Guess what? This post has nothing to do with Jesus overturning money-changer tables. But then, what is it about? Come and see!
Table #1
There was a woman. She traveled all-the-way from the Canaanite region to Capernaum, about a 25-mile distance. It was a long trip, easily a couple days on foot. When she arrived, she at-last caught sight of Jesus. Apparently, his fame was quickly spreading, both as a healer and as a descendant of king David. She immediately began to shout loudly.
Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!
The whole thing was embarrassing. Quite a commotion was brewing and the disciples didn’t like it. After trying to get her to stop, they appealed directly to the master. “He’ll surely know what to do.” They kept pressuring him:
Send her away. She keeps on screaming as she follows us.
Jesus probably ignored the situation for a while. In due time when he was ready, he spoke to the woman in a steady, but concerned voice:
I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.
Her heart sunk. Meanwhile the disciples thought: “Good! Now we’ll finally get this unclean woman to leave us alone. We are the lost sheep, not her. Preach it brother!” In spite of this, the grieving mom was not about to give up. She had come so far. Her voice sounded out urgently all the louder and from the depths of her heart:
Lord, help me!
What would Jesus do? Something totally unexpected. He replied:
It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.
What? This is not possible! Surely, there is no way that Jesus, the savior of the whole world, could be a racist. But he said it! He really did. He called her a dog, that derogative term which Jews used when referring to gentiles. Dogs were not man’s best friends, they were unclean. In fact, they were almost as bad as pigs. And of course, those gentiles were just like them.
As a side note, do you remember the early Christian reaction to Peter in the book of Acts? After sharing the gospel with Cornelius, they said dismissively:
You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!
Cornelius becomes a new believer and these Christians are angry. Why? Because Peter went to a gentile’s house and actually ate there. I’m sorry. Their hypocrisy strikes me funny. Of all things to complain about, eating?
But let’s get back to the Canaanite woman story. Poor translators, what are they to do with this? I can imagine what one of them might say:
The word clearly says dogs, and I don’t understand or like it. Yet, I can’t let Jesus be a racist, this would be terrible for modern readers. I have to protect him. I know! I’ll translate the word as: little dogs . That solves it. Besides this, Jesus probably did mean to say little dogs.
The implication is that little dogs are endearing, and Jesus was being nice. One translation went even further. That one rendered the word, dogs as puppies . Who can object to cute little puppies? Unfortunately, none of this works. Ancient Middle-Easterners didn’t like big dogs, little dogs, puppies, or dogs of any kind.
When I come across a passage like this, I try to dig deeper. It is so easy to miss the point when we try to change or ignore what is being said. There has to be more to this account.
Jesus may have been speaking to the woman, but I think he was really addressing the disciples. They were themselves stirring-up quite a commotion as they were trying to get her to calm down and just disappear. I’m sure Jesus was quite aware of the whole scene. It was a teaching moment, an opportunity to turn the tables. I doubt that he was quite as rude as the disciples, but still, he used that forbidden word. I’ll bet it stopped this hurting mom in her tracks. This being said, her love for her child was strong. She had to go to the limit, whatever it would take. She composed herself and pleaded:
Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables.
This is one of my favorite Bible verses (I know, I’m kind of weird). It has much to teach us. When we come across someone who we think is unworthy (an outsider), it is wise to first take a step back and remember this Canaanite woman. How many of us would be willing to humble ourselves like she did? I expect that most of us would say something like: “Oh Yeah, I’ll show you!” Or: “Forget about it then, you schmuck!” But she didn’t. Her faith was, there is no simple word for it, amazing. The foreigner demonstrated more faith than the disciples. What a lesson this is for us when we interact with those who are different.
There is more to this account, so let’s go on. Jesus replied:
O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.
Jesus answered kindly, intimately. Another way to put this is: “Dear woman, great is your faith.” Jesus turned the tables on his disciples (and likely on the entire crowd). They were thinking racism. Jesus, knowing the heart of this precious person, was thinking healing. I wonder what the disciples thought in hindsight. Were they surprised? Were they embarrassed? I think they were. Otherwise why would this account make it twice into the Bible?
Table #2
Early on in his ministry, Jesus was gaining a huge group of admirers. Mobs were following him everywhere. They wouldn’t leave him alone. When he went to one side of the Sea of Galilee, they appeared. If he crossed to the other side, here they come. No matter where he went, they popped up. One day, it was getting dark and Jesus felt compassion. Because of this, 5,000 got fed with just a bit of bread and fish. Naturally, the crowd was duly impressed. They were thinking: “Truly, this is the Prophet who was to come into the world! He’ll lead us to the promised land, just like Moses of old. Take that Rome!”
