Genesis 32:22-32/Romans 5:1-5/St Matthew 15:21-28
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Our prayers are too nice. In fact, they are so polite, they are rude. What else do you call is when our prayer before meals it rattled off like an auctioneer? Or our praying of the Our Father is with as much enthusiasm as an apathetic teenager reading poetry. Even our private prayers are employed as last ditch efforts when nothing else seems to have worked. We pray less frequently than we ought because we doubt it will be worthwhile. We pray politely, quietly. And that very politeness betrays an uncertainty that God is listening or will answer our prayer.
Not so this Canaanite woman in the Gospel. She is not nice. She is not polite. And she is not quiet. She shouts. She cries out. And when her prayer is not answered, she is undeterred, and cries out all the more. The disciples are shocked that Jesus seems to lack all compassion for her. Not only does He not reply, He doesn’t even stop. He keeps waling. Hope is disappearing and God appears to be not only unresponsive, but utterly indifferent.
But the woman chases after Jesus. Her persistence and boisterousness garners the sympathy of the disciples. Jesus, just send her away with what she wants. Look, she’s not going to stop. And now she’s following us. This woman, rebuffed, is actually chasing after Jesus! The harsher He gets, the stronger her appeal. Her prayers are not nice and polite. She expects something, not because of herself, but because she is convinced that He not only is able to help, but that He is willing to help.
This encounter serves as an object lesson for the disciples; a live version of the parable of the persistent widow who beat down the unrighteous judge with her continual pleas. Of her Jesus said, Will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? (Lk 18:7). So to here. Jesus uses this woman to teach them - and us - about prayer; both in her impolite persistence and in their supplication before Him on her behalf. Jesus wants the disciples to intercede for her, just as He wants the Church to offer up petitions on behalf of all people. These prayers are important. And they are effective.
Note, however, this woman does not make her appeal to the disciples, just as we do not pray to the saints. But she does bring her concern before the Church, just as you, when you are in need, ask your pastor and your brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for you.
But why does she keep praying? Isn’t it obvious that Jesus doesn’t want to answer her? Not to this woman.
There is an old saying in the Church: lex orandi, lex credendi. Roughly translated, the way of prayer exhibits the way of faith. How she prays is an expression of what she believes; it shows her faith, her confidence, her trust in Jesus. What does your prayer say about your faith? When you are reluctant to pray? When you cannot find the time? When you pray for selfish things?
Jesus hid Himself from the woman to exercise her faith. Ask, seek, knock. This woman sought out Jesus in faith ready to receive. He ignored her. She asked and was not answered. She knocked and was told, “Go away!” And the shameful truth is, when we are praying, and the prayer is not answered, or we seem to hear the Lord saying to us, “Go away, you little dog!” then we scurry off with our tail between out legs. We give up. It doesn’t work. What’s the use?
But you see what this woman does. She refuses to quit. The more her knocking is ignored, the louder she pounds. She will not leave, because she remains confident that the Lord will answer and give her mercy. So it is with you. You are given to pray as dear children asking their dear Father. And for all parents, you know that children’s requests are often ver nice or polite. Rather they ask in the expectation that you will respond. And when you don’t, they keep asking, without ceasing, until an answer is given.
So it is for this woman. She has no confidence in herself, but every confidence in the mercy, grace, kindness, and love of Jesus. Like Jacob she grabs hold of the heavenly Man and will not let Him go until she receives His blessing.
She begs. For such is the posture of faith. It is not so self-righteous as to assume anything of itself. And this woman is not ashamed to beg. She teaches us how to speak to Jesus. For she addresses Him as both, Son of David, a reference to His human nature, and Lord, a confession of His divine nature. And her prayers are simple, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! Lord, help me! And finally, agreeing with His assessment of her lack of worth, yet nevertheless, banking on His compassion and mercy, she worships Him as God and says, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table.
She doesn’t bargain. She doesn’t promise anything. She doesn’t tell Jesus what she has done or will do for Him. She makes no claim, no statement of what she deserves, but only asks for mercy. And that is what makes her prayer good. And yours too. You ask not because you are worthy to ask, but because you recognize your unworthiness; and it is precisely in this that your Lord deigns you to be worthy to call upon His name, and He delights Himself with your prayer.
