Judy and I attend Belmont United Methodist Church, just south of the Vanderbilt campus. And we are part of the Friendship Class led by Stephen Bryant, which is a lectionary Bible study class. There are several of us who substitute teach when Stephen is absent. Once in a while, I get to teach. Today is one of those days.

Last time I taught, the Gospel lesson was one of my favorites. I love preaching about the sower who casts seed on good and bad soil. But today, the Matthew text is a little more problematic--Matthew 15:21-28--where Jesus encounters the Canaanite woman.

I have more questions than answers. The traditional interpretations are that through her persistence with Jesus, the woman secures the healing she sought for her daughter and/or Jesus changes his mind about enlarging his mission beyond Israel to include the whole of humanity. Anyone who knows me suspects that I want to see if there are other possibilities. So I have questions.

Jesus and the disciples have withdrew from the crowds and went to Tyre and Sidon (modern Lebanon). One commentator thought it was like a retreat where no one would know him. Really? The passage does not say that. In fact, it does not tell us why they went there. I wonder why they would leave Israel. What are they doing there and for what purpose? It is clearly not home.

The woman recognizes him and shouts for healing for her daughter. He says nothing, and possibly before he can answer (again the text gives no hint about the time frame), the disciples tell him to send her away because she is bothering THEM. And he says to the disciples, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." How did he say that? Was it sarcasm, was it mocking? Again, no clue to the tone or intent of the response of Jesus.

Again, she addresses Jesus simply and directly, "Lord, help me." And he utters this strange saying about it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs, and she replies, "Yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table." What is this? Is this a parable? It's certainly picturesque and vague. And Jesus announces that she has great faith and her daughter was instantly healed.

So I wonder if this excursion beyond the home territory isn't to teach the disciples that the mission is not as narrow as they think, that it includes all of humanity. I wonder if it was not a retreat but an advance to demonstrate our common humanity and that we all are God's children. And not one of us ought to be excluded from God's table, there is nourishment for us all, and that none of us are dogs. I just wonder if there isn't more to this passage that we miss as we ponder traditional teachings. I've got questions.

This photo is from a foggy morning at Grand Lake, Colorado.