Matthew 15:21-28;
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7; Genesis 32:22-32
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
What’s in a name? Often, quite a lot.
The name Israel, for instance, means literally one who “struggles with God and
prevails.” We receive this definition and understanding of the name Israel from
Genesis 32:28, the account of Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the LORD, which
was our Old Testament reading this morning. In this pericope, the Patriarch
Jacob was in great distress, believing that his brother Esau was coming to kill
him in revenge for his treachery. Thus, Jacob sent his wives and his servants,
his children, and all his belongings across the river and he waited alone for
imminent arrival of his brother. Only, Jacob wasn’t alone. There was a man with
Jacob, and not only a man, but the Angel of the LORD, whom many theologians
understand to be a pre-incarnate manifestation of the Second Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Son of God. This man engaged in wrestling with Jacob all through
the night. Quite literally, Jacob “struggled with God.”
We all experience trials and tribulation
in our lives. We have financial struggles, marriage struggles, and parenting
struggles. We struggle at home, at school, and at work. When we come home in
the evening, we are confronted with struggles in our community, our nation, and
our world. We struggle to remain healthy against the natural forces of aging
and mortality, and we struggle against spiritual forces which are continually
against us, tempting us to sin or to despair so that we take our focus off of
Jesus and place it upon something, anything, else. We all face these struggles
and know them well, and we know that when we face struggles we should pray to
God for help and strength and relief. However, if we are honest with ourselves,
we have to admit that, sometimes…, sometimes it truly seems as if God is causing
us to struggle, or at least permitting us to struggle. Sometimes it seems as if
God is our enemy. We cry out, in our hearts or with our voice, “Why God? Why
are you doing this to me? Why are you against me?”
If you’ve felt this way before, know
that you are in good company! You stand in a long line of Patriarchs, Prophets,
and Apostles including Jacob and Moses, David and Jeremiah, Peter and Paul, the
Canaanite Woman, Luther, and a countless host of ordinary Christian believers
who have felt as if God was against them at one time or another. I know that
this sounds like something you’re not supposed to feel, to think, or to give
voice to, but I say to you, “Go ahead. God can take it.” In truth, there is
something very faithful about complaining to God in this way – As with prayer
of a more positive nature, you are actually confessing faith in God when you
complain. You are confessing that He is there and that He is in control. Such
complaints, cries, and screams are still prayers – prayers that confess faith
in the God who can bring rescue and who can allow trial and tribulation to come
upon you, but always, always with the promise that His grace is sufficient for
you, that His power is made perfect in weakness, and that He will never leave
you or forsake you, but will see you through, one way or another, and that the
victory His has secured for you in His Son Jesus Christ can never be taken away
from you, no matter what may happen to you, good or bad, in this life.
This is the example we find in both our
Old Testament reading about the Patriarch Jacob wrestling with God and in our
Gospel reading about the Canaanite Woman, in effect, wrestling with Jesus. Each
of these protagonists demonstrated strong and tenacious faith, even while
struggling with a God who seemingly rejected them and even fought against them.
Jacob cried out, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The Canaanite
Woman took Jesus’ insult, calling her a dog, and insisted, “Yes, Lord, yet even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” God blessed Jacob
and changed his name to Israel, which means, one who “struggles with God and
prevails.” Jesus praised the Canaanite Woman saying, “O woman, great is your
faith! Be it done for you as you desire.”
The example for us, however, is not that
we need to do something, not that we need to have greater faith or hold on more
tenaciously. No, that would be to miss the point altogether. The point of these
lessons is not that Jacob had such great faith to hold on even when God fought
with him and wounded him, nor that the Canaanite Woman was strong to hold on
through Jesus’ insults and rejection. No, the point is what these two confessed
about their Lord and their God. Jacob insisted on a blessing because he
believed and he knew that God would bless. The Canaanite Woman insisted that
Jesus have mercy because she believed and she knew that Jesus was merciful. In
effect, they both held God to what God had revealed, to what God had said,
about Himself. They used God’s own Word against Him. They held Him to His Word
and His promises. And, you know what? God LOVES it when you do that!
You see, prayer isn’t a hope, a shot in
the dark. When you pray, you can, you should, pray in confidence that God will
hear – because He has promised to hear. When you pray, you can, you should,
believe that God will answer – because He has promised to answer. Jesus taught
that whatever you ask the Father in His Name He will give it to you. This is
true! That doesn’t mean He’ll give you that winning lottery ticket you prayed
for or that promotion you prayed for – but He will give you what you ask in
Jesus’ Name. What does that mean? That’s a good question! To ask in Jesus’ Name
is not merely to tack “In the Name of Jesus” on to the close of your prayer,
but it means to pray in accordance with the Word and the will of God. Chances
are that winning lottery tickets and promotions are not in accordance with the
Word and the will of God. Maybe they are; probably not. However, what
definitely IS in accordance with the Word and the will of God are the things
that He has already promised to give and to do in His Word. Therefore, when you
pray, hold God to His Word. Pray His Word back to Him and hold Him to it. That
is what Jacob did. That is what the Canaanite Woman did. Even when God seems
not to hear, even when He seems to be against you, ask, pray in Jesus’ Name,
holding God to His Word. Don’t let go, no matter what, until He blesses you. In
this way, your faith will be strengthened and God will be glorified.
This Sunday is called Reminiscere –
Remember. It is not we who are called to remember, but it is we who call upon
God to remember – to remember His mercy and His steadfast love as of old and to
deliver us out of trouble: trouble of our sins, trouble of our enemies. Does
God forget? No, of course not. But, He loves to hear you remind Him of His
goodness, love, and mercy, and He loves to answer and respond in kind. And, He
has answered, He has responded. He has sent you His Son, Jesus. Jesus was truly
ignored, insulted, and forsaken by both men and God in our place. He who knew
no sin was made to be sin for us, that we might, in turn, become the
righteousness of God. Jesus is God’s Word, will, and promise kept for you.
Therefore, ask, pray in Jesus’ Name, and do not let go. In this way you show
yourself to be a true Israelite – one who “struggles with God and prevails.”
Life is a struggle, to be sure, and the
Christian faith and life is a supreme struggle. Christians struggle against sin
and the devil, against their own fleshly desires and temptation, against
enemies who mock and take advantage, and sometimes even against God who tests
our faith that it might increase and grow ever more fruitful. St. Paul provides
a long list of fleshly passions and desires that we must strive to resist and
overcome. Moreover, He says that it is God’s will that we do, that it is part
of our sanctification, His making us to be His holy people. Therefore, you see
how we do indeed struggle with God. Left to ourselves, we will surely fail.
But, take heart, Christ has fulfilled the demands of holiness for you. Now you
are covered in His righteousness and holiness. Trust in Him, especially in
trial, tribulation, and temptation, that He has borne the burden for you and
shares the burden with you even now. Jesus Christ is God’s promise fulfilled
for you. In Him you are baptized. With Him you are fed. You eat, not crumbs
from the Master’s table, but the flesh and blood of the Bread of Life Himself.
In Him you are blessed. Trust and believe, and call your God to remembrance of
this Truth. He loves to hear you remind Him. He loves to bless you anew and to
make you a blessing.
In
the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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