Intro In the Old Covenant, God called Israel to be a separate and holy people. They were not to intermarry with others, so the false gods and religions of their neighbors would not incline them toward idolatry. All of this had a purpose: It was to keep Israel as a distinct people through whom the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come.
After Israel left Egypt under Moses’ leadership and finally made it to the Promised Land, Joshua then became Israel’s leader. To help keep Israel pure from pagan influences, God told Joshua to drive out those who were occupying the land that God had promised them. God even told Joshua to kill some who had especially evil practices. Main Body One such people were the Canaanites. God told Joshua to wipe them off the face of the earth, to clear them out so Israel could flourish, for the Canaanites did more than worship false gods. They also sacrificed some of their children (that is killed them) to a god called “Molech.” They also had religious rites to call forth the spring rains that involved sexual orgies. God had no room in His kingdom of God for such people who unrepentantly and stubbornly clung to such sins. But Joshua and the Israelites failed. They didn’t wipe out the Canaanites. As a result, the Israelites flirted, even more than flirted, with various forms of idolatry all their days. And so we now flash forward in time to when Jesus walked the earth. Jesus was on the cusp of ushering in the New Covenant. But who still lived in the land of Israel? The Canaanites did. And so we find a Canaanite woman who has a daughter, whom a demon has possessed. Well, should that surprise us? After all, they worshiped false gods: Baal, Asherah, and worst of all, Molech. And whenever someone worships a false god, it’s an indirect worship of Satan. Those worshipping such false gods just don’t realize that. Although the Israelites never did rid the land of Canaanites, they still had a strong dislike for them. For the Canaanites were the people who rejoiced to see God’s Temple in Jerusalem destroyed. This was after they had ensnared God’s people with the worship of false gods and provoked the true Lord to anger. Those Canaanites couldn’t be more opposed to truth, justice, and wisdom. So, now that we understand who the Canaanites were, should it surprise us that one of their children has a demon within her? And what does Jesus do when He finds out about this demon-possessed girl? He ignores her mother who brought the news to Him. Good for Jesus: that’s just the response a Canaanite deserves. Let her cries echo off the canopy of heaven! Let her gods, whom she has falsely worshiped, help her now! Jesus responds correctly--if He’s going to treat her as she deserves! But the Canaanites weren’t the only bad people in the world. Let’s look closer to home. For whose heart is free from the worship of idols? Hear now what the Apostle Paul told the Christians in Colossae: “So, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Scripture even calls desiring what is evil as idolatry, which is the opposite of being content with what God has given you. Such idolatry wants the riches, the beauty, or the influence that another person has. It’s placing your own wants and wishes above thankfulness to God. It is placing your priorities ahead of God’s priorities for you. And so, this desiring of more and more wealth is worshiping the false and demonic god called riches and mammon. Coveting what your neighbor has, being discontent with what God has given you, always seeking your comfort first--that also is a worship of demonic forces that can hand you over to Satan. It’s no wonder then that Scripture warns us so often against sin and is always calling us to repent! Hmmm, so we aren’t that different from the Canaanites, after all. For, like the daughter of the Canaanite woman, Satan would also oppress you. He would tie down your heart with the weight and cares of this world. He would have you worship at his altar with your sins, worries, disappointments, and your vain pleasures. And so like the Canaanite woman, we too must go to Jesus. The Canaanite woman has seen the truth. She has seen that you can never satisfy the idols that control your life. She has seen that coveting and lust always want more and more until you are used up. And so the Canaanite woman has given up on all those false gods. She realizes that she has gained nothing from them but weeping and sorrow. And so she comes to Jesus with all that she has: only weeping and sorrow. And she lays her brokenness at the Lord’s feet because she has heard that He is merciful and kind to the brokenhearted. She has heard that this Jesus has come for sinners. She has heard that now is the time for those who have run after false gods to come home to the one, true