Someone once wrote a book called The Hard Sayings of Jesus. I’ve sometimes thought that this
could be expanded into a somewhat larger edition called The Hard Sayings in the Bible. Now let’s
be clear; I do believe the Bible to be the Word of God, to be divinely inspired, and “to contain all
things necessary to our salvation and as the rule and ultimate standard of our faith,” as the Lambeth
Quadrilateral says.
But there are certain events and turns of phrase in the scriptures that occasionally grab our
attention and impel us to ask, “Where did that come from?” For me there were a couple in this
mornings’ readings. First is one from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. He writes, “God has bound all
men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” Did you catch that one? I hope
this isn’t too disappointing to you this morning, but I’m not even going there. God’s sovereignty
versus our free will is one I’m going to leave to another time.
Instead I’m going to focus on the Gospel reading, in which Jesus says some other curious words in
response to a Gentile woman’s request for him to deliver her daughter from demons. Jesus’ first
response? “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” In my book, that would
rank right up there in those “Hard Sayings of Jesus.” Actually, as we’ll see I think there’s a pretty
acceptable explanation for this, but it sure gets your attention, doesn’t it?
The story of the Canaanite woman is certainly intriguing, but beyond that it reveals a lot about the
nature of faith, among other things. I’d like to go through the story with you from the top, if I may.
Matthew first writes that Jesus and the disciples left Gennesaret, in Jewish territory, and headed off
to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now, in Gennesaret Jesus had just chewed out the Pharisees over
their misunderstanding of the nature of sin. They were all pushed out of shape over the fact that,
apparently, some of the disciples hadn’t washed their hands before they ate. You know, helpful
spiritual blockbusters issuing once again from the Pharisees. In any case, Jesus then cordially
informed the people that it’s not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what comes
out of it. And he talked about the Pharisees being blind guides leading the blind into a pit. This didn’
t endear Him to them, and I imagine they responded with the usual threats.
So Jesus takes a break from them and brings the disciples into Gentile country. In fact, it was
Canaanite country. In case your Old Testament lore isn’t fresh in your memory, the Canaanites
were the ancient blood enemies of the Jews. So they’re walking along and this Canaanite woman
comes out shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a
demon.” It’s apparent that Jesus’ reputation had preceded him, even here.
At first Jesus does a curious thing. He doesn’t say a word. So the disciples helpfully dash to the
rescue of this anguished woman by saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” She’s
upsetting my shalom! Get her out of here.
Once again the disciples, including Matthew, who wrote this memoir, aren’t painted in the best light.
Out of nowhere comes this Gentile, this Canaanite woman, and she’s being rather loud. The
disciples’ inbuilt prejudices are stoked, and their words are less than welcoming.
Now, before we rush to judgment, let’s think about ourselves for a moment. Who are some of the
people who might show up some day at Hope Church and kindle a little of our own discomfort? Can
you think of anyone who simply doesn’t fit in, or who we associate with a group of people we might
not have had positive experiences with?
The fact of the matter is, it may well be that the Lord will lead some pretty needy and maybe even
odd people to our doors, knowing that the Holy Spirit has gifted us with the charism of healing. Are
we ready for this? Or might we be tempted to be less than enthusiastic about welcoming someone
not only very different from us, but maybe a little loud as well? Things to ponder when we think of
how we as Jesus’ followers strive to be like our Master.
And at first, we may wonder where Jesus himself is coming from in this story. Because right after the
disciples want to dismiss her, in full earshot of the Canaanite woman, Jesus says, “I was sent only to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Indeed, Jesus was sent to be Messiah, the King of the
Jews. But as we’ll see in a moment, there’s a lot more to Jesus’ words than meets the ear.
There’s a definite method here to Jesus’ “madness”. He knows her heart, and waits.
Matthew then says that “she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’” So then Jesus
immediately comforts her and answers her prayer without delay, right? Nope. He stands there and
says, “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Whoa! Is this the same Jesus
who had pity on the 5000 and performed a miracle out of His compassion?
Now, two things need to be said about Jesus’ words at this point. First, when an eyewitness records
dialogue, we aren’t privy to the speakers’ facial expressions, body language, and so forth. These
can tell us a lot. I have a strong suspicion that they would tell us a lot if we had a video recording of
this incident. I’m going to ask you to imagine this: What if Jesus was saying these words (about
giving food to the dogs) with a challenging, playful twinkle in His eye? That with His disarming smile
He was deliberately probing for a response from this bold Gentile woman who loved her daughter so
much. That casts a little different light on this interaction, and one that’s completely consistent with
Jesus’ character. I suspect it looked a lot like this.
