Faith That Clings To Christ

Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

We have a woman who comes to Jesus. She’s a Canaanite woman. In other words, she’s not an Israelite. She’s not a Hebrew. She’s not a Jew. Now, the Canaanites had long since disappeared. One of the other Gospels identifies her as a Syrophoenician woman. Those two people groups are very closely related. But the point Matthew is making here is that not only is she not a Jew, she’s from a people who were historically enemies of the Jews.

Jesus is traveling in this Gentile area, and this woman comes to Him and says, “Have mercy on me, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. Have mercy on me, O Lord.”

And Jesus puts His disciples to the test. In fact, He puts the reader to the test—the hearer to the test—because He doesn’t say anything. He ignores her.

Women don’t have status in society at this point in time. Definitely daughters oppressed by demons don’t have status. She’s an enemy of the people of God. She’s going through it, and here is God being silent to her.

So His disciples come to Him and show that they still don’t understand. They say, “Send her away. She’s bugging us. She’s annoying us. Come on, man. She won’t listen to us.”

They ask Jesus to send people away several times in the Gospels. One time people are bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus. And the disciples’ response is, “You’re annoying Him.” Okay. Really? They’re annoying the disciples.

And what does Jesus do in that instance? He puts a child in their midst and says, “Unless one is like these, you will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

So Jesus talks to her and says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He puts His disciples to the test again, because that’s the answer they’re expecting.

But instead of going away, what does she do?

She comes down and kneels before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

Remember, “Lord” here—Kyrios—this is the term used for God in the New Testament. “God, help me.”

Because You’re not just the God of the Israelites. You’re the God of the whole world. You’re not just the God of the lost sheep. You’re the God of the wild sheep as well.

Then He answers in a way that’s going to stoke up those disciples: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

She could have gotten up right then—angry and mad.

Why won’t God listen to me?
Why won’t God hear my prayers?
Why is God not only silent, but rebuking my prayers and allowing this affliction to remain?

But instead she says, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

“I’m not asking for the full inheritance. I’m asking for God to act.”

And Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Times of testing, times of persecution—they are not pleasant. Life hits you, and it keeps on coming. Life keeps throwing haymakers, and you’re down on your knees while life keeps kicking you.

And it’s so tempting to think that we have been forgotten by God.

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?” the psalmist writes.

Because that’s what Satan does. He comes into our ears and says, “God must have abandoned you. Because if God were with you, your life would be great. Your life would be different. You would have the money that you need. You would live in the house that you wanted. You wouldn’t have problems in your marriage. You wouldn’t have problems with your children. You wouldn’t have problems with your job. You wouldn’t have problems with school. You would be smarter, more handsome, prettier, more athletic. But God must just not like you. So why do you believe in Him?”

And that’s not new. Go to the book of Job. God says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him in all the earth.” And Satan replies, “That’s because You’ve given him everything. Take it away from him and see what happens.”

And Job loses his wealth. He loses his children. He loses his health. And on top of it all, his wife looks at him and says, “You’re still alive? Curse God and die.” Then his friends come along and say, “I don’t know what you did, but you messed up, buddy.” The whole world turns against Job. And Job’s response the entire time is, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

And we know that from the beginning of the book of Job.

Now, Job is eventually restored. His health returns. He has more children. He gains more wealth. But when he’s sitting there scraping his sores with broken pottery, how do you think he felt in that moment?

I don’t think he was singing Annie: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”

In fact, we have his words. He says, “I want to talk to God. I want to talk to a manager. I want to figure out what’s going on.” And the Manager shows up.

In one paraphrase translation I once owned—Word on the Street—I think it had one of the best replies I’ve ever seen. God shows up and essentially says, “I’ll answer your question when you can answer Mine—questions about how I made creation and everything else.” And Job’s response is basically: “I’m an idiot.”

But when we’re in the midst of trial and temptation, it’s hard. We don’t feel like a lost sheep. We feel like an abandoned sheep. But the Gospel is not that Christ died for some. The Gospel is that Christ died for the whole world. And all who believe in Him are saved. Whether you are Jew or Gentile, whether you are Canaanite or Israelite—Christ died for you. He died for me. He died for the whole world.

And that forgiveness of sins stands for the whole world—for everyone who will take hold of it, for everyone who believes it. We might want to look at some people and say, “You are too far gone. You are too far outside the family—outside the kingdom.”

And you know what happens when we do that? God laughs and says, “I died for them too.”

And you are going to be absolutely floored and surprised about who is in heaven when you get there. Some of the worst people in history repented on their deathbeds. Yes, they did horrible, horrible things—but when you get to heaven, you are going to embrace them as brothers and sisters in Christ. You are going to live with them in eternity.

Trial and temptation do not mean that God has abandoned us. In fact, oftentimes trial is a sign that God is with us and is putting us to the test.

Will we hold to the First Commandment? Will we come through suffering with endurance—the endurance that produces character, the character that produces hope, and hope that does not put us to shame? For it is hope grounded in the love of God.

And I pray that we do as we go through these forty days, as we approach the cross, as we endure trials and sufferings—both those of our own creation and those brought upon us by others. I pray that we remain faithful and true. For God is faithful and true to us.

The tomb stands empty, and Christ stands at the door and knocks. He will come in and eat with anyone who opens that door.

In Christ’s name. Amen.