Pentecost 13 – 30 August 2020 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for our meditation is written in the 16^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 21–28:

²¹ From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”

²⁷ “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

 

This Gospel passage comes immediately after the Gospel that we heard last week.  The highlight of last week’s reading was the words that God the Father gave to Peter: ^{(Matthew 16:16)} “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter got those words exactly right.  Jesus answered him, ^{(Matthew 16:17)}  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven”. Jesus was obviously pleased with Peter’s answer.

The clarity of Jesus praise then became hazy. Jesus said something very puzzling a few verses later. ^{(Matthew 16:20)} “He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ”.  Hang on there!!  I thought confessing that Jesus is the Christ is a good thing.  Why would Jesus tell the disciples to remain quiet?  Doesn’t Jesus want us to confess Him as Lord and Christ?  What’s this about?

And this is not the only time Jesus did this.  There are at least a dozen instances of Jesus seeming to down play His role as Messiah after performing a miracle or revealing something special about Himself or a confession like Peter’s.  Jesus gave very specific and very strongly worded instructions NOT to tell anyone about what they had witnessed.  Confused?  Well, today’s Gospel shows us exactly why Jesus did this.

Today’s Gospel shows us that although Peter got the words exactly right, he did not really understand what they meant.  He confessed Jesus as the Christ, but he did not know what it meant to be the Christ.  That is exactly how today’s Gospel begins.  Jesus was explaining what it meant for Him to be the Christ.

^{(Matthew 16:21)} “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised”. Here is the essence of what it means to be the Christ.  It means suffering.  It means death on a cross.  It means resurrection on the third day.

To be the Christ means to be the victim of the most unfair trade of the entire history of the world.  The only man who ever lived a perfect life is sentenced to death.  He trades His righteousness for us, complete with all our sinfulness and unrighteousness .  Nothing can be more unfair than for God to take on humanity and by that humanity take the sin of the entire world to Himself in exchange for giving His righteousness to us sinners.  He traded His righteousness for our sin.  What could be more unfair?

In his ignorance, Peter did what any friend would do when a friend speaks of suffering and dying.  ^{(Matthew 16:22)} “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” You see, Peter did not know what He was saying.  In fact, that word rebuke meant that Peter was actually scolding Jesus.  Peter, a mere mortal, was scolding God in the flesh!  Peter clearly demonstrated that he did not understand what it meant that Jesus is ^{(Matthew 16:16)} “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s lack of understanding is clearly the reason Jesus ^{(Matthew 16:20)} “strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ”. Their misunderstanding would cause them to proclaim a false Christ.

Jesus immediately stopped Peter’s in his tracks. ^{(Matthew 16:23)} “He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  Wow!  Not only did Jesus set Peter back a pace or two, but He also accused him of being an agent of Satan.  What was that all about?

Jesus had heard words like this before^{. (Matthew 4:8–9)} “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Satan had always wanted Jesus to take the short cut … avoid the cross … become popular the easy way … You know … follow the way of the world.  Satan was always ready to offer Jesus the entire world if Jesus would worship him just once.  Back then ^{(Matthew 4:10)} “Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”

Peter did not know it, but he was tempting his Lord with the same temptation.  “Avoid the cross.  Take the easy way.  There are other ways to become the king of all than going to your death.  This talk of death makes no sense.”  It was bad enough to hear this temptation from the eternal enemy, but to hear it from a friend … that had to be tough.  Jesus rebuked Peter in much the same way he rebuked the devil, ^{(Matthew 16:23)} “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

There are so many people … even people who say they love Jesus … who just don’t get it.  To such people Jesus’ death on the cross seems to be a great defeat.  There are many who will not place a crucifix in their church because a body on a cross is too gruesome.  There are even some who will not have a cross or any other symbol of Christ’s work.  They do not understand that the scandal of the cross has become the glory of God through our Lord Jesus, the Christ.

What about us? Do we forget what it means to be the Christ?  I know it is a few months away, but what about Christmas?  Do all the decorations and the image of a cuddly little baby in a manger crowd out the real message of Christmas … that the Son of God left His throne on high and became a baby in a manger so that He could grow up and die on a cross?

What about the miracles?  Do we look to Jesus to make our lives comfortable here on earth or do these miracles remind us that Jesus is the one who has the power to take away our sin?  How often do we forget what it means to be the Christ?

Jesus gave His instructions to remain silent about Him because He knew that the disciples did not know what it meant to be the Christ.  He knew that until the disciples witnessed the suffering, the death, and the resurrection, they would not understand.  He knew that, until they witnessed these things, their teaching would be wrong.

