Follow me in Love

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My focus is on Matthew 16:24 and Romans 12:10. From Matthew, “Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” From Romans, “Love one another with brotherly affection.”

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

The cartoon depicts Jesus clarifying his statement to a would-be disciple, “No, I am not talking about Twitter. I literally want you to follow me.” The cartoon illustrates a lesson about language. Words change meaning overnight, over decades, centuries, and millennia. So, let me begin by examining a few words from our texts - from Matthew, follow, and from Paul, fraternal or brotherly affection. Then I will tell you how two war-torn enemies became brothers, setting an example for us.

First, follow. The cartoon quote is funny because one can misconstrue our Lord’s words as social media chatter. The word follow comes from the Old English folġian or fylgan.[2] Follow has several meanings today. It means to come after in a sequence, such as B follows A in the alphabet. It means to go after, pursue or move behind in the same path or direction. Follow that car!

When you operate a new power tool, follow the instructions. Fans follow an event (World Cup), a team (Steelers), or an activity (You following me, camera guy?). As Jesus used the term, He was not reciting the alphabet or selling Sham Wows. He used follow to urge devotion to Him, His Way and His teaching.

People quit their careers and families to follow Jesus. His closest disciples sat at His feet.[3] They travelled by boat and foot to hear Him teach and witness Him heal. During His darkest moment, some followed at a distance and stood at the Foot of the Cross. A group followed His Body to the tomb and returned to anoint Him. After His Resurrection, the apostles followed Him to Bethany and stared into the sky as He ascended.[4]

Today’s passage, however, made it difficult for some to follow Jesus any further. It was the first time Jesus predicted His passion.

The passage also marks the turning point into the final section of Matthew, who wrote his Gospel for believers who knew the outcome of the story. Here, Matthew illustrated the reaction people had to Jesus’ revolutionary and unexpected teaching.

In its larger context, we see that Jesus’ original followers were common, ordinary men and women, but they knew and understood God’s plan for Israel and the world. They accepted Jesus’ teaching and witnessed the power of God working through Him. They saw His teaching and work evoked faith from the crowds and provoked persecution from religious and political authorities. With these parties plotting His demise, Jesus and His disciples retreated to a remote spot off the Sea of Galilee where He asked them who they believed Him to be.

Hearing the answer, Jesus showed His enlightened disciples what was required of Him – depart to Jerusalem to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and raised on the third day.

Is it no wonder why – in this peaceful spot – Peter and the disciples reacted as they did? Why confront your enemies? Why provoke politicians? Why suffer? Why go to Jerusalem to be killed? These normal human theological questions arose from their sinful human minds. “If God’s mercy is to be found in Jerusalem’s Temple, then mercy and not murder awaits you there. That is how God works, Jesus!” said Peter, the man who declared Him the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Peter was not simply confused, but took a firm stand against the Lord. Peter articulated God’s activity in the world in a satanic way, expressing the ‘things of men.’[5] When reprimanded, the only thing Peter could do was get out of Jesus’ way and not cause Him to stumble into disobedience that would have led to disaster for Israel’s lost sheep and the world. By getting out of the way, he learned what it meant to follow this Christ, this Son of God.[6]

Because His disciples misunderstood how God works in the world, verse 24 is the heart and summary of Jesus’ teaching. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” … Only by yielding to His Father’s will and His opponents, and accepting suffering and death by crucifixion could people and creation be saved from sin and death. That is how God works in the world.

The primary obstacle to following Jesus was not in the world, but deep within the heart of every disciple. They had to reject the tendency of insisting God conform to their ways and deal with evil according to their expectations. They had to reject the tendency that if in charge, they would make things right. They had to learn that criticism, competition or quiet, prideful comparison disguised as sinful human ambition embraced and exalted not the Cross of Christ, but them. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

The first disciples who followed Jesus learned they could not pre-determine the type of difficulty, suffering or martyrdom they would face. As early Christians who worshipped the Trinity and renounced Greek and Roman gods, their neighbors hated and rejected them. Ultimately, some Christians found their way to crucifixion or some other gruesome form of death.

Peter deemed himself unworthy to die the same way as His Lord, and requested to be crucified upside-down. Others, like James, died by the sword,[7]

Of course, not all Christians were martyred. Christianity spread throughout the world, and to Rome, the setting for my second point, “Love one another with brotherly affection.”

