I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

 

 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 desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

- Matthew 15:21-28 

 

On Saturday 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 to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  My study Bible explains that today's story of ministry to a Gentile women from the region of Tyre and Sidon is an illustration of the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.   The same story of this encounter is found in Mark 7:24-30, but there are two major differences.  In St. Matthew's version here, he records Christ's words which concern the lost sheep of the house of Israel, while St. Mark does not.  Also, St. Matthew records this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, and St. Mark does not.  It says that Christ went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  This is confirmed in St. Mark's version, where it's noted that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there, and here where He says that He was only sent to the house of Israel.  

 

 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 that this woman shows immeasurable love, in that she so identifies with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries "Have mercy on me," as 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."   Christ refuses to answer, my study Bible notes, not only because she is a Gentile and His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews, but also to reveal her profound faith and love.  Several patristic accounts see this disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter -- as if they're saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."   My study Bible says that Jesus' response indicates that this interpretation is correct, as Jesus once more refuses to heal the 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 desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.  My study Bible comments that having evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, Jesus now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place after the Jews ("the lost sheep of the house of Israel"), who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  His hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples and for her own sake.  Moreover, her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as little dogs (puppies), but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

 

In a modern Western context, we might be offended and surprised at Christ's reluctance to help this woman.  But if that is true, it is because we are viewing it through a lens that is not appropriate to its place and time, nor even the aims of Christ.  Just as when we study a subject in school, advances in understanding come to those who are prepared to accept them, and who have a foundation through which to properly understand them.  So it is with Christ who has come "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for a reason and purpose.  The "house of Israel" is the one which has been prepared spiritually for the coming of Christ.  Indeed, if we look at the whole of the Holy Bible, we understand the New Testament to be the fulfillment of the Old.  Without that preparation of spiritual history under the old covenant, Christ could not be properly understood nor received with understanding.  Although of course, the gifts of Christ we understand come to all cultures and all peoples, indeed, expanding whatever is true and good and beautiful to be found in that culture.  But that does not erase the preparation and bedrock of Jewish spiritual history, the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures, the patriarchs from Abraham who was justified by faith, and all that we know from this history.  In the case of this individual woman, we observe her growth in the story.  That is, because of the difficulties which Christ gives to her, she grows into an understanding of Christ and acceptance of His mission.  She shows her humility (the most essential qualification and foundation for Christian virtues), she shows her patience and persistence, she shows her great love.  Most of all, she shows how much she really desires and values what Christ has to offer.  If we look at all of the parables of the kingdom of heaven which Christ has told in Matthew 13, we see the great emphasis on the cherished and priceless quality of Christ's gifts to us.  In our reading from Friday, it was observed that when the disciples were running into troubles and fears as they struggled to cross the sea, Jesus did not give them immediate relief nor lessen the conditions of difficulty -- but rather He added to them just before He announced His presence (walking on the water, they imagined He was a ghost!).  According to St. John Chrysostom, in this way Christ prepares His disciples to meet challenges, and even through difficulties to bear them with courage rather than seeking immediate relief.  This is perhaps one of the most perplexing ways to understand Christ from a certain modern perspective, but if we look at His life, if we look at the lives of the disciples, apostles, and saints, we find quite the opposite:  that this, indeed, is preparation for greater things for human beings, for the growth that we are capable of reaching and expressing.  So it is with this woman, for Christ -- through His challenges given to her -- in fact draws her out, bringing her virtues to the fullness of the encounter and granting her cherished grace.  Let us bear with patience and courage our own challenges, and understand that God's love works not to make things simple or easy, but to give us growth and courage, to expand beyond our old limits and into the greater potential we have in God's sight.  For this is God's always surprising love at work in us, and so often we may not understand it until we know it and grow through it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.  