After Jesus rose from the dead He appeared to the disciples. ^{(Luke 24:45–48)} “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.”  It was after they understood that the Christ is about suffering, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins that Jesus sent them as witnesses … that Jesus sent them to tell the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

This is the golden thread that forms the tapestry of God’s Word.  This is the key to the right understanding of Holy Scripture.  The Old Testament points forward to the Christ.  The New Testament tells of the Christ.  The life, suffering, death, and resurrection of the Christ are what make the Bible a love letter from God that offers forgiveness, life, and salvation.

The devil tried to use Peter’s ignorance about what it means to be the Christ.  He worked through Peter to tempt Jesus.  Jesus resisted the temptation and kept His appointment with the cross.  Jesus suffering and death earned the forgiveness of sins for all people.  His resurrection from the dead opened heaven to us all.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He gave Peter and all the disciples a clear understanding of what it means to be the Christ.  On Pentecost, Peter preached the confession that he received from God the Father Almighty. He understood it so well that he eventually lost his life on earth for that confession.

Peter and his fellow apostles suffered much for this confession and they wrote this confession down so that the church could pass it down through the generations.  Now that confession is ours.  Because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, all of us who trust in Him receive the gift of eternal life from Him.  He will always be with us and we will always be with Him.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen 

Pentecost 12 – 23 August 2020 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 

The text for this meditation is written in the 16^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 13–20:

 

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

Last week’s Gospel had the disciples in the area around Tyre and Sidon located on the shore of the Mediterranean in Gentile territory.  Jesus had taken the disciples North of Galilee in order to get away from the badgering of the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem.  In today’s Gospel we heard, Jesus and the disciples had travelled east from Tyre and Sidon to the area around Caesarea Philippi.  This is still in the Gentile territory north of Galilee.

Jesus used this time away from the crowds of Galilee to teach the disciples.  Today’s lesson was about the true identity of Jesus.  Who is He?  Jesus opened the topic by asking the disciples about the opinion of the crowds.  [Jesus] asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  It is sort of interesting that all of the guesses are dead prophets.  Herod had recently killed John the Baptist.  Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind hundreds of years earlier.  Jeremiah had disappeared into Egypt after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem.  The people thought that Jesus was one of these dead prophets come back to life.

I wonder what people would say if you took a poll at a busy shopping area in 21^st century Australia and asked who Jesus is.  Quite apart from the deniers, I would guess that some would say a philanthropist, or a life coach, a great teacher of morality, and so forth.  Some who are more spiritual, but not religious, might regard Jesus as a great guru who was able to tap into the Christ-like consciousness that dwells in all of us.  Others would regard Jesus as this permissive personality who pretty much lets you do whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone else.

There were many opinions back then and there are many opinions today.  The problem with opinions is that opinions based on guesswork are usually wrong.  Opinions about who Jesus is are no exception.  People who guess about Jesus’ identity will get it wrong.  

The really sad thing about this is that when you get the identity of Jesus wrong, you get salvation wrong.  You can  talk like a Christian and fool a lot of people into thinking you are a Christian, but, in the end, you will enter into eternal punishment.  It is essential to get the identity of Jesus right in order to get salvation right.

There is one answer that is right and we heard that answer from Simon Peter of all people.  [Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.  This is the right answer back then and it is still the right answer today.

But what does it mean that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?  Jesus knew that the disciples would not know the answer to that question until after He suffered, died, and rose from the dead.  

That is the reason that Jesus gave that odd little instruction near the end of today’s reading.  He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.  He did not want the disciples to teach the wrong understanding of what it means to be the Christ.

The title Christ comes from the Greek word that means to anoint.  The Hebrew equivalent is Messiah.  So we can say Christ.  We can say Messiah.  We can say the anointed one.  They all mean the same thing.

Anointing was a rite for setting someone aside for a special office.  In the Old Testament, Aaron was anointed priest, David was anointed king, and Elijah anointed Elisha to be the prophet after him.  The anointed offices of the Old Testament are priest, king, and prophet.  As the anointed one, Jesus fulfilled all of these offices.

Jesus is the prophet anointed by God.  It is easy to see Jesus as prophet when we realise what a prophet is and who Jesus is.  A prophet is someone who speaks for God.  Jesus is both one hundred per cent human and one hundred per cent God.  Well, who better to speak for God than God Himself, Jesus the Christ?  This already makes Jesus the ultimate prophet.