Love one another with brotherly affection. Paul’s advice begs the question, “What was Paul trying to accomplish in these final chapters of Romans?” Paul was teaching Christians how to conduct their daily lives through the power and structure of grace.

Romans reveals God’s relationship to rebellious creation; how Christ reversed what Adam did; and how His death broke the power of sin. As human beings freed from the domination of sin and the law, we are now dominated by the Spirit. In chapter 9, Paul pointed towards the future and explained how from the beginning God’s plan of gracious election was at work, culminating in Christ who brought the law to an end by incorporating its goal in Him.

In chapter 12, Paul wrote about grace, which triumphed over human rebellion. Grace does not mean that anything goes. Rather, there is a structure to living the Christian life as individuals and communities. There is a structure to denying yourself, picking up your cross and following Christ.

If the Christian community responds appropriately to the structuring grace at work in it, it will display unity. Unity, however, is not uniformity, as Paul emphasized the necessity of diversity based on the abundance of God’s grace. Diversity is not simply a few people with special skills contributing to the community. All church members have spiritual gifts, and are responsible for discovering what gifts they have and use them to glorify God.[8]

In Rome, people mixed ego with grace. Some saw their gifts as more important than others’ gifts. That same problem arose in communities through 21 centuries across the globe. The solution to the problem of pride and over-inflated egos is love.[9]

Love one another with brotherly affection. That includes your enemies and those who displease you. Why? Because while we were enemies with God, we were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son.[10] The point of heaping burning coals on your enemy’s head is not to get back at him. Rather, you feed and refresh those who displease you because it is how Christians effect reconciliation with their enemies. A small gesture compared to how God effected reconciliation with us, His rebellious enemies.

Paul’s advice was not to withdraw from the world into seclusion as an individual or Christian enclave. Instead, Paul encouraged Christians in 1^st century Rome to live among others, but with a different set of values. Attempting to reconcile and win over your enemies through kindness, compassion and brotherly love was not an action people embraced, but Christians did.

Christians of 1^st century Rome believed Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose from the dead. They believed that they, once rebellious enemies of God, were reconciled through Christ’s death and resurrection. When the Paschal Mystery is embedded in your heart, mind and soul, you do what God asks or commands. You even deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ by loving your enemies with brotherly affection.

All well and good, but what do the readings have to do with life today? How do we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus? How do we love enemies with brotherly love?

Let me tell you a story of two men, intent on killing one another in war, who became as close as brothers. While serving as pastor in Oakmont, PA, I met Howard Hamilton in the spring of 1998. By December, he died from a long illness, but he should have died in 1943. Instead, he and his wife, Gerri, had three sons and a daughter, and Howard, after a distinguished career in manufacturing, became professor of electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

You see, during World War II, on his 19^th mission as a bombardier in the Army Air Corps, Howard’s B-17 was hit by enemy fire on October 10^th. It punctured his lung. He lost consciousness and regained it only to have his parachute pack strap catch on the door handle. He dangled as the plane spiraled. He did not have enough strength to free himself. His co-pilot risked his life to set him free.

Howard landed in a tree. The Germans captured him and took him to a hospital where he lay on a stretcher for 12 hours until an officer in charge of prisoners of war begged the one lone surgeon to treat him because he would die before morning.

In captivity for 19 months, initially in a hospital and then in Stalag Luft on the Baltic Sea, he was liberated by the Russians on May 1, 1945. After the war, Howard went to college on the GI bill, began his career and family.

Howard lived a successful life professionally and personally, but that is not why I tell you this story. You see, Howard and the German officer who begged that he be treated did not forget each other. The officer looked him up after reading a book about the raid. The Hamilton’s visited him in Germany, and he visited them in Pittsburgh.[11]

If two men, intent on killing one another, can reconcile and treat one another with brotherly love, who of us cannot reconcile with people we dislike and love them, as Christians should?

Friends, we may never fly as bombardiers, encounter our enemy on a gurney, or spend years as a P.O.W., but we have relatives and neighbors, co-workers and colleagues, who wronged us. Some owe us money because they rent space in our heads. And although sin keeps me from reconciling, I bear the cross of reconciliation behind Christ. Because of Him and His grace, we can reconcile with people we dislike because God reconciled with us when we were enemies.

This week, treat one person you dislike with brotherly love, and when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 122

[2] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/follow

[3] Luke 10:39.

