The readings for Pentecost 12 are taken from Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Romans 11:1-2, 13-15, 28-32; and Matthew 15:21-28.
Isaiah, Romans, and Matthew’s readings have a singular lesson for us: Who are the people of God? Human nature, materialistic and corrupted by Adam, wants to make claims on God on a material basis: “If I am a physical descendant of Abraham, then I am one of the people of God AND God must favor me, no matter how evil and wicked I am. AND God must surely hate all other people.” This is what Isaiah warned Israel about. God exploded this thinking when the Babylonians came and took the powerful, wealthy, corrupt Israelites captive. Yet in so doing, God saved the people of Israel who had been abused, because the Babylonians let them be in peace and live off the good of their land and labor.
Matthew records Jesus exploding the same evil thinking of the religious authorities in Israel, not only by ministering to the poor and outcast BUT by so actively loving people that Israel despised and considered “foreign.” The people who sought Jesus for help ARE the children of Abraham; the Canaanite woman proves it by her persistence in clinging to Jesus for help, which Jesus gives. (Note: Jesus is NOT calling this woman a dog. On the contrary, she is one of the children at the table. It is the materialistic people—Jews by physical descent—who prove they are the dogs by despising Jesus!)
Paul summarizes Isaiah and Matthew in his letter to the Romans, where materialistic identities were causing conflict between Jews of physical descent and Gentiles. Our souls, regenerated by the Word and Spirit of God, are and remain forever the children of God. This fact is confirmed in our baptism, in eating and drinking at the Lord’s table, in hearing His absolution, and by remaining in His Word.