Between the holidays... from Kansas City on Shabbat Bamidbar

Introduction 

Shabbat shalom to each of you here at the congregation and to any who will watch us on YouTube later. I appreciate the opportunity to address you this morning on Shabbat Bamidbar. You might know that I’m originally from Kansas City, from Prairie Village, born in 1951 and even graduated KU back in the 1970s. But when I drove here this morning from Overland Park, I passed through Ruskin Heights, and I had a flashback of 1957 and the tornado that devastated that area. Perhaps some of you were around then and remember that season as well. (For full details, see https://www.weather.gov/eax/RuskinHeights ) The anniversary of that tragic meteorological event is next Wednesday on the 20^th. Next year will be its 70^th anniversary. 

You see, I was only 5 years old at the time, but every year during tornado season which was then defined as 2 months, April to June, at our home, from then on, we had a practice drill, and then often real actions when someone would report a sighting of a twister. The drill included flipping the sofa onto its back in the living room and bringing the transistor radio into the small cavern that created. We each had a glass of water and some reading materials. We were ready for the tornado if it came. We had no basement. No real safe place. But that posture and that position is how we prepared for the eventual weather problem. As you can see, we survived and never had to survive any more than a drill. 

You will understand why when I passed the exit for Blue Ridge Boulevard this morning, I pondered that fateful day when 44 people died and hundreds more were injured. Even though we are officially here in Tornado Alley, it was only 1957 and Ruskin Heights which are fixed in my mind. You might be thinking, ok, Bob, why are you telling us about this?

A packed series of holidays

Let me give you some Jewish context. Next week we will celebrate Shavuot. In fact during the last six weeks, we have celebrated Passover, as well as the Feast of Matzot, and that mysterious 3^rd day holiday, First Fruits. We have also noted during the counting of the Omer other Yomim. These holidays are Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance), Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day), Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day), and Lag BaOmer. Then last week we noted Yom Yerushalayim. Are you weary of such continuous observances? Perhaps if you lived and worked in Israel, then Memorial Day (Zikaron) and Independence Day (Ha’atzma’ut) and Jerusalem Day would make much more sense. But think about it. We have similar events in the US; they are just more spread out. Shoah in January is even noted worldwide. Memorial Day will feature next weekend. July 4 is in a couple of months. We don’t have a special day for a city like Jerusalem or even a region that came into the Union after our Founding, but otherwise, we, like other countries, honour the past. 

Let me ask you. What is the point of all these holidays? Or really, what is the point of any holiday? Is it just to take time off work and get paid for it? Like Presidents’ Day or Labour Day? Is that why we have those holidays? Or is it only to look backwards?

What is the point?

Today

You see, I believe that as people, set apart people, we have responsibilities in time. We must live as godly people today. That’s the present. We are called to holy living. We are commanded to do what God wants. And what is that? Micah the prophet says, “What does the Lord require of thee? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.” (6.8)

James, or Ya’akov, the apostle taught us that “pure and undefiled religion is to take care of widows and orphans in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (1.27)

OK, that’s part of the mandate for believers in our day. And on this day. Care for the stranger. Love of neighbour. Love God with everything you have. Lock it in. That’s a today thing.

What about the future? What will God want from us in the future? Read through the tochacha which we saw in last week’s parasha, the short list in Leviticus 26 (Behar-Bechukotai) and even if you have time the long list in Deuteronomy 28. The commands are detailed, and the consequences of failure is repeated so clearly, that we must surely take it all on board. We think we do ok, now and then, with biblical compliance, but if we are honest, rigorously honest, we will admit to continuous failures. Listen to this warning in Deuteronomy 28.47 and following: 

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;  therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.” (.47-48)

I love that passage. God doesn’t want us to function as machines. He loves us personally. Not privately, don’t get that wrong. Personally, and communally. That’s why you meet together. That’s why you are a congregation.  And together we are responsible for one another to help support each other to do justly, love mercy and walk together humbly with God, with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things. I don’t have everything, but together we have all things. I’m not the body of Messiah; we are. Together. And as the body, we take care of one another, like a comforting hand to a stubbed toe. That’s an honest future hope.

I’m not called to fulfill Torah by myself. I’m not called to love in the new commandment that Yeshua invoked on us. We are. I’m part of y’all. You are part of me. And there are other parts of the Body of King Messiah here in KC meeting even this morning. And there are other parts of His body meeting tomorrow and Tuesday and any and every day. We are not in another body; we are in His body. And together we can, as the first disciples were, called to monitoring and support, to make His great name known on the planet. To the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles. 

So that’s present and that’s the future. But what about the past? 

