Matthew 15,21-28 1723
Reminiscere 26
Eusebius of Cremona, Abbot at Bethlehem, 5th c.
5. März 2023
1. ℣ Remember, O Yahweh, Thy tender mercies and Thy merciful steadfast love:
℟ For they have been ever of old (Psalm 25,6).
O Yahweh, Thou Comfort of the distressed; consider our afflictions and forgive all our sins, so that we may live each day in peace and security. Amen. (Psalm 77,14-15 Gradual)
2. »And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 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.“ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples went and begged Him, saying: „Send her away, for she is crying out after us.“ He answered: „I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.“ But she approached and worshipped Him, saying: „Lord, help me.“ And He answered: „It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.“ She said: „Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.“ Then Jesus answered her: „O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.“ And her daughter was healed instantly.«
3. Today’s Gospel pericope tells us that Jesus travelled to the district of Tyre and Sidon. These 2 cities were northwest of Galilee and situated in the province of Syria. The Romans had exercised rulership of Syria since 64 bc, nearly 100 years prior to the events in Matthew 15. Tyre was a Gentile city. Why Jesus goes there is not mentioned by Matthew, but 2 possible reasons are: 1. Jesus leaves Galilee to seek solitude and rest from His. ministry to the Jewish crowds; 2. Jesus may have wanted to preach to a Gentile audience and thus expand His ministry to all the nations. There is some merit to this 2. possibility based on vs. 17-20, where Jesus teaches the Pharisees and His disciples that external things, like eating without washing your hands, do not make you unclean, but internal things make one unclean, such as proceeds forth from one’s heart and mouth. The Pharisees would argue a Jew going to Tyre has made one unclean for fraternizing with Gentiles. To prove His point, Jesus goes to Gentile territory and preaches to the Gentiles.
4. A prominent misconception among Jesus’ Jewish peers is that the Messiah is only for them. The Prophet Isaiah, however, said otherwise: »Thus says God, Yahweh: „I am Yahweh; I have called You in righteousness; I will give You as a covenant for the people, a light for the Gentiles“« (Isaiah 42,6). And again: »Yahweh says: „I will make You as a light for the Gentiles, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth“« (Isaiah 49,6).
5. The Canaanite woman who seeks Jesus is a quintessential representative of the Gentiles. Conventional wisdom among the Jews of that time was this woman was an idolator, apart from God’s grace and the fact that her daughter was demon-possessed is the result of worshipping false gods; her daughter’s suffering therefore was her fault. It was an harsh assessment, but it was the general opinion of Jesus’ generation. It was the overall assessment of Job’s 3 friends that he must have done something to deserve his suffering. This is often the default thinking among people today, even among Christians. Jesus Himself addressed this opinion several times in the Gospels, particularly: »There were some present at that very time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered them: „Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.“« (Luke 13,1-3).
6. To our 21. century Western ears, Jesus’ initial dialogue with the Canaanite woman may seem shocking. He sets forth the order of things: He is the Messiah, and He ministers to the Jews. Her response is profound: she approached Jesus and worshipped Him. The English translations prefer to translate that phrase as she knelt before Him, but a good case can be made to translate it as worship. The Greek verb used occurs 12 times in Matthew (2 times in Mark and 3 times in Luke). The English goes with worship when the Magi see Jesus and when the disciples see Jesus walk on the water (Matthew 2,2.11; 14,33). Also, twice after His Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples worship Him (Matthew 28,9.17). It is highly inferred by the context that the Magi have faith in Jesus, and it is explicitly stated that the disciples have faith in Jesus throughout the Gospels. Jesus declares that this Canaanite woman has faith in Him. Faith in Jesus leads to worship of Jesus. It is probable that this Canaanite woman who exhibits faith in Jesus falls before Him and worships Him; she is perhaps the first Gentile to do so in the Gospels!
7. This woman’s faith in, and worship of, Jesus elicits this response: »O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.« Compare this to what Jesus says to His disciples a chapter earlier when Peter began to sink under the waves: »O you of little faith, why did you doubt?« (Matthew 14,31). A Gentile woman has greater faith than the Apostle Peter! O that the Holy Spirit would bless us with such great faith as that shown by this Canaanite woman, for suffering and tribulation often sap our faith, lead us to doubt and reveal how little our faith truly is. In this we are similar to Peter in chapter 14.
8. We are prone to doubt and have little faith; thus, Lententide is a season for us to acknowledge our little faith, read more Scripture, pray more and petition the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Lententide reminds us to humble ourselves and seek Jesus’ mercy. The Prophet Micah writes: »O man, love mercy and walk humbly with your God« (Micah 6,8). The Prophet Isaiah writes: »God shows merciful steadfast love on you« (Isaiah 30,18).
9. If you are weighed down with despair, trials, tribulations or ailments, then seek Jesus and His merciful steadfast love for He is ready to forgive, is gracious and merciful, is slow to anger and is abounding in loving-kindness (Nehemiah 9,17). Jesus is merciful toward your iniquities and will remember your sins no more (Jeremiah 31,34; Hebrews 8,12). The Canaanite woman knew that the bread of the Messiah is so abundant and so overflowing that parts of it fall from the table onto the floor (Gibbs 787), and these crumbs are enough for her and her daughter (Gibbs 787). Whether Jesus gives you much or little in answer to your prayers, know that what He gives will suffice and strengthen you in both temporal and spiritual needs. The Apostle Paul exhorts us: »we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us« (Romans 5,3-5).
10. O beautiful Tree of life of paradise,
Gracious Jesus, Lamb of God on earth.
You are for our life the true Savior,
our Redeemer. (Du schöner Lebensbaum elkg 429,1 2021 Dieter Trautwein, Vilmos Gyöngyösi 1974 nach dem ungar.)
This is most certainly true.
11. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
12. Let us pray. O God, who gavest Thy beloved Son, the holy One and just, the meek and lowly in heart, to be the pattern of our living, help us, who must be measured by His measure and compared with His beauty, both to long and to strive after His likeness that all men may know that we have been with Jesus; to the glory of Thy Name. Amen. (Reminiscere, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)
To God alone be the Glory
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Matthew 11:2 – 20:34. Copyright © 2010 Concordia Publishing House.
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