Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Ironic Jesus: My Case for Why Our Lord Was Not Being a Jerk in Canaan

Ironic Jesus: My Case for Why Our Lord Was Not Being a Jerk in Canaan

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 1:53 pm by Jennifer Fitz

Ironic Jesus: My Case for Why Our Lord Was Not Being a Jerk in Canaan 2014-12-27T13:53:04-05:00 Jennifer Fitz

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I wrote a bit of Ignatian-style Gospel fan-fic earlier this week, taking a stab at the encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman. This is a controversial passage, and my take on it resounded with some. Call it the Ironic Jesus perspective: I propose that our Lord was not being a jerk; rather, he was using the teachable moment to show his disciples that their mission was to the whole world.

Others tend to take a more Stern Jesus or a Culturally-Biased Jesus approach, and one can certainly make such a case.

I’d like to share the reasons I perceived the scene as I did.

***

To recap, here is the reading in question. You can read it in context here (Matthew chapter 15). You can find the same story in Mark chapter 7 as well.

My argument is as follows:

1. I don’t think Our Lord was having a sudden mental lapse. Whatever he meant in that moment with the Canaanite woman would be consistent with what he had been teaching up until that point.

2. Jesus had just finished a whole course of teaching about the importance of internal conversion rather than blind adherence to Jewish law:

In Matthew 15, Jesus teaches that internal purity is more important than external observance of the Jewish law.
In Matthew 12, Jesus sets aside a legalistic view of observing the Sabbath. He also teaches that a person can be known by the fruit of their actions.

2. Jesus had just finished talking about the redemption of non-Jews.

In Matthew 12, He praises the Queen of the South who came seeking wisdom from Solomon, observing that his fellow Jews were failing to recognize something far greater than Solomon. He sets aside the question of praise for His mother by observing that anyone who does the will of God is part of God’s family.

In Matthew 11, Jesus explicitly speaks of the redemption of Tyre and Sidon, over and against Jewish towns that had received the preaching of the Good News and did not accept it:

20 Then he began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.23 And as for you, Capernaum:

‘Will you be exalted to heaven?

You will go down to the netherworld.’

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

3. In Matthew Chapter 8, Jesus heals the centurion’s servant without hesitation. It is something of a stretch to think Jesus had somehow decided the Roman occupiers were part of the “Lost tribes of Israel”. This suggests that our Lord was not, in his conversation with the Canaanite woman and his disciples, quoting his own governing principle.

In the same chapter, He also performs an exorcism among the Gadarenes. The fact that the residents nearby were tending swine suggests that these, too, were not Jews.

He also touches a leper, showing Himself master of, not slave to, Mosaic law.

4. And interestingly, way back in Matthew Chapter 7, we hear Jesus talking about “not giving what is holy to dogs” in its proper context: Those who are impious will desecrate holy things. He follows by observing that perseverance in prayer will be rewarded.

Thus when the infamous quote comes around full circle in conversation with the Canaanite woman and his disciples, we have a Jesus who:

Is master of the Law, not slave of it.
Has praised the faith of pagans.
Has spoken of the redemption of the very region they are now standing in.
Has willingly and freely healed non-Jews.
And has said that perseverance in prayer is desirable.

And then He pulls out a pun in his dialog, turning the meaning of the expression on its head.

That’s my argument for Ironic Jesus. It’s more than just not wanting Jesus to be a jerk. All the evidence suggests that He simply wasn’t one.

Click through for a closer look. And hey, I’m not the only one who envisioned this encounter on the road and not in a house. Ignatian-meditators, unite!

Artwork: Juan de Flandes [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Catechesis

Catholic Q&A

Sacred Art & Music

Previous Post

August 20, 2014

Useful Stuff: All the Mass Readings for 2015 in One Book - Updated

Next Post

August 25, 2014 No School - Earthquake Day

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Catechesis Catholic Q&A Chastity Church Craziness Come See Me Talk Disability & Chronic Illness Economics Evangelization Facepalm Forgiveness Good Things History Homeschooling Human Rights It's All Catholic Listen to Me Survey Series Liturgical Living Marriage Modesty Not Satire. But almost. Rant-o-Rama Sacred Art & Music Satire South Carolina Spark Clutter Stick that Corner Suffering Thinking Topics Writing Stuff

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 January 2026 December 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who predicted the fall of Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Jesus Jeremiah Isaiah