Suggested hymns: 269 Speak forth Thy Word, O Father, 335 Just as I am without one plea, 321 Faith is a living power from heaven, 392 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
The text is the Gospel lesson for today: Matthew 15:21-28
...Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ''Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ''Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, ''I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. ''Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, ''It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 ''Yes, Lord," she said, ''but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, ''Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Prayer:
Lord, help us. We do not deserve Your help, but You promise to receive all who come to You. Receive us now, dear Lord, and help us receive Your Words this morning. Thank You for hearing us. Amen.
The Silent treatment. It's not nice. It usually happens when there's been an argument. It's a negative thing, but not always. Silence can be part of our normal speech and relationship patterns. We live in a very noisy culture. Most homes will have either the radio or TV going constantly, sometimes both! The large supermarkets play music and constantly make announcements. Sporting events are usually very noisy!
But not always: we observe silence at some sporting events, such as lawn bowls, snooker, and at the tennis, while a point is being played. There are other times we observe silence, as a whole society. Anzac day, Remembrance day, and other memorial days have a minutes' silence, as a mark of respect and a time to remember in a special way, those who have fallen in wartime, or in some great tragedy.
So we have different kinds of silence: There is the angry silence, full of hurt and frustration where there's been an unresolved argument, but there is also a different kind of silence, a silence that is solemn and respectful.
Our text this morning begins with the loud cry of a desperate woman: "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession!" And then... there is silence: Jesus did not answer a word. What's going on? Why is Jesus giving this poor lady the silent treatment?
We know that the relationship between God and humanity has been broken since the days of Eden. People have offended God in countless ways. No doubt this woman had done so. Her daughter may have become possessed as a result of her involvement in false religion, and possibly in occultic ceremonies designed to bring power or fertility or excitement. Today many people turn their backs on God and His Word, and instead pursue meaning and excitement in all kinds of ungodly or illicit ways... and we continue to do so. We often block out the voice of God as we go our merry way, until the consequences of our rebellion start to appear. When we come unstuck, and are brought low, is it not then that we crawl back to God in desperation? Or maybe not. Because we have sinned against God, we do not want to face Him. We fear his wrath, and so we should. We deserve all the trouble we get, and much more besides. God owes us nothing, we owe Him everything. We have no right to His help. He has no obligation to give it.
The woman in our text for today, is from a pagan background. She cries out to the Lord. The Lord stays quiet. Is this the silent treatment, reflecting the fact that there is a broken down relationship between God and this woman? Is it punishment from God? Is the Lord rejecting her, because she has failed to live a life pleasing to Him?
The Lord does not answer her. She continues to cry out for his help. The disciples want Jesus to send her away: She is annoying! She doesn't belong with them. She doesn't have a right to any help from the God who has revealed himself to the Jews and made his covenant, or agreement, with Israel. At first it seems that Jesus agrees with his disciples. "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But notice - He does not send her away.
In John 6:37, Jesus said "All that the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." Hebrews 4:16 gives us this encouragement: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." This desperate, disqualified woman, has come to the throne of grace. The Lord promises us mercy and grace in our times of need.
We talked about 2 kinds of silence: one is the silence of people who are not relating; they are not understanding each other, they are hurt, frustrated, angry. That kind of silence is unhelpful. It's the kind of silence we might hurl at God. But it's not the way God is silent over against us. His silence is different. It's like the second kind we spoke about, the silence that gives us time to think. Time to reflect. Time to remember. Time to realise there is more to life than our busy lives and cluttered hearts tend to have room for. Time to realise how we really stand before the Lord God Almighty.
"Be still, and know, that I am God," the Lord says, in Psalm 46:10
How can we know God, unless we are still? The silence of God quietens us. It brings us to our knees.
The Canaanite woman falls to her knees before Jesus. She shows the quietness God seeks: She makes no noise about herself. Her hope is focused totally on Jesus: As she kneels, she simply says, "Lord, help me."
Jesus replied: "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their little dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Jesus said, "It is not right." According to the laws God gave to Israel, this woman did not qualify. She did not dispute this. "Yes, Lord." she said. "But even the little dogs can find some crumbs...?"
In the face of God's law, who does qualify? We all fall short. We deserve to be rejected. But this woman dared to believe in a gracious God. She didn't pray for 'just deserts.' She prayed for mercy. The Lord heard her prayer. More than that, he was absolutely delighted in her answer. He answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
What of us? Do we dare hope for crumbs from our Master's table? We don't even deserve these. But our Lord, in rich love and abounding grace, gives us much more than crumbs. He gives us Himself: the bread of life, to satisfy us forever. Amen!
The peace of God which is beyond all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.