Rabia, is a Muslim woman, who lives in Malppuram district of Kerala. She is a differently abled woman. She lost the movement of her legs and is only able to lie down and do the necessary needs of her life. But she was not ready to surrender to her inabilities and she took it a challenge and used these inabilities for the struggle of her liberation and for the liberation of her society. She turned her room to a class room. First, she learned how to read and write and then taught her fellow beings the first letters of knowledge. This process of teaching changed the entire society and the society became a literate one.
The passage explains the encounter and dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. This was not just a dialogue but it was a struggle. This was a struggle for the healing of her daughter and a struggle for the liberation of her race. According to the Jews, she was not one of the God’s chosen people but a gentile by birth and apparently by religion. She was a Canaanite too and lived in Phoenicia. She was descended from the ancient enemies of Israel. Tyre and Sidon was located on the Mediterranean coast approximately 35 miles north to Mount Carmel. These were ancient and well known cities of Phoenicia. Jews considered these as gentile cities and were not spoken of favourably in the Old Testament. She had no claim either of kindred or religion.
This passage also reveals the voice of pain of a woman and her race. She approached Jesus as a healer for her daughter and also she acted as a liberator not only for her daughter but also for her people. I would like to draw your attention to this struggle for liberation of the Canaanite woman.
1. She had overcome the hurdles for liberation
The reason behind her approach to Jesus was the sickness of her daughter. The Canaanite people were the most hated race by the Jewish. That was a time when no person from the context of a gentile background would have dared to come to a Jewish citizen. There was huge gap between the Jews and the Canaanite people. But she had overcome this gap by approaching Jesus with her problem. Firstly, she overcame the purity and pollution concepts of the then society. She had broken this concept by publically approaching Jesus. She can be understood as a representative of her race to break this boundary of purity and pollution. Secondly she was a woman. A Canaanite woman can be compared to a Dalit woman in India who is oppressed twice, as a Dalit and as a woman. A Canaanite woman was a symbol of oppression, who was oppressed by the Jews and by her own community. Even inside the Jewish community women were oppressed and were not allowed to come publically and speak to a male. But she broke these barriers for the liberation of her daughter and for her community. Thirdly, Jesus’ responses were a hurdle to her. She came to Jesus and said “have mercy on me Lord son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.” The first response of Jesus was a mere silence. This silence was severe than words. Again the disciples requested Jesus to send her away. Then Jesus responded by saying that he was sent only for the Jews. This was a very weak response by Jesus. And again she came to Jesus and requested for help. But the response of Jesus was a strong humiliation. But she was not ready to surrender to these responses. She overcame these responses by her faith and commitment toward her cause of liberation.
What is the significance of these hurdles in today’s context? There are people and communities around us who are longing for liberation. Liberation is only possible when we are able to cross the boundaries and hurdles. She crossed the boundary of purity and pollution, the boundary of gender and caste and the boundary of humiliation.
2. She used humiliation as a tool for liberation
She had to undergo the humiliation throughout her encounter with Jesus. His disciples wanted to send her away without addressing her voice of cry. She was not just telling about her struggle but she was crying. The Greek word used here is ‘craiso’ that means to cry or scream. Even this cry did not change the mind of disciples. They wanted to avoid her from that scene. Jesus’ responses were even more humiliating. Jesus announced that he has come to the world for the lost sheep of Israel. The final response of Jesus to her plea was even more tormenting and Jesus compared her to a dog who eats from the fallen loaves from his master’s table. She might have remembered the prayer that the Jewish people used to pray, “thank you Lord for not making me a woman or a Dog.
She used these words of humiliation to respond to Jesus. She was strong enough to turn her humiliation as a tool for the liberation. She argues with Jesus using Jesus’ own words to say that If Jesus had come as a saviour to the world then she and her community will also be a part of that. Humiliation was not a new thing to a woman like the Canaanite woman. This was her experience throughout her life. Now she has decided to turn that humiliation as a tool for her own liberation.
The story of Daya Bahai tells us about the opposition and struggle she had to undergo when she reached the tribal villages of Madhya Pradesh. Her name was Mercy Mathew and she belonged the Catholic Church in Kerala. She joined the Sisterhood of the church and wanted to become a nun of the Catholic Church. But before finishing her training period she left the church and went to the villages of Madhya Pradesh. She had to face humiliation and opposition from her own church, from the land mafia, from the police department, political leaders etc. But she was not ready to give up her struggle for the tribal communities. Today she lives as a tribal and continuing her struggle for the liberation of the marginalised people.
