaims that all religions are the same.  But faith asks us for values, and it asks us for relatedness to God (or gods, as the case may be).  Faith asks us most especially for relatedness between persons, not just concepts or abstract ideas.  And this is particularly true of Christianity, for our faith is in the Lord who came to us as one of us, and had this encounter described in today's reading with the Gentile woman.  So, when Jesus says, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He's speaking of the realities of spiritual history, and of the God of Israel who sent Him to reclaim the "lost sheep," and to offer salvation to those who already know and officially worship the God we know (and they know) from the Old Testament Scriptures.  Of course, the increasing hostility of the religious leadership (such as the scribes and Pharisees who've begun disputing with Him and whom He seeks to escape by going to Tyre and Sidon in today's reading), and the fearful notice of Herod Antipas, are factors that are leading somewhere; they lead toward the Cross, and the Cross will draw all toward Christ.  But today's reading teaches us the important things mentioned by my study Bible, despite the fact that this woman is not a Jew.  But she clearly knew the religion of the Jews, for she calls Jesus by a messianic title, "Son of David."  She also calls Him "Lord."  St. Hilary of Poitiers comments on this passage that she was likely a proselyte, of foreign origin, but seeking the religion of the Jews.  However, the demonic possession of her daughter indicates the working and presence of the demonic spirits associated with the pagan religions of Canaan, and it is her daughter for whom she seeks help.  The demonic possession is likely connected to pagan ritual practices of the time.  Thus it is the woman's faith in Christ, "Son of David," taking bold steps to try to save her daughter who has become severely demon-possessed through pagan idol worship.  This puts us in the framework of Christ's delay and drawing out of this woman's faith, compassion for her daughter, and humility before Christ.  Her boldness also paves the way for the eventual opening up of the Church to the Gentiles, those who will come from the pagan world to faith in Christ, such as Cornelius.  In this sense, all of us who come from formerly pagan historical peoples and embrace Christianity owe a great deal to this woman, who so perfectly answered Christ and had such faith in Him.  For the little crumbs which fell to her have become the stuff of life for all the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me. 

And in vain they worship Me, 

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the  mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1-20 

 

On Saturday we read that, following His feeding of five thousand men, and more women and children, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the son of God."  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

  Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"   When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the  mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  My study Bible explains that the tradition of the elders is a reference to the interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  Jesus refutes their views that ritual purity depends on outward actions.  Instead, it is the state of the heart that determines a person's purity.  Here also, Jesus shows that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by people's religious traditions. Devotion to God includes both obedience to God's commandments and service to others -- and these two things cannot be separated (see also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21).   

 

