Sermon: Learning faith (Matthew 15:21 28) Text Dan Mueller, 20 Aug 2017, After Pentecost 11 Matthew 15:21 28 NIV 21 Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly. 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. 24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 25 The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me! she said. 26 He replied, It is not right to take the children s bread and toss it to the dogs. 27 Yes it is, Lord, she said. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master s table. 28 Then Jesus said to her, Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed at that moment. Sermon May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight O LORD, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Introduction History is full of famous insults and comebacks: 1 Calvin Coolidge vs an opera singer. Audience member: What do you think of the singer s execution? Coolidge: I m all for it! 1 These are probably not historically verified, yet funny all the same! https://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/wittiest-comebacks-of-all-time Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 1 of 6
Winston Churchill vs a Member of Parliament. MP: Mr Churchill, must you fall asleep while I m speaking? Churchill: No, it s purely voluntary. Wolfgang Mozart vs an admirer. Admirer: Herr Mozart, I m thinking of writing some symphonies. Can you give me any suggestions to get started? Mozart: A symphony is very complex. Perhaps you should try something simple first, and work your way up. Admirer: But Herr Mozart, you were writing symphonies from age 8! Mozart: Yes, but I never asked anyone how. Today s gospel reading also has a pretty scathing insult, followed by a profound comeback! Yet the insult that Jesus dishes out, and the comeback from the Canaanite woman, is not merely some witty exchange God wants to use this story for us to learn faith. Let s look at each of the main characters in our text, and see how they learn faith. The daughter The daughter is easily skipped over, yet possibly the most important character. She s mentioned briefly only twice, almost in passing: once at the start (we re told she is possessed by a demon, which is inflicting immense physical suffering); and once at the end (she is healed at that moment ). The daughter is not only suffering, but utterly helpless. She s afflicted to the point where she cannot even cry out to Jesus for help. We re not told exactly why: perhaps she s unable to speak, or maybe she wasn t present (lying sick in bed at home). This is our first lesson in faith: faith means being utterly helpless. Faith often involves lots of waiting, usually in uncomfortable circumstances. Faith means living in circumstances beyond our control. Faith means being in the caring hands of others. Yet faith is trusting that Jesus has mercy on such helpless people. You are never beyond the reach of Jesus. Your needs are made known to God, even when you can t articulate them yourself. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 2 of 6
The disciples We also learn faith from the disciples. The story opens with Jesus entering Canaanite territory. To the Jews, Canaanites were a bunch of loud-mouthed, uncivilised, vulgar simpletons. Fitting the disciples stereotype perfectly, this woman starts chasing after their esteemed rabbi. She speaks loudly, screaming and shrieking after them; making an embarrassing commotion. Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Matthew 15:22). Imagine someone bursting into the church building and shrieking loudly in the middle of our service. What would you do? Shhhh. We re trying to worship God here. Go away! They notice that Jesus does not answer a word (Matthew 15:23), and taking his silence as encouraging, they try to shoosh the woman and silence the embarrassment. Send her away, they complain to Jesus, for she keeps crying out after us. Notice two things about their plea: (1) They don t address Jesus. There s no Lord or rabbi or great teacher. Just a command! The disciples are trying to command the Creator of the universe hmmm, this is probably not going to turn out well. (In a moment we ll unpack the mother s address Lord, Son of David, but right now we ll simply note the disciples have no address.) (2) They don t even mention the suffering girl! Jesus, rabbi. This woman is embarrassing, why don t you just heal her daughter, who is suffering greatly, and then she ll be gone. Nope, they just say, Send her away, she s an embarrassment. No mention of the daughter at all! They have forgotten the helpless needy one, too caught up in their own comfort and appearances; too wrapped up with themselves. Does this sound familiar? Do you see yourself in the disciples? This part of the story certainly touched a nerve for me I regrettably see myself in the disciples. If you re the same, let us ask for forgiveness. Let us learn faith like the disciples. See Jesus doesn t rebuke them (at least not in this instance). He gives them time to see how the situation unfolds. He gives them time to learn that Jesus has come to heal both the loud-mouth annoyances, as well as the self-important disciples. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 3 of 6