That’s where holidays come in. And memory. And history. And grandparents. You see, in our days, for many looking backwards is considered passé. Even though we know the citation of Santayana from over 100 years ago, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This famous aphorism by philosopher George Santayana, published in his 1905 work The Life of Reason, emphasizes that learning from history is essential to avoid repeating past mistakes, failures, and conflicts.

It’s shocking, isn’t it, when you speak with some people near us or online, especially those who are fuelling racism and antisemitism, when we try to speak to them, and help them with history about Jewish people, that they are surprisingly ignorant of us. It’s disappointing. 

Friends, here at B’nai Yeshurun, I’m keen to help us all find meaning looking at all times. Whether that is looking backwards, or looking in the mirror, and in the Word of God, and in the future plans of the Lord. Those backward looks are designed to strengthen us for today. They are designed to remind us of good times and bad times in our own history and in the history of the people in the Bible. 

So we have holidays and Scripture and memories. And here’s one—corroboration. You see, as we age, we tend to certain mistakes. We forget things. Not the whole thing, but certain aspects of an event or a situation. And thus we amplify, amend, exaggerate, or omit data points. The time I hit a home run becomes the time I hit three home runs and a double and stole a base. The time we made a pumpkin pie for Mrs Goldberg becomes the time that our whole family brought pies and cakes and soda pop to the entire Goldberg family for a couple of days in a row. The purpose of telling and retelling the stories, the tribal history of our clan, of our family, of our nation—the purpose is to ensure that the story is correct, and the results of the encounters remain accurate and repeatable.  We tell stories and others corroborate the story.

For instance, how many people finally escaped Egypt in the Exodus?

How many of our people over the age of 20 entered the Promised Land under Joshua?

When did Yeshua die and rise again?

Who were the first people to testify about him after the Resurrection?

All of these are facts found in the Book, and by them we are strengthened in our faith and in our confidence in the rest of the Book. Faith comes. Hearing the Word of God increases our trust, our faith, our belief that the Scripture is reliable. We corroborate the Word in our own lives!

And I know, I know, holidays are tiring at times. But they also are times of retelling of stories, whether the modern stories of taking Jerusalem as we recounted last week on Yom Yerushalayim or as we did in early April by retelling the story of Passover. The stories are corroborated and find their way into us. It’s tradition, for sure. And remember, it’s not you who keeps tradition. Traditions keep you!

Bamidbar

Today’s sedra is not about twisters and holidays. It’s fairly diagrammatic. Duties are dispensed and a census is taken. That’s pretty ordinary. After all it’s “in the wilderness.” Out there, nothing much is supposed to happen. It’s usually barren. It’s commonplace. Compare where we are just now in Greenwood or as I drove here this morning with where I live in Sydney Australia—those are two very different locations. But whether you are near the ocean or near Kauffman Stadium, most of your life, and most of my life is fairly ordinary. Most of our lives are ‘in the wilderness.’ Nothing to write home about; nothing to celebrate. We eat and drink, but not much to be merry about.

I’m not complaining, mind you. In fact, coming to that realization that most of life is mundane and ordinary gave me a wonderful sense of relief. I didn’t have to have a ‘great day’ in capital letters. I didn’t have to win lottery, or the Chiefs didn’t have to win each game they played. My lawn didn’t have to be the greenest and most manicured on the street; my kids didn’t have to be the most spectacular in their schools. Ordinary is ok; it’s not a failure. It’s normative. 

And in those ordinary times, in the wilderness, we remember. What is it we are to remember? The words of God. The stories of God and his people. The stories of God, his people and us. And if we tell those stories, and they are corroborated, then others are benefitted by them as well.

The Jewish prophet Hosea didn’t have many good things to say to our people in his prophecies during 14 chapters of the Older Testament. But even he said this of the wilderness and the Jewish people.

“Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”  (Hosea 2.16-17)

Rabbi Sachs of blessed memory said this of that passage, “Hosea used the wilderness as a symbol of the betrothal between God and the Israelites. God had ‘married’ the people, but they had acted unfaithfully. God would punish them. They would suffer disasters. Yet He could not abandon them, so great was His love. So, in an act of reconciliation, He would bring them back and renew their marriage vows in the wilderness, understood as a kind of second honeymoon.” 

It was for me in 1971 when I was 19 years old that I finally heard the story of Yeshua, our Messiah. I’d probably read the Kansas City Times or Star in my youth and read the daily column, “My answer” by Billy Graham, the evangelist. Of course I also read the comics with Blondie, Charley Brown, and Dennis the Menace. I’d probably given as much weight to all four. 

