The Message, August 16, 2026: "Lord ... Have Mercy!" Matthew 15:21-28

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
August 21, 2026

 

“Lord … Have Mercy!”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Matthew 15:21-28

            As Faith just said a few moments ago, some passages of scripture are NOT soothing or comforting. Certainly. This passage would fall into that particular category. During our Thursday evening Bible study, the very first comment after I read the passage was, “I do not like this passage!” I cannot remember exactly, but she might have said, “I HATE this passage!”

            That feeling is understandable. Some of you, perhaps many or you … or most of you … may be nodding in agreement. And to be honest, when I was doing my worship planning, I got to this Sunday and went, “Oh no! I do NOT want to use the Gospel reading for this week!” 

            This passage IS hard to read. It IS hard to hear. We do not like this Jesus. This Jesus does not fit with, “He took the children into his arms and blessed them.” This Jesus does not fit with our message just a couple of weeks ago when Jesus went away to be alone to pray and to mourn the execution of his cousin, but thousands of people were waiting for him on the shore when he arrived … and he had COMPASSION for them and cured their sick. This Jesus does not fit the Jesus that we saw heal the man with the withered hand, or the bent over woman, or the paralyzed man on the Sabbath.

            This is not: “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child, pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to thee.” (Charles Wesley, 1767) This Jesus is mean.

            Because of this ill-fitting Jesus, this mean-spirited Jesus, I did more reading that I typically do when I am preparing for Bible study and my sermons. I was trying to figure out how to approach this Anti-Jesus.

            And as you may have guessed … or maybe not … there is NOT consensus among the scholars on the Jesus in this passage of scripture. They essentially fall into three groups.

            But first, let me set the scene. Jesus and the disciples had made their way to the region of Tyre and Sidon … Gentile territory. Again, the scholars do not agree as to why they went there. Was it to get away from the stirred up and angry crowds? Was it to get away from the scribes and the Pharisees after their most recent dust up regarding dietary and purity laws? Or was it because Jesus was going there to reach out to the Jewish communities in that region? We do not know for sure. What we do know is that he encountered the woman.

            Mark calls her a “Greek, Syrophoenician woman” in his Gospel. But Matthew refers to her as a Canaanite. So, not only was she a woman, not only was she a Gentile, she was a Canaanite. She was the worst possible Gentile. The Canaanites were a despised population of indigenous people with whom the Jewish people absolutely did NOT fraternize. (Ezra 9:1-12)

            With that said, we move on to the various characterizations of Jesus.

            The first group says that Jesus … fully human, bodily Jesus … was simply being a first century Jewish man. In that cultural context, men did not interact with women in public and Jewish men did not interact with non-Jews. And the fact that Jesus was a rabbi only enhanced that context. It was inappropriate … shameful … for a rabbi to speak with a woman in public. There were even more conservative rabbis that would not even address their own wives or daughters if the encountered them in public. They were jokingly called “bloody rabbis” because they would avert their eyes and walk into buildings or trees.

            Admittedly, I am NOT a biblical scholar. But I would not fall into this camp. I do not agree with the notion that Jesus was just being a first-century Jewish guy doing first-century “guy” things. We have already seen up this point that Jesus often breaks the societal and cultural norms.

            The second school of thought regarding Jesus and his less than kind interaction with the Canaanite woman was that Jesus was laser-focused upon his mission. He was sent FIRST to the Children of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). Jesus was being steadfast and faithful about delivering the Good News of God to the People of Israel. God had called them to be the Chosen Ones, the Chosen People. They were the ones to be the Light to the Nations. Remember that Jesus told the people that he had not come to abolish the Law, but rather to fulfill the Law. His mission was to remind the people … to help the people … fulfill THEIR call to be the Light to the Nations. Before that could happen, the Children of Israel had to repent from their ways. They had to return their focus back toward God.

            Scholars from this school propose that Jesus was determined. He knew that he did not have much time on this earth. His mission was the number one priority. He may have instructed his disciples that the mission was so urgent that they did not have time to engage in, or indulge in, idle or casual conversations along the way. And they certainly did not have time to spend talking with a Gentile woman.

            This school of scholarly thought is certainly plausible. It does help us see and hear the words … and the silence … of Jesus with different eyes and ears. This school of thought may serve to make this interaction more palatable. But let us also remember that Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees for imposing the strictest adherence of the Law; an adherence so strict that they had completely forgotten the SPIRIT of the Law.

            So, while plausible, this school of scholarly thought does not fit my view and understanding of Jesus. Even if he was laser-focused upon his mission to the Children of Israel, I cannot imagine a scenario in which he refers to a woman desperate to save her daughter as a “dog.”

            Now, let me pause for a moment and address this little word. This is the word with which many modern readers struggle.

            Let me begin by saying that I love dogs. I have had dogs in my house my entire life. I have two dogs in my house right now. And in all of my sixty-three years I have never used the word “dog” as a term of endearment. “Oh Renee, you are the sweetest little puppy!” I suppose that we do speak of someone having “puppy dog” eyes. There are exceptions to every rule.

