Groucho Marx was a wonderful humorist with a lot of great one-liners. One of my favorite Groucho Marx lines comes from a time in his life when his friends insisted that he join the exclusive Friars Club . . . so he did, but he never participated in the club or its activities. After a year Groucho sent a letter of resignation. In the letter he stated, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.” From there it became a comic gem.
Our scripture reading this morning begins with Jesus telling a gathered crowd to “listen and understand.” He then proceeds to tell the crowd that words matter. What comes out of one’s mouth matters because they reveal intentions, feelings, and the state of one’s heart. Jesus says, “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person . . .”
Now the whole basis of this little lecture comes as a response to an argument about dietary practices . . . basically about what is acceptable to eat and what is not. Such a debate is trivial as far as Jesus is concerned . . . a waste of time. What is more important are the words that come from one’s mouth. “These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Words have meaning . . . words have power . . . words express attitude and beliefs.
I find it interesting that this incident takes place right before Jesus has little confrontation with a Canaanite woman. Having set the parameters of the importance of words, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There he encounters a Canaanite woman crying out to him to heal her daughter who is possessed. Jesus ignores her pleas. His disciples tells him to send her on her way. Finally, he speaks with bluntness to the woman: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
Of course, the woman is Canaanite . . . not of the Israelites. So, the words he speaks are received harshly by the woman. She pleads with Jesus to help her. Jesus is even more blunt with his words: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Stunned, the woman does not argue, but instead she replies: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Even dogs . . .
Do you remember the prelude to this story? Remember how Jesus spoke of the power of words . . . how the words that came from one’s mouth could defile? With the woman’s retort, Jesus is confronted with his own words. He is remised of the words he has spoken to this woman . . . the harshness of the words, the dismissal of their meaning . . . all so different than what he was preaching and teaching. They lacked the grace and love he so sorely wanted his followers to be about. He was stood up in his tracks and he recognized his need for remission. Jesus proclaimed to the woman and those who were present: “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”
Instantly the woman’s daughter was healed.
Words are powerful and great care should be taken in how they are used. In this story we see the human side of Jesus. Confronted by someone outside of the religious standards of the Jews, Jesus is practically flippant in his dismissal of the woman and her request. She is not “one of us”. She does not belong. She is not worthy of the master’s time and effort. That is why the disciples ask that she be sent on her way. And Jesus falls into that trap. In no uncertain terms that is what Jesus proclaims. His words cut to the bone . . . blunt and cutting to the point. The woman does not belong.
But doesn’t that go against everything Jesus taught and preached? Doesn’t that go against the miracles that he performed? Doesn’t that go against his message of loving God and loving others? Sure, it does! And he gets it when the woman challenges him about “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Jesus is confronted with the words that he preaches and teaches by the words he had just spoken. God’s grace and love is for all. It is not only for a certain group.
In his confrontation at the start of the story . . . the one about the teachings of the Pharisees about what is acceptable to eat and what is not acceptable . . . Jesus goes against the popular understanding of the religious who are in control and power. He tells them that they are wrong, but more importantly he confronts their willingness to spew out hatred in the words that they speak to defend their religion. They are divisive words . . . words meant to divide, separate, and exclude others. He warns them that they should watch out for what they are saying. Jesus’ words were not meant to separate and exclude, but to bring in and include.
Even dogs . . .
We are living in a time that as the followers of Jesus we need to conscious and aware of the words that we speak. Are the words we speak words of love . . . are they words of grace? Are the words we speak inviting and inclusive bringing others in, or are the words we speaking separating, dividing, and excluding others? We should watch what we are saying because others are watching. Remember . . . words are powerful, and we should be careful in how we use them. They can hurt, that can separate, and they can destroy—even kill. Thus, the warning from Jesus in our reading this morning.
Words are powerful . . . they convey meaning, purpose, and beliefs. They let people know where we stand. People judge us by the words we speak. Someone once said, “It is hard to convince people that a God they can’t see loves them, when a church they can see doesn’t seem to like them.” Ask the Canaanite woman . . . words are powerful.
In our reading this morning we witnessed a powerful lesson. Words are powerful and because they are powerful, we should use them wisely and carefully. Especially when it comes to our faith and sharing our faith. Let us say what we mean and mean what we say. Let us hear the prayer of the psalmist who proclaims: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in they sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, KJV) May that be our prayer too. Amen.
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