We have a number of brothers and sisters who live a life of humiliation and condemnation. But they are not able to come out of their struggles. But the Canaanite woman, herself became a channel of liberation. We as Christians have the responsibility of liberating our brothers and sisters from their oppressive structures. But we normally make them silent by humiliating them. We want the poor and the dalit to remain poor and dalit. For that we humiliate them and use them. We always want them to eat the crumbs that fall down from the table and not the meal at the table. But the Canaanite woman was not willing to submit to these injustices. She turned that system and used that as a tool for the liberation.
3. She used her God-consciousness and theological affirmations for liberation
Jews had a false understanding that they are the custodians of God and theology. But here she also affirmed her God consciousness and theological beliefs. The first verbal encounter begins with her cry of "Lord" and "Son of David." In Mathew, "Lord" is addressed to Jesus only by true believers, and "Son of David" is used by the marginalized of society, who recognized the Messiah of Israel, whom the leaders of Israel reject. The woman knows that her insight of faith gives her no claim on the Jewish Messiah; But she affirmed that she also have the right to accept Jesus as her Liberator. Persisting in the face of discouragement, the woman of faith "comes" to Jesus and "worships" him. The word used here is proskyneô, a favourite Matthean verb for the proper act of reverence toward Jesus. She repeats her petition with heart-rending simplicity: "Lord, help me." Like the Psalmist, she is at the end of her rope. She also affirmed her faith by saying that she also has the right to eat from the crumbs. In a way, she was saying that she also has the right to have the liberation from God. She did not think about the consequences of her public statements about this God consciousness. Jesus accepted her as a woman of great faith. She overcame the hurdles and humiliations through this God-consciousness. She called to Jesus as the son of David and affirmed the prophetical declarations about the coming of a messiah as the liberator of the whole world.
Let me conclude my message. The story of the Canaanite woman gives us a challenge to overcome our struggles in the path of liberation. She used the humiliation and condemnation as a tool for her liberation. Even in the midst of the struggles and pain she had a strong God consciousness and she affirmed this without fear. Church is the called-out community of God. We are entrusted with the task of becoming the channels of liberation. Can we be the channel of liberation amidst humiliation and pain? Can we participate in the struggles of our brothers and sisters who are still oppressed by caste, colour and gender. May the almighty God bless us to be the channel of liberation.
The passage explains the encounter and dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. This was not just a dialogue but it was a struggle. This was a struggle for the healing of her daughter and a struggle for the liberation of her race. According to the Jews, she was not one of the God’s chosen people but a gentile by birth and apparently by religion. She was a Canaanite too and lived in Phoenicia. She was descended from the ancient enemies of Israel. Tyre and Sidon was located on the Mediterranean coast approximately 35 miles north to Mount Carmel. These were ancient and well known cities of Phoenicia. Jews considered these as gentile cities and were not spoken of favourably in the Old Testament. She had no claim either of kindred or religion.
This passage also reveals the voice of pain of a woman and her race. She approached Jesus as a healer for her daughter and also she acted as a liberator not only for her daughter but also for her people. I would like to draw your attention to this struggle for liberation of the Canaanite woman.
1. She had overcome the hurdles for liberation
The reason behind her approach to Jesus was the sickness of her daughter. The Canaanite people were the most hated race by the Jewish. That was a time when no person from the context of a gentile background would have dared to come to a Jewish citizen. There was huge gap between the Jews and the Canaanite people. But she had overcome this gap by approaching Jesus with her problem. Firstly, she overcame the purity and pollution concepts of the then society. She had broken this concept by publically approaching Jesus. She can be understood as a representative of her race to break this boundary of purity and pollution. Secondly she was a woman. A Canaanite woman can be compared to a Dalit woman in India who is oppressed twice, as a Dalit and as a woman. A Canaanite woman was a symbol of oppression, who was oppressed by the Jews and by her own community. Even inside the Jewish community women were oppressed and were not allowed to come publically and speak to a male. But she broke these barriers for the liberation of her daughter and for her community. Thirdly, Jesus’ responses were a hurdle to her. She came to Jesus and said “have mercy on me Lord son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.” The first response of Jesus was a mere silence. This silence was severe than words. Again the disciples requested Jesus to send her away. Then Jesus responded by saying that he was sent only for the Jews. This was a very weak response by Jesus. And again she came to Jesus and requested for help. But the response of Jesus was a strong humiliation. But she was not ready to surrender to these responses. She overcame these responses by her faith and commitment toward her cause of liberation.
