Archetype 46:Perseverance
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
—Matthew 15:21–28
The Reading
The Canaanites were the traditional enemies of Israel. In this reading, we have a Canaanite woman asking Jesus, a Jew, to heal her Gentile daughter. She is met with disdain. Jesus won’t even answer. His disciples want to send her away. She will not be put off. She comes and kneels before Jesus. Again Jesus rebuffs her, this time even more harshly. He calls her and her people “dogs.” But she persists, and then Jesus sees her no longer as a Canaanite, but as a mother. Even Jesus can learn something about love from a mother.
The Hexagram
This hexagram consists of two trigrams: Wisdom and Spirit. The hexagram has two strong lines in the lower trigram pushing upward into the upper trigram. These lines are strong. They will get there, but they still have a ways to go.
The Archetype
There is a time...
- To remember that success sometimes takes perseverance and will.
- To not be intimidated by a power imbalance.
- To take advantage of a favorable alignment.
- To gather one’s strength and push forward.
- To not resort to violence and force, but engage with modesty and love.
- To adapt one’s approach to the needs of the situation.
- To directly approach those with influence.
- To understand that only with persistent effort can a breakthrough occur.
Now is that time.
Moving Lines
Other interpretations of Archetype 46:
- Tom Christensen's interpretation [click here]
- Cafe Au Soul's interpretation [click here]
- LiSe's interpretation [click here]
- Richard Wilhelm's interpretation [click here]
Internal Links:
- Return to the Hexagram Index Table [click here].
- Return to Consulting the Christian I Ching [click here].
- Purchase a printed copy of Wisdom's Way; The Christian I Ching [click here].
- Learn about our Online Christian I Ching Workshop [click here].
- Find out about personal consultations [click here].
Reproduced with permission from Wisdom's Way; The Christian I Ching copyright (c) 2015 Roger Sessions.