But there I was at 19, walking in Volker Park, right next to the Nelson Art Gallery, and there I met two young people, my age, who were out to share their newfound faith. They were members of the community nicknamed the House of Agape and they met on Sunday nights at 55^th and Oak. There these two, John and Pam, were sitting on the steps and saw me in my hippie clothes, haircut and attitude, and they called out to me. I stopped in my tracks. We had a Bible argument, and they were overwhelming in their love of the Lord and although I might have said later that “I won that battle”, they pointed me to the Messiah, to our Saviour, and I couldn’t shake their impression. They lived it. They wanted me to experience the salvation that only comes from Messiah.

Three days later, in Leawood, I sat again on a stoop, this time of a house. This time with a Christian gal I had met only a week previously. I knew she was born again. I knew she believed in Jesus. And yet, she had helped me read the Bible after meeting John and Pam. In fact, we stayed up all night that Friday night and read Matthew and even parts of Revelation. I pummelled her with questions. She answered as best as she could. 

So here I was on the stoop at her parents’ house. I told her I wanted what I was reading in the Bible. I wanted peace and I wanted to follow this Nazarene. I really liked this man—a classic hippie. He had peace and love and that’s what I wanted. But I said, “I don’t want Jesus.” I knew that my Orthodox family would not have understood. We were members of Kehilath Israel. 

She replied, “you don’t get this Jesus stuff unless you take him as your Messiah and Saviour.” Surprise of surprises, that was enough for me. I prayed with Marva that night, May of 1971, 55 years ago, one week before Shavuot, to receive Yeshua as my Saviour. I cried. I was forgiven. Hallelujah! 55 years ago this weekend!

After we sang “Amazing Grace” and she gave me some words of assurance, I returned to my parents’ house in Prairie Village. I told them of my newfound faith. They didn’t like it. They were enraged. They kicked me out of the house; I got a new apartment near Westport, got a new job, and a new life in Yeshua—all within 12 hours. 

My life as an adventure began with a start, maybe with a jump start. And since that evening in May of 1971, I’ve lived in KC, then Lawrence, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Sydney Australia, and now split time between Sydney and Nashville.  My life is an adventure in the wilderness. Even though I have home, and a wife of 49 years, 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren, I still consider myself a wanderer in a wilderness. 

I joined our mission, “Yehudim l’ma’an Yeshua” which is usually known as Jews for Jesus, in 1979, and love our work of living out the Gospel and sharing with our Jewish people. This weekend I have visits set with three more Jews here in KC to help them unpack the issue of Messiah and maybe to make a decision to follow him. 

Our teams worldwide are working again this week. 70 full time staff in Israel; 250 full time staff worldwide. Here’s a quick glimpse of our latest work, on this video.

On the screen you will see a QR code that I hope you will use with your phone to sign up to hear more from our organization about the good work of partnering we are doing in Israel, in London, New York.. Sydney… friends, it’s global. I hope you will consider supporting our efforts financially and in prayer. And I hope we can cooperate to make Yeshua known in Kansas City among our people here as well. 

If you don’t like using QR codes, you can use the brochure like this “Nets are breaking” brochure which you will find up the back and sign up in the traditional method to hear from us. We are your partners in Ukraine and Israel; we are working in South Africa and Russia, and reopening new branches this year in Boston and South Florida. We aren’t done by a long shot!

My wilderness wandering continues and I am glad.

 Next week, I’m sure you will speak much about Torah and the giving or the receiving of Torah, about the lightning and thunder and fear on and around Mt Sinai. But that was of course, not near a city, not an urban centre—it was out in the wilderness. In fact, so much of holy life and biblical activity is found in the wilderness.  And maybe Rabbi Yosef will again mention Ruskin Heights and the tornado in 1957 and the commensurate fear and violence of the storm and lightning and thunder. After all Ruskin Heights was not exactly an urban center those 69 years ago. 

But here you are, today, in a major city readying to host The World Cup of soccer, with over 2 million residents in the metropolitan area and it does not seem like the wilderness that it was back then. (As of 2024–2025, the Kansas City, Missouri, city population is over 508,000, while the 14-county bi-state metropolitan area (MO-KS) has surpassed 2.25 million residents. The metro area is experiencing steady growth, with suburban counties like Clay, Cass, and Jackson seeing population increases, with an estimated metro population of 2,270,682 in 2025). 

But don’t you feel like you are in one every now and then? 

So what are you supposed to take away from today’s service and today’s sermon? 

1)     That Jewish people can find Messiah and are doing so in surprising numbers since October 7 two and a half years ago.

2)     That your ordinary life is not less, it’s not weak, it’s not without meaning. God uses the valleys as a training ground for us. Oswald Chambers emphasized this when he said that ordinary life is the primary, sacred venue for spiritual growth and service to God, stating that "we are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life" but for the "valley" and the "ordinary things". He maintained that true spiritual character is revealed through mundane daily routines, not in spectacular, emotional experiences.