The second thing has to do with the word “dogs.” To me this evokes an image of mangy,
scavenging curs prowling the streets of Tyre and Sidon, hungrily devouring scraps dropped in the
dust. But the Greek word used here is in the diminutive form, which refers more to one’s little pet
dog. You know, like Freddy, or Bon Jovi, or Leo and Kai, or any number of Hope’s four-legged
friends! Now, this may still not seem exactly like a compliment, but offered in the playful way that I
suspect Jesus offers it, it invites a comeback.
And the Canaanite woman doesn’t disappoint. She replies, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Have you ever seen that little drawing titled, “Jesus
Laughing?” This is the image I get as I picture Jesus responding to her. I hear Jesus kindly
laughing, then see him smiling broadly as he says, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for
you as you wish.” And Matthew writes that “her daughter was healed instantly.”
There’s a pattern to this event that I think suggests something to all of us. It has to do with
something I suspect every one of us has experienced at one time or another. We ask the Lord for
something that seems perfectly reasonable and seemingly within God’s will for us. We can see no
possible reason that a loving God wouldn’t act quickly to bring us relief or blessing. But nothing
happens. (At least nothing we can immediately see.) We boldly take the risk of opening our hearts
to the Lord. Perhaps we’re aware of the fact that someone we know has had a prayer answered,
and all we want is to be treated with the same kindness. So we pray. But we seem to be met with
silence. If there’s ever something that’s likely to jar our faith, I think this is it. It’s one of the most
common issues people bring to pastoral counseling, at least in my experience.
While I don’t want in any way to diminish the reality of our sadness and frustration when this
happens, a couple of things need to be said about the nature of prayer. First, we Americans tend to
be a bit impatient. We live in a country that’s blessed with prosperity and technology, and we’re
used to getting quick results when there are things we need or want. (With the possible exception of
certain local government bureaucracies involved in certain building projects, for example.) But I
digress.
And shouldn’t we expect a quick reply from God when we pray? After all, Jesus said, “Ask, and it will
be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.” You’re
probably tired of me bringing up the original Greek of the New Testament over and over again. But
this is another case of a slightly inadequate translation. According to Matthew, Jesus actually used
the continuing present tense, which is much better translated as, “Keep on asking, and it will be
given you. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to
you.” Do you hear the difference? What we hear as an unconditional promise of rapid results Jesus
intended as a directive to persevere. Just like the Canaanite woman.
What would have happened with her daughter if the woman had simply walked away after Jesus’
initial silence? And then again after Jesus verbally sparred with her about whether it was
appropriate for him to answer the prayer of a Gentile and an ancestral enemy. Would her daughter
still have been healed had she not kept at it? I don’t know for sure.
But it was only after she persisted that Jesus answered her prayer. Jesus appeared to be testing
her sincerity and dedication. And sometimes, for whatever reason, the Lord allows us not only
delays, but extended periods of testing. And make no mistake, these aren’t easy times. One such
period back in the 16th Century culminated in St. Teresa of Avila being thrown into a mud puddle by
her trusty horse. She was overheard to look up and say, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends,
it’s no wonder you have so few of them!” It happens to the best of them.
But as we’ve said before, as one who knew hardship as well as anyone I can think of, St. Paul
encouraged the Christians in Rome to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in
prayer.” He’s saying, “If you really want to succeed as a follower of Jesus, you need to remember
the fact that the Lord is faithful. You can expect an answer in His time. And you need to be patient
in the mean time, and keep on praying!” That’s the formula.
We at Hope are no strangers to fits and starts and delayed gratification. The perseverance of the
faithful in this congregation is on the verge of bearing fruit. But this isn’t destination; it’s just the
beginning. Now is when we really need to begin praying in earnest for obedience and a fruitful
ministry. We need to pray persistently that the Lord will send to us those He wants touched by His
love in this church community, and to keep raising up people to be vessels of His grace and truth.
For young people to come and hear the good news and be healed. For the financial means to
generously support missionary efforts, and many other things.
While we haven’t worked out all the details yet, this fall we’re going to ask those who are willing, to
begin praying with special discipline and perseverance for exactly these things. We’re going to be
deliberate and systematic about it. Because really, persistent prayer is at the very foundation of our
ministry. And now, I pray that we literally and figuratively “rejoice in Hope.” I pray that we’ll be
genuinely patient in waiting on the Lord, and most of all, that we’ll each dedicate ourselves to the
prayer from which the success of our ministry will draw its nourishment. May God place the hunger
in our hearts to do exactly that.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
could be expanded into a somewhat larger edition called The Hard Sayings in the Bible. Now let’s
be clear; I do believe the Bible to be the Word of God, to be divinely inspired, and “to contain all
things necessary to our salvation and as the rule and ultimate standard of our faith,” as the Lambeth
Quadrilateral says.
