I'm Offended!

Mat 15:21-28

Christ, the Lover of mankind and the Great Physician, reveals Himself yet again in today’s Gospel reading.  And as important – no, as essential as that message is to us, we need to find yet another message in His works from this section of the Gospel of Saint Matthew.

And that message relates to the issue of ‘being offended’.  We hear the expression unceasingly in our society.  We as Christians aren’t allowed to call sin sin because it will offend someone.  We aren’t allowed to pray in schools because it will offend someone.  We are no longer allowed to have community sponsored nativity scenes because it will offend someone.  And while it’s not only Christianity that is at play, it does seem as if this faith plays a central role in the issue of people claiming to be offended.

On the flip side, people often say that our beliefs are founded on superstition and antiquated thoughts, that they have no place in an enlightened world.  And we are not permitted to be offended at their opinions.  Our Lord cautioned us against such behavior when He taught us in the Gospel of St. Luke (9:26), “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.”  If I claim to be offended, am I not indicating my being ashamed of that which I claim to be the offense?

Going back to the beginning of Matthew Chapter 15, we come to an issue that shows our Lord’s perspective on this topic of ‘offending people.’  Here, we find the scribes and Pharisees encountering Jesus.  They have no problem with attempting to anger our Lord with their accusations, and so they come to Him and openly accuse, indeed attempting to provoke the Lord into confrontation: “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread!”

My goodness.  Such a terrible offense!  It’s a wonder that God didn’t just strike the Apostles dead for such a crime!  Please note that these ‘leaders’ of the Jewish faith do not ask, “Why do Your disciples transgress the law of Moses?”  For there is no such law.  Instead, they focus on a man-made tradition.  Moses is known to have threatened and enjoined his own followers to neither add to nor take away from the Law.  And yet, see what has happened.  Men, in their anxiousness to be seen as having authority, and I dare say to place themselves in the position of God in making rules to set themselves up as judge and jury over others, while at the same time they give to themselves more power, or they abolish rules which convict them of doing wrong.  And it continues to this very day, and it will continue until the Lord’s return.

What is our Lord’s response to them?  He greets the accusers with another accusation.  “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’  But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother,’ Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God,’ then he need not honor father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.” 

These words need a little explaining.  What Jesus is accusing them of doing is holding onto ‘things’.  Saint John Chrysostom uses the example of a father asking a son to give him a sheep, and the son refuses, telling the father that he has promised the sheep as an offering to God.  The Lord is accusing these men of making up such a tradition.  He is accusing them of hoarding God’s gifts for themselves and breaking the Law in so doing.  Give your father a sheep.  You have others.  Give them, and an extra, to God!

Now comes the offending.  Jesus is not finished with these men.  He says to them, “Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophecy about you, saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  Jesus ends by then calling all the surrounding people to Himself, and says, “Hear and understand – not what enters the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

The twelve Apostles are astounded, and they pull Jesus aside and say, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

Again with being offended!  If only, in our time, we had a voice that could speak with such authority and lack of concern about offending others for the sake of speaking the truth!  If only.

Why do we begin with this account?  Because there are many who are coming to Jesus, with many issues, many needs, many righteous and unrighteous desires.  These we’ve just discussed are clearly unrighteous, and those who come with them leave empty – perhaps even more empty than when they came, for their hearts are not filled with love, but are filled with hatred and envy.

On the other side, we find today’s Canaanite woman.  Jesus is traveling in a land away from His home.  Saint Matthew relates in the beginning of today’s Gospel that this woman of Canaan “came from that region” – she had left her home.  Why?  To seek the Master.  She shows none of the quarrelsomeness or arrogance of the Pharisees.  She shows only faith, patience, and a great humility.  Her faith is such that she knows that our Lord can heal her daughter.  She shows no doubt in this belief.  Her patience is such that even after being soundly rebuked by the Lord, multiple times, she persists, knowing that God loves all, and the words He is using are those which would be hurled by the ungodly to offend her and break her faith.  She shows by this great patience that her faith cannot, her faith will not be broken.  And by this, she shows a level of repentance that we should try to emulate.  How is repentance shown?  By virtue of the fact that the woman comes before Christ, recognizing His divine authority and power.  One cannot reach this state, one of seeking to reach out and touch God, without encountering first a truly repentant heart.

Her persistence, her unwavering faith and patience can be noted in the reaction of the Apostles, who at one point ask Jesus to “send her away, for she cries out after us.”  They are taken in at first by His ignoring the woman.  They allow this feigned posture of ignoring a nuisance on the part of our Lord to cause them to also take the posture of openly offending her.

The Lord’s rebuke of the woman is not an act intended to drive her away, for our Lord knows our hearts.  He knows that her faith is great enough to overcome this small offense, though to many it would seem great.  How many would be offended enough to leave in anger at being called ‘a dog’?  When is “being offended” appropriate?  Our Lord is teaching us here that it is not appropriate even at this level!!

But the woman turns the offending term into one of indicating the depth of her faith.  “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”  In short, I don’t care what words are throwing at me.  I know that there is power and authority to spare in Your being.  I know that You have the ability to heal my beloved child, and to heal me as well.  I will endure anything to receive the answer to my plea that I came before You to receive!  I see the children of Israel offending and rebuking You!  This means that some of which You would give to them, You can and will make available to me.  They have case aside more than enough crumbs to meet my needs, if only You will bless me to take them.  You can see, Lord, I believe!  I trust!  I repent!  I have faith!

These words did not come from her lips.  But again, the Lord knows our hearts.  These words were evident in her heart – just as much, and perhaps even more so than the words of hatred and envy in the hearts of the Pharisees who came to the Lord just before her, scattering their crumbs so that she might benefit from her faith to receive her own need

The Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and says what?  “Have mercy on my daughter?”  No!  While her prayer to Jesus is for her daughter to be released from demonic possession, she comes and prays to God the Son, “Have mercy on me!”  I need healing from my sins!  Heal me, and heal also my beloved child.

Jesus grants the prayer of the woman.  He does not ask for faith from the daughter!  Take careful note of this!!!  When the centurion came to seek healing for his servant, Jesus did not ask, “Does your servant believe?”  God answers prayer based on the faith of those who come to Him in faith, regardless of the level of the faith of the one for whom they are interceding.  Immediately after this passage in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, crowds bring to Jesus multitudes of lame, blind, mute and maimed people.  And He heals them all, because of the faith of those who brought them.

We need to find within ourselves the ability to ignore the world’s attempts to dishearten us with offending and discouraging words and practices.  All that matters is our faith, our patience, and our humility, all of these coming from a repentant heart.  Then, the source of all strength, Jesus our Lord, will hear our prayer offered in purity, and will grant to us that which is beneficial for our salvation, and for the salvation of those for whom we are lead to pray.

It’s a simple plan.  It requires simplicity in heart, being “like a child” as we approach our God.  If we start with this foundation, our faith, like that of the Apostles, can still change the world.

Glory to Jesus Christ!