3)     That holidays have a solid place in our walk with the Lord, to remind us of his actions in the past and even of our actions then, so that we can trust him today.

4)     That God is Sovereign over all times, past, present and future, and we can trust him in each of those throughout our days, even to the end of our days.

Thanks again to Rabbi Yosef and all of you here this Shabbat Bamidbar, as we walk the journey together, today here, and tomorrow and from now on, with the entire Body of Messiah, and make His name known, for there is no other name given under heaven by which anyone can be saved. Shabbat shalom!

Jesus and Women (Part 2 of 2; AND (Part 9 of 12 in the Deeper Truths series)

   Deeper Truths: A study with lessons from Kenneth Bailey’s book,

 

A 12-week study: Given on 7 May 2026

Lesson 9: Jesus and Women (Part 2 of 2)

To watch the video: https://youtu.be/XX0ypuNPS9Y 

 

Preliminaries

 Tonight we continue our discussion of the topics that Kenneth Bailey introduced in Part 5 of his Six-part book. This week we look in on Jesus and Women.

To remind ourselves of the context of this part, the book is made up of six parts, in order: (1) the birth of Jesus, (2) the Beatitudes, (3) the Lord’s Prayer, (4) the dramatic actions of Jesus, (5) Jesus and women, and (6) the parables of Jesus.  

Tonight, I plan to close out the section that Bailey gave us about women, although he didn’t consign himself to speak about women only in this section of his book. He has highlighted the ‘others’ throughout this book, including Gentiles as well as Jews, women as well as men, outcasts as well as insiders, etc.  But tonight we will dig deeper into the stories of the Syrophoenician woman and the sinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee, as well as two parables about women, or at least that use women as the models, which also will lead us next week into the great teachings of the parables. Lots to cover, so let’s pray. 

Prelude

Many women are named in the Newer Testament. But that’s not new. The Older Testament is laced with stories involving women.

The Tanach contains over 300 named women, unnamed figures, and groups, spanning matriarchs, prophets, and queens who shaped Israel's history. Prominent figures include Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and Abigail, alongside crucial unnamed women like Pharaoh’s daughter and the Witch of Endor. Add in there the daughters of Zelophehad and widows and unmarried daughters and the list extends. I say that so that you will know that women are never regarded as less, never reluctantly involved, but always in God’s continued concern. 

We spoke last time about the Jewish theologian Ben Sirach (2nd century BCE, was a Hellenistic Jewish scribe, sage, and teacher from Jerusalem who authored the Wisdom of Ben Sira (also known as Sirach or Ecclesiasticus). He is renowned for compiling wisdom poetry and ethical teachings, encouraging fidelity to Jewish Law while living under Hellenistic influence) and his horrible views about women and how Jesus stands in stark contrast to him.

Over in the Newer Testament, there are women like Phoebe (the deacon Paul praises in Romans 16:1), Junia (Paul names her as an outstanding apostle in Romans 16:7), Priscilla (a teacher and missionary who instructed Apollos in Acts 18:26), Lydia (a key house church leader in Acts 16:14-15), and Joanna (a disciple who supported Jesus' ministry in Luke 8:3).

Even so, in all the 2,000 years of Christian history, the spotlight has stayed almost entirely on men. This leaves most of us unaware that women, many of significant community stature, were there from the start named right alongside the men. 

This may have happened for a few reasons:

1)              Scripture is androcentric. It is written from a male perspective. The fact that women break through and surface with their names in the stories shows just how vital they were.

2)              For many Christians, their only exposure to Scripture is at Sunday service. Because only an exclusive set of men determine lectionary readings, proclaim them, and interpret their meaning, most of the stories of women have largely been sidelined.

3)              We don’t even know they are there. When we do hear about them, they are often unnamed. And their portrayals have often been twisted to paint them as sinful, for instance the Samaritan Woman at the Well or Mary Magdalene. Or in our stories tonight. With that, let’s dig in.

 

Syrophoenician Woman (Matt. 15.21-28)

Matthew 15 is the text which includes a startling episode featuring a woman and Jesus. She’s unnamed as is often the biblical case. And the scene is relatively short. Only 8 verses. Let’s look at verse 10 and following. The 8 verses begin in verse 21.

Verse 10: Jesus teaches that it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him. But what comes out of his mouth. Verse 12: The disciples report that some Pharisees were really upset (Greek word: scandalized) at that statement. Verse 13: Yeshua said, every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (.13-14). 

Now that sounds like a parable or metaphor to me. But when Peter speaking for the 12 asks of Messiah to “explain the parable to us.” (:15), Jesus doesn’t talk about blindness and pits. He returns to the in/out nature of foods! I’m very surprised by this.

