Lent 2 - Reminiscere
Matthew 15:21-28
v.27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Dear friends in Christ, have you ever given, or been on the receiving end, of "the silent treatment?" You know, when you were a child and someone made you angry, and so to punish them you decided that you wouldn't speak to them--at all! (Of course, parents are not always displeased when their children employ this kind of tactic, are they?) Well…maybe just some glares from across the room, and nasty words mumbled under your breath--not TO them, but AT them. It's frustrating, isn't it? After awhile, it can even drive you mad--especially when you want to talk to someone--or you need them to answer you--to give you help. When you are ignored, it can be extremely hurtful.
So, beloved, what if it is GOD who is apparently ignoring you? How do we cope with that situation? What if, like the Canaanite woman in our text, we cry after God, begging Him to hear our prayer--to answer our plea--and are met with nothing but dead air? Silence? What do we do when it seems as though God has turned His back on us? Forgotten us? Is intent on ignoring us? Giving us the silent treatment?
This woman, this non-Jewish, Canaanite woman, heard a rumour that Jesus was passing through the region where she lived. She rushes out to meet Him. Why? Her daughter was "badly demonized" or severely oppressed (perhaps, even possessed) by a demon. Upon finding Jesus, this dear woman wastes no time. She approaches Him…not timidly, not quietly whispering, "Oh, um, Mr. Jesus sir, could I please have a minute of your time? If it's alright with you, could you please help me?" No. Rather, she comes and SHOUTS, such is her anguish, such is her love for her daughter, such is the desperate nature of her problem--she SHOUTS at Jesus--the great cry of faith--the cry of the church for millennia--"Kyrie eleison! Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!" But He did not answer her a word.
After such an impassioned plea--after a beautiful prayer of faith--one that recognizes who Jesus is--God Most High in the flesh--begging for His mercy--He remains conspicuously silent. You could almost hear the crickets in the background. This went on for some time. Not to be deterred, she kept after Him--even shouting at His disciples as they passed--begging for help--begging for healing for her daughter--begging for mercy from the only One who could truly offer it. Nothing but silence.
Beloved, perhaps your faith has been tested like this--maybe is being tested like this right now. You cry out in prayer, day after day, night after night, seeking mercy from the hand of the Lord--and nothing. He seems not to answer you even a word. No help. No comfort. No miraculous healing. No miracle solution to your problem. Just silence. And in the darkness of our hearts, we begin to wonder whether God is truly out there--and if He is--why He is being so mean--and not giving us what we desire--when we desire it! Fear not, dear friends. For the Lord IS merciful! The Lord does hear your pleas. He will not tempt you to sin and unbelief, but He may be testing your faith, in order to strengthen it, as He did with the Canaanite woman.
Eventually, the disciples came to Jesus and began to beg Him to send her away. She was annoying! She wouldn't take the hint! Worst of all, she wouldn't stop shouting--and they were all beginning to get headaches! Finally, Jesus stops. He turns to her and answers at long last, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Translation. I didn't come for you or for your problems. You're not Jewish. You can't expect anything from me.
Unperturbed, this faithful woman, kneels down in worship before Him, prostrating herself in abject humility before the Lord God on High, and moves beyond the intense petition of "Lord, have mercy on me," and demands--commands Him as it were, "Lord, help me!" This bold demand is met with yet another rebuff, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
Aha! At last! Jesus has thrown her a bone and the faith in her heart is quick to grab hold of it--quick to latch onto any hope--even the tiniest crumb! "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Yes, Lord, I may not be a Jew--I may have no right to demand or expect any help from you--for I am not a child of the house of Israel--I am a lowly dog--but I am still a part of your creation--and you have now promised to feed me from your table--and I will accept whatever you offer--even if it be the lowliest, meanest, smallest crumb--for the crumbs that come from your gracious hand--are more than enough to satisfy the desire of every living thing!
Finally, at long last, after this exchange, Jesus answers her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Beloved, what a wonderful text for us to consider this day. For herein we learn from the foreigner, this non-Jew, how to respond in times of trial and testing from the Lord. We see that God would have us pursue Him even more intently, even more fervently, and especially, that God would have us cling to His promises given us in His Word--no matter how small they may appear.
