First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
1Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.”
6And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant — 7these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
Psalm 67
1May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us. 2Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. 3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth. 5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6The earth has brought forth her increase; may God, our own God, give us his blessing. 7May God give us his blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 13-15, 28-32
1I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2aGod has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. …
13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
28As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28
21Jesus went away from {Gennesaret} and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Is Everyone Included?
The world is forever drawing circles that shut people out. In a polite way we say things like, “By invitation only” or “Reserved.” Trade names, such as “Coca-Cola” and “Orkin,” are registered to prevent others from copying them. A civic club may exclude women from membership. The use of a country club is for members only. Immigration laws are designed to allow only those with permission to enter the country. We’re constantly drawing circles to exclude people whom we don’t want to include. The question is, does this exclusiveness apply in our religious lives as well?
Now I want to be careful here. If we go to one extreme, we exclude anyone who doesn’t follow a very strict set of rules. This has been a problem all the way back to Biblical times. On the other hand, if we throw out all the guidance, in the name of inclusivity, are we being faithful to the teachings of the Bible? This is why we struggle week in and week out, year in and year out, studying, deliberating, and hopefully praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we remain faithful to God, our call, and the teachings of the church. This is one of the reasons the NALC has 4 core values, Christ Centered, Mission Driven, Traditionally Grounded, and Congregationally Focused. These were selected in order to keep us from going too far to either extreme.
Now of these four values, the first two are the ones that apply to our focus for today. Not that the other two can be ignored. All four need to be considered in any theological or polity deliberation. So, when we say we’re Christ Centered, “We confess the apostolic faith in Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures. We affirm the authority of Scripture as the final source and norm for faith and life—“according to which all doctrines should and must be judged” (Formula of Concord). We accept the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran Confessions as true and faithful witnesses to the Word of God.” Therefore, we, as faithful followers of Jesus, look to Him as our example of how we’re to live, to serve, to pray, and to worship.
Yes, Jesus ate and taught among the publicans, sinners, and outcasts, but He never became one of them. His preaching and teaching were consistent whether it was to the Jews or the Gentiles saying, “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Jesus welcomed all, but He never affirmed sinful behavior, saying to the woman caught in adultery, “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus’ command to “Go and sin no more” emphasizes forgiveness paired with a call to live a transformed, and righteous life. This is key here. We are “in this world, but we are not of this world” (John 17:16). The second Core Value of the NALC is Traditionally Grounded.
We teach that we are Traditionally Grounded because, “We affirm the ecumenical creeds and the faithful witness of the Church across time and space. We embrace the historic forms and practices of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that are consistent with Scripture— especially the ministry of Word and Sacrament. We seek dialogue and fellowship with other Lutheran churches and with all faithful Christians.” Again, the reason we chose this as a core value is that when we make decisions within our church body, we do so with the witness of faithful historic church leaders.
By being Traditionally Grounded, we’re not easily swayed by the changing morals and values of the time. We strive to ensure what we teach aligns with what has been taught all the way back to Apostolic times. In other words, history is our check and balance to ensure we remain faithful in our teachings and practices. Therefore, it’s with these Core Values in mind, we look at our Old Testament reading for today.
In our reading from Isaiah, some might read this as being exclusionary, but it’s actually in line with all the other teachings of the Bible: “Keep justice, do righteousness.” The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it and holds fast God’s covenants. These are those who are acceptable to the Lord. What we need to note here is that these are God’s words. These are not the criteria of this denomination or that denomination. It’s also important to note here that while God is talking to the Jews, He specifically calls out the “Foreigners who join themselves.” These foreigners being talked about are you and me. So, what’s important to note is that the church is the body of Christ, not this congregation or that congregation. We follow Jesus, not Paul, or Apollos, or some other charismatic leader. Again, we are Christ Centered.
So, is the church for Christians only, as we define the word, “Christian?” And if we say the church is for Christians, are we not drawing circles that exclude? The Great Commission was given for us to invite the outcast, the publicans, and the sinners, not for us to become them, but for them to become like Jesus. Again, God’s instructions to His people, Jews and foreigners that join themselves to God, is that His house will be a house of prayer for all peoples. Again, this is an important statement because in each of the four Gospels, Jesus repeated this text when He cleansed the temple. It must have been an important point in His teaching on true discipleship.
“You’re out!” is a phrase we often hear during the baseball season when a player strikes out, or the ball gets to a base before the player. Does God ever say to some people, “You’re out” – out of my Kingdom, out of my love, out of my good graces? Through Isaiah, God says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” not some people. But exclusion was a problem in Old Testament times.
The Hebrew people believed that God was for the Jews only, that God restricted Himself to the land of Israel. This was the problem the prophet Jonah had. You recall the story; Jonah thought he could escape God’s directive to preach to the Ninevites by fleeing the country. The point of the book of Jonah is that God is concerned about all people, even Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians. It isn’t difficult to see how the Jews came to the conclusion that they had a monopoly on God. They were God’s chosen people from the time of Abraham, a people whom God called to be special for a special purpose in life.
Unlike other nations, God entered into a solemn covenant with Israel in which God promised to be their one and only God and they promised to be His special people to carry out His purpose for them in the world. This bond was signified by the rite of circumcision. This understanding could be seen in the way the Temple was constructed. The temple was reserved for Jews.
