Episode 188: Jesus & the Canaanite Woman | Cynthia’s Sacrament Meeting Talk

“If you lift up a prism, depending on how you slightly turn it, the light will hit different facets, refracting and coming out in different ways. That’s how I like to approach the scriptures,” explains Cynthia, “Turning them just ever so slightly to see what different meanings there could be.” In Episode 188, she turns her personal prism on the story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, exploring some interpretations of the unique dialogue between them. It’s a short story touching on big themes including vulnerability, growth, faith, persistence, and inclusiveness. Then Susan joins and together they dive a little deeper into Cynthia’s insights and discuss a few possible takeaways.

Notes & Quotes:
The Canaanite Woman and Jesus, by Rev. Ouk-Yean Kim Jueng, 5/12/2019
Sermon on Grace, Dogs, and Sass-Mouthed Women, by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Patheos, 1/28/2015
Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, by Robert Farrar Capon
Road Rage and the Unforgivable, by Nadia Bolz-Weber, The Corners, 6/10/2024

“We all know it takes great courage to admit that we are wrong. In fact, Jesus modeled for us some 2,000 years ago what we are only now discovering: That true courage requires vulnerability. And we need to learn this lesson from Jesus: the willingness to be vulnerable, grow from our experience, and change.” —Rev. Ouk-Yean Kim Jueng

“So, if you are a loser who doesn’t get it. If you have a heart that is sometimes dark, and selfish. If you are a liar or if you rely too much on alcohol or if you are a thief or think some really horrible things about other people, like almost ALL THE TIME, then know this: Jesus came to trade all that broken crap for his own righteousness. All of it. You can just lay it down at the foot of his cross and let him take it from you. It’s his now. He can make you new. I know it sounds crazy, but I just can’t tell you how true it all is that when we were yet sinners, when we were yet losers who didn’t get it. when we were yet smug perfectionists, when we were yet racists, Jesus came to save.” —Nadia Bolz-Weber

“On a number of occasions, Jesus does and says things that I think are best understood not as his own considered opinion of what is called for in the circumstances but as sops for those he is dealing with.” —Robert Farrar Capon, pp. 108-9