By the Way: Always the quiet ones
By Rev. Shane Hein on August 26, 2023.
27:Â She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” [Matthew 15:27] “It is always the quiet ones we need to worry about.” Often it is assumed that the silent, disinterested looking participant in a conversation is not really listening to what is being said. And while that may be true in some cases, in many others it is just the opposite. The text above was spoken by a Canaanite woman who has sought out Jesus to beg him for his help. The disciples’ first reaction is to ask the Lord’s permission to shoo her away; a rather impolite gesture, yet fully in keeping with the cultural norms of the time. But, like all negative cultural norms, this one is going to take some time to undo, and Jesus uses this encounter as yet another opportunity to reveal God’s love for everyone – Jewish and Gentile alike. So, Jesus, with mock rudeness, compares giving the Word of God to someone like her with giving a child’s dinner to the dogs. Undaunted by his apparent prejudices, and lack of interest in her suffering, the Canaanite woman replies, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She has evidently heard him speak before, perhaps overhearing one or more of his proclamations as she hangs around the fringes of the crowds, unnoticed by the throng, yet taking in every sight and sound. Revealing the Word of God to the world is never a waste of time, no matter what the response. Even those who appear hostile or indifferent to the succulent meal of the Gospel message laid out before them cannot help but to consume the crumbs. We never know who might be hearing it, listening to it and making it a part of themselves. It is indeed always the quiet ones. Rev. Pastor Shane Hein 10-9