Outside the temple there was a court of Gentiles for those interested in Judaism, but a Gentile was not allowed to enter the temple. If a Gentile violated this rule, death was the penalty. Even among Jews, there were places in the temple that was not open to some. Women and children were in a court farthest removed from the Holy of Holies. Then came the Court of Men, the Court of Priests, and then the Holy Place. But in the Holy of Holies where God’s presence would fill, only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year.
All people, except for one man, the High Priest for the year, were excluded from the first-hand presence of God in the temple! In the light of this practice, we can see how radical and revolutionary Isaiah’s text must have been when it was first pronounced, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Foreigners were now being allowed to “join themselves to the Lord.” And this exclusive attitude carried into New Testament times as well.
During the time of Jesus, the feeling that God was for Jews only continued. This attitude becomes clear in today’s Gospel lesson (Matthew 15:21-28) when a Canaanite woman begged Jesus to heal her daughter. This Canaanite woman was a Gentile, a pagan. What right did she have to call upon a Jewish rabbi to help her? And because of her continual begging, the disciples asked Jesus to get rid of her. This of course reflected the attitude of the Jews of His day. And at first, it seems that Jesus shares in this exclusive attitude, Matthew said, “He did not answer her a word” (vs. 23). Jesus then explained His refusal by saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
When this foreigner continued to press Jesus for help, He further seems to justify this exclusive attitude by saying, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Again, this is a story we know well. When He said children, it would seem that He was referring to the Jews, and non-Jews were the “dogs.” But you and I know this was not only a lesson for those around Him, it was also a test. A test that He was able to lift up as a lesson for His followers. The woman relies, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Because of her faith, Jesus set aside the popular Jewish exclusive viewpoint and granted her request. God, through Isaiah, declared, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
The Apostles would later deal with this exclusive attitude of Judaism after the resurrection even though for three years they heard Jesus teach and practice the universality of God. The early church faced the question, “Can Gentiles become Christians?” After Jesus returned to the Father, Gentiles became interested and wanted to become Christians. Peter faced the problem when a Gentile, Cornelius, asked him to come to his house to tell him about Jesus. As Peter struggled with his Jewish attitude, God showed him a vision with all kinds of animals on a sheet. When the sheet was taken up the third time, God told Peter, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean: (Acts 10:15). Peter finally understood that “God shows no partiality” to Jews or to Gentiles.
The issue whether God wanted Gentiles as His people continued in the Apostolic period of church history. There was a party of Christians that maintained that to be a Christian one had to first become a Jew, be circumcised, and abide by the Jewish laws. The early church was about to split over the issue. The very first conference of the church was held in Jerusalem. The Apostles, Paul, and James were among those present to debate the matter. The conference resulted in an historic position that included Gentiles in the Kingdom. The decision was that all people were saved by grace through faith. God’s mercy isn’t bound up in lineage or custom. God’s mercy is for all who join themselves to the Lord. The question is, do we exclude people because of human ordinances?
Prejudice and pride can draw circles that excludes people from God, but the very nature of God is that He desires that all should be saved. We see this in Jesus’ words in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes…” And we see this in the words of St. Peter in His second epistle, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (3:9). The point is that there will come a time to answer for how we have lived. There will be a time of judgement.
Yes, we must all answer to Jesus for the things we’ve done (good or bad) in this life, but God’s desire is that all become His followers. The choice isn’t up to the church; it’s up to the individual. Being in or out is based on the choices each individual makes. The whosoever and the all of these two verses are clear, God’s desire is that no one be sent to eternal punishment. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” God’s house is a house of prayer, and prayer indicates a relationship and communion with God. In other words, God wants all people to be in fellowship with Him regardless of race, nationality, class, health, education, or age. God is for everyone and wants everyone to be His child. But the individual, with the help of the Holy Spirit, must choose. One final note of importance, our Old Testament lesson does not teach universalism.
In our Isaiah reading, God says, “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain …” This means that Scripture does not teach universalism, the view that all people will ultimately be saved. Universalism is a heresy that denies hell, judgment, and accountability to God. If universalism were true, it wouldn’t matter what we did or how we lived. But God is clear here, God will bring to His holy mountain, those who love, serve, and obey Him. God is the one who tells us who is in and who is out.
And the good news is, those who respond to God’s invitation will be blessed and rewarded. Isaiah assures us that God will “make them joyful in my house of prayer.” So, what does all this mean for us today? In His final words on earth, Jesus commanded, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” It’s in this command that we are given the challenge and task of bringing all people to God that they may have true life in Him. This calls for evangelism as the primary task of every Christian. Our call is to go, to live our lives with Jesus as our example. We are called to be Christ centered and show God’s love to those outside our walls, so that anyone who joins themselves to the Lord may be saved.
God’s love is intended to be experienced by all. Jesus promised, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). St. Paul echoed the words of Isaiah when he wrote, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). On Patmos, St. John was shown a vision of heaven where “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people and tongue, [were] standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands [praising God]” (Revelation 7:9). That vision will only be fulfilled when all of us share God’s love with others so they too can join themselves to the Lord. Amen