Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment. -Matthew 15:28
Dear members and friends,
People who believe that Jesus was a very loving and kind teacher could be deeply troubled by reading a story in Matthew 15. In the story, a Canaanite woman came to Jesus shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” However, Jesus did not respond to her at all. When his disciples urged him to send her away, Jesus answered her, “I was sent only to lost sheep of the house of Israel.” To this harsh response, the Canaanite woman came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” Jesus answered to this desperate mother, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” What a cruel comment! But the Canaanite woman did not give up and insisted, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then, Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.
After reading this story some may be shocked by Jesus’s cruel answers while some may be amazed by the miracle itself. Many Scriptures of major religions include such stories where the master or the enlightened one appears to be harsh and cruel to the requestor. The purpose of such stories is never about the master being careless to the problem or pain of the requestor, rather it is about a deep lesson symbolized by such stories. The lesson here in Matthew is one of those stories. What Jesus intends to teach us through this story is that there is a process we must undergo to gain and grow our faith. According to the story, there are three stages of faith.
The first stage is characterized by our excitement and enthusiasm for the truth that we just learned. Our mind is deeply excited to have found such a truth or explanation that seems to provide an answer to our problem. Our expectation after having found such a truth might be that it should solve our long-lasting problems, and thus grant us inner peace. Yet, as we pursue it, we face a dead end, which is symbolized by the silence of Jesus. The reason is that at this stage, our faith is more about the excitement of our own ability to have found the truth rather than acknowledging what the truth is actually teaching. What this means is that at this stage, our ego is still active and claiming the credit of finding the truth.
This is a continuation of last week’s message, which can be read above.
The second stage of growing our faith is characterized by our inner acknowledgement of the necessity of humility. After facing a dead end and somewhat apparent rejection, what we learn and acknowledge is not the disappointment arising from God’s silence, but the necessity of humility. In other words, we learned the truth, yet did not understand its proper usage. More importantly, truth that is not accompanied by humility cannot function in its essential capacity as an illuminator. We must acknowledge that we acquired truth not because of our own ability, but because of Divine guidance. Thus, we accept and acknowledge the necessity of humility. This is symbolized by the Canaanite woman simply kneeling before Jesus and saying, “Lord, help me.”
The third stage of our faith journey is characterized by the complete embodiment of humility in the form of surrender. In the second stage, we might accept the necessity, yet still desire to give our ego control. However, embodying truth fully requires a complete surrender. This surrender is not the denunciation as in the Buddhist tradition, but letting go of one’s ego and pride that persistently emphasizes one’s self-importance and even self-righteousness. When we truly accept our identity as a creation while standing before our Creator, what would be the necessity of having ego or pride? When we finally let go, we are capable of fully living by the truth from God. This is symbolized by the Canaanite woman saying, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Faith may look different from one religion to another; what it means to have it and how to live with it. The faith that we find in the Bible is about having a deep and unshakable trust in our Creator, because our Creator not only created us all, but intends nothing but joy and happiness for us all. The existential problem of humans according to the Bible is that humans desire to place their own ideas and pride before what is true, while the Creator only dwells in what is true. Thus, all pain and trouble in the human world came into existence because of human efforts to place themselves over others and even their Creator.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment of deep prayer this week. Let us ask our own heart, “What does it mean to have faith?” May the grace and wisdom of God be present in your prayers and inquiry.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee