No Strings Attached
Sermon
In today's gospel reading, Jesus seemed reluctant to heal the Canaanite woman's daughter. He told her that he wasn't sent to help foreigners, but only his own people, the Chosen Race. The words sound unnecessarily harsh, but perhaps this is an interpretation unique to Matthew, for this story only appears in Matthew's gospel, which was written for Jews. By contrast, in Luke's gospel, which was written by a Gentile for Gentiles, Jesus heals many foreigners, and Luke is at pains to point out on a number of occasions that the foreigners are more spiritual than the Jews.
One such story is the healing of the ten lepers, which only occurs in Luke's gospel. Although ten lepers were healed by Jesus, only one - the foreigner - returned to thank him (Luke 17:11-19). One of the points that has always intrigued me about that story is Jesus' final comment to this grateful Samaritan. He says, "Go your way. Your faith has made you whole." It might possibly imply that only this leper was restored to health. So I begin to wonder what happened to the other nine, who failed to return. Did their healing suddenly stop because they failed to return to say thank you, or did it continue regardless?
There are few instances in the gospels of people actually saying thank you. There's no record of the Canaanite woman returning to thank Jesus for healing her daughter, but equally no implication in this story that the healing was anything other than permanent.
We aren't told in any of the gospels whether or not people's illnesses recurred after they were healed by Jesus. There are instances of him telling people to "sin no more", where perhaps the implication is that their illness has been caused by their life-style. In such a case presumably illness is likely to recur if the life-style isn't amended.
This is obvious, for we often see it happening today. People who have health problems caused by smoking would be well advised to stop smoking, otherwise their health problems will inevitably recur, as will health problems caused by stress if the stress isn't addressed, or by diet, if the diet isn't addressed, or by lack of exercise if that isn't addressed. So probably, in the first century people who carried on regardless even after healing by Jesus, might have found their problems returning.
There's also one occasion in the gospel of Mark (8:22-26) where Jesus only partially heals at first. A blind man is brought to Jesus who anoints his eyes with ointment, but after that although the man can see something, he still can't see clearly. Jesus has another go, and this time the man sees clearly. But the full healing doesn't seem to depend on faith or gratitude or anything else.
When God gives his gifts to us, they aren't dependent upon us at all. We don't have to have great faith in order to receive God's gifts, we don't have to show the correct degree of gratitude, or indeed, any gratitude at all, and we don't even have to repent of our sins. God's gifts are free to all, and freely available to all. There are no strings attached, and the gifts are not rudely yanked away from us if we fail to comply with God's wishes.
"Has God rejected his people?" asks St Paul in today's reading from Romans. "By no means! God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew......for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." The gifts are there, and they're there to stay.
Mind you, if we don't use God's gifts, those gifts are unable to develop within us. We're all given the gift of music, for music is an inherent part of what it is to be human. But some of us fail to develop that gift for various reasons and don't become "musical", whereas others develop the gift and become very "musical".
In this generation we're beginning to see what happens when people don't develop their muscles. For the first time in our history, we have generations of children growing up who take very little physical exercise, and at the same time coronary heart disease and obesity with its attendant problems, and various muscular aches and pains, are rife.
So gifts of God which fall into disuse inevitably wither away, but this isn't a case of God withdrawing his gifts, but a case of us human beings failing to use them and develop them.
God's gifts aren't dependent on our repentance either, but it's certainly true to say that if we turn our lives round towards God and fix our life focus on him (which is what the word "repentance" means) we'll be in a much better position to identify his gifts and thus to receive them.
Neither are God's gifts dependent upon our gratitude or faith, but if we honestly believe that God will and does give us what we ask for and therefore we thank him for it in the knowledge that we will receive it, then we very definitely receive. "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." says Jesus in Luke's gospel (11:9). Anyone who lives knowing that to be true, will find that it is true.
The woman in today's gospel story was so certain that Jesus would heal her daughter that she wouldn't take "no" for an answer, but kept on at Jesus until he gave her what she wanted. And her gratitude was implicit in her reply to Jesus, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Crumbs were sufficient for her. That was all she needed or wanted. And her daughter was healed instantly.
God gives us what we ask for in our hearts. If we only pay lip service to a gift, then we're unlikely to receive that gift, but we will receive what we yearn for deep in our hearts. This means that it's important for each of us to be united within ourselves. Those who say one thing with their lips but think and believe something quite different in their hearts, might get a shock with the gifts they receive from God. That was why Jesus urged the rich young man to give away his wealth (Matthew 19:16-22). The rich man's lips were asking for the gift of eternal life, but because his heart was focussed upon material wealth he was unable to receive the gift that God was already offering him. He needed to get his heart in tune with his mind and mouth if was to be able to take hold of the gift.
God's gifts are offered to all of us with no strings attached. What's more, we're free to choose which gifts we'd like. There's a wide range, from intellectual gifts to practical gifts to spiritual gifts. Whatever gift you decide you'd like, make sure your heart and mind are in tune. Then ask for the gift, believing that you'll receive it, then start to enjoy it and use it.
