THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT - FEBRUARY 28, 1999

St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Watertown, WI

FAITH RELIES ON THE PROMISES OF GOD MARK 7:24-30

Do you believe? What do you believe? How do you know that you believe? Are you certain that you really believe? Much has been written and much is said about faith. The Word of God before us today speaks to the whole issue of faith. As we consider this event in the ministry Jesus as he encounters the Syro-Phoenician woman who had a daughter possessed with an evil spirit we wish to focus our attention on this basic truth - FAITH RELIES ON THE PROMISES OF GOD. As we listen to the conversation this mother has with our Lord Jesus we note that I) Faith Accepts God's Word and II) Faith Does Not Have To Be Shaken By Seeming Set-Backs.

WHAT IS FAITH

Before we begin our discussion of faith we need to explain what faith is and where it comes from. In the second reading for today the writer to the Hebrew Christians in his heroes of faith chapter begins by defining for us what faith is. He writes, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is confidence. It is being certain of something we have not seen. Now where does faith come from? So many people would have you believe that faith is something that you produce in your own life. That's a lie! Faith is not something I decided to have and then just believed. Faith is a gift from God. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace and faith are gifts of God. They have nothing to do with us. They have everything to do with God. Grace is God's love for us which we certainly do not deserve because we are so corrupt and evil since our conception. God has demonstrated that love for us by sending his only Son Jesus into this world to rescue and deliver us from the eternal punishment of hell which we have earned because of our sins. Faith is our trust in the promises of God. This too is a gift that God gives us. God gives us faith through his word. As Paul also says, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) So faith then is the confidence and certainty I have in the promises that God has made to me personally. This confidence and trust God produces in my life as I read his Word and receive his sacraments of holy baptism and holy communion. Now that we have defined our terms and understand what we mean when we are talking about faith, let's look at the conversation that Jesus had with the Syro-Phoenician woman. We will first note that Faith Accepts God's Word.

FAITH ACCEPTS GOD'S WORD

The event that we are studying took place during Jesus' third and last year of his public ministry. Jesus had gained quite a following. Because he had healed many sick people, raised two people from the dead, fed thousands of people with small amounts of food, he was a very popular figure. Wherever he went he drew crowds. Not only did he attract people who believed in him, he also attracted his enemies. These religious leaders who felt threatened by Jesus were always trying to trip him up and make him look like a fool in front of the people. Jesus finally takes some time to get away from the crowds and from his enemies so that he can instruct his disciples. He takes the twelve and they go off to the area around Tyre. This was about 30 miles from Capernaum, the Savior's home base in Galilee. This region today is in Lebanon near the Mediterranean Sea. It was an area where the people worshiped false gods. But even here the Lord could not escape notice. We are told that he went into a "house and did not want anyone to know it." (v. 24a) However, Jesus' fame had spread. And a group of 13 strangers in a small town did not go unnoticed. When people learned who these strangers were and that Jesus of Nazareth was one of them, he drew attention. A woman of this area had a daughter who was possessed by an evil spirit. She had heard of Jesus and she believed that Jesus had the power to heal her daughter. So she seeks Jesus out and throws herself at his feet and begs Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

Why did this woman do that? She had heard what Jesus had done during the past two and a half years. She had faith that this man could do something for her daughter. Where did this belief and trust come from? It came from the reports that she had heard about Jesus. Remember Paul wrote, "Faith comes from hearing the message; and the message is heard through the Word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) The good news that she had heard about Jesus and his work had convinced her that here was an answer for her daughter's demon possession. Here was someone who had power over demons and could heal her daughter from this terrible affliction. She had confidence in Jesus and what he could do.

You and I call ourselves Christians. We claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that he has done and is able to do great things for us. Why? Because we have heard the message. What message have we heard about Jesus? We have heard that he loves us. In fact, he loved us so much that he laid down his life for us on a cross almost two thousand years ago. Why did he do that? He did that so that we might live forever and experience the joys and peace of eternity with God in paradise. He loves us so much that he did battle with our enemies - the devil and death. And the good news is that he won. He was tested and tempted by the devil and he did not give in. He was not tricked nor deceived. He did not follow the devil's lies. He lived that perfect and holy life that God demands from us. He then faced the final enemy that you and I must face death. The good news is that he destroyed that last enemy too. Oh, he died. In fact, he experienced two deaths. Two deaths? Yes, two deaths. He first experienced eternal death. He was separated from God and from all of God's blessings, that's eternal death, hell. He experienced that death while he was nailed to that cross on Good Friday. That's the death that we deserve because we are not perfect. He took that death upon himself so that we would never have to be separated from God eternally in hell. He then experienced physical death, the separation of his soul from his body. This death was temporary. For three days later on a Sunday morning, Jesus soul and body were reunited and he came out of his grave alive and well. This resurrection assures us that we are pardoned and that one day we too will rise from our own graves. As Jesus said, "Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19b) The Apostle Paul tells us, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:20,22) This is the good news that we have heard and this news has produced faith, trust, in our hearts. We trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Just as the woman who met Jesus in the regions near Tyre had come to believe and trust in Jesus through reports about him even though she had never met him; so we have come to trust in Jesus as our Savior and Helper through similar reports that we have heard and read in God's Word, even though we have never personally met the Lord face to face in the flesh.

