Bible Society of South Africa

Boundaries that burden – Day 12

(Di)temana ya Bibele

MATEU 15

Tumelo ya mosadi wa Mokanana

21Jesu a tloga fao a ya tikologong ya motse wa Tirose le wa Sidone. 22Mosadi yo mongwe wa Mokanana yo a bego a dula seleteng seo a tla go yena, a goa a re: “Ntšhokele, Morena, Morwa wa Dafida! Morwedi wa ka o tsenwe ke modemone gomme o mo tshwenya kudu.”

23Eupša Jesu a se mo fetole. Barutiwa ba gagwe ba tla go yena, ba mo kgopela ba re: “Mmotše a sepele, ka gobane šo o goa a re šetše morago.”

24Jesu a fetola a re: “Ke romilwe fela go ba setšhaba sa Israele ba ba lego bjalo ka dinku tše di timetšego.”

25Mosadi yola ge a ekwa mantšu ao a tla a itahlela maotong a Jesu a re: “Morena, nthuše hle!”

26Jesu a mo fetola a re: “Ga se gwa loka go tšea dijo tša bana wa di lahlela dimpša.”

27Mosadi a mo fetola a re: “Gona go bjalo, Morena. Fela le tšona dimpša di ja marathana ao a wago tafoleng ya beng ba tšona.”

28Ya ba Jesu o a mo fetola o re: “Mmagobatho, tumelo ya gago ke ye kgolo! A go direge ka mo o kgopelago ka gona.” Gomme ka yona nako yeo morwedi wa gagwe a fola.

MATEU 15:21-28NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

1. A non-Jewish woman, a Canaanite cries out to Jesus, asking him to help her daughter who “is suffering terribly from demon-possession”. As a woman, a gentile and a foreigner she certainly did not know her place! “Send her away, for she keeps crying after us”, the disciples advises Jesus. What follows is a profound theological discussion. What is it about the woman’s argument that was persuasive?

2. A closer look at the text and its context points to the fact that Jesus’ reference to ‘dogs’ was describing a normal practice, not confirming it. Jews, who believed themselves to be superior in the eyes of God, usually referred to Gentiles as dogs. Besides, Jesus had already granted a similar request from a Gentile man who, like the Gentile woman, asked Jesus’ help on behalf of someone else (Matthew 8:5-13). What burdens of discriminatory prejudices do boundaries based on race, class and gender do you see in your own context?

3. The Canaanite woman understands Jesus’s mission better than both the Pharisees who are blind guides (Matt 15:14) and the disciples who “are still dull” (Matt 15:16). Does the heading, “The Faith of the Canaanite Woman” convey all there is to this story?

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