After the events of last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus had continued His healing ministry. This raised all kinds of attention, and whenever Jesus got a lot of attention, the scribes and Pharisees soon showed up to give Jesus a hard time.
Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus left this area and headed into the Gentile countryside near the Mediterranean Sea towns of Tyre and Sidon.
When you are in a Gentile territory, you expect to meet Gentiles. Sure enough, a Canaanite woman approached Jesus for help. Matthew specifically records that she was a “Canaanite”, a term which they wouldn’t have used in common speech. The word Canaanite reminded his readers of the pagan inhabitants of the land pre-Israelite conquest. The people who the Israelites were supposed to eliminate because of their wickedness. This highlights the fact that to the Jewish mind this Gentile woman was unclean, her daughter, was unclean, she was considered less than a Samaritan, and completely unworthy.
Now, although she is a “Canaanite” Gentile, her cry for mercy is an incredible expression of faith. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
She began with the words that we know as the Kyrie, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” These words are a cry to the Lord for help and strength. In ancient times, the crowds would shout “Lord, have mercy” as the King entered their town. The church has taken over this prayer to greet its King Jesus Christ in the Divine service. In fact, we just sang it! As the people so long ago hoped for help from their King, so we Christians hope for and expect help from our Savior and King. The words of this Gentile woman show that she recognized Jesus as royalty who had the power and authority to help her in her time of need.
She even referred to Jesus as the “Son of David.” With these words, she confessed her faith that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one of God. With these words, she demonstrated that she has a better handle on who Jesus is than most of the good clean Jewish people of Jesus’ day did. This Canaanite woman has given us a most beautiful way to begin any prayer in time of need. “Lord, Have mercy! O Son of David!”
After the woman confessed her faith, she stated her problem. “My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” Notice that she simply stated her concern to Jesus. She did not tell Jesus what to do about the situation. She trusted Jesus to come up with the solution that was the best for her daughter and for her.
Right here, we can learn a lot from this woman. When we ask God for help, how often do we dictate to God and tell Him exactly how He should help us? Instead of relying on the infinite knowledge and perfect wisdom of God, we often tell God exactly how and when He has to help us. This woman simply expressed what was on her mind and simply relied on Jesus for the best answer to her prayer.
So, how did Jesus respond to this marvelous prayer? He did nothing! He ignored her. This is one of those times that puzzles the reader from our western culture. Just a few paragraphs earlier in Matthew, we read about the “Feeding of the Five Thousand.” In that account, Jesus had compassion. That’s the Jesus we remember … the Jesus who had compassion. Who is this Jesus who ignores this woman in her need … especially when she prays such a beautiful prayer?
Actually, for the moment, Jesus was acting as the culture in His day expected Him in order to teach. This woman was after all a Gentile and she was, well, a woman. In the culture of that day and that place, these were two reasonable reasons for Jesus to ignore this woman.
The only thing is that this woman would not give up. Although Matthew only records the words of the woman’s prayer once, He makes it clear that she repeated these words continuously. The constant repetition started to get on the disciples’ nerves. They too, began to pray for the woman, although for entirely selfish reasons. “Send her away for she is crying after us!”
Jesus’ answered: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This reply shocks our 21st century, American ears, but at the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had convinced most Jews that salvation was only for the Jews. In the book of Acts and the letter of St. Paul there were conflicts with people insisting that a person had to become Jewish before they could become a Christian. However, one of the many themes in Matthew’s account is the theme that the Gospel is for BOTH Jews and Gentiles alike and the main identity you need is faith in Jesus Christ regardless of your blood line. You do NOT have to be a Jew before you can become a Christian.
No doubt, the woman overheard Jesus as He rebuffed the disciples. Instead of giving up, she dropped to her knees before Jesus blocking His path and continued to pray to Him.
Jesus spoke directly to the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Wait! Did Jesus just call this woman a dog? Yes, He did. And it was just as insulting back then as it is today. Many preachers try to take some of the sting out of what Jesus said. They will say that Jesus meant a cute, little dog … the family pet, if you will. But it just doesn’t work. Jesus said that because the woman was a Gentile, she was a dog. This very well may have been what the disciples and other Jews thought of her, but Jesus was saying it to magnify her faith to the disciples.
Our culture today is so quick to take offense. We hear, “I don’t like it,” “It bothers me,” “I disagree with that,” “You are just a hater,” and so forth. How would a woman in today’s western culture respond if Jesus called her a dog? It sounds like a good excuse for a lawsuit to me.
Never the less, how does the woman respond in today’s Gospel? She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Yes Lord! If Jesus says that I am a dog, then I am a dog. Whatever Jesus says, no matter how offensive or ridiculous it is, it is the truth. If Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” then that is the truth. If Jesus says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance,” then that is the truth.
You see, when Jesus describes us using terms that are offensive to our ears, He is saying that we are qualified to receive His salvation. The Apostle Paul demonstrates His understanding of this when he wrote to Timothy: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Tim1:15) Here the Apostle Paul is doing the same thing that the woman did. If Jesus says I am a dog, then I am a dog. If Jesus says I am a sinner, then I am a sinner. Christ died for those who would normally be an offense to God. The comfort in knowing that you are a sinful dog is knowing that Christ died for you and your sin.
Jesus answered the woman, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Here we see that this whole exercise has been to contrast the faith of this woman, who admitted she was a sinful dog but in faith sought help from Jesus, with the pride and unbelief of the scribes and Pharisees, who thought they were righteous by their works and needed no help.
Here, in this Gospel account, we see that it is those who admit that they are offensive before the Lord … those who confess that they are poor miserable sinners … those who confess that they deserve temporal and eternal punishment, that they deserve destruction for the wickedness of their sin… those who confess that they have loved themselves more than God … those who confess that they have exploited their neighbors whom they should love … It is these who admit that they are helpless, weak, possessed by the devil and the flesh by their sin, but come to Jesus their Lord for mercy and help in faith and hope… These receive the healing forgiveness that the Lord earned for them with His holy life and His innocent suffering and death on the cross. These are the ones who know that the resurrection of our Lord carries the promise that they too shall rise from the dead and live a new life with Him forever.
This promise of forgiveness, life and salvation is for you as well, through faith in Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. He hears and answers your prayer even if it is not when or how you have hoped He would. He gives you faith to believe and receive His strength. He feeds you more than crumbs though we deserve nothing. He gives you His body and blood, His grace and mercy of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for your eternal salvation!
What a blessing that this gift of faith is to all who believe. He has redeemed you and me by the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. Jesus is truly merciful and because of His merciful sacrifice He will continue to comfort you with His Word and His gifts. God is so gracious that even though we confess that we are offensive, sinful dogs before Him who deserve nothing but scraps, He calls us His children who are forgiven and made holy for Jesus’ sake. Not only that but He promises to seat us at the family victory table in His kingdom where we shall rejoice forever in the presence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas