Isaiah 56: 1, 8-10 / Psalm 67 / Romans 11: 1–2a, 29–32 / Matthew 15: 10-28
This is the written version of the
homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 16, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“FAITH: AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR GOD’S WILL AND GOD’S WORK TO BE
DONE”
(Homily text: Matthew 15: 10-28)
Ever
think of just how critical faith is? Many times in the Gospel accounts, we read
Jesus’ words which say (in one way or another) “Your faith has made you well”.
This
morning, in our Gospel reading, Jesus tells the Canaanite woman, “Woman, great
is your faith!”.
In
some essential, but perhaps mysterious way, having faith is a key part of our
relating to God. Somehow, having faith that God can do something, or fix
something, or bring healing and wholeness (either to relationships, or to
health, or to other things) is a part of allowing things to happen.
Put
another way, faith is our part, our work, in doing God’s will, or in allowing
God’s will to be done and in allowing God’s ways to be known.
We
might think of having faith as a tool, which allows things to happen. More on
that in a moment.
First,
though, let’s look at our Gospel text for this morning…
We
might notice that there are two choices in what to actually read this morning.
One choice is to read verses ten through twenty-eight. The other choice is to
read only verses twenty-one through twenty-eight. If we read only the latter
verses, we hear only Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. If we read all
of the verses, then we hear Jesus’ condemnation of the ways and the behaviors
of the Pharisees. I believe that, if we read all of the passage, we see a
marked difference where the matter of faith is considered.
Now
then, with this background in view, let’s look at the passage in its entirety.
Notice
that Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for the simple reason that they are
concentrating on the wrong things…they are concerned with outward actions,
outward appearances. It is in verse twenty that we hear Lord identify the
specific practices that were so important to the Pharisees: Washing of hands
prior to eating.[1]
The
Pharisees’ neglect of the disposition of the heart also has to do with a lack
of faith in what God is able to do. Therein lies the contrast with the
Canaanite woman, whose encounter with Jesus forms the second part of our
reading this morning.
The
contrast between the Pharisees, who were proud of their heritage as children of
Abraham, contrasts with the identity and heritage of the Canaanite woman, who
is a descendent of the peoples who lived in the Holy Land prior to the coming
of the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua, some 1,500 years prior to
Jesus’ earthly ministry. Put another way, it is the Pharisees who should have
known about faith, and who should have known how important having faith is in
the equation between God’s ability to act and our human ability to believe in
God’s power. It is the Canaanite woman who offers us a surprise where the
exercise of faith is concerned.
As the
encounter between Jesus and this Gentile woman unfolds, we find that the
disciples are asking Jesus to tell the woman to go away. But this woman is
determined to see the Lord, and she has faith that He can grant her request.
But
there’s a test of her faith involved in the encounter, or – at least I think
so.
At the
first, Jesus says that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.[2]
Then
He adds that it isn’t right to throw the children’s food to the dogs.
If we
consider the attitudes of God’s chosen people 2,000 years ago, we can better
understand the implications of this statement: To the Jews, dogs were unclean
animals (perhaps because of their eating habits). Jews, at that time, often
insulted Gentiles by calling them “dogs”. So Jesus’ comment seems – at least on
the surface – to be a put down of the Canaanite woman. He is essentially saying
that she is unclean. But the term that Jesus uses is different than “dog’. He
tells her that it isn’t right to throw the children’s food to the puppy dogs[3],
animals of the sort that might be part of a human household.
But the Canaanite woman is determined. She is also quick on her feet and in her response: She turns the Lord’s comment into a truth (based on the idea of a puppy dog being part of a household[4]), and she says that even the puppy dogs look to eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.[5]
Now
then, let’s return to a comparison of the attitudes of the Pharisees,
contrasted with that of the Canaanite woman.
The
Pharisees were a barren bunch, unable to produce food for the kingdom of God.
Why? Because they had no faith. They had faith only in the outward actions of
people. The Canaanite woman had faith that the Lord could help her, and she had
it in abundance.
Perhaps
we’re on firm ground if we believe that, absent a declaration of faith in the
Lord’s ability to help the Canaanite woman, there would have been no
deliverance for her daughter.
We
come then, to the conclusion that faith is a tool that God gives us, a tool He
expects us to make use of. God has the ability to answer our needs and our
requests (but, notice: God’s will and God’s wisdom far outshine our own
abilities to see what is best for us!), But we have work to do, and part of
that work consists of our faith, our belief in God’s ability to act, to create,
to re-create, to bring healing and wholeness where there is a lack of these
things.
Somehow,
when we pick up the tool of faith, good things – God things – happen.
AMEN.
[1] Perhaps the Lord’s point here isn’t the hygienic reasons for washing
one’s hands prior to eating (which is a good idea), but rather, the concern for
outward actions, to the neglect of the inner disposition of the heart.
[2] Here we come to a mystery concerning the Lord’s identity as being fully
human, and yet fully divine, neither aspect of His identity being confused with
the other, and neither identity being separated from the other, at the same
time...talk about a mystery! Anyway, some scholars believe that the Lord’s
human aspect grew in its awareness and maturity, just as any human being would.
If this is so, then perhaps – this line of thinking goes – the encounter with
the Canaanite woman may have been a significant event in Jesus’ growing
awareness of the ministry and the mission that God had sent Him to accomplish.
I’ll let you live with that mystery.
[3] The Greek word is kynarion, meaning, literally, “little dog”.
[4] My thought, anyway.
[5] A question to ponder: Did the saying about “Crumbs falling from the
master’s table” circulate in the ancient world? We also hear this same phrase
in Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (see Luke 16: 19–31). Another
mystery to ponder.