But Jesus went above and beyond the role of the normal prophet.  God made many promises through the prophets down through the centuries.  As prophet, Jesus Himself made many promises.  Jesus went beyond the role of prophet because He did not just speak the promises of God, but He also keeps the promises that God made through the mouths of the prophets.

Jesus is the king anointed by God.  As God, Jesus also reigns over all things.  That makes Him the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It is by the reign of His power that all things exist and have their being.  It is by the reign of His grace that He brings forgiveness to His church on earth.  It is by the reign of His glory that He leads His church into eternity.

Here too, Jesus serves above and beyond any other king.  As King, He establishes the law of His kingdom.  But Jesus went beyond the role of king.  Even though the king rules even the law, Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to the law.  He not only kept the law for Himself, but He also kept the law in our place.

Jesus is the priest anointed by God.  The priest represents the people before God.  Who better to represent humanity before God than the one who is both God and man?  In fact, Jesus is the only one truly qualified to be our priest.  All the other priests in the Old Testament were merely shadows who pointed forward to the true high priest, Jesus the anointed one.

Once again, Jesus went beyond the role of priest.  The priests of the Old Testament offered up sacrifices before God.  Jesus offered up Himself as the once for all sacrifice that truly does take away the sin of the world.

It is at the cross that we see what it means to be the Christ.  There on the cross is the Christ sacrificing Himself for the sins of the world.  There is the Christ, the rock on which the church is built.

With His suffering and death on the cross, Christ has overcome sin.  Since death relies on sin, Christ has also defeated death.  Resurrection must follow the victory that Christ won for us on the cross.  It is with His resurrection from the grave that Jesus finished showing the disciples and us what it means to be the Christ.  It is after the resurrection that ^{[Luke 24:45-46]} [Jesus] opened [his disciples’] minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.”  

It is with the complete picture of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection that we have a complete picture of what it means to be the Christ.  It is with this complete picture that we begin to understand Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter did not dream this confession up on his own.  Jesus said that the Father in heaven gave this confession to Peter.  This confession is so reliable that it is the foundation of Christ’s church.  Jesus continued speaking and said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  This confession is solid like a rock and it tells us who Jesus is and what Jesus did.

Today we heard Peter’s confession as it is recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew.  We can proclaim this confession in our words and in our songs.  We can proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  Since we live after the resurrection, we can know that the Christ is the one who lived a perfect life for us, carried our sins to death on a cross, and rose from the dead in order to take away our sin and give us His righteousness.

We who have this faith in Jesus as the Christ have a relationship with God that will last forever.  Jesus promised that He would always dwell with us while we lived on this earth.  He has also promised that we who believe will live with Him forever when we leave this world.  The blessing of this confession is way better than anything our speculation can provide.  And because it comes from God the Father Almighty, we know it is the truth.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

 

Pentecost 11 – 16 August 2020 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 The text for this meditation is written in the 15^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verse 21 – 28:

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

 

The disciples needed a break now more than ever.  Two weeks ago, we noted that the disciples had just learned that Herod executed John the Baptist.  This was a source of great grief for Jesus and the disciples.  They had also been working very hard.  Jesus took them to the wilderness on the other side of the Sea of Galilee for some rest and relaxation.  However, the crowds worked out where they were going and were waiting for them when they got there.  Jesus spent all day ministering to those crowds and then He fed them in the event known as the Feeding of the Five Thousand.  

Then, last week, we learned that right after the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus put the disciples back in the boat and told them to go back to the other side while He dismissed the crowds.  The disciples ended up spending the entire night crossing the sea because of a powerful head wind.  It was almost dawn when Jesus came walking to them on the water and they finally made it to the other side.  The verses after that tell us that some early risers recognised Jesus and woke up the neighbourhood and the crowds gathered as soon as they landed.  Then the Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem and Jesus had to have a debate with them.  So, basically, they had endured almost two days without sleep and a night full of hard labour since Jesus first decided that the disciples needed a break.  If they needed a break then, they really need a break now.

The portion of the Gospel that we heard today informs us that Jesus finally took the disciples completely out of Jewish territory. ^{(Matthew 15:21)} “Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon”.Tyre and Sidon are two cities on the Mediterranean coast in the territory of Phoenicia.  This means that Jesus has taken the disciples about a day’s journey into the Gentile territory north of Galilee.  Surely there, in Gentile territory, completely outside the borders of Galilee, they can finally get some rest and deal with the death of John the Baptist.

