“We felt like grasshoppers.” That is what the men sent to reconnoiter the land of Canaan reported after seeing the forces arrayed against them. That can be our experience as well. Confronting the violence in the city, the plight of immigrants in the US and around the world, or merely the problems in our families we can feel like grasshoppers, insignificant, overwhelmed by forces beyond our control. Jesus has a different image for us in the gospel: lost sheep. That’s a little better. We’re still sheep, prey to superior power, but we at least have hope that a shepherd might keep us safe. But the Canaanite woman begging for her child might give us the best image yet — completely dependent on the grace of God.