[4] Luke 24:50-51

[5] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 11:2- 20:34. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2010), 840.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Acts 12:2

[8] Paul J. Achtemeier, Romans. Louisville: John Knox Press (1985), 196f.

[9] Ibid, 198.

[10] Romans 5:9-10

[11] Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Education Writer.  Obituary: Howard Britton Hamilton. Wednesday, December 02, 1998.  http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19981202hamilton9.asp

Confess, Christ, Conclusion

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled Confess, Christ and Conclusion. My focus is on Matthew (16:13-20). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

I was once told that if you’re looking for sympathy, you’ll find it in the dictionary between symmetry and symphony. Sometimes, the dictionary is the best place to find what we need. As I begin a sermon on the words, confess, Christ and conclusion, we turn to the dictionary.

Confess is a verb meaning admission of a fault, crime, sin or debt. It comes to the English language from the French confesser and earlier from the Latin com ‘together’ and fateri ‘to admit.’ Its original religious sense was about one who acknowledges his religion despite persecution or danger but does not suffer martyrdom. The earliest Confessors in the Christian Church were Paul I, a 4^th century bishop of Constantinople, and Maximus the Confessor, a 7^th century Byzantine monk, theologian and scholar. We consider both Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon as Confessors.

Confess is the root word for confession. Early in the Lutheran Reformation, individual confession before Communion became predominantly an exploration to determine if the individual had adequate knowledge for worthy reception of Holy Communion. In the era of Pietism, individual confession fell into disuse and was replaced by general confession.[1]

In America, the Definite Platform (1855) held that no one should be admitted into the General Synod who believes in private confession and absolution. But C. F. W. Walther felt that both should be retained. In the 20^th century, periodic attempts have been made to restore individual confession in the Lutheran Church in the spirit of the symbols. But the most common form of confession remains the public confession and absolution. We always begin our Lord’s Supper worship with Confession and Absolution. For us, this is a public confession of sins made by the assembly with the pastor offering absolution in the Name of the Three Persons of the Trinity.[2]

There is also confessionalism. Confessionalism defines a religious body’s faith and identity by reaffirming historical creeds and confessions of faith.[3] We ascribe to the confessions making up the Book of Concord. Confessions and confessionalism became important in the 18^th and 19^th centuries when Reformed Churches were then challenged by liberalism and revivalism or evangelical pietism. Some Lutheran bodies combined confessionalism and pietism; others, like the Missouri Synod, continued to maintain conservative confessionalism. Today, those churches focus more on the experience of Christianity than on formal doctrines. While they would promote spirit and values, we counter that spirit and values of any faith cannot be attained without knowing the truth in formal dogmas.[4]

The fact that we are a Confessing or Confessional Church means that we subscribe to the Book of Concord because it is faithful to the Scriptures. There is no contradiction between the Book of Concord and the Scriptures.[5]

When the Synod accepted me as a Lutheran Pastor, I took an oath that I accept the doctrinal content of our Lutheran Confessions, because they are in full agreement with Scripture; and I believe in this divine truth and am determined to preach this doctrine.[6]

All this relates to our Gospel passage by knowing, as we will hear in next week’s passage, that although, like Peter, I sometimes miss the true understanding of Jesus’ identity and mission because I think as men do and not as God does. We confess who Jesus is and why he exists in both simple and clarifying statements of truth found both in the Bible and the Book of Concord.

We move from Confess to Christ. The word Christ, in Greek, Christos, is equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, meaning anointed. According to the Old Law, priests (Ex 29:29; Lev 4:3), prophets (Isa 61:1) and kings (1 Sam 10:1; 24:7) were supposed to be anointed for their respective offices; now, the Christ or the Messiah, combined this threefold dignity in His Person.

It is not surprising that for centuries the Jews had referred to their expected Deliverer as ‘the Anointed’; perhaps this designation alludes to Isaiah, where we read, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (61:1). Thus, the term Christ was a title rather than a proper name. The Evangelists recognize the same truth except for a few verses where Jesus Christ is used.[7]

After the Resurrection the title gradually passed into a proper name, and the expression Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus became one designation. The gradual development into a proper name showed that Christians identified Jesus as the promised Messiah of the Jews. Jesus combined in His person the offices of priest, prophet and king[8], and fulfilled all the Messianic predictions in a fuller and a higher sense than had been given them by the teachers of the Synagogue.

But when Jesus asked the question to his disciples, he did not use the term Christ. He used the phrase Son of Man. Some say that the phrase was not used as a Messianic title, and during Jesus’ lifetime, ‘Christ’ was not very widely, if at all, known as a Messianic title. Jesus used the title Son of Man to refer in a paradoxical way to himself as the lowly, increasingly rejected messenger who was assured vindication in the near future.[9]

While there is no historical person known as the Son of Man, the Prophet Ezekiel was addressed by God as "son of man" more than ninety times, for instance, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you” (2:1). This usage is confined to Ezekiel except for one passage in Daniel, where Gabriel said: “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end” (8:17). In Daniel’s great vision after the appearance of the four beasts, we read: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man” (7:13).

Son of Man is used to designate Jesus Christ no fewer than 81 times in the Gospels — 30 times in Matthew. It is found only in the mouth of Christ. It is never employed by the disciples or Evangelists, nor by the early Christian writers. It is found once only in Acts, where Stephen exclaims: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:56). We do not find it at all in any of the epistles.

Although the disciples have already confessed that Jesus is the Son of God (14:33), this is the first time that anyone confessed Jesus to be ‘the Christ.’ It is interesting to note that Matthew adds to Peter’s answer ‘the Son of the living God.’ Some have interpreted this to indicate the unique relationship between Father and Son of which Jesus was aware. We heard this several weeks ago when Jesus spoke, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (11:27) It also directs us away from any military-nationalistic connotations Israel had of the Messiah.[10]

Jesus’ immediate response to Peter shows that he articulated the Father’s own view. He received these words from the Father himself, the only one who can reveal the truth of his Son. Only divine revelation can impart true knowledge of the Son.[11]

Yet, this is not the first time that the disciples confessed Jesus as God’s Son. They did so when Jesus got into the boat after saving the drowning Peter (14:33). Here, however, apart from any crisis or danger and in direct response to Jesus’ question, he confesses that his Lord is ‘the Son of the living God.’ Yet, why is this response so unique. As scholars have pointed out, twice the Father named Jesus his Son – at the Baptism (3:17) and Transfiguration (17:5). The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus for acknowledging his identity as God’s Son (26:63-66; 27:39-43). The Roman centurion also confessed him at the foot of the Cross (27:54). This relationship is made public once again in the Trinitarian baptismal formula (28:19).[12]

First of all, what is significant here is that Peter acknowledged that all the hopes of Israel come true in Jesus, God’s Son, whom God the Father has anointed. Secondly, he also acknowledged that Jesus has been put into a special office to accomplish the will of God. Priests, prophets and kings were all anointed to do something. Peter’s words are not only about who Jesus is, but they also signal his understanding that if Jesus is the Anointed One, then God has a special work for Jesus to perform. This may seem obvious until we read verses 21-28, which we will next week, where Jesus reveals more about his mission. Given the confession of Peter about Jesus’ identity as God’s Son and Anointed One, this marks the moment when Jesus must show them what the Christ must do.[13]

What must the Christ do? That takes me to my third point, conclusion. Our passage concludes with Jesus charging the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ (16:20). Conclusion means the end, outcome, final decision or reasoned deduction. We know that when we see Porky Pig appear that the cartoon is over. By the way, did you know that Mel Blanc’s grave marker reads, “That’s All Folks!”? I digress.

Conclusion also means deduction or inference reached by reasoning. So, what are we to conclude from this passage? Jesus’ mission was not only to reveal in human flesh and understanding the ways of God and His Kingdom, but also to save us from Satan, sin, self and death through the Paschal Mystery – his suffering, death and resurrection. That he has accomplished for us. What then are we to do? We must ask not only ‘what is our identity?’ but also ‘what is our mission?’

More than once I have made prayer my third point. I was once asked by the member of another church to offer something more practical. I replied, “Prayer is practical.” How do we come to confess, as Peter did, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God if we are not people who pray?

When St. Paul wrote to the Romans, he asked, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” (11:34). Prayer alone will not let us know the mind of the Lord for it can lead to all sorts of ridiculous speculations, but prayer supported by Scripture and our Confessions will not only lead us into a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ, but also a renewal of our own minds. For Paul continues, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:2).

We have all heard of the word revelation. We may not know that there is private revelation and public revelation. Private revelation may be something that God revealed to you or me as individuals, but rarely has meaning for others. In the case of individuals like Francis of Assisi or Martin Luther, the revelation did have meaning for a great number of other people in different lands and evolving centuries. Public revelation is what has been handed down to us through Scripture and closed with the death of the last Apostle. No one since then has had a personal public experience with the Risen Lord. That is why we need to rely on Scripture for prayer. That is why we turn to the Book of Concord to help us understand more clearly our faith and Lutheran tradition, as well as individuals like Walther and Pieper to distill Law and Gospel.

Friends, as we close, allow me a few minutes on Luther’s prayer.[14] Luther’s emphasized praying based on Scripture, and that one must connect Scripture with prayer. For Luther, prayer was not something merely informed by Scripture, but rather, Scripture is often informed by prayer as well![15]

He could pray with great confidence, knowing that God listens to prayers. Since the sovereign Lord of the universe hears him when he prays, he can pray with great faith. Luther also emphasized listening in prayer.

Luther saw prayer as so vital that he once wrote, “There is no work like prayer. Mumbling with the mouth is easy… but with earnestness of heart to follow the words in deep devotion, that is, with desire and faith, so that one earnestly desires what the words say, and not to doubt that it will be heard: that is a great deed in God’s eyes.”[16]

And for those who prefer the practicality, Luther sought to establish a model of prayer which is ultimately practical. For him, prayer is for the purpose of accomplishing something, not merely for mumbling words. He tries to make this true in his own life, as well as teaching it to others. Because he suffered from chronic headaches and constipation, he made continual requests for prayer showing clearly his unshakeable belief that prayer is an ultimately practical tool for any and every problem and hindrance in the Christian’s life.

Luther wrote A Simple Way to Pray to walk believers through all the initial steps of how to pray, beginning with the reading of Scripture. In one place he wrote, “When your heart has been warmed by such recitation to yourself and is intent upon the matter, kneel or stand with your hands folded and your eyes toward heaven and speak or think as briefly as you can.” His advice is not intended in a legalistic manner, but simply to educate believers on how to pray biblically in very practical ways.

Friends, as I conclude my sermon, I do so not with the words of Philippians, but with one of Luther’s prayers. This one is entitled Grant Us Grace to Serve You.

Lord God, heavenly Father, you do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his evil way and live: We pray, graciously turn from us those punishments which we have deserved by our sins, and grant us grace from now on to serve you in holiness and pureness of living; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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[1] http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/

[2] Ibid.

[3] Confessionalism, Dictionary of Christianity in America (Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 306.

[4] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessionalism_(religion).

[5] Other bodies adhere to the Book of Concord insofar as it is faithful to the Scriptures, which leaves room for the possibility that there might be a contradiction of the Scriptures in the Book of Concord in which case a member of that church would hold to the Scriptures against the Book of Concord.

[6] See Walther, C.F.W. "Why Should Our Pastors, Teachers and Professors Subscribe Unconditionally to the Symbolical Writings of Our Church."

[7] Matthew 1:1, 1:18; Mark 1:1; John 1:17; 17:3

[8] Priest (Heb 2:17), Prophet (Jn 6:14; Mt 13:57; Lk 13:33; 24:19), King (Lk 23:2; Acts 17:7; 1 Cor 15:24; Rev 15:3)

[9] Meier, John P., “Jesus” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990), 1324f.

[10] Viviano, Benedict T., “The Gospel According to Matthew” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990), 659.

[11] Gibbs, Jeffrey A., Matthew 11:2-20:34 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 811.

[12] Ibid, 812, fn 20.

[13] Ibid., 813f.

[14] See Martin Luther on Prayer by Julian Freeman, http://julianfreeman.ca/articles/martin-luther-prayer; A Simple Way To Pray by Martin Luther; https://acollectionofprayers.com/tag/martin-luther;

[15] Freeman.

[16] Ibid.

People, Petition, Purpose

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled People, Petition and Purpose. My focus is on Matthew (15:21-28). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Have you ever noticed how many songs and movies have the word people in the titles? Dozens. Among songs, artists have recorded Everyday People, Short People, C’mon People, All God’s People, Lonely People, Shower the People, and even more I never heard of: Plastic People, Damaged People, Second Hand People and Broken People.

Directors and producers have given us Ruthless, Ordinary and Used People. There have been movies attributed to animals and people, such as Mole People, Cat People, Alligator and Bat People. Personality traits have been featured in such blockbusters as Secret People, Smart, Fierce, Crazy, Terrible, Superfluous, Civilized, Beautiful and Simple People.