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. 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 master's 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 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."  Likely because of His confrontation (in yesterday's reading, above) with the scribes and Pharisees who came from Jerusalem, Jesus travels to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  Here, a Gentile woman comes to Him, and using a Jewish title for the Messiah (Son of David) begs Him to heal her daughter.  There are a number of things going on in today's reading my study Bible asks us to note.  First of all, the character of the woman.  My study Bible comments that she shows immeasurable love:  she so identifies with the suffering of her daughter that she says, "Have mercy on me," for she sees her daughter's well-being as her own and her daughter's sufferings as her own.  Also, we should note that the title "Son of David" evokes an understanding of the Jewish orientation of Matthew's Gospel.  This same story appears in Mark's Gospel (Mark 7:24-30), but one of the major differences is the use of this title for Jesus.  Mark's version confirms that Jesus has withdrawn to the Gentile cities not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees, as there we read that He "wanted no one to know" He was there.  See also Christ's statement in the next verses that He was not sent "except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

 

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 comments that Christ refuses to answer, not only because she is a Gentile and His ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews (as He says here) but also in order to reveal this woman's profound faith and love.  Several patristic sources 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 indicates that this interpretation is correct, as He again refuses to heal her daughter.   Jesus' statement, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" also confirms Matthew's Jewish orientation, as Mark does not record this statement.  

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 master's 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.  As Christ has already evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, my study Bible notes, He now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place as "secondary" to the Jews in Christ's immediate ministry, who were the chosen people of God, yet she still desires a share in God's grace.  My study Bible says that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples and for her own sake.  Ultimately, her acceptance by Christ does point to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as "little dogs" or puppies, but rather as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  Let us note that in a culture in which dogs were not considered to be pets, these "little dogs" specifically refer to house dogs, such as puppies who would be persistently begging under a table for the crumbs of the children.

While we could read this story and be entirely offended that Jesus would refer to this woman as among the "little dogs," it's necessary that we see it from the perspective of the tradition of the Church.  Jesus affirms that His ministry during His lifetime is not yet to the Gentiles, but first to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  We can understand the meaning, and the essential nature of what it means that He is Messiah, as every teaching and parable builds upon the Old Testament and the understanding of the spiritual history and also prophecy of the faith of the Jews.  While these Gentiles shared aspects of Jewish faith, there were certain points of disagreement.  Nevertheless, we're asked to turn our eyes elsewhere, with a different perspective on the response of this woman to what we might term Christ's "provocations" to her.  First He refuses to answer, then He turns her away with the statement about being sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Then He makes the statement about giving the children's bread to the little dogs who beg at table.  Even the disciples seem to encourage Him to just do as she requests.  But from the perspective of the patristic writers, He's doing this on purpose to evoke both her faith and her humility.  This would seem to be evident from His eventual praise of the woman, especially because she responds to Him with such persistence and a willingness to engage Him back in dialogue with her position.   He tells her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  This statement about her great faith is high praise from Jesus, the best He can say, for faith is what He seeks, and is the thing that unlocks and opens His capacity for healing and "great works."  It would seem also significant that what she seeks is healing for her daughter from demonic possession:  this is not a foreigner who worships other gods, but one who seeks the true faith of the living God of Israel in seeking Jesus, the "Son of David."  But what do we make of the adverse circumstances Jesus effects in His refusal that draw out both her faith and her humility.  In a modern context, we might not be able to understand what great virtues these were considered to be in Christian understanding:  faith is the key to all of Christ's works wherever they have been done, and humility is considered the greatest of Christian virtues, leading to all the rest.  In modern popular language, we might term that freedom from egotism.  And the great key here is how her struggle with Jesus results in the great blessing she seeks, and much more in the praise of her faith by Jesus.  This is something we don't often understand or encounter in popular culture; it is the sense in which the struggle with God is a positive thing.  In the story of Jacob, we read about his wrestling with an angel or man of God for a blessing (see Genesis 32:22-32; Hosea 12:3-5).  So important is this understanding that Jacob's name is then changed to Israel, which has been interpreted as "Contends with God."   Are we today capable of seeing in adverse circumstances a struggle that gives birth in us to qualities that are positive and good in response?  Can we look at difficult times as those that brought out in us virtues such as persistence, faith, and humility?  Can we see certain hardships as those that helped us to bring out of ourselves good things we didn't necessarily know were there, but were effectively "mined" such as a persistence in love, or a deeper love than we had previously understood was within us?  This is what this story reveals, and how the Church and various of its great Fathers have viewed the story of this woman and of Christ's refusal to respond immediately to her requests.  Can we see the positive in circumstances that engaged us in a kind of spiritual struggle to reveal the persons we really are?  Is it conceivable that God allows circumstances in our lives in order to bring out things from within us that are necessary and good?  This is a clue to finding meaning and significance in life, and to coming to terms with the ways we live in this world, where everything does not come easily -- and if it did, we might just miss some great treasure within ourselves.