Truly He desires for you to cling to Him in faith, wrestle with Him in prayer, and expect to receive all good things from His Fatherly hand. And Jacob, who strove with God and man, teaches you for what you are to pray; that is, for spiritual blessings and for earthly concerns.
Now when it comes to spiritual things, you have the promise of the Word, and ought then to ask confidently, even demanding them from God, “Forgive my sins, help me resist temptation, lead me by Your Word and Spirit, deliver me from the evil one, bring me to the resurrection of the body.” These things are promised by God, thus you know He wants to give them to you, and does, even without your prayer.
But there are other things not clearly spelled out in Scripture - finding a spouse, taking a job, healing in our sicknesses, and so on. In all these cases, you pray according to God’s will, saying, “If.” “If it is Your will, O Lord.” And when you pray this way, you are not asking God to bend to your desires, but for you to be conformed and submit to His good and gracious will.
And, as Dr Luther wrote, “Although the works [and will] of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits” (Heidelberg, Thesis 4). Thus does the pre-incarnate Christ wrestle with the Patriarch Jacob, “disciplining him as though He were playing with him in a kindly manner” (AE 6:130). So too does the God-Man in the flesh wrestle with the faithful Canaanite woman, appearing to be her enemy, rather than her Redeemer. These works of God can only be comprehended by faith; not by reason.
Nowhere is this better portrayed than in the Cross. For their the greatest work of God appears to be the worst of all evils - the death of His only begotten Son, the Man of Sorrows. Nevertheless, this is the will of the Father on your behalf. It is not nice. It is not polite. But it is for your justification by faith so that you may have peace with Him through your Lord Jesus Christ. And through Him you have also obtained access by faith into this grace; rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.
Come, then, you little unworthy dogs, and receive more than crumbs; come to where spiritual blessing and earthly needs meet. For you do not come under the presumption that you are worthy, but according to the promise of His great mercy and compassion toward you. Here you are given the seat of children and are fed with the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, which take away your sin and lead you unto life everlasting.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Our prayers are too nice. In fact, they are so polite, they are rude. What else do you call is when our prayer before meals it rattled off like an auctioneer? Or our praying of the Our Father is with as much enthusiasm as an apathetic teenager reading poetry. Even our private prayers are employed as last ditch efforts when nothing else seems to have worked. We pray less frequently than we ought because we doubt it will be worthwhile. We pray politely, quietly. And that very politeness betrays an uncertainty that God is listening or will answer our prayer.
Not so this Canaanite woman in the Gospel. She is not nice. She is not polite. And she is not quiet. She shouts. She cries out. And when her prayer is not answered, she is undeterred, and cries out all the more. The disciples are shocked that Jesus seems to lack all compassion for her. Not only does He not reply, He doesn’t even stop. He keeps waling. Hope is disappearing and God appears to be not only unresponsive, but utterly indifferent.
But the woman chases after Jesus. Her persistence and boisterousness garners the sympathy of the disciples. Jesus, just send her away with what she wants. Look, she’s not going to stop. And now she’s following us. This woman, rebuffed, is actually chasing after Jesus! The harsher He gets, the stronger her appeal. Her prayers are not nice and polite. She expects something, not because of herself, but because she is convinced that He not only is able to help, but that He is willing to help.
This encounter serves as an object lesson for the disciples; a live version of the parable of the persistent widow who beat down the unrighteous judge with her continual pleas. Of her Jesus said, Will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? (Lk 18:7). So to here. Jesus uses this woman to teach them - and us - about prayer; both in her impolite persistence and in their supplication before Him on her behalf. Jesus wants the disciples to intercede for her, just as He wants the Church to offer up petitions on behalf of all people. These prayers are important. And they are effective.
Note, however, this woman does not make her appeal to the disciples, just as we do not pray to the saints. But she does bring her concern before the Church, just as you, when you are in need, ask your pastor and your brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for you.
But why does she keep praying? Isn’t it obvious that Jesus doesn’t want to answer her? Not to this woman.