Yeshua says that it’s what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person. And “from the heart” comes a veritable stream of wickedness. Matthew provides only a representative list of seven items (cf Mark’s thirteen), with one item, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, “lies,” not from Mark’s list, probably thought by Matthew to be particularly appropriate to things from the heart uttered by the mouth. Then he ends with “to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile a man.” (.20) That’s how the chapter began as the Pharisees and scribes got all upset and sought to correct even to admonish Yeshua about this matter. 

From Word Biblical Commentary NT: Matthew “Above all others the Pharisees were respected and admired for their serious pursuit of righteousness (cf 23:2–3). Perhaps this is exactly why Jesus criticized them so harshly. The source of their perspective was not God; they were themselves but blind guides of blind disciples. As had been pointed out in the preceding passage, they sadly allowed human teachings to cancel out the very commandments of God. They so valued the items of minor significance and a ritualistic formalism that they neglected emphasizing what truly makes a person unclean (cf 23:23). The passage thus stands as a warning to all those who concern themselves with the intensive pursuit of righteousness and who in so doing elevate human tradition and formalism to a level equal with or even higher than scripture itself. The true problem of sin is not to be found in a failure to perform correctly some external minutiae of human making; sin is an interior matter that concerns the evil thought, words, and deeds that come from the heart. Moral righteousness is thus far more important than ritual purity. The fundamental problem of humanity is more basic than the Pharisees dreamed. The Pharisees simply failed to address sin as a radical human problem. The overcoming of sin, however, was essential to the purpose and work of Jesus.” 

Against that backdrop, then Matthew records the next story, that of the Syrophoenician woman. Remember, the Gospel writers composed their biographies intentionally, omitting or including, pacing and deeply configuring as Bailey highlights for us. So, when I pondered the last scene and the introduction of this female, Matthew sees the linkage. Jesus teaches, acts, teaches, acts, and in each case his teaching is either highlighting what just took place or what will immediately ensue.

There seems to be a lesson involved here, far beyond you and me. I see what Bailey explains. We tend to read the Bible for ourselves, individualistically rather than communally. I’ve been highlighting this throughout this Deeper Truth series. He is “our Father” and “Lead us, deliver us…” We pray in community. We eat in community. We fast communally. We love one another and when we dismiss another, our strength is diminished.

Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote the book Life Together and when I read that in the early 1970s it was life changing. We were living in Christian community in Kansas, and this was so significant. Another book written much more to the point of our Jesus Movement house lives was by Dave and Neta Jackson entitled Living Together in a world falling apart. Both speak to the community nature of the Kingdom. 

That, my friends, is something Bailey highlights in this chapter as well. He uses the idea of education and training of the disciples in relating the story of the Syrophoenician woman. Somehow, Bailey thinks that the way that Jesus spoke or didn’t speak to her was a training exercise for the disciples. I don’t see it that way, but I appreciate the difficulty that he’s trying to solve. 

The question is Why did Jesus treat her in this way? I believe he was testing her faith. After all she’s a three-fold outcast: a woman, a Gentile, and a foreigner. Matthew calls her a Canaanite. Jesus called the Syrophoenician woman a dog to test her faith, to illustrate the priority of his mission to Israel, and challenge the prevailing Jewish prejudices against Gentiles.  By using a term for a household pet (more like ‘doggy’ than ‘wild dog’) rather than a wild animal, Jesus created a dialogue that allowed her to demonstrate great humility and persistence, ultimately commending her faith and granting her request. 

The initial, harsh-sounding remark served as a test of the woman’s faith and persistence, which she passed by responding with humility and wit. Jesus stated he was sent first to the "lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). The comparison (not giving the children's bread to dogs) highlighted this sequence, rather than a permanent exclusion of Gentiles.

The woman’s clever response—that even the household pets eat the crumbs from their master’s table—showed her understanding that the blessings of Israel were overflowing to the Gentiles, which Jesus praised. This story (found in Matthew 15:21–28 and Mark 7:24–30) highlights Jesus breaking down cultural barriers and showing that God's grace is available to everyone, regardless of background.

Mark’s citation of this same scene adds an editorial phrase, “by which He declared all food clean.” (v. 19) That has caused great controversy throughout the world for generations, and especially in my generation. “Is it ok for us to eat pork and shellfish?” is a major question among messianic Jews to this day. I will leave that for others to argue.

It’s clear that the extension of grace to Gentiles, if you bring in a Gentile, not only is she welcomed, but so is her food supply. Is it welcomed for me? That’s another story and something about which I’m not speaking tonight. What remains clear is that if you bring in a Gentile, you bring in a Gentile’s food.

