Non-Conformist Bitch

Woman right from the Garden of Eden was non-conformist. She never believed in blind obedience rather she preferred to encounter absurdities and uncertainties having the audacity to pay for it no matter however severe it was. Her willingness to deal with contingencies is what makes her ‘faithful’. She explicates radical and subversive versions of faith; after all to have faith is to exhibit the nerve to be non-conformists. No wonder God chose a woman’s womb to incarnate. The Bible is impregnated with such non-conformist women viz. Eve, Tamar, Esther, Vasthi, Mary Magdalene, Shiprah and Puah, Ruth, Deborah, Mother Mary, Hagar, Hannah and many more. The gospel portion set apart for today according to the Syrian Orthodox almanac deals with yet another non-conformist woman i.e. Canaanite/Syrophoenician woman (St. Matthew 15: 21-31).

This is a familiar passage to all of us. Moreover men never forget especially those passages where women are humiliated – irrespectively by God or Jesus – to legitimate their ruthless exploitation of women. Jesus in this passage compares the Canaanite woman with a dog/bitch. Kenneth Bailey writes,

The language Jesus uses is very strong. Dogs in Middle Eastern traditional culture, Jewish and non-Jewish, are almost as despised as pigs. Pigs are worse but only slightly so. Dogs are never pets. They are kept as half-wild guard dogs or left to wander unattended as dangerous street scavengers who subsist on garbage.

It is also disgraceful that every morning the Jewish men thank God for not creating them as a Gentile, slave and woman.

Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile.

Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave.

Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman.

The dominant interpretations of this pericope of the Canaanite woman will invariably try to justify Jesus after all he was a male. Thus we were made to believe that Jesus was testing the faith of the woman. I find this version of interpretation a sheer manoeuvring of Patriarchy. I would like to believe that the encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman transformed Jesus. It was not the faith of Canaanite woman being tested rather it was the faith of Jesus thrown to question. Thomas G. Grenham, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Head of the Department of Pastoral Theology at the Milltown Institute, Dublin subversively remarks,

Syrophoenician (Canaanite) woman and Jesus help each other to transform not only themselves but their own cultural and religious world view also turned into something new. Not only was Jesus’ own religious perspective transformed within the Samaritan culture it was dramatically altered through the encounter with the Syrophoenician woman.

In verse 26 Jesus said to the Canaanite women “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Here children is ascribed to the Israelites and dogs are attributed to the Gentiles. But the reply of this ‘non-conformist bitch’ shatters Jesus. She stated, “Yes Lord, even the dogs eats the crumbs that falls from their master’s table.” Concerning the gravity of this reply Warren Carter, a New Testament scholar profoundly opines,

Without questioning the priority of the children (Israel) and while recognizing the authority of the masters, she (Canaanite woman) reframes the significance of dogs (Gentiles). It is not a matter of food or no food but food for both. She demands a place at the table and not under it. 

Jesus now had no other option but to transform himself. Jesus was truly inspired by this ‘non-conformist bitch’s’ faith. This is a reminder that no man can stand before a true ‘non-conformist bitch.’

Lent season should urge us to be non-conformists like the Canaanite ‘non-conformist bitch’. Wrestle constantly with the conventional ideas of God, scriptures, interpretations, traditions, cultures and so on so that we never settle for a mediocre version of it. Curtailing the dynamics would mean being idolatrous which definitely qualifies sin. We as Christians should not become passive adherent of faith in Jesus rather we should slowly transcend the faith in Jesus to faith of Jesus.  

I conclude with a video by the actor Shruti Hassan – Unblushed. This video has several accolades to its credit. Shruti, in her sexy-husky voice, redefines the term Bitch in the best way ever. So the next time a man calls a woman Bitch, tell him why you are rightly so. The actress wonderfully explains why a woman deserves to have a respectable place in the society in her video. Few lines from the video which won hearts include,

Bitch is an eye roll you make to classify any woman who is not your cup of tea just because she refuses to pour it.” “Bitch is a teacher who stands against a system” and “The bitch is a girl who said no and she meant and went away with a yes safely tucked in a handbag’ resonates even now! But our favourite has to be that line – A bitch is a stud with boobs. 

Please take a look at this video

Let us pray

Unconventional God, we beseech your grace to be non-conformists like that Canaanite woman who with her undeterred faith inspired your Son to be transformed. For Christ’s sake we pray. Amen

Prayers

Dn. Basil Paul