16 August 2026 #lovelanguage

Let’s do a deep dive into the Gospel today because at first blush, Jesus seems so… harsh: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs,” he says to the Canaanite woman asking for healing for her daughter. Seems rude. Very rude. But things are not always as they seem.

This story is found only in Matthew’s Gospel. Remember, Matthew is a Jewish man writing to a Jewish audience. Don’t forget, he left Judaism behind when he became a tax collector; and when he did return, he followed this rabbi named Jesus who said he was the Son of God. Turns out that Jesus-thing was true and Matthew’s life was forever changed. Matthew speaks from what he knows and believes to be true: Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Jewish prophesies. That’s why you find more Old Testament fulfillment references about Jesus than in any other of the Gospels. It’s a deeply Jewish perspective.

Our Canaanite woman is decidedly not Jewish; she worships the gods El, Ashera, Ba’al, and Astarte among others. Living in the district of Tyre and Sidon, she is outside the boundaries of Judaism, both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately, that makes her persona non grata to the disciples; they actually ask Jesus to send this desperate woman away. Let’s point out that the disciples use the word guné here, meaning a woman who is a wife. It’s the same word that Matthew uses when he recounts the story of Joseph taking Mary as his wife.

This woman hears that Jesus is in town and makes her way to find him because she knows and believes that this Jewish rabbi can heal her daughter. So how does this random Canaanite woman living “up north” know this? For the same reason it happens today - news travels fast, especially if it’s exciting (for good or for ill). I wonder… If we all start talking about Jesus, what might the front page of the Hastings Journal look like? What if Jesus garnered more attention than a roundabout? I digress.

Back to our story. Despite the disciples’ use of the word guné (woman), the Jews in general use a slur for their neighbors to the north: kýōn – dog. In Jesus time, dogs are decidedly not pets - they are associated with scavenging and filth, mangy, not to be trusted. Harmful even. Yet Jesus doesn’t exactly use this term, and this is lost-in-translation. Jesus replies with the word kynárion. Small dog… puppy! These animals are open, innocent, eager, and trainable. As in all things, Jesus speaks a love language within the confines of cultural realities.

And you know what else is cultural reality in this story? We don’t hear about it today, but Jesus has just left Jerusalem for Tyre and Sidon because the elders of Judaism reject him. Their hearts are closed, their minds a law calculator for religious and political gain, they are not eager, and definitely not interested in discipleship-training for Jesus’ mission. Jesus wants to show his disciples what faith actually looks like. So, he goes into Canaanite country to do it.

And a child is healed because of her mother’s tenacious love.

Let’s tie this altogether. Matthew – a Jewish man writing to a Jewish audience – tells his people to stop being snobs. Yes, Jesus is the fulfillment of their sacred Scriptures, the One the prophets spoke of, the God-man of Redemptive Love. But Jesus desires everyone to be at His table, no matter what the Jews – or even you and me – might believe. #lovelanguage