You see the same thing in Acts chapter 10 with Peter and Cornelius. Peter sees a vision filled with four-footed creatures and non-kosher items. The voice tells Peter to “rise up, kill and eat.” (.13) Peter replies, “No, Lord, I’m Jewish. I don’t eat such things.” (.14). The voice [of the Lord] replies to Peter, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (.15)

Many people read this passage and wrongly think that Peter is now invited to go eat a ham and cheese sandwich there in Joppa. But we learn that the next day, Peter clarifies what was involved in that vision. He tells the Gentiles Cornelius had gathered there in Caesarea, “you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” (.28)

The vision was not about Peter’s lunch, but it was about the food of Gentiles, and the Gentiles of that food. THEY were no longer considered unclean. They were welcomed into the community of faith. With their language, their culture, their foods. That’s the story of the Syrophoenician woman.

 

The woman at the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7.36-50)

This title of the section is striking on so many levels. The word ‘Pharisee’ means ‘a withdrawn one’, that is, someone who is separating himself from the tangible corruption of the world and the worldly systems. A ‘sinful woman’ as she is labelled here would have been unwelcome in such a person’s home. People were much more public in their homes in those days; think, ‘small town’ and as such more observable. Here’s how I see this scene playing out. 

Jesus is invited into the home of Simon the Pharisee. Not to test him, not to catch him in some religious hypocrisy. Perhaps as we mentioned in the story of the Blind Man, those Pharisees were considering following him. Would the sinful woman have been invited? Not a chance!

Only Luke tells us that Jesus on occasion dined by invitation with Pharisees (Mt.11:37; 14:1). With such reports Luke indicates Jesus’ social standing as a well-known teacher. Pharisaic approval of Jesus is not implied. In fact, on each occasion Jesus’ behaviour scandalizes his host.

But Jesus is reclining at the table which means his head would have been table side and his feet extending towards the window or door. The woman, whom I believe was previously forgiven was able therefore to come alongside Jesus, and in gratitude fall at his feet. Then she anointed him with that alabaster (that’s the Greek word) jar of oil and her tears. She was so filled with thanks! But she hadn’t pre-planned to dry anything and solved that problem with her long hair.

Stories in the Gospels are not isolated but are part of the bigger story. Look back at the red-letter words of Luke 7 and see what Yeshua is teaching the crowds about John the Baptist. He ends with 

³⁵ Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

So, then Luke puts this section next to the story of Simon the Pharisee and this woman who is the vindicator litmus test. She’s the child of wisdom in the story. He even amplifies this with the story within the story as Jesus asks Simon beginning in verse 40 about the two debtors. 

Verse 42: which of them will love him more?

Simon rightly says the one forgiven more will love the moneylender more. Then Jesus uses the situation to rebuke Simon for a lack of social graces and the same occasion to publicly forgive the woman her sins (v. 48) and to tell her (I believe to remind her) that her faith has saved her, and she should go in peace. (v. 50). Her faith had brought her to the scene. Her faith had propelled her to find the one about whom she had heard. She had not met Jesus before. He only at this point saw her faith and her anointing of his feet, her drying the anointing with her hair, her attention to his presence…all of that made her one of his. She entered the Kingdom, not by her good works, but by her breaking every social convention, crossing every barricade the Jewish world had established, and made her way into the presence of the only One who could save her. It was her faith that saved her. It was the Messiah who saved her. 

Luke follows this beautiful story with a narrative about the disciples. 

Luke 8:1   Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

The 12 of course are highlighted but then notice who else is included. “Some former sick women and those who had been delivered of their evil spirits, like Mary Magdalene, and then other women listed Joanna, Chuza’s wife (a prominent Roman politician, Susanna, and other women who were involved in the substantial role of financing the ministry of the Lord, OUT OF THEIR private means.” This is a huge footnote to the story. 

Women who would travel in the company of men, no hotels, no separate rooms, usually when women travelled they would take their lamps which would fit in their hands, be visible in face, not using the lamp to find the path, they would walk in social circles with care, lest any danger come their way. But here these women are, walking with the men, using their private bank accounts to ensure that the Lord and his 12 were cared for, and breaking social convention again. 

Luke, who joined the apostolic community in Acts chapter 16, sees women in the community as normative and laces his Gospel account with them with frequency. The story without women is empty; the story with women is scandalous. Especially with what they called ‘sinner’ women, which is little more than a nickname for a prostitute. 

