Being Christ for One Another

Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

Was Jesus human, Divine, or some mixture of the two? Was He born knowing everything, or did He have to learn as all humans do.

Seven times in the Gospels, Jesus is described as “amazed.” If He already knew everything, how could He be amazed?

We’re also told that “Jesus grew in wisdom and maturity.” In other words, Jesus learned. He was truly human.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus not only learned but had His mind radically changed when a woman whom Jesus had insulted by calling her a “dog” responded from the fierce love she held for her daughter. He saw in her the same love He shared with His Heavenly Father. He was stunned, His mind was changed, and he repented. Her daughter was healed instantly.

Even Jesus was susceptible to falling into the trap of in-group superiority, prejudice and tribalism. Jesus models for us how to repent from initial hardheartedness. He allowed her to be Christ to Him, and to bring Him back to His own Christ identity.

Jesus teaches us humility.

Are we able, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, to repent from our culturally-conditioned mindsets, and to find our deeper, truer, identity as a beloved child of God?

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.