1st Reading – Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants—
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
This week’s first reading is from what scripture scholars refer to as Third Isaiah (Isaiah 56-66), in which the prophet stresses the universality of justice and worship.
The Israelites have returned to the Holy Land from their exile in Babylon, and foreigners are coming to know Yahweh. This presents a problem similar to the one that Jesus will face in our gospel reading: How should Jews respond to these foreigners? Should they be allowed to worship in the newly rebuilt temple?
Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just;
The reading opens with a double imperative: observe justice (mishpāt); do righteousness (sedāqâ)! The word-pair enunciates Israel’s primary ethical obligation, which is social responsibility.
for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.
The imperative is followed by a divine promise, which is also twofold: salvation (yshûâ) is to come; righteousness (sedāqâ) is to be revealed. These terms indicate a covenant relationship.
Justice and righteousness are associated with the law. The promise of salvation suggests the people are in some kind of desperate straits, and God, the people’s covenant partner, promises to intervene.
And the foreigners
The focus shifts away from members of the covenant community; God now addresses those who are presently outside the community but who have shown their desire to become part of it.
The old rulings (Leviticus 22:25, Deuteronomy 23:2-9) did not permit foreigners to take part in the assembly of Israel. We will see that this oracle displays a much more open and universalist attitude.
Isaiah outlines four forms of attentive behavior that demonstrate the commitment of these outsiders to the God of Israel.
who join themselves to the LORD,
This probably refers to their becoming proselytes: converts from paganism to Judaism.
ministering to him,
Most likely by participating in certain forms of worship.
loving the name of the LORD,
An expression implying allegiance to God.
and becoming his servants —
These four forms of attentive behavior demonstrate their commitment to the God of Israel.
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant,
In addition, they must commit themselves to Sabbath observance and fidelity to the covenant and its responsibilities.
Observing these things makes them one with the community of believers, both internally and externally, despite their status as foreigners.
them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer;
In response to their fidelity, God invites them into the liturgical life of the community. God will bring them to his holy mountain, the site considered the dwelling place of God on earth.
God’s house of prayer, the temple, will now be open to worthy foreigners as members of the praying community. Blood ties are no longer the criteria for membership of the community of the people of God: now it suffices that a person keep to the moral teaching laid down in the covenant, and worship the true God.
their holocausts and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar,
The sacrifices and burnt offerings of these new members of the community will find the same favor with God as do those of the bloodline of Israel. Their participation in the life of prayer and sacrifice is the crowning display of their acceptance.
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
This final phrase is noteworthy: With only a few words, God dismantles the entire concept of ritual holiness as exclusively Israel’s prerogative. Now the temple is designated as a house of prayer for all people, not a national shrine reserved for the elect. God is now accessible to all, not merely to those of the bloodline of Israel. Salvation and righteousness embrace all who are willing to serve the Lord.
The mission of the temple, rebuilt by the exiles after their return, with its open invitation to all without exception to come and worship God as part of his people, will reach its fullness in the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ. When he cleanses the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), appealing to these words of Isaiah, this prophecy will be fulfilled.
2nd Reading – Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous
and thus save some of them.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
Last week we heard the opening verses of Romans Chapter 9, where Paul laments over Israel for their failure to recognize the Messiah. The remainder of Chapter 9 and all of Chapter 10 continue with this lament with numerous references to the Old Testament.
In this week’s reading, although we have moved ahead two chapters, Paul is still wrestling with his sorrow over the fact that many of his fellow Jews do not share his belief that through Jesus Christ salvation is offered to the whole human race. Paul comforts himself with the hope that while some of the Jews are refusing the invitation to Christ now, they will not always refuse it.
Brothers and sisters: I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Speaking directly to the Gentile converts in the Roman community, Paul continues his discussion of the privileged position occupied by the Jewish community in the plan of God.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
Paul is proud to be known as the “apostle to the Gentiles.” Although he is a Christian, Paul still views himself as a member of the Jewish race.
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them.
Without in any way diminishing the salvific import of the conversion of the Gentiles, Paul maintains that it also serves a secondary purpose. Namely, the Jewish people will envy the way the Gentiles have been caught up in the embrace of God, and they themselves will turn to the gospel.
“Paul evangelized the Gentiles of necessity, addressing himself to them and showing that the prophets had predicted this many centuries before. His aim was to make the Jews jealous and thus encourage some of them to come to salvation also.” [Theodoret of Cyr (ca. 450 AD), Interpretation of the Fourteen Epistles of Paul Romans 11:14]
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
Israel’s rejection of the gospel has led to the reconciliation of the Gentiles to God and even the whole universe which was cursed along with Adam.
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
If the Jews’ rejection of the gospel has brought reconciliation with God to the rest of the world, how much more will the acceptance of the gospel effect? (This is an example of an a fortiori argument: If this is how it is in one situation, how much more so will it be in that one?)
Paul then answers his own question: their acceptance will bring about life from death. Once they are baptized they die with Christ and rise again in his new life.
The reversal of fortunes is clear. It was because of the rejection of the gospel by the people of Israel that Paul turned to the Gentile mission; now it is because of the acceptance of the Gentile world that the Jews will be converted.
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
A reiteration of the privileges God bestowed upon the people of Israel (Romans 9:1-5, which we heard last week). They were the ones called to be God’s special people, and it was to them God granted extraordinary gifts.
Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
The Gentiles have no reason to feel superior, for they had begun as disobedient sinners, and they have been granted divine mercy only because of the disobedience of the Jews.
so they have now disobeyed
Gentile disobedience was disbelief in God. The attitude of Jews toward Christ represents the same sort of disobedience.
in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.
If God has shown mercy to those who originally had worshiped other gods, surely God will show mercy to the nation that was called to be God’s own people.
For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.
No one is in a position to boast; both Jews and Gentiles have as groups been unfaithful to God, who makes use of such infidelity to manifest to all of them his bounty and mercy. All are shown mercy, not because they have earned it, but because God is gracious.
“It is usually thought that those who have sinned badly by not accepting the promise of God cannot receive mercy if they do not demonstrate their sorrow, because those who have sinned badly cannot be forgiven without tears and wailing. But Paul shows that these things are not required at the start, because God’s gift freely pardons sins in baptism.” [The Ambrosiaster (ca. 366-384 AD), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles Romans 11,28]
Gospel – Matthew 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.
Our gospel readings now move forward to the middle of Matthew Chapter 15, skipping over Jesus’ ongoing controversies with the Pharisees. In this week’s passage, we hear of Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman, a story with several important and interrelated issues.
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, about 30-50 miles northwest of Lake Gennesaret. This is Gentile territory.
The frequent invectives of the prophets against these two pagan cities made them proverbial examples of corruption and wickedness for the Jewish people. Jesus withdrew to this area to escape persecution from Herod and from the Jewish authorities and to concentrate on training his apostles. He could be sure that no Jew would follow them there.
However, as we will see, Jesus is recognized as soon as he entered the area.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me,
The woman is called a Canaanite, a designation not generally used at this time in history. It calls to mind the people who occupied the land before the Israelites drove them out and took control of the Promised Land. She is not just a Gentile, but one who has always been an enemy of the Jews: a member of one of the nations that ancient Israel had hated most. Not only this, she is an unattended woman who has spoken to a man in public; she has broken many taboos.
Jesus has disregarded territorial boundaries, and now the woman disregards appropriate social decorum.
Lord, Son of David!
Given that this woman is a pagan, her deference to Jesus as “Lord” is remarkable. Further, “Son of David” is a title with Messianic overtones.
This Canaanite woman’s recognition of Jesus and Lord and Messiah contrasts sharply with the unbelief of the Jews, especially the Jewish leadership.
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
After expressing humility (“have pity on me”), the woman expresses her need in clear, simple words.
However, her request also reveals a third obstacle: not only is she from an enemy tribe, and a woman, she is asking for the cure of a girl and not a more favored male child.
Despite these barriers, she persists undismayed. Our prayer should have the same qualities of faith, trust, perseverance, and humility.
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
The woman has presented Jesus with a dilemma. Earlier in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus instructed his disciples not to “go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep to the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5b-6).
If Jesus responds to this woman, he will be acting contrary to his own instructions. If he rejects her, he will be going against his own innate compassion.
To be clear, Jesus came to bring his Gospel to the whole world, but at this point in his ministry he has addressed only the Jews. Later, he will charge his apostle to preach the Gospel to pagans. Saint Paul, in his missionary journeys, also adopted the policy of preaching first to the Jews (Acts 13:46).
His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
Perhaps because of Jesus’ previous instructions, or perhaps because she is a Canaanite, the disciples feel no responsibility to help the woman. They act just as they did at the feeding of the five thousand when the crowd was hungry: they want to send her away.
He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Rather than sending the woman away, Jesus is honest about his dilemma.
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
The woman persists. She pays Jesus homage, calls him “Lord,” and implores him again.
