Sermon for the 16^th Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 18

Text: Mark 7:24-30 A woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet.  The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.  She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter (vv 25-26).

Help in desperate need.

Some years ago, a young couple asked me to call on them as soon as possible.  I was ushered into the house by an older woman who led me into the lounge where a young couple were holding each other closely, the young woman with reddened eyes glistening with tears.  I sat and listened to their story.  They had been waiting with great anticipation and excitement for the arrival of their first baby.  But the birth didn’t go smoothly, and the baby died a few hours later.  They showed me photos of them holding their beautiful baby boy.  They told me the medical reasons why he wasn’t with them but wanted to know why God didn’t step in and help their little boy arrive safely and live a happy life.  They were asking me as someone who’s supposed to know God, but as much as I wanted to give them a simple clear-cut answer, I couldn’t.  At that moment I felt helpless because there is no simple satisfactory answer.    

At the funeral, I assured those gathered that even though we don’t know why this little boy was here in this life for such a short time, one thing we do know is that God’s love for him and for his parents is certain and strong.  Perhaps this may have been of small comfort at that moment while in the depths of grief, but hopefully in the future, knowing that their little boy was in the loving arms of his heavenly Father would bring peace and calm to their deeply wounded spirits.

Have you been in a desperate situation when you can see no reason why things have happened the way they have, and you can’t see your way forward?  You’ve prayed to God, but nothing’s changed.
You will power, your courage, the way you had once seen life so clearly, your future plans, your happiness, your faith have all been torn to shreds.
Maybe it’s a serious health matter with an unclear path into the future.
Maybe it’s a financial matter and there seems to be no way out of the mess.
Maybe it’s a family situation, a work problem, a relationship breakdown – whatever it is, the burden that has fallen on your shoulders is so immense that the oxygen has been sucked out of any joy and hope in your life.

If that hasn’t been your experience so far, store away what you hear today because as Jesus said, “In this life you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

Today’s Gospel reading tells us about a mother who was in desperate need.  She was Greek, a Gentile, living in Tyre.  Jews considered the people of Tyre immoral, unclean, irreligious, heathen, only worthy of scorn and to be avoided at all costs, and yet, we find Jesus and his disciples in the region of Tyre, Canaanite territory.

This woman has a daughter whom we are told has “an impure spirit” – she is controlled by a demon.  We know the affects this affliction has on a person from other New Testament passages.  Included are the inability to see or speak, become violent, have powerful convulsions, loud crying out, self-harm and so on.  Watching and dealing with these symptoms severely affect her daughter were devastating for the mother.

This Canaanite mother was desperate.  It’s clear no one else can help her and even if they could, they wouldn’t because “demon possession”, like leprosy, was something everyone stayed well clear of.  It was clear sign of the presence of evil and sin.  She knew the Jews travelling with the rabbi would reject her as an unclean and immoral.  This mother was all alone in dealing with her beloved daughter’s sickness.  She was desperate for help.

Matthew in his gospel says the woman cried out, “Jesus, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!  My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” (Matt 15:22).  How bold and presumptuous can a person be, and a woman at that, considering the place of women in society in those times!  Matthew says she keeps on following Jesus calling out to him.  You need to give her credit – she is persistent even when the disciples are saying something like, “Go away, woman!  The Master clearly doesn’t want anything to do with you!  Stop bothering him!  Go away!”

But she hasn’t got her answer yet from Jesus.  She doesn’t care about what others are saying, or whether she’s using the right protocol when approaching a rabbi; she is driven by desperation.

Jesus finally speaks.  We expect our kind, loving Jesus to say, “Of course I will save your daughter.” What he says next catches us off guard.  “I came for my own people, the children of Israel.  You’re a Gentile not an Israelite.  It’s not right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs!” (Mark 7:27).

I don’t know how that sounds to you, but it does seem pretty harsh.  Something you wouldn’t expect to come from the lips of Jesus.  The Jews referred to Canaanites as “dogs” – I suppose it would be the same as calling someone a mongrel in our language.  Unlike pampered pooches these days, Jews regarded a dog as unclean, dirty scavengers living off garbage.  If you wanted to insult someone, call them a dog. 

For a scary moment, it seemed as if Jesus was leaving her deep in her misery without any kind of divine intervention into this mother’s desperate situation. His silence is deafening.  Doesn’t he understand her pain?

