Reminiscere

The Gospel text for the First Sunday of Lent told us of Jesus’ battle with the devil. This week we hear of a different sort of battle: In the Old Testament Jacob wrestles and physically contents with someone all night long. And in the New Testament a Canaanite woman doggedly perseveres through all sorts of indignities. What causes us some trouble with these two accounts, is that for some inexplicable reason, both of these Christians are contending with God. That’s hard to understand. Why? We understand fighting and wresting against the devil, the world, and the sinful nature. But why are these Christians engaged in a struggle with God? Last week Jesus taught us how to overcome the devil with the Word of God. This week He teaches us to cling to the Word of God even when it seems that He Himself is against us.

The Canaanite woman is a true example of a steadfast and perfect faith. First of all, her faith began, as it always does, by hearing the Word of God. Mark tells us in Chapter 7 that she had heard a report about Jesus. What sort of report? Certainly that he was kind and good and merciful. Having heard this, faith was kindled in her heart and she then ran after Jesus. She understood that she was desperately in need of His mercy.

Already, her faith sets her far above most. There are people who have heard the good news about Jesus, but don’t come looking for His mercy. Why? Because they don’t need to. They are spiritually rich, not poor in spirit. They consider themselves to be good, upstanding people, not poor, miserable, sinners. We are by nature lost and condemned sinners, and yet part of our wretchedness is that we do not think we are lost or condemned. So God, who is merciful, must first appear to us as something other than he desires to be. He must speak to us at first with the harsh voice of the Law. In other words, as Luther is fond of saying, we cannot encounter Jesus until we have met Moses. The Law of God must teach us to recognize our sins before we are prepared to welcome the grace of God.

The Scriptures tell us that God “fills the hungry with good things, and the rich He sends away empty”(Lk 1:53). Jesus Himself says, “Whoever comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (Jn 6:37). Believing this message, the woman followed after Jesus. Already, she has greater faith than most. She knows that she is in desperate need. Most people don’t. She believes that Jesus is willing to be kind and gracious to her. Not many people have this knowledge. And then she follows after Him. Narrow is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Mt 7:13).

What happens next seems like a very hard blow: Instead of immediately commending her for her faith, Jesus ignores her. It is as though her experience tells her that what was reported about Jesus is false. He does not appear to be acting in a merciful or loving manner. It seems as though God is distant, or silent, or even angry, and this is where the wrestling begins. The saints of every generation have wrestled in this way, and whether you have been aware of it or not, so have you. The Israelites, after being delivered from Egypt by great signs and wonders at the hand of God were led by the very same God into certain death: the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh’s chariots behind. David was anointed by God to be king of Israel, but spent the next twenty years on the run from Saul. Daniel prayed to God every day and was rewarded for his faithfulness with the lion’s den. Paul prayed three times that God would remove the thorn from his flesh, yet it was not God’s will. And it is certain that you, a believer in Christ, have prayed fervently for things you desperately need and have heard no answer.

So then what? The devil is always right there that to accuse both you and God: “See! He doesn’t hear your prayers. Why should he listen to a sinner?” In last week’s text, the temptation of Christ, the devil said to Jesus, “If you truly were God’s Son, He would not have abandoned you like this.” And the old accuser always has evidence: “Look at your life. Look at your situation. Look at your suffering. This is proof that God is angry with you.”

But the Canaanite women would not be dissuaded from what she had heard from Jesus. No matter what the circumstances told her, no matter how she perceived God to be acting toward her, she hung on to what she had heard about Jesus and refused all other evidence. “God’s Word tells me that He desires to have mercy upon the undeserving. This means that He will be merciful to me!” First Jesus ignored her. She didn’t give up. Then He said He was sent only to Israelites, the true children of God. This didn’t phase her either. Perhaps she knew that God has a habit of adopting orphans into his family.

Finally, Jesus said, “It’s not right to cast the children’s bread to the dogs.” In other words, He said to her, “You are a poor, miserable, sinner.” This, for many people, is too much. I’ve even heard sermons that apologize for what Jesus said to this woman. But she was not offended by His words. What she heard was, “I am getting a crumb, and one crumb from the table of the Lord is more than enough for me! One drop from His chalice can cleanse the filthiest sinner!” This last answer from Jesus was proof of what this woman had believed: Jesus will be merciful to me, just as His Word tells me He would.

Why did Jesus act this way? And why was this account written for us? It was written for our comfort and instruction, that we may know how deeply God hides His grace from us. Why? So that we would not consider Him according to our perception but according to His Word. This is a matter of faith. My circumstances tell me that God has abandoned me. My sins tell me that I am eternally lost. My eyes tell me that I am experiencing God’s disfavor and punishment. But we do not walk by sight. We walk by faith in what we hear. The ear is the organ of faith, and when God appears harsh and distant to our eyes, it is because He is teaching is to rely on what we hear from His word.

We must learn to turn away from our perception of God, what our eyes and our reason and our experiences tell us of Him and trust solely in what God has promised. This is true faith, and the Canaanite woman is an example of this in action. Faith is like a bulldog with a stick. It hangs on to the promises and Jesus and refuses to let go. “Yes, Lord, it is true. I am a sinner and unworthy of Your grace. But you have promised forgiveness to unworthy sinners. This means that, by your own words, which are backed by the blood of your cross, you are bound to have mercy on me!”

This is the faith that pleases God, and Jesus’ harsh treatment of the Canaanite woman was for a purpose: to draw out this faith and cause her to cling ever more tightly to His word of promise. In this way God strengthens our faith so that, come what may, nothing can sever us from the mercy and goodness of God, which He has promised freely to every penitent sinner. This is how God desires to be known, not through reason, senses, or experience, but through His gracious Word. Then at last God can deal with us as He desires to do, according to His mercy, for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.