復活ルーテル教会・日本語部

Mother’s Day-
Heinz Guderian said: “There are no desperate situations; only desperate people.”There are people so overwhelmed with the detours and disappointments of life that they do things beyond our comprehension.

Justino Diaz was not emotionally equipped to handle the difficulties and setbacks that confronted him….So, one day, when his family of 13 gathered around the dining room table, he doused them with gasoline and set them on fire with a blow torch.We can hardly imagine anyone doing something so horrific and yet we hear about such things daily….

Recently a mother in Washington state stood outside a Taco Bell trying to sell her two day old infant for $5000. She settled for $500 before being arrested.The same week, a Chicago policeman, stole $50,000 from an elderly woman on his beat to pay off his gambling debts. Desperate people do desperate things.

In out Gospel we meet a mother who was desperate but instead of doing something immoral-unethical or illegal….She did something irrational….She went to Jesus expecting that he would heal her sick daughter. Well, what’s so irrational or odd about that? Remember, she was a woman – strike one! She was Gentile- a non-Jew- strike two! She was a Canaanite – strike three!

To put it simply, Jews and Canaanites did not get along very well together so this woman would have been considered something of an outsider or outcast. Nevertheless, her daughter was sick and like all good mothers she was willing to go the extra mile for her…..Before coming to Jesus she had probably visited every doctor and snake oil salesman in town…Her medicine cabinet was filled with bottles of useless potions and salves, but nothing had worked….So, as a last resort, she turned to Jesus. While we are not told, she likely heard about Jesus and his works of wonder thru the grape vine and she was ready to give him a try….Technically, she had no business approaching Jesus but she had nothing to loose?….And you remember how our Lord initially greeted her: With deafening silence! Matthew says that he IGNORED her. That doesn’t sound like our Jesus, does it? This indifference on the part of Jesus is troubling….He refused to do anything for her, claiming that he was too busy helping the faithful Jews of Israel. I think most people, if rebuffed like that, would have turned and walked away, but this woman saw something in the eyes of Jesus that made her drop to her knees begging for help….Instinctively she knew, that Jesus had both the ability and the willingness to meet her need. And that leads perhaps to this woman’s finest quality: Her persistence.Despite her inferior standing she refused to be put off-put down-turned away-ignored or disrespected. Her daughter was sick….Jesus was her last hope and she wasn’t going home empty handed.

How many of you have heard of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Mathma Gandhi?
How many of you have heard of Elmo Cringle? You’ve never heard of him because as a youngster he was a quitter. He didn’t like high school so he quit and… All of his jobs were too challenging so he resigned…. And when his marriage was going thru some tough days he just packed up and left.When Lincoln and the others were faced with barriers and obstacles they didn’t throw in the towel….they persevered…They kept going and kept trying until they were successful.

Many of you have seen the movie Rudy. It’s about a young man who desperately wanted to play football for Notre Dame, but the coaches never thought that he was quite big enough or fast enough….So, for four years he was kept on the practice squad….But because of his persistence he was finally sent in for the last few plays of the final game of his senior year…Because of his determination and refusal to quit his team carried him off the field on their shoulders….No one else in the history of Notre Dame Football has been accorded that honor….But if the movie is accurate Rudy did not simply wait around for a chance to play….He went to his coaches and even to the head coach…pleading for an opportunity. The odds were against him….There were better players ahead of him….But he wasn’t afraid to ask….
Just as this desperate mother wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus for the one thing she wanted and the one thing she knew Jesus could provide.

Football legend Vince Lombardi said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength…not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will.” This woman’s will was rock solid and she refused to be denied. When Jesus ignored her she could have gone home…When the disciples mocked her she could have kept silent…When Jesus said he was too busy with others she could have given up….But she refused to be berated or banished.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” This woman had plenty of reasons and more than one opportunity to wave the white flag of surrender….But the goal of getting help for her daughter motivated her never to give up no matter what the odds.

I recently read about a young man who, like this woman, was desperate and faced a boat load of challenges…..He wanted to become an Eagle Scout but he had Multiple Sclerosis. One of the requirements was to successfully complete a 16 mile hike. Even though confined to a wheel chair he set out on the designated trail but after 10 miles his arms gave out. His troop leaders offered to take him home but the youngster got out of his wheel chair and crawled the last 6 miles on his hands and knees.

We rarely see such determination and persistence and that’s why this Gospel lesson touches us….The miracle is not that the girl was healed…The miracle was that a remarkable, desperate mother was not going to take “NO” for an answer….Even though confronted by so many social and religious obstacles….

