The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants—all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, then I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.-Isaiah 56:6-7
Friends, God is good all the time!
What a friend we have in Jesus! I don't know about your friendship or relationship with Jesus, but there is one sure thing that God gave Jesus to the world, and those who wish to make Him their friend, Jesus becomes a true friend. You see, to those who wish to make Jesus their friend, He is a friend indeed. I consider this the central theme of the readings for the twentieth Sunday.
The first reading from Isaiah 56:1-8, is a prophecy about God's relationship with Israel and the world. Being part of the third Isaiah prophecies, it was conveyed to the Jewish returnees from Babylonian exile. The prophet touches on a novel function of the new temple, the role of being a worship site for all people. Isaiah's prophecy about the temple was symbolic, referring to the actual temple to be built by the Messiah, which will be the new place for worship. For the temple of Christ's cross, His death and resurrection constitute the authentic purpose of universal religion. Here, Christ fulfills all three elements of the temple- He is the altar, the sacrifice, and the priest- making authentic and valid worship.
In the gospel, Jesus speaks with Isaiah's prophecy in mind and tells the Canaanite woman, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15: 24). But, you see, the woman understood by inspiration or something I can't tell, that Jesus was the one to bring a true friendship of God to all people. So, she calls Him "Son of David," a reference to the Messiah's association with Davidic line. See how Jesus addresses the woman who was bent on making friends with Jesus, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."
According to Matthew, the woman's daughter was cured instantly. In other words, she experienced the salvation of God. As Christians, we are called to be friends of Jesus, and because of this, we can call upon Him for help in all our circumstances as the woman did. That's what friends do. They reach out. We live in a world that is spinning too fast for us. Pandemic, storms, destruction of homes, shadows of pain, suffering, and uneasiness. Wow! Too many things are happening all at once that make living scary.
However, it is in these moments that we need our friendship with Jesus and remain faithful to Him. It is our faithfulness, our calling out after Him for help, that will cause us to receive His assistance and support. So, let us not be discouraged by the constant spinning of our lives and events around us. Be not discouraged by what may seem like a long silence from the Lord; let us turn away to anything but to the Lord. He is certainly a dependable friend. He will bring His salvation to us. Prayer blessings: Lord, help us. Amen.