Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Jesus & the Canaanite: A Rhetorical Rebuke for the Xenophobes - Dave McFadden

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 is an unusual miracle story.¹ There is an apparent harshness and rudeness to Jesus’ words which creates an uncomfortable tension for many readers today.² Some going as far as believing “Jesus’ behaviour typifies an attitude of exclusion.”³ Perhaps for the original Matthean audience of Jewish Christ-followers, the words of Jesus were not interpreted as being quite so harsh or demeaning. Some scholars have tried to soften the rhetoric by interpreting the denigrating reference to Canaanites being “dogs” as a “homely metaphor” with the phrase meaning “little dogs” or “house pets.”⁴ Others have suggested that the Canaanite woman exposed and corrected Jesus’ prejudice against Gentiles.⁵ I do not consider any of these to be a fully satisfying interpretation of this text. Given Jesus’ practice of treating the marginalized—including Gentiles and women—with respect, compassion and dignity,⁶ I am convinced there must be a redemptive reading. Therefore, I propose a reading of this pericope whereby Jesus is verbalizing the prejudices of the disciples, not his own thoughts, to expose and rebuke their thinking. The woman was not insulted because Jesus’ words were spoken tongue-in-cheek.

Reading the text in this way suggests the main point Jesus was conveying to the disciples was that the kingdom of heaven was not restricted to the Jewish people but would include even their enemies.⁷ With its explicit inclusion of the terms Canaanite and House of Israel, it is possible that this pericope proposes a redemptive re-interpretation of the Canaanite conquest narrative in the Old Testament. Matthew already suggests in 4:24-25 that Jesus’ ministry was not restricted to Jewish regions and “great crowds” followed him from the Decapolis and beyond the Jordan. Mark 3:8 also records that “great numbers” came to Jesus from the Gentile areas “beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.” Jesus demonstrated explicitly in Matthew 8:5-13 that the kingdom of heaven was not restricted to Jews. Here, the author of Matthew records the healing of the Gentile centurion’s servant and Jesus saying, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness…” (Mt 8:11-12). There is a clear literary parallel between Matthew 8:11 and 15:26-27, with the image of Gentiles eating at God’s table used in both.

CLICK HERE to download & read the PDF -  Dave McFadden - Jesus & the Canaanite

Notes

1. Dorothy A. Lee, “The Faith of the Canaanite Woman (Mt. 15.21-28): Narrative, Theology, Ministry” Journal of Anglican Studies 13 (May 2015), 12.
2. J. Martin C. Scott, “Matthew 15:21-28: A Test-Case for Jesus’ Manners” JSNT 63 (Sept 1996), 22.
3. Melanie S. Baffes, “What Do We Do With This Jesus? A Reading of Matthew 15:21-28 through the Lens of Psychoanalytic Theory” Journal of Pastoral Psychology (2014) 63:257.
4. Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982), 314-315.
5. Judith M. Gundry-Volf and Miroslav Volf, A Spacious Heart: Essays on Identity and Belonging (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press, 1997), 23-25.
6. See for example Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 9:10-13, 20-22; Matthew 14:34-36.
7. The writer of Matthew chooses to identify the woman as Canaanite, a member of the historic enemy of the Jewish nation, instead of Syrophoenician as the writer of Mark does (Mark 7:26).

Revenge, Rizpah & a Redemptive Reading (2 Samuel 21:1-14) - Shawna Lucas

Within the biblical Davidic narrative is an account that is not only out of context chronologically, but an account that seems out of context with the message of a Hebrew God who is “slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Exod 34:6). The text of 2 Samuel 21:1-14 is, at first glance, the story of the human sacrifice of seven men to appease God’s wrath and end a famine. Such an archaic bloodthirsty deity does not seem to be the same God revealed in Jesus Christ.

This essay will attempt to examine this first testament scripture with a Christocentric lens, concluding with reflections on how Christ is revealed figuratively and prophetically in this narrative. God-the-Father and God-the-Son are not to be found in the violence of this passage but are seen counteracting the violence that is present by continually encouraging interactions that are both righteous and just. With that understanding, this historical narrative then elucidates the need for violence and retribution in the crucifixion event as a human demand and not a divine one.

