Pentecost 11A

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

In his book The Pursuit of God, theologian A.W. Tozer writes: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

What a fantastic metaphor this is to help us wrestle with the lessons for today! A hundred pianos - can you just imagine? First of all, they most likely wouldn’t all be the same size and shape. Some would be uprights, others would grand and baby grands…maybe even a concert grand. Some would be Steinway, others would be Yamaha, Stewart & Sons, and a few other brand names. And of course, these instruments would come in a variety of ages. Some would be brand new, while others might be quite old…even antique. Of course each brand would be made from different wood, and would have slightly different shapes, different sizes, maybe even different colors.

But if they’re all tuned to the same tuning fork…they’ll all produce sounds in the same frequencies. A middle C on one piano would sound the same on any other piano tuned by that same fork. If it was possible to have all 100 pianos under the same roof, they would all play in the same key. They would make wonderful music together, having been tuned by the same fork.

And as it relates to the lessons we read this morning, it doesn’t matter where they were made. It doesn’t matter what factory they came from. What matters is that they were tuned to the same tuning fork. This is what Isaiah is telling us in his prophecy -

6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,

to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,

and to be his servants,

everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant—

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.”

“All peoples” the prophet says. This is God’s Word, describing the covenant being shared not only with God’s Chosen People - the Jews - but foreigners, too… “all peoples.” Why? Not because of their birth, their lineage, their nationality. Instead, they have a share in this covenant because they join themselves to the Lord…because they keep the Sabbath and hold fast the covenant. Because they have put their faith in the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because they have been tuned by the truest of tuning forks.

Now Paul raises an important point. If we’re talking about God sharing His covenant with the Gentiles, does that mean God is rejecting the Jews? “Heck no!” Paul says. God is not rejecting the Jews by including the Gentiles. It’s not an either/or proposition. God is expanding the scope of His covenant. And that’s what Paul is trying to explain to the Jewish members of this new Christian church.

Paul knew full well that in his time, the Jews believed they were saved simply because they were God’s Chosen people. But this attitude got them in trouble so very often in their history. That’s what we read about so often in the Old Testament. They knew that God would save them, because He always did. And so they lived their lives however they felt like living. They knew they could just come to Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement, and offer the appropriate sacrifice, and their sins would be wiped away. And they could just do that every year, and they wouldn’t have to change their ways. They wouldn’t have to live any differently. Being a Jew, for many, didn’t mean necessarily living the way God wanted them to live. It *did* mean that disobeying God came at a cost, one which they decided they would pay.

But I can’t help but wonder: how much did they feel that cost, when it simply meant buying a goat or a lamb or a couple of doves and having the priest sacrifice it? Is that painful? Was it difficult? Did they feel it? God knows that while these sacrifices paid the price for that person’s sins of the previous year, it was very likely that they would commit those same sins in the year to come. There was no change in their heart for loving God, or living FOR Him. Just being a Jew did not bring this so-called “Chosen people” any closer to God. They were as distant from Him as they were when He evicted them from the Garden of Eden.

So if being a Jew didn’t bring you closer to God, what does? That’s exactly what our Gospel lesson explains so well this morning. Jesus has just finished teaching and goes off to a Canaanite territory when one of the local women approaches him with a request. Now there are a couple of societal no-nos at work here. First of all, Jews did not associate with Gentiles…and Canaanites definitely fit that description. In fact, Canaanites were considered not only unclean, but somewhat barbaric, which is why Jews did sometimes call this sort of Gentile “dogs”, because of their unclean nature. Certain of the pagan Canaanites were known to partake in human sacrifice and other things that the Israelites were told to avoid completely. So any Canaanite could expect to be shunned by any Jew. Second, Jewish men did not speak to any woman who was not their wife. It just was not done. So it is with good reason that Jesus reacts the way he does.

Notice - when she first comes to him, “he did not answer a word.” And then the disciples “begged him” to get him to send her away. Jesus then doesn’t speak to her; he speaks to them when he says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He is STILL not speaking to her!

Now I want to stop for a second here. Let’s not forget who Jesus is. He is the Son of God. He IS God. I ask you: is God all-knowing? We believe that He is. So, is Jesus all-knowing? If we believe that God is all-knowing, then yes, we believe that Jesus is all-knowing. Why am I asking you this? Do you believe that Jesus knew how this conversation was going to go? ABSOLUTELY He did. I bring that up because you will hear this story being twisted. I have actually heard someone say that “this amazing woman and her faith changed Jesus’ mind.” I’m sorry, but she did not change his mind. He knew exactly what he was going to do and to say. He *is* the Son of God.

So, if Jesus knew how this conversation was going to play out, why did he treat her so poorly? Would it surprise you if I told you that scholars are torn on this? I looked a couple of different ones. One says that he was just waiting for her to demonstrate her faith. Not so that he could test her, but rather so that he could praise her in front of his closest disciples. He had already praised the faith of another Gentile - a Centurion - back in Chapter 8. Now he has the chance to do that again, in Canaanite territory, with a Gentile woman this time.