 

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

On Saturday 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, "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.  Tyre and Sidon is a Gentile region north of Galilee.  Jesus has withdrawn here out of the reach of the Pharisees, with whom He's just had a confrontational encounter (see yesterday's reading, above).   This is confirmed in Mark's gospel account of the story in today's reading, where Jesus "wanted no one to know" He was there.  It is confirmed also in Matthew's report that Jesus says He was sent only to the house of Israel (verse 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 that this woman shows immeasurable love in her request.  She identifies so strongly with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries, "Have mercy on me."  She sees her daughter's welfare 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."  My study bible comments here that Christ refuses to answer, not only because this woman is a Gentile and His ministry before His Passion is to the Jews, but also in order to reveal her profound faith and love.  Many patristic writers see the disciples' request to send her away as trying to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter.  It is as if to say, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' own response indicates this is a good interpretation, because He again refuses to heal the daughter. 

But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  My study bible remarks on this passage in Matthew that it shows the Jewish orientation of this particular Gospel.  This story is also mentioned in Mark 7:24-30.  But there are two main differences between Mark's and Matthew's accounts.  First Matthew records these words of Jesus regarding the lose sheep of the house of Israel, and Mark does not.  Second, Matthew reports this woman using the title Son of David to address Jesus, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, and Mark doesn't.

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 through His actions and responses (or lack of them, if you will) has evoked this woman's love and also her persistent faith.  He also reveals her humility.  She is accepting of her place beneath the Jews in the sense of Christ's immediate mission and their Old Testament status as the chosen people of God through whom salvation has come to the world.  But, my study bible says, she still desires a share in God's grace.   Jesus' hesitancy, it says, was not a lack of compassion, but rather is to be understood as a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this Gentile woman, both to the disciples and for her own sake.   Her ultimate acceptance by Christ points clearly to the gathering of Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as little dogs who eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life. 

How do we reveal our own persistence?  Can we, too, match the persistence of this Gentile woman?  Do we have the gumption to answer God back, so to speak, as she does?  Do we have the conviction born of love that she does, to withstand seeming adversity, or a "No" answer?  Are you persistent when you meet with disappointment?  Today's story really tells us how important this issue of persistence really is.  It is, in fact, depicted as an essential quality for Christians.  We might find it peculiar that it is Christ Himself who seems to block her way forward to find healing for her daughter.  He even compares her, as one who is not one of the house of Israel, to the "little dogs" who would eat the children's bread.  But she shows her great perseverance when she responds, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  And for this she is rewarded with seeming delight, Christ Himself responding in turn, "Great is your faith."  It is the profound humility she shows which in fact is so closely connected to her persistence.  In a modern understanding, as typically purveyed by images in media and popular stories, we so often are taught to associate a false kind of pride with persistence.  We might pump up our egos with self-talk about how great and perfect we are.  We might refuse to consider our own flaws in order to supposedly build character.  While it is emphatically true that morbid guilt is but the flip-side of self-centeredness, and is the opposite of healthy righteousness and understanding of God's love for us, humility is yet the highest of the virtues, and opens up the door to all the rest.   Recently, I saw a slogan someone had painted on a wall that said, "Despair is a lack of imagination."  Putting that in a Christian context, I would heartily agree, however I would put this example of the woman of Canaan first:  it's humility that really gets us out of despair and started on the road to a positive and realistic imagination that serves the good.  Without humility, we don't see ourselves, our circumstances, or even others very clearly.  Humility is a guarantee of realism, and a realistic assessment of where we start, what we can do, and in order to see the first step -- even if it's a little one -- that is right in front of us.  It is only humility that guarantees us our ideas are not swollen with self-aggrandizement, and it's only humility that guarantees that receiving a "No" answer does not defeat us.  For it is in humility that we understand grandiose ideas aren't realistic to begin with, and setting reasonable goals while looking for avenues open to us is the way to go.  Humility keep us from being dependent upon what the rest of the world says or thinks, our image in others' sight.  It focuses us instead of what we need to do to improve our own lives.  This woman finds her way through humility.  She tells Jesus, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."   She doesn't need to deny that Jesus is Lord.  She doesn't need to complain about His words.  She accepts all of that with clarity; she knows His compassion and love is there.  She takes His word and replies with the avenue left to her.  This is the key to persistence and even to imagination.  It starts with humility, the key that unlocks this door, the place of all faith in its just and right context.  Let us examine the virtue we so often are taught to overlook in an age of needing to have "superpowers" to count for something.  Instead, all we need is humility to believe we are all that Jesus would reveal us to be.

