God changes his mind
- Woman, great is your faith. Your daughter is healed. - from the movie Jesus
Tomorrow's gospel reading (Mt 15:21-28) about the Canaanite woman is one I like because it makes me think that God can change his mind :) But sometimes I wonder about the readings like this one - I've just read in one of William Barry's books, Who Do You Say I Am? Meeting the historical Jesus in prayer that this scene probably never really happened .....
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Having had two very fine scripture professors when I was preparing for the priesthood, I have some sense of the fact that the gospels are not eyewitness reports of what Jesus did and said. Hence I wince when homilists speak glibly, it seems to me, of what Jesus said and did, seeming to presume that the gospels are an accurate account of the historical Jesus. But I have to admit that the shoe has often enough been on the other foot in spite of my fine professors. For example, any number of times I have referred to the story of the Syrophonecian woman [Mark's version of the story of the Canaanite woman] to show that Jesus was a product of his own cultural prejudices and that he learned from experience .....
I took the view that this story would not have been kept by the early church unless it really had happened, because it seems embarrassing to have Jesus speak so grossly to this poor woman. After all, he as much as calls her a dog because she is a Gentile, not a Jew. Imagine my chagrin when I read in the second volume of John Meier's A Marginal Jew: "Weighing all the pros and cons, it seems to me that the story of the Syrophonecian woman is so shot through with Christian missionary theology and concerns that creation by first-generation Christians is the more likely conclusion" (660-661). Not the first time that I have found myself mistaken. ....
Let it be said that the Jesus with whom we have a personal relationship is the risen Jesus, the Christ of faith. But Catholic Christianity assumes real continuity between this person and the historical Jesus. The risen Jesus bears the marks of his historical life and death in the Palestine of the first century of our era .....
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I'm still not clear how to resolve the tension between the historical Jesus, the Jesus in the NT, and the Jesus in prayer. Sometimes I feel easier believing in the Jesus of the movies :) The film Jesus had a pretty good version of this scene. After he helps the Canaanite woman, the disciples are upset and say, Our God is for the Gentiles!???? Jesus says to them, I saw a girl dying. Would you rather I let her die? This woman has taught me that my message is for the Gentiles as well. If I can learn, so can you.
posted by crystal | 10:14 PM
10 Comments:
Started August 16
Comment on Deborah Coddington: Democrat is exposed as hypocrite and liar
Crystal,
This is a very interesting story and if it was started by (as far as I got)
The next day August 17th
The Lord really does work in mysterious ways because I had planned on finishing the upper post yesterday. There was I guess, an angel of truth present and I was honestly prepared to confess some of my sins in public although I’ve already confessed them in writing to our good Bishop and my wife as already forgiven me also. It’s not easy for anyone to discourage me when my mind as already been made up to do something. My guilt trip must have been because “I”, one of my weakest/strongest eternal daily cell, once wrote to our good bishop telling him in so many words that every priest who have truly sexually abused any children, should confess in public of having done so.
Anyway, I was called to do something immediately but I was not going to stop. To make a long story short, let’s just say that The Angel that I married teamed up with Cinderella’s two sisters and said that Gail Winds would come around if I did not co-operate this moment.
Right now, I’ve got less than ten minutes to finish this little thought and I know that God has all the time in the world but I have not so without reading your post I will just say that today’s eternal endless cell as told me at Church this morning that an eternal cell got into that gospel woman directly from our time and “IT” would not quit going after Jesus' forgiveness until He recognized her.
I could go on and on but my wife just said, I thought that you said only ten minutes so I’ll close by saying that some of my imaginary endless loving friends have said that “They are happy and willing to bring our modern day World into The Church but not The Church into this modern day world.
Gotta Go!
Until next time
Peace
That's OK, I heard a homily from another Jesuit this morning who's convinced that the woman's faith changed Jesus' mind. :D
Although... I'm not sure what bothers me more... The possibility that the story was a redaction added later, or that Jesus would have initially shrugged off a desperate woman with a suffering child with a dissing remark comparing gentiles to dogs.
In one scripture course I took, the priest insisted that while the Gospels may not be historically correct as to what Jesus said and did, they do tell us what impression he made on people around him. I guess today I look at some of these stories like parables "Jesus was like unto the man who when approached by a gentile ...".
Fr. Fox's blog pointed out that in the first reading God is speaking of gathering all nations to Himself. In the second reading Paul calls himself the "Apostle to the gentiles." And finally in the Gospel Jesus shows the Apostles that Gentiles will also be accepted. Could He have been setting up a "teaching moment'? Certainly the Church seems to have found a connection between the three readings.
Did Jesus really change His mind? Or was He, in effect, telling us that sometimes we really need to want something, to be willing to ask for it before we get it. I think of Randy in the "Last Lecture" saying that brick walls are not there to stop us, but to make us realize how much we really want something. Perhaps Jesus is saying the same thing by example?
Sigh, still I don't think I am going to get rid of the dents in the car from yesterdays hail storm just by praying hard. That brick wall requires cash, so I am just claiming it ads character to the car :-).
Stay safe.
Love and Hugs,
Mike L
Hi Victor,
I'm glad I don't have to confess my sins in public :) Thanks for the comment.
Jeff,
Yes, that is disturbing to see Jesus be mean. I thought the movie handled it pretty well - showed him kind of tired and busy and matter-of-fact rather than intentionally insulting to her. Still ....
Hi Mike.
I just read that the Grand Canyon was flouding. Is that near where you live? I hope you guys are ok out there.
I really like the idea that Jesus/God changed his mind, although I know that is probably kind of a theological impossibility. That story is like the parable of the judge and the woman penitent who changed his mind by nagging him for so long. I would like to think that if I just keep bugging God, I'll convince him to give me what I want :)
Fr. Marsh has an interesting past homily on this reading too, here - Sunday Week 20 Year A
I think I heard somewhere an interpretation of that passage as Jesus testing his disciples because he knew the woman would insist, and that would be a lesson to them. More omnipotence, less cold-heartedness, but also less human in a way.
Hi Liam,
Yeah, I don't so much like the idea that Jesus was using her as an object lesson for the disciples, though that would answer the question of how an immutable God could change his mind.
We have to remember that Jesus could be tough and do some very challenging things to make people really confront their choices. This is the guy who said to his top apostle, "get thee behind me, Satan!"
Yes, you're right. He in a way seemed to use Lazarus as an object lesson, letting him die before saving him though he must have known how much grief that would cause.
I had a spiritual director who told me my Jesus was a plastic one - that I never let him be anything but really nice :)
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