In today's reading, Jesus yet again emphasizes the state of the heart as the true state of a person, the place upon which we're judged.  But there is more to it than this simple statement.  The state of the heart is responsible for what comes out of the mouth, for the things we say, and thereby the evil things upon which we'll be judged.  Jesus gives examples, saying, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."   This is why, in Christian practice and history, what's called the "guarding of the heart" (Proverbs 4:23) has been so significant.  In this sense, the inner life and the works we do are connected, but it is the guarding of the heart -- that is, an awareness of what we are doing and thinking, and taking steps to notice and to correct habits internal to us which put us in a bad place -- that ensures salvation, and a life lived on Christ's terms.  This is by no means the first time Jesus has addressed the connection between the reality of the heart and the ways we express ourselves, and what that has to do with judgment.  In the Sermon on the Mount, He equated the statute against murder with the effects of name-calling (Matthew 5:21-26).  He spoke of the statute against adultery and tied it to lust in the heart (Matthew 5:27-30).  He also forbade the swearing of oaths, emphasizing, "Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No" be "No" (Matthew 5:33-37).  In chapter 12 of St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of casting out demons by the power of Satan. He said to them, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:33-37).   Again, the emphasis is on our language, what proceeds out of the mouth, as Jesus says in today's reading, and in particular how that is connected to the state of the heart.  We could compare today's reading to the habits people are very proud of mastering in today's world, such as fasting, and in particular weight loss.  We also observe many who feel they are helping the world and preventing cruelty to animals through vegan and vegetarian diets.  In many religious traditions, regulation of diet plays a role.  This remains true in Christianity particularly for Orthodox Christians, for whom vegan or semi-vegan fasting days officially form roughly half the days of the year on the Church calendar.  But as Christians, we're not called to follow rules legalistically; fasting is a practice "remember God" and to learn and apply self-discipline to all areas of our lives, including the guarding of the heart, how we treat others, and especially that which proceeds out of our mouths, to paraphrase Jesus.  It's important that we note Christ's condemnation of hypocrisy, for there are ways of showing things outwardly that mask the reality of the heart, as the quotation from Isaiah in today's reading indicates (Isaiah 29:13-14).  Perhaps the great damage done by hypocrisy in the world is directly attributable to the failure to take these teachings of Christ seriously and apply them to our lives.  We might think for a few moments of the horrors done in the world in the name of progress, purporting to follow theories that were supposed to make countries better places, even the world a place of greater equality, democracy, justice -- all resulting in mass deaths in the millions over the past century or so.  Christ cites the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees in today's reading, and He will go on to scathingly condemn them throughout a whole chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel prior to His death on the Cross, which includes the disastrous conclusion for Jerusalem due to the failure of its religious leadership (see Matthew 23).  When life becomes a series of memes, repetition of slogans, and theories purporting new solutions to old problems, we open the door to a hypocritical front masking all kinds of unsavory motivations and will to power at any cost.  Let us consider the importance of the guarding of both our hearts and lips, the prudence that asks of us sincerity and purity of the heart as true goals in life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that, after an encounter with Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem, Jesus went out from there and departed to the Gentile 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 cries 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.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  My study Bible comments here that Christ's healing of the multitudes in this passage shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman in yesterday's reading, above.  According to St. John Chrysostom's commentary, Christ healed the Canaanite woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  My study Bible reminds us that this second feeding of a multitude should not be confused with the first (see this reading), as they are two distinct miracles.  There is a variance in the number of loaves that is symbolically significant.  In the first feeding of five thousand, there were five loaves which symbolize the Law (the Torah or Pentateuch, meaning "five books").  Here there are seven.  Seven is a number which symbolizes completeness or fullness, and here, it indicates spiritual perfection, according to my study Bible.  So, in the first feeding, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law, but here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  My study Bible also asks us to note that these crowds had been with Christ for three days, which is the number of days He will rest in the tomb.  It says that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to Christ's death (see Romans 6:3-5).  

In a certain way, we might view today's feeding of four thousand men (and more women and children) as a kind of comment on the expansion of the kingdom of God through Christ's ministry to the Gentiles.  Coming just after the report of Christ's encounter with the Canaanite woman in yesterday's reading, in some sense the symbolism of the numbers which my study Bible commented on affirms the fullness of this ministry going out to the whole world, the continuation and extension of Christ's saving mission toward not only "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," but also to Gentiles.  In this is the fullness commented on by my study Bible, and hidden in the symbolism of the seven loaves.  But there is also the number four thousand.  In the previous feeding miracle, there were not only five loaves, symbolizing the Law, but also five thousand men (and more women and children) fed.  This number five in this case may easily symbolize change:  a great change coming into the world, Christ's ministry bringing something entirely new and unknown in the Incarnation of the Son.  But four thousand has at its root the number four, symbolizing the four directions of the globe, and perhaps more importantly the four arms of the Cross; in this we can see Christ as Son of Man, Savior to the whole world, and not just to the Jews.  It reminds us what a tremendous breakthrough it is in terms of spiritual history and revelation that He is now understood as Messiah by Gentiles, and has extended His grace to Gentiles as well as Jews.  The God of Israel has acted now through grace to gather in all who will come by faith, Gentiles becoming thereby "sons of Abraham" by virtue of faith in the promise to Abraham.   As St. Paul writes, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).  Let us be grateful for the revelation of Christ.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table

 

 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 cries 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, "Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat  with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  In yesterday's reading (see above), we read that the scribes and Pharisees had come from Jerusalem, and began to criticize and question Christ regarding His disciples.  Here He has gone to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, a coastal area west and north of Galilee.  He has gone here not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees.  In Mark's Gospel, we read that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there (Mark 7:24).

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."  My study Bible comments here that this woman shows immeasurable love, in that she so identifies with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries to Jesus, "Have mercy on me."  This indicates that she sees her daughter's well-being as her own, and her daughter's sufferings as her own.

