Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (2009)

Faith Seeks the Blessings of Christ Rev. Toby Byrd

Mark 7:24-30 (ESV)

And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. [25] But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. [26] Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. [27] And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." [28] But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." [29] And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." [30] And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Beset by trials, tribulations, dissension, and divisiveness, we cannot help but confess, “The devil has been set loose!” In fact, this is the case. Satan, the old evil foe, is alive and well in the world and in the church. He is shrewd and powerful. He can twist minds and perverts hearts, just witness what he did to Eve in the garden; and she walked with God everyday. He is the ruler of the darkness of this world. We learn from the history of Job that God may even permit Satan to vex and plague His people. The devil can fan the flames of evil until they become a veritable inferno, threatening to consume everything; including us.

Although the devil is the prince of this world, he is not its Lord. God still rules and ever remains the devil’s master. In the wilderness temptation the Son of God fought with Satan for the soul of humanity, and He triumphed. Moreover, He clinched that victory when on the Cross He made the final and inclusive payment for the guilt of all men. By faith we share in the fruits of that victory. Like Paul, we may be buffeted by Satan and his messengers, but faith will lead us to call upon the Holy Spirit to rescue us from Satan’s grasp. In the midst of hell on earth we can defiantly sing: “Though devil’s all the would should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill, They shall not overpower us.” Our faith lays claim to the victory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who overcame the world and the devil, rescuing us from eternal death. Therefore, to see such a faith, let us opens our hearts and minds to God’s Word of Gospel for today that tells us the story of Faith that Seeks the Blessings of Christ.

In today’s Gospel Reading, St. Mark relates the story of a woman of great faith who by faith secured her daughter’s release from Satan’s bondage. A faith like hers can make you and me more than mere conquerors through Him who loves us (Rom. 8:37). For great faith like hers leads us to see Jesus as the One and only Savior of man; it leads us to recognize the Power and Grace of Christ; and it shows us that such a great faith like hers is truly humble. This woman’s faith was great because, in the first place, it clung to Jesus the Messiah and Savior.

Our Lord had left the populated sections of the Sea of Galilee and taken His ministry into the lonely, desolate, and pagan northwest region of the province of Galilee. Some suggest He did this because the populated areas were becoming dangerous for Him, with the Pharisees and the Scribes constantly challenging His ministry. Truth is He spoke so plainly to His enemies that His friends were worried for His safety. In fact, “The disciples came and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’” (Matthew 15:12 ESV). Sadly, these educated, religious men, who were His very countrymen, men who knew of the Messiah to come, men who should have known better, were the most stiff-necked and hard-of-heart of all the people. However, our Lord’s ministry of love was a powerful demonstration of His divine origin and His Messianic mission. Yet, the Pharisee’s would not believe. The rejected all evidence of the truth, refused to listen to His word, and persisted in regarding Him as a deceiver.

Regardless of the Pharisee’s rejection, we can see that faith may appear in the most unsuspected places. Here in this out-of-the-way border country a Canaanite woman, Mark calls her a Syrophonecian, appeals to our Lord for mercy.

Learning of the whereabouts of our Lord, the woman comes and throws herself at his feet begging Him to heal her demon possessed daughter. St. Matthew writes, “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” (Matthew 15:22 ESV). Invoking the words of the Kyrie, “Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us,” the woman confesses her faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This heathen woman, who most likely had never seen Jesus before this day, had full confidence in His miraculous powers simply from listening to the reports of His miracle healings. Thus, through this listening just as listening to the preached Word of God, the Holy Spirit created in her a strong and vibrant faith in the Lord. She trusted Jesus implicitly as the Great Helper, the Savior. Thus, this Gentile woman of little note, had put to shame the all-knowing, pious Jews who had all they truly needed to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. She believed. They rejected. Her Faith Sought the Blessings of Christ.

Great faith always starts with this fundamental proposition: Jesus is my Savior! It is not enough to believe that a man called Jesus lived two-thousand years ago. It is not enough to believe that He was a holy man, a beautiful character, a perfect pattern of life for all of us. It is not enough to know the details of His life and death. The trouble with so much that is called faith today is that it truly never gets beyond these points. In fact, much of what is called faith today is simply the work righteousness of those who believe their work replaces faith. Thus, it never amounts to much. It is a faith without strength, without vigor, without life. In times of trials and tribulations it fails to rescue, in fact, it vanishes altogether. As such, it is not the saving faith of Christendom. It is not the saving faith by which this woman clung to Jesus as her Savior. How about you? Do you know more about Jesus than did the Jews of His day?

For all of you who have completed the Catechism, I’m sure you can you still recite Luther’s explanation of the Second Article. However, for those who never knew it or who have forgotten it, let me refresh your memory. “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, This is most certainly true.” Now, the question is, “do you, with all your heart and soul, believe this confession, staking your life on it for now and for eternity?” Can you, like the Canaanite woman say with confidence that your Faith always Seeks the Blessings of Christ?

This woman’s faith was great in the second place, because it recognized both, the power and the grace of Jesus. There’s little doubt she was in great need of help. Because of her daughter’s condition, her life had taken a tragic turn. She was filled with anxiety and her happiness had been wrecked. Thus she comes to Jesus and “begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter” (v. 26). All of us grieve when a loved one of ours suffers from an illness, whether physical or mental. Death brings on an even greater grief. However, to see a beloved child the victim of a foul and evil spirit, that is by far much worst. There is no physician than can heal her affliction. Moreover, Satan laughs at all who believe they have the power to heal such a condition. Only God can rescue us from demonic possession.

