13th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 15

Our gospel lesson is about the Canaanite woman who sought out Jesus because her daughter was ill.

This was a difficult text to understand as it seemed that the woman's faith made Jesus cure the women's daughter. But as you examine the text further, you find that Jesus was testing the woman to see if she understood that He first came to the House of Israel, then to the Gentiles.

We as Lutheran always believe that God acts, then we respond. God acted in our Baptism to make us his children, then we respond with our whole lives in worship of Him through Jesus Christ and to then love our neighbor.

This text at first reading seems to be saying, that Jesus acted because this woman begged him.

He acted because she had faith, period.

Jesus acted not out of judgment of this woman, but out of love. He sees our lives through the sacrifice he made on the cross, so he sees us through the eyes of mercy. He saw that woman's plight, and though she was not a Jew, he acted.

We are not to be judgmental, but loving.

An illustration I did use in my sermon says it well

A story related to this text [summarized from _Sunday and Holyday Liturgies, Cycle A_, by Flor McCarthy] has a group of the very pious waiting in heaven for the judgment. As they are waiting and complaining about the wait, they begin to see some of the "sinners" they knew on earth coming into the waiting room: a corrupt politician, an itinerant woman who had been convicted of shoplifting numerous times, a prostitute, a drug addict, a man who spent most of his life in prison, etc.
With each of these arrivals, the feeling of hostility increased in the first group. They glare at the others. They talk among themselves. Within a short time, words were spoken to those others, "What makes you think you're going to get in with that evil, sinful life you lived on earth?"

"We are relying on the mercy and grace of God. What makes you so sure you're going to get in?"

"Our good lives, of course." They turned their backs to the others.

Time began to drag on for the first group. They began to complain to one another. "If those other people get in, there's no justice. After all the sacrifices we've made. It's not fair."

The Lord arrived. He turned towards the first group, "I understand you've been wondering why there has been no judgment."
"Yes!" they cried out. "We want a judgment. We want justice."

"The judgment has already taken place. You've judged yourselves. By judging these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you have judged yourselves. In rejecting them you have rejected me. You have shown yourselves unworthy of the kingdom of God."

from from Brian Stoffregen
Faith Lutheran Church, 1000 D St., Marysville, CA 95901
e-mail: b.stoffregen@worldnet.att.net
from pericopeonline@yahoogroups.com

My sermon on this text is at the link below.

Link