The "Pagan" Plea

THE PRAYER OR PLEA OF A PAGAN

 

INTRODUCTION

May be we all experience the feeling of harboring/housing a bit of paganism in us.  And the feeling is not about to go away soon. In fact, it seems to increase the more we come closer to go—the path of growth in faith. Other times we seem to be convinced that our neighbors portray pagan traits.

Let’s reflect on a text of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus is meeting a pagan woman!

LORD, HELP ME. MT.15:21-28

Jesus continues his journey and passes towards the north of Galilee. He passes through the areas of Tiro and Sidon, near Phoenicia, a region inhabited by Canaanites. Israelites avoided them because according to the Torah, contact with them would make the Israelites “Unclean” with their idols. It is in this journey that Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman!

But is it a coincidence? Why did Jesus choose to pass through a region that no ordinary Jew would pass? Is he unaware of the impact that such a journey would lay on him?

The encounter between Jesus and this pagan woman breaks all the laws. Once broken they have no power anymore! Remember, every encounter with Jesus is unique and comes with a lesson. It is obvious then that Jesus wanted this meeting. The encounter is not just casual and unplanned for. You can claim that it was planned before ages without exaggerating!

The mentality of the writer is very evident here. He knows the details of the law. Now, the encounter was as follows: having heard of Jesus and his works—the miracles and the great impact of his teachings on the life of the people. She longs to tell him of her predicaments—her predicament because all what her daughter suffers has become here own suffering. “Have mercy on me, Lord.” She calls him Lord. She knows that he is not just another man.  She adds, “Son of David.” She also recognizes his humanity, his history as parts of the chosen race, the house of David.

Now, this lady up to now is an exact image of each one of us. We also know Jesus as Lord (God) and Son of Man—Mary(man). We also know like her, that he can help us. We also pray like her for his help. We run behind him shouting our plea!

“My daughter is tormented, tortured, oppressed, degraded… by the devil (demon)”.

The pain of having her daughter in that situation is itself a sorrowful experience. I can almost see her eyes, wet with tears. She is utterly restless, desperate and at the same time happy to see Jesus, full of hope. Her life is a contradiction. Like mine and yours! How many contradictory things do we carry within every day! How many! I can now see why I also have this “pagan woman” in me.

THE SICK DAUGHTER IN US!

The pagan woman has her daughter at heart. She loves her. But precisely because she loves her so much, she also suffers! When our conscience is not pure, we are also restless. We know that we need Jesus to expulse the demon who is “tormenting” our daughter is rendering our life miserable.

The world around us could also be the sick daughter. When the people around us live as if God does not exist, when their behavior starts to influence us and we fight against it. We know we have a sick daughter, tormented by the devil.

JESUS’ RESPONSE

Matthew reports “he did not say a word to her!” (V.23). THE SILENCE OF GOD! Who has never experienced it. I have. It is simply painful! Today, we won’t focus on that. Yet, my friends, I want to ask you: Is God silence when he seems to be! Even to the pagan woman, he did not respond. And in fact to the pagan woman in you and me, he also keeps SILENT!

The Apostles intervene. No. They intercede! No! They intervene for their comfort. “Listen to her because she is coming behind us shouting!” So, the intervention is about them. Mistaken! They should intervene and intercede for the needy. The intercession should not be about their comfort!

How do you intercede for others? How do you pray for others? Do you seek their change so that they may make your life easier?

Look at the difference between the Pagan prayer and that of the Apostles—professionals of prayer! The interest of the pagan lady is not her peace of mind. It is her daughter’s freedom from the devil and his torment! And the apostles…

In v. 24 Jesus replies to the Apostles: “I came for the Israelites not for these pagans, the lost sheep of my Father’s fold.” It’s scathing attack on the pagan mother once more.  His mission is directed to Israel, the chosen people. This woman, then it would mean, is outside his domain. It would certainly offend me to hear that from God-man! But the pagan lady knows that already. She is outside the chosen race.

Her plea is even stronger. “Lord, (Sir) Help me!” She is now prostrate in front of him. A gesture of prayer, of adoration—she is no longer a pagan in that state. She is a believer. Not a Jew but a believer. With her gesture, she opens the doors for me and you to be “seen by God” as believers!

The reaction of Jesus is also painful. “It is not good to take the food meant for children and give it to the dogs” what? Dogs? That terms was commonly used by Jews to refer to other tribes. “You say I have no right… I agree. No. I don’t agree. I have some right. I have the right to eat crumps, leftovers!

THE RIGHT RESPONSE

The journey has come to its destination. In the heart of a pagan, there is  more faith than in a chosen race. Some Christians think of themselves highly—practicing and faithful. If they had the experience of getting tired while shouting to be heard, calling again and again. They would come to desire more of God’s presence.

The answer of Jesus: “Woman, your faith is great. May it be according to your desire!” Donna, grande e’ la tua fede! Avvenga per te come desideri!” (v.28)

Regardless of being a Canaanite, she has faith. She is a rightful daughter of Abraham, our father in faith! She too can be enlisted like Abraham, declared son of this patriarch. She is not anymore pagan, stranger, and out of the list. She is an Insider.

Conclusion

Furthermore, how haunting is this simple, terse phrase, “But he did not answer her a word,” when we consider that it is Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity that has come to bring salvation to the world, that ignores her plea? Do we imagine that God will ignore our prayers, especially for our children? How would we feel if we thought that Jesus, full of love and truth, might simply choose not to listen to our most anguished cries? When we think of Jesus, do we imagine this possibility?

I think the key to this passage is found in an earlier passage of Matthew, chapter 7:21-23. There Jesus says, “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’”

Here Jesus emphasizes that it is not those who cry out to him, “Lord, Lord,” that shall be saved, but those who do the will of the Father. Similarly, as with the Canaanite woman, not everyone who initially cries out to God for mercy will find it. There might be a period of silence. Why? Because sometimes we cry out to the Lord in sheer desperation, no matter how far from him we might be, but with no real intention of staying with him when the desperation has passed. Think of the Catholic who has rejected the Church and her teachings his entire life, but when faced with a life-threatening crisis, falls to his knees and prays to God for help. Think of the man who has rejected “organized” religion and lived by his own rules, praying for help when someone close to him, his child perhaps, is seriously ill. Or think of any agnostic, or atheist, or New Ager sending up prayers to God as a final act of hope that the Divine, whatever it might be, will intervene to help. Are any of these hypothetical individuals actually asking God for help through faith? Would any of them live any differently once the desperation has passed? Perhaps, we can hope, some might. Many certainly wouldn’t.

What Jesus shows by his silence, in other words, is that God is not a type of Santa Claus. He isn’t a kindly old man that hands out gifts based on whether you’ve been naughty or nice. What God wants is faith - a faith that does the will of the Father. That’s why he doesn’t initially respond to the Canaanite woman. In fact, he makes her ask three times before he replies, “O woman, great is your faith!” Why three times? Because repeating a request, or a command, multiple times emphasizes the importance of it. Think of Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Think of Peter’s denial of Jesus, three times. By asking three times, by her persistence, the Canaanite woman is demonstrating her real faith in Christ. Only then does Christ do what she asks!