Was Jesus Racist?
Today’s passage is often misunderstood on many levels. Today, let’s take an honest look at each layer of our reading to understand the answer to the question ‘Was Jesus racist?’ is, and always has been, a resolute ‘No!’ Today’s story begins by telling us that Jesus and his disciples had traveled about 50 miles (80 ½ km) to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is our first clue to our answer. This region was a purposeful amount of distance away. One would not walk that far by accident. This area was also the farthest north he traveled. After his time here, he turned and traveled south once more. It would appear this exceedingly Gentile region was the destination of his journey. If he had not intended on teaching or healing Gentiles, why travel to an area almost entirely populated by them?
The second reason I can boldly claim Jesus was never a racist comes from what he did upon arriving to Tyre. He entered a house. This sounds simple, but Jewish tradition did not allow a Jewish person to enter into the house of a Gentile. William Barclay declared this act as another attack against Jewish traditions that held no part of the love God’s commandments contain. He wrote, “The previous incident shows Jesus wiping out the distinction between clean and unclean foods. Can it be that here, in symbol, we have him wiping out the difference between clean and unclean people? Just as a Jew would never soil his lips with forbidden foods, so he would never soil his life by contact with the unclean Gentile.” The very fact that Jesus traveled here and stayed in a Gentile home shows he saw no difference between Jew and Greek. However, we are told that he “would not have any one know it; yet he could not be hid.” David Guzik explains this. “At the same time, Jesus didn’t want to needlessly offend people. He knew that the time for breaking down the wall between Jew and Gentile by bringing them into one body (the church) was still in the future. So while not keeping His presence in the region of Tyre and Sidon strictly secret, He did not want it publicized.”
If Jesus was not racist in his heart, why were his words borderline offensive? Afterall, his response to her request to deliver her daughter was, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (verse 27) For this, we need to understand some local customs – as rude as they were. During this time in history, the animosity between Gentiles and Jews was palpable. Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs as a way of insult. William Barclay continues to explain this passage when he wrote, “To the Greek, the word dog meant a shameless and audacious woman; it was used exactly with the connotation that we use the word b***h to-day. To the Jews it was equally a term of contempt.” Notice though that Jesus did not simply call her a dog. He called her a little dog. To us this might not mean much, but to the ancient Greek, it did. “In Greek, diminutives are characteristically affectionate. Jesus took the sting out of the word.” (William Barclay) He spoke to her in a way she would have excepted a Jew to speak to her… only kinder.
Why would Jesus play with the common misconceptions and racism of his day when dealing with this woman? None of us can claim to know the mind of Christ. We can; however, look to both their responses to try to understand. The mother didn’t respond in anger. She didn’t defend her ancestry or call Jesus out for his language choice. She acknowledged that Jesus was higher than she was, and she received her blessing because of it. H.A. Ironside explained, “Nothing appealed to our blessed Lord more than faith coupled with humility.” Scripture tells us Jesus told the woman plainly, “For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” Over and over again, Jesus told the person whom he healed that it was their faith that had made them well. This is exactly what he was telling this Gentile woman.
None of us have the authority to command Jesus do anything for us. We can ask. We can beg. We can believe, but we cannot move the hand of God against His will. Jesus’ ministry challenged the religious norms. He challenged the traditions people had placed a greater importance on than God’s word. He also went out of his way to challenge the prejudices they hid in their heart. His example needs to be followed today. We continue to live in a world that struggles with racism and the pride of identity. Jesus challenges that notion. Are we any better than anyone else? Is it what is on the outside that makes us unclean? Do our tattoos make us unworthy, our skin color make us non-includable? Can our social standing make us outcasts to God? Never. What matters, what has always mattered, lies in what Jesus finds in our heart. Will we respond with humility and obedience? Will our faith move the hand of God?
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