“It’s the real thing!” That’s how Coca Cola identified itself some 50 years ago. “Real” is a great word. I want the real thing. Get real! Are you for real? I want the real McCoy. In life, we want the real thing, not the artificial. Expressions like “imitation crab meat,” “cheese food,” “artificial sweetener” should set off alarms in our quest for “the real.”

So, what is the real deal in the scriptures for this Sunday. The Caananite woman wants the real thing. She knew without a doubt that Jesus was the “real thing,” the one who could cure her daughter, possessed by a demon. Her persistence would not allow her to take “no” for an answer even when the “no” came from Jesus himself.

Now, Jesus’ response of “no” might cause us concern. Is Jesus being unchristian? Like so many stories in the Gospels, we must put ourselves into the context and mindset of the era in which they happened.

Two dynamics are at play in today’s Gospel. First, the Gospel writer clearly states that Jesus is in a foreign territory among foreign people who are not exactly enemies of the Jews, but there is mutual discord between the Canaanites and the Jews. Jesus comes across as a reluctant healer, unfriendly to the Canaanites and condescending to women. A good Jew would never enter this area without a true purpose. So, Jesus has a purpose.

Jesus’ purpose is to teach that his message is for everyone, not just for the Jews. Therefore, he ultimately gives in to the woman even though he appears reluctant. As he cures the woman’s daughter, Jesus teaches his disciples that he and his message of salvation are for all nations, even for one’s enemies.

There is a second, even more powerful lesson to be learned here. The woman had to work on Jesus to get what she wanted. There was no quick fix to her problem. Sure, Jesus could have easily fixed the problem and cured the girl. Then, the woman would have been on her way. Jesus wants the woman to work for the cure. He ultimately elicits from her an act of faith in him. She knew that Jesus was the real deal inasmuch as he could heal, but she slowly finds out that he is much more than a healer. He is the savior, the redeemer.

The application of these events to our lives is very clear. First, we must be convinced that the message of Jesus is for everyone. We must be so convinced that we do not hesitate to speak it, speak it proudly, and share our conviction that Jesus is for real. We willingly do that to willing listeners, but we must never hesitate to say why we believe, what we believe, how deeply we believe, and how our belief is the foundation of our lives.

Secondly, we must never look upon Jesus as a quick fix in our lives. Jesus is not the Tylenol to life’s difficulties. He is so much more. We should never use Jesus as a quick fix, but rather see him as the source of all life.

So, on this Sunday, we come together to worship. We come with many different backgrounds, desires, experiences, hopes, desires, and needs. With that wide variety, there is a single response to all that we need. The woman came for a quick fix. She left with a new life; she left with Jesus. As we celebrate the Eucharist, we share in the same Jesus as did the woman. Let us pray that we, too, can leave our worship with the life of Jesus, a life that sustains us each and every day