You would think this event would trigger the start of a mass-movement. It was not to be. People are a curious bunch. The Jewish word dayenu , roughly means “It would have been enough.” Unfortunately, it never is. There always seems to be an associated restlessness, “Yes, but we want more. What have you done for us lately?” So, the crowd sought to anoint Jesus king by force. “It will be great, a continual food supply. This man is a real manna maker.” What if Jesus allowed this to happen? His title would be king, but his status would be reduced to slave. No way! The disciples left by boat and Jesus slipped away to the hill country.
The mob was not about to leave this alone, though. Where did he go? A feverish search followed, and after a time, they arrived in boats on the other side of the lake. There was Jesus calmly resting with his disciples. Consider the following back-and-forth that ensued. Jesus was preparing to turn the tables. The pressing horde portion of his ministry was about to come to an end.
The mob Jesus
Rabbi, when did you get here?
You just want more food. Seek spiritual food that leads to eternal life which the son of man will freely give you.
Okay, we get it. Moses gave us laws. So, what laws do you give us to obey?
Simply believe in the one whom the father sent.
We need proof. Show us more miracles. Give us manna like Moses did. Then we’ll believe.
My father gave manna to you, not Moses. The one who comes from heaven gives the bread of life to the world.
We want that bread all the time. Give it to us!
I am the bread that came from heaven and gives life.
What does this pretender mean by that? We know his father and mother; he never came from heaven. What is he trying to pull?
Stop grumbling! Whoever believes in me will have eternal life. I am the bread of life. My flesh I will give to the world.
How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life.
One of my favorite verses comes next. His disciples said (more were with him than just the 12):
This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?
You think? What would I have said if I was sitting there among the disciples? Probably something quite similar. This was a turning point, a point of decision. The tables were turned. Which disciples genuinely believed that Jesus was whom he claimed? Which were only along for the ride? Many left thinking: “I can’t go with this. I’m out of here. The dude went too far. He’s a quack.” But the inner twelve remained to hear Jesus ask: “Does this offend you. Do you want to go away as well?” To this Peter answered: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter’s answer means a lot to me personally. After my son fell to his death from a parking garage, I was numb. It was like being alive but at the same time dead. Then I heard a clear voice, which I believe was from God. He said: “Will you still follow me now?” I was not aware at the time of Peter’s answer. None the less, I replied just like him: “To whom else would I go?” We all come to crossroads in our lives. My son’s death was mine. I could easily have said: “No! I don’t want anything more to do with you,” and walked away. I’m glad I didn’t. In a strange way, that voice gave me comfort. I knew that God was walking with me through the tragedy. He knew. He understood.
Commentaries often get quite philosophical about the “Eat my body, eat my blood” thing. A medieval philosopher, William of Occam taught: “Keep things simple, don’t go down windy paths. The simplest solutions are the best.” Jesus turned the tables on the mob to reveal what was in their hearts. They recalled the good days of old which featured Moses. Because of this, they spoke in physical terms. They had no desire for Jesus to reveal his likeness to the Father, and the creator’s loving essence. Jesus, on the other hand, spoke with spiritual metaphors. He is the source of life and it is available to anyone willing to fully partake in his goodness. This is true nourishment. Only a few hundred would understand this by the time of the crucifixion. As in the time of Gideon, it would be enough. The small, largely uneducated, motley crew of disciples was about to launch the good news message, and it would ultimately spread to the ends of the earth. God loves to accomplish with little that which appears to require much.
Conclusion
Let’s tie these two accounts together. The first table features a precious Canaanite woman who came to Jesus with a genuine, urgent need. She was surrounded by a crowd of racists. The second table portrays a mob who thought they knew best and were going to forcibly bring their will to pass. In both cases, the tables were turned. In the first case, the Canaanite woman’s daughter was healed while the onlookers learned an important lesson. In the second case, Jesus flipped the script and the mob left angry and frustrated with nothing to show for their efforts. Only the few genuine disciples passed the test. Jesus surely is a master teacher. There is a depth to his words that we could search out for, well, a long time!
Thanks for listening,secondlooknow.com
pretty awesome, Dan!
This article is thorough and clear.
It makes the reader see how utterly hypocritical and arrogant religion can be and often times, is. How we humans want so badly to impress THE GOD Himself, with our puny “works”; and how soon we forget His will is not the same as “our” will.
It reveals the pride and arrogance of the “elite”; who actually are turned upside down..and the truth of Christ’s love for the “bad” woman overcomes every racist argumentation.
Mob manipulation does not impress The Christ; and it is wonderful to see HIS LOVE demonstrated.
I am glad to learn about William of Occam, a wise man.
1. I always wonder why Jesus prolonged it with the canaanite lady. Why not say, OK right off?
2. I’ve never lost a son, but more than once I’ve said, To whom else would I go?
Thank you very much for this, Dan.