But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  My study Bible explains that Christ refuses to answer, not only because this woman is a Gentile, and, as He tells her, His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews.  But by refusing initially, He also reveals this woman's profound faith and love.  Several commentaries in patristic literature view the disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter, as if the disciples are saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response seems to tell us this interpretation is proper, because He again refuses to heal her daughter.  

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.   My study Bible notes that, as Christ has now evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, here He reveals her humility.  She accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  It says that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples and for her own sake.  My study Bible further notes that this woman's ultimate acceptance by Christ points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs ("outside" creatures), but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

I'm always struck by the word-play in this passage.  My study Bible notes for us on today's reading that it reveals the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.  As noted above, this story also appears in St. Mark's Gospel, but with two important differences.  First, Matthew writes of Christ's words regarding being sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel while Mark doesn't; and second, St. Matthew reports this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, while Mark does not.  In this context, Jesus tells the woman (after refusing her a couple of times, and noting He was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel), "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  Little dogs can be understood in various ways, one of which is potentially a deep insult.  But, we hesitate to note, "little dogs" means house dogs, puppies -- not the outside dogs so scorned in Middle Eastern cultures.  In that sense we can understand a kind of allusion to little puppies begging under the table while children eat their food, in the same way this woman is repeatedly and insistently begging for healing for her daughter!  (Anyone who knows what begging puppies under the table are like can understand this undeniable persistence!)  But this woman's persistence, alacrity, humility, and wit all play into the good graces of Jesus, and He praises her for her reply to Him.  She receives His rebukes not just with patience and persistence but even good humor, and gives Him a good response with an intelligence that shows she has grasped everything He told her, but is also figuring for herself how she can remain persistent for what she sees He offers as hope.  And this must be a model for us of what a good prayer is like, for all of this together is an attitude and response that is pleasing to our Lord.  When we have setbacks, and God seems to refuse us something we desire and feel we need, we could take a good page from this woman's book and consider where our humility, persistence, and intelligent reply might come into it.  It seems that the Gospels teach us that Jesus does not want merely obedient sheep, but also intelligent sheep capable of discerning for themselves and responding with faith.  For in this way our faith is made even stronger.  There is a similar example by St. Paul.  He writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  We don't know what his "thorn in the flesh" was exactly, but we see, like the woman, he has pleaded with the Lord three times about it.  The response he finally received was not what he desired, but his own wit, discernment, persistence, and humility has brought him to an illumined perspective and a deeper faith.  So it is also with this woman.  Let us consider our own seeming setbacks, when God seems to give us refusal or silence.  Let us think about how these qualities are those Christ desires, and how our own response and perception may be all the better for adapting them ourselves.  

Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat  with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1-20 

 

Yesterday we read that, immediately after feeding the five thousand in the wilderness, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.   

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."   My study Bible explains that the tradition of the elders is a reference to a body of interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  

He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."  Here Jesus cites one of the interpretations of the Law from the tradition of the elders, expressing a contradiction between the commandment of God and the tradition from oral interpretation.  He cites the fifth commandment in the Law (Exodus 20:12), which is contradicted in the practice of making a religious donation to the temple which would be realized after one's lifetime, but which meant one could use one's wealth for oneself, but not for others such as parents.  My study Bible comments that Christ shows here that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by human religious traditions.  It says that devotion to God includes both obedience to God's commandments and also service to others; in fact, these two cannot be separated (see also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21).  

"Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"   Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13.

 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat  with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  Here my study Bible says that Christ refutes the view of the Pharisees and scribes that ritual purity depends upon outward actions such as ceremonial washing ("Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread").   Rather, my study Bible points out, Jesus expresses that it is the state of the heart that determines a person's purity.  

