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| Jean Germain Drouais: The Woman of Canaan at the Feet of Christ |
The Second Sunday in Lent, 2023
Bethany Lutheran Church
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving-kindnesses: for they have been ever of old.
Let not mine enemies triumph over me: God of Israel, deliver us out of all our troubles.
Psalm. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: O my God, I trust in Thee; let me not be ashamed.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, who seest that of ourselves we have no strength, keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
Gradual
The troubles of my heart are enlarged:
oh, bring Thou me out of my distresses.
V. Look upon mine affliction and my pain:
and forgive all my sins.
Tract. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord; f
or He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.
V. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can show forth His praise?
V. Blessed are they that keep judgment:
and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
V. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that
Thou bearest unto Thy people:
Oh, visit me with Thy salvation.
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sermon Hymn #142 A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining - Gerhardt
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sermon Hymn #142 A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining - Gerhardt
Crumbs from the Table
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
Hymn # 50 Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
Hymn # 50 Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing
Prayers and Announcements
- Medical care - Randy Anderson is home, Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Doc Lito, Sarah Buck, Lori Howell, Callie and her mother Peggy.
- Wednesday, 7 PM - MidWeek Lenten service,
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| Lutheran Library - Gerhardt's Biography |
KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Second Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Thy grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Thy grace, and in every trial and temptation find Thee a very present help and refuge, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Crumbs from the Table
KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
Here are two indications that Jesus should have nothing to do with this woman. "Of Canaan" is a reference to a region where horrible pagan rituals had been celebrated in the past - so necessarily not a welcome place. The second is that she heard of Jesus (Mark 7:25), and we know faith comes by hearing the Gospel (Romans 10). Luther has said that Christianity is both a mouth religion, spreading the Gospel using our voices, and a faith religion, believing the Gospel Word. Mark uses the more modern name - Syrophoenician, rather than Canaanite. We do that too, with various labels for Chicago, New York, and the Quad-Cities (aka Tri-City).
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
This woman was certainly taught by someone, because she called Jesus by His title - Son of David, one of His titles of majesty. She already believed in His divine powers, because she said, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David." She trusted in His divine power to heal her daughter, vexed by a devil. That is how we feel when dealing a disorder or disease that has great power over a loved one, especially a child, and there seems to be no solution in sight. In such a situation, a mother only has one thought, how to spare the child. In this case she seeks out Jesus though torn from her duty of helping the girl. A mother will use all her energy to keep a baby alive, even when the forces of nature seem utterly opposed it. And that teaches everyone how much a mother can do under the circumstances. We had two examples of that, and the two girls had everything except muscular strength, but that strength faded away each year.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
Jesus did not answer, and His disciples said "Send her away!" That did not mean "Get rid of her" but "Give her the blessing she wants so she can go." Jesus healed all those who came to Him. Mark emphasizes what was happening over those three years. People everywhere were asking for miracles and receiving them. Mark and Luke emphasized how He withdrew for rest and prayer. (Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16) I flummox seminary students by telling them to follow the example of Jesus, setting Himself apart to pray. They say, with few exceptions, my favorite - "I have read Mark many times over it. I know that book very well. Your statement is not there." When I give the exact verse - "Oh, now I see it, and I never did before."
The disciples seem to be mean about their call to send her away, but they want to stop her crying out to Jesus and give their ears a rest. That would be the natural response to a group who had seen so many miracles. Jesus never neglected a single one. That is why we should continue to pray and let the Savior work out the details over time, so we can see that His will is best.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Jesus' response was appropriate and correct. Israel had longed for the Son of David for many centuries, going back to Abraham being promised as many children as there are stars in the sky, not simply descendants by blood, but children of the Promise, millions upon millions. The Son of God is certainly in the Old Testament. When God said, "Let there be light," there was another One involved - the Son executing the command. See John 1 for confirmation. The Holy Spirit hovered over Creation and teaches us those lessons to this day. The Gospel of John is especially clear about the Spirit teaching us of the Father and of the Son, yet the hardened and greedy hearts cannot add up to Three (in One). When Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, the Son was promised (Genesis 3:15). Eve was so sure of this happening soon that she said, "I have given birth to a man-child__the LORD. (Genesis 4:1) And to make sure we all know such things, Jesus said in John 8 - "Before Abraham was, I AM."
Those Biblical facts teach us the meaning of God's time, which is not our time at all. We cannot fathom God's use of time, but we can observe it and see how little we can comprehend.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
This is a clear sign that the woman considered Jesus to be God and bowed down in humility before Him. Alexander the Great wanted to be considered as a god, and his own soldiers thought that was disgusting. He had various opportunities to make himself godlike and they convinced him. This woman was not praying for herself but for her dear daughter. Her faith was so firm and her love for her daughter was so great that nothing could stop her.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
This statement from Jesus has the outward effect of shaming the woman, especially in the use of dogs. Even today we think of dogs, especially unknown ones, as dirty, loud, and mess-makers. They will eat anything as scavengers. So taking away bread "from the children" and throwing it to dogs is natural in one sense, with the appearance of an insult. But the woman counters with Lord - knowing she is praying to God - and gives a little twist to her response. Jesus seemed to emphasize the harshness of his response. Dogs can be be the mongrels that licked the wounds of Lazarus, showing how weak he was. But this woman says - even the little pet household dogs eat a few crumbs from the Master's table. Jesus is God, the Lord, and the Master. Her daughter is like a loving, lovable puppy, not a smelly dirty mongrel.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Now we see that Jesus was not being mean and cross with her, but revealing to the disciples, that they will endeavor to convert not only the Jews - trained all their lives in the Gospel of the Old Testament - but also the foreigners who would have no background in the Scriptures. The woman is the example of complete faith in the Savior, undaunted by the apparent resistance of Jesus and convinced in His power to heal her daughter.
The Matthew 15 lesson teaches us to have this kind of faith, not just in a moment, but throughout all the challenges of life.