We are extremely interested in people. 91 million Americans read the second most popular magazine in the US, People. That may explain why Matthew introduced such unlikely people to demonstrate true faith: The Roman centurion and a Canaanite woman. And so, while focusing on this unlikely person, I begin with my first point about people.

Unlike Zacchaeus, Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene, both the centurion and this woman remain anonymous. Neither Mark nor Matthew mention their names, yet their stories are recorded for a purpose. I will get to that later.

This woman is a Canaanite. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. In Genesis we read that the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon to Gaza to Lasha. If you look at a map, the territory was a vast area west of the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea (10:18). We also read that Isaac warned Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman (28:1); yet, Judah married one (38:2). Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman and Simeon, is mentioned in Genesis (46:10) and Exodus (6:15).

Trouble with the Canaanites begins in Numbers, when the king of Arad heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, and fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.” And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction (21:1ff). Later, the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. … But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” (33:50ff).

During the life of Joshua, the Lord drove out the Canaanites and all other peoples so that the people of Israel could live in the Promised Land (5:1; 13:1ff). After Joshua, Judah and Simeon drove out many peoples. Manasseh, Naphtali, and Zebulun did not drive out the Canaanites, but allowed them to live as forced labor. Ephraim and Asher lived among the Canaanites (Judges 1). Throughout their history, Canaanites and Israelites co-existed, but not always peacefully. The Canaanites did not accept any books of the Bible other than the first five.

Our passage opens by telling us that Jesus went into two cities of Canaanite territory not to engage in pastoral ministry, but to avoid the Jewish opposition to him. Recall that he had just completed a confrontation with scribes and Pharisees who had come from Jerusalem (15:1-20).

Enter the woman. Matthew’s telling of the story is so shocking that he uses the phrase behold to introduce her. “And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out” (15:22). Other versions use the words Suddenly! Lo! Look! and Just then! It’s as if she appeared out of nowhere.

This Canaanite woman is a member of the ancient and idolatrous enemies of God’s people in the promised land, and maybe the least likely of people to elicit mercy from the Jewish Teacher and the most unlikely to acknowledge his true identity.[1] That said, let me move from my first point, people, to my second, petition.

As this woman cries out, she addresses Jesus as Lord and Son of David. In Matthew, the title Lord is typical for Jesus’ disciples to address him. It is a word that comes from faith or the profession of faith. She calls him Lord three times. Even more unexpectedly, she refers to Jesus as Son of David. Most Jews and their religious leaders did not view Jesus as Son of David. Yet, he is rightly acclaimed by individuals who stand at the margins of power, influence, and learning: children (21:15), blind people (9:27ff; 20:29ff) and this Canaanite woman. Even though his own people did not rightly acknowledge Jesus the Christ as Son of David and King of the Jews, she did![2]

Initially, Jesus refuses to speak. And while it is useless to wonder why, your guess is as good as anyone’s. He simply remains silent. We see, however, that his disciples step forward and begin to ask him to send her away. It is the same thing they said to Jesus about the hungry crowds. In that case, it was so the people could depart and buy something to eat in the villages.

Here, is it the disciples’ desire for Jesus to get rid of her without helping her or to give her what she wants so that she will depart and leave them alone? The former would seem that the disciples may be thinking that it is the business of Israel’s Messiah to get rid of every annoying Gentile that comes to him for help. The latter puts into perspective Jesus’ reply TO THE DISCIPLES – “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus is not simply there for his disciples’ convenience or to be some itinerant wandering miracle worker. Jesus exists for a reason, and his reply to their request highlights the unique place in salvation history for the children of Israel.

His identity as Israel’s Messiah and Savior has implications for his relationship with the rest of humanity and the entire creation. And so, the woman persists. A second time on her knees, she calls him Lord and cries out, “Help me!” Now, Jesus speaks to her directly in seemingly harsh words. This Messiah, who just fed 5,000 men with 12 baskets of fragments remaining, and will again provide bread for another 4,000, says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Does she think that she should get what belongs by right and divine economy to Israel? Does she comprehend who Jesus is? Or, is God once again feeding – as He did for 40 years in the desert – an ungrateful, uncomprehending people? In short, here is what Jesus wants to know: Does this Canaanite woman really know who he is, or are the things that she said just words and nothing more?[3]

And so, she speaks and shows her faith. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She gets it. She understands. She agrees. She believes. She believes both in Jesus’ mission to Israel’s lost sheep and his abundance, which also provides for the dogs under their master’s table. (My Golden Retriever, Travis, would have loved being Jesus’ comfort dog!) With her response to Jesus’ saying, her petition is answered. Hence, we move from petition to purpose.

