It’s All in the Name

A meditation by Andrew Troutman
M.Div Student, Union-PSCE
April, 2007

Matthew 15: 21 – 28 (NRSV)

            Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

            My immediate connection with this text is that I too have a “dog.”  Her name is Nikki Bob Dylan Giovanni Taylor-Troutman.  That’s quite a long name; my fiancée, Ginny Taylor, says that, whenever I call Nikki by her full name, she yawns half-way through.  “Get to the point already,” my dog seems to be implying.  Well, the point that I would like to make in this essay is that the naming of my dog actually says more about me than about her.  “Nikki Bob Dylan Giovanni Taylor-Troutman” gives the reader no information about how my dog looks, fetches, or barks.  However, one could reason that I appreciate African-American poetry and folk music.  One could also surmise that I have some gender inclusive notions concerning marriage.  Contextualize all of these factors in light of our current social trends, you’ve probably got a good idea as to which side of the political spectrum I fall on.  Well, let me remove all doubt.  As Reverend Roger Gench of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church once told me, “Never be ashamed to say that you are a liberal.”  Well, I certainly hope that Roger will be proud!

What does it mean to call someone a “liberal”?  (Apart, of course, from making Reverend Gench proud!)  Perhaps it means that he or she sings anti-war songs, while strumming an acoustic guitar in front of the White House.  Maybe it means that he or she pens poems that decry the discrimination towards African-Americans.  “Liberal” could even refer to two people that agree to hyphenate both of their last names as a symbol of their commitment to equality in their marriage.  All of these stereotypes may apply to certain people, but let me suggest that the act of identifying someone with a political stance, naming someone a “liberal,” says more about the speaker than the person he or she is referring too.  Just like the name “Nikki Bob Dylan Giovanni Taylor-Troutman” reflects my interests and opinions, calling someone a “liberal” or a “conservative” reflects my desire to define him or her in some way.  But at the end of the day, it’s just a name.  Does it really matter?  The term “liberal” is just a word.  Right?  “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”  I’m not so sure.

In Matthew 15: 21 – 28, what should we think about the fact that the Savoir of the World called someone a “dog?”  What does this naming say about Jesus?  Many scholars have suggested that the Greek diminutive of the word for “dog” softens what Jesus said to the woman.  Some would argue that he is actually calling her a “little dog” or even a “puppy.”  Does this usage of the diminutive change your perception of Jesus’ tone of voice?  I agree with one scholar named Frances Taylor Gench that to be called a “bitch” or a “little bitch” is still an insult! 

Another interpretation states that Jesus had a twinkle in his eye when he named that woman a dog.  According to this “twinkle in the eye theory,” Jesus was just testing the woman.  And guess what?  She passes!  She names him as “Lord” and only asks for a few crumbs.  Her response in line with this interpretation reminds me of Vacation Bible School.  After all, what’s one of the oldest Sunday school lessons?  We are weak, and He is strong!  Jesus has the power and he exercises it on the woman’s behalf because of her humility and reverence for him.  Therefore, this Canaanite woman should be upheld as the paradigm for humility before God.  What a good little dog!  She is weak, but Jesus is strong.

Well, I do not like this interpretation of the Canaanite woman.  Maybe my dislike has something to do with that verse, we are weak, but He is strong.  When I was little and in VBS, I actually changed the words: we are strong, but he is stronger!  I was a pastor’s kid, always causing trouble!  Seriously, the lyrics in the song did not match my experience.  After all, I was strong, especially compared to my little brother!  Maybe I didn’t know about the doctrine of atonement, but I feel like I knew a lot about religion when I was child.  I knew that it mattered what you called someone.  I knew that some names hurt my feelings.  And I knew that when my feelings got hurt, I could speak loudly!  Let’s keep that in mind as we return to today’s text.

But she said, “Yes indeed, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat of the crumbs that are falling from their lords’ table.”  Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza has argued that all feminist theology should be in the spirit of the Canaanite Woman.  She may have been insulted.  She may have been weeping.  She may have been excluded.  But she said.  And with those words, she altered the course of her history.  But she said.  And then she made her case in public!  But she said.  And then she passionately proved her point!  I do not ascribe to any interpretation that denies this woman’s agency.  The Canaanite woman is strong!  She is powerful!  She is articulate!  This story is not about who she was; it is about who she is!    

So, in her honor, I want to share with you who I am.  I am in support of gay ordination in the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America.  I stand in solidarity with my lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual brothers and sisters.  Let me tell you why.  As marginalized individuals who are the victims of prejudice, they are denied their chance to serve in the church.  They are subjected to hateful name calling.  Yet, they are still strong.  They continue to bless the rest of the church with their gifts.  They are the ones who strive for peace and purity while maintaining the unity of our denomination.  In their example, I am inspired.  In their vision, I take hope.  In their witness, I see God.

Them – us.  Homosexual – heterosexual.  Liberal – conservative.  These are all names that divide people in our church and society.  As I prepared these words, I prayed to have my heart broken by the things of the world that break the heart of God.  I’ll admit that I have a hunch that these divisions, these “either ors,” break the heart of God.  My friend once told me, “God is not about division.”  That’s a comforting thought.  Quite frankly, I’m scared of drawing lines in the sand.  I worry about criticism.  I don’t like conflict.  I resonate most with the disciples, who just want the loud, crying woman to go away.  Get out of here ordination controversy! 

Of course, one does not have to agree with my stance on gay ordination.  But let’s all name this controversy as an important issue, even if we do cause difference of opinion.  Why should we risk this division?  Here is the heart-breaking fact: this year, there will be gay men and women who will successfully graduate from our PCUSA seminaries and be denied ordination.  They will have jumped through all the “hoops” only to have the door slammed in their face, not for something they’ve done, but for something they are.  It doesn’t seem to matter that they’re Christian.  They are the wrong kind.  These people do not have the luxury of telling the ordination controversy to “go away.”  The reality is that there is already division and the division that currently exists is unjust.  Simply put, some people do not receive equal treatment in our denomination.  We might as well just name them dogs.

Name calling is a serious business.  I realize that what I call you is a reflection on myself.  I realize that my comments and my stance can be portrayed as political, partisan, liberal, and even anti-religious.  In the context of first century Judaism, the Canaanite woman’s speech could have been perceived in a similar fashion.  But she said.  And challenged the notion that a person is outside the love of God.  But she said.  And dared to call for radical equality and inclusivity.  But she said.  And boldly asserted that the God of Israel loves Canaanites, uppity women, and any other person just the way that he or she was created.

But she said.  I agree with Schussler Fiorenza that these are words for marginalized people to live by.  In the spirit of those who stand up for themselves and resist injustice, I add my voice on behalf of my LGBT brothers and sisters.  May God lead the church of Jesus Christ into true unity and lasting peace.  Amen.