Well, not so! ^{(Matthew 15:22)} “Behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  What would you think if you were one of the disciples under those circumstances?  I’d probably be thinking, “Oh no! Not again!”  At first, it seems as if even Jesus is thinking that way.  For the Gospel said ^{(Matthew 15:23)} “He did not answer her a word”. It almost seems as if Jesus is hoping that if He ignores her, she will go away.

Notice that the text does not say that she cried.  It says that she was crying.  This means that she continually repeated her prayer, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  Over and over again, she repeated this prayer.  This was really getting into the disciples’ heads^{.(Matthew 15:23)} “His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” It is as if the disciples were saying, “Look Jesus, we’ve seen this kind of woman before.  She is not going to give us any peace until you answer her one way or the other.  Just drive out the demon.  She will go away, and we can get some peace.”

Jesus knew something about this woman that the neither the disciples nor even the woman knew.  He knew that somewhere along the line, someone had told this woman who He was.  The Holy Spirit used this information to create faith in this woman.  She referred to Jesus as the Son of David.  This meant that she believed that Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus saw a great and beautiful faith in this woman.  Jesus wanted the woman, the disciples, and us to know how strong this faith was.  Since only God can look at the heart, Jesus set up a few tests to demonstrate the strength of the faith in this woman.

He answered, ^{(Matthew 15:24)} “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Although Jesus was speaking to the disciples, the woman would have heard what He said.  Let’s take a moment to put ourselves in the woman’s shoes.  On the surface, Jesus’ words implied, “I was sent to the Jews, but you are a Gentile.  I can’t help you!”  How would we feel? – Angry? – Crushed?  How would you respond?

^{(Matthew 15:25)} “But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” This woman ran in front of Jesus and fell before Him so that He almost tripped over her.  Then she kept right on praying, “Lord, help me.”  The faith that the Holy Spirit has given this woman will not be denied.

But Jesus knew there was even more to this woman’s faith.  This time He spoke directly to the woman and he answered, ^{(Matthew 15:26)} “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Oh Wow!!  That would be just as cutting back then as it is today, IF Jesus meant it as an insult. What Jesus is doing is setting up a simile of comparison. He is saying it would be like taking the food from your children and throwing it to their pets. The NT Greek word He used was “kunarion”, meaning “small dog” or “pet dog.” This is a completely different word from the term “kuon”, used to refer to unspiritual people or to an “unclean” animal. Jesus wasn’t using an epithet or racial slur, but making a point about the priorities He’d been given by God. He was also testing the faith of the woman and teaching an important lesson to His disciples.

 

Relentlessly, the woman responded, ^{(Matthew 15:27)} “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” This woman took Jesus at His word.  “Yes, Lord, I know you are a Jew working among the Jews, but even their pet dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall.  If you give me a crumb, it will be enough.”  She knew that even a crumb from Jesus would be enough to drive out the demon.

I’m pretty sure that they didn’t use fist pump gestures  in the first century, but if Jesus were around to day, He would probably go, “YES!” Then Jesus answered her ^{(Matthew 15:28)}  “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly”.

It is interesting that a few verses before today’s Gospel, Jesus was debating with Pharisees and scribes … some of the best educated people in the area.  Jesus simply tore their case apart.  Now here is this Gentile woman … probably uneducated, and she won her debate with Jesus.  The Holy Spirit had given this woman faith to move mountains.  Jesus put up some serious blockades and this woman’s faith knocked them aside as though they were soap bubbles on a light breeze.  Now this woman could praise God for the wonderful faith He had given to her.  She knew it.  The disciples knew it.  The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to record this account so that we would know it too.

Why is it so important for us to know about this woman’s faith?  Remember that Matthew’s Gospel was originally written for Jewish converts to the faith.  There was a great controversy in the early church.  Many people believed that you had to convert to Judaism before you could become a Christian.  The Gospel according to Matthew regularly puts that idea to rest.  Matthew regularly recorded the faith of Gentiles throughout His Gospel account … the magi, Roman Centurions, the woman in today’s reading, and other Gentiles show that salvation is for all people in all places and times.

A Canaanite woman is about as Gentile as you can get.  The Canaanites were on the list of people that the Israelites had to drive out of Canaan as the Lord said through His servant Moses, ^{(Deuteronomy 20:17)} “You shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded.” If a Canaanite woman can have the faith that causes Jesus to say, “O woman, great is your faith!” then that faith can be ours as well.  The Holy Spirit can work saving faith in anyone. ^{(Colossians 3:11)} Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write, ^{(Romans 9:8)} “It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” With these words, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the true Israel is not based on genetics, but faith in the promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.  This woman has demonstrated that the Holy Spirit has given her a great faith.  Jesus acknowledged her faith and in so doing proclaimed that, although she was a Gentile genetically, by grace she is a child of Abraham – one of the lost sheep of Israel.

