His Kingdom Will Have No End: Khalilah Kersey
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour. (Matthew 15:21-28)
I read a lot of interpretations of this text looking for some insight. I found some interesting registers.
In my “research,” I found that people were hesitant to believe that Jesus would respond to the Canaanite woman this way, and that we have reason to believe that this was all just one, big test in order to see if the woman would persist.
There was one interpretation that compared the woman to Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and Hilary Clinton, and heralded her ability to single-handedly cure Jesus of His racism.
All in all, the internet didn’t lead me closer to understanding, and for me, when I struggle to understand a text even with historical context, I look to other parts in scripture to guide me. In doing this I found myself intrigued by two things.
The first is the frequency in which I separate the Trinity in my mind. I forget that Jesus’ nature is akin to the nature of the God we see in the Old Testament, and in fact, this scenario here with the Canaanite woman reminded me of the times God has heard and been moved by the cries and pleadings of His children. In Amos 7 it reads:
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
In Joshua, Joshua pleads the case of the Israelites and the disgrace their annihilation would bring upon the name of God, and God responds with His grace. Then in Matthew, Jesus heals the son of a Roman centurion, who mimics a very similar kind of humility that we see with the Canaanite woman.
The second thing that intrigued me is the way that God’s goodness is too great to be contained to one nation, one people. The passage reads that Jesus withdrew to this place. The same story is told in Mark and offers some different details, noting that he didn’t want anyone to know that He was there. And yet, this Canaanite woman sees Him- I would even suggest that she sought Him out purposefully- and pleads with Him, addressing Him as Lord.
When Jesus says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs,” the woman responds, “Yes, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
What this woman is referring to is the runoff of residual goodness that somehow reaches people beyond who we may have believed the blessings were intended for. Jesus does not control who will tell the story of Him and His Father. And no matter how much the darkness stretches or how far reaching it is, who God is reaches farther. And we know this because at the end of this passage that woman’s daughter is healed. We know this because He claims both Jews and Gentiles alike now.
When we say things like “His Kingdom will have no end” I think this is what we’re talking about. He encompasses all people from everywhere, and the truth is this: The Lord has come for you, and if you call out to Him, He will come to you. And today, like many Sundays here, we have the opportunity to receive Him. Let us do so gladly and with humility.
Khalilah Kersey is a former Wesley intern and remains a vital pillar of our community. She is loved by all who know her, and her witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of our community’s greatest blessings. Khalilah currently works in the LA Tech International Student Office as an International Student and Immigration Advisor and enjoys spending time with her husband Chase and their daughter Ayaila (AKA Yaya).