I think Jesus is exchanging playful banter of a sort with the woman. Especially when he in v 27 mentions taking the children's bread and throwing it to the dogs. I think she is beautiful and he is momentarily dazzled by her. But she is smart too, and she banters with him too. He relents and tells her that her child will be healed. (When this reading came around three years ago Biden had just picked Kamala as his running mate. That, and remembering the playfully insulting way my husband would tease his three sons made me all of a sudden see this passage in a completely new light. And it let my beloved Jesus off the hook for making a racial slur. 😊.
I like your detailed analysis of each gospel reading, Andrew. And I admit that I learn a good deal of original points from reading your Version!
Thanks for this - it really gave me some scaffolding to preach what felt most faithful to this challenging text.
I think Jesus is exchanging playful banter of a sort with the woman. Especially when he in v 27 mentions taking the children's bread and throwing it to the dogs. I think she is beautiful and he is momentarily dazzled by her. But she is smart too, and she banters with him too. He relents and tells her that her child will be healed. (When this reading came around three years ago Biden had just picked Kamala as his running mate. That, and remembering the playfully insulting way my husband would tease his three sons made me all of a sudden see this passage in a completely new light. And it let my beloved Jesus off the hook for making a racial slur. 😊.