One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you
Matthew 15,21-28 5012
17. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 062
Jerome, Pastor and Translator, + 419
30. September 2012
O Holy Spirit, who inspired the Prophets and Apostles to write the Holy Scriptures, grant unto us faithful pastors and bishops to preach Your Word in truth and purity. We forget at times that You move in the world and work in our history. You do so to save us from ourselves and our sins. Help us to constantly look unto Jesus for our salvation. Amen.
Our sermon text this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to Matthew, where the holy apostle writes: And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then a Canaanite woman from that region came out crying, saying: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying: “Send her away, because she’s crying out after us.” But He answered and said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and bowed down before Him, saying: “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said: “It’s not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the house dogs.” But she said: “Yes, Lord; because even the house dogs eat the small crumbs falling from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her: “O woman, your faith is great: let it be done for you as you desire.”And her daughter was healed that very hour. This is our text.
As the Gospel of Matthew unfolds Christ’s ministry, we have now heard two instances where Jesus remarks upon faith. The first was in Matthew 8 where Jesus remarks that He hasn’t found such faith in Israel as He has seen in the Roman centurion. And the second is Matthew 15 where Jesus remarks that this Canaanite woman’s faith is great.
In the ministry of Jesus, we are still a chapter away from the great declaration of the apostles that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And even after this declaration of faith, we often wonder just how much these apostles understood this confession of faith. The same is true among the other disciples of Jesus; just how much do they know about Him? Is their faith like those of the centurion or the woman?
This woman, like the centurion, is not Jewish. She’s a Gentile. What business does she have knowing about Christ, let alone believing in Him? After all, she’s a Canaanite, a descendant of Israel’s ancient Old Testament enemies. Her people are idolaters. What can she possibly expect from Jesus.
Well, this poor woman has a terrible problem. Her daughter is demon-possessed. And it’s pretty serious. It’s on the order of “The Exorcist” severity. Life can’t continue on like this. No one should have to endure such torment, let alone a little girl.
Nevertheless, Jesus tells this woman that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. She’s a Canaanite, and Jesus hasn’t finished His ministry among Israel, which comes first. I mean, even the apostles understood this. Jesus isn’t the fulfillment of a generic set of promises. God never promised that His Son would descend from one of the families of Canaan. God did, however, promise a number of times that His Son would descend through a specific family from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the Son of David, the messiah of Israel.
Does this mean Jesus is only the messiah of Israel? Doesn’t He care about the Gentiles?
Our reading from Isaiah 56 shows us that Jesus also cares about the Gentiles, yes, even this Canaanite woman. Isaiah says that the Gentiles will join themselves to Yahweh (Isaiah 56.6). In fact, Isaiah promises twelve times throughout his book that Israel’s messiah will also be a blessing to the Gentiles. Isaiah prophesies that the Christ is to be a light to the Gentiles and God’s salvation as far as the end of the earth (Isaiah 49.6).
And this Canaanite woman knows this. She calls Jesus, “Lord, Son of David.” This phrase is an Israelite way of speaking. Only a handful of Pharisees called Jesus by this divine title, and perhaps only several hundred Israelites also use this title for Jesus during His ministry.
And her declaration “Lord, Son of David” links to Jesus’ declaration “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The messiah of Israel isn’t only for Israel, but He is for them first. The Apostle Paul followed a similar procedure: He preached the gospel to Israel first, and then to the Gentiles.
She not only agrees with Jesus, but she also understands that Jesus is the messiah of Israel and she’s merely a Canaanite. It’s enough for her to merely receive the crumbs of the messiah. She’s not asking for the children’s bread, but merely asking for the crumbs that are appointed from the messiah’s table for the Gentiles. She has a profound understanding of who Jesus is.
We all want to have a greater faith that is humble enough to realize that divine crumbs are enough. Faith isn’t great because our own selves. The Canaanite woman’s faith wasn’t great on her own account. Faith is great because of Jesus, for He is the object of our faith.
The crumbs from Jesus’ table were more than enough to cast out a demon that was severely possessing this woman’s daughter. What a comfort to us when we are in need of Christ’s mercy! And Luther picked up on this. Each section in his Small Catechism has a woodcut depicting an event from the Bible. Matthew 15.21-28 appears in his catechism, in the Lord’s Prayer, the 7th Petition, which is: “But deliver us from evil. What does this mean? Answer: We pray in this petition … that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.”
Jesus teaches us in Matthew 15, and Luther reinforces it in his catechism, that all our solace and salvation stand within the clear word of the gospel. This gospel is God’s holy truth and His blessed word (Apology 12.3). And this solace and salvation are just the crumbs! Just a little bit from Christ is enough to calm our fears, deliver us from the worst the devil can inflict upon us, and provide for all our needs.
Do you see how loving and gracious our Lord Jesus Christ is to us? A few simple words are enough to put the devil to flight. Faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. Plain words proclaim the gospel. A few handfuls of water bring a child into God’s reign. A little wafer and a sip of wine brings the forgiveness of our trespasses. These means are mere crumbs when compared to the awesome power and divinity of Christ Jesus.
But just a small sampling of Christ’s divinity is more than we will ever need to deal with the trials and tribulations of this world. The Canaanite woman knew this and believed this. Yes, Christ was ministering to the Israelites. Nevertheless, there’s enough of Him to go around and she only needs a few crumbs of His grace to heal her daughter, because a few crumbs from the Lord’s table is more satisfying than all the food consumed in the world in a day.
And we only need a little because Christ has given so much. His sacrifice on the cross was so enormous and universal that all the sins of the world have been forgiven. And with forgiveness comes the end the devil’s tyranny that manifests itself in our lives. “To be sure, we attain the forgiveness of sins through faith. This word is not our word, but the voice and word of Jesus Christ, our savior” (Apology 12.2).
Christian faith is the medium lepticon (the means of reception): a special creation and gift of God whose only purpose is to receive God’s gifts. And this faith is simple trust in Christ’s words. He says He forgives us, and we believe Him. We don’t need to comprehend all the particulars of this redemption. We don’t need to write an essay on forgiveness with many footnotes and impressive sounding Greek and Latin words. We only need to believe what Christ says. That’s it. And we have what He promises. Just like the Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman. A little grace from our great savior, Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You build up Jerusalem and gather the outcasts of Israel, You heal the broken-hearted and binds up our wounds, send Your Holy Spirit to be a light to enlighten us, the Gentiles, with the assurance of our forgiveness and providence that comes from Your might hand. Amen.
To God alone be the Glory
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 3rd Edition © 1987 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart and The Greek New Testament, 3rd Edition (Corrected) © 1983 by the United Bible Societies.
All quotations from the Book of Concord are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12th Edition © 1998 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
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