2024-12-03A
SCRIPTURE
MATTHEW 15:21-28
15:21 And going out from there, Jesus withdrew to the parts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan coming out of these borders cried to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, Send her away, for she cries after us. 24 But He answered and said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me! 26 But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children’s bread and to throw it to dogs. 27 And she said, True, O Lord; but even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ tables.
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! So be it to you even as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
A. JESUS BREACHES THE BOUNDARIES BY REACHING OUT TO THE GENTILES.
We read that Jesus visited the environs of Tire and Sidon. Tire was located within the territory of the tribe of Asher, but was outside Israel’s territory. Earlier He had declared that His calling was to the lost sheep of Israel, but now we find Him partly within pagan territory where the Jews would not normally go. The disciples must have found this strange too. Did the opposition He encountered from the Jewish religious leaders perhaps persuade him to turn to the Gentiles? No, but mindful that, in time, the Gospel would be carried to all nations, He was here taking the first steps for missionary work amongst non-Jews. With this He would set the example for His disciples who would follow in His footsteps after his ascension.
B. A PAGAN WOMAN REACHES OUT TO THE JEW’S MESSIAH.
Perhaps this evidence of his interest and goodwill was one of the reasons why this pagan woman, this Canaanite, gathered courage to approach the Lord Jesus for the sake of her daughter. In years gone by, at God’s command, Joshua exterminated the Canaanites because of their wickedness. They sacrificed their children to idols, practiced fornication in their temples and refused to convert to God. But in every nation there are those who hunger for God and He notices them. Those He leads to someone by whom He can reveal Himself to them so that they too can be reconciled to Him and have a share in His Kingdom. Here we have such a woman to whom God was paying attention. He had His Son travel all the way from Capernaum to this area to make it possible for her to meet the Saviour.
C. A WOMAN BREAKS THROUGH THE BOUNDARIES APPLYING TO HER GENDER.
Another obstacle she had to overcome was the obstacle of gender. As a woman, she was bound by the etiquette of her time to keep herself in the background. It would have been inappropriate to impose herself on the Lord as many of the men, eg Bartimaeus, did. The disciples surrounding Jesus might have rebuked her if she dared approach Him.
D. SHE WAS FACING FORMIDABLE BARRIERS BUT NEVER LET UP ON HER GOAL.
She had heard of what Jesus, the Son of Israel’s beloved King David, had done for others. Furthermore, by the inner revelation of the Holy Spirit, she must have realized that He was much more than an ordinary man; that is why she called Him Lord.
When a person’s heart thirsts after God, the Lord will surely reveal himself to him. When he walks sincerely and with care according to the light he received from Above, no matter how slight or small that light may be, God will be pleased and will increase his spiritual insight. This is what Jesus promised as recorded in Jn. 14:21:
“He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me; and whoever loves me, my Father will love him, and I will love him and reveal myself to him .”
E. A MOTHER FIGHTS AGAINST EVIL FORCES FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HER CHILD.
Another important matter to note is that this woman was a mother. Mothers are God’s special agents when it comes to His ministry to their children.
A father might turn away from his handicapped child, or the one who is constantly sick, or shows serious behavioral abnormalities. A mother, however, will lovingly cuddle the little one in her arms for had she not carried him within herself, close to her heart, for nine long months?
Even when it comes to a teenager who, through selfishness and a wayward life, traumetizes his mother unbearably, she will remember how she had fed him at her breast, wrapped him in a blanket and carried him in her arms or on her back when he was a baby. A mother may even forgive his rejection of her and do everything she can to supply in his or her needs when he returns home, having squandered his funds. That is how mother’s are, therefore note that it was not the father of the child that sought Jesus for help, but her mother.
F. SHE POUNDED ON A CLOSED DOOR, HARD, URGENTLY, PERSISTENTLY.
How did Jesus respond to her sad cry of: “Be merciful to me Lord, Son of David! My daughter is badly possessed by the devil.” He did not answer her a single word. Inexplicable! Só was her reaction to his ignoring of her: she just kept on going after Him and calling out the same words over and over again until His disciples got terribly annoyed and asked Him to get rid of her. “Send her away because she keeps running after us and calling out,” they complained .
G. “YOU DO NOT QUALIFY FOR MY HELP: YOU DO NOT FIT INTO THE PRIVILEGED GROUP I WAS SENT TO MINISTER TO!”
It probably seemed to everyone that Jesus was so deep in thought that He was completely unaware of her incessant pleas. But not so. His answer to the disciples shows that He was indeed fully aware of her and in his mind, giving her all His attention. However, He didn’t just focus on her request, but was fascinated by this pagan woman, so far from Jerusalem, who had such an unwavering faith in Him. He was going to see how much further she would stretch her faith in her attempt to get her daughter healed. Therefore, instead of complying with his disciples’ request, He replied: “I was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “Well said” the men may have thought, “that will see her right.” But no, she still wouldn’t be put off. “Then why did He come here to our heathen country in the first place?” she may have reasoned in her heart. “At least he didn’t send me away like the disciples wanted”.
H. SHE STOPS HIM IN HIS TRACKS. HE WILL HAVE TO WALK AROUND HER TO CONTINUE ON HIS WAY.
Then she devised another plan, a braver attempt. She ran past Him, fell on her knees before him so that He was forced to stop. Then she whispered, “Lord, help me!” Jesus was amazed. But, would this woman’s faith overcome another setback?
I. THE WISDOM AND FAITH OF THE HUMBLE.
Watching her face attentively, He answered softly: “It is not nice to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” For a moment He perhaps saw a flicker of doubt on her face because, in the eyes of the people of God the Canaanites were nothing but dogs. Then inspiration came to her and she answered, “Yes Lord but at least the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s tables.” Amazed and delighted by her faith that had overcome one obstacle after another, Jesus answered, “Woman, great is your faith; let it be to you as you wish,” and her daughter got well from that hour.
J. TRUE FAITH SEES THE LORD AS HE IS.
What a touching story. Faith is not so much believing that God has the power to bless me, but that He wánts to bless me because He really loves me. Faith is the kind of trust a baby has in its mother. Faith is not out of reach for any of us. Faith is simply sitting at the feet of Jesus, whispering, “Lord, help me!” . Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you this childlike, easy faith.
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