Sunday on Ordinary Time
View From A Pew
The passage from Isaiah says that God does not discriminate and that all who honour him and accept his covenant are welcome to receive salvation. Paul continues this theme, seeing himself as once a pagan, so who better to address pagans? If you read Mark’s version of today’s rather strange Gospel story (Mark 7, v 24-30 rather than Matthew’s,) there it is explained that the woman was a Gentile, and that Jesus says that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. So that seems like discrimination in a way. Also do you get the feeling that Jesus seems challenged a bit by the woman’s request? This was at a time when he was experiencing various critical encounters with the Pharisees who questioned his authority. But would it also be too much to suggest that perhaps Jesus was realising here that there was a fuller scope to his mission and that perhaps he may be re-thinking the way in which his ministry was going and by doing so revealing his human frailty, something which affects us all at times. I find that a bit comforting.
