“O WOMAN, BE IT UNTO THEE”
Saint Matthew 15: 21-28
Reminiscere: 12 March Anno Domini 2017
Father Jay Watson SSP
Remember O Lord. Remember what? God the avenging, perfect, and holy Trinity remembers all His Word and Will. The Commandments are remembered and required. The sin of man is ever before His holy countenance. Remember what does the miserable man and woman cry? Remember, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving-kindnesses. Remember Thy Blessed Son, Thy bleeding paschal Lamb, Thy ultimate and true Passover Victim, Thy radiant red crucifix, and spare Thy people. Spare the Syrophoenician woman and this Thy flock.
The Christ departs. God acts. Man receives. Hosanna. The Son departed heaven in its Trinitarian mystery to be Incarnate of The Virgin. The 2nd Person of The Godhead departed from perfect exaltation to humiliate His full use of The Divine for three decades plus. Jesus departed from the safe and familiar confines of Nazareth to be a traveling Rabbi—constantly on the move. And now in Saint Matthew’s recording, The Lord departs from Israel—from Judea to travel into the land of Gentiles.
The God/Man treks to coasts of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre which sent David cedars, material, and men to assist in the building of a temple now receives He Who is The Temple. The people of Sidon which had been driven out by Joshua now have The greater Joshua searching them out to restore and receive.
Christ “[beheld], a woman of Canaan, come out, and cried unto Him.” Moses killed Canaanites but He Who is Moses’ God and Lord now comes to set them free—to forgive and heal. You are that Canaanite for you are Gentiles as well. You are not Jews after the flesh of Abraham. You are The New Israel, the true Jews if you will, after the Flesh of The Lamb.
The woman’s plaintive cry is the perfect two-part entreaty to God. “Have mercy on me” shows that the Law has crushed her almost to the point of despair, but no…to the point of abject and total need. Only the sick need a physician. Only the dead need resurrection. “O Lord, Son of David” shows both a correct Invocation that this “Man” is Lord…the God of the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament confession of faith that He is also the long waited for Messias—The Redeemer of the whole world. Your Gentile world large and small is as well bought back and restored.
Her need is clear. Her daughter is “grievously vexed” It was the grizzly hex of demon possession.
All goats, all non-lambs, everyone who is not a follower of Jesus is demon possessed. Those who are not with Him, that is, “in” Him with He “in” them, are against Him, meat sacks for Satan despite all outward appearances.
Jesus “answered her not a word.” But He remained The Word and He did not walk away from her. You feel abandoned much of the time in your hurts, trial, and sinful acts of rebellion. You feel as if The Lord does not talk to you; does not answer your prayers. But The Word is always here for you to receive. The Word never sends you away. Stop eating pods meant for swine and dine like the King and Queen, the Royal Priest that you are, HERE, and His Table.
The “12” said “send her away.” “Old Adam” parishioners talk this way about anyone and anything that they/you don’t like, don’t approve of, and that goes against the inbred devil-growling of “My Way” MINE, MINE, MINE. And sadly, false and weak pastors talk this way too. Kyrie Eleison.
“I was not sent except to the LOST SHEEP of the House of Israel.” True. But, what does this mean. The Risen Savior sent His chastised and forgiven 12 Disciples—now ordained as His Apostles, in their Office of authoritative “loosing and binding” to all nations, to all Gentiles. Here we have the perfect picture of what they did and do. Jesus always goes to all lost sheep no matter what the sex, ethnicity, race, or prior false religion. To know that one is lost, sick, and miserable is the work of God’s Law. To know that one is a lost sheep, or, a little dog…a small filthy, unclean, canine, is the work of God’s Law. To know that one is of The House of Israel by the Person and Work of He Who IS both The House of The living God and The True Son of EL (God) is that gift of God’s Evangel by the Spirit’s giving of Jesus. Jesus was there for the woman. He’s here for you now. You who receive Emmanuel are Israel.
The children’s bread is for the children. And she shows herself to be a child of Her Heavenly Father by simply trusting and holding on to The Word despite all emotional and visible signs to the contrary. The Shepherd is for the sheep. The physician is for the dying. The Good News is for those in the valley of the shadow of death. That woman ate richly that day from The Master’s Table of Absolution. Her daughter had Satan driven out. Her daughter was “baptized” by The Mouth and Word of God.
Eat from the Altar this day, the Blessed Sacrament, and all the devils are sent scurrying away again. Your own demonic “possession” was first reversed, defeated, and exorcised at the Holy + Font. But your continual protection and succor are give and shed for you today, and Satan is bested, at Christ’s Chalice and Ciborium.
Demon possession is death. The poisonous scraps and toadstools of this world and your own self are death. “Except ye eat the Flesh of The Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you…he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.” [Jn 6. 53,57]
You are made whole from THIS very hour.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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