Salvation is for All Nations.
August 14, 2011
GOSPEL LESSON: Matthew 15:21?28 [Even the dogs eat the crumbs...]
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And 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." But 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."
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the childrenfs bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their mastersf table."
Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Receiving the crumbs of Godfs Word.
Knowing our place before God.
Thanking God for his Mercy on us.
Being nourished by the Sacraments.
Praising God!
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The Theme of todayfs Bible readings is that Salvation is for All Nations. As modern Christians, we have learned this a long time ago, but it was not always so obvious. The Lord God called Father Abraham to go to the Promised Land. His grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons. They became the twelve tribes of Israel and God was known as the "Lord of Israel." It was like a family religion that would be only for that family, or a national religion only for the county of Israel. There are a few passages in the Old Testament that offers salvation and blessing for people of other nations, but these passages were largely ignored, it seems. The Jews probably wondered why any person from a foreign country would want to believe in the Lord God? And why would the Lord God bless anyone who was not a Jew??
In todayfs Gospel lesson, Jesus travels to Tyre and Sidon that is outside Israel in Phoenicia, in modern day Lebanon. Here Jesus is confronted by a local woman. She wants Jesus to heal her daughter who is severely oppressed by a demon. She cries out to Jesus but Jesus ignores her. I do not want to think that Jesus did not want to help her. I would rather think that Jesus used this moment for a teaching opportunity. He was testing and teaching his disciple about the Kingdom of God.
The woman began to be a nuisance, and his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." If she had been a Jew, the disciples would probably have ushered the woman right up to Jesus. But she is not in the family of Israel. She is a Canaanite. They think she is outside the love of God. Jesus echoes the feeling of the Disciples when he says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And when he says, "It is not right to take the childrenfs bread and throw it to the dogs."
Then the woman becomes the teacher that day. She teaches the disciples the true meaning of Godfs love and mercy. She has true faith in God. She says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their mastersf table." She does not want to take away anyone elsefs salvation. She is not claiming a right to Godfs mercy because of her righteousness or faith or heritage. She knows that the Lord God is a merciful God. She knows that God takes care of all his creatures. She is asking only for what is normal. She is asking for the crumbs. And she knows the power of God. She knows that the crumb has the full power of God.
When Jesus answered her, I am sure he spoke loudly enough for the disciples to hear also. He wanted them to understand that anyone can believe in the True God and anyone can receive the love of God. He said, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
This Gospel story is a prelude to the great commission. Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." It is as John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
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There is an internet newsletter for suggested prayers for each Sunday. In our prayers this morning, there is this prayer: "P. For the welcome we extend to the strangers in our midst, that we may receive others as God has welcomed us in Christ, with the open arms of His mercy, let us pray to the Lord, C. Lord, have mercy."
In other words, we are reminded that there are strangers and foreigners in our midst. There are people here who are not Lutheran, maybe not even Christian. We are reminded that we must not be like the disciples. Rather than sending strangers away, we must usher them up, escort them to Jesus. Some of those people might be a nuisance, a bother. It might be easier to send them away. Some of those people are coming for less than religious reasons. In the Gospel story, the Canaanite Woman was not looking for religious salvation; she was looking for the physical salvation, the healing of her daughter. But Jesus saw her plight, he saw her need. He had compassion on her. But this woman did have faith in the Lord God of Israel. She called Jesus, "O Lord, Son of David," which is the same as saying, "Messiah, Savior."
People might come first to our church for various reasons, but when they see the love and mercy of Jesus, then they will begin to have saving faith.
This Gospel message reminds us that we are not Children of Israel. We are Gentiles. We cannot claim a right to salvation because of our birth. We are not born citizens of Israel nor of the Kingdom of God. And on top of that, we are sinners who do not deserve the love and mercy of God. We must remember that it was the Roman Gentiles who crucified Jesus. Gentiles like us. But on the cross, Jesus took the sin of the world?the sin of the Jews and the sin of the Gentiles. He took our sin. This shows his great love toward us. It reminds us to be gracious to others who come looking for Jesus. It reminds us to welcome the strangers in our midst because we have been welcomed into the family of God.
At one time Jesus said that if you have the faith the size of a tiny mustard seed that you can move mountains. Today we see that faith the size of a bread crumb can give healing and salvation. In Holy Communion we receive only a small piece of bread and a small sip of wine. But in that is the full power of forgiveness and eternal life. In Baptism, at least in the Lutheran and Catholic tradition, just a drop of water, or maybe three drops [one for the Father and one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit], suffices to give a flood of cleansing and rebirth.
Oh, did I mention that this passage seems to be my dogfs favorite Bible passage? She is a house dog so she is in the dining room when we eat. She likes to sit near my chair, hoping that I will drop a crumb from the table. She looks at me with big, sad, begging eyes. It is like she is saying, eJesus says you have to let some crumbs fall from the table for me.f And so I give her a small piece of bread or a spaghetti noodle. And she is so happy! And it reminds me that what is important is not the size of the love we give, but the fact that we do give it. We love because Jesus first loved us. And so we are bold to pray: "Give us this day our daily bread."
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
