Pentecost Eleven

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – 16 August 2020 | Sermon on Matthew 15:10-28 | by Brad Everett |

In this morning’s gospel lesson, Jesus has gone another round with the Pharisees. In the preceding verses, they came to him concerned that the disciples weren’t following the tradition of the elders – they weren’t washing their hands before eating.

If they had come out of genuine concern for the welfare of the disciples Jesus might have answered them differently, but they had traveled down from Jerusalem to play the game of “gottcha”—attempting to make Jesus and his disciples look bad in front of the crowds. In return, Jesus observed that if the Pharisees were really concerned about following the tradition of the elders, why were they busy working the loopholes to keep money for themselves rather than providing for their parents?

Today’s text picks up the story at this point. Jesus calls the crowd to himself and makes the unsettling statement that it isn’t what goes in the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth. Keep in mind this is was a society that followed strict dietary laws as part of their faith. What you ate, how it was prepared and served etc. were all considered matters of serious religious consequence. What Jesus is saying seems to fly in the face of this but really he is cutting through to the heart of the matter. Since Jesus is God, the one who originally gave the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, we would do well to pay attention to his interpretation of it.

God gave Israel the Law as a gift. Its intent was to provide the Israelites guidelines for living lives in keeping with being the people of God. One didn’t keep the Law to earn God’s favor and gain a special relationship, rather one kept the Law because one had already been called by God into such a relationship.

The Law took humanity’s fall into sin seriously. Its purpose was to keep people from sin—from intentionally or unintentionally giving place to sinful desires and behaviors that would turn them from God—desires and behaviors that came from within a person rather than without. In this way Jesus points out that it is what comes out of a person (i.e. their words and deeds) that defiles and demonstrates their sinfulness.

The Pharisees appeared to give more attention with how their actions looked to others, and gave little if any consideration to the intent or motivation behind what they did. So, it was less about serving God and living in a right relationship with him, than simply appearing to do so by keeping the Law in a particular fashion.

Contrast that with the Canaanite woman who isn’t Jewish, was not part of the people of God who had been given the Law, and if she had any understanding of the Law, would have had little concern for it. By the standards of the Pharisees, (and most other faithful Jews), over the course of her life she had possibly broken more of the Law than she had kept. However, she is the one commended by Jesus for her faith and not the Pharisees.

Clearly, on some level she recognized Jesus was doing the work of God, and so she came to him in her distress over her daughter. She makes no demands of him, in fact she understands she is in no position to do so. She follows Jesus, calling after him about her daughter’s suffering. Jesus doesn’t answer her a word, but that’s not because he didn’t notice her—everyone knew she was there. She caused such a commotion the disciples begged Jesus to send her away.

Jesus seems reluctant to have any interaction with her, stating he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, the people of God, and not Gentiles like the Canaanite woman. That seemed to be the end of it.

But the woman catches up to Jesus, and kneels before him saying “Lord, help me”, throwing herself and her daughter on God’s mercy. She isn’t arguing or making demands of him but is appealing to the divine mercy—trusting not in her worthiness, or ability to keep the Law, but in the goodness and graciousness of God. While the Pharisees placed their faith in their abilities to keep the Law (and the appearance of them doing so), the Canaanite woman placed her faith in God.

The faith she had was, as is all faith, a gift of God – nothing she had conjured up or created on her own. She used this gift, not to try and justify herself or her daughter before God, or to argue God into doing what she wanted. Rather she used the gift as intended, directing it back toward the One who gave it to her in the first place.

Her confident faith in the steadfast love and mercy of God shines through when she declares the “crumbs” of God’s grace are enough for her. Jesus commends her faith in the mercy of God and heals her daughter.

The temptation here might be to conclude that what we do matters less than if we have faith. But that would be to err to the opposite extreme of the Pharisees.

Faith and actions are not so neatly separated nor should they be. It was St. Augustine who said, ”love God and do what you will.” If our hearts are turned to God, our lives can’t help but reflect the love and will of God in our words, deeds and choices.

The difference between the Pharisees and the Canaanite woman were where their hearts were turned. The Pharisees knew God’s law inside out, but cared little for Him, and that lack of love influenced how they understood, interpreted and lived God’s law.  The Canaanite woman knew little of God’s law but trusted in His grace, and that faith guided what she said and did, helping her to live out that faith.

The heart turned to God, doesn’t ignore God’s good law, but strives to follow it to the best of its knowledge and ability, as a demonstration of love and gratitude. The heart turned to God understands that this law is not an end in itself but a means—a guide to aide one in living the life the faithful are called to live. The heart turned to God endeavors to submit itself to the will of God, rather than twisting divine command to fit personal preference. The heart turned to God is well aware of its sinful frailty and inability to keep it perfectly, and so places its trust in God’s gracious forgiveness, throwing itself on the divine mercy, knowing it has no right to demand anything, but simply trusts God to graciously provide all that’s needed.

God grant that the Holy Spirit will keep our hearts, turned in love and trust to Him.

Pr. Brad Everett

Ascension Lutheran Church, Calgary, AB