Reminiscere—Lent 2 (Mt 15:21–28)

Immanuel Lutheran Church—Bremen, KS || AUDIO
Bethlehem Lutheran Church—Bremen, KS || AUDIO

INI + AMEN.

((5. Oops!: This is a hard text, because of Jesus!))

This is a hard text—our Gospel text. It’s not hard because of the woman, that she won’t take a hint, that she’s just too pushy, too demanding. She’s an outsider. Canaanite. Gentile dog of a woman. Lays claim to “Lord, Son of David.” Who does she think she is?

But it’s not the woman that makes this a hard text. The disciples are in some sense moved by her unending cries for help and mercy, but that’s not what gets them to speak up. What gets the disciples to finally speak up is the silence. Jesus’ silence. Jesus, the Word of God, is silent. “He did not answer her a word.” The disciples seem a bit embarrassed by Jesus’ lack of action, and maybe we’re embarrassed, too! It’s a hard thing to witness. “Don’t you hear her, Jesus? Can’t you see her distress? Her child’s demon-possessed. If you won’t say anything, then we’ll help you and her out by getting the ball rolling. Look, now, ‘she’s crying out after us!’ Say something! Do what she asks! ‘Send her away!’” It may even seem to us that Jesus is the opposite of our Sunday today. Not “Reminiscere” (“remember”) but forgotten who He is. Continue reading →