FAITH DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SHAKEN BY SEEMING SET BACKS

But how can I be sure? How can I be certain that what I believe is true? This woman's faith was put to the test just as our faith is often tested and tried. Let's learn from this woman that faith does not have to be shaken by seeming set backs.

While this Gentile woman was on her face at Jesus' feet begging for help for her daughter, we hear Jesus make a strange remark to her. Jesus said, "First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." (v. 27) Jesus called this woman a dog! The Jews considered all Gentiles, that is non-Jewish people, to be dogs. Dogs were unclean animals that traveled in packs and scavenged and ravaged in Palestine. That's what the Jews thought of those who were not Jews. But the word that Jesus uses for this woman is not dog, but little dog or puppy dog. People in those days just as today had pet dogs that they kept in their homes. But Jesus was still calling this woman a pet dog. But did you notice that the woman does not get up in a huff, look at Jesus and shout, "You're calling me a dog!" and walk away upset. Her faith was not shaken by the seeming rebuke and rejection by Jesus. As Matthew records this incident he tells us that Jesus told the woman, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Matthew 15:24) She understands and accepts what Jesus says. Faith believes and accepts the Word of God. Jesus was reminding her that he had come first for the house of Israel. He had been promised as the Savior of the Jews. His ministry was first to the people of Israel. The woman does not argue with Jesus about this. She does not say, "This isn't fair." "I don't agree with what you say." But the woman's faith remains confident. Listen to her reply to Jesus. "Yes Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."(v. 28) She accepts the fact that Jesus' ministry is first to the Jews, but she takes the example that Jesus uses and reminds him that the pet dogs that are under the table get to eat the little crumbs that fall from the children's table. Jesus marvels at her great trust. In fact, Matthew tells us that Jesus commented, "Woman you have great faith." (Matthew 15:28a) Our Lord then told her to go home the demon had left her daughter. Mark tells us that when the woman got home she found her daughter resting on the bed and the demon was gone. It was not the woman's faith that had healed her daughter, it was the power of God that had driven that demon from the little girl. This woman merely trusted that Jesus was able to do this.

The Lord has made some marvelous promises to us. Oh, that God would give us the faith to confidently believe them and not be shaken and upset by seeming set backs and rejections as this Gentile woman experienced from Jesus. Remember some of those promises. The first and most important promise that God has made to each of us is that our sins are forgiven. The Lord says to us, "I forgive your wickedness and I remember your sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:34c) We can have the confidence when the book of life is opened and all our works are revealed, only the good we have done in faith will be recounted. But what about all the evil that you and I have done, said and thought? That has been erased from that book with the blood of Jesus Christ. For God promises us, "The blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7b)

God promises us that we will never be alone in our journey through life. At times, I know, we feel all alone, forsaken and forgotten. But how we feel versus what the truth is are two totally different things. I may feel alone and forgotten, but the truth is I am never alone. For Jesus promised me and you, "And surely I am with you always to he very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20b) And God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5c)

God promises us that he will always be there for us to give us strength and help to deal with the troubles, the conflicts and problems that we face in our journey through life. As the psalmist wrote and we heard in our first reading today, "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you. The Lord will keep you from all harm." (Psalm 121:1-3,5a,7a) The Lord makes that promise and he keeps it. Whether we believe it or not, it's true.

God also promises that he will cause all things to work for our good. We may wonder at times, what good can come from this? We can't always answer that. But we know that good will come because God promises it and God never breaks a promise that he makes to his people.

Oh, for a faith that would trust all these promises and never waver or collapse. No one of us has perfect faith. We have to say with a father of a young boy who had an evil spirit, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) How does God help us overcome our unbelief and our weaknesses of faith? He does it through His Word and sacraments. That's why we have the daily Bible readings listed in our bulletin. It gives you the opportunity every day to read a selected portion of God's Word. That's why we have seven services a week during Lent and five services a week the rest of the year. It gives the people of God an opportunity to gather to hear God's Word; to encourage and be encouraged and built up by fellow Christians in worship. That is why we celebrate the Lord's Supper at almost every service we hold in this building. Because in this blessed sacrament the Lord Jesus personally and intimately comes to us and unites himself with us by giving us the very body and blood that he sacrificed there on the cross on Calvary on Good Friday. He gives us his body and blood for our forgiveness and to strengthen and solidify the faith that he gave us in our baptism.

Praise God and thank him for all that he does to save us and keep us in the faith.

Amen