Proper 15: Gospel, Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

It is a strong mark of Lutheran teaching that no one can respond to the Word of the Lord without the work of the Holy Spirit on mind and heart. It comes from our Lord in the gospel of John reminding his followers that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). We are reminded in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian congregations that we are born dead in our trespasses and sins. In other words, on our own we are in a bad, seriously bad situation. So what gives with the title tonight? Well at the very least we need to be reminded that we were all pagans before Christ began his heart surgery with us. Even if we were faithfully brought to the waters of Holy Baptism as infants, the time between our conception and our being washed saw us as pagan and lost as the lady in our reading this week.

Jesus is spending time in the region to the northwest of the Sea of Galilee. It’s Gentile country and a woman from the area comes to beg for deliverance for her demon-oppressed daughter from the hand of the Master of Israel. Matthew calls her “a Canaanite woman.” She has no legal, nor real spiritual claim to ask anything of the Messiah and Jesus reminds her of that, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). I didn’t come for you. I have nothing to give to your people. Can you imagine the woman’s response? We don’t have to. We have it. After being called a dog in no uncertain terms, her response is legend, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (v. 27).

She’s cried for mercy. She’s rightly been identified outside the covenant people and she’s been called a dog. Have you ever considered that if you are a Gentile by birth you have the same standing?  Jesus is often criticized for being unloving here but oh, the truth is one hundred-eighty degrees in the other direction. Jesus loves this outsider.

It is a quick exchange. No wasted time. No wasted words. Jesus, I always imagine, takes the fearful mother’s face in his holy hands and says, “O woman, (the same address he uses for his mother at her request in Cana) great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire” (15:28). The healing is done. Liberty has come to pagan captives. 

Remember dear fellow Gentile-now-Christian. You were the same as this dear Canaanite woman and her daughter. Yes Pagans can see. God be praised. Spread the light.