Thus, this pagan woman saw in Jesus the Lord God Omnipotent, the ability to give her what she so desperately sought. She had no doubt about His healing power. If she had, she would not have been so persistent in her appeal. Nor did she question His love, His grace, or His willingness to help. However, as we see, our Lord put her faith to the test. He appeared to be blind to her need and deaf to her cry. He answered, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs” (v. 27).

St. Matthew tells us that the apostles were upset that this woman had come, brothering our Lord, crying after Him. He also shows us a Jesus who at first was silent to her plea. When He did answer, He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 (ESV). This was indeed the mission God had laid before Him. Jesus’ ministry was to the Jews. However, the Gentiles were not to be forgotten because they were to be served by the apostles. This was God’s plan. Yet this tenacious woman was not to be dismissed so easily, she would not give up petitioning the Lord for help. Her faith told her that Jesus could and would help, that He had the power to command the demons of hell, and that He would not spurn even a Gentile woman.

This is what made her faith so great, much greater than the faith of many people today. When things are going well, it isn’t difficult to believe that God is in heaven and that He really loves us. We even give thanks to Him for our good fortune. However, when things go bad, when all hell breaks loose and life’s foundations begin to crumble, when wealth and health and happiness begin to disappear and death looms close, it’s not uncommon to take on a different attitude. Under such circumstances the question becomes prevalent, “can we believe in Jesus and His power and love?” Such a situation is an acid test of faith and reveals whether it is real or counterfeit. There are people who go to pieces when disaster hits. They cry out that there is no God, that He does not love them, that the devil rules; and so they show that they never really did believe. However, regardless of what Jesus said or did, the woman in today’s Gospel never flinched, she remained certain of Jesus. She had faith, a great faith! How about yours?

In the third place, this woman’s faith was great because it was humble. Jesus had told the woman, “you’re not a Jew, and therefore, it is not my business to help you.”

What kind of a reaction would you have if someone said to you, “No, I can’t help you, I am sent only to help the people of Oklahoma. You Texans, you’re only dogs.” Undoubtedly, these are words which would create friction; they are abrasive. This would be a great insult. However, in the middle-east it is even worse. The Jews considered the wild dogs which roamed the street to be altogether unclean, just as they did Gentiles. Thus, this would appear to be a rebuff of this woman by Jesus. However, Jesus did not close the door entirely on this woman, for in his answer He used a word which meant “little dog”, those which were commonly kept in the house as pets for the children. Thus, this woman’s faith was keen enough to detect the subtle difference. A ray of hope still glimmered within her heart. She didn’t take offense at our Lord’s words. She did not get mad and stalk away in anger, muttering, “What? Call me a dog? I’ll not take that from anyone!” Rather, she picked up the word that Jesus used and made it yield great dividends. Even after hearing these words of rejection, she never wavers. Rather than argue with Him, she responds by saying, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs” (v. 28).

“Yes, Lord, I am satisfied to be a dog, but remember, a little dog is the children’s pet, and when they eat, these little dogs are there, under the table, eager to pick up what ever crumbs fall from the children’s plates. I don’t want to rob the children; I don’t want to take what is rightfully theirs I just want a crumb, a mere morsel that falls from the table, one that would be of no benefit to them. Please, help my daughter.” This is faith, true faith, faith that knows that our Lord will answer the petitions of the faithful. It is a faith which calls forth the Lord’s highest praise and secures the blessing she desired. Our Lord Jesus turns to her and says, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter” (v. 29). Immediately, her daughter was made whole. The woman returns to her home and finds her daughter laying in her bed, healed, the demon had left her. Her faith that sought the Blessings of Christ had been rewarded.

Great faith is always humble. It does not presume. It does not prescribe. It willingly accepts what God says and does. Although we may think that we’re being kicked around like a cur dog, faith will not complain. After all, “we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment.” In the Lenten hymn, “Alas, And Did My Savior Bleed” we find the words, “Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” I find it foolish that today’s namby-pamby Christianity would complain at singing that because it sounds so humiliating, so degrading. Yet in God’s sight we are no better than worms. What good thing can He see in us? All our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags in His sight. Only our Lord’s death on Calvary’s Cross, rescued us from the sentence of eternal death.

Faith knows all of this. It has no illusions about sinful humanity. God has pronounced judgment upon it in His Word, and faith does not question it. Nor does it quarrel with the decrees of divine Providence. God moves in a mysterious way and it’s beyond our limited intellect to figure Him out. Faith does not question, because faith is always satisfied. It is absolutely certain of God’s love. The events of Good Friday taught us that lesson and we relearn that lesson and have it strengthened at every celebration of Holy Communion.

Because of our human weakness of trusting in ourselves more than God, there are times we dare to think that God could be wrong, that His way of handling our affairs is not right. This is a sin for which we must constantly seek God’s forgiveness and plead for the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith against doubt and rebellion. In such times the Syrophoenecian woman can teach us much. Great faith is not merely a matter of persistence, of refusing to let go of God. That may be nothing more than stubbornness. Rather, great faith is more than just persistent; it is also patience, it is meek, and it is submissive. It is satisfied with crumbs from the Master’s table—it wants no more, and it is grateful for every one. Such crumbs are enough to equip us for every struggle.

Such was the faith that gained for the Canaanite woman a share in Jesus’ victory over Satan. Her faith knew Him to be the Savior. Her faith trusted in His power and grace and her faith was humble. Such a faith can make us also more than conquerors through Him that loved us, no matter what our troubles, no matter what dangers confront us. Thus we pray, “Lord, grant us this faith for Jesus’ sake. Grant us a Faith that always Seeks the Blessings of Christ? Amen.

May the Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.