Sermon File

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (2026)

Hold Fast to Your Faith!                                                                                                Rev. Toby Byrd

“Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.” (Matthew 15:28, ESV) 

We often wonder, “Why does a Christian living on this earth have to constantly be involved with the struggle and warfare brought on by the enemies of the soul?” But thank God, this wondering leads us to recall that the great enemies of our faith; the world, our flesh, and Satan are unrelenting enemies who hate Christ. Their sole purpose for existing is to rob Jesus of our allegiance by driving us away from Him and the blessed Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by enticing us with the allurements of the world. Responding to the loving care and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank God that we have been brought to faith by the Holy Spirit, given assurance of our salvation as baptized children of His, yet all the while knowing that in this life there will never be complete peace because the archenemies of our soul continuously seek our destruction. So, clinging to the admonition of St. Paul, we are grateful that the Holy Spirit is with us, leading us to, “Fight the good fight of the faith” while taking “hold of the eternal life to which [we have been] called” (1 Tim. 6:12 ESV).

However, because the enemies of our soul are relentless, fighting the good fight of faith comes with challenges, none less than the challenge of asking, what are we to do when God Himself seems to be against us? This doubt, this question, is perhaps the greatest weapon our enemy has at his disposal. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we pray that we will Hold Fast to Our Faith!

We see a battle of this sort in today’s Gospel lesson. Not a battle with God as such, but a test of faithfulness and a lesson in being a true disciple of Christ. In the account of the Canaanite woman St. Matthew gives us a perfect example of such a test as we witness our Lord Jesus seemingly challenge a woman’s faith. But the test is not so much meant for her, as it is meant for His disciples. Remember, His disciples are all Jews who consider gentiles to be unclean creatures. Therefore, they have no interaction with Gentiles expect those which they cannot avoid.

Jesus is traveling in the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, having just come from Gennesaret, a region just west of the Sea of Galilee. It is there that He had encountered Pharisees who reproved Him because His disciple’s disregarded tradition, specifically, they didn’t wash their hands prior to eating. Jesus rejects their disapproval and opens their eyes to their own uncleanness; their evil thoughts which originate in the heart and come forth from the mouth. Hearing their Lord offend the Pharisees, His disciples approach Him fearing Jesus has turned the Pharisees away and hardened their opposition to Him. But, as usual, His disciples lacked understanding. Therefore, Jesus shows them that eating food with unwashed hands is irrelevant. What matters regarding cleanliness is not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out of it! What makes a person unclean are impure thoughts which originate in the heart. And now, here, in the region of Tyre and Sidon, the disciples are going to learn another lesson; a lesson in humility and mercy.

A Canaanite woman, one who was considered unclean by Jews, by our Lord’s disciples, comes to Jesus, begging for help, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” (Matthew 15:22, ESV) But she receives a very cold answer; Our Lord’s silence. However, our Lord’s silence does not dissuade her and she continues to seek help, confronting the disciples. So distressed are they by this woman’s begging that St. Matthew tells us they go to Jesus and plead with Him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” (Matthew 15:23, ESV) And it is here that our Lord takes advantage of her dilemma to teach His disciples mercy for all people. It is through her tenacious faith, that the disciples are led by Jesus to understand God’s grace is for all, not just for the Jew. Therefore, let us with the aid of the Holy Spirit witness the loving hand of our Lord Jesus as His test of the Canaanite woman becomes a lesson in faith for the disciples, showing them that a true believer, regardless of race or origin, Hold Fast to Their Faith as they rely on Jesus to provides answers to their troubles.

Our Lord’s initial response is shockingly cool. His lack of words seems to affirm His disciples understanding of being isolationist, of remaining separate from all who are not Jews. So, they must have thought, does this not affirm our bigotry toward those who are not of the Temple? Well, in their minds it does. Moreover, they also question this woman’s motive, they question her faith, “Does she really mean what she says or is she simply mouthing the words? Is her plea for mercy coming from a heart that truly believes that Jesus is the Lord, the Messiah of Israel? But as we shall see, in testing this woman’s faith, Jesus takes His disciples to school.

When the disciples come to Jesus pleading with Him to send this woman away, He answers them, saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24, ESV) Now having heard their Lord’s response, having heard His actual words, the disciples cannot help but have their bigotry strengthened. They opine; does not His words support our avoidance of gentiles. He has not declared, He is sent only to Israel!

But listen to her, listen to this pleading Canaanite woman, she speaks like a disciple, she calls Jesus “Lord.” She also speaks like a believing Israelite, addressing Jesus as the “Son of David.” She may be a gentile, but her understanding of who Jesus is far surpasses that of most Jews.

