Subject: Matthew #41 Title: What Do You Do When Jesus Says No? Text: Matthew 15:21-31; Mark 7:24-30 Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. 29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus feet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Mark 7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children s crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. Introduction The account of the Canaanite or Syro-Phoenician woman follows on the heels of Jesus conflict with the religious leadership of Israel. The two stories serve as a stark contrast one with another: 1
* The Jewish leaders return to Jerusalem; Jesus moves 50 miles further away into Gentile country, - North-Northwest. * Jesus has dealt with the male leadership; He now deals with a single woman. * The Jewish leadership is concerned about traditional cleanliness; the woman is unclean, a Gentile, but concerned about healing for her daughter. * The leaders are concerned about petty washings; the woman is in a life and death struggle for her daughter. * The Jewish leaders confront and accost Jesus; the woman respectfully pleads with Him for His help. * The religious leaders see Jesus a rebel; the woman sees Jesus, Lord, Son of David. Surely there are more contrasts, but you get the idea. Let s compare the differences that we find in the two accounts: Matthew 15:21-28 Mark 7:24-30 Jesus goes into the region of Tyre and Sidon Jesus goes into the region of Tyre and Sidon and goes into a house to be alone, but cannot hide from the people. A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and cries out begging have mercy on me, Son of David, my daughter is vexed with a demon! A woman (a Greek and Syrophoenician) came to Jesus and begged that Jesus would cast out the demon from her daughter. Jesus does not answer her and His disciples request that He send her away. Jesus answers and says He is sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. The woman comes and bows down and further begs Jesus to help her. Jesus responds that He should not cast the children s bread to the dogs. Jesus says the children should be fed first, for it is not appropriate to give the children s food to the dogs 2
Matthew 15:21-28 Mark 7:24-30 She responds that what Jesus says is true, but that the dogs do get to eat the crumbs that fall from the master s table. Jesus responds and praises her for her great faith, and says her daughter is healed that very hour. She responds that what Jesus says is true, but that the dogs under the table eat of the children s crumbs. Jesus responds and says because she said that, the demon has left her daughter. 3 The woman went home and found her daughter healed and laying in her bed. This incident has much in common with the encounter with the centurion of Capernaum recorded in Matthew 8:5-13. In each case, there is an initial reluctance on Jesus part to respond, and in each case the faith of the suppliant is more highly commended than any Jew. (Display Map) Outline of Matthew 15:21-31 I. The Woman s First Request and Jesus Response (21-23a) II. The Disciples Request and Jesus Response (23b-31) III. The Woman s Second Request and Jesus Response (25-26) IV. The Woman s Third Request and Jesus Response (27-28) V. They Glorified the God of Israel! (29-31) I. The Woman s First Request and Jesus Response (21-23a) Jesus move to the NNW, toward Tyre and Sidon, symbolizes the distancing that is taking place between structured Judaism of the day and the Gospel of the Kingdom. The move is away from Jerusalem as rejection increases. The move not only symbolizes a distancing, but it also represents a move toward a world wide ministry, a ministry to the Gentiles. Jesus came as a Jewish Messiah. His first responsibility was to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (15:24). He had previously instructed His disciples to do just that in Matthew 10:5-6. It has been a rough and rocky road since then. The resentment and rejection has been growing more and more. Jesus is moving away from Jewish opposition and Jewish crowds. In Mark 7:24, we read that Jesus retreated to a house near the borders of Tyre and Sidon.
