This week we will catapult ourselves ahead in the Scripture to the book of Matthew to pick up a story of when the Gentile woman approached Jesus to ask for his help.
His initial response is to explain to the woman that his mission as the Messiah was not to help Gentiles, but the lost sheep of Israel. But she positions herself on her knees in front of him and begs for his help. After initially ignoring her request, Jesus grants it to her because of her faith in him.
What are we to make of this encounter? Is Jesus being (what we would call) a racist here?