25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15)
They say that you know you have a real friend if they tell you that you have a little something stuck between your teeth.
A stranger might not tell you that. It’s a little awkward. You might be offended. And it’s just really not worth their energy to tell you the truth. They don’t really care if you have something stuck between your teeth as long as they don’t have to feel awkward or for you to be mad at them. After all, it’s your teeth and how people think of you.
But, we all need those friends. Those truth telling, true friends.
But when those friends speak, will we be easily offended? Can we take a little criticism if it comes from a heart of love and aimed help?
Our story has Jesus being a truth teller, and as Christians, we know His heart, but it’s not easy to hear.
In fact, the first thing that we hear from Jesus is nothing as the Canaanite woman begs Jesus for mercy because her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.
But he did not answer her a word.
She could have been offended by. She could have given up. But we saw at the end of the story that she has faith. Which means, she trusts the heart of Jesus, even when He isn’t answering a word.
Which is good, because when He does speak, He says he was only sent for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
But she’s not offended. She knows His heart of mercy and love and help
Lord, help me, she continues.
Then He says, It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.
This a deeper and more offensive conversation than you got a little something stuck between your teeth.
But she trusts and believes that Jesus will help her and Jesus is good and is so thankful that Jesus is speaking to her and listening to her.
She doesn’t hear the “no’s” that we might hear. She hear’s the “yes’s”.
You’re sent for the lost sheep of Israel. I can be one of those. Lord help me.
You’re going to give me the children’s bread, but I’ll take some crumbs that fall from the Master’s table, if you’re the Master and the crumbs are your crumbs.
Woman, great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.
How strong is your faith, dear saints?
Are you easily offended by Jesus? He has some very hard things to say to say. He gives us very hard thing to do. He allows some very hard sufferings to happen to us?
Does this offend you, or do you know His heart and that everything is working together for your good?
This Canaanite woman comes up to Jesus praying the most common prayer to Him in the Scriptures, Lord, have mercy.
It’s the beggar’s prayer. A beggar is someone who has nothing to offer, and everything to receive. A beggar is someone who comes empty handed, knees bent, completely dependent on the mercy of the one giving.
Are you offended when the Scriptures and the Church puts this prayer into your lips?
You, empty handed? But you gots lots of things to give to God?
You, dependent on His mercy?
When we sing this in church and pray for the peace from above and for our salvation and for this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, we are not saying, “Lord you give us this and we’ll do something for you,”
We are praying, “Lord give us this because we need this,
And Lord, give us this because you alone can give it,
And Lord and it’s up to you if you want to give it or you don’t want to give it and we can’t do anything to pay you back, we can’t bargain, we can’t offer anything back, but Lord, have mercy on us, but we just need it, and the world needs its and my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon and my son and my spouse and my mom, just Lord, have mercy!”
Are you offended by this?
Our story comes from Matthew 15 and comes right after a story of Jesus calling out hypocrisy of Pharisees and scribes.
They wanted to know why Jesus and disciples didn’t wash their hands and Jesus wants them to know they though they keep small parts of the Law, they’re ignoring large parts of the Law like honoring their father and mother.
They are honoring God with their lips but their heart is far from him and that out from our heart is flowing things that they defile them: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witneness, slander.
The disciples come up to Jesus at one point and say, “Do you know the Pharisees were offended when they heard you?”
If Jesus had told them they have a little something stuck between their teeth, they would have responded:
“What, you don’t think I brush my teeth? You think I’ve got poor oral hygeine. You think I don’t know I have that stuck between my teeth? Maybe I wanted it there.”
God help us not be offended from what we hear from Jesus.
He is a true Friend, and more than that, He’s a true Savior.
And so, He saves us, but He also tells us what He saves us from.
He warns of the specific sins of anger, of sex, of greed, of worry,
Of false idols of health, or popularity and even of giving up, of despair,
that will lead us away from him.
God calls out your sin. Don’t be offended. Jesus wants to remove it, so don’t keep it from Him.
God calls out your death. Don’t be offended. Jesus doesn’t want you to idolize your life, but promise your eternal life.
God help you not be ashamed of Jesus and His Words, and He is present here to do just that, to engage in a Holy Conversation.
Lord, have mercy – He does. He hears.
Lord, my daughter – He loves her even more than you.
There is severe oppression by a demon – Jesus came and comes to destroy the works of the devil.
Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table – He is here feed you more than you than that.
You know His heart. You know His love. You know His ultimate will for you.
You know what when you are offended by Him because of what He is saying or because of suffering that He is allowing – you know that wonderful truth that He is not offended by You.
He has answered for your doubts and wavering and easily offended sinful nature by paying the penalty for your offenses.
In our OT Readings, Jacob received a new name after wrestling with God, and you have received a new
You are God’s child.
You have a new name on you, the name of Jesus.
He doesn’t see your sin and doubt, but became your offensive sin on His cross to answer for it.
You know His heart. It was bleeding and dying heart of love for you.
And He is here, to smiles upon you and to be gracious to you. And there’s nothing stuck between His teeth and in by His grace, He has removed that which was stuck between yours.
And because of Him, we begin again to not be offended or ashamed of the Him and His gospel.