There are difficult passages in Scripture that deserve careful study, historical context and humility.
But there is a growing tendency in progressive Christianity to approach those passages with an entirely different assumption: if Jesus does not conform to modern ideological expectations, perhaps Jesus Himself was wrong.
That disturbing approach surfaced again this week at Grace Presbyterian Church in El Paso, Texas.
On August 9, Rev. Janie McElwee-Smith preached a sermon titled “Crumbs,” based on Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15. Grace Presbyterian identifies McElwee-Smith as its pastor and publicly posted the service under that sermon title.
Her interpretation was stunning.
Jesus, she suggested, called the woman a dog as a racial insult. This was “not a good moment” for Him. His humanity was showing. He was apparently contradicting principles He had taught earlier.
And the Canaanite woman?
She became the courageous heroine who challenged Jesus while He was “having a bad day.”
Think about what that interpretation requires Christians to believe.
Jesus displayed racial prejudice.
A woman recognized His moral failure.
That is more than an unconventional interpretation of Scripture.
It fundamentally alters the character of Christ.
Did Jesus Really Have A Racist Moment?
Matthew 15 tells us that a Canaanite woman begged Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.
Jesus initially explained that He had been “sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
When she continued pleading, He responded:
“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Yes it is, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Jesus then responded:
“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”
Her daughter was immediately healed.
The progressive interpretation takes the reference to “dogs,” imports modern racial categories into the passage, and concludes that Jesus revealed prejudice.
But the entire encounter points in another direction.
Jesus was explaining the order of His earthly ministry.
The Messiah came first to Israel.
That same pattern appears throughout the New Testament: Israel first, followed by the Gospel moving outward to Samaritans, Gentiles and eventually all nations.
That is not racial hatred.
It is redemptive sequence.
And this Canaanite woman becomes one of the clearest early signs that God’s mercy would extend far beyond Israel.
var images = [],
index = 0;
images[0] = ““;
images[1] = ““;
images[2] = ““;
images[3] = ““;
index = Math.floor(Math.random() * images.length);
document.write(images[index]);
//done
She Wasn’t Correcting Jesus
Modern interpreters also turn the woman into someone the passage never says she was.
She does not accuse Jesus of racism.
She does not rebuke Him for prejudice.
She does not demand that He examine His privilege.
She even addresses Him as Son of David, a profoundly significant Messianic title.
Then, rather than rejecting Jesus’ illustration, she responds brilliantly within it:
“Even the dogs eat the crumbs.”
Jesus responds not with repentance, but praise:
“Woman, great is your faith.”
The woman did not expose Jesus’ sin.
Jesus exposed her faith.
