Faith of the woman in Matthew 15 ---Lent 2

 

The First Lesson (Second Set of Propers)

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

The Epistle

1 Thessalonians iv. 1.

WE beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

The Gospel

St. Matthew xv. 21.

JESUS went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Prayer of the DAY

The Collect

ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Message for today.  Matthew 15

FAITH is the victory

Matthew 15:21-28

 

    In Mark 7 where this account is too we have this, “ He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hid.” Vs 24  .  Dr. Morgan said the “then” was important….” Perhaps we may summarize the whole matter by saying that He withdrew from the infidelity of traditional religion to the faith which lives outside the covenant”  The Pharisees and scribes were “hypocrites” according to Jesus because their “heart is far from me.” Matthew 15:8  “ And a woman of Canaan came out …crying,’ Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David: my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” 15:21

     Who was this woman?  She was not an Israelite. She was a Greek woman and a worshipper perhaps of her god Asherah or even nature itself.  She came to Jesus because she heard of His healing power.

1.     But the cry of this woman is not answered. “ But he answered her not a word”  Her own god could not do anything for her daughter and she came to see Jesus to have her daughter healed .  He could not be hidden.  But she got no answer from Jesus initially.  Have you ever felt like that?  We have a need and ask for help and no answer comes. 

It does not look as though we are getting many answers from God.  We are in a wait mode.  God appears to be silent.  Psalm 31:15 says ,” My times are in thy hand.”  It may seem as though things are not working out, that we are wandering from day to day with the listlessness that is like a sailing ship in the middle of the ocean with no water .  Or we have asked God as did this Greek woman for something or a healing of a family member and nothing seems to change.  But just because we get no answer does not mean that is not an answer.  Even the disciples were aggravated with her.

    The disciples “besought” Jesus to “send her away”.  Then Jesus answered and said, “ I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

2.     The persistence of the woman.  She came and worshipped him saying ,” Lord, help me.”  Jesus responds.  ( from Mark) “ Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”  She does not give up!!!!  “ True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s side.”  I admire this lady.  Here was the Son of God, the God-man in the flesh telling her that He was not really sent to take care of her needs.  She was not of the right relgion, not of the right origin.  But what He was really doing was testing her .  Jesus deals with each of us differently.  Dr. Morgan said it well here, “ Against prejudice she came, against silence she persevered, against exclusion she proceeded, against rebuff she won.”  No-one is outside the love and grace of God .

You may feel that you are outside of the kingdom of God for such and such or doing whatever .  You may feel that God will never receive you again.  I say that is nonsense!  How much do you want him?  Persist in the quest for God.  Persist in claiming your inheritance in the kingdom of God.

3.     The faith of the woman.  Jesus said, “ O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.   Mark 7:29 says “ for this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”  Faith is the bottom line of the story.  Her faith was evident from the very beginning when she came and worshipped him saying, ‘ Lord, help me.’

We are to get what this means for us.  Faith is believing but not always seeing.  This woman is an illustration of how we are to believe as well. Despite what we see or feel, God is there.  We are not to give up remembering that God has His hand on our all times .  The bumps are there along the road but all things work together for good for those who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose.  Amen.

Conclusion.

( this appears in The Gospel of Matthew by Charles R. Erdman, 1920, "  Modern followers of Christ are sometimes temped to cease from prayer by the consciousness of their own unworthiness.  True faith , however clings to Christ; it place no confidence in self; it makes personal unworthiness a plea for grace. It is never disappointed.

Thus Jesus turns to the woman with His matchless word of grace, ' O woman , great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt.'   Her faith had triumphed over all the tests. ' And her daughter was healed from that hour.' 

Why, however , did Jesus so test her faith?  Not to discover its quality; He knew that in advance, but that it might be developed and His disciples and the multitude might understand the conditions on which her request was granted.  

If the faith of a Christian is tested today it it not that the Lord may learn its temper , but that the relationship of the believer to Him may be more clearly defined; that the faith may be developed , and that others like the disciples may be instructed, and still others, like the multitude , may be shown the willingness of Christ to answer and reward those who put their trust in Him."  )