            But in that culture the word “dog” was generally derogatory. To call someone a “dog” was an insult. And even here, there is debate among the scholars. Jesus used the Greek diminutive. That usage refers to a “little dog.” It refers to a house dog or a pet. But then Biblical scholar Kenneth Bailey says that the Jewish people did not have pet dogs. And then F.F. Bruce asked, “What if Jesus said it with a twinkle in his eye?” Others say, “it only sounds harsh to our ears.” Perhaps it was a common figure of speech like, “Charity begins at home.”

            Small dog, cute dog, family dog, street urchin dog, figure of speech, or gentle teasing … whatever the interpretation or translation does not really matter. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” just seems wrong to me. Jesus knows that the Light and Love of God are for ALL people. It is hard for me to believe that he would use that word. That is something that would stick with people. When the mission to the Gentiles did begin, we can imagine people saying, “Wait … remember when he called us ‘dogs’? Yeah … me too.”

            So then … what is the third school of scholarly thought?

            We know that Jesus taught in different ways. He preached, he told parables, he performed wonders and acts of power. He showed gentleness and grace and mercy. Equally as important as his mission to the Children of Israel was Jesus’ mission to teach his disciples, the ones that would be charged with carrying the mission forward. The third school of scholarly thought proposes that Jesus used a very dramatic teaching method in this scenario.

            Despite the fact that the disciples had been walking with, and ministering with Jesus for the last three years, despite the fact that they had heard and seen his message lived in their very presence, Jesus knew that there were deeply seated, ingrained, centuries old prejudices within their hearts and minds. Jesus had seen them try to send the children away, and the crowds away, and shoo this woman away because she was shouting at them. Perhaps Jesus wanted to hold up a mirror to them. What if Jesus responded to the woman in the way that they EXPECTED him to respond? The way that THEY would have responded to her?

            Scholars in this school of thought suggest that Jesus decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to challenge the disciples’ attitudes regarding women and Gentiles. He decided to challenge their deeply rooted prejudices. But rather than simply lecture them about their negative stereotypes, he taught by doing. He taught by showing them how it is done.

            Jesus initially communicated, “You are a Canaanite woman … the worst of the worst. I am a Jew. I am Son of David. You are not part of my mission. You are not included in my mandate. Why should I … why would I … serve a Gentile ‘dog’ like you?”

            How would the disciples react to that? Would they agree with Jesus? Would they approve of the way he spoke to the woman? “Finally, he is making sense!?” Or would they be stunned … shocked … by those words coming out of Jesus’ mouth? Would they possibly see themselves reflected in those words and be ashamed of them?

            No doubt, Jesus’ response to the woman would have gotten their attention. That was not what they expected to hear.

            Of course, I think that Jesus himself was surprised by the woman’s reply. She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Brilliant! She was so courageous, and so passionate, and so bright. She took the insult and turned it around. She accepted the designation and replied in the best way possible. Her focus was on her daughter’s pain. Her heart was breaking because of her daughter’s suffering. She knew that if she replied with anger or replied to Jesus’ insult with one of her own, she might lose the opportunity to have her daughter healed by this man of God, this man of wonders. Or worse, the men in the crowd could respond by beating her … or worse … if she had confronted Jesus with anger or hostility.

            The woman was willing to risk everything for her daughter. She had faith in Jesus’ compassion. She had faith that Jesus was an agent of God’s salvation of all people, including her daughter. And Jesus’ response to her faith and her passion spoke to the centuries-old prejudices. Jesus’ response was an unforgettable lesson for all to see.

            Can you see the wheels turning in the minds of the disciples? Can you hear them saying, “Oh … that is us.” Or, “Oh … wait … is that me.”?

            At this point, we can consider who we are in this passage.

            Do we see ourselves in the role of the woman? Do you see yourself as an outsider? An outcast? Have you been rejected or treated as less than? Have you come here today hurting, suffering, and falling to your knees, pleading with God, “God, have mercy on me!” Do we feel the anguish of the woman? Do we share her desperation?
            Have you come longing for compassion and kindness?
            Have you come searching for welcome and inclusion?
            Have you come hoping to hear the gentle and loving voice of Jesus?

            Or are there those among us who had the experience of having Jesus hold up a mirror so that we might see what lies deep in our hearts, or deep within our beliefs?

            At Bible Study Thursday evening, someone asked the question, “Who are the Gentiles today?”

            In our world today, and in our churches, we are still fighting over who is welcome and who is not. Women are still fighting for their place. Members of the LGBTQI+ community are still fighting for their place. Immigrants are still fighting for their place. There are many groups of people who are “Gentiled” by our churches, institutions and our governments today.

            Even as we worship a God whose love is for ALL people are there those who we struggle with? We know very well that there are people who are difficult to love.

            How does Jesus’ lesson speak to our hearts and our minds?
            And when Jesus hold up the mirror … what do we see?
            Amen.

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