Rev. Charles Lehmann + Matthew 15:21-28 + Pentecost 13
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
Jesus wouldn't have been a great travel agent. In our reading from last
week He sent the disciples across the sea of Galilee to the eastern shore. The
last time they were there Jesus had cast a legion of demons from a man who had
lived in a cave for years. But, instead of thanking the Lord for his mercy,
the people of that town begged Jesus to go away. The disciples didn't mind,
though. They hadn't wanted to be there then, and they certainly didn't want to
go back now.
The eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee was a filthy region filled with
Gentiles, pigs, and worse. Gentiles didn't know or keep the commandments.
They raised and ate unclean animals. When Jesus had cast out the legion of
demons, he had cast them into a herd of pigs. The east side of the Jordan is
where Herod's family had come from. It was one of the most disgusting places
the disciples could have imagined.
The twelve were probably hoping that Jesus would heal the sick, cast out
the demons, and then lead them back home to the other side of the Jordan. They
were looking forward to going back to where they would hear the bleating of
sheep instead of the oinking of pigs.
But it wasn't to be, at least not yet. Instead of going west into
Galilee, Jesus took his disciples north into the region of Tyre and Sidon. If
the east side of the sea of Galilee was the frying pan, Tyre and Sidon were the
fire. Sidon was the city of Jezebel. Syria was the home of the pagan idolatry
that had led all of Israel away from the true God.
<lj-cut> The disciples could not have been happy going to the region of
Tyre and Sidon. They may have remembered the words recorded about Sidon in
First Kings: “In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of
Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight
of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light
thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, he took for his wife Jezebel the
daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, nand went and served Baal and
worshiped him.”
Jezebel embodied all that was worst about the pagan idolatry of the north.
Not only was Jezebel an idolater, but she was zealous for her satanic gods.
During her marriage to Ahab Jezebel forbade worship of the holy and blessed
Trinity and erected shrines to the Phoenician false gods Eshmun and Astarte,
who were known in Israel as Baal and Asherah.
When the Lord raised up prophets to speak against the idolatry of Jezebel,
she tried to murder them all. The only survivors were Elijah, Obadiah, and
those whom Obadiah had hidden in caves. After Elijah's showdown with Jezebel's
false prophets the Lord revealed to him that only 7,000 remained in Israel who
had not bent their knee to Baal. But the Lord's judgment finally did come
against Jezebel. Jehu had her thrown from the window of her house and her body
was eaten by dogs.
So when the Lord Jesus took his disciples north into the region of Tyre
and Sidon, He was taking them to what may have been the only place they hated
more than the pig and Gentile infested eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The disciples must have hated it when Jesus was approached by a filthy
Canaanite, a woman who was born and raised in the region that Jezebel had
called home. Anyone who trusted the true God would have probably had a similar
reaction. Were it not for Jezebel, the kings of the northern kingdom may not
have worshipped Baal. Were it not for Jezebel's daughter, the kings of Judah
may not have followed the north in their fall into idolatry.
If we consider how we sometimes prejudge those whom we don't know, we can
easily understand how the disciples were disgusted with the region of Tyre and
Sidon. In the fallen world pride has become a very common emotion. Sometimes
when a pastor preaches against a specific sin they will hear someone say after
the service, “Boy, pastor... you really let them have it this morning.” There
is nothing that saddens a pastor more. It is a sign that that person didn't
hear the Word of God. It is a sign that they were not convicted of their sins.
It is the response of a prideful and unbelieving heart.
God's Word tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before stumbling.” And all too often we think ourselves better than our
neighbors. Sometimes we will measure our own actions and behavior and decide
we're doing pretty good. The same measuring stick—at least when we're using
it—will find our neighbor wanting. How often do we go home and tell our family
about an argument we had at work. When we tell the story we revise things just
a little bit. We come out a bit better than we were. The other comes out a
bit worse. And so the Psalmist is right when he writes, “All men are liars.”
As much as the disciples might have been disgusted when they saw the
Canaanite woman coming toward Jesus, her words probably shocked them even more.
“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” These were words of faith. These
were words that confessed exactly who Jesus was, why He came, and what He could
do for the woman and her daughter.
In calling Jesus “Lord,” the Canaanite woman confessed what Jesus had said
when he called to the disciples on the sea. She confessed that He was the God
of the Old Testament, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. She said that
Jesus was the God who looked down on His people with compassion when they were
slaves in Egypt. She said that she believed that Jesus was the one who parted
the Red Sea, drowned Pharaoh and his army, and brought Israel into a land
flowing with milk and honey.
This was no Canaanite confession. If a Canaanite thought Jesus was God in
the flesh they would have probably called Him by the name of one of their false
satanic gods. They would have, in unthinking blasphemy, called Him Baal or
Eshmun. But not this woman. She calls Jesus “Lord,” the Greek word that was
used at the time for God's name in the Old Testament.
The Canaanite woman's good confession didn't stop there, though. She kept
right on blasting away at the disciples' preconceived notions about her. She
called Jesus by another title that demonstrated that she believed and trusted
the promises about Jesus in the Old Testament.