Luke adds a note in his Gospel to give the Lord an opportunity to share the 2 debtor story. Simon says, “If this guy were really a prophet, he would know what sort of person this is.” The irony is Jesus fully knew what sort of person this was, and he allowed the anointing, the drying, no doubt, the weeping, and the presence. Jesus never worried about being touched by or at times even touching folks who were untouchables. The lepers come to mind. Forbidden to be touched, removed by themselves or by others from society, the lepers were not to be engaged. Jesus, time and time again, broke social convention. And some were cleansed and some were grateful. 

What I’m saying should be clear—Jesus establishes his own social convention. He was called a glutton in this chapter. Certainly, compared to John the Baptist. He allowed a sinner to touch him. Another time a woman with an issue of blood touched him.

In the Bible, the "issue of blood" refers to a woman suffering from a chronic, 12-year haemorrhage (Mark 5:24–34). This condition rendered her ceremonially unclean under Jewish law (Leviticus 15.25-30), causing severe social, religious, and economic isolation—she was banished from the temple, likely forbidden from touching others, and lost all her money on failed medical treatments

Jesus broke social convention to establish a new society, the Kingdom of God, and nothing would stop his making it happen. We today, in 2026, are part of the new society because he made it so. 

One final comment here on this story. When Simon did not offer the greeting of the kiss, did not offer water for Jesus’ feet, nor any oil for his washing or self-anointing, Jesus would have been well within his rights to walk out, saying under his breath, “Well, I’m certainly not welcome here.” But rather than use the lack of courtesy as a chance to exit, Jesus chose to enter, to recline, and to use the situation to teach Simon and anyone else who is listening, what sort of person HE is. 

If Simon the Pharisee muttered under his breath that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would have known, then think about this, we can say, SINCE Jesus is a prophet, he DID know what sort of person both the unnamed woman was AND what sort of person SIMON was. And Jesus wanted and still wants to emphasize the condition of everyone’s heart, SO THAT each of us can draw near and cry out for forgiveness and His love, amen?

 

The widow and the judge (Luke 18.1-8)

In Luke 18, Yeshua tells a striking parable about a widow and an unjust judge. The story is simple, but deeply powerful. A vulnerable woman repeatedly comes before a judge demanding justice against her adversary. The judge neither fears God nor respects people. He is indifferent, cynical, and morally corrupt. Yet the widow refuses to disappear. She keeps returning, again, until finally the judge grants her request—not because he has become righteous, but because her persistence has worn him down.

Luke deliberately highlights the woman because, in the ancient world, widows represented weakness, vulnerability, and lack of social power. She has no husband to defend her, no status to leverage, and apparently no money to bribe the judge. Yet she becomes the strongest character in the story. Her courage is not loud or dramatic; it is steady, determined faithfulness. She believes justice exists, even when the system around her appears broken.

Luke’s Gospel repeatedly elevates women, outsiders, and the overlooked. This widow stands alongside other women in Luke who model faith, insight, and spiritual perseverance. The emphasis is not merely on “praying more,” but on refusing to lose heart. Luke introduces the parable by saying Yeshua told it so His disciples would “always pray and not give up.”

The woman becomes a picture of persistent faith. If even an unjust judge eventually responds, how much more will a righteous God hear the cries of His people? Her persistence reveals trust that God sees, hears, and will ultimately bring justice.

What is it that thwarts our returning to the Lord? What stops us from knock and keep on knocking? (Matt. 7.7) Is it lack of response? Is it despair? Jesus is using this story to remind us, that is to put back into our mind, that He is there. If that woman can get the ignoble judge to act, how much more can Jesus respond to us, if we keep knocking. Never give up. He is there. 

This ‘how much more’ phrase is a biblical line the rabbis came up with. It’s in Hebrew Kal v’chomer. 

Kal v'chomer (Hebrew: קל וחומר) is a logical principle used in Jewish law and biblical interpretation, literally meaning "light and heavy". It is the Hebrew equivalent of the Latin a fortiori argument: if something is true in a minor or "light" case, then it must be even more true in a major or "heavy" case.

The argument typically follows the pattern of "how much more so"

Either Minor to Major: If a certain rule applies to a simple situation (kal), it should certainly apply to a more serious one (chomer). Or Major to Minor: Conversely, if a stricture is true in a major case, it must also be true in a minor case. 

Examples in the Older Testament

There are classic examples of this reasoning mentioned in the Torah: 1) Moses and Pharaoh: "If the Israelites did not listen to me, how much more will Pharaoh?" (Exodus 6:12). 2) Joseph’s Brothers: "We brought back the silver we found in our sacks... how then would we steal gold or silver from your master's house?" (Genesis 44:8). 3) Miriam's Punishment: If a father's rebuke would cause shame for seven days, surely God's rebuke should cause at least as much (Numbers 12:14).

