Scripture Reflection, August 16, 2026, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 Matthew 15:21-28

Today we are presented with a series of sometimes complicated readings, that all point to one conclusion: The message of Jesus Christ is for all people, not just the Jews.

Personally, I am most intrigued by the gospel passage, where Jesus has the following conversation with a Canaanite (not Jewish) woman:

Jesus says: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replies: “Please Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Then Jesus says: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

A number of scripture scholars suggest that this whole conversation may have actually been a somewhat playful “setup” - designed to help educate the disciples of Jesus (all of them Jews). In other words, instead of seeing Jesus as being hard-hearted and needing to have his own mind changed, in order to include the Gentiles in his ministry; he was bantering with the woman in an attempt to show the disciples that everyone is to be included in his invitation to embrace his message. When I read this passage with a sense of the playfulness of Jesus, it all makes sense to me. He was having fun with her, and gently teaching his disciples another lesson.

In fact, at this time in the ministry of Jesus, his disciples were struggling with the idea that non-Jews should be given the same invitation to follow Jesus that they were receiving. As the ultimate teacher, Jesus embraced the role of a rabbi who could lead the Jews to a more inclusive notion, i.e., that salvation is being offered to all people. It is up to the individual to decide whether or not to accept it. That is the premise of the concept of free will - another of God’s great gifts to us.

One of God’s greatest gifts is the fact that God cherishes us - ALL OF US - every person ever created, everywhere. And one of God’s greatest commandments is that we are also to cherish ALL PEOPLE. I don’t know about you, but I know that I have work to do in that regard. And from the looks of things that are going on all over the world, I am not alone.

by: Bill Miller