Be Like Her!

Sermon from August 20, 2017. For context, read Matthew 15:10-28.

I remember the rise of gangs in Durham. I was a teacher in the Durham Public School system and over the course of several years I watched the culture in our schools change. While gang violence rarely occurred on the school campus, it was hard to miss the signs. These young men were angry and defensive; and clearly the school system wasn’t meeting their needs.

As it became increasingly evident to me that these young men could care less about atoms and molecules and gravity, I found myself asking what they did care about. And they were more than happy to share. They dreamed about having a secure job where they made enough money to live comfortably. They dreamed about having a wife and children and a nice home. I remember one boy saying he wanted a home with a two-car garage and a white picket fence.

In most cases these dreams contrasted sharply with their current existence. Some of these young men were essentially homeless, finding a sofa here or there to sleep on. They didn’t know who their fathers were and their mothers were incarcerated or too high or too busy to care. Others lived in homes that were so small or so crowded that the only place they could be alone was on the toilet. Still others came to school hungry or high. No wonder learning about the Periodic Table and Newton’s Laws were simply not on their radar.

I finally got bold enough to ask some of the boys in my classes why they joined gangs. Across the board the answer came down to wanting a place to belong; a place to feel safe. The boys needed a place where they were respected and valued and treated with dignity; they longed to be seen as fully human. 

All of these young men were African American or Hispanic – they joined gangs like the Bloods and the Crips and the Norteños. And they were proud to belong to these brotherhoods. These boys and their stories were one of the reasons I left teaching – the public school system simply could not meet their needs. I felt like my hands were tied – there was so very little I could do. I wondered if maybe the church could help.

Today I see the rise of a new type of gang. These gangs draw in young white men. These gangs are called the Neo-Nazis and the Aryan Brotherhood and the Alt-Right – they are all white supremacist gangs. Sadly, I do not know any of these young men – my paths don’t intersect with this population.

But I wonder if their anger and hatred isn’t fueled by the same dreams and the same needs as the black and Hispanic boys I knew in Durham. Dreams for a better life – the deep desire for a place to belong – and that overwhelming need that all of us share – that need for affirmation and love.

I also recognize that these groups must be stopped. Flying Nazi flags and calling for ethnic cleansing and actively hating the Jews and the African Americans and anyone who does not look like them is pure evil.

As Christians who have promised through our baptismal vows to put an end to evil, injustice and oppression in all its forms, we cannot sit idly by.

That brings me to our gospel lesson today. I find this story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman to be deeply problematic. It is hard to imagine Jesus being silent when a woman is calling for help. It is even harder to wrap my head around Jesus telling her that he “was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In John’s gospel Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” – not of Israel, but of the world. Jesus also says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” – world. And in Luke’s gospel Jesus is nearly thrown off a cliff for affirming that God’s salvation is offered to all – Jew and Gentile alike.

But here – right after Jesus tells his disciples that what comes out of their mouths proceeds from their hearts – here Jesus’ words and actions seem completely out of character.

I wonder if Matthew isn’t calling our bluff. I wonder if Matthew is intentionally portraying Jesus this way just to make us look critically at who we are as the Church today. And by Church I don’t mean just this congregation, or even the United Methodist Church.  I wonder if God isn’t challenging the predominantly white Protestant and Catholic churches across this nation today to really see Jesus through this text.

Imagine being the Canaanite woman in this story – the mother of a child who is tormented by demons. Sadly this doesn’t take much imagination for some of us. Our children are truly tormented by demons like alcohol and drugs, or self-loathing and insecurity. It could be that this woman’s child is tormented by the demon of hatred and racism that seems to be running rampant today.

Do you hear the anguish in her voice as she calls out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me?” Have mercy on me, Lord! My child is tormented by a demon! Have mercy! Unfortunately, too often the Church does exactly what Jesus did in this case – the Church says nothing. He did not answer at all. He just kept walking. My heart breaks for that mother as the Church remains silent.

But the mother is persistent; she doesn’t give up. She cries even more loudly, “Have mercy on me!” And the disciples, the followers of Jesus, urge him to send her away. She’s a disruption. A nuisance. All the Church seems to hear is her shouting – no one seems to hear her pain.

And if this isn’t shocking enough, Jesus then says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This is the Church in survival mode. This is the Church saying, we need to take care of ourselves. We don’t have enough for anyone else. This is the church operating in scarcity mode. This is the Church that has lost sight of its true calling – we were sent to make disciples of all nations. Just look at Matthew 28. We have been assured that one day people from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, will stand before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God.” See Revelation 7. Jesus was sent to rescue lost sheep everywhere.

Friends, when the Church says, “Send her away, we’ve got to take care of our own,” we need to remember the courage and persistence of the Canaanite woman and go and kneel before our Lord and Maker in the middle of the crowd of naysayers and cry, “Lord, help me.” Lord, help us. We cannot cure our own children without your help. The demons are too strong. The roots of hatred and racism run too deep. Lord, help us.

I really struggle with the fact that in this moment Jesus still doesn’t relent. He responds, “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But perhaps this is the only way to rattle the Church out of her complacency. Perhaps it is only when Jesus utters a profoundly dehumanizing and racist comment that we begin to see our own sin. Jesus calls this mother unworthy and I, for one, cry NO! This is not the God I worship. I believe that this mother – and her demonized child – are both beloved children of God created by God in the image of God. I will not accept that label for this foreign woman – this compassionate mother – this astonishing human being.

I love that the mother won’t accept this label either. She persists, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs from their master’s table.” Mothers everywhere are emboldened to lift their voices and cry out on behalf of their children. No one should be left behind. No one should be excluded. Everyone, even the least and the last and the lost, deserve a seat at the Lord’s Table.

Friends, we have been silent for too long. In fact, we have been silent for so long that groups like the Alt Right have come to see Christianity as irrelevant. Are we going to become irrelevant and stand by as white supremacy and racism deny the dignity of each human being? Or are we going to be like the Canaanite woman? She was loud and insistent, she was wise and insightful, she was courageous and persistent. And Jesus – and the Church – need that right now. Jesus and the Church need mothers – and fathers – who will stand up for their children. Jesus and the Church need people just like you and like me to stand up for people everywhere – black, Hispanic, white – Jewish, Muslim, Christian – rich and poor – lost and found. And I know that when we do stand up – for all our children – Jesus will respond, “Great is your faith.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, are we going to sit idly by as the Church becomes irrelevant? Or are we going to live into our baptismal vows and accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves? Are we going to let the demons possess our children? Or are we going to truly put our faith in Jesus Christ and trust in his grace to save us all – and I mean all?

It’s time for us to have the faith of this Canaanite woman. Jesus can and will cast out these demons – if we are willing to be like her. I am ready. Are you?