One Foundation: The Church is meant for all people

 Matthew 15:21–28 ²¹Jesus left that place and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²There a Canaanite woman from that territory came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! A demon is severely tormenting my daughter!”

²³But he did not answer her a word.

His disciples came and pleaded, “Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us.”

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

²⁵But she came and knelt in front of him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶He answered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet the dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith is great! It will be done for you, just as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at that very hour.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3)

Our hearts break as we watch the videos, see the pictures, and hear the stories of what has happened in Kenosha. In a recent news story, Daniel Esposito, a Kenosha property owner, pointed to his four buildings that rioters and looters destroyed in the night.

He spoke into the camera with a dispirited voice sounding like it might break at any moment, “When we came on scene, it was just carnage. I just don’t understand why something like this would happen. It’s frustrating. I don’t understand why people do these things. Our society is just disappointing.”

Then he asked the question that so many of us want answered. “You know, what about just being kind to people?”

Esposito sounds like we do. His voice drips of the Dairyland quality that is prevalent in all of us. His well-worn Culver’s hat looks the way many of us feel – tattered, used and tired.

People are hurting because they feel taken advantage of.

Others are hurting because they’ve only known privilege and feel it’s their right to take from others without consequences.

Others are hurting because they’ve had everything stolen or burned to the ground.

Still, others are hurting because they feel forgotten. They haven’t been able to see anyone, go anywhere or do anything for months. Depression, loneliness, fatigue are their constant companions.

All these people – and so many more whom I haven’t mentioned – are on the fringes of society. That’s what you might call them. The people who are outside of the normal group of people we would spend time with. Their anger, hurt, depression just bring us down. It is admittedly hard to be around people like that.

These are not the good, upstanding people who have their act all together. No, these are people with serious problems in their lives. People who are looking for something better … but don’t know where to find it. People on the fringe.

Do you know anyone like that?

Are you someone like that?

Guess what? Jesus specialized in dealing with people on the fringe. He hung around with them. He was not ashamed to get to know them. He was a friend to people on the fringe. He showed them where to find the help they needed.

The help people need is the Church’s One Foundation of Jesus Christ. Rahab is a Canaanite prostitute (Joshua 2:8-21). She is on the fringe of society. But she is brought into the Church and is even made an ancestor of the Christ. The Gentiles to whom St. Paul was an apostle are on the outside of Jewish society (Romans 11:13–15, 28-32). Yet, by the mercy of God, they are included in God’s plan of salvation. The Canaanite woman who chases down Jesus is an outsider. She has serious problems. But her great faith is built upon the One Foundation.

Today we see the Church is meant for all people – even people on the fringe.

Matthew beings writing, “Jesus left that place and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.” Where is the “there” Jesus is leaving? Jesus leaves the region of Galilee because of the intense opposition he is receiving from the scribes and Pharisees.

So Jesus and his crew head out west, far from Galilee to the region of Tyre and Sidon. That’s all the way to the Mediterranean coast, in the northwest corner of Israel. That’s over a 35-mile hike.

The Jews didn’t associate with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Even though the distance is less, I liken it to going all the way out to Union Grove. For some reason, the interstate is a huge divider between us and them.

The huge divider between Tyre and Sidon and Judah is religion. In his Gospel, Mark calls this woman a “Syro-Phoenician” woman, which was the more contemporary term in the time of the New Testament. But Matthew purposely calls her a “Canaanite” woman, which was the more historic Old Testament term for her ethnicity.

To call her a “Canaanite” brings with it a lot of baggage. The Canaanites were an ancient enemy of the Israelites. They were the people whom the Israelites were to drive out of the Promised Land 1400 years earlier under Joshua. The Canaanites were a pagan people, worshiping false gods of their own making. That’s what Matthew is emphasizing by calling here a “Canaanite” woman.

She is on the fringe. Still, she comes. She approaches the One Foundation as her life is crumbling. “A Canaanite woman from that territory came and kept crying out, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! A demon is severely tormenting my daughter!’”

This plea seems right up Jesus’ alley. This is exactly the kind of thing Jesus does – healing people and driving out demons. … But this time, Jesus puts her off. “But he did not answer her a word.”

