THE COVER
The cover of my 2025 book Conflict & Peace: At Home with Jesus graphically depicts the story of the two millennia old encounter of Jesus of Nazareth with a non-Jewish, pagan, Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon — in what would be today’s country of Lebanon.
THE IMAGE
Perhaps more than any other New Testament account, this tale is pivotal to better understanding of who Jesus was and is — both then and now.
The Story
Here’s the biblical New Testament text of this brief but monumental encounter between two persons of starkly different ethnic, social, religious, and gender identities — as recorded by the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15 (also Mark 7):
Jesus left the place Gennesaret (just northwest of the Sea of Galilee) 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.
Moral of the Story?
Why did Jesus change his mind and help this assertive foreigner? One interpretation is that he was testing to see how badly she wanted healing—pushing her buttons.
A second explanation is that he was persuaded and changed his mind by the strength of her logic.
A third and related explanation would be that Jesus was confronted by his own prejudicial attitudes toward non-Jews, those of lesser socioeconomic status., or different cultural values. Jesus comes across as confused by the contradiction between his belief and her assertion, leading this savior to reconsider his own xenophobia.
No matter what the explanation, here is a picture of Jesus who might be considered as disingenuous or as conflicted by his own varied personal beliefs and emotions. In any event, much as Moses prevailed in dialogue with God to prevent destruction of Hebrew migrants traveling from Egypt to promised land of Canaan, the Canaanite woman similarly accomplished a change of heart and action via her deprecating but assertive stance toward the reputed god-man Jesus of Nazareth.
Contempory comparison
What’s remarkable is the extent to which this historical personage of Jesus lines up with a dominating personality of the mid 2020s — both nationally and globally. The character and behavior of U.S. President Donald Trump is often described as “transactional” in nature. Abiding values are limited, except perhaps for a long-standing affection for tariffs. If there is a moral compass, it is subsumed by the “art of the deal.”
Somewhat surprisingly, the behavior of the historical Jesus may also appropriately characterized as transactional in nature. Ask the question: What is the persona of Jesus amid conflict in an ever-changing world. The answer is best described as “it depends.” Consider the following types of situations:
Jesus can step over potential conflict with a short but pointed rebuke — whether with the Canaanite woman or in telling his chief apostle Peter to “get behind me, Satan.”
There are other times when Jesus is seemingly oblivious to conflict around him — illustrated by his sleeping in the bottom of a boat with a violent storm raging all around.
Jesus sometimes exhibits an uncanny ability to defuse conflict by cutting to the quick of an issue — as preventing a stoning of an adulterous woman by challenging accusers for anyone ““without sin to be the first to cast a stone at her.”
There also are times when Jesus manages to sneak away from (or rise above) conflict — as when this savior “passed through” unrecognized by a violent crowd ready to throw Jesus from a cliff (in his own hometown).
Sometimes Jesus intentionally creates conflict — exemplified by his repeated condemnation of Jewish leaders of his time.
Finally there are times when Jesus refuses to directly engage in conflict — even in self-defense as when he deflects the inquiries made by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
So, why does Jesus respond to conflict one way in one situation, another in another situation. Several possibilities are suggested: a) his responses are part of a larger strategic game plan; b) responses are based on Jesus perception of specific situations of the moment; c) responses are random; or d) some combination of the above. The strongest scriptural support is indicated for option (d)—a combination of reasons.
Whether for better or worse, a case can be made that the Jesus of history and the Trump of the present both exemplify a strong transactional nature. However, whereas the President’s transactional affinity is tempered few readily apparent underlying values (except perhaps for love of tariffs), the case-by-case approach of Jesus is guided by an abiding moral compass, namely to act out of love and care for one’s neighbor — whether the one next door or across the sea.
bottom line
Jesus serves as pioneer of the Christian faith by going outside the mainstream, by disrupting traditional views of what God’s kingdom is and will be about. He perfects our faith by coming alongside humans to help start and then finish the course—to reach closure.
As Jesus lived in and through conflict, he requests as much of those who follow behind. We are asked to engage and work out our salvation via conflict—both personal and familial. So that, like the pagan, Canaanite woman who was initially rebuked by Jesus, we persist until the master relents, saying:
Let it be done for you as you wish.
With this post, I am re-instating my E. D. Hovee blog posts. I aim to renew commentary on economic topics together with new postings drawing from my 2025 published book, Peace & Conflict: At Home with Jesus. And get ready for some postings likely to offer combined economic, political and spiritual perspectives.