Let’s pause here for a moment and perhaps recall a time when you felt that God had let you down.  Maybe you felt that God wasn’t in tune with what was happening in your life.

Remember how the apostle Paul prayed and prayed that God would heal him of the “thorn in the flesh” that was obviously painful, and God didn’t answer his prayer for healing.  Paul isn’t alone in this kind of experience.

Peter and Evie were farmers.  From the moment, Evie received a diagnosis of an aggressive brain tumour, Pete began praying for a miracle to cure Evie’s cancer.  Multiple surgeries and ongoing medical intervention were unable to stop the progression of the disease.  
Pete prayed even more fervently for a miracle cure.   He asked his friends and the whole congregation to pray for Evie’s healing. 

Evie died.  Pete had shared his life with Evie from high school days and now she was gone. 

I ask you. 
Had God turned his back on Pete and ignored all those fervent prayers? 
Doesn’t Jesus promise at our baptism to watch over and care for and protect his sheep? 
Doesn’t God promise that when we call on him in the day of trouble, he will help us, that he will be our helper and protector? 
Would some eternal plan of God have been messed up if he had answered just this one prayer, and given Evie more time with Pete like he did with Lazarus or the daughter of Jairus? 

What was Peter’s reaction?  There was no doubt he felt the deepest grief at losing the dearest and closest person in his life but by the time Evie’s funeral was held, those present could see that Pete was unusually at peace.   

Instead of blaming God for Evie’s cancer, Pete had taken a giant leap of faith.  In his grief, he trusted Jesus.  He saw that Jesus had been walking with Evie during her sickness and in her dying, and now his love had given Evie the perfect healing beyond death – in eternal life where there is no pain, no cancer, no dying.  He came to see that this was more important and better for her than staying here in this life with him.  

It was as if God’s words to St Paul in his time of pain had become his words, “My grace (my ever-present, all powerful love) is all you need”.  The power of Christ’s love is most real and works best when we are the most troubled and the weakest (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Trusting in the grace of God and the love of Christ we are given the strength to face every difficulty, every disease, every struggle, even death itself.

In the Gospel reading the mother makes a giant step of faith and leaps out of her desperation into the embrace of Jesus.  She knows she’s not worthy of Jesus’ attention.  She’s really a nobody.  But she makes her case.  “I know I’m not one of the chosen people of God, but like the dogs under the table that get the crumbs, I believe in some small way you are able to help my daughter” (my paraphrase).  Even though she comes from the wrong side of the border, she puts her faith in Jesus out there for all to see.  She is confident that Jesus is compassionate and kind.  She believes Jesus is on her side; Jesus can help; Jesus is understanding; Jesus is loving. 

And Jesus recognises this saying, “Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.” (Matthew 15:28).

Why don’t all our prayers receive miraculous answers like this Gentile woman?
Doesn’t God say, “Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honour me” (Psalms 50:15)?
Paul says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  
And there are many more promises like this but in every case, God promises what is the best for us his dearly loved children, and not necessarily what we think is good for us. 

We heard at the beginning of the young parents whose newborn baby died. The reason why God allowed this to happen is a mystery.  We don’t understand but in faith we know God’s love and wisdom embraces each of his children.

We heard about Peter’s prayers for a miraculous healing of Evie.  His prayers weren’t answered the way he at first believed, but in the end, in faith he could see that his prayers were answered.  He was filled with joy knowing that Evie was completely healed in the presence of Jesus heaven.

We have heard about the Canaanite woman and her desperate plea for her daughter to be healed.  She didn’t give up.  She continued to trust Jesus.  And she found out that Jesus does really care. 

That goes for us as well.  That goes for those of us here today who are looking for a miracle. 
When it seems that things aren’t going well for us;
that our prayers aren’t making any difference;
that despite God’s promise to be our helper,
there is no change in the chaos in our lives.

When we think that Jesus doesn’t care be doubly sure that he really does care.  We may not see it at that very moment.  We may not see how what has happened fits into the big jigsaw of our life. 

But be certain, God sticks to his word and never leaves his children without help and comfort.  He has suffered and died for us.  He will not let us down now.  When we are hurting Jesus is never a bystander watching on.  While we are fretting and worrying, the One who created the universe and each one of us says to us, “Trust me. I’ve got this.”  “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.  (Heb 13:5)

© Pastor Vince Gerhardy
E-mail: sermonsonthenet@outlook.com
8th September 2024