I'm in a quandry and am looking for help. I am preaching on Sunday --- the gospel lesson is from Matthew: Canaanite woman comes to Jesus seeking healing for her daugher --- twice Jesus pushes her aside --- calls her a dog, no less! --- and then, she changes Jesus' mind! Woah!
Is it too "edgy" to say, "Jesus' eyes were opened in this encounter" --- just how much trouble will I wander into? So much emphasis is placed on the woman's action - on the "greatness of her faith" and so many seem to simply ignore the Jesus that is portrayed here. This is not a nice guy!
If God desires our prayer and invites us into the ongoing dialogue of the triune God (a la Moltmann) AND if God's nature is not duplicitous (which Brunner says is a big NO-NO), then God is, in fact, willing to change - i.e., to truly respond to our pleas. Is that a reasonable conclusion? that God can be compelled? Without this, I feel stuck with a reading of the text that says, "ah, this is the VERY human side of Jesus. . . stay tuned, next week, the God-side will show up again." Clearly, a reading I must - and do - reject. And, if God is not compellable (not sure the adjective works in this direction), then why do we pray? (o.k., let's save that question because I'm not really going down that path on Sunday).
Is it too "edgy" to say, "Jesus' eyes were opened in this encounter" --- just how much trouble will I wander into? So much emphasis is placed on the woman's action - on the "greatness of her faith" and so many seem to simply ignore the Jesus that is portrayed here. This is not a nice guy!
If God desires our prayer and invites us into the ongoing dialogue of the triune God (a la Moltmann) AND if God's nature is not duplicitous (which Brunner says is a big NO-NO), then God is, in fact, willing to change - i.e., to truly respond to our pleas. Is that a reasonable conclusion? that God can be compelled? Without this, I feel stuck with a reading of the text that says, "ah, this is the VERY human side of Jesus. . . stay tuned, next week, the God-side will show up again." Clearly, a reading I must - and do - reject. And, if God is not compellable (not sure the adjective works in this direction), then why do we pray? (o.k., let's save that question because I'm not really going down that path on Sunday).
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