This may seem like a different perspective on Christ’s life and ministry, but perhaps we can see in Gospel reading ways that Jesus changed and grew into his ministry and in his understanding of his mission as the Son of God. In Jesus’ interaction with the Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus at first does not treat her with very much respect. He initially tries to ignore and avoid her requests to heal her daughter. Then very bluntly, Jesus tells her that he came only to preach to the people of Ancient Israel, that helping her, a Gentile, instead of helping a Jew, would be like taking food away from a child and giving it to a dog. Yet, the Canaanite woman never gives up on Jesus. She never gives up in her belief in him. Finally, as this interaction continues, Jesus recognizes her great faith and agrees to heal her daughter. Perhaps, in this encounter with the Canaanite woman, Jesus is brought to a greater understanding as to his mission and ministry here on earth as the Son of God. Perhaps Jesus realizes that he is meant to be open to more than just the Jewish community. Like the Canaanite woman, we also are to be persistent, persevering, and tenacious in the way we live out our faith, in the way we search for the presence of God in our lives, in the way we seek out God's will for us. May we always live out our faith with courage and conviction like this Canaanite woman in our Gospel today.
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