The Outcast Test
Jesus was repeatedly called "the friend of sinners;" it was not meant as a compliment. Yet, there is this one time...this one occasion where Jesus seems, well, less than friendly. In fact, He seems downright offensive to an outcast and broken woman, first ignoring her cries and then calling her a "dog"! It's one of the most misunderstood stories in all the Bible. Is Jesus just another confused, insensitive religious leader or is there something else going on here? This Sunday as we hear one of our neighbors - a modern-day mother's heartbreaking cry over the loss of her daughter - we need to ask ourselves...can we pass the outcast test?