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

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from the 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 he 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 to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  Jesus' withdrawal far north, into Gentile territory, comes after His conflict with the scribes and Pharisees.  In Mark's Gospel, this story includes the detail that Jesus "wanted no one to know" that He was there.

 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from the 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 he cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  One of the differences between Mark's report of this encounter (Mark 7:24-30) is Christ's response to the woman that He was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, giving us the Jewish orientation of Matthew's gospel.  We note also that here the woman calls Jesus by the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah (and Mark does not).  The additional thing noted here by my study bible that is of great importance is the concern and care of this mother for her daughter.  My study bible says that her cry, "Have mercy on me," is a reflection of her great love for her daughter:  she sees her daughter's well-being aS her own and her daughter's sufferings as her own.  The disciples' request to send her away is seen frequently in patristic commentary as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal the daughter.  In other words, it's as if they are saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response indicates that this interpretation is correct, as He again refuses to heal the daughter, but begins to speak to the woman.

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.  After both her love and persistent faith is revealed, Jesus now reveals this Gentile woman's humility.  She accepts a place beneath the Jews, chosen people of God, but still wants a share in God's grace.  (Let us note that little dogs are puppies, house dogs.)  In some way, her repeated request expresses her faith in the compassion of Christ.  His hesitancy has allowed for a full expression of her faith and virtue -- both to the disciples and for her own sake, says my study bible.  It adds that her ultimate acceptance by Christ points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost -- no longer as "little dogs" or puppies, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.

Christ's words seems harsh to us, but they reflect a reality of the time.  He is the Messiah who is "of the Jews," sent to God's chosen people, the house of Israel.  But, on the other hand, this dialogue opens up what is to come -- and through the faith of this woman, that is revealed to all of us (and, let us note, to the disciples).  While dogs are most definitely rendered in Scripture (and indeed, the common history of the Middle East) in a negative light, here the "little dogs" are house dogs, puppies, such as children feed, and are always begging under the table.  In our modern orientation toward how we treat people, this reference seems incredibly harsh, but in the understanding of the time of this woman, it is an expression of the ways in which religion played a part in the history of particular peoples.  What I think we modern people can learn from this woman is the gift of humility and also that the recognition of our best qualities is made possible through humility.  There is no need here for her to prove her equality with anyone in the eyes of custom or social life or religious structures.  What shows through for Christ is her persistent faith, her love for her daughter, and the confidence she places in Him by her very persistence.  Let us note also that He is in a sense praising her alacrity, her intelligence, her seizing of this moment for worship with the One whom she realizes is the Messiah of the Jews.  She puts on no airs, she is not defiant but persistent, and it is she who opens up faith in the Messiah to all the world.  She is a gift to all of us, through Christ who praises her.

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

 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:  '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.   Responding to the events in yesterday's reading, in which scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to question Him about His disciples' failure to uphold the tradition of the elders, Jesus withdraws to the north, into Gentile territory.  My study bible tells us that this desire to withdraw, rather than preach in Gentile cities, is confirmed in Mark's version of this story, in which we read that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there.  Further along in today's reading, He will also tell the Canaanite woman that He was sent only to the house of Israel.

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 remarks on the compassion of this woman.  It says that she shows immeasurable love, in so identifying 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.  In the Messianic title by which she addresses Christ, Son of David, and other remarks Jesus will subsequently make, we can see the Jewish orientation of Matthew's Gospel.

