Today's Gospel in Art - Then out came a Canaanite woman

The Woman of Canaan at the Feet of Christ, by Jean-Germain Drouais 1784 © Louvre, Paris

Gospel of 5th August 2020 - Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. 'Give her what she wants,' they said 'because she is shouting after us.' He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. 'Lord,' she said 'help me.' He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the house-dogs.' She retorted, 'Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master's table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Reflection on the Painting

This painting by Jean-Germain Drouais won the Prix de Rome in 1784, one of the most prestigious accolades for any painter in the late 18th century. Four years later, he died aged 25. Our painting (executed when the artist was only 21 years old) shows remarkable maturity. We see Jesus surrounded by His disciples. As our Gospel reading reads 'his disciples went and pleaded with him. 'Give her what she wants,' they said 'because she is shouting after us.' We see the figure on the right, probably Saint Peter, pleading Jesus to attend to the woman. Christ's face is turned away from her, but she is on her knees begging Him to help her.

But looking at our painting more closely, we see Jesus and his disciples are barefooted. The Canaanite woman is wearing sandals. Footwear was after all not as commonplace as it is today. In paintings we often see Jesus and his disciples barefooted. Sandals provide protection from cuts, bruises and impacts from objects on the ground. However, footwear can also limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot. Therefore depicting the disciples and Jesus barefooted helps the painter to convey their strength, honesty, and openness. Barefootedness also reveals vulnerability and calculated risk taking, alongside it being a sign of humility and honesty.

The Canaanite woman in today's reading taps into this sense of honesty. Her prayer is very straightforward, it isn't a polite, clean, sanitised prayer to Christ. She is simply honest in conveying what is in her heart and what she needs. She gives us a lesson on prayer… She teaches us that we should express our real feelings to Christ…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/504

Christian Art - www.christian.art