Did She Change Jesus’ Mind? | Visual Lectionary Resources for August 16, 2026

Food for Thought

The Gospel reading is a curious one this week for many reasons. First, Jesus is in the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is a Gentile (non-Jewish) place. Why did he go there when he states that his mission was to the Jews? Second, he initially rejects a mother’s request to heal her tormented daughter. What?!? Why would Jesus do that? Third, Jesus calls this woman a dog. Again…what?!? Fourth, Jesus claims that his mission is only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Why is Jesus so narrowly focused and prejudiced against this Gentile woman? Fifth, the woman convinced Jesus to change his mind. He is amazed at her faith and heals her daughter.

What is going on in this passage? Scholars have been debating this for 2,000 years, so I don’t pretend to have the definitive interpretation. Here are my current thoughts and wonderings about this story.

If we zoom out and look at this story in the narrative flow of Matthew, we can see an interesting shift in Jesus’ ministry. Look at the sequence from chapters 13-17. Jesus is concluding his ministry in the north:

• Jesus is rejected in Nazareth,
• John is beheaded,
• Jesus feeds 5,000 Jewish people and 12 baskets are left over,
• a storm kicks up and Jesus walks on the water and calms the storm,
• Jesus heals the crowds in Genessarat (a Jewish region),
• Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and Scribes and he calls them hypocrites to their faces,
• Jesus teaches the crowd that the Pharisees’ teaching is wrong and that it is not what goes into the mouth that makes one unclean but what comes out,
• Jesus leaves Jewish territory and goes to Tyre (perhaps he is escaping persecution from the leaders he just offended),
• the Canaanite woman convinces Jesus to “throw crumbs to the dogs,”
• Jesus feeds 4,000 people in a Gentile region and 7 baskets are left over.
• Jesus goes to Magadan, a Jewish place, and is confronted by the Pharisees again
• Jesus tells the disciples “beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Saduccees
• Jesus goes far north to Caesarea Philippi and is transfigured.

Here’s what I see. The 5,000 and 12 baskets may represent the Jewish people, because 12 is connected to the 12 tribes of Israel. The 4,000 and 7 baskets may represent the whole world, since 7 is connected to the perfect number and the 70 nations (a symbol of ALL nations). It seems that Jesus came to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” and was rejected by their leaders. He crosses the turbulent seas of change. His focus is shifting and expanding to include all people, not just his own.

Was this a legitimate shift in Jesus, or is this a shift that Matthew wants his readers to see in order to legitimize the inclusive nature of the Gospel for Jews and Gentiles alike?

Either way, let us thank God for this feisty Canaanite woman who was willing to push back against Jesus’ anti-Gentile prejudice and bring out the true heart of the Gospel.

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Food for Thought

The Narrative Lectionary begins its third and final mini-series for the summer with a four-week series on the Ten Commandments. This week is the set up. The children of Israel have just been emancipated from slavery in Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea and, instead of heading north toward the Promised Land of Canaan, they head south into the wilderness. They stop and set up camp at the base of Mt. Sinai. Moses went to the top of the mountain and encountered the LORD.

The LORD establishes the covenant with the people and tells Moses to say to the people. “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession of all people. You will be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”

Moses came down the mountain, communicated these words to the people and they agreed.

Then God showed up on the top of the mountain with fire and smoke. It is like a volcano erupting. God speaks directly to the people in Exodus 20:1-17. These words that God spoke have come to be known by Christians as “The Ten Commandments.” However, the Jewish people know them as the “Ten Words,” or “The Ten Utterances” of the LORD. They aren’t numbered and people have debated on how to number them. Therefore, there are three distinct numbering systems.

The reading for this week, Exodus 20:1-2, is what the Jewish people identify as the first word of the LORD, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

This is not a directive, it is a statement of fact. It is the foundation for why the rest of the words have power.

God is the one who delivered the people from slavery. God is the one who delivers us from sin and death. God’s loving mercy and salvation is a gift and it is the basis for why we should orient our lives around the words that will follow. They tell us what it looks like to love God and to love our neighbor.

Let the words begin…

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