 

 Jesus says, in His memorable way, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  As with so many of Christ's maxims, this is a simple but very effective and important saying to remember, which centers us immediately within an orientation toward what is pleasing to God.  If we are ever in doubt about where we are in the middle of some difficult circumstance or decision, a crisis involving others, this saying roots us right to the place where we're taught that we must take heed to our own condition, taking care of our own responsibility toward God.  First and foremost, we begin with the interior state of who we are and what we do by paying careful attention to our own actions, including our words.  This saying focuses right in on the acknowledgement that we can't "fix" or control what others do; but we can only take charge of ourselves.  And what Jesus makes clear is that we cannot really separate our inner self from the outward actions we do.  Sooner or later, whatever "cleanup" (such as ritual washing) we having done on the inside will take its effect on what we produce on the outside.  This is consistently reflected in many teachings of Jesus, such as in the Sermon on the Mount with its focus on the heart and our own predilections toward sinful behavior which we must deal with decisively (see, for example, Matthew 5:28-29).  We recall also Christ repeated teachings illustrating the same principle, in which He uses a tree and its condition determining what fruit it will bear:  "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (see Matthew 7:17-19; 12:33).  There are lots of ways we can focus on an outward appearance.  Let us first begin with ourselves and the inner life -- the sense that what comes out of our mouths is more important than what goes in.  For this is the discipline and awareness Christ asks of us in today's reading.  

So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out from the place where He disputed with the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, and departed too 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 cries 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.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing of the multitudes here shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman of yesterday's reading, above.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ healed the woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."  Let us also note that this outpouring of God's grace and power, manifesting in marvelous varieties of healing, is a kind of affirmation of Christ in the face of the scrutiny and criticisms of the religious leaders in Monday's reading.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  My study Bible comments that this second feeding of a multitude should not be confused with the first (see this reading), for they are two distinct miracles (see Matthew 16:8-10, in which Jesus refers to each).  There are distinctive differences in specific details.  My study Bible first suggests that the variance in the number of loaves is significant.  In the first instance, there were five loaves, which symbolize the Law, while here there are seven.  Seven is a symbol of completeness, and here indicates spiritual perfection.  So in the first feeding Christ revealed Himself as fulfilling the Law, while here in today's reading He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  Also, these crowds had been with Jesus for three days.  That is the number of days which He would rest in the tomb.  My study Bible comments that participation in His perfection can only come through being united to Christ's death (see Romans 6:3-5).  

Some comment that, as Jesus has gone to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon (for the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter in yesterday's reading), and in today's reading seems to be in a region of mixed populations, the healings and feeding in today's reading suggest the evolving understanding of spiritual perfection as belonging to all people, and that the salvation that is of the Jews (John 4:22) is destined for all the nations through Christ (Isaiah 49:6).  As mentioned above, we can also look at this outpouring of blessings and manifestations of God's power and activity in the world as a kind of affirmation or proof of Christ's ministry:  the flowering of such creativity and miracles -- both in healing and in feeding the people -- is an affirmation which manifests among the faithful.  But it will not be so for the religious leaders, whose blindness Jesus has recently commented on (in Monday's reading, He called them "the blind leaders of the blind").  It is an affirmation to us that the things which move us to our faith, which serve to dig us more deeply into our faith, which go unobserved and unnoticed by others, are nonetheless powerful and important.  So often it seems that the things that guide us to our own deepening faith are things to which others are impervious and imperceptive, and maybe that is just the way it's meant to be, the nature of the things of faith.  That certainly seems to be the story in the Gospels, where it is often only later in hindsight that people realize the value and power in the outcome of faith.  Even the disciples will be slow in understanding, such as the two who traveled on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  It is in the personal glimmers of insight that faith grows, and enlightenment of the heart that tinges the mind and brings about conviction and deeper understanding, and these things are often nearly impossible to explain.  Certainly to those who do not share the experience, communication of such is seemingly impossible.  So, at this stage of Christ's ministry, the beginnings of the attention and scrutiny of the establishment are beginning to bear down on Him, and to criticize His ministry.  Herod Antipas has begun to be afraid of Him and His powers (that He is, in fact, John the Baptist raised from the dead) -- see this reading.  The scribes and Pharisees have also come from Jerusalem to question and criticize (Monday's reading), and in tomorrow's reading they and those of their fellow ruling party in the Council (the Sadducees) will together begin to demand proofs from Jesus, "a sign from heaven."  But faith does not come from proofs on demand, nor does it entertain to choose to provide them.  Faith comes through quiet revelation, in secluded corners of sudden light, illuminations of the interior heart -- and not with gigantic spectacle.  For that, we await Christ's return which will only signal sudden judgment (Matthew 24:30-31).  But for those of faith, we must be content with what we understand that comes upon us in ways we can't calculate nor knowingly predict, for this is the way that faith works.  We can pray, and participate in worship, study the Scriptures, and strengthen our discipleship and encourage others, but that is all we can do to bring other people to faith, save to live in such a way as to glorify God (Matthew 5:16).    Let us be assured in our journeys of faith, and in the quiet strength we sometimes surprisingly receive (Nehemiah 8:10, also part of today's lectionary reading).

 

 

 

 

 

 

O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed too 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 cries 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"  When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

  Then Jesus went out from there and departed too 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.  After the confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem (recorded in yesterday's reading, above), Jesus withdraws to this Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  This Canaanite woman is a Gentile, as we'll clearly read in Christ's responses a little further along.  My study Bible notes that some elements of today's reading make clear the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.  One of those indications is here, in the messianic title with which this woman addresses Christ, Son of David, a Jewish term for the Messiah.  Additionally, my study Bible comments on her character, as she displays immeasurable love:  she identifies so strongly with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries, "Have mercy on me."  She sees her daughter's well-being as her own and her daughter's sufferings as her own.  Jesus refuses to answer, my study Bible comments, for two reasons.  First, because she is a Gentile; His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews.  Second, to reveal this woman's profound faith and love.  

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  In patristic commentary, there are those who see the disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter.  My study Bible explains this perspective as meaning to say, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response indicates that this is correct, as He again refuses to heal her daughter.  Jesus' claim, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" is yet another indication of the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel, for neither this saying nor her title for Jesus, Son of David, are found in Mark's version of the story (Mark 7:24-30).  St. Mark's Gospel, however, records that Jesus wanted no one to know that He was there.

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.  My study Bible comments that, having evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, Christ now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still wishes a share in God's grace.  Christ's hesitancy, therefore, was not a lack of compassion.  We should see it instead as a conscious means of revealing her virtues -- both for the disciples as well as for her sake.  Her ultimate acceptance by Christ points toward the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

Today's story from St. Matthew's Gospel is one more instance in which Christ cannot be hidden, and which teaches us that, even as He seeks to withdraw, His compassion is called upon and He responds with His power to heal an ailing humanity.  It is in these ways similar to the feeding of the five thousand men (and more women and children) who followed Him to a deserted place when He sought to withdraw once again from conflict with the authorities (in that instance, the attention of Herod Antipas).  In the latter case, they had followed Him and had nothing to eat when evening came.  Regarding today's story, St. Mark's Gospel tells us that He didn't want it known that He was there, as He'd withdrawn to this Gentile region in response to the criticism and conflict with the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem (see yesterday's reading, above).  But He cannot be hidden, even from this Gentile Canaanite woman who pleads with Him for the sake of her daughter, who is severely demon-possessed.  This is the first hint we get of something going on here we might not otherwise notice:  she's asking for help dealing with an "enemy power."  That is, she wants help in defeating the demons who afflict her daughter.  In calling Jesus Son of David, she is addressing One whom she recognizes as a Deliverer, a Savior.  As my study Bible pointed out, He tells her that He was only sent to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  But she nonetheless keeps pleading with Him.  And her humility is quite on display, as Jesus speaks of the puppies begging under the table for the children's food (we can imagine this image of her pestering insistence), and she responds without refuting what He says, but in acceptance, and smartly telling Him that "even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  For this persistence, acceptance, humility -- and what we can call her prayers to the Lord in pleading with Him -- she is rewarded as Jesus gives her high praise:  "O woman, great is your faith!"  We have to notice her quick wit, and consider that for all this she is made of the stuff that pleases Christ, as she won't let go of this great blessing of the Son of David in her midst.  What we find here is the creative power always on display in whatever circumstances where Christ is involved, and wherever He goes, even when He's trying to escape scrutiny.  Faith opens up pathways and new expression of God's power through Christ -- in this case, a surprising beginning at the hint of faith opening to the Gentiles.  It's important that, once again, we note Christ has one aim in mind in coming to this place, and something quite different unfolds as another opportunity for the power of God to manifest and be revealed.  For this is our Lord and the surprising reality of God that never stops opening for us, expressing creative power, finding a way through faith to give new expressions of God's activity in the world and through human beings, even those seemingly least likely.  Let us give thanks and praise. 

 

 

 

These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 

    'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

    And honor Me with their lips,

    But their heart is far from Me.