She called Jesus the “Son of David.” She said that Jesus was the heir to
David's throne and kingdom. She said that He was the fulfillment of the God's
covenant with David. She said that Jesus would sit on David's throne forever.
She said that Jesus was the Lion of the tribe of Judah. She said that Jesus
was the suffering servant who would redeem Israel.
In four simple words, “Lord, Son of David,” this Canaanite woman said,
“You, Jesus, are the Lord God, King of the Universe. You have taken on human
flesh so that you might fulfill your Father's promises. You are the merciful
king.”
But she didn't stop there. She added the words, “Have mercy on me.” This
Canaanite foreigner claimed Jesus as her own. She asked him to have mercy on
her, a foreigner who was outside of the old covenant. With these words she
said, “You, Jesus, can heal my daughter. No demon can oppose the word of the
true King of all creation.”
The Canaanite spoke all the right words. Her confession of faith was as
good as any confession that the disciples had heard from anyone in Israel. But
this wasn't enough for the disciples. To them this woman was still a
Canaanite—a sister of the wicken Queen Jezebel.
For awhile it seemed that Jesus would not accept her either. After her
first request, Jesus ignored her. Then, when his disciples asked her to send
the woman away, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
But the woman's faith couldn't be shaken so easily. She would not accept
the cold shoulder from her Savior. Like Jacob before her she said, “I will not
let you go until you bless me.” She knew who Jesus was. She knew why He had
come. She knew that God had come to redeem all people, even Canaanites like
her. And so she gave voice to her faith. She worshipped at Jesus' feet and
cried out, “Lord, help me!”
If any reply could have shaken the woman's faith, this one would have.
Jesus said to her, “It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to
their dogs.” It is hard to hear words like these from our Lord. We expect
Jesus to be ever kind and loving. We expect him to give comfort immediately
and in unequivocal terms, but here Jesus is telling this daughter of Jezebel's
homeland that she is no better than the dogs who ate the body of the wicked
queen.
But before we become indignant on behalf of the Canaanite woman, we should
hear her response. Does she puff up with indignation? Does she take offense?
Does she try to defend herself in any way? No. The woman does none of these
things. This faithful Canaanite is willing to receive all that the Lord gives,
even when it's not what she wants. This faithful woman cannot be shaken from
her belief that Jesus will give her every good gift. And so she takes the name
“dog” and wears it with honor. In faith she says to her Savior, “Yes, Lord.
But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
In Jesus' response, all our questions are answered. “Woman, you have
great faith! Your request is granted.” All that has happened so far in the
conversation is leading up to this. How wondrous is our Lord's preaching! He
allows His disciples to believe that He is as hateful toward this faithful
woman as they are. He draws them in. He leads them into a trap that reveals
their wickedness. He brings them along so that they can hear a Canaanite
foreigner, a kinswoman of Jezebel, a descendant of idolaters and murderers,
confess her faith that Jesus is her Savior and her daughter's Savior. He lets
his disciples hear a foreigner confess her unyielding faith even when Jesus has
tested her, not once or twice, but three times.
The Canaanite woman says, “I know that I am a dog. I know that I am a
sinner. I know that I have no right to expect good things from the Lord God,
King of the universe. I know that if I received what I truly deserve that I
would be dog-food, just like Jezebel. But I also know that you are the good
God. I know that you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. I
know that the food you give is life-giving food that can forgive my sins and
give life that can never be taken away. I know that even a crumb that falls
from the master's table can heal my daughter. It does not bother me, Lord, Son
of David, to be a dog if I'm your dog. I will feast on the crumbs that fall
from the table if it's your table. You alone, O Jesus, can save my daughter.
You alone, O Lord, can help me.”
And so, dear Christians, rejoice that your Lord makes no distinctions.
Rejoice that He loves you with the same unchanging and relentless love that has
always moved Him to forgive and save sinners. Rejoice that He loves you with
the same love that saved His arrogant and stubborn disciples. Rejoice that He
loves you with the love that He even showed to a Canaanite woman.
When it seems to you that the Lord might be distant, believe with the
Canaanite woman that He is not far, but near. Believe with the Canaanite woman
that it's okay to be a dog if you're the Lord's dog. Rejoice with the
Canaanite woman that you need not feed on crumbs from the master's table. You
are neither dog food like Jezebel nor are you the dogs which ate her. Though
crumbs would be enough, neither you nor the Canaanite woman are dogs. You are
the Lord's child by your baptism. You are Jesus' brothers and sisters. The
Lord has something much better for you than crumbs.
Your Savior has taken your sins to the cross. He has suffered and died.
You are forgiven. You are free. He has bought you not with gold or silver but
with His holy precious blood and His innocent sufferings and death.
You need not feed on crumbs, people loved by God. Jesus has given you His
body to eat and His blood to drink, and He will raise you up at the Last Day.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your heart and
your mind in faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.</lj-cut>
Rev. Charles R. Lehmann
Pastor, Saint John's Lutheran Church, Accident, MD
http://chaz-lehmann.livejournal.com
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