We feasted on God’s Word yesterday. My son-in-law was the guest Bible Study leader. We explored “the blood of the covenant,” working through Exodus, Leviticus, Hebrews, and Christ’s words of institution of the sacrament. We saw how the Old Testament sacrifices, centering on the application of blood, gave access to the presence of God, granted forgiveness of sin, and bestowed holiness. All of that was fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice and is communicated to us in the blood of the Lord’s Supper. It was amazing to consider the unity of Scripture and the way the Old Testament illuminates the New.
Then, the sermon was about Peter’s failed attempt to walk on water. That passage shows us much about faith. We are usually too quick to criticize Peter’s failure, which led to the faith that really mattered. “If Peter did not sink,” said Pastor Douthwaite, “he would not have cried out”: “‘Lord, save me.’” Then followed a connection to our own sinking in Baptism. (Read the whole sermon here. FW, you will love it.)
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Our current Wed. night post-Vespers Bible study is Leviticus, and finding Christ within that book.
Seeing the unity of the scriptures in pointing to Christ can only strengthen faith, and increase one’s awe of God in accomplishing that unity.
Anyone can write a book of rules for living, or a story about the goodest man ever to walk the face of the earth, a worthy guide for us and our behavior today.
Only God can unify the scriptures as the revelation of Christ, from beginning to end. It is truly His Word, done in His way.
Our sermon was on Matthew 15:21-28 and I found myself noticing for what seemed to be the first time this passage:
…Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour…
It will be my goal this week to study and better understand that passage.
Our pastor focused on the woman’s faith with a sermon titled, “Lord, give us such a faith as this!”. The notes I jotted down were few, but very applicable to my own life: Faith clings to Jesus Christ, no matter what we see, think or feel.
While I appreciate the point the St. Athanasius sermon was trying to make, its clear and grace-full application of grace, and the encouragement it contained, it seems to require skipping over Christ’s strong chastisement of Peter in Matthew 14:31: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Clearly, what Jesus wanted more was that Peter would exercise great faith, i.e. trusting fully in his Lord. Yes, it was good and proper that Peter cried out to Christ to save him, but it would have been better for him not to have doubted in the first place. After all, Jesus had just said, “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” He doesn’t tell Peter it was a good thing he got wet — he corrects him. Plan A is fixing your eyes on Jesus and walking toward him in faith; Peter had to go to plan B because he let the wind get in his eyes.
Not to belabor the point or sound too critical, but I would see this text as much more about sanctification than justification — a warning against weak faith and an encouragement to trust more fully and consistently in the Lord of grace and power, more than a preaching of forgiveness (or baptism).
I am certainly thankful, however, that the sermon doesn’t go “overboard” and make doubt into a virtue, the way so many post-modern “theologians” and “preachers” do!
It is important to note that the confession in the boat when everything was calm again, and after everyone saw a ‘miracle’, “Truly you are the Son of God” is practically the same as the confession at the foot of the Cross by the unamed Roman centurion: “Truly, this was the Son of God”, when the centurion saw the Man dying nobly an ignoble death, as the Scripture proclaims, for sinners. So I think there is major qualitative difference between the two confessions: the first is the confession of sight, the second is the confession of faith. The first is prompted by a miracle, the second is prompted by the Christ’s death for us sinners. The second and true faith is the one we lack in ‘the boat’, i.e. the Church, the Lord’s Ark. It is the Faith that Peter did not want to happen when the Lord prophesied His crucifixion and resurrection for us all. Just think: all those in the boat that day would literally abandon ship when He was arrested…so much for faith predicated on miracles, not on redemption of sinners. In what I think is an excellent article of Fr. Reardon (Orthodox), this Lutheran pastor thinks he was truly Lutheran in his reflections on Peter’s first faith and the second and true faith: “We should make the case, then, that sin without self-deception is an improvement over sin with self- deception. It is a better thing, in other words, to be a sinner and to know it than to be a sinner and not to know it. Thus, when Peter denied the Lord, he was better off; inasmuch as he no longer suffered from self-delusion. He had been very much self-deluded, on the other hand, when he imagined himself incapable of denying the Lord.” Me, too. Or walking on water. Even His Savior was sunk for us, to be raised that we might walk on the terra firma of His Word.
