PENTECOST 14, A – August 17, 2008

SCRIPTURES – Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Romans 11:1-32; Matthew 15:21-28

I recently went to the Red Cross blood center in Norwalk to donate blood, something I do regularly. I was prepared for the usual litany of questions about my sexual history that are asked before you donate. You know: “Have you ever had sex with a prostitute? Have you had sex with another man, even once?” and many others. It’s been a long time since I’ve been surprised by the questions, or since either I or the nurse has been embarrassed by them (a rather sad commentary on our society right there!). And so, as I sat down and had my blood pressure and pulse checked, I was set for the questions, ready to answer, “No,” again and again.

 

Then came the first question: “Are you the same sex as you were when you were born?” “No,” I quickly answered. “Hey, wait a minute. What did you ask?” Boy, was that out of the blue!

Well, you know something? Sometimes God behaves very unexpectedly, out of the blue – as Jesus did with this Canaanite woman from our Gospel lesson. She comes to Him for help for her daughter, who is possessed by a demon. What does He do?

q   First, He ignores her. He does not answer her a word.

q   Then, He says he hasn’t come to help her, because she isn’t a Jew.

q   Finally, as she persists, He calls her a dog and says it wouldn’t be right to help her.

Incredible! But, there will be times in your own life when God will seem the same: ignoring you, not listening to you; not responding; not seeming to care. What should you do? Keep on praying, crying out! But, how? Consider this woman, and learn, no matter what your situation or how things seem, to:

TAKE IT TO THE LORD IN PRAYER!

But, begin by coming humbly before your God. He is Ruler, Master – in charge. He has the right to be silent and not answer, as we see Jesus do with this woman. Prayer to the Lord of all creation is not a demand, but a request.

Is that seen in your prayers? When God is silent, seemingly deaf to your cries, how do you respond? Consider this woman. If she had gotten mad at Jesus – challenged Him, responded in anger, or become discouraged and given up – would her daughter have been helped? No. Nor would Jesus have had any praise for her.

God is the good and wise Ruler of all creation. He always knows and does what is best. Who are we to become angry with Him? What right do we have to challenge Him?

q   Have you seen the Burger King commercial in which the King comes home to his family with food? He gives some to his daughter, but then his son, dressed as a little king, comes in and kicks his dad in the shin. As the King stumbles over in pain, his son quickly grabs the fries from his hand and runs out of the room.

Is that commercial offensive? It is far more offensive when we sinners challenge God. Are we little kings? Yes, silence from God is very difficult to handle. But, giving up and becoming angry solves nothing. It only leads you into sin. Trust God, believe that He is good, and keep praying, as did this Canaanite woman! But, how can you do so?

Remember that the Lord is above all our Savior. Never let go of this! He is the Ruler of all for you! His greatest desire is to have mercy, to help and save. This is His nature. The Lord of all is Jesus who has come to us. He is the helper of those in need.

The Canaanite woman believed this. Jesus had helped many, Jew and Gentile, and she had undoubtedly heard about this. Now, He was there, in the region of Tyre and Sidon where she lived. This was great evidence of His goodness and mercy:

q   For she was a Canaanite, a descendant of the people who had been in the land when God had brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. The Jews detested the Canaanites as idol worshipers who did detestable things. The Rabbis called them wild dogs who were unclean and ate human filth. No pious Jew, and certainly no rabbi, would travel to the region of Tyre and Sidon and be near the filthy Canaanites.

And yet, there is Jesus. He had made Himself accessible to her. The woman held on to this.

God came down from heaven for you, to die on the cross for you and so save you from your sins. This is how much God loves you! He makes Himself accessible to you: in water, in bread and wine. His ear is always turned toward you to hear your cries. Hold on to this and never let it go, especially when He is silent. As Joseph Scriven put it so well in his hymn:

We should never be discouraged—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

No matter what you see or feel, don’t ever doubt the Lord’s desire to help you. Take it to the Lord in prayer! God is the Lord, the Ruler of all and the Savior for all! Hang on to this, and take it to the Lord in prayer. Confidently expect his mercy, and then leave things in His hands.

After all, you are very limited. There is much you do not know. Is what you are praying for good for you, or would receiving it actually hurt you in the long run?

q   Remember King Midas? He thought the power to change things into gold would bring prosperity and an end to hardship in his life. Instead, it brought great sorrow, as everything he touched—including his own daughter—turned into gold.

What will tomorrow bring? You do not know how it might change your circumstances, and so your prayer. The Lord may delay answering so that He can teach you, and others. Perhaps this is why Jesus did not answer the woman right away. She came to Him crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy!” “Son of David” was a Jewish title, and she was not a Jew. If Jesus had helped her right away, perhaps she and others would have gotten the idea that getting His help was just a matter of saying the right words. People today certainly have that idea. “Just say an ‘Our Father’ or a Hail Mary!”

This is not so, however. Jesus helps those who believe in Him. We need to learn faith, to trust in Him, not just to do and say the right things. Faith alone receives God’s blessing and praise. For faith says, ”Yes, Lord.” Faith confesses God to be true and His ways to be right and good, and so expects His mercy. Faith honors Him.

The Canaanite woman believed Jesus was good and would help, and so she even accepted it when Jesus called her a dog. Faith helped her see His goodness behind His words. Yes, He called her a dog—but a little dog, one that was accepted into the house and would wait under it’s master’s table. And so she said, “Yes, Lord, but still I know You have something for me. Even crumbs will be enough.” And they are, for even God’s crumbs are not limited. They are powerful to save. And you are far more to Jesus than a dog! He will have mercy on you!

You may feel very insignificant. The devil will tempt you to believe that you are, especially when you are down and in need. He’ll say:

q   “The Bible says that ‘The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry.’ But He’s not answering you. Why not? You must not be righteous, or He would answer. You’re not good enough. You’re not one of His people!”

q   “Look at what’s been happening to you. What did you do to get God so angry with you? He’s mad, and so He’s not listening. And He won’t listen now!”

This is not so. For, through faith in Jesus you are far from insignificant. You are not a foreigner to God. Nor are you a dog. You are His precious child, a member of His family! Just as a good father gladly listens to his children’s cries, your heavenly Father listens to you—always!

So take it to the Lord in prayer! Don’t ever give up! Even when God seems to be against you, is silent and unresponsive, He is your good Lord, your Savior. He will have mercy.

“In His arms He’ll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.” (LSB 770:3)