Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Feb. 21, 2016
Matthew 15:26 “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the
children's bread, and to cast it to
dogs.”
Some time ago, this priest
covered the building of the Panama Canal in 5th level history class
at the school at which he taught. The effort to build it was massive, daring,
and dangerous. At the cost of over 4,000
men, the project was completed. It took a strong leader, Teddy Roosevelt, and a
nation’s focused energy to complete the job. Remember that we took up where a
French company had given up on the project.
Out of the project, along with the great help it was to shipping, was
the cure for yellow fever, discovered by an American doctor. It was an amazing
feat. Aside from the financial commitment and the manpower, it took something
else to get it done. That “something” was persistence.
In today’s Gospel selection,
we see an example of persistence.
Matthew tells us that “a woman of Canaan” came and cried after Jesus as
he journeyed. We read that her daughter
was tormented with a “unclean spirit”, and was “grievously afflicted by a
devil.” Here was a woman of the very
people the Jews despised, asking Jesus for help. The Gospel of Mark tells us the same story,
only with some important contrasts.
First, instead of depicting the woman as a despised Canaanite, she is,
according to Mark, a “Greek, a Syrophenician by birth.” This gives her a higher status. Yet, as one commentator reminds us, it really
wasn’t a contrast at all, because the Jews regarded all foreigners at this time
as “Greeks”, and despised them equally. [1]
Yet, his woman evidently had
some knowledge of Christ, for she addresses him as ”Lord, thou Son of David”, a
term of messianic status. In
characteristic Middle Eastern fashion, she falls at Christ’s feet. Thus, she is
presenting herself as the complete supplicant, imploring Christ to help
her. Yet, what is so fascinating about
Matthew’s account is that Christ was silent.
How interesting and how perplexing!
Is not God always open to our prayers?
Is not Christ always the absolute essence of compassion?
In this case, the woman is so insistent
that the disciples implore Christ to send her away. She cried after them, urgently. One commentator says this: “In our culture we might consider
this woman rude, but ancient Mediterranean judges were sometimes so corrupt
that among the poor only a persistent, desperate, otherwise powerless woman
could obtain justice from them.”[2]
She cries, she pleads, and she persists.
Finally, Christ turns to her and says, “I am not sent but unto the
lost sheep of the house of Israel”[3].
The Jews, the Chosen People, are to be served first in the order of salvation.
She, being a Canaanite, must comes second, or maybe even last in the scheme. At
any rate, she must acknowledge her secondary status as one receiving the
spiritual benefits granted to the Jews, then to the rest of the world. Still, undeterred, she persists.
Wouldn’t this melt the heart
of anyone? Wouldn’t this sway even the
hardest of hearts? Yet, despite these heartfelt pleas, Christ
turns to her and says, “It is not meet to take the
children's bread, and to cast it to
dogs.”[4]
At this point wouldn’t most
people simply give up? Christ has just
likened this woman to a dog, yet she persists.
In one commentator’s words, “she allows herself to be annihilated”, but
yet she persists.
Evidently, without batting an
eye, she humbly replies, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs
which fall from their masters' table.” She acknowledges both her dependent
state and her absolute need of the healing power of the Master.
At this point, our Lord acknowledges this and
simply says, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as
thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”[5] He offers praise for her great faith and
grants the woman her heartfelt desire. Her daughter began to mend immediately.
This wonderful passage, as
glorious at it is, raises our questions as well as our wonder. How could Christ
act this way? How could He be so
seemingly callous?
First, was Jesus really
ignoring the woman? Did He hear the
words of His disciples “to send her away, for she crieth after us?” Let us ask ourselves one question…is this
type of behavior typical of Christ? He
was both perfect God and Man and as such, perfectly consistent in both natures,
simultaneously. If God’s nature is that
of perfect love, which we believe and accept, doesn’t this mean that He always
hears our pleas? Would such a heartfelt appeal as that of the Canaanite woman
be rejected, or ignored? No. We must reject the idea that Christ was dismissive
or even remotely hard-hearted. It is inconsistent with His very nature. He must
have had some other motive.
Was He testing her faith? Was He seeing if this Canaanite woman would
subject herself to the superior spiritual position of the Jew? Was he, in
short, calling on her to persist?
Could it be that God Himself was calling this woman into a closer relationship
with Him? [6]
Perhaps her persistence itself was God-given, both to heal her daughter and also
to have her embrace this new spiritual reality in her life.
How often do we confront God
through difficulty! Rather, how often
does He confront us with His absolute Sovereignty through difficulty? Through
difficulty, through trials, and through tribulations, we learn of both the divine
and mysterious qualities of God. If we allow
ourselves to be led and instructed by the Spirit of God, we will become teachable
by God. After being tempered by the Holy Spirit, we come to that point where we allow ourselves
to be subsumed into the mysterious and omnipotent Will of God. It is at this point that we bow our heads and
say, “Thy Will be done”, even if that will is difficult for us at that time. Although
we don’t understand, we submit ourselves to it, even giving thanks for it. This is difficult, but necessary for
spiritual growth.
Returning to the Gospel
passage, we hear the Canaanite woman express humility and faith. In response to
Christ’s comment that “it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it
to the dogs”, she humbly says, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters'
table.”[7]
At this point, our Lord sees her faith and
praises it, saying: “O woman, great is thy
faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.”
Her daughter was made whole from that very hour. In the end, persistence wins
the day. The woman had faith, persisted
in her appeals, and won the healing word from Jesus.
Thus,
we should “persist” with God. We need to emulate the widow in Luke 18:1, who
received her petition from the judge because of her continual cries for
justice. Yet,
unlike the judge, we do not “weary” God by our heartfelt concerns and
pleas. Rather, like the Canaanite woman,
we are being drawn in a wonderful and mysterious way into a closer relationship
with Christ.
Will we respond like her and persist in our journey
towards holiness? Or will we, when some
terrible difficulty or sadness or trouble overtake us, become “mad at God” and
turn away, to live in a state of willful spiritual rebellion and ultimate
isolation? Sadly many people do.
While never minimizing their grief or pain, we who
are growing in Christ must say that even in these trying circumstances God is
calling us closer to Him. This is difficult, yes. It is painful, but it is the mysterious Will
of God working out in our lives.
This is our choice, this Lent. Will we respond to
the circumstances and experiences of Lent to draw closer to God? Will we acknowledge our state as those who
are unable to live well without Him? Will we take this opportunity to shed our
spiritual and emotional “baggage” in order that we may grow closer to Him?
This is our opportunity. Now is the accepted time for penitence, for
growth, and for reward. Glory be to God!
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