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DOGS ARE PEOPLE TOO

He was a popular political figure; in fact, He was the leader of His party. And people have debated ever since it happened why He would say such a thing. Had He completely lost His “political antenna”? Didn’t He realize that times had changed? Maybe He was just “winging it” that day. Maybe He thought He was among friends and close associates and could let His true feelings show. But somehow a transcript leaked out. There it was in black and white: this well-known public figure invoking the coded language of the segregated past. Us Vs. Them. We’re the chosen people, enjoying our punch and birthday cake, and out there — well, “those people” are all Out There, threatening the heritage of our way of life.

Well, friend, if you think I’m talking about the latest gossip from the political columnists at the New York Times, think again. I’m going back a few years–nearly 2000 in fact. And the event I’m referring to was no political gaffe. I’m talking instead about a scandal dating back to the book of Matthew, chapter 15, and a young messianic leader named Jesus of Nazareth. He was with His 12 disciples, all men who belonged to the same political party He did, but as reporter Bob Woodward and his hidden microphone picks up the first rumbling of a hot story, Jesus has strayed onto Democratic turf — meaning He’s left the safety of Israel and gone into the region of Tyre and Sidon. That’s where the Gentiles hung out. Here’s the Matthew account:

“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity [Tyre and Sidon] came to [Jesus], crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” And Matthew adds: “Jesus did not answer a word.”

So maybe He’s being smart. This was a segregated society; Jews didn’t mix with the Canaanites, but why get into a brawl? Just smile at the TV cameras and walk away. But the twelve disciples of Jesus, all ardent nationalists, all determined defenders of the old way of life, speak up as one. Matthew continues the story:

“So His disciples came to Him and urged Him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’”

And now Jesus, realizing that He’s among friends, among 12 political cronies who think like He does, lets His feelings slip. And this is bloody. Listen:

“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’”

In other words, Us. Vs. Them. “I’m not going to help ‘them.’ I don’t want to be seen with ‘them.’ I don’t have enough miracle power to help ‘us’ AND ‘them.’” And one of the 12 disciples picks up a ram’s horn and begins to play “Dixie” on it. Well, almost. But here’s what happens next:

“The woman came and knelt before Him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.” And now brace yourself: “He [Jesus] replied: ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’”

And friend, that’s the soundbite they played and played and played on CNN’s Inside Politics. Bill Schneider and Judy Woodruff looped it over and over. Did He really say “dogs”? Just like that? Did Jesus, leader of this messianic movement, the founder of the Christian faith, look right into the face of a foreign woman, a member of the Canaanite culture, and call her a dog? And say that His precious miracle-working power, His “gift,” could only be doled out, rationed out, to the chosen people?

It gets even more colorful the way Eugene Peterson has it in his great paraphrase, The Message. Listen, and this is from Mark 7:

“[Jesus] said, ‘Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. IF there’s any left over, the dogs get it.”

We’re beginning a new two-week radio series, friend, and we do so with all the Christian humility in the world. We’re entitling it: JESUS, YOU DON’T REALLY MEAN THAT! And you know, as you read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are just a number of times where the mess that Trent Lott got himself into a few years ago comes right into your mind. Because Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Redeemer of the world, seems to have a few verbal skeletons in His closet that would rival anything the former Senate Majority leader said at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party or at any time in his long and relatively successful political career.

We’ve all heard now, umpteen times, how the man from Mississippi thought he was just making innocuous birthday-party talk for his old friend the segregationist. Here it is again:

“I want to say this,” Lott had said, “about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had of followed our lead we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either.”

A couple of weeks later, after the smoke had cleared and the pundits had had their say, Mr. Trent Lott was no longer Senate Majority Leader. But in all honesty, as we read through THIS story about the Prince of Peace, it’s just as baffling — and deeply troubling. Did Jesus think this woman was a dog? Or that her entire nation could be casually placed in a canine category just like that? One Bible commentator frankly confesses how this certainly qualifies as a “hard saying of Jesus”; in fact, F. W. Beare puts it in these terms:

“[This is] an atrocious saying, expressing incredible insolence and based on the worst kind of chauvinism.”

Today it would be the kind of thing that would get 51 senators together on a conference call to discuss the fallout. “What do we do? Everyone’s seen it on the news. Jesus, You didn’t really mean that!”

Well, friend, we want to spend several days here just looking at a few of these prickly-pear events in the Gospels. How do we make sense of something like this? Before we really do that, though, let’s at least finish the story . . . which does help in this case. Jesus has just looked at this woman — who so desperately needs His help — and said to her: “Lady, it’s not right to take the food that belongs to the royal family, to the kids in the palace, and toss it under the table to the dogs down there.” And here’s her answer to Him in verse 27:

“‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

Where do we go from here? I’m going to confess that as a lifelong Christian, as a devotee of Jesus Christ, I begin with several bedrock “givens” that I can’t negotiate away. And in a sense, that does not make me the most reliable of investigators. But as a believer, I begin with the premise that what Jesus says is right. Jesus is not unkind; He is kind. He is not a racist; He plainly taught and believed in — and died for — all mankind. He intends for all peoples to be in His kingdom. He gave His servant Peter a rooftop dream, helping Him to learn that God loves all His children. He inspired Paul to write, in a letter to the Galatians, that there’s no such thing as “Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.” God is no respecter of persons. And so we have to stack up this strange, “dog” statement against the powerful testimony of the entirety of Jesus’ life and ministry and say to ourselves: “What did we miss here?”

Right here we have to very gently disengage from a commentary source that we usually appreciate extravagantly — and that’s Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase, The Message. I have a problem with how he expresses this Matthew 15 story. Here it is, and see if you agree:

“The disciples came and complained, ‘. . . She’s bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She’s driving us crazy.’ Jesus refused, telling them, ‘I’ve got My hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.’ Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees and begged, ‘Master, help me.’ He said, ‘It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.’ She was quick: ‘You’re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master’s table.’ JESUS GAVE IN. ‘Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!’ Right then her daughter became well.”

And that’s a very colorful rendering of the story, but friend, I just don’t think Jesus is conflicted that way. I don’t think He plans to do “A,” but then relents and does “B” just because He’s tired of the hassle. I don’t think He “gives in” and saves people, or “gives in” and works a miracle or “gives in” and answers a prayer. Jesus and His Father are always in perfect unity of purpose. We know that God never changes His mind, never has to alter His course, never has to backtrack or give in to political pressure. And neither does His Son. I think the moment Jesus saw this sad, desperate foreign woman, He knew He was going to do something incredible and generous for her. But He wanted to do it in just the right way, and for maximum teaching effect. So no, I don’t think He “gave in,” and I certainly don’t think He was “winging it.”

Well, then, what DO we learn from this “dog” story? Tomorrow we’ll look for answers.