There is an old saying in the Church: lex orandi, lex credendi. Roughly translated, the way of prayer exhibits the way of faith. How she prays is an expression of what she believes; it shows her faith, her confidence, her trust in Jesus. What does your prayer say about your faith? When you are reluctant to pray? When you cannot find the time? When you pray for selfish things?
Jesus hid Himself from the woman to exercise her faith. Ask, seek, knock. This woman sought out Jesus in faith ready to receive. He ignored her. She asked and was not answered. She knocked and was told, “Go away!” And the shameful truth is, when we are praying, and the prayer is not answered, or we seem to hear the Lord saying to us, “Go away, you little dog!” then we scurry off with our tail between out legs. We give up. It doesn’t work. What’s the use?
But you see what this woman does. She refuses to quit. The more her knocking is ignored, the louder she pounds. She will not leave, because she remains confident that the Lord will answer and give her mercy. So it is with you. You are given to pray as dear children asking their dear Father. And for all parents, you know that children’s requests are often ver nice or polite. Rather they ask in the expectation that you will respond. And when you don’t, they keep asking, without ceasing, until an answer is given.
So it is for this woman. She has no confidence in herself, but every confidence in the mercy, grace, kindness, and love of Jesus. Like Jacob she grabs hold of the heavenly Man and will not let Him go until she receives His blessing.
She begs. For such is the posture of faith. It is not so self-righteous as to assume anything of itself. And this woman is not ashamed to beg. She teaches us how to speak to Jesus. For she addresses Him as both, Son of David, a reference to His human nature, and Lord, a confession of His divine nature. And her prayers are simple, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! Lord, help me! And finally, agreeing with His assessment of her lack of worth, yet nevertheless, banking on His compassion and mercy, she worships Him as God and says, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table.
She doesn’t bargain. She doesn’t promise anything. She doesn’t tell Jesus what she has done or will do for Him. She makes no claim, no statement of what she deserves, but only asks for mercy. And that is what makes her prayer good. And yours too. You ask not because you are worthy to ask, but because you recognize your unworthiness; and it is precisely in this that your Lord deigns you to be worthy to call upon His name, and He delights Himself with your prayer.
Truly He desires for you to cling to Him in faith, wrestle with Him in prayer, and expect to receive all good things from His Fatherly hand. And Jacob, who strove with God and man, teaches you for what you are to pray; that is, for spiritual blessings and for earthly concerns.
Now when it comes to spiritual things, you have the promise of the Word, and ought then to ask confidently, even demanding them from God, “Forgive my sins, help me resist temptation, lead me by Your Word and Spirit, deliver me from the evil one, bring me to the resurrection of the body.” These things are promised by God, thus you know He wants to give them to you, and does, even without your prayer.
But there are other things not clearly spelled out in Scripture - finding a spouse, taking a job, healing in our sicknesses, and so on. In all these cases, you pray according to God’s will, saying, “If.” “If it is Your will, O Lord.” And when you pray this way, you are not asking God to bend to your desires, but for you to be conformed and submit to His good and gracious will.
And, as Dr Luther wrote, “Although the works [and will] of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits” (Heidelberg, Thesis 4). Thus does the pre-incarnate Christ wrestle with the Patriarch Jacob, “disciplining him as though He were playing with him in a kindly manner” (AE 6:130). So too does the God-Man in the flesh wrestle with the faithful Canaanite woman, appearing to be her enemy, rather than her Redeemer. These works of God can only be comprehended by faith; not by reason.
Nowhere is this better portrayed than in the Cross. For their the greatest work of God appears to be the worst of all evils - the death of His only begotten Son, the Man of Sorrows. Nevertheless, this is the will of the Father on your behalf. It is not nice. It is not polite. But it is for your justification by faith so that you may have peace with Him through your Lord Jesus Christ. And through Him you have also obtained access by faith into this grace; rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.
Come, then, you little unworthy dogs, and receive more than crumbs; come to where spiritual blessing and earthly needs meet. For you do not come under the presumption that you are worthy, but according to the promise of His great mercy and compassion toward you. Here you are given the seat of children and are fed with the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, which take away your sin and lead you unto life everlasting.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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