The mother Now we turn to the mother. Whereas the disciples don t even address Jesus, the mother s address is very interesting: Lord, Son of David she uses both the universal Gentile title, Lord; and his Israeli-messianic title, Son of David. Her address curiously hints at the end of the story. At a time when God s people are rejecting the Son of David, here is this uncouth Gentile woman proclaiming him as Israel s saviour. By the end of the scene it is clear that Jesus has come for both Jews and Gentiles; but, here, Jesus is very clearly for Jews first, answering I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24). (More on that later). The woman is undeterred; persistent. Jesus doesn t say no, so she keeps trying. I m sure all you parents can relate to this! If your children ask you for something, and you don t give a flat out no, that means yes in their language! Dad, can we go to the park tomorrow? Ahh, maybe Great, thanks Dad! Perhaps the mother s thought process went something like this: (a) Jesus has come into my country; (b) he did not say no when I asked for help; and (c) when he did speak, he did not send me away, as his disciples asked him to do. So I m going to keep trying! Now that is faith! Faith is believing that Jesus always helps, even when he is silent! Faith is about hanging on, even through tough times. Faith is holding onto Jesus for dear life, like a drowning person to a life raft, believing that Jesus is good even when we can t understand him. Faith is listening to Jesus words, and refusing to believe his answer is harmful. Jesus Lastly we look at Jesus himself. This loud woman accosts Jesus, shrieking for him to help her, yet Jesus doesn t say a word. He gives her the silent treatment. This silence is almost pregnant, full of mystery. Then, after the disciples command Jesus to send the woman away, Jesus answers, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. At this moment his focus seems very monocular fully focussed on the house of Israel only. Yet, Jesus response is very cryptic, for two reasons: Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 4 of 6
(1) The text doesn t say who Jesus is speaking to. Is he speaking to the disciples? Or to the woman? Or is he speaking to himself? (2) Jesus response doesn t seem to answer either party. The woman has asked for mercy, and the disciples have asked for him to send the woman away. But Jesus seems to ignore them both (speaking to himself?) I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. What s going on? I wonder if by speaking between these two parties, rather than directly addressing either request, Jesus is trying to buy some time. Both for himself and for the woman. Maybe he s searching for the Father s will in this situation. He s clear about what is not right, but still uncertain about what is right. The woman comes and kneels pleading for mercy, and he says, It is not right to take the children s bread and toss it to the dogs (Matthew 15:26). So what is right? I think this text shows us some of the humanity of the Son of God: Jesus is both divine and human. As a human, like us, he must struggle to find the will of God. He is learning faith. Working out how to rely on God in every situation. And his faith learning is entwined with the faith learning of the mother. It is not right to take the children s bread and toss it to the dogs, he says. Jesus is clear that Scripture points to a Messiah that is for Israel first. The people of Israel are the master s children. They eat the bread of life his very body. Yet Jesus offers the woman a lifeline. These dogs that he refers to are not wild dogs, but house dogs. Like Fifi or Schnoodles. These are dogs that live in the same house as the master, they are not on the street. Though dogs, they are still inside, under the protection of the house. The woman, who is also learning faith, recognises that Jesus has taken a step toward her. She tightens her grip, grasping for another inch. Yes, Lord! she proclaims, you re right. She takes Jesus on his word. Yes, but These two words Yes, but encapsulate faith: saying yes to whatever Jesus says, but hanging onto him for dear life. Yes, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master s table (Matthew 15:27). Jesus has moved toward her, and she pounces. The dogs live in the same house, so they must eat the same food that the children eat. Gentiles too eat the bread of life the very body of Jesus. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 5 of 6
O woman, great is your faith! (Matthew 15:28). The faith learning struggle is now over. The daughter s waiting is over as she is freed from the torment of her demons. The disciples have been given an opportunity to learn what faith looks like. The woman, who has firmly grasped onto Jesus this whole time, has her request granted. And Jesus himself has been freed from his uncertainty concerning his mission; he has been moved to welcome even the dogs under the table, and give them the same bread his very own body. In Matthew chapter 26 Jesus will sit at a table with the twelve disciples and share bread with them. He ll institute a new covenant with a new Israel: those who follow him and learn as his disciples become the new house of Israel. Those in this new house sit at the table with their master and teacher, eating bread which is very body to strengthen their faith. And by the last chapter of Matthew s gospel, the risen Jesus will command these disciples to Go and make disciples of all nations. Everyone has learned faith, found the Father s will, and His will be done. Where are you? So where are you in the story? Are you the helpless daughter waiting, hoping? Are you the selfish disciples graciously given a lesson in faith? Are you the loud-mouthed woman clinging onto Jesus no matter the circumstances? Are you the mother bringing the needs of others to Jesus? Are you like Jesus taking time to seek the Father s will? Blessing May you know that Jesus is always moving toward you, taking a step to welcome you into his house. May you always cling to him, no matter how bleak the circumstances. May the crumbs of the bread of life, which is the very body of Jesus, strengthen and preserve you, now and forever. Amen. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 6 of 6