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 notes that Christ refuses to answer here, not only because this woman is a Gentile and His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews, but also to reveal this woman's profound faith and love.  Several Church Fathers see the disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal the daughter.  It is as if they are saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response seems to suggest that this interpretation is correct, 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.   "Little dogs" is a term that indicates a puppy, a house dog, such as would be underfoot beneath a table.   It's also an emphasis, once again, that He's sent to the house of Israel.  My study bible says that, having evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, Christ now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place in relation to the Jews, the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  Jesus' hesitancy wasn't a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples and for her own sake.   Jesus' acceptance of this woman, of course, points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, not as little dogs, but rather as children invited to the table for the bread of eternal life.

My study bible remarks upon the understanding that Matthew's Gospel is written with a Jewish orientation.  That is, it is written with an audience of Jewish believers in Christ in mind.  We are reminded that Jesus tells us (through the conversation recorded in the Gospel with the Canaanite woman), "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  He is in the world, as human being, in order to call back to God the lost sheep of the people of God. He is the Son of David, and He is the Shepherd (as was David a shepherd, too).  In Jesus' time, customs dictated that a Jewish man refrain from speaking with such a woman, and her behavior is most likely embarrassing, even scandalous, to the disciples who witness it.  Yet, Jesus does not simply send her away.  He doesn't perform the healing or exorcism she asks for merely in order to send her away, as finally the exasperated disciples seem to suggest to their Teacher.  Jesus has gone to this area of Gentiles in order to escape or avoid the further meddlesome actions of the leadership from Jerusalem, who by now are searching for ways to destroy Him and His ministry.  But in the overall scheme of things, God's plans fulfill promises which don't seem intended -- at least at this point -- in the human mind of Jesus.  (A similar dynamic happened in the feeding of the five thousand.)  The Father, Son, and Spirit may most certainly use any and all circumstances for revelation, and indeed here is a revelation.  It is the faith of this woman that breaks through all assumption and understanding, and this passage gives us a tremendous glimpse of the power of faith in human beings.   Jesus' patience runs right underneath the surface of this story, as He neither openly sends her away nor does He simply grant her request.  Instead, what is happening reveals her faith.  Each time He "rebukes" her, either in the form of silence or by saying, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs," she comes back with a persistent faith, insisting on the connection that -- even as a "little dog" -- she knows she has with God.  Within herself, there is the hope of God's love, so that "even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  She is willing to accept all that He tells her, but she also seizes the opportunity that is still there, perceived in the faith and love that is within her.  Does Jesus know He will find this faith among the Gentiles?  Certainly elements of His ministry have already indicated that He is aware that faith in Him will expand to become "light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:32, Isaiah 4:6).   It is not just the graciousness of God, but also the power of faith within human beings that is on display in today's reading.  The tenaciousness of this woman mirrors the power of love, as it is love that prompts her to seek healing for her daughter.  The power of love and the power of faith are intertwined and related.  It is love and faith that transcend and persist through all circumstances, giving rise to hope.  Ultimately, faith is our response to God's love, which our soul knows.  Everything depends on how great and deep our desire is to nurture this relationship of love and its effects in our lives.  We don't know where that will lead nor what fruits and flowering it will bring.  But we persist and pursue it.  Today's story gives us the gift of that love and strength, and reveals its possibilities in us.

When you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor copper in your moneybelts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

- Matthew 10:5-15

On Saturday we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house Israel.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor copper in your moneybelts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."  The disciples' mission is similar to Christ's mission.  They are to preach and to heal.  These are laborers for the harvest (see Saturday's reading, above) with whom He shares His power and mission.  My study bible notes that Jesus sends them only to the Jews.  Jesus' earthly ministry was focused on the Jews (15:24) as this is fitting "to fulfill all righteousness" (3:15).  After the Resurrection, the disciples won't be blamed for going "to uncircumcised men" (Acts 11:3).   Jesus prepares His apostles to be single-minded in their mission to preach and to heal, my study bible says.  He reminds them that His power is free; that it is a gift from God ("Freely you have received; freely give").   He also instructs them to carry no money, so they won't be accused of greed, and so they will learn dependence upon God.   The primary character of this mission is humility.  To bring the kingdom of heaven near is also to live righteousness.

