I want to revisit one of the all-time worst tweets for a moment.

The story of Jesus and the Canaanite/Syro-Phoenician woman isn't just misunderstood by Pride-month celebrating Jesuits.

Even conservative, Bible-believing types teach that it is merely an example of strong faith. https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/760816063546351617

Yes, it is true that the Canaanite woman had extremely strong faith.

That is not why this story appears in Matthew's Gospel.

Back before the religion of "new atheism" hadn't been swallowed up by wokeness, you'd often be asked by Hitchens-types "why did the Son of God appear in the backwater of Near East and not in the center of the world like Rome or China?"

As though this was a big "gotcha."

The answer, of course, is that out of all the nations of the world, God chose Israel to be his priests to all the other nations. God's Word, His worship, and His very presence was mediated to the world through these people. It is among them that He chose to dwell on earth.

This is why God in the last days [of the old world] came in the flesh directly to Israel. And not because they were such great, wonderful people.

Despite their nearness to God, they were among the most wicked.

God came directly to them and they rejected Him.

Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, while He is mostly being rejected by Israel despite doing miracle after miracle for them, the greatest faith Jesus observed was not by a Jew but by a Roman. A centurion.

Now Jesus encounters not just another Gentile, but an ancient enemy of Israel, a Canaanite. She comes to him begging to cast a demon out of her daughter.

Ironically, in the times that were ancient even in Jesus' day, a Canaanite would have *worshipped* that demon.

Canaanites sacrificed their children to demons. They'd have thought it an honor to have a child chosen by one.

But this woman wants Jesus to cast the demon out. She wants this Joshua to rid her daughter of the Canaanite gods.

And so, unlike the conception people have of Jesus, He is not nice to her.

He is not sweet and friendly.

He totally ignores her pleas.

The disciples eventually ask Him to do something for her just to get rid of her.

He tells them that He came for Israel, not the Gentiles.

That's the key to understanding the passage.

But the woman will not stop. She comes right up to Jesus and WORSHIPS Him. She prostrates herself at His feet and begs Him to help yet again.

And now, Jesus ups the ante even more. He calls her a racial slur (strange that Fr. Martin would leave that out ).

And the woman, is not offended, but accepts it. Yes, I am a filthy dog, but even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the table.

Jesus is testing this woman. He intentionally makes it as hard as He can for her to come to Him, He sets up every obstacle He can, and she hurdles all of them.

He makes it as easy as He can for Israel and they REFUSE TO HEAR OR OBEY.

That is the point of this passage. Gentiles, who do not have the law, who do not have the prophets, who do not have the Temple, all immediately accept Jesus.

Israel has every possible advantage and rejects Him.

There is much more to say in this passage.

You can read or listen here: https://bonifaceoption.substack.com/p/jesus-among-the-gentiles