Justa and Jesus
Centuries later, another foreign woman faces a Jewish male. Like Ruth, she is a suppliant pleading for healing for a sick daughter. The power to grant her wish lies in the hands of the male. This woman, like Ruth, takes risks in her boundary crossing.
As related in Matthew, the story begins with a journey, this time undertaken by the male Jesus and his disciples. After a confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes on the issue of clean and unclean, Jesus leaves Galilee and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon, into Gentile territory. According to O’Day, “In the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, Tyre and Sidon are more than place names; they were Israel’s dangerous and threatening enemies (e.g. , Isa. 23; Ez. 26-28; Joel 3:4). The signifi cance of the names Tyre and Sidon would not be lost on Matthew or his readers.”16
Who was this Jesus whose name has become known among the poor, sick and suffering? He was from the line of Boaz and Ruth through David and according to tradition, born in the town of Bethlehem where Ruth had fi rst gleaned in the fi elds of Boaz. So one of the linkages between our two stories is the genealogy of Jesus (Mt. 1:5). His father had been the carpenter Joseph and he himself had been one till he became an itinerant preacher and miracle worker. People were still unsure of who he was, even his own disciples. His views were controversial as evidenced by his clashes with religious authorities.
Now he removes himself from his usual places of wandering and crosses into strange territory. This is unusual and in Matthew it seems to be the only instance when Jesus steps outside the boundaries of Israel. Mark suggests that Jesus is in search of peace and quiet, “He entered a house and did not want anyone to know that he was there” (Mark 7:24).
Matthew gives no reason. The next thing that happens is very surprising and unexpected. A woman appears on the scene and asks for Jesus’ help.
Who is this woman and why is her action surprising? She is a foreigner, described by Mark as Syro-Phoenician and by Matthew as Canaanite. Whichever she is, she comes from a people designated as ancient enemies of Israel. The encounter between Jesus and this woman has parallels with Jesus’ meeting at the well with the Samaritan woman where in answer to his request for a drink of water she replies, “You a Jewish man asks water of a Samaritan woman?” Here the reverse occurs: a foreign woman asks help of a Jewish man.
For Gerd Theissen, in this meeting two very different socio-economic worlds collide. Tyre was a wealthy coastal city dependent on agricultural imports from rural Galilee which served as its breadbasket (cf. Acts 12:20). “The economically stronger Tyrians probably often took bread out of the mouths of the Jewish rural population, when they used their superior financial means to buy up the grain supply in the countryside.”17 In the opinion of Theissen, Justa may even be an upper class well-to-do woman. The Jews also probably looked down on the Gentiles as pagans and unclean. It is then surprising she should approach Jesus, a foreigner and a Jewish rabbi from Galilee. Her boundary crossing is therefore of race and class.
We note two other things about this woman. She comes to Jesus without any visible male companion; there is no father, husband, relative or protector to speak on her behalf. In patriarchal societies, women do not approach strange men in public. Even in Mark where she disturbs Jesus’ rest and invades his privacy in a home, her behavior is out of line. The Matthean version gives more prominence to her gender boundary crossing behavior. She is shouting out after Jesus in public. This is unacceptable female behavior. Women’s sphere was the home and women were trained from childhood to be quiet, passive and submissive. This screaming woman breaks all bounds of feminine behavior.
Her extreme action, acceptable in a male but unconscionable in a female, is on behalf of a daughter who is demon-possessed. The bond and solidarity between mother and daughter is strong. We have noted the bonding between Naomi and Ruth, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, even beyond death. This bonding and love of daughter is biological, “Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone”, and gender in the sharing of common experiences and struggles. A daughter in Asian societies is not as valued as a son. The birth of a son is an occasion for celebration, whereas the birth of a daughter is often met with disappointment and regret. A daughter means financial outlay in terms of a dowry and a giving away to another family in marriage. How much more of a burden would a demon-possessed daughter be? As Sharon Ringe notes:
She did not hesitate to approach Jesus, and even actively to importune him. And
she valued her daughter, this one fundamentally like her who was still with her,
who was suffering, and whose life was precious enough to demand healing and
transformation, liberation from the alien forces that appeared to have taken her
over. For the sake of her daughter, the woman broke custom, went after what she
needed, and stood up to this visiting rabbi and miracle worker of whom so many
stories had doubtless been told.18
In Matthew, the woman shouts, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon” (Mt. 15:22) and later, “Lord, help me,” (v. 25). She knows enough about Jewish religion to call Jesus “Lord” and “Son of David.” The language that she uses is similar to words of entreaty in the lament psalms.19 Even though women’s sphere is the home, women are astute enough to know what is going on. As Naomi knew that Boaz would be at the threshing fl oor that fateful night, Justa knew who Jesus was and how to approach him.
Justa comes as a suppliant before the one who has the power to heal her daughter. Mark describes her begging and pleading posture, “and she came and bowed down at his feet” (Mark 7:25b) and in Matthew, “she came and knelt before him” (Matt 15:25). According to the customs of the time, “falling at the feet of another is a gesture of a client seeking a favor from a patron or a broker.”20
In Matthew, through dialogue the persistence and desperation of Justa comes through loudly. In fact, she is the one who initiates the dialogue and is met by silence and rebuffs from Jesus. The first time, after Jesus refuses to acknowledge her request, the disciples join in to urge Jesus, “Send her away for she keeps shouting after us,” (Matt 15:23b). Silence and driving away are the responses of men to a woman’s plea. She is an embarrassment, an intrusion and a shameful spectacle. Surely, a rabbi in a strange town would not want to call attention to himself in this way!
Jesus’ answer is a rebuff, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This saying is not found in Mark. Matthew restricts the mission of Jesus to Israel, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:5-6). Ethnic and religious boundaries define Jesus’ mission. Jesus as a man of his times and culture displays exclusivism which would not have surprised Justa. But she will not give up easily.
Her next action, of kneeling before him and pleading, “Lord, help me,” brings her face to face with Jesus. But Jesus’ answer is harsh, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs” (15:26). No matter how commentators seek to soften it or make it appear less derogatory, the use of the term “dogs” is an insult. There is no getting round this problem. To say that the Greek word is a diminutive, meaning “puppies,” still does not give a satisfactory answer for as Burkill says, “As in English, so in other languages, to call a woman ‘a little bitch’ is no less abusive than to call her ‘bitch’ without qualification.”21 I would agree with Ringe that this is an incident in Jesus’ life when even he was caught
with his compassion down.22
However, Justa picks up on the imagery of bread and dogs and uses it to argue against Jesus, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (15:27). The master’s table has ample food that it may feed not only the children but even the dogs. Her reply is obsequious, humble and submissive but it reflects her intellect and boldness. She challenges the master to go beyond the admissible, to cross boundaries and take risks as she has done.
And amazingly, Jesus responds with a “Yes.” “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish.” Jesus is moved by the strong faith of the woman and is shifted from his original position. For Kinukawa the woman frees Jesus to be fully himself. By crossing boundaries Jesus allows himself to be “defiled” and to redefi ne the community of faith in a new and radical way.23 According to Ringe, the woman’s gift to Jesus was not submission her sharp insight which enabled him to see things in a different way.24
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