But there are certain events and turns of phrase in the scriptures that occasionally grab our
attention and impel us to ask, “Where did that come from?” For me there were a couple in this
mornings’ readings. First is one from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. He writes, “God has bound all
men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” Did you catch that one? I hope
this isn’t too disappointing to you this morning, but I’m not even going there. God’s sovereignty
versus our free will is one I’m going to leave to another time.
Instead I’m going to focus on the Gospel reading, in which Jesus says some other curious words in
response to a Gentile woman’s request for him to deliver her daughter from demons. Jesus’ first
response? “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” In my book, that would
rank right up there in those “Hard Sayings of Jesus.” Actually, as we’ll see I think there’s a pretty
acceptable explanation for this, but it sure gets your attention, doesn’t it?
The story of the Canaanite woman is certainly intriguing, but beyond that it reveals a lot about the
nature of faith, among other things. I’d like to go through the story with you from the top, if I may.
Matthew first writes that Jesus and the disciples left Gennesaret, in Jewish territory, and headed off
to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now, in Gennesaret Jesus had just chewed out the Pharisees over
their misunderstanding of the nature of sin. They were all pushed out of shape over the fact that,
apparently, some of the disciples hadn’t washed their hands before they ate. You know, helpful
spiritual blockbusters issuing once again from the Pharisees. In any case, Jesus then cordially
informed the people that it’s not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what comes
out of it. And he talked about the Pharisees being blind guides leading the blind into a pit. This didn’
t endear Him to them, and I imagine they responded with the usual threats.
So Jesus takes a break from them and brings the disciples into Gentile country. In fact, it was
Canaanite country. In case your Old Testament lore isn’t fresh in your memory, the Canaanites
were the ancient blood enemies of the Jews. So they’re walking along and this Canaanite woman
comes out shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a
demon.” It’s apparent that Jesus’ reputation had preceded him, even here.
At first Jesus does a curious thing. He doesn’t say a word. So the disciples helpfully dash to the
rescue of this anguished woman by saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” She’s
upsetting my shalom! Get her out of here.
Once again the disciples, including Matthew, who wrote this memoir, aren’t painted in the best light.
Out of nowhere comes this Gentile, this Canaanite woman, and she’s being rather loud. The
disciples’ inbuilt prejudices are stoked, and their words are less than welcoming.
Now, before we rush to judgment, let’s think about ourselves for a moment. Who are some of the
people who might show up some day at Hope Church and kindle a little of our own discomfort? Can
you think of anyone who simply doesn’t fit in, or who we associate with a group of people we might
not have had positive experiences with?
The fact of the matter is, it may well be that the Lord will lead some pretty needy and maybe even
odd people to our doors, knowing that the Holy Spirit has gifted us with the charism of healing. Are
we ready for this? Or might we be tempted to be less than enthusiastic about welcoming someone
not only very different from us, but maybe a little loud as well? Things to ponder when we think of
how we as Jesus’ followers strive to be like our Master.
And at first, we may wonder where Jesus himself is coming from in this story. Because right after the
disciples want to dismiss her, in full earshot of the Canaanite woman, Jesus says, “I was sent only to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Indeed, Jesus was sent to be Messiah, the King of the
Jews. But as we’ll see in a moment, there’s a lot more to Jesus’ words than meets the ear.
There’s a definite method here to Jesus’ “madness”. He knows her heart, and waits.
Matthew then says that “she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’” So then Jesus
immediately comforts her and answers her prayer without delay, right? Nope. He stands there and
says, “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Whoa! Is this the same Jesus
who had pity on the 5000 and performed a miracle out of His compassion?
Now, two things need to be said about Jesus’ words at this point. First, when an eyewitness records
dialogue, we aren’t privy to the speakers’ facial expressions, body language, and so forth. These
can tell us a lot. I have a strong suspicion that they would tell us a lot if we had a video recording of
this incident. I’m going to ask you to imagine this: What if Jesus was saying these words (about
giving food to the dogs) with a challenging, playful twinkle in His eye? That with His disarming smile
He was deliberately probing for a response from this bold Gentile woman who loved her daughter so
much. That casts a little different light on this interaction, and one that’s completely consistent with
Jesus’ character. I suspect it looked a lot like this.
The second thing has to do with the word “dogs.” To me this evokes an image of mangy,
scavenging curs prowling the streets of Tyre and Sidon, hungrily devouring scraps dropped in the
dust. But the Greek word used here is in the diminutive form, which refers more to one’s little pet
dog. You know, like Freddy, or Bon Jovi, or Leo and Kai, or any number of Hope’s four-legged
friends! Now, this may still not seem exactly like a compliment, but offered in the playful way that I
suspect Jesus offers it, it invites a comeback.
And the Canaanite woman doesn’t disappoint. She replies, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Have you ever seen that little drawing titled, “Jesus
Laughing?” This is the image I get as I picture Jesus responding to her. I hear Jesus kindly
laughing, then see him smiling broadly as he says, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for
you as you wish.” And Matthew writes that “her daughter was healed instantly.”
There’s a pattern to this event that I think suggests something to all of us. It has to do with
something I suspect every one of us has experienced at one time or another. We ask the Lord for
something that seems perfectly reasonable and seemingly within God’s will for us. We can see no
possible reason that a loving God wouldn’t act quickly to bring us relief or blessing. But nothing
happens. (At least nothing we can immediately see.) We boldly take the risk of opening our hearts
to the Lord. Perhaps we’re aware of the fact that someone we know has had a prayer answered,
and all we want is to be treated with the same kindness. So we pray. But we seem to be met with
silence. If there’s ever something that’s likely to jar our faith, I think this is it. It’s one of the most
common issues people bring to pastoral counseling, at least in my experience.
While I don’t want in any way to diminish the reality of our sadness and frustration when this
happens, a couple of things need to be said about the nature of prayer. First, we Americans tend to
be a bit impatient. We live in a country that’s blessed with prosperity and technology, and we’re
used to getting quick results when there are things we need or want. (With the possible exception of
certain local government bureaucracies involved in certain building projects, for example.) But I
digress.
And shouldn’t we expect a quick reply from God when we pray? After all, Jesus said, “Ask, and it will
be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.” You’re
probably tired of me bringing up the original Greek of the New Testament over and over again. But
this is another case of a slightly inadequate translation. According to Matthew, Jesus actually used
the continuing present tense, which is much better translated as, “Keep on asking, and it will be
given you. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to
you.” Do you hear the difference? What we hear as an unconditional promise of rapid results Jesus
intended as a directive to persevere. Just like the Canaanite woman.
What would have happened with her daughter if the woman had simply walked away after Jesus’
initial silence? And then again after Jesus verbally sparred with her about whether it was
appropriate for him to answer the prayer of a Gentile and an ancestral enemy. Would her daughter
still have been healed had she not kept at it? I don’t know for sure.
But it was only after she persisted that Jesus answered her prayer. Jesus appeared to be testing
her sincerity and dedication. And sometimes, for whatever reason, the Lord allows us not only
delays, but extended periods of testing. And make no mistake, these aren’t easy times. One such
period back in the 16th Century culminated in St. Teresa of Avila being thrown into a mud puddle by
her trusty horse. She was overheard to look up and say, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends,
it’s no wonder you have so few of them!” It happens to the best of them.
But as we’ve said before, as one who knew hardship as well as anyone I can think of, St. Paul
encouraged the Christians in Rome to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in
prayer.” He’s saying, “If you really want to succeed as a follower of Jesus, you need to remember
the fact that the Lord is faithful. You can expect an answer in His time. And you need to be patient
in the mean time, and keep on praying!” That’s the formula.
We at Hope are no strangers to fits and starts and delayed gratification. The perseverance of the
faithful in this congregation is on the verge of bearing fruit. But this isn’t destination; it’s just the
beginning. Now is when we really need to begin praying in earnest for obedience and a fruitful
ministry. We need to pray persistently that the Lord will send to us those He wants touched by His
love in this church community, and to keep raising up people to be vessels of His grace and truth.
For young people to come and hear the good news and be healed. For the financial means to
generously support missionary efforts, and many other things.
While we haven’t worked out all the details yet, this fall we’re going to ask those who are willing, to
begin praying with special discipline and perseverance for exactly these things. We’re going to be
deliberate and systematic about it. Because really, persistent prayer is at the very foundation of our
ministry. And now, I pray that we literally and figuratively “rejoice in Hope.” I pray that we’ll be
genuinely patient in waiting on the Lord, and most of all, that we’ll each dedicate ourselves to the
prayer from which the success of our ministry will draw its nourishment. May God place the hunger
in our hearts to do exactly that.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Prize for Perseverance
Matthew 15:21-28
Matthew 15:21-28
August 17, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton