Text: Romans 11: 32 and Matthew 15:27-28
32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Our bulletin cover for today references the text from Matthew 15:28 and says:
“God cares for all his creation, rich and poor. He provides everything needed to sustain this body and life. He gives to us his good gifts, small and great, especially his love and forgiveness. We may not all have the same blessings in this life, yet God provides for all. And to those who believe in him, he gives life eternal. How thankful we are to have such a generous father.”
2017 Concordia Publishing House Matthew 15:27 CPH
But are we?
Not from the pictures and descriptions coming out of Charlottesville, Virginia this past week. Racism, ideology, and political division are alive and well and it seems that our country is as broken as it ever has been.
Death came to a young woman who was run down during the protests.
(Her mother lamented the loss saying she was proud of her stand against hate)
Death may come to a young man accused of being the driver of the car that ran her down.
19 others were hurt and two police officers were killed when their helicopter crashed while monitoring the events.
Death has come and death will come … Lord have mercy.
How do we as the church respond? How should we? How in the face of evil is peace possible?
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 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.”
Here we see another mother, at another time, crying for her daughter.
Born in sin … death is real. It is what we all have as a guarantee. Death is yours and it is mine. We are all born to die no matter of race, gender, political view or status. We are all consigned to death and it is what we deserve.
Some die fighting for what they believe is right; some die protecting the rights of others; some die in the womb, and some die from a myriad of diseases young and old alike. Death is no respecter of persons. We are all equal under the Law and we are all condemned … to death.
So she cries … 23 But [Jesus] did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
The disciples had been sent explicitly by Jesus in Matthew 10 saying,
“Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
So we might understand their response because it is our response too.
Go away! It’s not my problem! Ask someone else!
Ill.
Many years ago I would go to my friend Rob’s studio in Royal Oak to play guitar. We didn’t see each other often so when we had a chance to hang out a bit, play music and get lunch, it was a fun time. You probably have those kinds of friends too?
This particular time I had parked my car around the block and was walking to Rob’s studio on 5th street near Main when I heard “Excuse me sir could you help me?”
I turned to see a black man about my age at the time approaching me. He said he had just gotten out of jail and wondered if I could spare a dollar for bus fair so he could get back home.
My mind is saying … “Oh no, go away! I’m busy! Can’t you see I’m here to see a friend? I have no time for you right now?” but, I don’t say that … I stop and look at him and he continues telling me something about being picked up by the police and mistaken identity. “They just let me out … could you help me? Do you have a dollar to spare?”
What’s the Christian response?
At this time in my life the Holy Spirit had been working overtime on me. I was reading the word of God and my conscience was telling me to help him. So I looked in my wallet. I had three bills - a dollar, a ten and a twenty. What to do? If I give him the dollar I thought, I can meet his need and what he asked me for and get on with my day. The twenty I was going to use for lunch for Rob and I, but there was the 10 dollar bill, so I handed it to him and said,
“Jesus loves you and so do I. I hope this takes care of the bus fare and gets you something to eat.”
I can’t believe those words came out of my mouth. In public no less and I looked … and he had a tear in his eye. He gave me a hug and we went our separate ways. I quickly looked back to see which way he was going and he wasn’t there. Not sure where he went or what to think, he didn’t have time to go far but that verse in Hebrews 13:1-2 kept coming to me:
13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ESV
We, you and me, walk in our communities as children of the King. He is the light of the world, just as our VBS Tee shirts say and we as children of the King shine that light of Christ in our daily lives wherever we are.
And the woman in our gospel reading for today 25 … came and knelt before Jesus, saying, “Lord, help me.” Just as in a similar sense the man who was let out of jail needed help and cried out to me saying, “Excuse me can you help me?”
The woman would not take no for an answer. She recognized Jesus as both Lord and savior. She like we deserved nothing. The man I met didn’t know anything about me but when he received the money he knew from whom and where it came; God’s gift and God’s mercy.
All that we have we also receive as gift. We deserve death but are given life in Christ. We merit nothing but have everything. Mercy is given and mercy is received because God in Christ is merciful.
26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Both the feeding of the 5000 which comes before and the feeding of the 4000 which comes after this account feed the multitudes as gift. The loaves and fish are multiplied and the scraps fill 12 and 7 baskets respectively. Those outside of Israel were looked upon as dogs and not worthy of the Kingdom. But where does Jesus go? He goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon, to those outside the Kingdom.
Jesus is speaking here in a general sense to the giving of what was meant for the children to their pet dog. He is testing the woman a bit.
The woman is not letting go of Christ or his question.
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”
Saying in essence, “Yes Lord, I know I don’t deserve anything, nor my daughter or anyone else … but just a crumb from you (the master) will do.”
Death is what you and I deserve but God gives us forgiveness and life. God’s wrath is what we merit, but in Christ, we receive what we don’t deserve … God’s mercy.
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
How should the church respond to evil in our midst? Calling sin what it is, calling all to repentance, and then like Jesus responding with forgiveness, mercy and love.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
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