Remember, O Lord

Matthew 15:21–28 ESV

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 came 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 came and knelt before 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.

Introduction

The Second Sunday in Lent takes its name from the first word in the introit: Reminiscare. Latin for “Remember”. We get the word “reminisce” from the same root. The Introit speaks of two types of remembrance: First, Remember Your mercy, O Lord, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old...” and then, “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your Goodness, O Lord!” The first, a call for the Lord to remember His mercy; the second a call for Him to “not” remember my sins and transgressions. Rather, remember me according to Your steadfast love.”

Today we have two different texts— the Old Testament Lesson where Jacob wrestles with the angel of the Lord seeking God’s blessing and won’t let him go until he receives it. The second is the Syrophonecian Woman— a Gentile, who pleads the same thing of Jesus. Today we call on the Lord to remember His promises and to remember not the sins we have committed, that He would give us His blessing.

Jacob

First we hear of Jacob. We expounded on him during Advent during our midweek services.

Jacob demanded that God would remember him by blessing him. He would not let the angel of the Lord go until he was blessed. The angel of the Lord touched Jacob’s hip and dislocated it so that he was permanently injured. But he gave Jacob the blessing. God renames Jacob. “Your name shall be Israel.” The word Is-ra-el” means “Man conquered God.” God left his mark on Jacob by taking out his hip. For it would be from his loin that would come the Messiah. His twelve sons would become the heads of the twelve tribes, each with twelve thousand members. Israel flourished.

Blessings do not necessarily come without a consequence. Whenever we hear the word “blessing” we often embrace the theology of glory— as if God promises to heal all sickness this side of heaven, or take away all suffering. Not so. The Bible never says that. But Jacob is blessed as he will be the Father of the sons who would become the tribes of Israel. With a bad hip. God allows us to suffer, sometimes more when He blesses us.

Jacob demanded that God would remember him. He would not let the angel of the Lord go until he was blessed. The angel of the Lord touched Jacob’s hip and dislocated it so that he was permanently injured. But he gave Jacob the blessing.

God remembers the promise that He made to Abraham that through him “all the nations of the earth would be blessed.” Reminiscare

Syrophonecian Woman

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you were to ask me what my favorite Bible story is, I'd tell you that it is today's Gospel, hands down. The story of the Canaanite woman- not a Jew- who comes begging Jesus to cast out the demon from her possessed daughter. At first, Jesus seems to ignore her. He doesn't say anything, like he didn't hear her on purpose. But she continues to plea.

When Jesus does answer her, He chastises her: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" - implying that she has no business with Him as a Gentile. She again pleads for help. He then answers her again, calling her a dog- a common derogatory term that Jews used against Gentiles in those days. Seemingly not offended, she comes back with some of the richest words of faith in Jesus found in the entire Bible: "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their Master's table." What words of persistence; what words of faith. Jesus commends her and grants her request: "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for her as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

There are several points to ponder. At first it seems that Jesus is being downright rude to this woman. Commentators are often forced into summersaulting around what Jesus is doing here because of it. But understanding this is simple. Jesus, through his perceived responses to this woman is drawing out her faith. He's not trying to shame her; He is shaming those who claim to have the faith, showing them what it really is.

But there is another point, the deeper point, that this woman was a Gentile. A Canaanite. A leftover from those who occupied the Land before it was given to Israel. Think Muslim. Think Hamas. Those who have always hated the Jews.

It was God himself, after all, who separated His Chosen out from the nations. It was God Himself who told the Jews to have nothing to do with these people. It was God Himself who forbade them to intermarry. It was God Himself who punished them for demanding earthly kings as the Gentiles had. There was a distinct, sharp and uncrossable line that God Himself drew in the sand between Jew and Gentile, and there were heavy, eternal consequences for crossing that line.

But there were these nagging prophecies, often repeated in Scripture, like: "I will gather yet others to Him besides those already gathered." Jesus Himself makes cryptic reference to this in ; And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and the will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. " There would come a time when The Lord would recreate and redefine Israel, His "flock". No longer Jew and Gentile, but believer and unbeliever. Baptized and unbaptized, Jew and Gentile alike, side by side under one shepherd, Jesus. While this would not happen until Jesus came and ultimately sent the Holy Spirit onto the earth to convict and convince the Children of man that He was the Lord who came to seek and to save the lost, God made that promise centuries before.

Look at this woman. She, too, is calling Jesus to remember God’s promise that would include the ingathering of the Gentiles. In her mind she knew Jesus to be the Messiah and she called on Him to save her daughter. And her daughter was healed from that very moment.

We call out to Jesus

Lord, do not let us go until you bless us! Remember, O Lord, Your promise to save us. Remember, O Lord your steadfast love for us since the foundation of the world. Remember not, O Lord our sins, for we are lost in them. Call us forth from death into life.

God answers with the Cross. First, Jesus’ Cross. Then our own.

God has a photographic memory. Once something is in His mind, it’s there for good. It’s like some people. They never forget what you’ve done to them no matter how many years pass.

That’s not good for us. No repressed memory syndrome for the Lord. He knows every sin, every transgression, every shortcoming you have done or have. We call out “Reminiscare” to Him right now. We ask Him not to remember our sins but His love for us in Jesus.

Jesus steps in. Everything you have done is called to God’s mind. He remissness about our sin as He pours out His wrath on His only Son. God cannot forget a sin. It must be removed from His memory.

Jesus and His cross removes it from God’s memory. Not only does God not remember it; He eliminates the sin.

But He doesn’t forget His mercy and love toward us. It is in Jesus’ Cross that He blesses us.

But then there’s the matter of our Cross. Bearing the hatred of a world that hated Him first. Enduring tribulation and persecution because you are Christ’s presence in this world of darkness and hatred toward Christ. O, the Lord blesses us, alright, but along with the blessing of salvation comes the blessings of His cross in our lives. And so we are called to love those who hate us, bless those who despise us, and pray for those who persecute us. Blessing doesn’t mean a lack of suffering. It means that the Lord’s love is upon our heads. But so will be the hatred and persecution.

And so we call out, “Remember your promise, Lord. Remember not the sins of our youth or our transgressions...”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.