    And in vain they worship Me,

    Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1–20 

 

On Saturday we read that, immediately after the feeding in the wilderness, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  The tradition of the elders is a reference to the interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  Jesus will refute this charge by emphasizing the Law itself, and its intentions.

 

He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."  My study Bible emphasizes that Christ shows that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by human religious traditions.  Devotion to God includes both obedience to His commandments and also service to others; and these two cannot be separated (see also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21).  Jesus cites the commandments in the Law found at Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 21:17.  In Mark 7:1-23, this tradition is identified as the practice of offerings (called "Corban") which, according to my study Bible, could be promised to God in such a way that property could be promised to God in such a way that earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for anybody else, including one's parents.

 

Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13, which, as He says, describes the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees and their practices.  Here Jesus places emphasis on the state of the heart as that which determines a person's purity, which He will further elaborate in His teachings to the disciples that follow.

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."   Here Christ elaborates on the state of the heart, and how that affects what people do.  This is similar to His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, in which He emphasized those habits that begin in the heart, and build to outward actions such as murder, adultery, and other abuses (see Matthew 5:21-30).

 

So, if we follow Jesus carefully, He's asking us to take care that we understand our faith, and that in what we do we're not just following forms, but fulfilling the will of God.  He's telling the scribes and Pharisees that, despite the fact that they are the experts in the law, they are more concerned with the minutiae  of the traditions that have been built up around the Law rather than the aims of the Law itself.  Indeed, when Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees for their practice, He puts two elements of the Law together to make God's aims clear.  It is most definitely not acceptable to use tradition to create harmful outcomes for parents and for one's relationship and obligation to elderly parents.  This displays, on Jesus' part, a familiarity and knowledge of Scripture that those sticking to the letter of tradition are either dismissing or don't know for themselves.  Indeed, Jesus gives us a second quotation from Scripture, that of the Prophet Isaiah, that again teaches us what insightful reading of Scripture is about, as opposed to the rigid authoritarian enforcement of tradition expressed by the scribes and Pharisees in order to criticize Christ's disciples.  So Jesus gives us three quotations, two from the Law, and one from the Prophets, to illustrate what precisely is wrong with the way that the scribes and Pharisees are using their authority in expressing a perspective on what it means to be faithful to the God of Israel.  While the scribes and Pharisees cling to a very limited picture of what it means to be devout, Christ has a more telescopic understanding of the faith.  Of course, we would expect that if we understand who Christ truly is, and accept His identity as Son and Lord.  But in the context of the scribes and Pharisees, He is someone who has come to the notice of the public, attracted multitudes to His ministry, is now known for miraculous works and healings, and has followers they don't really approve of.  In terms of authority, He has none that is apparent to them:  He's not prominent in this sense and does not come from the high priestly classes, and He's not one of them -- and neither are His supporters for the most part.  Their criticism implies the disciples' not-so-prominent social class status, but Jesus takes up the challenge in defending them vigorously and thoroughly.  So what are we supposed to learn from this, and to take from this?  Certainly in our own lives we can see such dramas play out, when we can see "outsiders" put down for their lack of familiarity with certain traditions, or perhaps we may be faced with various other types of snobbery in our churches.  There will hopefully always be new people coming into a Church, and often they may have to deal with entering into a particular culture of the group that's already formed among the membership or a particular group of parishioners.  Such a problem will always seemingly be with us and among us and in our churches.  But let us consider that Jesus is teaching, in a broader context, the compassion and aims of the Law, and that we also know Him to be the Giver of the Law.  The Law -- as is exemplified in this problem of caring for elderly parents -- is meant to enshrine and build ways of right-relatedness within a society, among the people of God.  In this ultimate aim of the Law, and of Christ's Church, particular forms of observance like performing ablutions may have meaning, but they are no substitute for the depth of the heart in reaching toward God and God's goals for us, and what kind of people we are in the living out of our faith.  Let us consider the humble, whom Jesus loved and exalted, and let us consider the outsiders we may be tempted to exclude, for when we are at Church we are not in our own home or under our own rules.   We're in God's house, we're in Christ's home, and are expected to act as part of His Body, which includes caring for the other members.   If we're truly zealous for God, then we must be zealous for the things which Christ defends and preaches, and know His word as still informing us what we are to be about.  Let us endeavor to live it, with each new challenge that will come.