Don't be like the the Jews of St Paul's day, who rejected the greatest gift of all, the gift of God himself become human. Be like the Canaanite woman who believed and trusted deep in her heart that her daughter would be healed, and then receive your gifts with gratitude and joy.
One such story is the healing of the ten lepers, which only occurs in Luke's gospel. Although ten lepers were healed by Jesus, only one - the foreigner - returned to thank him (Luke 17:11-19). One of the points that has always intrigued me about that story is Jesus' final comment to this grateful Samaritan. He says, "Go your way. Your faith has made you whole." It might possibly imply that only this leper was restored to health. So I begin to wonder what happened to the other nine, who failed to return. Did their healing suddenly stop because they failed to return to say thank you, or did it continue regardless?
There are few instances in the gospels of people actually saying thank you. There's no record of the Canaanite woman returning to thank Jesus for healing her daughter, but equally no implication in this story that the healing was anything other than permanent.
We aren't told in any of the gospels whether or not people's illnesses recurred after they were healed by Jesus. There are instances of him telling people to "sin no more", where perhaps the implication is that their illness has been caused by their life-style. In such a case presumably illness is likely to recur if the life-style isn't amended.
This is obvious, for we often see it happening today. People who have health problems caused by smoking would be well advised to stop smoking, otherwise their health problems will inevitably recur, as will health problems caused by stress if the stress isn't addressed, or by diet, if the diet isn't addressed, or by lack of exercise if that isn't addressed. So probably, in the first century people who carried on regardless even after healing by Jesus, might have found their problems returning.
There's also one occasion in the gospel of Mark (8:22-26) where Jesus only partially heals at first. A blind man is brought to Jesus who anoints his eyes with ointment, but after that although the man can see something, he still can't see clearly. Jesus has another go, and this time the man sees clearly. But the full healing doesn't seem to depend on faith or gratitude or anything else.
When God gives his gifts to us, they aren't dependent upon us at all. We don't have to have great faith in order to receive God's gifts, we don't have to show the correct degree of gratitude, or indeed, any gratitude at all, and we don't even have to repent of our sins. God's gifts are free to all, and freely available to all. There are no strings attached, and the gifts are not rudely yanked away from us if we fail to comply with God's wishes.
"Has God rejected his people?" asks St Paul in today's reading from Romans. "By no means! God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew......for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." The gifts are there, and they're there to stay.
Mind you, if we don't use God's gifts, those gifts are unable to develop within us. We're all given the gift of music, for music is an inherent part of what it is to be human. But some of us fail to develop that gift for various reasons and don't become "musical", whereas others develop the gift and become very "musical".
In this generation we're beginning to see what happens when people don't develop their muscles. For the first time in our history, we have generations of children growing up who take very little physical exercise, and at the same time coronary heart disease and obesity with its attendant problems, and various muscular aches and pains, are rife.
So gifts of God which fall into disuse inevitably wither away, but this isn't a case of God withdrawing his gifts, but a case of us human beings failing to use them and develop them.
God's gifts aren't dependent on our repentance either, but it's certainly true to say that if we turn our lives round towards God and fix our life focus on him (which is what the word "repentance" means) we'll be in a much better position to identify his gifts and thus to receive them.
Neither are God's gifts dependent upon our gratitude or faith, but if we honestly believe that God will and does give us what we ask for and therefore we thank him for it in the knowledge that we will receive it, then we very definitely receive. "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." says Jesus in Luke's gospel (11:9). Anyone who lives knowing that to be true, will find that it is true.
The woman in today's gospel story was so certain that Jesus would heal her daughter that she wouldn't take "no" for an answer, but kept on at Jesus until he gave her what she wanted. And her gratitude was implicit in her reply to Jesus, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Crumbs were sufficient for her. That was all she needed or wanted. And her daughter was healed instantly.
God gives us what we ask for in our hearts. If we only pay lip service to a gift, then we're unlikely to receive that gift, but we will receive what we yearn for deep in our hearts. This means that it's important for each of us to be united within ourselves. Those who say one thing with their lips but think and believe something quite different in their hearts, might get a shock with the gifts they receive from God. That was why Jesus urged the rich young man to give away his wealth (Matthew 19:16-22). The rich man's lips were asking for the gift of eternal life, but because his heart was focussed upon material wealth he was unable to receive the gift that God was already offering him. He needed to get his heart in tune with his mind and mouth if was to be able to take hold of the gift.
God's gifts are offered to all of us with no strings attached. What's more, we're free to choose which gifts we'd like. There's a wide range, from intellectual gifts to practical gifts to spiritual gifts. Whatever gift you decide you'd like, make sure your heart and mind are in tune. Then ask for the gift, believing that you'll receive it, then start to enjoy it and use it.
Don't be like the the Jews of St Paul's day, who rejected the greatest gift of all, the gift of God himself become human. Be like the Canaanite woman who believed and trusted deep in her heart that her daughter would be healed, and then receive your gifts with gratitude and joy.
