Sermon 11th Sunday after Pentecost - Charlottesville, White Suppremacy, What would Jesus do?

The Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew 15:10-28

Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Grace and Peace to you all from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – Amen.

W.W.J.D. - What would Jesus do? 


It’s a phrase you might remember from a cultural fad that swept across our nation in the 1990’s. One-part fashion accessory, and one part moral Sunday school lesson – these bracelets came to challenge Christians to think about what Jesus would do in their very situation. 

And unlike other Christian fads of the day - this one, for whatever reason, seemed to catch on more widely then simply with those who attended church each Sunday. From NBA basketball stars, to politicians – everyone seemed to be wearing these little pieces of woven fabric at the time.

While these bracelets were a simple fashion statement they also marked a counter cultural movement leading people of faith, and non-believers alike, to casually and openly ask questions about ethics, morality, and where God might be leading them in their life. 


What would Jesus do?


It is a simple question with profound implications for us here today.


And it is the question that returned to me again when I opened my news feed on Facebook last weekend while on holidays to see my screen erupt with horrifying stories and images from south of the boarder.

Like many of you I watched the live feed in stunned disbelief as more men then I could count, armed with weapons, body armor, shields, and torches stormed the grounds of a university campus in Charlottesville Virginia angrily shouting hateful phrases that I will not repeat.


Anti-Semitic phrases that should have died with the end of the Second World War. Racist slurs that Nazis and KKK members have invoked to incite fear into the heart of anyone who was listening for well over half a century. Hateful phrases meant to demean, dehumanize, and tear apart peaceful and loving communities across the world – all in the unholy name of white supremacy.


And while I was shocked, deeply saddened, and alarmed by this gathering of hate – I was also deeply aware of my privileged position as a white settler up here in Canada – as I realized this was my first brush with such active vitriolic hate in my life time.


Up until last weekend I had only read or heard about instances such as this in text books or history lessons. Up until last weekend I could casually deny the return of “mainstream white supremacy” as something not likely to happen in 2017. Up until last weekend I was largely happy to live the privileged life my white skin and Christian identity has allowed me to enjoy over my thirty-two years.  

Yet, as the weekend unfolded, as stories from the front lines of the protest were told, and as news broke of Heather Heyer’s death at the hands of a violent white nationalist behind his steering wheel, a switch was quickly flipped within the depth of my being and I could not ignore what years of unchecked hate and white supremacy had allowed to birth across the states and within our own nation.


And as I began to question what I should do in response to such an outpouring of hate - I remembered the words of the great author, professor, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.”


So I sat down and did the only thing I could from my hotel room in Saskatoon. I read and digested every first-hand account from the front lines of Charlottesville I could find across social media, and national news sources – sharing many of them over Facebook. 

I fought back tears as I forced myself to hear and see the true dangers of white supremacy as peaceful protesters from the local faith comminutes gathered with the support of Anti-Fascists to form a barrier between other protesters, the public, and the gathering Militia before them.


And the question that came back to me, over and over again as I did was - What would Jesus do?


And if I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the gospel lesson this morning I might assume an appropriate answer would be “nothing”. 


In our text from Matthew for this Sunday we are faced with one of the most racially charged, oppressive moments of Jesus ministry recorded in the gospels. 

In his exchange with the Canaanite woman begging for healing for her daughter, Jesus acts in a way that should make us all cringe. After ignoring this woman’s cries for help he calls her, her daughter, and all Canaanite people dogs – unfit for his or his disciples help or healing.

Let that sink in for a minute.  

Jesus calls them all dogs … and likely even worse than that if you talk to some biblical Greek scholars. 

What Jesus said that day is not right or okay to repeat. The Canaanite woman was not a dog.  Her people were not dogs. And by his words Jesus does not call us to practice denigrating human beings – ever - for any reason.

Even if the world tells us otherwise, there is no room left for churches, pastors, people of faith, or anyone for that matter - to sit on the sidelines as hate, racism, and white supremacy make an effort to return to a central place in our society. 

So I also feel called to join my voice with other church leaders and say: White supremacy is deeply harmful and wrong. Similarly, Anti-Semitic threats against the Jewish community, Islamophobia attacks on Muslims, Racist assaults against People of Color, the disregard of First Nations communities, and harmful acts towards LGBTQ* peoples are all equally destructive and wrong.

But all these are more than simply wrong in the eyes of God. They are sinful and they are evil. They all stand in direct opposition to the truth of the gospel we come together each Sunday to hear and experience - that everyone is loved, cherished, and created equal in the eyes of God. 


Full stop.

Period.

Yet with that having been said, we hear Jesus speak words to this woman and her daughter that are oppressive and deeply hurtful this morning. At best they shine a light on the reality that Jesus was just as blinded to the prejudices of his day as the rest of us can be now. At worst they reveal to us a less than perfect savior we have come to worship blindly each and every Sunday.  

And if the story ended here we might be forced to rethink if we would be coming back next Sunday – but luckily for us the Canaanite woman refuses to let Jesus or his disciples go without truly hearing about the injustice of her situation.  

So with all the strength and gumption she can muster she humbly responds to Jesus racist remarks by saying, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

And with that Jesus turns to truly sees this woman and her daughter for perhaps the first time.

With her painful, yet determined cry, this unnamed Canaanite woman demands to be seen, heard, and recognized as a child of God. And through her persistence, she teaches Jesus something about himself and his mission that is crucial for him to learn before leaving this scene. That God’s love calls each of us to break down every barrier that could ever be conceived – even if it means painful self-examination to truly see how we have actively and passively hurt another human being.

And so in the center of this troubling exchange we witness Jesus model a way forward for us when we find ourselves holding up painful prejudices – whether we mean to or not. A way forward that allows us to learn, repent, and find healing, while also acknowledging the dignity and needs of those who are oppressed.  An act that gives us all hope that God is still working in, with, and through us to make this world a more just and equitable place. Because that is what God has shown us through the life and ministry of Christ.

And so perhaps the question before us this morning not what would Jesus do? 


But what will we do?

It is my prayer that this question would rest, and wrestle within our hearts as we leave this place.

That Christ would grant us the courage to turn back, acknowledging our wrongs, and truly see those we have left behind.


That God would grant us the grace to try again, and again, and again, when we fail to see the innate beauty and worth of every created being.


And that the Holy Spirit would move and breath within us all to truly see one another as beloved children of God.


Love, cherished, and called to welcome everyone with open arms.


And may this be so among us – Amen.