P.S. The article I just quoted is in the recent issue of Touchstone.
#2 Theresa K.
The woman was desperate. she had no faith. Her only option was to turn to Jesus even if that meant having to become a dog. Her faith did not really matter. THE faith. The Christ is what mattered. She turned to the right place and received what she needed.
Faith can be a dangerous thing. a very very bad thing. It is the object of faith that matters. Her object in Jesus was true and sure.
Frank, thanks for the clarification. Besides getting sidetracked by the sermon text (yes, that is possible for me) I was also sidetracked by the shirt pattern in front of me, my nephew, my daughter, etc. Ugh, it’s a miracle I hear anything! My pastor did emphasize the nature of faith and that’s the part I wanted to read more on. My impression is that passage is much deeper than an initial reading gives. Realizing that the Canaanite woman was willing to become as a dog in order to get crumbs from the Christ is mind-boggling.
I found an interesting interpretation at WELS.net:
“…But what about Jesus’ ignoring the Canaanite woman and seeming to brush off her repeated requests? Notice from his compliment about her faith that he sincerely wanted her to continue her confident requests to him. All along he fully intended to grant her request.
Far from wanting to discourage her, Jesus was rather exercising her faith. Faith grows when it is stretched and put to the test. The person who has experienced God’s deliverance from deep trouble is the more prepared to trust God and take him at his word when subsequent trials and tribulations come…”
#3 Jeff
While Peter had his eyes on Jesus, everything was certain. But then it was… “Oh s**t! what I am I doing here on this water??!!” ignoring Jesus. Ignoring that it was trustworthy Jesus who invited him to be there.
Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started focusing on what he, peter was doing. This is what many do thinking they are working on their sanctification.
When our Lord told Peter “you of little faith, why did you doubt” the point of that was more to point peter to the object of faith as in “look peter, you had no reason to doubt! Trust in me!” Our lord pointed Jesus to an object worthy of trust and faith. little faith was not the problem. not clinging to Jesus was.
The opposite of faith is not doubt. the opposite of faith is sin. The oposite of sin is not goodness or righteousness. the opposite of sin is faith. Not just faith as a personal quality. Faith here is baptismal faith. Faith in our baptism.
For a reformed person, the moment of conversion is an important moment. the moment that one turned to christ. Because of that, faith for a reformed or evangelical has great importance. “was my conversion real? do I really have faith?” Here doubt can be a scary and frightening thing threatening confidence in the very security of salvation.
When a Lutheran christian is faced with doubt. When satan come and says “Just look at sinful you? do you REALLY claim to be a believer and a christian??!!” a Lutheran will respond thusly: “You are right! I lack faith, I have nothing worthy to offer or to prove that I am a christian or have faith. But God is sure and true. I was baptised! I will hold God to his promise that even a dog gets to eat at his table. In my baptism he found me and made me his own as a tiny infant before I could do anything, even consciously believe. God´s promise is true and sure in my baptism regardless of the truth of my un-faith and my sinfulness.
My plan will be to seek Jesus and cling to him. If he grants me faith, that would be good. I will pray for that! if he choses to leave me in the agony of doubt. But why should i doubt? he gives me body and blood. he baptised me. he sends me a pastor with palm on pate commanding me to believe that I am forgiven even when I have confessed even unbelief. ok.
I know He will never leave me or forsake me.
amen!
#7 theresa k
amen sister!
I know in adult life, I did not return to Jesus until I had really no other choice. it was not about my faith or me. there was nothing really to be proud of. I think the woman was in a situation similar to mine.
And here I, was hearing principles of leaving and obscurity of law and gospel. In Bible study, I had one Christian say good works were necessary for salvation. All this in a Lutheran church.
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