Background

This Davidic story is part of an appendix at the end of 2 Samuel which includes four stories and two poems, interrupting the chronological narrative between 2 Samuel 20, and the first 2 chapters of Kings, which conclude the story of David. It is a hard story to place chronologically with the details provided, but it is assumed David’s interactions with the Gibeonites likely took place near the beginning of David’s kingship, probably between 2 Samuel 8-9 (Tony W. Cartledge, 1 & 2 Samuel, 635).

Bible readers first meet the Gibeonites in Joshua 9 where the Gibeonites are concerned the advancing Hebrew army will annihilate them. Although they have a history in the land, they deceptively dress up as travelers and ask for Israelite protection. Joshua, motivated by compassion, grants this protection with a covenant. 2 Samuel 21 is the first time the reader learns of Saul’s unjust attack on the Gibeonites. To summarize, a foreign tribe (Gibeonites), brought under the protection of Israel, through deceit, are wronged by one king (Saul). They make a claim for retribution through the next king (David) and are granted it.

CLICK HERE to download and read PDF - Shawna Lucas - 2 Samuel 21_1-14

Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, and Thomas Merton - Ron Dart

Part I

Joy and woe are woven fine
A clothing for the soul divine…
And when this we rightly know
Through the world we safely go.

—William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence”

The year 2020 signals both the sixtieth year since Boris Pasternak died and the one hundred thirtieth year since he was born (1890-1960). There is much to the literary and political life in the midst of Stalinist Russia that Pasternak endured and wrote about, but this two-part article will focus on Pasternak himself, his epic novel, Doctor Zhivago, and Thomas Merton.                                

In the 1980s I was on staff with Amnesty International and for a time was chairperson of Group 1 Amnesty International in Canada. When Amnesty International began in 1961, the organization had adopted a variety of Prisoners of Conscience (POC) and one of the women highlighted in Persecution 1961 was Olga Ivinskaya (1912-1995). Ivinskaya has been seen by many as the Larissa (Lara) character in Doctor Zhivago, just as Ivinskaya’s daughter, Irina, can be seen as Larissa’s daughter, Katya. The fact that Olga Ivinskaya played a significant role in getting Doctor Zhivago published in English in 1958 meant she was suspect by the Russian State and the KGB. When Pasternak died in 1960, Ivinskaya was arrested and given an eight-year prison sentence and her daughter a shorter sentence. Irina was released from prison in 1962 and Olga in 1964. It was not until 1988 that Gorbachev rehabilitated Ivinskaya’s reputation.

The ongoing relationship between the novel Doctor Zhivago and reality has been told from various angles, including Olga Ivinskaya’s own book, A Captive of Time: My Years with Pasternak (1978), and in a more updated version, Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago by Anna Pasternak (2017). Moscow has Ears Everywhere: New Investigations on Pasternak and Ivinskaya by Paolo Mancosu (2019) is another treatment of the subject. There are decided points of convergence and overlap between Doctor Zhivago and Pasternak’s layered life. But to the novel I now turn.

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This article was first posted in Radix Magazine

Georgia Lee – Psalm 22: The God of Advent Peace - Cherith Fee Nordling

Psalm 22

My God, my God
why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

My God, I cry out by day, 
but you do not answer,
by night but I find no rest.

In you our ancestors put our trust,
they trusted you and were saved,
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a human being,
I am scorned by everyone,
despised by the people.

All who see me mock me,
they hurl insults, shaking their heads,
"He trusts in the Lord," they say.

"Let the Lord rescue him, 
let him deliver him since he delights in him."

Yet you brought me out of the womb,
you made me feel secure on my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast on you, from my mother's womb,
you have been my God. 

Do not be far from me,
and trouble is near and there is 
no one to help.

I am poured out like water 
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax, 
it has melted within me,
a pack of villains encircles me,

they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;

people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment. 

