By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
21 4And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. v22And 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.” v23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
…..v28Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:21-23, 28)
We remember the fear of the disciples because the wind and waves were buffeting their vessel as they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them. The forbidding elements and the supernatural apparition brought fear in their hearts. It was so because they did not recognize their Master. Peter began to sink when he tried to walk on water towards Jesus as he requested because his focus was diverted by the strong waves and wind. These experiences of the disciples which we heard read last Sunday were concluded by John in his account of the event,
‘And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened’ (John 6:51-51).
In short, their faith came short as they were affected by their untamed surroundings. Their fears were compounded by internal struggles of believing fully that Jesus is the Messiah. Their stunted faith failed them to understand that only divine power can do the miraculous multiplication of fish and loaves. The question of faith has hounded the disciples unending as they journeyed with Jesus even after he has already risen from the dead as he promised them. Remember Thomas’ words when told that their Master has risen from the dead? Thomas’ words that earned him the moniker ‘Doubting Thomas’, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25)
Christians today are hounded by the same. As we profess our faith in Jesus in the context of our world, we are also buffeted by external and internal distractions that try to stunt the blossoming of our faith to the full. Faith. This is the main moral of the above events and experiences drawn from them. It is the test of faith.
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The gospel reading in the Church Lectionary this Sunday (Proper 15) provides a continuity to teach us about faith. In the Gospel reading, Jesus and his disciples were passing through Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon. Jesus has furthered his mission as He says, ‘He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. A Canaanite woman with a sick daughter met them as they were passing through her territory. She approaches Jesus and begs Him to heal her daughter of her affliction. This was likely her last resort in finding a cure for her daughter’s illness. She undoubtedly heard about Jesus and His ability to heal and saw in Him a chance to help her child. But as you noticed from the Gospel reading, there was complete silence when she made her first appeal. Matthew says, “he did not answer her a word”. (Matthew 15:23 ESV ). Why is that? This incident with the Canaanite woman has baffled and bothered readers and apologists for centuries. Jesus is portrayed here as a contradiction to what we really know of Him. For example, why does Jesus seems so harsh toward this Canaanite woman? He does so probably to test the seriousness of her faith. It’s not that He loved her less because she was a Gentile. He wanted to see how persistent she would be in seeking an answer to her problems.
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Perseverance usually stems from the importance of our cause as well as the belief that it can be accomplished. Without such faith, she would have abandoned her dream long ago when Jesus ignored her and even associate her with dogs, a grave insult in Palestinian culture, and the disciples rebuffed her. She could have easily surrendered to despair. This reminds me of another woman, Monica, with similar faith and perseverance – for the sake of her child son. Monica is the mother of Saint Augustine, theologian, philosopher, and bishop of Hippo. She was a fervent believer who prayed constantly for her son’s salvation. She devoted her whole life to praying for Augustine’s conversion who at that time lived a life of wine and women and other worldly interests. At one point, when Augustine was becoming devoted to the Manichaean philosophy, Monica begged a holy man to speak to Augustine, and show him why their beliefs were not true. The holy man refused because Augustine was known to have a great intellect, and would likely try to savage the holy man’s arguments. The holy man assured Monica that he, too, had once been a Manichaean, and that Augustine was too smart to deceive himself much longer. At this, Monica began to cry. The holy man sent her away, saying, “Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost.”
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The holy man was right. After many years and a fierce inner struggle, Augustine was touched by a revelation in Scripture, and became a Christian. When Monica learned of her son’s salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world.
Monica never quit asking. “Live on as you are living,” said the holy man. “It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost.” You are concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don’t let your tears quench the flame of your faith in God. It may seem like God is ignoring you, but I assure you that is not the case. Don’t give up. Keep asking. And keep on trusting. (King Duncan, When You Need Help, adapted from Ruth Bell Graham, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them.)
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Many things on this earth can motivate people. Peer pressure can motivate people. Guilt, greed, materialism, revenge, pride, envy, or jealousy are also strong motivators. But as you noticed in the Gospel lesson, God blesses goals that are motivated by love.
You’ve probably heard the old adage about perseverance. “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” It reminds us of the two women in our stories today, the Canaanite woman and Monica. Humans are endowed with varying degrees of toughness – the gamut runs from insults to risk of life. The Canaanite woman allowed nothing to suffocate her faith. Her love for her daughter overcame the fear of Jewish-Canaanite problems. She had within her the courage and boldness which nourished and strengthened her faith. St. Teresa Avila said, “To have courage for whatever comes in life — everything lies in that.” To Monica she never stopped praying or discouraged by the words and helplessness of the holy man.
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Perseverance is another virtue that keeps our faith on blossoming. We learned from Jesus’ example that prayer is indispensable (essential) if our faith is to grow. As we pray and grow our faith we can persevere amidst seemingly hopeless situation like finding a cure for many
diseases such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome COVID-19.
8Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly (Matthew 15:28). ‘Great is your faith’. Four words uttered by Jesus but sufficient to heal the demon-possessed daughter of the Canaanite woman. Four words that immortalized the unknown woman in the Bible. One observes that when we are helpless we pray. Helplessness is your best prayer. But it is more than that. It is about faith and perseverance. To persevere in true faith is to trust God in all circumstances and remain true to him, even when you are in great trouble and he does not seem to answer or care. This is the ‘test of faith’.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP Proper 15 Collect).**