What is the significance of these hurdles in today’s context? There are people and communities around us who are longing for liberation. Liberation is only possible when we are able to cross the boundaries and hurdles. She crossed the boundary of purity and pollution, the boundary of gender and caste and the boundary of humiliation.
2. She used humiliation as a tool for liberation
She had to undergo the humiliation throughout her encounter with Jesus. His disciples wanted to send her away without addressing her voice of cry. She was not just telling about her struggle but she was crying. The Greek word used here is ‘craiso’ that means to cry or scream. Even this cry did not change the mind of disciples. They wanted to avoid her from that scene. Jesus’ responses were even more humiliating. Jesus announced that he has come to the world for the lost sheep of Israel. The final response of Jesus to her plea was even more tormenting and Jesus compared her to a dog who eats from the fallen loaves from his master’s table. She might have remembered the prayer that the Jewish people used to pray, “thank you Lord for not making me a woman or a Dog.
She used these words of humiliation to respond to Jesus. She was strong enough to turn her humiliation as a tool for the liberation. She argues with Jesus using Jesus’ own words to say that If Jesus had come as a saviour to the world then she and her community will also be a part of that. Humiliation was not a new thing to a woman like the Canaanite woman. This was her experience throughout her life. Now she has decided to turn that humiliation as a tool for her own liberation.
The story of Daya Bahai tells us about the opposition and struggle she had to undergo when she reached the tribal villages of Madhya Pradesh. Her name was Mercy Mathew and she belonged the Catholic Church in Kerala. She joined the Sisterhood of the church and wanted to become a nun of the Catholic Church. But before finishing her training period she left the church and went to the villages of Madhya Pradesh. She had to face humiliation and opposition from her own church, from the land mafia, from the police department, political leaders etc. But she was not ready to give up her struggle for the tribal communities. Today she lives as a tribal and continuing her struggle for the liberation of the marginalised people.
We have a number of brothers and sisters who live a life of humiliation and condemnation. But they are not able to come out of their struggles. But the Canaanite woman, herself became a channel of liberation. We as Christians have the responsibility of liberating our brothers and sisters from their oppressive structures. But we normally make them silent by humiliating them. We want the poor and the dalit to remain poor and dalit. For that we humiliate them and use them. We always want them to eat the crumbs that fall down from the table and not the meal at the table. But the Canaanite woman was not willing to submit to these injustices. She turned that system and used that as a tool for the liberation.
3. She used her God-consciousness and theological affirmations for liberation
Jews had a false understanding that they are the custodians of God and theology. But here she also affirmed her God consciousness and theological beliefs. The first verbal encounter begins with her cry of "Lord" and "Son of David." In Mathew, "Lord" is addressed to Jesus only by true believers, and "Son of David" is used by the marginalized of society, who recognized the Messiah of Israel, whom the leaders of Israel reject. The woman knows that her insight of faith gives her no claim on the Jewish Messiah; But she affirmed that she also have the right to accept Jesus as her Liberator. Persisting in the face of discouragement, the woman of faith "comes" to Jesus and "worships" him. The word used here is proskyneô, a favourite Matthean verb for the proper act of reverence toward Jesus. She repeats her petition with heart-rending simplicity: "Lord, help me." Like the Psalmist, she is at the end of her rope. She also affirmed her faith by saying that she also has the right to eat from the crumbs. In a way, she was saying that she also has the right to have the liberation from God. She did not think about the consequences of her public statements about this God consciousness. Jesus accepted her as a woman of great faith. She overcame the hurdles and humiliations through this God-consciousness. She called to Jesus as the son of David and affirmed the prophetical declarations about the coming of a messiah as the liberator of the whole world.
Let me conclude my message. The story of the Canaanite woman gives us a challenge to overcome our struggles in the path of liberation. She used the humiliation and condemnation as a tool for her liberation. Even in the midst of the struggles and pain she had a strong God consciousness and she affirmed this without fear. Church is the called-out community of God. We are entrusted with the task of becoming the channels of liberation. Can we be the channel of liberation amidst humiliation and pain? Can we participate in the struggles of our brothers and sisters who are still oppressed by caste, colour and gender. May the almighty God bless us to be the channel of liberation.
[This sermon is prepared and delivered by Liju Raju , a final year BD Student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]