He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”
Jesus obviously does not want to reject the woman because he continues to engage her in conversation. Using an expression of the time, Jesus explains to the woman that it would not be right to give to her what belongs to others.
The reference to “dogs” is a derisive term Jews very often used for Gentiles in reference to their perceived lack of ethnic purity. The specific term Jesus uses here translates as “house dogs”; this will come into play with the woman’s response.
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
The woman’s response shows that she is neither insulted nor deterred, for the well-being of her daughter is at stake. She isn’t defensive, either. In fact, her repartee shows extraordinary ingenuity: she changed his word “house dogs” to a diminutive meaning “pet dogs,” “little dogs,” or “puppy dogs.” In doing this, she humbly but wittily accepts the secondary role that Jews accorded Gentiles and turns to her own advantage the words intended to belittle her.
After all, Jesus had come into her territory, she had not pursued him. Once he was there, she felt she had a right to elicit from him the same wondrous power she must have heard he freely bestowed elsewhere.
Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!
Her rejoinder rings true to Jesus. Many in the house of Israel do not acknowledge him, yet here is a foreigner who has faith and asks for a healing, not for herself, but for her daughter.
This final reply from Jesus is as enthusiastic and warm as his initial approach appeared to be aloof and cold. By appearing to be harsh he so strengthened her faith that she deserves exceptional praise: in all of Matthew’s gospel, only this woman is said to have “great” faith. Contrast this statement with last week’s gospel reading, when Jesus admonished Peter, his own apostle, for his lack of faith when walking on the water.
Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Moved by her faith, Jesus yields to her wishes and heals her daughter. Jesus probably came into the territory with no thought of healing the sick, but the scope of his ministry was expanded through the insistence of a woman whose love for others could not be thwarted by apparent disdain. This prompted Jesus to move beyond the limited confines of his own cultural experience.
This story foreshadows the commissioning of Jesus’ disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). It also emphasizes that the primary component in any healing is faith. We don’t know that the daughter was even present, but her mother’s faith is so strong that the daughter “was healed from that hour.”
Connections and Themes
A human reality. In order to define itself, every religious, social, or political group must delineate clearly what it is and what it is not. Those who wish to be members of these groups must conform themselves to their cultural definitions, which determine who is in the group and who is not. Having such definitions is not inappropriate; in fact, it is necessary. However, when these definitions determine not only membership within a particular group but general acceptability, they begin to function in ways that are biased and discriminatory and harmful to all involved.
We do not usually consider the limitations of culture when we think of the incarnation. We find it difficult to entertain the possibility that Jesus was ever in any way biased. This is unfortunate, because this tends to make Jesus less than human, and it minimized the extraordinariness of those actions that break through the limitations of his culture. Jesus entered deeply into human reality, becoming a man of his own limited time and culture. At the same time, he was open enough to break out of the limitation of his cultural identity. In today’s gospel, this was accomplished through the agency of one whose gender, culture, and religious commitment made her unsuitable according to the standards of Jesus’ culture. This should teach us not to marginalize people because of their cultural biases, for we may thereby be forfeiting an offer of God’s grace.
Prophetic fulfillment. Jesus’ openness to “the other” finds a precedent in the prophetic tradition. Isaiah spoke of a time when outsiders would join insiders in worshiping God, thus dissolving the categories of insider and outsider. He was, of course, referring to the age of eschatological fulfillment. This age dawned with the coming of Jesus. He himself moved out of the constraints of his own cultural world-view, and he directs us to do the same.
The issue here is not merely universalism. Rather, it is unity in the diversity of that universalism. In the kingdom of God, one group does not force another to conform to authentic yet humanly determined standards. Instead, people are accepted along with their own cultural profiles. The readings for today show us the outdatedness of exclusionary distinctions. Unfortunately, they are still operating in our communities today. People are either excluded because of gender, culture, or religious perspective, or included only because they are able and willing to conform to discriminatory standards. We still have much to learn in this area.
God’s universal embrace. Even Jesus was rejected because he did not conform to the image of the Messiah that prevailed in his day. One might think such rejection would result in rejection of those perpetrators by God. However, such was not the case. God’s embrace enclosed even those who rejected Jesus, and God’s plan of salvation unfolded in a new way. An invitation to enter the kingdom was issued to the Gentiles, those who had been considered outsiders. If outsiders are now insiders, what has happened to the former insiders? Paul insists they are still insiders. God has not simply shifted the identifying boundaries; God has dissolved them. In the interim between the dawning of the eschatological age and the end of time, the invitation to be included remains open to all.
Sunday Readings 
God bless you all
LikeLike