How often have I heard a pastor or others question the sincerity of someone in need. If I had a nickel for every time I heard it, I would probably be a very rich man. However, unlike Jesus, we cannot see into the heart of a person; we can only judge them on their outward behavior and their confession of faith. Therefore, like the disciples who pleaded with Jesus, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us” (v. 23), we, too, sadly, are prone to dismiss someone in need. This is a real tragedy, it is in fact sin, for we are commanded; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39 ESV). This is the summary of the second table of the Law. From Luther’s Small Catechism you learned “We should love our neighbor as ourselves and show this love by keeping the commandments of the Second Table.” Even then, many ask, “But who is my neighbor?” Again, the catechism taught you, “All people are your neighbors.” Yet, clearly, we see in this account of the Canaanite woman, the disciples didn’t consider her their neighbor. She was and unclean Gentile!

Yet, being clean or unclean, mattered not to this woman. She had a real need; she had a daughter that was possessed by a demon, under the influence of “the rulers … the authorities … the cosmic powers over this present darkness … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12 ESV), whose sole desire is to enslave her daughter under the power of Satan. Such enslavement comes in a variety of ways: a life of misery and pain, poverty and want, addiction to drugs, sex, money, and power, culminating in unbelief and eternal torment in hell. Would you want your son or daughter to be so afflicted? Surely, this Gentile woman didn’t and most importantly, she knew the answer to her dilemma, her daughter’s freedom from enslavement couldn’t be found in medicine, psychoanalysis, or government programs. No, her daughters cure could only be found in one place, in Christ Jesus! Therefore, she reckoned, let me go to Jesus, He alone has the answer to my plea!

After having heard Jesus’ response to His disciples, the woman could have thought; have I sought out the wrong man? Does He, too, want me simply to go away, to fade into the night as one who is unclean? There’s little doubt that Satan was putting this thought into her mind. So, now, is she on the verge of engaging in a contemptuous battle with Jesus, asking, “Who do you think you are? Am I not good enough to earn Your attention?” No, it’s clear, she is not thinking this way. Instead see is certain. She believes, He is who others have said He is, He is the Messiah, the Son of David. He alone has the power to answer my plea. Please, Lord, have mercy upon me! 

Her need is still unfilled, but the previous rebuffs do not stop her, she is still determined to seek our Lord’s help. St. Matthew tells us, “she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me;” (Matthew 15:25, ESV) Lord, there is no one to whom I can turn, you alone are my help. Although hearing the agony in her voice, Jesus, in what seems like a continuation of His test of this woman’s faith, says, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs” (v. 26). However, these words will eventually teach His disciples a valuable lesson.

Now, if His earlier non-response and then His affirmation that His ministry is only for the lost sheep of Israel are responses that seem harsh, what must this Canaanite woman be thinking now? Jesus has compared her to a dog? These words affirm that Jesus was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, but even more, He is to feed only the children of Israel. He is to follow God’s plan for His chosen people. As such, He cannot throw the children’s food to the dogs, to the unclean; He cannot pour out His grace upon gentiles. These words probably strengthened His disciple’s bigotry, but to her these words are crushing, words this woman did not want to hear. Words, which would send any unbeliever away. But this woman is not an unbeliever!

When she answers, she reveals a faith that is undeterred; “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table” (v. 27). You are right Lord! It would be wrong to deny or contradict God’s plan to save His people Israel. In fact, You are the Messiah of Israel and the Bread You give belongs to the children of Israel. I know this and I don’t need the full loaf of Bread God intends for His children. But when they eat, do crumbs not fall to the floor, crumbs that little dogs can lick up? The Bread You give is abundant and overflowing therefore, when you disperse it, certainly some crumbs will fall to the floor. Lord of mercy, those crumbs are enough for me and my daughter. We need only the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. She believes in Jesus! She believes He is the Messiah whom God has sent to save His people. So, Holding Fast to her Faith she does not kick against the goad, nor fall for Satan’s attempt to dissuade her.

Jesus sees her great faith; therefore, she shall receive the crumbs she has begged for. Compassionately, He turns to her and says, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire” (v. 28). Then, St. Matthew tells us, “And her daughter was healed instantly” (v. 28).

