Stubborn Faith

This passage from Matthew is a gripping one. Jesus has a, for lack of a better word, confrontation with a Canaanite woman who is not of the house of Israel. Jesus says plainly that He has come to save Israel, not the Gentiles, but the woman refuses to back down. She would be happy, she says, to even get the crumbs. And her dogged refusal to look anywhere else than Jesus for help is commended as an example of great faith. The Canaanite woman is easy to sympathize with. She was, no doubt, desperate to see her daughter healed. And she, in her great need, came to Jesus. This was no fluke or accident; she did not come to know Jesus in by a dream or sudden spiritual awakening. The report of Christ was circulating the countryside; the Lord’s reputation was widely known at this point. And so she went to see if Jesus could do anything for her. This is the root of trust that makes faith. And this passage is a profound teaching on faith—what it is, where it comes from, and how it clings to Christ alone. Many misunderstand faith as something we muster up ourselves, but as we will see, faith is entirely a gift from God, sustained by His Word.

To hear more, listen to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!