This woman….This Gentile….This Canaanite….This outcast….this mother persevered…
Her tenacity kept her hopeful….
Her spirit kept her joyful….
Her heart kept her merciful….
Her experience kept her resourceful….
And her faith kept her cheerful !
This was a remarkable woman….

A model for all of us, but especially for those who bear the title of Mother.

2013年5月12日昇天主日（母の日）聖餐礼拝説教
　「絶望目前の顕著な母親」 　　Carl Zimmermann牧師
「『絶望な状態」は絶対存在しない。存在するのは「絶望した人間」達である。」と
ハインツ　ガデリアンは言っている。
ある人達は人生の脱線やら失望の悩みに囚われて私達には考えられないような事をしてしまう。ジャステイノ　デイアツは人生の困難や躓きに立ち向かう事は心理的に出来ない男だった。そして、ある日家族１３人が集った時に全員にガソリンを振り掛けて火をつけた。私たちには思いつきもしない事だが、しかしこのような事は毎日耳に入ってくる。つい最近在る母はワシントン州のタコベルの脇で５千ドル欲しいが５百ドルで我慢するからと言いながら自分の生んだ新生児を売ろうとしているところを捕まった。同じ週にシカゴの警察官は自分のギャンブルの借金を払うために老女から５万ドルを盗み取った。
「絶望」と思う人は考えられないような凶絶なことをする。私たちの聖書の中には絶望に近い状態にありながら、犯罪を犯したり道徳外れの事をするのではなく、道理外れの事をした女性がいる。この母は病気の娘を癒してもらえると信じてイエスの所に行った。なぜ道理外れなのだろうか？
＊第一　女性である。
＊第二　ユダヤ人ではない。
＊第三　彼女はカナン人。
簡単に言うならユダヤ人とカナン人とは仲が悪かったので彼女はよそ者、または嫌われ者だった。それにもかかわらずその母は娘の治療を願う一心でどんな所へも行く決心をしていた。イエスの事を考え付く前には多分ありとあらゆる医者をすべて訪問しつくしていたのだろう。彼女の家には医者が処方した効きもしない飲み薬や塗り薬がいっぱいあったのかも知れない。最後の手段としてその母はイエスの所に来た。弟子達と葡萄畑を歩いているイエスの側に近づくなど女である彼女のするべきことではなかったはずだ。しかし、それは無視して母は近づいた。すると全員が言葉をなくし沈黙が襲った。マタイは「イエスは彼女を無視された。」と書いてある。考えられない事であるがイエスは「ユダヤ人を助ける事で忙しいから、ユダヤ人以外の者への時間はない」と言われたそうだ。多分多くの人はこれを聞いて諦めて去ったことだろう。しかしこの母はイエスは助けてくれると信じこんでイエスの前にひざまずき助けを請うた。卑下されても、拒絶されても病気の娘をもつ母は治してもらうまでは去る気はなかったのだ。この母の諦めない、しつこいほどの熱心は誉めるところである。

アブラハム・リカーン、トーマス　エデイソン、マハトマ　ガンジー、を知っているでしょう？ではエルモ　
クリングルと言う名を聞いた事がありますか？　多分ないでしょう。と言うのは彼は中退者だからです。高校は嫌いで中退、仕事は難しいから辞めて、結婚が難しいときを迎えると荷を作り出て行きました。ルーデイーはただ４年間無言で練習を続けたのではないのです。彼はコーチ、時には主任コーチを訪ねではテイームに入れてくれるように頼み続けました。あの病気の娘を持つ母と同じ様に拒絶を恐れずに拒否されると分っていても頼み続けました。コーチが叶える権利を持っていると知って頼み続けたのです.フットボールで有名なヴィンス　ランバーデイーは「成功するスポーツマンとの差は体力や知識ではない。『意思』があるかないかである。」と言っている。
この母は拒否される事を拒否した。イエスが無視したときに彼女は去る事も出来た。使徒達があざけった時に口を閉じる事もできた。イエスが「忙しい」と言った時に諦める事もで来た。が、母は自分が腹を立てる事も追放されることも拒否した。
エフ　スコット　フィッツジェラルド　（F. Scott　Fitzgerald）はこう言う「１回のくじけを最後のくじけと誤解してはいけない」この母の目前には諦めるにはいろいろな困難が与えられたが、目的の娘の治療をして貰う事を達するまでは諦めるつもりではなかった。そのためにはどんな侮辱も忍耐するつもりであった。