But you, Lord,
do not be far from me.
You are my strength;
come quickly to help.

Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the
power of the dogs.

Rescue me
from the mouth of lions;
save me from the horns
of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you. 

Polly & Georgia Lee

In the early 1990s, when our boys were in grade school and we were living south of San Francisco, a 12-year-old girl named Polly went missing from her home an hour or so north of the city, in a little town called Petaluma. Because Petaluma was also Winona Ryder’s hometown, she helped galvanize the search effort for Polly which garnered nation-wide attention. Polly’s face was seen by millions, including Robert and I, who were caught up in her story—and who mourned her death weeks later.

About 4 years passed and again on the outskirts of Petaluma another 12-year-old girl went missing. This time, however, no one noticed. Like Polly, Georgia Lee was beautiful, intelligent, and loved by her friends. But that's where the similarities ended. Unlike Polly, Georgia was poor. And Black. And without a father. She was a surrogate parent both to her little sister and her unstable mother – that is, until a male predator moved into the house, and Georgia began leaving it out of self-preservation.

On the day she didn’t come home at all, no one reported her missing.

Two weeks later, a neighbor saw a little blurb in the paper; an unidentified body had been found along the highway. It occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Georgia for a while, so the neighbor shared her fears with the police. Tragically, her fears were soon realized.

At Georgia Lee’s memorial service, Tom Waits and his wife sat in the back row. They were struck by the equal horror and sorrow—and the profoundly unequal attention and concern—that surrounded the lives and deaths and grief of these two young girls. So, they wrote the lament we just heard on Georgia’s behalf, crying out to God, and to us, from hearts tuned toward justice; justice, which, in Hebrew, is the word most often paralleled, even synonymous, with shalom, or peace.

[see lyrics here]

Advent & Lament

During advent, peace is one of the four pillars – and candles - set ablaze in the light of Jesus. Here, in this shelter, we are also given safe space to lament, to cry out to, and with God, for ourselves and our wounded world. Because the feet of those who stand and shout God’s good news of peace are only lovely when they also stand against injustice; with the God who has come to us in the flesh, embodying our lament and our final peace in his own life.

Violence and the Gospel - Metro-Abp George Khodr

Excerpt from “Violence and the Gospel" by Metropolitan Archbishop George (Khodr), Orthodox Archdiocese of Byblos and Botris, Church of Antioch, in Supplément de la vie Spirituelle.

"You have heard that it was said...

...but I say to you"

-Jesus the Christ, King, General, Supreme Ruler of all that is, dead man.

"When the soul is invaded by the thirst for blood, faith gives way to ideology. The religious vocabulary is maintained but the words change their content. The hieratic society that empties the name of God of all content practices a horrible paganism. "God" becomes just a word used to express the will to power and the religious symbol becomes a sign of terror. In this way God can ultimately be transformed first into a concept, and then into an idol. Our faith in God at that point is based on this idolatrous foundation. It is now God who scatters death among our enemies, not us. Holiness gives way to heroism: the warrior is holy, salvation through combat on behalf of God.

There is no possible path from the warrior-God of Exodus and Joshua to the God of Jesus Christ. That monstrous image cannot be made acceptable. I refuse to attribute the wars waged by Israel to the divine will. Otherwise we get trapped in the morality of means, making death an instrument of life, and the destruction of various peoples becomes a condition of faith. God, whose name, presence, truth and unicity are love [agape], cannot lend Himself to the massacres perpetrated by Joshua son of Nun. The God Sabaoth [of armies], in the service of Israel and its hegemony over the land of Canaan, only reflects the thirst for conquest of a confederation of Semitic tribes, a spirit that is totally foreign to the unfailingly loving nature of the One who is God and rules history in all its developments.

If everything was consummated on the cross, the ultimate truth about God is a truth of love. If Christ is the revealer and locus of divine discourse, He presents himself, in His life and death, as the only exegete of Scripture and its sole reference point. Therefore, God was not the author of the sufferings of Canaan and of conquered peoples when Joshua commanded armies. He who will later bear the same name as Joshua [Joshua=Yeshua=Jesus] was already, in his precedence to Abraham ["Before Abraham was, I am."], on the side of the victim, Isaac.