Newer Testament

Jesus frequently used kal v'chomer as a rabbinic teaching tool to emphasize God's character. 1) Provision: If God clothes the grass of the field (which is temporary), how much more will He clothe you? (Matthew 6:30). 2) Prayer: If a human father knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? (Luke 11:13).

Paul also used it. Paul uses this logic extensively in his letters, particularly in Romans 5, to argue that if Christ died for sinners, how much more will those who are justified be saved through Him. (v.10)

The 10 Virgins (Matthew 25.1-13)

In Matthew 25, Yeshua tells the parable of the ten virgins, a story centred on readiness for a coming wedding celebration. Ten young women wait with lamps for the arrival of the bridegroom. Five are wise and bring extra oil; five are foolish and fail to prepare. When the bridegroom is delayed, all ten become sleepy. But at midnight the cry suddenly comes: “Here is the bridegroom!” The prepared women trim their lamps and enter the wedding feast, while the others rush away trying to find oil. By the time they return, the door is shut.

The story reflects ancient Jewish wedding customs. A bridegroom would often arrive unexpectedly, sometimes late at night, to bring the bride and wedding party into the feast. Preparation mattered because no one knew the exact hour of arrival. Yeshua uses this familiar image to teach spiritual vigilance and faithful expectation.

The oil in the lamps symbolizes more than outward religion. All ten virgins looked similar for a time, but only five had inward preparedness. The wise women anticipated delay and planned for endurance. Their readiness was personal and could not be borrowed at the final moment.

The parable is not merely about fear of missing out; it is about living in continual expectation of the Messiah. Yeshua warns His listeners that spiritual preparation cannot be postponed indefinitely. There comes a moment when opportunities close and the door is shut.

The wedding feast itself points toward joy, covenant, and the future kingdom of God. Those prepared enter celebration with the bridegroom.

Friends, we have looked at 4 stories and have dived into sometimes unchartered waters, so that we could learn what Yeshua thought about women. It’s not a new thing; the Older Testament certainly highlighted women throughout as well. 

Jesus is not a new god—He is the evidence, the exact representation of everything we know about the God of the Older Testament. Some people got it wrong, and Jesus came along to remind us, to make right what others had wronged, and others who had been wronged. 

If you have not yet read Bailey’s chapters on women, do yourself a favour and check out the book from the library and get deep into it. You will be blessed.

Next week, we turn to the Parables, the final section of the book, and we will learn so much about what Yeshua was teaching, and we will be able to put into practice so much more. To that I commit myself and ask you to join me then. 

 

Five Summary Thoughts from tonight:

1)              No one is excluded by race or gender from being a citizen of the Kingdom of God. 

2)              Gratitude is the key to success in the Kingdom.  Make a short list daily and watch it grow through the years.

3)              Faith is the victory. It always has been and always will be. Faith is not a ‘good work.’ It’s a pressing in until we find the One who alone can save us and establish our goings. 

4)              Never allow others to define your stance in the Kingdom towards outsiders or insiders. Jesus alone is the King of the Kingdom and sets the rules and the roles for each of us.

5)              Live in anticipation—Jesus is returning. Soon. For you. And for those whom you love. Bring them along by prayer and speaking. Be ready by hope. Hope is faith in the future. 

 

 ————————————————————————————

 

Scripture scholar Marg Mowczko has done stellar work raising awareness as to the identities —including names — and stories of women in scripture.

Some links from her work to explore are here: 

- about Jesus and Women: https://margmowczko.com/jesus-and-women/

- the ministry of Women in New Testament Churches: https://margmowczko.com/tag/coworkers-book-chapter/

- Men and Women in Ministry in First Century Churches Part 1: https://margmowczko.com/women-ministry-first-century.../

- Men and Women in Ministry in First Century Churches Part 2: https://margmowczko.com/women-ministry-first-century-2/

- Men and Women in Ministry in First Century Churches Part 3: https://margmowczko.com/women-ministry-first-century-3/

- Every Woman in the Gospels: https://margmowczko.com/every-woman-gospels/

- Every Woman in the Book of Acts: https://margmowczko.com/every-nt-woman-acts/

- Every Woman in Paul's Letters to the Romans and to the Corinthians: https://margmowczko.com/every-nt-woman-romans-corinthians/

- The Ephesian Widows in 1 Timothy 5: https://margmowczko.com/widows-1-timothy-5-part-1/

- Every Woman in Galatians to Revelation: https://margmowczko.com/every-nt-woman-galatians-to.../

Marg notes: 'Some New Testament women were involved in significant ministries. Every list of ministry gifts in the New Testament does not exclude women in any way (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27-28; Eph. 4:11-12; Heb. 2:4; 1 Pet. 4:9-11; cf. Acts 2:17-18)