The symbols { } are used for clarification points only!
Did Jesus (pbh) really call that non-Jewish, Canaanite Woman a dog?
Christian apologists try to dance daintily around this topic by explaining the ‘real’ meaning of the word ‘dog’ as used by Jesus. Not only that but they also bend way over backwards in trying to put Jesus’ response about Jesus being sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel in a Christian friendly perspective as a cover up to hide Jesus’ limited purpose and mission. So let’s see who has the most historic and logical explanation!!!
This ‘Christian thought process’ turns into a negative Jewish thought which the Christian thinkers can’t escape from. Why is this so?
This is so due to the fact that if they claim otherwise, then the role of Jesus (pbh) will become greatly diminished! How so?
Jesus (pbh) according to them is the so-called savior of mankind – WHICH HE ISN’T and one should believe in him as being not only a prophet to the Gentiles – WHICH HE WAS NOT! BUT ALSO AN EQUAL GOD WITH GOD – WHICH HE IS NOT and an entity who ‘died’ on the CROSS for the so-called sins of man – WHICH HE DIDN’T!
To acknowledge otherwise would be to turn Christianity on its collective head and would open the gates of their membership to the REALITY of Islam!
So, in their thinking Jesus (pbh) was sent to somehow ‘CONVERT’ the Jews (being a LOST TRIBE OR A LOST PEOPLES WITHOUT CHRIST) who did NOT believe in his ‘Christian mission’!!!!!
And if it was a Christian mission, then why wasn’t Jesus (pbh) ahead of the game and depended upon others to actually set things right instruction wise? That would declare Jesus, GOD FORBID, as being somehow incompetent!!!!!
Jesus, in truth, explains to the Canaanite woman: ‘Then she came and (worshiped) {bowed down to and appealed to} him, saying, “lord help me.”
But he answered and said, “It is not meet {proper} to take children’s {spiritual} bread and cast it to DOGS‘… and also “I am NOT sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel {ONLY}.”
{The Christian explanation in both cases shows how they twist and turn like a pretzel in order to paper over the REAL TRUTH/ REAL REALITY of the situation.
First of all, the word ‘DOG‘ doesn’t equate directly to something non-human. The word dog equates more to the idea of a family ‘pet’ like a pet dog rather than some kind of vicious creature.
However, any pet, even a beloved pet, is NOT on the same level as being a human being or equal to the beloved ‘human’ family structure. Quite simply put, a dog can be part of a family structure but NOT ON THE EQUAL FOOTING of being equal with the other human beings. In other words, AN INFERIOR BEING IS THE REAL MEANING HERE FOR THE WORD DOG!
The meaning is clear! It isn’t that the term dog meant that the woman was an animal. It is used to differentiate between a high class ‘superior group’ of people (Jews) versus an inferior peoples or race (Gentiles) AS IT WAS PERCEIVED AT THE TIME.
We get that understanding from Jewish practices around the ‘Unbelievers or Gentiles’ back in the days before and during Jesus’ time with some ultra conservative Jews having to wash their hands if they even accidentally touched a Gentile.
In fact, some Jews were known to let the Gentiles do the dirty work or low level jobs if they had no other choice. Therefore, Jesus (pbh) was NOT overly harsh in using that word ‘dog’ towards this woman. He was just stressing that it was NOT his job to go around to just anyone and perform a miracle upon request!
However, when she showed a belief in his reality/his mission, it was an honest admission from her that he was the real deal sent by a REAL GOD and that her ways and beliefs were artificially put upon her people. Why?
Because she actually believed in him and his mission and by intent his GOD, while many of the Pharisees, who had the benefit of the prophets from of old were NOT BELIEVING IN HIM, he declared: ‘Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is your faith.“
That takes care of the woman but what Christian apologists do about the Jews is a crime of and by itself. Christian apologists make the Jews out to be total losers in that Jesus (pbh) is seen as being one who comes to a people WHO ARE TOTALLY LOST (the Jews). This means that Jesus, who himself was a Jew, tries to Christianize or convert the Jews so that they might be saved!!!
This lunatic view can’t wash for many reasons. Here are some of them. First, Jesus (pbh) was a Jew and his followers were Jews and remained Jews right up until their deaths.
Second, they were told to follow the Torah and that not one jot of the ‘law’ would be removed. Only a kind of ‘intent’ was introduced with some minor changes for those who accepted the Christ.
Third, even in Paul’s time and shortly thereafter, the only real religion to believe in was Judaism with the acceptance of Jesus (pbh) being the Messiah which included the practices of following Mosaic Law as best as possible.
According to 2 Thessalonians (2:15) in the New Testament, Paul asked the new believers as well as the older ones to adhere to the ‘traditions’ of the Jews. What other traditions could he be speaking about? The only contentions that cropped up were those disagreements in how fast one should ‘slide into’ the Jewish character when one wasn’t born Jewish.
{Therefore, brethren, STAND FAST AND HOLD TO the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. 2 Thess. (2:15)}
This is a type of ‘racial superiority’ thing which caused a lot of friction. And it came back to haunt the Jews in the later years, especially in Europe, where the Jew, quite unfairly, became synonymous with ‘an inferior peoples’.
