Devotional 8-15-08

Matthew 15:1-28

I always enjoy reading about the interactions that Jesus had with the women of his day. Jesus ministered to a wide variety of people. I truly believe that his approach to people was revolutionary. He talked not only to women, but foreigners, people who were sick, social outcasts of all kinds, wealthy people who were important socially, lepers, you name it. He treated everyone with respect and dignity because his understanding of what constituted righteous behavior was not how well they followed a ritual. The Law in the book of Leviticus talked about who and what was unclean and how the Hebrew people were to conduct themselves on every occasion. But those laws had little to say about why they should practice good behavior, in other words, what motivated people to please God. Jesus wanted people to "behave;” to make choices that were pleasing to God because they wanted to, not because they felt they had to. He wanted them to understand that following God meant much more than eating the right foods, or staying away from this person or that situation. He looked at the reasons why people behaved the way that they did. He wanted people to be pure of heart

So, with that concept of Jesus' openness and acceptance in mind, I have to admit that I become a little angry with him in this Scripture from this week's lectionary. Here was a pagan woman, certainly someone considered ritually unclean, but who, in my opinion, was at the end of her rope as she sought healing for her daughter. Jesus ignored her request. His disciples told him to send her away. I am not absolutely positive about this, but I think this is the only place in Scripture where Jesus refused, at least at first, to help someone. This woman was persistent. She kept asking until finally Jesus healed her daughter and commended her for her faith. Perhaps her tenaciousness and love for her daughter made him respect her. Perhaps he was impressed with the fact that she did have faith that He could heal her, when apparently no one else had been able to. She did not give up.

We're all tempted to give up on something that is important to us. Sometimes we wonder if God hears our prayers or why they seem to go unanswered. Probably all of us have had times when we prayed for loved ones to be cured from illnesses such as cancer, and the person died, in spite of our fervent, faith filled prayers. Many of us have had incidents take place in our family that were so difficult to deal with, that we wondered where God could possibly be. I have no easy answer to that question, other than to share that I have asked it a few times myself. However, I have learned over the years that God works in ways that we don't see, that God has the bigger picture in mind, and sees every situation in ways we cannot.

As a pastor, I tell people that from the worst situation God can and will and does bring something good, although we often have to discipline ourselves spiritually to see it.

This challenging scripture reminds me that maybe the answer to our prayers is "No" or "Not now". Prayer is not a way for us to somehow gain control of God and thus control of our lives. It is not a way of piling up things that we simply would like to have, of having our every whim catered to and every desire fulfilled. It can be a remarkable resource for sustenance and support. I have to trust that God acts in God's own time, not mine.

This story of a remarkable, feisty woman reminds me of that. She never gave up. The cynical part of me thinks that maybe she just nagged and wore Jesus down. (Obviously, that's not something I recommend for the best inter-personal relationships!) But we can use her as an example of prayer. She exhibited clarity about what she wanted, the ability to go to the Source that she was sure could help her and a determination to make herself understood and heard. Maybe that's what a healthy prayer really is, seeking with determination while trusting that some sort of answer will be forthcoming, and an awareness that sometimes God does indeed say "No" or "Not yet."

Rev. Dorcas Conrad
Dillon Chapel UMC