Lent 2 + Reminiscere
Text: Matthew 15:21-28
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Gospel of the persistent Canaanite woman today requires some context.
If we go back to the beginning of Matthew 15, Jesus is engaged in a debate or discussion with the Pharisees and Scribes concerning the traditions and commandments of man.
The Pharisees and Scribes, these highly esteemed leaders of Israel, had traveled to converse with Jesus, to ask, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
You have to listen carefully here; they are questioning why the disciples do not keep their traditions.
Jesus responded to them by asking, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?”
You see, the Pharisees and Scribes had been placing their traditions on par or above the Ten Commandments – the Will of God. For instance, they had created loopholes for children to avoid the care and support of their parents as they aged by making future financial vows to the temple and to God that may or may not be kept later in life. However, it would grant the child the ability to continue using their income for themselves now without caring for their parents as was commanded through the Fourth Commandment.
So, they wanted to know why Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands as tradition dictated, and Jesus wanted to know why they did not keep His Father's will.
Well, the dialogue ends with Jesus quoting the words of the Prophet Isaiah regarding these fine gentlemen:
These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
This whole exchange should give us pause to examine how traditions support our worship and lives. How do traditions point us to Jesus, to confess Him in thought, word, and deed? Because let's face it, practices become habits, and habits turn into traditions, and sometimes, traditions even turn into law – we don't always know how or why this occurs; repetition just makes it so.
In the end, the traditions and laws of the Pharisees and Scribes obscured God’s will and misplaced the trust of man’s heart.
Well, Jesus goes on to teach immediately before our Gospel today on what defiles a person as He says:
Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
The heart remains the location in which faith springs forth. The heart reveals where you place your trust and what kind of faith dwells within you. The Pharisees and Scribes are lost, their hearts are not well, their faith is misplaced.
But then, enter the Canaanite woman into the scene. She finds Jesus as He entered Tyre and Sidon as He withdrew from Galilee. He’s in Gentile country now and might have been simply attempting to get away from the continual opposition by the Jews. But it had to be a grind.
Nonetheless, the Canaanite sought Jesus and wasn’t going to relent. She says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
A lot is going on here with the woman's plea.
First, she recognizes Jesus as both true God and true man as she says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!
Her plea sees Jesus as the object of her faith. The usage of “Lord” throughout the Gospel of Matthew is common for the disciples because their faith is, in fact, placed in Jesus, whereas it is striking that this gentile woman would address the Son of David in such as way.
But that's just it; to call Jesus the "Son of David" not only confesses Him as the promised Messiah of Israel but also reveals that He is born of Mary, born of man.
And so, we have in our minds a particular image of Jesus. A cooing baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Or the cheerful Jesus gathering the little children unto Himself as He sits upon a rock. Or even the Shepherd seen with a lamb slung upon His shoulders as He confidently walks through the field or meadow.
All of the images are good and true. However, Jesus' demeanor and continence today lead us to question what kind of Lord He really is because He does not appear to us as the Savior we have traditionally been taught to love. Instead, He’s indifferent to the needs of the Canaanite woman and, as Luther remarks, “as silent as a stump.” (Martin Luther, AE 76, Page 379)
But, she left behind everything in life on behalf of her possessed daughter to seek out this Jesus. Unlike how the Pharisees and Scribes permitted the people of Israel to skirt and manipulate God’s Law for selfish desires, she is faithfully perusing Jesus on behalf of her demon-possessed child.
How far are you willing to go for those you love? How persistent are you willing to be for the mercy of God not only for you but for a son, daughter, or even a friend?
Your heart will reveal the truth, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, [and] blasphemies.”
The heart reveals what truly possesses you throughout this life and where you turn for help in difficult and trying times.
I wonder if part of our problem is that our unwillingness to humble ourselves before one another now prohibits us from humbling ourselves and confessing our sin before God. This, too, is taught from a parent to a child. Yet, how does one teach a child to pray, humble themselves before God, and sing the Kyrie or Agnus Dei unless they are also willing to get on their knees and open the door of their lips themselves?
But this is precisely what faith calls us to do: to recognize our inability to fulfill God's will and consistently cry out to Him as the only one who can grant us relief from the many things that possess our family and us throughout this life.
Now, you may sympathize with the Canaanite's repeated requests of Jesus as you have also experienced times when it appeared your prayers were met with deaf ears. But Luther has an interesting view on this, he says:
[Jesus] does not say, “I will not listen to you,” but is silent and says neither yes nor no. So also He does not say that she is not of the house of Israel, but that He was sent only to the house of Israel [Matt. 15:24]. Thus He leaves it undecided and pending between no and yes. So He does not say, "You are a dog, and we should not give you the children's bread"; rather, "It is not right [to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs]" [Matt. 15:26]. Again, He leaves it undecided whether she is a dog or not. Nevertheless, all three points sound more like no than yes, even though there is more yes than no. In fact, there is only yes there [cf. 1 Cor. 1:19–20], but it is very deep and secret, and it looks only like no.[1]
Often, our prayers appear to be met with silence or indifference. But we must also remember to seek God where He has promised to be and where He continues to speak to us and reveal His will for us – in His Word.
As we heard in last week’s Gospel, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Everything you do must be subject to God’s Word and lead you to your Savior. You have failed to keep the commands of God as you ought, and your sin possesses you. But Jesus hears your confession, and through His death and resurrection, you have mercy and forgiveness.
So, join the Canaanite woman, set your heart on Jesus, permit your voice and faith to cry out to Him, trusting that He hears you and will grant you the mercy needed for all the days of this life. +INJ+
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
[1] Luther, M. (2013). Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent. In B. T. G. Mayes, J. L. Langebartels, & C. B. Brown (Eds.), Luther’s Works: Church Postil II (Vol. 76, p. 381). Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