I will pass quickly over the history of Christian peoples in their justification of violence. "Holy wars" were led against "infidels" by various Christian sovereigns. It is not my intention to discuss the idea of just war in Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. I don't believe that Christian reflection on this theme has ever been as perverted as in Byzantium, where each morning every Orthodox Church in the world sings: "God save our people and bless our heritage. Give our pious emperor victory over the barbarians." How could the Church, for so many centuries confuse the cause of Christ with that of the Empire, and later of all the Orthodox kingdoms? How could it affirm in its liturgy that the Cross is the power of the emperor?

It is out of an interior strength that one can renounce the use of force and of every form of domination. That is the liberating knowledge to which the meek of heart bear witness, in imitation of the One of whom it is written: "He will not brawl or cry out, his voice is not heard in the streets, he will not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Mt 12:19-20; see Isaiah 42:3-4). Jesus' Way, already described in the Suffering Servant Song of Isaiah, reflects the very behavior of Yahweh—kenosis.

We do not sufficiently realize that murder springs from the heart, that no evil is external, and that violence is simply the forthright expression of the vanity of tribes who cannot recognize God's face in the other. A Christian people, whose heart has been converted to the Holy Face and which lives the kenosis of the face of God, may in fidelity to the absolute never produce anything spectacular in this world, but simply transmit the words that have been said to it. Carrying the cross of Jesus in obedience to the commandment of love, it will bear witness, in the darkness of history, to the truth of Jesus, the eternal Passover."

JESUS WAS A VICTIM OF EMPIRE... Wayne Northey

JESUS WAS A VICTIM OF EMPIRE.
ACKNOWLEDGING THIS SHOULD TRANSFORM CHRISTIANITY.

Christianity would be transformed the world over, should the ultimacy of this realization take hold. But history shows that we keep losing our way–and far worse! So we ever must keep rediscovering Jesus over against Empire for the very first time!

American Empire is of course prime exemplar of this kind of brutal Empire: extension since its founding in fact of the brutal British Empire, especially in its twin original sins of slavery and indigenous genocide. American Empire has always and supremely been about “plundering, butchering, and stealing”, “the sack of cities, the rape of populations, pyramids of bones, acres of desolation (Novelist J.M. Coetzee in Waiting for the Barbarians (1980, p. 133))”, leaving “desolation”, “destruction and misery and death” in its wake (while calling it “peace and freedom”–Roman historian Tacitus). America has ever been in a voracious bid for domination of others (since World War II worldwide), in order to extract maximum wealth from all peoples and the Planet.

We first-world non-Americans, such as in Canada, through our multiple military alliances and multitudinous economic intertwinings, are no less complicit and therefore guilty. Nick Turse’s 2009 publication, The Complex: How the Military Invades our Everyday Lives while focussing on America, is no less the case for all in the West. And of course, as in Nigeria discussed in the article highlighted, a similar complex is ubiquitous in nation-states and international systems of all kinds.

Our call is to practice insurrection against Empire in all its avaricious, brutal, and horribly destructive ways. (No small order is of course hopeless understatement!)

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Reconsidering Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus - Elizabeth Feeley

Reconsidering Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus

Over the years, many have asked my position regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. It lies somewhere between the extremes of those who disregard her completely and those who view her as God.

I do not pray to her as many of my Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic friends do.  Nor do I regard her as of no account except for the Christmas story.  Her life and testimony have often been a comfort to me, as with many of the other saints.  I think a lot of the question centers around the issue of the difference between veneration and worship.  Many blur the lines and as such enter into idolatry.

Mary herself had no such confusion. When informed that the Lord God had assigned her to an incredibly difficult task, and called her blessed, she asked for clarity. She did not point out the effect that this would have on her reputation, and possibly her survival. We are only told of one person, who both recognized her pregnancy and her innocence – her cousin Elizabeth, another woman of God. Even Joseph speculated about her conduct and how he was to protect the royal lineage.

 Both my bachelors degree and first Masters were done in a former Roman Catholic university.  Unfortunately, it became apostate before I attended.  Those of us who still held to the Christian faith, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, banded together to encourage one another.  Many others on campus were nominal Catholics.  I found their perceptions difficult to accept.  They lacked an understanding of both the Holy Scriptures and their own traditions.  A number of them believed in praying to Mary because they were afraid to pray to our Lord Jesus Christ.  For them, she was reduced to a convenient surrogate. They told me that I did not understand because I wasn't Roman Catholic.  The arrogance perplexed me, and I wrestled with the sadness of their situation.  

How can our hearts burn with love for God when we refuse to accept his forgiveness of our sin? How can we partake in the Holy Eucharist and not be overwhelmed by His grace? Finally, I decided I would go and see one of the local priests. The first man I found was only interested in speaking to me if I wanted to convert, be baptized, married or buried.  He had no time to discuss issues of the faith.  I went away discouraged. 

Time passed and I continued to deal with the problems on campus. I decided to try again.  This time, a much younger priests spoke with me.  I told him that I was not interested in converting, nor in trying to convert him, but just wanted to discuss matters of our faith.  This time I found someone who was open. I asked question after question.  I put before him things that I regarded as being unorthodox that were nevertheless asserted by the students who claimed to hold the true faith.  Finally, he looked at me and asked, "where did you get all this?  It is so far out in left field!"  I told him that I had learned these things from Roman Catholic students on campus.  Clearly, these matters grieved his heart as well. That conversation had been very affirming for me.  My only regret was that the “higher-ups” transferred him and I was not able to talk with him again.  But I have known many others, devout lovers of God, who remain part of the Roman Catholic Church.

How does this affect my view of Mother Mary?  First of all, as a devout Jew, I doubt that she would accept many of the trappings that are thrown around about her.  I appreciate her.  Not only as the gutsy young woman who willing said yes to God, and put her life and reputation on the line, but also as the mature woman who stood publicly by the cross, heartbroken, but faithful to what she saw as the end. 

She disappears from the pages of Scripture. Only legend tells us of her role in the early Church.  But if she were living with John, we can be assured that she was active.  I am glad that we do not know exactly how, because it would probably have been perverted into a cage for how women should be.  Instead, women need to be encouraged to follow Mary’s resilient example of faithfulness. 

Years ago, I knew a woman named Bonnie.  She was married to a pastor and had three children.  She herself had a deep love for God and to watch her during worship was to see a thing of real beauty.  My husband and I often looked after their children when they went out of town.  She developed cancer but believed in the depths of her heart that the Lord could hear and heal her.  When she and her husband decided to return to their home state, one of the other pastors said to me, privately, "she has gone home to die."  Both she and her husband have since died. 

Years later, when I was recovering from cancer, very weak and sometimes oscillating between one place and another, I had a sense one day, of Bonnie celebrating in worship before the throne of God.  My immediate response was, "and if you have time, pray for me too." In that moment, I understood how the custom of praying to the saints had developed. 

Barriers, although present have crumbled. We have within us a sense of the continuity of the Church Universal.  Death no longer holds us in fear.  Instead, we feel a oneness with that great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us.  And yes, I see Mary is an important part of the heavenly throng.

I give thanks for Mary, for this incredible woman tasked with parenting our Lord. Did she always get things right? No. But she remained faithful to her God. She persevered. And in spite of all the difficulties, there is no mention of her ever complaining.

Alan Dyck - Hopeful Encounters in a Very Covid Advent

Alan Dyck, a carpenter (of course!) based in Vancouver, shares an authentic word of hope in this very Covid advent. His ability to see God in the little things is beautifully reminiscent of St. Terese of Lisieux (God's little flower): a simple and practical spirituality rooted in and attentive to real life. Addressed to the congregation of First Baptist in Vancouver, his 4-minute message speaks light to ALL. Alan is also a brother-in-law to Brad Jersak.

