Matt. 15:21-28 Jesus Tests a Canaanite Woman’s Faith

It’s nice to know the details about the historical witness of this and every other story in the Bible, but if it doesn’t impact me and my life for the better, what value is it? How does this story impact MY life? And how does it impact YOUR life?

The Canaanite woman was considered an outcast in the eyes of the children of Israel, a Gentile. Since most Christians today are not converted Jews, she represents us. And still, most Christians think that WE are now the chosen people of God. Chosen by God in our baptism to be God’s children. We’ve effectively displaced the Jews, we Christians are the new chosen of God. Now that we are the true children who have the Bread to ourselves, the story fits us even better.

But Jesus leaves the homeland and ventures into the land of the outcasts. Why does he do that? Why does he leave the hallowed halls of our tradition to be around outcasts? I thought he said he would be with us always. Yet we find him among the outcasts.

Who are the outcasts in the eyes of Christians today?
(1) Unbelievers - who reject traditional understanding of the biblical narrative and reject blind adherence to scriptural demands. (2) The poor - if you can’t pull yourself up with self-discipline and will power, there must be something wrong with you. No free lunches are served these days. (3) Sinners – who the righteous determine are not following specific rules of the Bible. Maybe these are the outcasts today. If they don’t meet our rights of initiation, and conform to our rules, they don’t deserve our Jesus.

And yet, Jesus goes to where the outcasts live. The only advertising Jesus needs is word of mouth. People heard he was kind. He was able to help them. He was willing to help them. Imagine how churches might look on Sunday mornings today if sinners in need of healing, forgiveness, heard that the church was kind, and able to help, and willing to help…without conditions attached.

Three times the woman approached Jesus. She trusted the witness of others who had told her that Jesus was kind, and willing to help. She trusted and desired it so much that she endured his silence, his timing that wasn’t her timing, and even being told that she was not one of the chosen – not one of the original children set aside to receive God’s blessing and promise. She still trusted the testimony of others that he was good, and desired to help people in need regardless that she didn’t qualify by the religious rules. She claimed the goodness of God she heard was in him. And she was not disappointed.

Trust the witness of the New Testament that tells us God is love – kind, able, and willing to help us if we call in Jesus’ name. This changes my life. How can I not serve him? How can I live in ways that do not please him? I work harder at it if I trust the goodness of the One who loves me.

Blessings - PWM

Matthew 13:24-30 The Wheat and the Tares

After many forms of teaching and miracle stories in the first twelve chapters of Matthew, the gospel writer fills this chapter with parables. The first parable is the Sower and the Seed, after which the disciples ask Jesus why he teaches in parables. Jesus speaks, “I do it to show you that people can hear and see something without understanding it” and “it fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah.” Then Jesus explains the parable of the Sower.


The second parable is a literary duplicate of the first. Jesus tells a parable of the wheat and tares. Matthew then tells us another place in the Old Testament (Psalm 78) where the Messiah will speak in parables. Then Jesus explains the meaning of the parable to the disciples.

Why? Why would Matthew want to show us that those who met Jesus face to face, who heard his teachings and saw his miracles, didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to teach them? If people who had direct physical interaction with Jesus didn’t understand, then why do we think we can understand at all? Maybe the point is found in the follow up to each parable. Only Jesus can help us to understand his teachings.

I think this might encourage us to go away with Jesus to a quiet place. To be alone with him. To sit at his feet. To let the Word himself enter our thoughts and imagination. As we read the story in Scripture, to place ourselves within it, then he can teach us what he wants each of us to learn. That doesn’t mean we will come away with the same learning points. He will teach me something applicable to my life today, and he will teach you what you need to hear. This is the mystery and wisdom of the parables, one tree can yield many fruits.

I can give one example of hearing without hearing. For six years, in sermons and in Bible studies, I’ve been sharing my understanding of the kingdom of heaven. To make a long story short: the words ‘kingdom of heaven’ can be replaced with the words, the ‘reign of God.’ The kingdom of heaven is is a current state of being – allowing God to reign in your life today. The KOH in these parables is not teaching about where you and I are going to go when we die. I’ve been teaching these replacement words for six years, and last week, when we were analyzing this parable, the initial focus was ‘how is this like heaven?’

So what is the reign of God in the current day like? The seeds of trust in God are sown by Jesus himself. When they are placed in fertile ground, trust grows well. Yet, life is not all roses. There will be weeds and obstacles that get in the way of growing trust. There will be people and teachings (or fear and distrust) that interfere with the ability for trust to grow. Not to worry. Let it all develop together. Who are we to be able to separate out the good from the bad (people, teachings, feelings) when they all look alike. Leave it up to God to sort things out at the end. Just do your best to continue growing in trust for God, and the kingdom, the reign of God in you, will grow.

And get into the habit of going away with Jesus to be alone. Let him teach you.

Blessings - PWM

Matt. 11:2-11 Evidence that Jesus is the Messiah

I’m going to change the way in which I blog these gospel texts. In the past, I’ve been more academic, more religious, more exegetical about the text, letting Martin Luther contribute to the discussion. I’m feeling a little blogged down by this format. Rather than cover a whole text, or be limited by one text a week, I plan to blog about a text from Luther's Church Postil that we are studying for the week, and a possibly another text from the lectionary for Sunday. I might focus on the entire text or just one thought. My primary goal is to identify what each text might be able to teach us for the present day rather than simply analyze what happened in the past.

This text in Matthew 11 shows Jesus’ answer to John the Baptist’s question (from prison) as to whether or not Jesus is the promised messiah, or should they expect someone else. Jesus said, “Look at what I do – that should tell you who I am.” Can our denominations say the same thing? If people want to know if we are the Body of Christ in the world today, can they look at what we do and determine if we are like Jesus? The same applies to me as an individual. If people want to know if I am a follower of Jesus Christ, can they look at what I do and be convinced?

Is my religious work focused on protecting the word of God, or the dogma and doctrines of my particular church theologians? Or are we clinging to our denominational loyalties (Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Wesley, Aquinas, etc.) today like Luther said the church of his day clung to their saints and popes?

What did Jesus do to show he was the Christ? He said, “Report what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Where there are good works, there is Christ. Where there is good news, there is Christ. The odd phrase Jesus added was this: “Blessed are those who do not fall away on account of me.” Why would Christians today fall away from Jesus who was a healer, a forgiver, a servant, a witness to the goodness of God? Maybe because Jesus wasn’t a condemner or a punisher. Maybe because Jesus did not match the tradition's image of God from the Old Testament…a God of law rather than a God of love. Many people desire a God who will make bad people (which never includes them) pay for their sins for eternity, rather than accept that the Son received the punishment to himself.

The Christian life consists of placing one’s complete trust in God as revealed in Jesus, and acting in love toward our neighbors in need. I am the blind, the lame, the leprous, the deaf, the poor person who is totally dependent upon Jesus Christ to make me whole; I cannot do this on my own effort. Christ alone heals my spirit, and frees me to experience peace, joy, love, and hope as I live to please Him.

Blessings - PWM