The second half of Matthew Chapter 15 is the account of the lessons of the first 20 verses put into practice. Jesus has moved deep into Gentile country. Mark calls the woman a Syro-phenician, while Matthew calls her a woman of Canaan. The Canaan label identifies her as one of the people who were to be eliminated by the Israelites post promised land possession, hundreds of years before (Deuteronomy 20:17). Jesus could be considered to be among those who were unfriendly to Jews. The Canaanite label is the equivalent of what we might call a racial slur emphasizing the animosity that existed in Jesus day between these two peoples. That a Canaanite, of all people, would receive the compassionate ministry of the Jewish Messiah would be a powerful example of the universality of Christ s message of the Kingdom. The text says in Matthew 15:22, behold, or all of the sudden, this woman jumps out of a crowd and surprises the entourage. The woman appears to have great understanding and theological insight, for she addresses Jesus as Lord and Son of David (Matthew 15:22), and then says, my daughter is grievously vexed, she s possessed by a devil. Jesus ignores her (v.23a). Why? Jesus certainly is not playing hard to get. He is teaching us and testing her. II. The Disciples Request and Jesus Response (23b-24) Annoyed and insensitive, the disciples advise Jesus to send her away! They have not learned anything from the Feeding of the 5,000. Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. This is so much like us. We need to be taught over and over again - at some point, a few really get it. Our typical attitude is - Life is full of problems and I do not need to try to carry yours! Jesus responds with a statement of His primary mission as the Jewish Messiah, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (15:24). III. The Woman s Second Request and Jesus Response (25-26) The woman, not easily discouraged, comes to Jesus once again and worshipped Him (15:25). Worship is a very strong word. It is not absolutely clear to me, but it appears that this woman knows something that many have missed about Jesus. The Jewish leaders argued with Jesus about handwashing, but the Canaanite bows down and worships! 4
Matthew drives the point home - He came unto His own, and His own received Him not, but as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God... (John 1:11). The woman beseeches Jesus and says, Lord, help me (15:25), similar to when Peter said Lord, save me, while sinking into the Sea of Galilee (14:30). If ignoring her did not seem bad enough and quite uncharacteristic of Jesus, He now insults her by suggesting she s a dog (15:26). The statement is racially charged. Again, Jesus is testing her. How persistent will this woman be? - This is for our admonition. The Jewish people were quite arrogant and proud of the fact that they were the chosen ones, the elect of God. Jesus essentially said to her, My bread is for the chosen ones of the covenant, you are a dog! Needless to say, the Gentile (GOYIM) were looked down upon. This was Jonah s big problem with the Ninevites, it wasn t the whale! Notice the references to food in the following events, specifically bread (15:26) - Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48). * Feeding of 5,000 (14:13-21) * Eat with unwashen hands (15:1-20) * Canaanite woman - bread * Feeding of 4,000 (15:32-39) IV. The Woman s Third Request and Jesus Response (27-28) What do you do when Jesus says No? The woman responds in humility. Essentially, she intimates, Yes, I am a dog - Truth, Lord (15:27). She agrees! However, all that I want is a crumb. You are so mighty, so powerful that my request is a mere crumb. I do not want to take that which is rightfully the children s (Israel), but you have and are more than enough. Even if I were last in line, there is still more than enough for me and my daughter in the crumbs! The woman not only responds in humility, there is no offense taken. Oh, how easily we are offended when we do not get what we want! R. T. France writes, Her reply, whether she knows it or not, thus encapsulates the important biblical theology of the election of Israel, not for their own benefit alone, but to be a means of blessing to all nations, a light to the Gentiles. The woman is not willing to take No for an answer. Jesus first ignores her, then tells her she was out of order, and then insults her, calling her a dog. She s GOYIM. 5
Not to be discouraged, she says, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master s table (15:27). Jesus responds, O woman, great is thy faith! (15:28). Her faith was great because: - She was humble, patient and persevering. - She cared for her child. - Her faith was unlikely - Gentile. - Her faith was worshipful. - Her faith was tested severely. - Her faith was clever. - Her faith would not allow her to give up. - Her faith was focused on Christ to respond to a real need. - Her faith conquered Jesus. - We read of nothing else that happened there. Jesus had an appointment with her, Jesus departed from thence (29). V. They Glorified the God of Israel (29-31) The two stories contained in the first 31 verses of Chapter 15 depict the chosen people rejecting the One who was sent to them, and the unchosen people seeking and finding Christ. Those to whom Jesus came, Israel, were hung up on their traditions, whereas the Gentile dog was merely persistently and humbly seeking His help. In the confrontation with the leaders from Jerusalem, Jesus exposed their evil hearts. In the story of the Canaanite woman, Jesus saw her worshipful heart. * Heart trumps tradition. * Heart trumps geography. * Heart trumps gender. * Heart trumps race. * Heart trumps the expectations of the religious. Jesus is about breaking down walls of division and restoring people. Personal Applications * Jesus message is not well received where hypocrisy and self-righteousness abound. * Jesus message is well received where faith and humility abound. * The Gospel overcomes and trumps racism, the many personal, preferential, and imaginary lines we draw that serve to divide us. Romans 10:12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 6
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. * In Christ all peoples are gathered, all people are helped, and all will be eternally satisfied. * The woman s attitude is the most outstanding key to the passage: - She comes empty handed. - She has no right or claim. - She has no merit, no priority in standing. - She does not come and say, You owe me! - She accepts Christ s judgment and bows to Him. - She, like me, like us, are beggars. - She understands that Jesus is a reconciler; One to bring healing and salvation; One to bring mankind together in Him. Lessons: - barriers erected? - persistence in testing? - do you look down upon those whom Jesus does not? - there is none other so gracious and helpful They glorifi ed the God of Israel (15:31). Question: Are you in Christ? 7