Trinity 13 17/08/08
Isa 56.1,6-8; Rom 11. 1-2, 29-32; Matt15.21-28.
“Woman you have great faith” Matt 15.28
Miracles
To recap for those who have been away, we have been looking at some of the miracles of Jesus as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. We have reflected on how the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water, revealed Jesus as Messiah, resonated with Old Testament forerunners such as Moses, and identified Jesus with the God who subdues chaos and rules the raging of the sea. This give reassurance to those going through various trials in life, that God is with them. It further raises expectations about a God who surprises us beyond our small imagination. They further encourage us as disciples to act like Peter and step out in faith, in response to God’s call.
Augustine wrote:
“Let us ask the miracles themselves what they tell us about Christ. Because Christ is the word of God, all the acts of the Word, become words to us. Beautiful handwriting we can admire the letters formed evenly, equally and elegantly. But we also want to know what they convey, what they are saying, what they mean. We are not just given a picture to look at and admire, but something to read and understand.”
Stories with a purpose.
Miracles take a form in Jewish literature of Haggadah, (narrative) a type of theological writing. They typically have a scriptural basis such as Moses in the desert and the feeding of the 5,000. They weave threads of prophecy, fulfilment, symbolism and allegory to give a new story which applies the truths, hopes and meanings of the scriptural past, to the present. If you read the birth stories of Jesus in Matthew or Luke, you will see how O/T themes and references help to bring a new story about the birth of Christ. The Old Testament unlocks the meaning.
The Canaanite woman.
Woman: Lord Son of David have mercy on me.
Jesus: No answer
Disciples: Send her away.
Jesus: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.
Woman: Lord help me.
Jesus: Not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs.
Woman: Even the dogs can have crumbs from the table.
Jesus: Woman you have great faith your request is granted.
Jesus has gone into Gentile territory and seems reluctant to respond to this request. Indeed, he uses a standard Jewish insult against the ‘unclean’ Gentiles. “Dogs.” Can he really be giving way to prejudice? or is this a reminder that he Gospel is for the Jew first and only then to the Gentiles?
When he sends out the 12, he says “Do not go o the Gentiles or the Samaritans, go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” Matt 10. Again we are reminded that Jesus belongs as a human being, to a genuine place in history. This was part of a general belief that salvation would come through the Jews who would be “a light to the Gentiles and the glory of my people Israel.”
Paul often speaks about the transmission of the Gospel as in Romans 1.16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So we se the pattern of salvation, but, as with much prophecy, no one is sure exactly how this will come about so there is some tension when it comes to working it out in life.
For us it is a reminder that Jesus is part of God’s chosen people, who have a special part to play in the salvation of the world. Most Jews did not and still do not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, but this resulted in the turning outwards of mission towards the rest of us.
Again we see how God surprises his people with mercy and generosity that go beyond our expectation.
Her daughter is healed
The healing of the daughter takes place at a distance, but is a picture of what salvation really means and shows the authority of Jesus over demonic forces. What do we mean by demonic forces? For the gospel writers, the world is in the grip of fallen powers which are responsible for sickness, sin and disorder. These are not just supernatural phenomena. In Luke 13, Jesus heals a crippled woman “bound by Satan 18 yrs.”
In casting out demons, we see the unique power and authority of Jesus to subdue subversive and destructive power at loose in the world. It echoes the work of God in creation, to overcome chaos and bring order. This subversive power can be seen in anything which denies the freedom of the children of God, which is God’s gift to us through Christ.
To the extent that the Scribes and Pharisees prevented that freedom, their power can be seen as demonic. Examples in recent history would include National Socialism under Adolf Hitler in the 1930’s which tried to subvert the church for its own political purpose, or in the former Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, which brutally persecuted the church, God’s chosen means of salvation for all. The easy atheism of AC Grayling, peddled on Desert Island Discs on Friday, gently equating belief in God with belief in fairies, is just as demonic.
