Hi Cheryl
Interesting story but five weeks on it! Let me see if I can help.
Wk 1: Drama. Such vivid characters, surprising dialog, and dogs!! Jesus’ sly tone and actions are unusual. I can just imagine the looks and glances.
What I don’t like is the grief he put the mother-in-need through. Not very Jesus-like at all. Because it’s likely a dramatic story device lacking in initial compassion, I wonder how it might have gone down originally, ...how Jesus probably showed more typical compassion and yet still got his points across.
Wk 2: Teach the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath (link to that forum). She too was a Syrophonecian woman whose child was healed by God’s anointed. Show the Widow’s video (Nest) or software (Elijah from Sunday Software). Keep in mind that Elijah and Jesus ARE connected and Jesus is following in the prophetic tradition by bringing signs of God’s Love and Salvation to all.
Wk 3: There’s a neat comparison of Matt vs Mark’s version of the story here: https://www.biblewise.com/bibl...s/syropheonician.php
Use it in a Game Workshop to illuminate/study how stories can be different/similar, then play the “Which Gospel?” quiz game.
Wk 4: Teach the Parable of the Lost Sheep and cherry pick creative ideas from our many lost sheep ideas here at the site. The Lost Sheep is the parable version of the teaching Jesus was slyly giving when he healed the woman’s daughter.
Wk 5: Mission Project Time! Reaching out to “outsiders” and those in need of being healed and found.
Skirt the “demon” reference it’s irrelevant.
View Jesus’ odd reticence as dramatic storytelling device and not a reflection of his mercy or attitude!
Hope this helps!
Luanne adds:
Video Clip
- Matthew (Visual Bible) DVD
Event #44 Faith of the Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28) length 1:78 minutes.