For the smallest crumb of God's promise is more gift than we can ever desire or deserve. In our sin, we are not God's true, deserving children. We are defilers of His name and His commandments. What we deserve from His hand, is not mercy, but wrath and condemnation. Yet God, in His great love, sent Jesus not to condemn, but to save the world--not just Jews--but all people--sinners like you and me, lowly dogs though we may be.
God delights in His people holding Him to His Word. He delights that we pick up on His promises and rejoice in them--cling to them--point them out to Him--over and over again. When our sins threaten to overwhelm and crush us. When the guilt and shame weigh us down into the depths of despair. When it seems as though God has turned against us and abandoned us--has turned a deaf ear toward our pleas for mercy and grace--we shout all the more loudly--confident in His Word of promise to us. Though we are wretched dogs, full of sin--we are the ones precisely for whom Jesus came to set free from sin and to give life and healing.
Like children crying out to their father, we shout, "But Dad, you promised!" And He turns back to us, not in anger or frustration, but in joy, with a smile on His face--glad that we would hold His promise before us and be confident in His love no matter what.
For Christ Jesus the Lord, the promised Son of David, came to provide healing and forgiveness and mercy for you and me and all people. He willingly chose the path of the cross, for that was the price for your redemption. That was the price to be paid for your sin. And the teeniest, tiniest, drop of His precious blood--was more than enough to set you free from sin and death and oppression by the devil. Yet, in His love and great mercy, He shed it ALL! His body and blood were given into death that you might never fear, never doubt, never question, His unfailing and perfect love for you.
To that end Jesus provides a holy meal this day for you, whereby you may eat and drink of His body and blood in simple bread and wine--partaking of a mere crumb--a foretaste--of the great feast to come in His Kingdom, which shall have no end. This day, you are invited, dear friends, lowly dogs--sinners all--to the banquet feast of the Lord's Table--to receive into your mouths the true body and blood of Jesus that fully forgives you all your sin and grants you life everlasting--an eternal and perfect healing.
When in doubt, flee to the Lord's Table--cling to the Lord's promises. That Jesus HAS come in mercy--for you. You have His Word of promise on that. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 15:21-28
v.27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Dear friends in Christ, have you ever given, or been on the receiving end, of "the silent treatment?" You know, when you were a child and someone made you angry, and so to punish them you decided that you wouldn't speak to them--at all! (Of course, parents are not always displeased when their children employ this kind of tactic, are they?) Well…maybe just some glares from across the room, and nasty words mumbled under your breath--not TO them, but AT them. It's frustrating, isn't it? After awhile, it can even drive you mad--especially when you want to talk to someone--or you need them to answer you--to give you help. When you are ignored, it can be extremely hurtful.
So, beloved, what if it is GOD who is apparently ignoring you? How do we cope with that situation? What if, like the Canaanite woman in our text, we cry after God, begging Him to hear our prayer--to answer our plea--and are met with nothing but dead air? Silence? What do we do when it seems as though God has turned His back on us? Forgotten us? Is intent on ignoring us? Giving us the silent treatment?
This woman, this non-Jewish, Canaanite woman, heard a rumour that Jesus was passing through the region where she lived. She rushes out to meet Him. Why? Her daughter was "badly demonized" or severely oppressed (perhaps, even possessed) by a demon. Upon finding Jesus, this dear woman wastes no time. She approaches Him…not timidly, not quietly whispering, "Oh, um, Mr. Jesus sir, could I please have a minute of your time? If it's alright with you, could you please help me?" No. Rather, she comes and SHOUTS, such is her anguish, such is her love for her daughter, such is the desperate nature of her problem--she SHOUTS at Jesus--the great cry of faith--the cry of the church for millennia--"Kyrie eleison! Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!" But He did not answer her a word.
After such an impassioned plea--after a beautiful prayer of faith--one that recognizes who Jesus is--God Most High in the flesh--begging for His mercy--He remains conspicuously silent. You could almost hear the crickets in the background. This went on for some time. Not to be deterred, she kept after Him--even shouting at His disciples as they passed--begging for help--begging for healing for her daughter--begging for mercy from the only One who could truly offer it. Nothing but silence.