A few weeks ago, when I preached on Jesus feeding the 5,000, I said that it was one of the few times Matthew wrote of Jesus’ emotions. He felt compassion. Here, Matthew does not record how Jesus felt, but I venture to say that Jesus was amazed. We can safely say that not much ever seemed to amaze our Lord. Earlier, however, when another Gentile, the Roman centurion, approached Jesus with the petition to heal his servant, his words showed his faith and understanding. At this Jesus was amazed, and “said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith’” (8:10).[4]

Here, after the Canaanite woman spoke astonishing words about who Jesus is and how he fully provides for Israel and dogs, Matthew wrote that “Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (15:28). In the end, Jesus was amazed at her faith.

So, what is Matthew’s purpose in recording this moment? I mean, how did this anonymous Canaanite woman know anything about Jesus? Who taught her about Israel’s Messiah or him being Son of David? We can only speculate answers to some questions, but this I am willing to bet: God the Father revealed this to her. Matthew records that to unlikely candidates God revealed Jesus’ identity: to the Magi, the Roman centurion, and this Canaanite woman. God hides things from the learned and the clever and reveals them to little children (11:25).

In the context of chapter 15, this anonymous Canaanite woman poses a sharp contrast to the unbelieving Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem. Whereas Jesus was rejected by fellow Jews, Gentiles recognized him as their Lord, who has mercy on them and exorcizes the demon of paganism so that they can join the children at God’s table.[5]

And to us, what is the purpose of this story? To our ears, the woman’s response sounds servile. She seems to accept the role of dog, but Matthew saw her humility as a necessary ingredient of faith. It was appropriate that she acknowledged the historical priority of God’s election of Israel. Paul reminds us in Romans 11 that it is by grace alone that we have been admitted to the ranks of God’s salvation-historical people. We have no right to demand the help of Israel’s Messiah, but like the Canaanite woman, we humbly beg for mercy.[6]

The story reminds me that through grace God reveals to us his compassionate loving-kindness. From the Holy Trinity through Word and Sacrament we have all we need to sustain our Christian life. But personally, I think we desire more than sustenance.

Many Christians claim a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but I ask if we are willing to settle for a personal relationship when we can enjoy an intimate relationship with our Lord? Next week, we will hear Peter confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (16:13). Of course, God the Father revealed that insight to Peter, but beyond that, why did Peter confess first? Why not Andrew or Philip, James or John? Everyone of them had a personal relationship with Jesus. Why Peter?

Peter noticed Jesus. He noticed not only the public pastoral Jesus feeding the multitudes and healing the sick, forgiving sinners and raising the dead, but also the private pious Jesus praying on the mountain alone or in the company of others. He noticed the intimate relationship Jesus had with His Father, and he too desired such a relationship with God.

Friends, you know Jesus from reading about Him and hearing about Him. You have experienced Christ in Word and Sacrament. You have witnessed the power of his word and touch both in the lives of others and in your own. Having witnessed Christ’s power and prayer, his piety and Passion, can you truly be satisfied with a personal relationship when you can enjoy an intimate relationship with Jesus?

In our lives, there are only a couple of people with whom we have an intimate relationship. The first definition of intimate is “marked by a warm friendship developing through long association.”[7] In your heart, do you desire such a relationship with Jesus? If you do, how do you plan on developing this warm friendship through a long association?

Cindy and I have been married now for ten years. We notice new things about each other almost daily. If you are married or have been friends with someone for a long time, I am sure you too have noticed new things about each other. It happens because our association with that person is marked by friendship or love. And the more time we spend loving our spouse or friend, the deeper our relationship develops. A key ingredient in our relationship is daily prayer and daily dialogue.

Martin Luther was famous for the quote, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” You may not be able to spend the first three hours of each day in prayer, but you can spend at least 30 minutes. During your prayer time, approach the Lord as the Canaanite woman by acknowledging Jesus as Lord and beg from him your heart’s desire, accepting God’s will for you. Do that daily for 30 minutes and you will soon notice that you are on your way to developing a warm friendship. As you develop an intimate relation with Jesus, I pray that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Gibbs, 782.

[2] Gibbs, 76 (Vol 1).

[3] Gibbs, 787.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Hare, 179.

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimate.