Was Jesus a racist?

In Chapter 15 of his gospel Matthew tells of Jesus getting away from it all by travelling into Gentile territory. No Jew would be likely to follow him there. Then up comes this Canaanite woman asking him to cure her daughter of the devil that possesses her. At first he ignores her, but she keeps up the pressure. The disciples were fed up of hearing her whining and shouting at Jesus. "Get rid of her!!" Jesus commented to the disciples, "I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and to them alone." Back comes the woman, throws herself down before him crying "Help me sir!" Now comes the "racist" reply. "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Quick as a flash she replies, "True, sir, and yet the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master's table."

This was a clever and witty answer and it impressed Jesus. "What faith you have! Let it be as you wish!" The girl was cured immediately. When I first read this passage I was astounded that Jesus could speak to the woman like this. It did not seem the sort of thing he would ever say. Yet here it was in black and white! But we have to have a little understanding of what was actually said. On a first reading we see an insult issuing from the lips of the last person we would expect. But, as is often the case, it is about the actual words spoken and not our translation.

In present day parlance what Jesus said was this, "It is not right to take the children's bread, and to throw it to the pet dogs." Suddenly we grasp what was being said. Jesus was actually overstating the case by suggesting he was being asked for a cure for which only Jews were entitled. It implied that she was asking him for something to which she was not entitled. I am sure that it was meant as a challenge. Her clever wit caused her to reply, "No, I'm only asking for a little bread such as falls off the table and gets eaten by a pet dog."

So what we see in this gospel passage is actually a challenge which was taken up in faith. She was so earnest in her request that she would not shut up when the disciples told her to. She saw in Jesus her last hope. She had taken on the burden of caring for a daughter who was possessed and she spoke as if it were she who suffered the illness. There was desparation in her approach and she did not give up easily.

Poor old Jesus! He found himself curing the sick even on his day off.

But there is a shadow present in this story. It is the shadow of a man called Paul. Later, when challenged, he would take up the task of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. We have, therefore, a back echo to remind us what is to happen in later times when the work is left with humankind.

For people of the twenty first century there is a message. Reading this story we can see that there is value in "demanding" what is important in our prayers. It is almost a message that says, "the louder you pray the surer the gift." I sometimes think that God is encouraging to engage with him in a very earnest way. If what we are doimng in his service is vitally important then there is a case for "pushing" for a positive outcome. We have it in black and white that God will not cheat us. Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, those who seek find, and to those who knock, the door will be opened. "Would any of you offer his son a stone when he asks for bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you, bad as you are, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him!"

So if it really matters, if it is desparate, put that into your words as you pray, and it will be yours. I am not talking about wish lists here. God is no Santa Claus. He is a provider of all that makes for the best in life. The quality is set by him, not us. So we have to be asking for the right things. But trust him and he will give you strength you crave to carry on and help others.