God. And so nothing will turn her away from Jesus. She keeps crying out after Jesus and His disciples. But her non-stop pestering annoys the disciples, and they can’t take it anymore. They tell Jesus: “Send her away. She keeps shouting behind us” (Matthew 15:23). So, Jesus takes a moment to set everyone straight. He says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). And so the self-righteousness person lurking in us all rejoices at Jesus’ rebuke of this woman. But still this Canaanite woman won’t quit. She runs to Jesus, falls on her knees, and cries out, “Lord, help me!” (Matthew 15:25). But Jesus isn’t fooled. “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). The Bread of Life is for the Israelites! The kingdom is for the sons of Abraham! Out with the Canaanite dogs! “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!” (Matthew 15:27). Yes, Lord, even Rahab, the Canaanite, Rahab the prostitute, that Gentile dog, turned to the Lord for mercy and found it. Isn’t that Canaanite, Rahab, your own great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother? Yes, Lord, dogs don’t deserve to sit at the table with Abraham’s sons. But wasn’t Naaman, the Syrian, cleansed with water and healed, so others would know that a prophet was living in Israel? Yes, Lord, those who have worshiped at other altars have no claim to call you, “Lord.” But what about Peter, your friend and follower? Does he not worship the god of self and pride, and won’t he betray you? And yet, will you not restore him after the rooster crows and your stare pierces his heart with repentance? You’re not fooling me, Jesus: I know that you embody pure mercy and truth. I know that I don’t deserve your mercy. But I know who you are Jesus--and I that know you are mercy in the flesh! O Canaanite “woman, strong is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28). I have not found such faith even in all Israel! You know me, and I know you. I have called you from the beginning, by faith, to be a daughter of Abraham, by trusting in me. And so your faith is in the proper place. I have, indeed, come to call the lost sheep of Israel, those lost in sexual sin, perversion, lust, evil desire, and greed. I have come to call the wandering sheep who have lost their way and wound up at the altars of false gods who are not gods. I have come to call sinners--not the righteous. And you qualify. So, your daughter is healed. Her demons are cast out. This is what I have come to do. From her and you and on to me will come all the demons, the disease, and the death. I am going up to Jerusalem, the city of Israel, to die for the sins of the whole world. For salvation is from the Jews, from the sons of Abraham, for I AM the Son of Abraham through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. By my blood, I have grafted you into God’s own family. By my work, I have cleansed you from your sins. Like Namaan, you will be washed in my baptism and cleansed. Like Rahab, you will be bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, for I will give my body and blood for your nourishment and bind your flesh to mine for salvation and eternal life. Like my friend and brother, Peter, I restore you and bring you back into God’s kingdom. I have done battle with Satan to make you a son of Israel, oh daughter of Canaan. I have suffered all sin to make you mine. I have allowed death to have me, all so God could have you. So, be at peace dear Christian, for even one crumb of God’s grace is enough to bring you safely home. But Jesus gives you more than a crumb. He brings you to a feast. He bids you to sit--but not under the table to wait for the crumbs that may happen to fall. Instead, He places you in the best seat and comes to serve you with the true bread of heaven: His own risen and glorified body. He refreshes you with the choicest wine of heaven: His own life-giving blood. Conclusion Come then to the feast, O Canaanites, O Gentiles, for the Lord has grafted you in! Come and be freed from all that oppresses you, for the Lord has lifted them off you and placed them on His own back! Come, receive divine sonship from God’s own Son, the sinless One who became sin for you and your salvation! Come, know the Lord that this Canaanite woman knew. Like her, learn to cling to Him for life everlasting. Amen. -- Rich Futrell, Pastor Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Kimberling City, MO http://sothl.com Where we receive and confess the faith of the Church (in and with the Augsburg Confession): The faith once delivered to the saints, the faith of Christ Jesus, His Word of the Gospel, His full forgiveness of sins, His flesh and blood given and poured out for us, and His gracious gift of life for body, soul, and spirit. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
