Its Dangerous - making God in our Image!
Channel: Sean Hayes
Date: 17/08/2020

Monday Morning Gospel QB explores Jesus' healing of the possessed daughter  of a Canaanite woman.  Is it dangerous or not and what are the implications for Jesus' mission of healing or salvation . . . where does faith come in and do we make God in our image?
 See the full text of the reflection attached below.  Good Morning . . . August 16th yesterday, I guess summer is winding down . . .  In this weeks Gospel we see . . . We Actually see and hear a dynamic interplay between Jesus, A Canaanite woman, the disciples and even the chosen people of Israel.  
As you read or hear the Gospel you can see the scene play out in your imagination . . . Jesus is approached - probably aggressively approached, by a mother - driven by her love and desperation for her daughter . . . Again, remember women are not suppose to talk to men in the ancient world . . . So this woman was bold - she was a mother who's child was suffering.  So three times she petitioned Jesus . . . 3 times she dealt with his challenges or rejections as well as the dismissal of the disciples but she persisted.  She was driven by her faith and love and she urged Jesus to broaden his perspective and ministry, to "share some scraps" to those outside of the chosen race . . . To broaden his arms and healing to foreigners, to Gentiles. . . And he does, the woman gets her wish.

At first glance you can see this reading as a tale of perseverance and even Jesus acknowledges her great faith . . . In fact its what saved her daughter, "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."    What do you think - first glance,  it’s a story about perseverance and faith . . . ?

But I think this first glance is dangerous if we stay there.  When you read it literally, it encourages all of us to "showcase our great faith" by petitioning Jesus to heal us or those we love . . . Isn't this how it works in the bible . . . How many times do we hear - "Your faith has made you well . . . "  SO all we have to do is have faith and call out to Jesus (Jesus son of David have pity on me) . . . In fact we just have to keep calling . . . Pestering even, right? ? ? I don’t think so - again it can't be only what we see on the surface . . .

Yes Jesus came to "Heal" . . . If he came to do anything he came to heal.  He came to heal what was broken and reconnect what was separated . . .  He came to bring salvation, because "Salvation" literally means to heal.  
So as Jesus "heals" the woman's daughter, he also heals the mother and returns them both to society . . . Because again, women and those who were sick were outside of society - they were shunned.  SO as Jesus heals, He restores . . . He reconnects and binds the mother and her daughter back to their family and society as a whole.  He saves . . . And as he saves he teaches his students, the disciples, and by extension all of Matthew's audience, which is Jewish.

The dramatic inter-play helps accentuate this point.   Jesus came for the Jewish people - true . . . But Jesus also came to bring healing and "Salvation"  to others - to the nations . . . and by witnessing this scene, the disciples and all of use, see this played out in real life and not just theological ideals or theories.  But there is also a danger in watching this scene unfold - we can get stuck in the literal.  We can think that if we prove our faith, if we pester Jesus, we can get what we want and even talk God into doing something for us . . .  But I don’t think the gift of faith works like that.   And I think when we put these expectations on God, we are making God like us . . . We are Making God into "Our Image and Likeness" not the other way around and that’s a problem, that’s blasphemy.   When we make God in our image and likeness we make god into a god of reward and punishment, we make him linier, dualistic and we try to control him and we don’t allow God to be God . . . A God of wonder, awe, mystery and life itself.  

So we do need to reach out to Jesus for salvation . . . Healing, in the here and now not just when we die . . . but we also have to be open enough to recognize and accept the "healing" of what is broken - when it comes, and how it comes, even if it isn't as I had hoped or asked or wished for.  Healing comes, Jesus comes but not always as we expect.