Jump Start # 3644

Matthew 15:22 “And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”

Our verse takes place in Gentile country. The Lord had ventured up there. It is here that this distraught mother begs the Lord to help her daughter. Two things immediately jump out as we read this story. First, how would this woman had known about Jesus? Doubt she was in the crowd when He preached the sermon on the mount. Doubt she was one of the five thousand fed by Jesus. Remember the man with legions of demons? Jesus sent the demons into the pigs and they rushed into the sea and drowned. Jesus told that man to go tell your people what the Lord has done. That man was likely the source of news that this mother heard. Second, Satan doesn’t have a heart. Once again, we read about children being possessed by Satan’s evil demons. How scary, difficult and challenging it would be to deal with a possessed child.

As this desperate mother is loudly begging Jesus to help, the disciples “kept asking Him” to send her away (23). And, it is here where we take our thoughts today.

First, there are times and situations in which some do not want us around. The disciples didn’t want this woman around. Send her away, was their suggestion. And, in doing that, she would be left on her own unable to have any hope for her daughter. When I fly, I often am asked, “What do you do for a living?” When I tell people “I preach,” the reactions are funny. Some are delighted and we have a little conversation. One guy got up and switched seats.

Co-workers, family members, they can be mean, unpleasant and unkind. Send her away, is what many would wish of us. And, I think one reason is we remind them of what they ought to be doing. There is a guilt factor and they know. Rather than changing, it is easier to just send them away.

Second, the words of the apostles lack compassion. They had Jesus. They had Jesus every day. This woman wasn’t asking to be an apostle. She wasn’t asking to follow Jesus as they had. She wanted help for her daughter. Parents will fall on a sword for their kids. They will go without so their kids can have. This woman wasn’t like the apostles. She was a Gentile, not of Israel. It’s easy to keep Jesus all to ourselves as if He is ours. Kept in safe in our church buildings. Keep Him safe from others. That seems to be the idea of the apostles. Instead, Jesus is for all people.

Third, this mother was persistent. She didn’t let the rejection of the apostles get to her. She didn’t walk away with her head hung down. She didn’t go home saying, “I tried.” She was like a mama bear. It wasn’t the apostles that she wanted to hear from. She wanted help from Jesus. Her words reflect an understanding of who Jesus is.

I wonder if you and I quit too early and too easily. We hear a “no,” so we just go home. Maybe we need to have a bit more courage as this Gentile mother did. We invite someone to services and they quickly respond, “No.” So, we walk away, often with our tail dragging in defeat. “I asked,” we tell ourselves. Maybe we need to ask again. Maybe we need to try a different approach. Maybe we need to just strike up a conversation. The disciples wanted to send this woman away. She stayed. Jesus was her only hope.

As Matthew ends this discourse with the Gentile woman, Jesus replies, “O woman, your faith is great.” It was a WOW moment for the Lord. The Lord marveled when a Roman soldier asked Jesus to save a dying servant. Jesus was impressed. Great faith—not found in those who have grown up with the Law, going to the temple and worshipping God on a regular basis. But instead, among Gentiles. Among those who ought to have had great faith, it was lacking. And, among those who probably wouldn’t have faith, there it was.

We can learn from this. That pure, innocent, trusting faith in the Lord, may be found among those who don’t know or understand things as we do. I don’t know if this Gentile mother fully understood what “Son of David” meant in prophesy and how the Lord fulfilled that. She needed help and the Lord could help her.

Don’t we so quick to discount someone because they do not worship like you do. Be patient with them. Don’t throw water on their faith because they do not understand concepts such as authority, autonomy, eldership, trinity, resurrection and even worship. Be thankful that they love Jesus. Work with them in love and show them the way of the Lord. Don’t be like the apostles and send them away because they are different than we are. It may well be that we could learn a thing or two from them.

A mother who believed. Because of that, her child was helped. Lessons that the apostles needed to learn. Lessons that I need to learn.

Roger

Jump Start # 3641

Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then in this way; ‘Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.’”

It is a simple question that is easy to answer but hard to practice. “What makes a good prayer,” is something that many wonder about. For nearly all of us, our prayer life is not where we’d like it to be. I’ve not met the person who is happy with the way he prays. We need to pray more. We need to pray deeper. We need to pray about things that we often forget or neglect. We need to pray about others.