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."  This same greeting of peace that is commanded by Christ of His servants is the same peace proclaimed by the prophets (Isaiah 52:7).  It is the same peace later offered to the disciples (John 14:27; 20:19), and that will be revealed as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  And today, Christ's peace is offered in the celebration of the liturgy with the words, "Peace be to all."

"And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"   The rebuke of the disciples to those who do not wish to hear or receive them is simply to shake off the dust from their feet.  Jesus' words about Judgment and righteousness give us an idea of how this power works.   St. Paul's teaching on kindness to enemies is illumined here (Romans 12:20-21; see also Proverbs 25:21-22).

What does it mean to live righteousness?  Or to proclaim that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand"?  The text clearly tells us that Jesus shares His power with the disciples to cleanse and to heal and to cast out demons.  But this power alone is not enough.  They are to go with humility. Whatever home first receives them, they are to stay there and not "trade up" for better lodgings.  They don't impress anyone with outward show of wealth or might.  There is no military accompanying this mission to declare the presence of this Kingdom.  They have lived with Christ throughout His mission so far; now they are to go out and live what they have learned.  They are to be dependent upon God.  We understand with Matthew's Gospel that this is a mission to the Jews of Israel, to seek out those whom Jesus calls "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In Saturday's reading (see above), we read that He had compassion on the multitude, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Here is His response to the needs of the people.  His ministry evolves to meet what comes to Him in the form of need.  That ministry continues today, and should respond to the need that is found in people.  But this need isn't simply for food and drink and clothing.  It is far more than that.  It is a need that is fulfilled through a promise of participation in a Kingdom.  This is also a reality that is within us and among us.  It is a mystical presence, and its character and being is love (1 John 4:8).  It is a mistake to consider that meeting the material needs of human beings alone is the mission of the Messiah, or the ongoing mission of the Church.  There is more to this Kingdom that feeds people in ways necessary for soul and spirit.  There is food that meets us and heals in an interior way that cannot be reached simply with an outward donation, but must be received in the heart.  And this we also offer as part of the Kingdom to others, and it is present with us in a mystical way which can be shared through faith.  All along in the Gospel, Jesus' healings have involved the presence of faith, either in those receiving the healing or their loved ones and friends.  Too often we wish to abstract the reality of this presence of the Kingdom, and assume that it is present only in its signs.  The things we do because we are motivated by faith in it do not constitute the whole of its root nor its power.  Let us recall that we are a part of something that serves us with love as we in turn serve by practicing love.  There is a power in it we can't name nor quantify.  We can't predict how it will work.  And, as today's reading reminds us, there is also a peace in it.  This is a peace Jesus will say is given to us "not as the world gives" (John 14:27).  This is accompanied by a joy that is also a gift of Christ (John 15:11).   When we decide that we can limit and name the whole of the power of this Kingdom, to make it purely material or simply what we can see, we fail to grasp its infinite ongoing creativity and the ways that it can work within us to heal ailments no one can see.  Let us consider the reality of the Kingdom in which we are invited to participate and which can live and grow in us and through us.  It is also a great mystery that holds the infinite promise of God's love.

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

 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

On Saturday, 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 to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  Tyre and Sidon are coastal cities of the Gentile region north of Galilee called Phoenicia.  In our previous reading, scribes and Pharisees had come from Jerusalem, and begun to make inquiries of Jesus' ministry, and stating that His disciples were violating the tradition of the elders.  Jesus has gone to this region in response to temporarily withdraw from the scrutiny of the religious officials.

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 points out for us the quality of character in this woman.  She tells Jesus, "Have mercy on me," but it is an expression of the depth of love she has for her daughter, whose sufferings she experiences as her own.

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."   We may feel that this response indicates a surprising heartlessness in Jesus, but that would indeed be out of character.  First of all, we are to understand that His ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews.  However, many Church Fathers view the disciples' encouragement to "Send her away" as a request for Jesus to give her what she wants so that she will leave.  But Christ does not want her to leave, and instead His response draws her out further, revealing her faith and love.  Also, Jesus' response that He was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel makes clear the Jewish orientation of Matthew's Gospel, in addition to the title "Son of David" used by the woman in the previous verse.  Neither of these details are included in Mark's version (Mark 7:24-30).