Jesus loved this woman deeply.  He loved her enough to suffer the offence of living among sinners and interacting with them even though He never sinned.  He loved her enough to suffer an unjust trial and cruel physical torture.  He loved her enough to lift up her sins and carry them to the cross.  With His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death He earned a place for her at the table with the rest of the children of God.  She now waits with Jesus for the Last Day.  On that day Jesus will raise her body from the grave just as Jesus Himself rose from the dead.  On that day, she will join the true and eternal Israel at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  She does not deserve this, but she has it because Christ earned it for her.

Like the Canaanite woman, we do not deserve to be at the table of the Lamb.  But it is the Lamb who offers His table to us.  Not only did Jesus sacrifice Himself to earn eternal life for this woman, but He also did that for us.  When the Holy Spirit plants faith in us, He makes us a part of the true, eternal Israel … the Holy Christian Church.  He cleanses us with the blood of Jesus and covers us with righteousness.  We deserve none of it, but it is all ours because the Holy Lord, Jesus Christ earned it for us. We also have a place at the table with the rest of God’s children.  It is all ours by grace through faith in the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

 

Pentecost 10 – 9 August 2020 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 14^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 22–36:

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” ³⁴ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, ³⁶ and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

A challenge faces us as we make our way through the Bible on Sunday mornings.  As we focus on the readings for the day, it is easy to forget that those readings come in a context.  If we are not careful, we can focus on the readings in isolation.  When we do that, we miss out on some of the teachings that God’s Word has for us.

The account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water has much to teach us.  It has even more to teach when we consider why Jesus and the disciples were in separate places at the beginning of today’s reading.

The part of the Gospel account that we heard this morning began by telling us that Jesus ^{(Matthew 14:22)}“made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds”. The original Greek indicates that Jesus was very urgent when He made the disciples get into the boat.  The Greek could be translated as Jesus forced or compelled the disciples to get into the boat.  Why was Jesus so eager to get the disciples on their way across the Sea of Galilee?

The greater context of the Gospel account constantly teaches us that most people did not understand the true nature of Jesus’ ministry.  It was not until Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead that people began to understand the reason He came to earth and took up human flesh.  Before the Passion, the crowds were looking for someone who would make life easier here on earth … perhaps drive out the Romans … maybe even restore the earthly kingdom of David and Solomon.  They did not understand that Jesus came to save the entire creation from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

From time-to-time this misunderstanding of Jesus’ true mission became a tool for the devil.  Recall that when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness he ^{(Matthew 4:8–9)} “took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” The devil tempted Jesus with the temporary glory of the kingdoms of this world, but Jesus resisted.  That does not mean that the devil gave up.  The devil often used the misunderstanding of the people to tempt Jesus again and again.

The events we heard about in today’s Gospel happened right after the events in last week’s Gospel … the Feeding of the 5,000.  Jesus had just spent a day ministering to people.  He healed their diseases, and then, when they got hungry, He converted a couple of sardines and five small loaves of bread into a banquet for 5,000 men and their families.  The crowds began to think that someone who could heal diseases and provide free food would make a pretty good king.  The Gospel according to John describes the crowd’s response this way: ^{(John 6:14–15)} “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” ¹⁵Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself”. The people, in their ignorance, simply wanted a king who could provide free food and medical care.  They did not know that they were tempting Jesus to be an earthly king.

Jesus needed to deal with the situation.  He quickly sent the disciples back across the Sea of Galilee.  Then He dismissed the people.  ^{(Matthew 14:23)} “After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray”. Jesus regularly prayed to His Father … especially after He had endured another temptation from the devil.  So it was that Jesus was up on the mountain in prayer while the disciples were struggling to cross the sea against a strong headwind.

Jesus finished His prayers and set out to re-join the disciples. ^{(Matthew 14:25)} “In the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea”. The fourth watch is the last watch of the night.  This means that both Jesus and the disciples were up all night.  Jesus was praying and the disciples were trying to fight the headwind that prevented them from crossing the sea.  Ordinarily, they could cross the sea in a few hours, but this time they struggled all night and got nowhere.  The disciples had to be functioning on pure adrenaline.  

