"Identity Crisis"

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Identity crisis”?

Have you ever heard the term "what side of the tracks are you from?"

Most people are identified by their status in society, place of origin, their color, race or ethnic background. For some that can be a positive and for others it a negative. 

Do you consider yourself an us or a them???

I grew up in the small mining town of Springhill N. S. Canada and often adults would ask  "what is your name son."  I would say "Sim Rushton."   “A Rushton you say”, the next comment could be consider derogatory, “what side of the tracks did you come from ”.  Have you ever heard that statement?   This was usually a sarcastic comment used to try and identify my family’s ancestry.  To dig a little deeper they might ask “who was your father then sonny”  "Herb" I would say,  Now if that didn’t satisfy them they would ask: "who was your grandfather on your mother’s side. " "A J Mason”  I'd say.   "O, I know who you are now!   Now truly folks, they didn’t know who I really was.     

Aug 20 2017 Romans 11” 29-32, Matthew 15: 21-28

If you were to have read the earlier passages of Matthew 15: 1-9 you 
would have heard Jesus call a group of Pharisees hypocrites.  The disciples were concerned at this derogatory comment so they came to Jesus and said to him:  “Do you know that the Pharisees had their feelings hurt by what you said?”  Matthew 15:12.  This truly sets the tone of next set of passages because as we heard in verses Matthew 15: 21-28 this morning Jesus once again uses a derogatory term when addressing this women who has a daughter that is possessed by a demon.  Jesus’ use of a slang word dog, leads the writer, Matthew to suggest that this women’s ancestors are Canaanite, thus he labels her Canaanite in the scripture.  There were 7 tribes within the lands of Cannon but the Canaanites were considered the dogs of the pack.  The conquest of Cannon took place some 1400 years before Jesus enters the picture.  This race was supposedly completely wiped out in an act of genocide but of course, decedents of the tribe would continue.   Jesus with his comments was not speaking to her personally as a Canaanite but to her Canaanite ancestry. 

What we really should take note here folks is this: How do His disciples treat this poor women.  She is obviously an outsider because of her ethnic background, Canaanite.   Do they go to Jesus with a concern that her feelings may have been hurt by his comments?   No, they tell Jesus she is not one of them and has no right to be there asking for help, “tell her to go away” they say.  Are you beginning to see the connection between the Pharisees, this women, and her ethic background?  The question we and the disciples need to ask ourselves is this:  How do we treat people when it comes to their ethnic background.  How do we treat those in our community who hold positions of status, what about color or race and who is the outsider?  All good questions folks.   I would like to suggest that Jesus was not being rude here but used sarcasm, not insult to make his point?   I do not see Jesus as being arrogant, insulting or malicious anywhere in the gospels.  This is one of the great example in the gospels where Jesus illustrated for his disciples and for us as well, just how predigest we can be when labeling a person because of their ethnic background, their race, color, religion or their place of origin.    His disciples were concerned that Jesus hurt the feelings of the Pharisees with His comments but there was no concern for this women.   May I suggest that He is even being sarcastic with his comment about the people of Israel, suggesting that He came only for them? Matthew 15: 24. 

Why would I suggest this:  because we know that He came for all those who are lost and we know that the lost are not separated from Him because of their status within the community, their ethnic background, their religion or their place of origin.   His illustration should show us and His disciples "not how He thinks" but how we often think of others, especially when it comes to people who are not one of us.     

May I suggest that Jesus was not being malicious but sarcastic to make the point of how his disciples and we sometimes labeled people by their religion, ancestry, culture or their place of origin?   In fact, is that not what is happening in our world today, even here in Bermuda folks.    Are we witnessing the rise of fascism once again?  It seems to be a lesson the world does not yet want to learn.   Let’s just reflect for a moment on these words from hymn 400 in VU   If you know the tune, sing the words softly and gently.   Lord listen to your children praying.     Lord send your spirit in the place.  Lord listen to your children praying, send us love send us power send us grace.

Can you see what Jesus is really trying to teach his disciples and us about placing the history of a race, its culture, or it geographical location on a person?  Just as I illustrated in my own personal story this morning.  Sometimes we do it with sarcasm to, just joking around but it is still hurtful to those who have not surrendered to the light and I’m sure Jesus was aware of that to.

Here Jesus completely turn the tide of hate, prejudice and bigotry around by showing us the complete opposite of how we should react to someone who is different from us.   He not only heals this women’s daughter who was possessed with a daemon but He lifts the spirit of this persistent women with a positive label calling her “a women of great faith.”   Can you imagine the positive effect these power filled words would have had upon her?  This wasn’t just anybody offering these words,  it was Jesus himself.  Think about that, and what it would mean to you to hear Him lift you up in this way.  This is what I would call giving someone a real hand up, not a hand out and the turnaround would have been shocking to his disciples.  

But that is exactly what Jesus wants to do to us.  To turn us around folks, to shock us into the reality of what we are doing.  Do you see what this story points to?  Jesus uses metaphor, riddles, and yes even sarcasm to illustrate to us that He accepts all, no matter the religion, race, color, or ethnic background.  Read the gospels and you will see that status is always irrelevant to Jesus.  Jesus show us and the women, that having faith in Him, is the key to His heart and to the eternal Kingdom He offers us.                   

                                      If God was One of US