Bloghardt's Reflector

And Jesus... His refusal to do anything adds to the embarrassment! She can act like a good Jew and call Him “Son of David” or “Lord.” He won't listen.

“I wasn't sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” His response doesn't even acknowledge her presence! Did He look the other way when He said it? Sounds like He did!

But, she just continued... she came and worshiped Him. Lord... help me. Me and my daughter are the same. Just... be God for me, even me, please. What does this woman have to do to save her daughter? How much shame does she have to do to herself?

Clearly she has more to do, for Jesus goes there. "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

Racial. This is a racial slur! Yes, the Lord of Heaven and Earth went there. The Jews called the Gentiles “dogs.” She's a dog - A gentile dog. Not little cute dog. Dog. As in, not in the family. As in dog that hangs around and you want to shoe away. There is just no rescuing Jesus from being well... Jesus.

Nor does God need rescuing by us. What He does to us – to us dogs, is what He does to us dogs. God does not need to be saved by commentaries saying that Jesus didn't mean what He said, “not dog, little dog, you know cute dog.”

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Gentlemen, the next time you want to give your wife a complement, call her a “little” female dog. See if she catches the “little” part. “No, hun, don't be offended, I meant, cute little dog.”

No, Jesus means what He said. To her, and you. Dogs. It's not right to take the bread from the children of Israel and give it their dogs.

Yes, dogs. We are gentiles, with this woman. What He says to her, He should say to us.

What dog behavior have you gotten yourself into lately? Where have you been putting your nose? In the Word? In God's commandments? In the Holy Sacraments

No, you don't have time for that... too busy playing around in other things. In the filth that you think is important. In your self-centered world.

What keeps you from reading God's Word? From the services in His house? What is so utterly eternally important that you aren't where God is?

Then, how often do you think, like this woman, that if you come to Jesus with the right names, and buddy up to Him with the right words, then you get what you want from Him?

Yet, most times... when you something isn't really wrong in your world, you have really no need of Him. Do you?

And it's at this point, when she realizes that she can't say the right words, can't pray the right prayer, can't do the perfect thing to get this Jesus to treat her as son lately ething other than the dog she is, that a miracle occurs.

She barks! You know, “Woof woof.” Or is that “Arf, arf?” She barks nevertheless. Well, not literally, but figuratively. She barks. You said I was a dog, Jesus, then I'm a dog. But, even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the Master's table.

Crumbs from the table of the children of Israel. I'll take the table scraps. I can't be a good Jew. I will never have the right prayer. I don't have anything that would ever merit anything but slurs from you.

But your scraps, Jesus, just let me have a few of the scraps that fall from the children of Israel's table. Just a few Jesus-crumbs. For me, for my daughter.

And Jesus responded, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

That's faith – not in what someone did, said, or would do to God. But faith, which trusted in only Jesus, which held him to His Words. Which pointed him back Him to His promises.

Faith trusts, faith believes, faith knows, that God is good – even when it seems like today that He isn't. Faith trusts, faith holds God to His promises. Faith refuses to be rejected.

For faith knows this... that the crumb which falls from the master's table is Jesus Himself. The one who will be discarded by the children of Israel is the Lord Jesus.

He will be rejected. He will be despised. He will be beaten like a dog. He will suffer. He will die. For the children of Israel, lost ones. For this Canaanite Dog Woman. For you and me too – even us gentile Dogs. For the sin of the whole world, He dies.

This is how God is, even when He appears to have ignored you, talked over you, and not even acknowledged your existence. This is how God is for you – the Cross of Jesus.

Unbelief would shake their neck at God. You can do that, you can delete God from your facebook, tell Him off, get on Him for not being the God you want Him to be. That's the way of self-centered unbelief. Get your nose outta that!

You won't ever hurt God anyway. All you do is hurt yourself. And try as you may to do what you think He wants, He'll just keep walking. Cause He doesn't need you.

But, Jesus won't walk off. He won't be that God. Not after Calvary. Not since I bear His Name in Baptism. Not since He has forgiven my sins in the , not since I've eaten the crumbs at His Supper.

For Faith knows, faith believes, that not only is there a God, but that this God is my God, my Lord, my Savior, my Good God. Good to me in Christ. He just has to be... He has died in my place.

So, despite how He might seem to be treating me. He's going to come through for me. You'll see. Even for me, a dog.

For He already has come through for me – the Cross says that, my baptism says that, His Word says it, His Body and Blood proclaim that to me.

And Faith.. faith will hold Him to each of His promises. In the water, in the Word, in His Body and Blood.

Dog, yes. But to the dogs to the dogs go the crumbs. His crumbs. His Life. His death. His resurrection. His Body and Blood – given in, with, and under the bread and wine. Come, take and eat some table scraps.

And faith, well faith says, “Yes, Lord, you are for me. Good to me despite me.” Or, as this woman says, “Woof. Woof. Arf. Arf.” Or... better, “Amen.” In the name of Jesus. Amen.