"Are we there yet?" - Advent Meditation by Karina Loewen

“Are we there yet?”

Anyone who has kids or has been a kid can relate to this feeling - to this question. Right?

The advent theme from the Carmelite tradition for week three is journeying.

I’m glad it isn’t the first or the last theme, but rather right smack in the messy middle. 

All journeys seem to be, and I’m gonna say - at least 20 percent too long.  There almost always reaches a point where you swear (sometimes literally) that you are never going to get there. 

Kids aren’t wrong for asking - they’re just honest. 

Needs arise that we need to share. I need to pee. I need a Gravol. I need a snack. I need to stop and rest. Our vulnerabilities get exposed on a journey.  

Another thing about journeys: they come loaded with expectations. We have an idea about how long it should take to get there. We think we know who will be there with us through the excursion and who will meet us at the end. We tell ourselves that if we just plan enough, nothing unexpected will happen.

But life teaches us over and over again - journeys are the perfect place for the unexpected. It’s not happy surprises like a stunning view, accidentally winning a lottery or finding a great shortcut that throws us off. No, it’s the darker than I thought, longer than I thought, harder than I thought moments that make it seem impossible. It’s breakthroughs that didn’t happen and breakdowns and breakups that I never thought could happen that make it so hard. Journeys are rooted in the unexpected. 

Think about Mary for a moment. The top banana angel comes and invites her on a life-altering journey. And she consents. She says yes because she gets a revelation of where this is going.  Read the Magnificat and put aside every thought of a quiet, subservient, little mouse-woman.  Hear the woman of valour and virtue, the prophet - the one who will be full of the fire of the Christ child and yet not consumed.  Talk about a powerful woman. And while she said yes to the pregnancy and that excitingly nauseous adventure-  she had to know that she was also saying yes to being misunderstood.  To being accused of things she had never done, never thought, or never said. She says yes, by faith, to something she had never had experienced or wanted for herself. Do you want to know where Jesus learned to say yes to hard things? From the cradle to the cross - look no further than his Mom.  Mary made the way for him by walking the journey first.

Mary can show us the way today as well. Mary knew that she needed traveling companions to make it through this journey. When she said yes to her pregnancy, she went straight to Joseph and told him the truth about her life, her body, her spiritual experience and he believed her! Who do we need to tell the truth about our journey? Who’s journey do we need to believe, even if we can’t understand? 

Next, she connected with Elizabeth, a few steps ahead of her on a surprise pregnancy journey. Who can you ask to hold space and see what you are going through? Who can you reach out to and say - I’ve been there (or I haven't been there), and I’ll walk with you, we will make it through together.

Maybe you feel like you are all alone.  It’s hard to know who to reach out to. Can I remind you of the "prodigal" story? When the son was a long way off - he lifted his head and could see the Father running towards him to meet him on his journey. I picture him running so the son could tangibly feel the love in that dreaded twenty-percent-too-long home stretch. The love had been with the son for the whole journey, even when he couldn’t see it. Now it was made visible, incarnate, present. If you feel alone, I invite you to close your eyes and look down the road with your heart.  See LOVE running towards you. You are not alone.

I imagine almost all of you are on a journey that has thrown you for a loop.  Honestly - who in the whole world is isn’t right now?  Take a moment and just acknowledge the paths you are navigating.

Maybe you kind of expected it, or maybe it’s knocked you for a loop. Maybe both. Perhaps you don’t know how it’s going to resolve, yet. That can be tough. Let’s keep looking out for ways we can give one another a sense of togethering on the journey. A text, a call, a contactless door-drop. Because we have a lot of unknown unknowns ahead of us, and if we are going to flourish and find the way, it’s going to be best if we journey together. Maybe we will even see beautiful vistas and breathtaking views we didn’t anticipate.  Anything could happen and it probably will. 

Together is better. So let’s virtually link arms and remember this old proverb as we say yes to whatever  journey is in front of us: 

If you want to get there fast, go alone.

But If you want to far, go together.

Ron Dart - "Erasmus: Christian Humanist/Literary Primate of 16th century"