As was previously said, some Jews didn’t like this ‘advanced’ way of thinking and didn’t want to give up a ‘privileged notion’ of themselves being top wrung on the ladder. That would eventually lead to a huge backlash against the Jews in the coming centuries as Christian thinking made Jesus the man into a type of false god whom the Jews supposedly killed!}
“Let them alone {those who are hellbent on repulsing you and lie in wait to trap you while making mischief in false pretense of trying to believe}; they are blind LEADERS of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch*.
Islam has the answer for this puzzler as is suggested in the Gospel of John such that the Spirit of truth will come and provide ‘the clear evidence’:
{*HE {GOD} will say: “Enter you in the company of the peoples who passed away before you – men and jinns, – into the FIRE.” Every time a new people enters, it curses its sister-people (that went before), until they follow each other, all into the Fire. Says the last {group} about the first {group}: “Our LORD! it is these that misled us: so give them a double penalty in the Fire.” HE will say: “DOUBLED FOR ALL”: BUT THIS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Q (7:38)}
Then answered Peter and said unto him {Jesus}, “Explain to us this parable.”
And Jesus said, “Are you {having been with me for so long a time} also yet without understanding?
Do you not yet understand that whatsoever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and {then} is cast out into the drain {as waste}?
But those things which proceed out of the mouth , COME FORTH FROM THE HEART **and {THESE ARE THOSE THINGS THAT} defile the man.
{**The heart, or that special place in the heart, is very important in Islam.}
For out of the {SECRET MOST RECESSES OF THE} HEART proceed {THE FALSE DESIRES OF} evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
these are the things which defile a man. But to eat {at times} with unwashed hands doesn’t defile a man.”
Then Jesus went thence and departed {proper Israel and Jewish center} into the region of Tyre and Sidon {containing a mixed population of believers and pagans}.
And behold, a woman of Canaan {coming from a peoples who believed in several gods} came out of the same region and cried unto him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O lord, {For you are as I believe in my heart, as some of the ‘believers’ say, you are indeed} the Son of David*** {the inheritor of the crown of Jewish authority or simply put ‘a true and believable prophet}! My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”
{***This is an extremely important point which so many have overlooked! Jesus’ fame was spreading amongst the people as a great healer AND among the ESSENE JEWS the idea was spreading that he was indeed the SON OF DAVID as was prophesied to come!
The woman who was asking for a miracle knew of these things and what it might possibly mean because she declares that she DOES BELIEVE that he is the Son of David!!!!!
Latter on Jesus’ enemies, knowing full well that the words ‘Son of God‘ would make the Jews hate Jesus due to the fact that it truly would be BLASPHEMOUS, did try and twist Jesus’ true station of being the REAL SON OF DAVID (as an inheritor to lead Israel) into something else – Son of GOD.
Have you not turned your thought to those who were given a portion of the {HOLY} BOOK? They traffic in error and wish that you should lose the Right Path.
But ALLAH has FULL KNOWLEDGE of your enemies: ALLAH is enough for a PROTECTOR. AND ALLAH is enough for a HELPER.
Of the Jews there are those who DISPLACE WORDS from their (right) places and say: “We hear and we disobey”; and “Here, may you NOT HEAR;” and Raina with a twist of their tongues and a SLANDER to FAITH. If only they had said: “We hear and we obey”; and “Do hear”; and “Do look at us”; It would have been better for them and more proper; But ALLAH has cursed them for their UNBELIEF, and but few of them will believe.
O you People of the Book! Believe in what WE have (now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with you before WE change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition and turn them backwards, or CURSE them as WE cursed the Sabbath-breakers – for the Decision of ALLAH Must be carried out. Q (4:44-47)
Further, that he (Muhammad) may warn those (also) who say, “ALLAH has begotten a son”:
No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a GRIEVOUS THING that issues from their mouths as a saying. What they say is nothing but FALSEHOOD! Q (18:4-5)}
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, “Send her away, for she crieth after us.”
But he answered and said, “I am NOT sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel {ONLY}.”
Then she came and (worshiped) {bowed down to and appealed to} him, saying, “lord help me.”
But he answered and said, “It is not meet {proper} to take children’s {spiritual} bread and cast it to DOGS {to the UNWORTHIES – those who profess other gods than the ONE LORD}.”****
And she said, “{This is} Truth, lord {you speak the truth that I am not one of you BUT}; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their MASTER’S TABLE {and can learn from it}.”
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is your faith {in me as a real prophet whereas some of my own people believe me not}. Be it unto you even as you {desire} will.” And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew (15:14-28)
****ALLAH DOES NOT forgive that partners should be set up with HIM: but HE FORGIVES ANYTHING ELSE, to whom HE PLEASES; to set up partners with ALLAH is to DEVISE A SIN MOST HEINOUS INDEED!
Have you not turned your thought to those who claim purity for themselves? Nay – but ALLAH does purify whomever HE pleases. And they will not be wronged a whit!
Behold! how they invent a lie against ALLAH! but that by itself is a MANIFEST SIN! Q (18: 48-50)