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.  That the woman "worshiped" Christ (the word in Greek indicates that she knelt or became prostrate before Him, a position indicative of worship).  Her whole response indicates her humility; she accepts her place beneath the Jews (the chosen people of God), yet still desires a share in God's grace.  My study bible says that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples and also for her own sake.  There is a great revelation of humility, love of truth, and deep faith in her overall response to Christ.  His ultimate acceptance of her is a clear indication of the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, as my study bible puts it, "No longer as dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life."  Our first concern as those who come from far outside the time and place of this reading might be about the insulting term used.  But there's an important cultural distinction between outside or inside dogs:  here the term is "little dogs" or puppies, inside dogs -- and the image of puppies begging at the household table is both softened and also apt for the "pestering" sense in which the disciples viewed her persistent pleas.

In a certain sense, there is a subtle message in today's reading about the Gentile believers who will come to Christ in the future:  in some sense, they have to work harder than the Jewish faithful who will follow Him.  They have more work to do to "catch up" and to "prove themselves."  This woman clearly knows about the Jewish faith and the expectation of the Messiah.   She knows about Jesus.  Even the fact that she deems her daughter to be "demon-possessed" shows her orientation to and understanding of the Jewish faith.  So all of these clues are there in the text teaching us about how far she has come already to be in Jesus' presence asking for help for her daughter -- and that is in addition to her personal character traits revealed here:  great love and mercy, persistence, and humility.  These are the qualities, the text seems to  hint to us, that Christ is looking for in His ministry -- but perhaps more particularly in those who will come to Him from the Gentiles.  We see similar qualities displayed by other Gentiles in the Gospels, perhaps notably in the centurion of Capernaum (see this earlier reading from Matthew).  The story seems to hint to us that not only are Gentiles capable of receiving Christ as Messiah, but they will also become "people of God," that is, those who accept Jewish spiritual history and also may embody the best qualities of the faithful.    Here, in some sense, is the story of the ministry that will go out to all the world:  none will be left out, but of those who will be His followers much is demanded.  Christ asks us all for more:  our faith may be tested, and we will need to have the qualities of this woman -- not only having an understanding of our faith and the tradition into which Christ is born incarnate and has come as Messiah, but also to draw out of us persistence, mercy, humility, tenacity, and love.  That deep desire for what He offers must be present.  His Church is to be born into the world not to suggest that we will all have an easy time of it, but rather to call us to something better, deeper, richer, and more powerful.  That is, something that asks much of us and calls us to the capacities a truly loving parent wishes to see fulfilled in their children.  And that is the faith we know, the preaching we hear from Jesus, the way we are called.  He asks of us to be all that we can be, the image and likeness He knows we carry within us.  The grace He gives is that grace that we need to follow through on this journey and realize His promise.  Do you hear that call?

The kingdom of heaven is at hand

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

- Matthew 10:5-15

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

  These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."  My study bible points out that the disciples' mission (similarly to that of Jesus) is to preach and to heal.  He sends them only to the Jews, who are the main focus of His earthly ministry, "that the Jews might not, after the Resurrection blame the disciples for 'going to uncircumcised men' (Acts 11:3), the Gentiles.  Jesus carefully prepares His disciples to be single-minded:  (1) He teaches them that His power is free -- whatever they accomplish is a gift from God.  (2) He instructs them to carry no money; they must depend on God for their sustenance.  Also this prevents any accusations of greed.  (3) He frees them from worry about worldly provisions so that their only occupation is preaching the Word."  In short, He teaches them single-mindedness of purpose and mission, a clear focus.  The simplicity He teaches enforces this perspective.

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."  My study bible says that this greeting of peace commanded by Christ is sharing the same peace Christ offered when He said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you" (John 14:27).  It notes, "God's peace, proclaimed by the Prophets of the Old Testament (see Isaiah 52:7) revealed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), is to this day given to the people through the Word of Christ, 'Peace be to all.'"  This is why and and how reference to this peace is still passed on in liturgical form.  Once again, we note the simplicity Christ commands in the disciples; they are not to "trade up" for a better place to stay -- rather the best place is the place the Spirit indicates in the greeting and reception of peace.  They aren't to bother with those who can't receive the gift.