Our verse comes from the Lord. This is how He wanted His disciples to pray. Pray this way, is what He says. And, what follows is commonly called the ‘Lord’s Prayer,’ but more accurately would be the ‘Model Prayer.’

And, it’s amazing what we find in this prayer. First, it’s short. There are less than 70 words in this prayer. Reading this, at a normal pace, took me just 18 seconds. An 18-second prayer is not what we’d expect from the Lord. Second, the words in this prayer are not difficult. One doesn’t need a dictionary to understand what Jesus is saying. Third, the prayer includes spiritual as well as physical things. Forgiveness and daily bread, side by side, in the same prayer. It’s not all or the other, but rather, both. Fourth, these few words understand the position of God and our relationship. Our daily bread comes from God. We acknowledge that. We need God’s forgiveness. We need God’s deliverance from evil. Fifth, this prayer is extremely personal. It’s about the bread I need. It’s about the temptations I face. It’s about the forgiveness that I need. Nothing about world powers. Nothing about kings and rulers. Elsewhere in the Bible, we find prayers about those things. But not here.

So, immediately, when asked, “What makes a good prayer,” the answer is not a lot of words or even big words. It’s not long is better than short. It’s not about the big things in life, such as wars and calamities. It’s everyday things. The prayer begins with God, ‘Our Father,’ and it ends with God, ‘Thine is the kingdom, power and glory forever.’ And, within just about every line of the prayer, God is at the forefront. It’s a prayer to God. It’s a prayer praising God. It is a prayer seeking God.

Let’s now focus upon this opening statement, our verse today, “Our Father who art in Heaven.”

First, Jesus identifies the relationship with the divine and with each other. Calling God ‘Father,’ was very rare in the O.T. There He is seen as the Almighty, the Powerful. Words like Sovereign, Majesty, and Glory are often used of God. But here, Jesus wants us to call God, ’Father.’ If the Lord is the Father, then we are His children. There is a relationship. There is a connection. ‘Father,’ is the most common word Jesus used when talking to God.

But more than that, God is OUR Father. He is your Father and He is my Father. Notice, Jesus did not say, “My Father.” That would imply He is the Father of Jesus, but not us. He belongs to Jesus. But, neither did Jesus refer to God as “Your Father.” Your Father puts distance between us and Jesus. God is the Father of Jesus. God is our Father.

Wrapped around the idea of Father is love, care, devotion and tenderness. He is our Father. We are blessed to have the best Father, God.

Second, Jesus identifies where God is, “who art in Heaven.” He’s not here, but He’s there. He’s in Heaven. Multiple times in the Gospels you’ll find the expression who is in Heaven, attached to God. That is His world. That is His home. In John we find, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places,” or “mansions.” God’s house. It’s not our house. It is His house.

If asked, ‘Where is Heaven,’ most  would say, “up there, somewhere.” How do we know there is a Heaven? Because that’s where God is. If there is a God, then there is a Heaven. No Heaven, no God. No God, no Heaven.

Third, God’s name is special. It is ‘hallowed,’ or HOLY. It is something that one doesn’t say just because he doesn’t know what else to say. One doesn’t just blurt out that name when angry, or when excited. His name is holy. It is sacred. Through our travels, my wife has picked up some special vases, plates and bowls from different countries. They sit on shelves to be looked at. We don’t use them and we’d never, ever think about putting the cat food in one and letting our cat eat out of it. Why not? It’s just a bowl. No, it’s more than that. It’s special to us. God’s name is more than a word. It’s more than something one says without thinking. It’s holy. It’s special. It belongs up on a shelf in our hearts.

Now, none of this may have decently answered the question, “What makes a good prayer?” But, what we begin to see is that a good prayer is not necessarily long or using big words. A good prayer is God-centered and God-focused. A good prayer is not the best words, but words from the heart. A good prayer honors the Lord. A good prayer seeks the help and grace of the Lord.

I suppose one could answer this question in the opposite. What makes a bad prayer? Self-seeking; arrogance; not honoring the Lord; not praying according to His will; just mumbling some memorized words and not meaning any of them; not intending to be any different because of connecting with the Almighty. When one understands that, then it will help to find the answer to what makes a good prayer.

The worst prayer is one never prayed. Talk to God, that’s what prayer is. Remember who you are talking to. He wants to hear from you.

Roger