The ones who speak are the embarrassed disciples. They sound like us when we are dealing with the people on the fringe who make us feel uncomfortable. “His disciples came and pleaded, ‘Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us.’”

Jesus speaks like he is bothered by this woman. He tells her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Here’s a woman who needs help. He’s very good at this kind of help. Yet, it seems like the Savior who came to help all people doesn’t want to help this woman.

Jesus is pointing out to this woman and his disciples that his primary mission is directly and specifically for the Jews. He is fulfilling his mission as the Messiah of Israel. The mission to the Gentiles would come later through these very same disciples. … Just not yet.

The woman doesn’t give up. “She came and knelt in front of him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’” He answered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus is saying, “I have come to bring the Bread of Life to the children of Israel. This is my Messianic ministry.”

Again, the woman cannot be deterred. “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet the dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Ah, she’s catching Jesus in his own words! And Jesus loves it! She acknowledges his mission to Israel, but at the same time she says there will be some leftovers, some scraps off the table for someone on the fringe like her. Like Rahab. Like Ruth. Like Naaman and the widow of Zarephath. Bravo! Jesus applauds her for her faith. “Woman, your faith is great! It will be done for you, just as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at that very hour.

Did you see what Jesus is doing? By putting her off for a little bit, he is accomplishing two things. First, he is giving her the opportunity to express her God-given faith and persistence. Second, he is teaching his disciples who will soon be called his apostles – his sent ones. Their mission will be going to these Gentiles. It won’t just be the Jews who need the gospel. The gospel is meant for all people.

That mercy begins with us. She rightly cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord!” This is the cry of the Church of all ages. We still cry out these words. We cried them this morning in our confession: “Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!” We fall before our Lord, bringing our needs before the only one who can help us.

We need to receive this mercy so we can share this mercy. God’s mercy is big enough for all. For we are all sinners in need of mercy – Jews and Gentiles, Israelites and Canaanites, insiders and outsiders, good people and bad people, rioters and militia, Republicans and Democrats, those in the church and those who haven’t been in church for years. We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

We need to admit that we are all dogs who are not worthy to be seated at the Master’s table. We must be like St. Paul and admit we are all dogs in need of the crumbs of mercy. We are the top dogs – the “chief of sinners.” Through his mercy, the Lord invites us to pull up a seat at the table. Not as dogs, but as children. Not drips, but the pouring of God’s grace over our heads in baptism – like Noah Kohler, whose baptism we are affirming today. Not crumbs, but the Bread of life and the Wine of heaven in the Sacrament of the Supper. Not pebbles, but the One Foundation of Jesus Christ himself.

Jesus came to be the Savior of all people – first for the Jews and then for the Gentiles. He poured out his mercy when he was hanging on the cross – suspended between heaven and earth. Jesus won mercy between a holy Master and wicked dogs. Mercy for respectable one and people on the fringe. We are all welcome in God’s Church!

Now, you who are in the Church need to go out and share this mercy with those who need it, who are crying out for it, who are lost, alone, depressed, desperate, angry, and disruptive without it.

If we are honest, we can quickly think of people whose personalities, habits, or value systems make relating to them difficult. On the other hand, we often imagine having great love when that love points towards abstract causes and distant peoples. For example, it is quite easy for me to love the classification of people who are “the homeless” as long as they remain an idea or a concept. Spending time with or eating with someone who hasn’t showered in weeks or suffers from mental illness or chemical dependency puts my love to a test.

It is no secret our society is growing more strained during our exposure to COVID, antiracism which is actually outright racism, protests, and nasty politics. Interpersonal relations are hurting among our neighbors and fellow citizens. I am tempted to love abstractly – the oppressed, the oppressor, all hurting people who hurt others – rather than serve people right in front of me. I know Christ’s love was messy and ultimately cost him his life. I seek to imitate him, but the old Adam gravitates to less mess and minimal sacrifice.

Justification precedes and fosters sanctification. We must accept God’s mercy so we can share God’s mercy. We must admit we are dogs who have been made children before we can invite others to sit with us at the Father’s table. This will never change despite our ever-changing culture. This has given birth to your new life in Christ and is the key to your current and future ministry for Christ and his Church. May your love for those on the fringe be your flesh and blood reality!

“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)