Jesus seemed to be against this woman, but in truth His response to her had two goals. First, to strengthen her faith, and second to teach His disciples that their bigotry, their isolationism, is to be abandoned. In this new creation, which our Lord Jesus inaugurated with His Baptism, the old was washed away and the new was ushered in. Out went the Torah and in came the Gospel. One does not put new wine in old wineskins (Matt. 9:17). The waters of a Spirit filled Baptism purify the baptized and we’re reminded that the Scriptures say, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” (Acts 11:9, ESV)

Amid trying, to overcome the world, our flesh, and Satan, how much more difficult, even hopeless, does it seem when God Himself appears to be against us? At times like these we find ourselves wondering, why do I have to battle God? But are we actually battling God or is this not just a new twist in our battle with the world, our flesh, and Satan? What chance do we have in winning a battle with God? The thought of battling God is absurd. There is no power equal to His. Not only is it a hopeless encounter, but God has no desire to fight with you. Recall what He said through the prophet Ezekiel, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:32, ESV) Again He says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11, ESV)

To suggest that you are battling against God is to suggest that God is tempting you. God never tempts, but He does test your faith to strengthen it as Jesus did for the Canaanite woman. Moreover, God is not your enemy; He does not desire your destruction, your eternity in hell. Truth is, God wants you in heaven with Him. When you think you’re fighting God, you’re actually fighting the one who seeks to make you doubt. When God puts you to the test, Satan loves to step in, putting doubt in your heart, making you think God is against you, and thereby he leads you to question God’s motive, seeking to lead you to walk away from God. Satan is your enemy; he is your great foe in the battle for eternal life. It is God’s desire is to save you from the forces of evil, from the eternity of hell. He says through the prophet Isaiah, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! . . . [I] will come and save you.”” (Isaiah 35:4, ESV) He promised the people of Judah to save them from the king of Babylon, saying, “Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.” (Jeremiah 42:11, ESV) In the same way God promises to save you from the hand of Satan.

He kept that promise by sending His only begotten Son into this world to deliver you from sin, death, and the devil. Through Isaiah, God promised to send His righteous One, saying, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4–6, ESV) Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the Altar of the Cross, shed His blood and gave His life that we might gain eternal life. Isaiah continues, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities, . . .  because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:11–12, ESV) God gave His most precious, His only begotten Son that He might save you from sin, death, and the devil. His supreme love for you and His desire to see you safely into heaven with Him is beyond precedence. Why would He want to fight with you?

Satan is the one who is always fighting with you, trying to pull you away from Christ. Oh, not in a quick, instant way, but gradually, slowly putting obstacles in your path, trying to make you drift away from your faith, until your faith withers and dies. When trouble enters your life, Satan takes advantage of the trouble. He begins to confuse you, making you think that it is God who is against you, and in your confusion, you begin to kick against the goad. However, amid your trouble God reaches out to you, guiding you toward a deeper, trustful knowledge of His grace and tender mercy. In times of great trouble, the Holy Spirit leads you to Jesus, that you may see the trouble He endured, the pain He suffered and in so doing He seeks to mitigate your pain, your suffering by His precious gift of faith given to you. That precious gift which leads you to trust in the goodness and mercy of God. That gift which comforts you and preserves you from the temptation of Satan who is trying to lead you to battle with God and thereby to lead you away from that most precious gift in your life; the gift of faith that leads you to the One who saved you from sin, death, and the devil, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The disciples have witnessed yet another miracle, the miracle of faith in the heart of a Gentile. By Jesus’ interaction with this Canaanite woman, they have rightly come to understand that which was written by Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved” (Romans 9:25 ESV). You, too, are a living witness to this truth. You were not of God’s chosen people, yet Christ came and died for you. He willingly gave His life upon the Altar of the Cross that your sins could be forgiven and your cries for mercy could be heard and answered. There is never a need for you to think that God is against you. Like the Canaanite woman, He may test your faith from time to time, this is both for your salvation and quite often, for the salvation of others near you who see your pain, but also see your great faith, faith that helps alleviate the pain. So, Hold Fast to Your Faith!Do not allow Satan to sidetrack you, to dissuade you, to lead you away from the promises of God in Christ Jesus.

We pray, Lord, we are ever grateful that You have opened our hearts and minds to the saving truth of Your Son Jesus. Let us eat the crumbs from Your table, crumbs which feed and strengthen our faith. Fed with the body and blood of Your Son Jesus, we are reminded of His suffering for our salvation, reminded “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18, ESV) Therefore, we hold fast to what is good (Rom. 12:9), we hold fast to the Word preached to us (1 Cor. 15:2), and we Hold Fast to Fighting the Good Fight of Faith! (Titus 6:11), Holding Fast to our Faith in ever time of trouble and need! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.