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?
