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A Living Parable of Persistent Prayer”
Matthew 15:21-28

 

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost—August 17, 2014

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Gospel of Luke reports two parables Jesus TOLD about being persistent in prayer, “The Parable of the Unjust Judge” and “The Parable of the Friend at Midnight”:

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’  For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’  And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. . .

“Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’  Then the one inside answers, ‘—’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’  I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.  So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

In addition to these parables Jesus TOLD about persistent prayer, in today’s Gospel Reading we have another parable about persistent prayer, which Jesus SHOWS, the story of the Canaanite woman, “A Living Parable of Persistent Prayer.”

It seems odd to us that Jesus at first ignores and even rejects this poor woman’s pleas.  Is this the same Jesus who invites, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . . .  and whoever comes to me I will never cast him out”?

But, there are important reasons why Jesus at first denies this woman’s pleas.  The purpose of Jesus’ miracles was always to confirm his TEACHINGS, to confirm that he really is God in the flesh.  As Peter says in Acts, “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him.” 

But, the Gospels report that at this point in Jesus’ ministry, wherever he went in Israel he was deluged with those seeking ONLY miracles: “When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Si—. . .  he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. . .  a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town . . .  a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another . . .  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. . .  A large crowd followed and pressed around him. . .  Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. . .  Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. . .  the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. . .  the crowds almost crushed him. . .”

People had gotten the wrong idea, that Jesus was just some kind of magician.  And instead of the miracles serving to confirm Jesus’ teachings, the uproar his miracles were causing was actually obscuring and obstructing his teaching ministry.

It was because of this uproar and commotion that Jesus and his disciples were withdrawing from Israel to the region of Tyre and Si—.  So, one reason Jesus at first ignores and even rejects the Canaanite’s woman’s pleas is so that the people there do not also get the wrong idea, and the tumultuous uproar start all over again.

“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.’  Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’  He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’” 

That is another reason why Jesus at first ignores and even rejects the Canaanite’s woman’s pleas.  It was God’s plan to work out the salvation of the world in a particular time and place in human history and among a particular people, the chosen people of Israel.  It wasn’t until after the Messiah had first accomplished his mission among THEM, after his crucifixion and resurrection, that his followers would THEN would, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” both Jews and Gentiles.  As Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

“The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.  He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’”  This wasn’t really the harsh insult that it sounds like to our ears.  The Greek word here for “dog” is actually an affectionate term for a household pet, not “dog” as a put-down, in a derogatory sense, but a little pet “poochie,” who is treated almost like one of the family.  But, no matter how much you love your pet poochie, it wouldn’t be right for it eat up at the table with your children.  In the same way, Jesus has sympathy and compassion for this Canaanite woman, but it was God’s plan for him to carry out his ministry on earth among God’s ancient chosen people, the children of Israel.  That’s what he means when he says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

“’Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’  Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

We learn six things about prayer from this living parable:

First: Pray with humility.

The hymn “Rock of Ages” puts it this way: “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”  The Canaanite woman does not come demanding, “Lord, help me, because I deserve it.”  She does not argue why she is worthy to receive his blessing.  No, in humility she acknowledges that she is not one of the chosen people of Israel to whom the Messiah was sent in his earthly ministry.

Jesus once told a parable about praying with humility, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Like the Canaanite woman and the tax collector, pray with humility, acknowledging to the Lord that you are not worthy or deserving of his heavenly blessing.

The second thing we learn about prayer from this living parable is: Pray with faith.

Mark tells us that this woman had “heard” about Jesus, and her cries for help are really a beautiful confession of her faith: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!  Lord, help me!”  She believes he is the Lord, God in the flesh.  She believes he is the “Son of David,” the long-awaited descendant of David who would be the Messiah from the Jewish people, the Savior of the world.  And she believes that he will have mercy on her, and that he posses the divine, miraculous power to help her.

In the same way, when you pray, pray with faith.  Not just a vague faith in a generic higher power.  But, like the Canaanite woman, pray with specific faith in Jesus of Nazareth.  For by his life, death and resurrection, he paid for the sins of the whole world, that whoever believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.  Like the Canaanite woman, pray with faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, and your personal Savior.  Like the Canaanite woman, pray with faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord, your Lord.  Like the Canaanite woman, pray with faith that Jesus of Nazareth will have mercy upon you and he possesses the divine, miraculous power to help you.

The third thing we learn about prayer from this living parable is: Pray with confidence.

You may recall that when email was first developed the messages had a tendency to get lost somewhere out in cyberspace.  For a long time I didn’t have much confidence in it, and every time I hit that button I wondered, “Will it really go through?”

Hebrews says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Like the Canaanite woman, pray with confidence.  Pray with confidence that your prayer is getting through to the God of the universe, because your prayers are made acceptable to him through faith in his Son.  As Paul says in Ephesians, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with boldness and confidence.”  Like the Canaanite woman, pray with confidence.

The fourth thing we learn about prayer from this living parable is: Pray for others, especially your children.

Perhaps that is your most important job as a parent, to pray for your children.  Let your prayers be like a protective force field always surrounding your children throughout their lives.  Jesus himself sets the example: “Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. . .  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”  Like Jesus and the Canaanite woman, pray for your children.

The fifth thing we learn about prayer from this living parable is: Pray “Yet not my will but thine be done.”

When Jesus explains to the Canaanite woman that it is God’s plan for the Messiah to minister on earth only among God’s ancient chosen people, and it is not yet his time to minister outside the nation of Israel, she does not contest God’s plan or argue against it.  She humbly submits herself to God’s plan and seeks to find her place in God’s plan.  “YES, Lord; but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me.  Yet not my will, but thine be done.”

In the same way, in your prayers humbly submit and subordinate yourself and your desires to God’s plan, trusting that he is working all things together for the good.  As Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Finally, the sixth thing we learn about prayer from this living parable is: Pray persistently.

We may ask: Why?  What value could there be in me repeating my requests to God? Surely he knows what I want.  That reminds me of a couple I once counseled.  I asked the man, “When was the last time you told your wife that you love her?”  “Well, she knows how I feel,” he said.  “I don’t have to say it.”  And the woman had the same attitude.

Just as lack of communication leads to the breakdown of your marriage relationship with your spouse, lack of communication also leads to the breakdown of your faith relationship with your God.

Yes, your spouse knows that you love him or her, but to keep your marriage relationship strong he or she needs to hear it from you.  And, yes, the Lord does already know what you want, what you need, how you feel.  But, he wants to hear it from you, not for his sake, but for your sake, to help keep your faith relationship with him strong.

THAT is why the Lord commands PERSISTENT prayer: “Pray without ceasing”; “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”  And that is the point of the parables Jesus TOLD about persistent prayer, and the parable Jesus SHOWS with the Canaanite woman, “A Living Parable of Persistent Prayer.”

Amen.

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