"And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  A note in my study bible says that "people, and even cities" who don't respond to the gospel message are left to the Judgment of God.  "The example of God's judgment on those who do not believe is Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-19:29)."   In keeping with "God's peace," we understand clearly that execution of judgment isn't ours, but God's.  They are to simply shake off the dust from their feet (as implied rebuke) and depart, moving on with their mission.

Let us think about peace and simplicity, for in some sense they go hand in hand.  We look at the instructions that Jesus has given His disciples.  They all guide toward simplicity; do not go to the Samaritans or Gentiles, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They are all on purpose in a direct and simple way.  They confine the mission to specifics.  There is one message:  "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."  In healing and casting out demons, they are to do as their Teacher has done.  Then there is this instruction:  Freely you have received, freely give.  It is a command, simple and direct; from Him they have freely received, and they are to go and do likewise for those who will receive them.  They are not to take cumbersome preparations with them; it is a simple and direct mission.  They aren't to spend time worrying about what won't be necessary for this first mission.  It's most interesting, compelling, to consider their directions for where they are to stay:  if a house is worthy, stay there.  Don't change.  That means even if they come to be honored in a place, and greater accommodations and hospitality are offered them, they are not to take it!  This simple mission is about gathering the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and those who can sincerely respond are those with whom they belong.  This is a connection of the heart and soul, and the rest is extraneous to the mission.   And then, first a greeting -- and then the peace; the lack of worthy response determines whether the gift remains.  And this is simple. It is direct, from the heart to the heart.  It is sincere.  And the power of this mission rests in the power of Christ:  His peace which He shares through them; His power to heal and cast out demons.  Those who will not receive them, who will not hear their words, must be left behind -- with a symbolic shaking off the dust from the apostles' feet, and moving on.  Judgment and its execution are left to God; they are reassured, however, that the power of judgment is very real.  If we look carefully at the verses cited which teach about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we'll find some very vivid and memorable details.  But the thing that comes most to mind is the careful nature of God's judgment that seeks out the heart of each person, and preserves where even one is worthy -- and the understanding in the story that it is truly only God who knows what human beings are.  So along with the extraneous provisions, and lodgings, simplicity also consists in this matter, that Judgment is left to God.  They are simply to stay on mission and move on and do only what they are sent to do.  They look for those who will receive them, who will receive their greetings, their word, their peace, the power of Christ to heal.  All of this is gathering the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  The urgency of the mission is in the word that is translated as "lost."  Again (as were the words "weary and scattered" describing the people in yesterday's reading), it is much more powerful in the Greek than it is in English.  We connote lost with a stray sheep.  But here, lost means something much more dire; it is really the word for perishing, utterly lost in the sense of those who may be doomed to die, to vanish into oblivion, or utter destruction.  So along with the simplicity of the mission is the urgency of the mission, and its dire importance for those who would be saved.  It emphasizes the words in yesterday's reading, that the people to be sought out are those who are like sheep without a shepherd, weary and harassed and in plain danger of death.  This simple and direct mission is love in action, meant to give people what they need, and the key is in those who will recognize what is being given, who sense that what they receive is what they truly need -- and this in itself is also very simple.  Someone who realizes they're lost and intuits their real danger is going to grab the help that is offered, and there is nothing more direct than that.  It's like sensing love and trust; we may not be able to explain it, but in a flash it is there -- and it's a long journey to full understanding.  If this reads like a combat mission, let us remember that Jesus comes into the world bearing a kingdom to liberate us from oppressive rule.  He's here to rescue and deliver, to save the lost and weary and scattered, and these are his hand-picked men.  The key to opening up to this kingdom is right in the heart, past a purely material evaluation of life and meaning, and to a place where we respond with depths we don't necessarily know or understand.  We simplify our lives to stay on mission, to stay connected with this purpose, with love and trust and its response, so that we receive God's peace -- no matter what the world may be telling us.  It all comes down to the place of the heart, and how we respond.  The kingdom of heaven remains always at hand.  From Him, we may offer His peace, as do these Apostles.