Beloved, perhaps your faith has been tested like this--maybe is being tested like this right now. You cry out in prayer, day after day, night after night, seeking mercy from the hand of the Lord--and nothing. He seems not to answer you even a word. No help. No comfort. No miraculous healing. No miracle solution to your problem. Just silence. And in the darkness of our hearts, we begin to wonder whether God is truly out there--and if He is--why He is being so mean--and not giving us what we desire--when we desire it! Fear not, dear friends. For the Lord IS merciful! The Lord does hear your pleas. He will not tempt you to sin and unbelief, but He may be testing your faith, in order to strengthen it, as He did with the Canaanite woman.
Eventually, the disciples came to Jesus and began to beg Him to send her away. She was annoying! She wouldn't take the hint! Worst of all, she wouldn't stop shouting--and they were all beginning to get headaches! Finally, Jesus stops. He turns to her and answers at long last, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Translation. I didn't come for you or for your problems. You're not Jewish. You can't expect anything from me.
Unperturbed, this faithful woman, kneels down in worship before Him, prostrating herself in abject humility before the Lord God on High, and moves beyond the intense petition of "Lord, have mercy on me," and demands--commands Him as it were, "Lord, help me!" This bold demand is met with yet another rebuff, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
Aha! At last! Jesus has thrown her a bone and the faith in her heart is quick to grab hold of it--quick to latch onto any hope--even the tiniest crumb! "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Yes, Lord, I may not be a Jew--I may have no right to demand or expect any help from you--for I am not a child of the house of Israel--I am a lowly dog--but I am still a part of your creation--and you have now promised to feed me from your table--and I will accept whatever you offer--even if it be the lowliest, meanest, smallest crumb--for the crumbs that come from your gracious hand--are more than enough to satisfy the desire of every living thing!
Finally, at long last, after this exchange, Jesus answers her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Beloved, what a wonderful text for us to consider this day. For herein we learn from the foreigner, this non-Jew, how to respond in times of trial and testing from the Lord. We see that God would have us pursue Him even more intently, even more fervently, and especially, that God would have us cling to His promises given us in His Word--no matter how small they may appear.
For the smallest crumb of God's promise is more gift than we can ever desire or deserve. In our sin, we are not God's true, deserving children. We are defilers of His name and His commandments. What we deserve from His hand, is not mercy, but wrath and condemnation. Yet God, in His great love, sent Jesus not to condemn, but to save the world--not just Jews--but all people--sinners like you and me, lowly dogs though we may be.
God delights in His people holding Him to His Word. He delights that we pick up on His promises and rejoice in them--cling to them--point them out to Him--over and over again. When our sins threaten to overwhelm and crush us. When the guilt and shame weigh us down into the depths of despair. When it seems as though God has turned against us and abandoned us--has turned a deaf ear toward our pleas for mercy and grace--we shout all the more loudly--confident in His Word of promise to us. Though we are wretched dogs, full of sin--we are the ones precisely for whom Jesus came to set free from sin and to give life and healing.
Like children crying out to their father, we shout, "But Dad, you promised!" And He turns back to us, not in anger or frustration, but in joy, with a smile on His face--glad that we would hold His promise before us and be confident in His love no matter what.
For Christ Jesus the Lord, the promised Son of David, came to provide healing and forgiveness and mercy for you and me and all people. He willingly chose the path of the cross, for that was the price for your redemption. That was the price to be paid for your sin. And the teeniest, tiniest, drop of His precious blood--was more than enough to set you free from sin and death and oppression by the devil. Yet, in His love and great mercy, He shed it ALL! His body and blood were given into death that you might never fear, never doubt, never question, His unfailing and perfect love for you.
To that end Jesus provides a holy meal this day for you, whereby you may eat and drink of His body and blood in simple bread and wine--partaking of a mere crumb--a foretaste--of the great feast to come in His Kingdom, which shall have no end. This day, you are invited, dear friends, lowly dogs--sinners all--to the banquet feast of the Lord's Table--to receive into your mouths the true body and blood of Jesus that fully forgives you all your sin and grants you life everlasting--an eternal and perfect healing.
When in doubt, flee to the Lord's Table--cling to the Lord's promises. That Jesus HAS come in mercy--for you. You have His Word of promise on that. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.