God as doer

Over and against James do we see Jesus showing favoritism to the Chosen people over the Syro-Phoenician woman? Is it a matter of election? As the psalmist says, “The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.” God is in charge, he chooses.

But Jesus chooses to heal. The psalmist also says

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.”

And this Almighty God of the Election also told Isaiah,

“Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you." Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped…”

The voice of the Lord rolls down through prophesies of the ages declaring I will heal. The voice rolls off the tongue of the God’s own Anointed in response to the Woman, and flows in his saliva as he touches the tongue of the deaf man. His stopped up ears hear the voice. Ephphatha!