Such miracles show the in-breaking power of Jesus which drives back the darkness and reclaims God’s creation. They are there to remind us of reality and encourage us in our own calling to be salt and light, helping those around us to find great faith like the Canaanite woman and discover the freedom of he children of God. Amen
Last week I spoke about the Ignatian approach to the Bible and how we can refresh our understanding of well known passages. We looked at he feeding from the point of view of Jesus, the disciples and the crowd. This week, the sea plays an important part in the miracle, so we’ll start there.
In the Old Testament, the sea is associated with chaotic forces which are subdued by God in creation. Psalm 89: O Lord God of hosts, who is as mighty as you? … You rule the raging of the sea, when its waves rise you still them, You crushed Rahab like a carcass.” Rahab was the name of a sea monster and a name for the chaos which God subdues
Palm 4: Thus says the `lord who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters. and Job: God alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.”
The message is clear: God alone rules the waves and walks through the waters. God alone defeated the forces of chaos to bring order to creation. God alone can help us when we are facing difficulty and struggle. The prophets and the psalmist spoke these words to the people of Israel when they were going through storms of war, invasion and persecution. See what your God can do. Be encouraged.
The message for today
For the people of Israel, read Church. For God who rules the raging of the sea, read Jesus Christ. He is the one on whom the church is to focus as all through its life it has faced political hostility, the threat of persecution and often has felt as if it were about to go under.
Note that when they are battling the wind and waves far from land, Jesus comes to them ‘ early in the morning’ which is actually quite late ‘the fourth watch of the night.’ In Zimbabwe, under the eye of a hostile government. In Tanzania, battling with Aids, malaria and poor transport system. In Uganda, coping with an acute lack of resources; In Iraq in the midst of ongoing violence; in Georgia today? Our CofE, smothered by apathy, indifference and mild hostility while some eagerly anticipate the break up of he Anglican Communion. Yet how inspiring to see the church, grappling with the difficulties of being faithful in the real world, rather than retreat behind a kind of certainty.
God’s people, the church, are not forsaken, the Lord watches over us unseen and he will come quickly, even in the 4th watch. That is a good message for the world wide church, feeling battered in many ways.
Peter: Personal faith.
Peter, the representative disciple climbs out of the boat in faith, responding to Jesus’ call. At first he can do everything that Jesus is doing, But in the face of fear and danger, his faith falters and he cries out to the Lord for help which is immediately available.
How many countless millions through the ages have gone through shared tribulations, wars, natural disasters and the personal storms of sickness, loss, betrayal, bereavement, breakdown? Do you know what it is like to sink in panic and call out?
“Save me O Lord, for the waters have come up to my throat. I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me.” Ps 69.
The life of these miracles is true in the life of he church today. Not necessarily changing the weather or taking a walk on water, but discovering the presence of the one who is able to bring us through our storm and tribulation. The one who says “Peace, be still, it is I, do not be afraid. Amen
Peter steps out of the boat.
I was I inspired this week tot come across a website “The Rebelution.com” by two teenage brothers Alex and Brett Harris. The challenge to their generation and to all of us is to ‘Do Hard Things.” They note that the Vikings were so successful and created fear everywhere they went because hey rowed themselves into battle rather than relying on slaves, which meant they were literally fighting fit.
Here’s their challenge: Do hard things. Learn a lesson from the Vikings. Too often we delegate the responsibility for our education, our character, our future, to others who hold far less of a stake in how things turn out. Often a failure to perform in the areas of character and competence are due to a lack of past exertion. Many young people are doing little more than ‘getting by’ in a culture of unbelievably low standards.” We can learn to do hard things by taking and maintaining responsibilities and attempting the impossible.
They quote GK Chesterton: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found lacking. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
Peter shows the challenge of this miracle for us personally and for the church to learn to do hard things, to walk by faith through every storm and keep our eyes on Jesus.
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