Another scholar - Lenski - puts it this way: ...the disciples had never seen Jesus deny anyone pleading for help, although at times he had delayed a little while (John 4:47, etc.; Matt. 8:5, etc.), namely whenever some question had first to be settled. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 595.

The divine plan, according to which Jesus “was commissioned,” was to work out redemption in the Jewish nation and not elsewhere; as soon as it had been worked out, it would be carried to all the world. Moreover, this would begin in less than a year, following the next Passover. With this divine plan Jesus was in fullest accord, and his great work was already hastening to its climax. These mighty facts must be thoroughly understood. That is why Jesus delays and explains them in advance in the most impressive way and does not postpone the explanation until after the woman has gone. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 596.

Lenski goes on to say that “We must, therefore, give up the explanation, so offensive to moral feeling, that Jesus pretended to be hard and tortured the woman with uncertainty for the purpose of testing her faith in order then to praise her. Jesus never plays the actor...” This scholar also says that we can be sure that Jesus was not denying her so that she could “overcome his refusal by the strength of her faith or until Jesus was led to change his mind.” R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 596.

The bottom line is: Matthew doesn’t really tell us why Jesus treats her this way. We can take clues from the context, and from what we know of their society and culture in that time period. I am inclined to agree with Lenski. Jesus never “acts” contrary to his character in a deceptive way, not for any purpose. And Jesus never denied healing to a Gentile simply because they were not Jewish. And yet Jesus was the perfect Jew. He kept God’s Law perfectly. I am of the opinion that he acted toward her as he did so that he could keep God’s Law (don’t associate with these Canaanites) and still answer her plea without violating the Law. Remember: Jesus never sinned. Not once. Not ever.

But Jesus *is* demonstrating here in this scene that God’s promise is for everyone. Or at least, everyone who wants it. And that’s what the Canaanite woman has to teach all of us. Jesus has been surrounded by his own countrymen - his fellow Jews - who did not recognize him as The Messiah - The Christ. And as much as he taught them and argued with them (just before this, he was arguing with Pharisees) and did signs and wonders in front of them, they either could not or would not recognize him as God’s Son. They did not believe in him.

But here is a Canaanite woman - remember: God instructed the Israelites to completely annihilate the Canaanites, to kill all of them…but they didn’t obey that command. If they had, she wouldn’t even be there to confront Jesus. But they disobeyed, and here she is. And she *has* heard of the wonders that this Jesus of Nazareth has done. She has heard of the demons he has cast out, the people he has healed, the feeding of the great crowd of thousands. And she knows enough of the Jewish culture and religion to know that they are awaiting a Messiah, one who will come from the lineage of David. She knows this, and she addresses him appropriately: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.” By calling him both “Lord” and “Son of David” she is proclaiming to him and everyone in earshot that she knows and believes that he is this very same Messiah. She cries out to him, pleading for her daughter, begging Jesus for his divine mercy. And Jesus gives her what she asks. He doesn’t even see the daughter in person. He just makes it happen. Wherever that daughter is, her demon is now gone.

If Old Testament Law was all we had to go on, this woman would have been left alone, and this Teacher, this carpenter’s son from Nazareth, would have simply ignored her and walked away, because the only people who deserved his attention were the “Lost sheep of the house of Israel” and no one else. And then only those who entered into the Abrahamic covenant would be part of God’s chosen people, and only they would be promised salvation and eternal life.

But that was not God’s plan…at least not His whole plan. “Through Abraham He promised to bless ALL nations”. Not just one. ALL nations. Some would say that begins here, with this one Canaanite woman. Here Jesus shows his disciples that God’s mercy is even for Gentiles like this woman and her demon-possessed daughter. Not because she deserved it. Because she wanted God’s mercy? Sure. But more importantly, MUCH more importantly, because God also wanted to be merciful to HER. God WANTS that.

Finally brothers and sisters, let’s all remember that ultimately, we are all Gentiles. All Christians are Gentiles. And we would do well to remember the example this mother set for us in recognizing who Jesus is, and bringing our prayers and requests to him in prayer. Because not only is he *the* Christ, the Messiah foretold by the prophets, but He is the one who went willingly to the cross, taking our sins upon himself, to pay for them once and for all. That is how much God wants to grant His mercy to all of us…so much that He was willing to send His only Son to die to make sure it happened. His mercy is given freely to us if we would only ask for it and believe that He has done this for us.

Yes he has done this for ALL of us - every human being who ever existed. Those of us who listen to Him are tuned to His frequency. Those who are not listening to Him are not on the same frequency. Let us pray that they will hear His voice and become attuned to Him. With all of us on the same frequency, there would be so much less dissonance and discord. We can look forward to a day of great harmony and peace. That is the covenant He has promised. And it is promised to all who believe. Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.