Matthew 15

Jesus in conversation with three women in the Gospels

A well-placed wisecrack can pull the mighty down from their thrones.

Give me your tired, your poor, those you consider dogs.

Joseph knows what he is seeing. His brothers do not.

It’s scary. Sometimes, we Scrappers have to swallow our pride in order to start working with the institution that turned us away. Often, Scrappers develop autonomy and a certain voice that we fear we'll lose if we move into partnership with an established organization. We worry that the structure will steal our ideas and they'll have the money and power to pull them off—without us. 

Matthew invites us into a whole variety of experiences this Sunday. Verses 10 through 20, considered optional, center around a conflict about tradition and authority followed by a parable about the truth of the actions of the heart. This is followed by healings and feedings. The next chapter begins with more conflict.

As God's people, we are the remnants and promise of new life.

How do we determine and define what is pure and wholesome?

A kneeling woman does not have far to fall, and by all rights Jesus' insult should have floored her on the spot.

How do the blessed feel when they think of the damned?