FIRST READING Isaiah 56:1, 6–8
1 Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 6 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, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant — 7 these 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. 8 Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.
PSALM Psalm 67
1 May God be merciful to us and bless us; may the light of God’s face shine upon us. 2 Let your way be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations on earth. 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has brought forth its increase; God, our own God, has blessed us. 7 May God give us blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe.
SECOND READING Romans 11:1–2a, 13–15, 28–32
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry 14 in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead! 28 As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
GOSPEL Matthew 15:21–28
21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
GREAT FAITH
A few years ago author Bennett Cerf was addressing an audience of doctors in San Diego. Afterwards, one of these doctors told him about an operation he had performed on an ill tempered lady of about eighty. The woman came through the surgery with flying colors despite all her dire prognostications. Nevertheless she became quite agitated when the doctor told her that in accordance with the rules of the hospital, she’d have to walk for ten minutes the very first day after her surgery and would have to get out of the hospital entirely in a week, since beds there were at a premium.
Well, she had her ten minute walk the first day, tottering, but under her own steam, lengthened it to twenty minutes the second day, and by the time she went home, was stomping all over the hospital including rooms where she had no right to be. Later her family tried to pay the doctor a premium for his “wonderful job.” “Nonsense,” he laughed. “It was a routine operation.” “Oh, it’s not the operation we’re marveling over,” said a grandson. “It’s her walking. Grandmother hadn’t taken a step in six years!”
It’s interesting when you think about it; the grandmother hadn’t taken a step in the previous six years, but was walking now. Why do you suppose that is? Her doctor told her to walk and she obeyed the doctor. It’s amazing what faith in a doctor, a teacher, a parent or a child will do. It’s amazing the things that we can accomplish in life if we simply have faith and determination.
Some of you probably already know this, but for those who never noticed, did you know that there are only two people in the Bible that were praised by Jesus as having “great faith?” And what’s even more remarkable, is that both of these individuals praised by Jesus for their great faith were Gentiles. One was a Roman centurion in the town of Capernaum. This centurion’s servant, whom he valued highly, was sick and close to death. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this,” they said, “because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them to the centurion’s home.
He wasn’t far from the house when the centurion sent Jesus a message via some of his friends: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed, and turning to the crowd, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” When the centurion’s friends returned to the house, they found the servant well. The second person Jesus praised for their great faith was the persistent Canaanite woman in today’s gospel lesson.
For me, the story of the Canaanite woman is even more remarkable than that of the centurion’s. In Jewish eyes, to be a Canaanite was about as low as a person could get. The Canaanites were looked upon by the Jews as an immoral people. In fact, in the time of Joshua, God had commanded the army of Israel to completely destroy the Canaanite people. Israel failed to fully obey God’s order and some of the Canaanites survived the invasion. This woman was their descendant. So, for a Canaanite woman to be called a person of great faith was an amazing development. And this is where our gospel story begins today.
Our reading from Matthew is set in the region of Tyre and Sidon, two Gentile cities in the northern region not far from the Mediterranean. This Canaanite woman came to Jesus, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” In just those few words we see her situation. She is experiencing one of life’s greatest heartaches. Her daughter, whom she loves dearly, is suffering terribly. What parent in here today would prefer to suffer themselves rather than to have one of your children suffer? We would travel to the ends of the earth and empty our bank account if our child’s suffering was severe enough. And this girl’s suffering was evidently extreme.
Based on what the Apostle recorded, we don’t know for certain what this woman meant when she said that her daughter was demon-possessed. Her daughter’s pain may have been physical or it may have been emotional. It really doesn’t matter at this point; all we need to understand is that pain is pain. In today’s world, it may be that physical irritation is preferable to psychological torment. At least we have resources to help the person in physical pain. But, even in our scientifically sophisticated society, parents whose child is tormented psychologically often times have few places to turn.
The good news is that we’re beginning to acknowledge the problem of mental illness and we’re beginning to understand how pervasive that challenge is. There was a poster prominently displayed on a bulletin board in the psychology unit of a certain hospital with a list of all the famous people who at one time were declared unstable or who had mental problems. There were pictures of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and even the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. We acknowledge the problems of the mentally ill, but it’s a shame that our society does so little to help. Only when a tormented soul does something horrific like endangering or hurting others do we pay them much attention, and then, it seems, only for a few days’ headline material.
I mention this because the explanation given for this poor girl’s torment was demon possession. It wouldn’t be too great a stretch to imagine that her problems were emotional. However, I don’t want to minimize the possibility of actual demon possession either. I’m certain the devil hasn’t suddenly quit possessing people. I just think he’s adapted with the times as it were. He’s allowed our “sophistication” to trick us into dismissing his work in our world today. He’s duped us into minimizing or disregarding his work and whatever the cause of her daughter’s suffering, this woman believed that there was someone who might be able to help her. His name was Jesus.
She had heard that Jesus was a great teacher and healer. She knew he was Jewish, but if He could help her daughter that’s all that mattered to her. And so she came to where Jesus was and she cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
And at this point, something happens that’s quite troubling. Matthew tells us that “Jesus did not answer a word.” This woman is in absolute distress, she cries to Jesus for help, and all she gets is silence. Theologians have written profusely about the silence of God. If you have ever confronted a great challenge in your life, you have probably experienced this silence. You’ve brought your need to Jesus and you’ve prayed with all your heart and soul, and the silence was deafening. So we question, where is God? My son or daughter is suffering, why won’t God hear me?
Many of the most notable people in the Bible were confronted with the silence of God. Job lost his family, his health, the confidence of his wife, and all of his wealth. Few people ever suffered like Job. But when Job asked God why, God refused to tell him. Before Job there was Abraham. Abraham was 100 years old before his first son was born. For many years Abraham wondered not why, but when? When will I have a son? But God was silent.
This poor Canaanite woman cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly,” and Jesus at first doesn’t say a word. There are some commentators who believe that this woman was actually encouraged by Jesus’ silence. At least he didn’t immediately dismiss her. However, the woman’s constant supplications were antagonizing the disciples. They came to the Master and urged him to “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” Have you ever noticed that Jesus never sends anybody away without helping them? It doesn’t matter their sex or their ethnicity or even their religion. He never turns anyone away.
Maybe He was being silent for dramatic effect, because what happens next is certainly a watershed moment in His ministry. When He does break His silence, He says something quite disturbing to anyone who isn’t Jewish. “I was sent,” he said, “only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Is this truly how Jesus viewed His ministry; not as the world’s Savior, but only as a Messiah for the Jews? Or is He saying, “Up to this moment my ministry has been directed exclusively toward the Jews, but I am preparing to do a new thing?”
But this Canaanite woman refused to be put off by His comment; she came to Him directly and knelt before him. With a crushing load of love for her suffering daughter, she pleads, “Lord, help me!” At this, Jesus made a reply that has puzzled scholars for two thousand years. Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Here’s where the English translation lacks a bit.
In English, this statement seems a bit prejudicial, but scholars tell us that the word Jesus used here for dog was a common word for a household pet. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the household pets.” Yet even with that clarification, it still sounds a bit harsh, but it may not have, to those who heard Jesus say it. Certainly the Canaanite woman wasn’t offended. “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the household pets eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Point and counterpoint. In your mind’s eye you can almost see a smile spread across Jesus’ face. It wasn’t often that Jesus met His match in a theological argument, and this by a woman, and a Gentile at that.
Speaking of household pets, Pastor Denn Guptill tells a delightful story about a pet in his family when he was growing up, a mutt named Spike. He said his Dad always bragged on how good Spike was. Spike would never take any food that he hadn’t been given to him.
As an example Denn tells how one night he brought home some freshly ground meat. In a hurry to go out, he forgot the meat and left it on the kitchen floor, in a box. Later, when his parents got home, the meat was still intact. Spike hadn’t touched it. Spike was such a good dog, says Denn, you could leave treats on the coffee table and never have to worry about Spike getting into them. However, Spike wasn’t perfect.
One Christmas Denn’s father was standing in the kitchen looking over the half wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. As he watched, Spike came into the living room and carefully looked around to make sure he wasn’t being watched. Then very deliberately Spike stuck his nose in a bowl of chocolates lying open on a table. Then he rooted around these unwrapped chocolates until he found one he liked and ate it leaving all the rest. Aren’t you glad, Denn asks, you didn’t visit their house and eat some of the unwrapped chocolates knowing Spike had been there first?
But Denn Guptill adds these profound words, “Our dog was not one of the children, but he was a member of the family and as such he had certain privileges, and one of those privileges were the crumbs that fell from the table.” Then he adds, “Grace means we get the crumbs from the table.” This woman understood that she wasn’t a part of the community to which Christ was sent, but she knew she still had a place within God’s household. She was going to lay claim to the crumbs that were rightfully hers. And what was Jesus’ response to this Canaanite woman? He said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
You have to love this woman. It’s obvious that Jesus did. She understood that faith is more than subscribing to a certain creed. Faith is life lived in the knowledge that we are all part of God’s family. And because we are a part of that family, we have an innate dignity that no one can take away from us. It makes no difference what our background is, what school we attend, what color our skin. We are all God’s children. And when we trust God, miracles happen.
I was reading recently about eight-year-old Walter Davis who was playing baseball one day when his legs became as limp as spaghetti and collapsed beneath him on the ground. This was years ago, before the Salk vaccine, when the childhood disease of polio was crippling children across our land. There still is no cure for this dread disease though it has been nearly eradicated in the Western world by use of vaccines. Walter’s doctors diagnosed polio and told him he would never walk again. This was devastating news for a 9-year old, but thankfully, it isn’t the end of the story.
A visitor from the church knelt by Walter’s bed one day and prayed for Walter and encouraged him to have faith that God could help him walk again. Walter’s mother gave him similar encouragement, and she began to work on his legs. Therapy and exercise began to take effect and, almost miraculously, Walter learned to walk again. But that wasn’t enough for Walter. He set a goal for himself not only to walk, not only to run: He set a goal for himself to break the world record for the high jump. It seemed impossible, but guess what? The time came when Walter Davis entered the 1952 Olympics and broke all records for the high jump.
General William Booth once said, “God loves with a great love the [person] whose heart is bursting with a sublime passion for the impossible.” The Canaanite mother like Walter’s mother dared believe the impossible, that her daughter could be healed, if only Jesus said the word. Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
This Canaanite woman was considered an outcast by the Hebrew people of her time. Still, Jesus responded to her need. That’s what faith in God can do. That’s also the reason Jesus told the parable of the unjust judge and the woman. God wants to hear from us and sometimes His silence is a way to test and build our faith. What’s more, we see in this encounter additional encouragement.
The Canaanite woman was a part of a despised people, but that didn’t keep her from having a claim on God’s grace just like every person who has ever walked this earth. Not matter what situation we’re in, no matter whether we feel worthy or not, we can take comfort in knowing that we can always bring our hurt, our need, our urgent plea, any need that we have to Jesus. He always responds to the persistent pleas of persons with faith. He knows all our needs even before we ask! And don’t be discouraged when we seem to be getting silence instead of an answer. Even when God’s answer is no, this doesn’t mean rejection. God’s timing and wisdom is perfect. And having and placing our faith in God is never wasted.
Amen