Imagine, then, what is was like for the disciples to see Jesus walking on the water toward the end of that night. ^{(Matthew) 14:26} “When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said,  “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear”.

But then Jesus identified Himself.  ^{(Matthew 14:27)} “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Because they were troubled, Jesus said, “Take heart.”  Because they did not know who Jesus was, He said, “It is I.”  Because they were terrified, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.”  He does not come to bring doom, but salvation.  Jesus is there for them.  In His reassuring word, He has given them all they need.  This should be enough.

Apparently, this was not enough for Peter.  Matthew does not give any insight into Peter’s mind, but he does give us Peter’s reply to Jesus.  ^{(Matthew 14:28)} “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter wanted more proof than the simple word of God.  He wanted a personal sign.

This is where we see Jesus do something that is quite consistent with the actions of God throughout the Bible.  Sometimes, when God’s people ask for something stupid, God gives it to them as a learning experience.  Jesus said, ^{(Matthew 14:29)} “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus”. At first, everything went well.

^{(Matthew 14:30)}  “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Something happened and Peter’s attention shifted from Jesus to the weather.  Here is the learning experience for Peter … an experience that is instructive for us as well.  We talk a lot about faith, but it is important to talk about faith accurately.  It is NOT ENOUGH to have a very powerful and very sincere faith, if that faith is in the wrong thing.  You can have faith the size of the universe, but if that faith is in the wrong thing, it will do you no good.

Consider the words of our culture. “Yer’ gotta have faith.”  The question is, “Faith in what!”  Faith in your own faith will do you no good.  The world says, “Believe in yourself.”  Really!  Examine yourself in light of the Ten Commandments.  Do you really want to place your faith in yourself?  

In all fairness, Peter focused his faith on Jesus and actually walked on the water: Peter momentarily had faith in his Lord’s command, then , suddenly, Peter’s focus moved from the power of possibility in Christ, to the human doubt of impossibility. He took his eyes off Jesus and became a vulnerable human again, and sunk. Do you ever experience that? God grants our prayers and we doubt, thinking that this is too good to be true and the gift of grace is diminished by human doubt.

Thankfully for Peter, and for us, Jesus is patient, gracious, and merciful.  Jesus took hold of Peter and brought him back to the boat.

^{(Matthew 14:32–33)} “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” This is one of those times that Jesus accepted praise as God.  If Jesus were only a good man, then He should have rebuked the disciples for worshipping Him, for worship only belongs to God.  If Jesus were only a man, then accepting the worship of the disciples makes Him a blasphemer.  If we believe that Jesus is a good man, then we must believe that He is also the Son of God. 

Although today’s Gospel is certainly not a parable, but a real historical event, we can still use it to remind us of Christ’s mercy and grace in our lives.  Ever since the days of Noah and the great flood, the boat has been a symbol of Christ’s church.  There are times when we are not satisfied with the Word that Jesus gives to us in His boat, the church.  Like Peter, we want a bigger experience.  We want more emotion.  We want more excitement.  We want more liveliness.  So we leave the church in order to find a greater experience … something that is a little more spectacular than the Word and Sacraments.  We put our faith in our feelings instead of in God’s promise. A look at the range of ‘New Age’ publications, teachings and institutions that are available, ensures us that there is enough ‘spiritual excitement’ out there to keep our souls in a state of ‘spiritual and physical chaos’ indefinitely. If that is what we want!!

Jesus is patient.  Even though we often find ourselves sinking in a situation that we ourselves created, He is always ready to rescue us and haul us back to the place where He restores us with His gifts … His boat, the church.

Jesus did a lot more than walk on water to save His people.  The ultimate expression of His desire to save us comes in the cross.  For it is on the cross that Jesus became the greatest sinner of all time – not with His own sin, but with your sin, my sin, and the sin of the entire world.  The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write, ^{(2 Corinthians 5:21)} “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus carried that sin to the cross and sacrificed Himself in order to remove that sin from the world.  When Jesus died, that sin died with Him.  When Jesus rose, He left that sin in the grave where it can have no power over us.

Now Jesus brings salvation to each of us.  He does not come on the water of the sea, but in the water of Baptism.  When God’s water is joined with God’s Word according to God’s command, the Old natural being who enslaved us to sin is drowned.  That being dies with all sins and evil desires.  In its’ place a new holy being arises who lives before God in righteousness and purity forever.  As the Holy Baptism liturgy quotes ^{(1 Peter 2:9)}  “God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen