Incredible Faith by the Least Likely Matthew 15:21-28

CALL TO WORSHIP 6. Psalm 63:1–4 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. lets pray:  Holy Spirit, pour your Spirit down upon us this morning.  Help us to be very aware of your Presence and make it known, that we are here to worship you, rever you, and show our gratitude in everyway possible.  Holy Spirit, we welcome you with all of our Hearts.  In Jesus name Amen. PRAISE BE TO GOD, LET'S WORSHIP HIM IN MUSIC THIS MORNING! OFFERTORY It's integral as an act of worship and vital to ensure that LBC continues to have a vital impact on the community and the world, all to the glory of God.   Our Baptist Liturgy book, provides this....I have read it once before: Scriptures make it clear that everything belongs to the Lord, including our finances. The offering is an expression of our stewardship, an acknowledgment of what God has entrusted to us. It is also an act of worship, declaring our utmost dependence on the One who gives us what we need and have. Through the act of an offering, we give glory to God. We also express heart-felt gratitude for God’s goodness and blessing, while acknowledging our willingness and joy in sharing responsibility toward the dynamic work of the Reign of God on earth. The act of an offering is both an illustration of the wisdom of generosity and a discipline of the spiritual life. An invitation for such an act should be framed in its proper scriptural and theological context. Let's collect the Lord's offering and continue to be an example to those who are learning the tithe...May all of us be good stewards with the Lords' Treasury.... OFFERING PRAYER:  God whose giving knows no ending, We know how to say thank you when we receive. Right now we say thank you as we give. In our giving, hear our heartfelt gratitude for all that you are and all that we have. Bless these gifts for your mission in the world, And bless the other gifts we have to bring to your mission, opening our eyes to how you are calling us to participate. Generous God, Make us generous in your image. Make us compassionate in your image. Make us faithful in your image. Bless these gifts and all the gifts we offer, that your kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Name Amen. INTRODUCTION How many of you would agree, ( please no hands) that maybe one of the more rude gestures in life, is the cold shoulder....not the dreaded finger gestures, or insults...the list goes on....but when you openly try to talk to someone and they completely ignore you.  They know you are talking to them directly, yet, they are able to completely disregard you.  It's not even close to the silly thing we used to say when we didn't wish conversation or didn't like another perspective..."TALK TO THE HAND". I have had this happen several times in my life and have even had it happen in a church setting...That is one of those interpersonal actions that could send me to the moon. In our scripture reading this morning, I really had to dig beyond just a simple reading of this passage, as Jesus seemed to do the same thing.  He was absolutely ignoring this woman who was obviously in deep distress.  She seemed rather sincere, yet, Jesus ignored her enough that even the disciples even complained....Lord, send her away, she is driving us crazy! I look at our Jesus as perfect in every way so I can't comprehend Him as rude and without compassion.... and of course, we will learn the rest of the story.  It will help all of us to feel better about this passage, and come to a brighter outlook at this event....it was all about faith...And this women was  incredibly bright, persistent, and a living object lesson for Jesus to teach others another amazing lesson in faith. Todays message you will see the element I so often discuss:  we acquire so much when we read the before and after our passages. 1 WHAT'S HAPPENING-WHAT HAS JESUS BEEN UP TO VS 21 JESUS WAS LEAVING THAT PLACE It's so important to think of where Jesus was at in His thinking...Remember his cousin, and cheerleader, John the Baptist was just beheaded in a game of power and control by King Herod at Herod's birthday party.  This would distress Jesus terribly.  A family loss in the worst of ways. Jesus then feeds the 5000! A great miracle that became a huge lesson in faith...Then Jesus walks on water during a terrible storm.  Another faith issue, Peter jumps out of the boat, takes some baby steps on the water to get to Jesus, but crashes hard.  Jesus reaches out to poor Peter as always, and pulls him up, saying, Why did you doubt?  Little faith.... The boat ride leads to (JENASIRET) Gennesaret, Gentile soil, for the first time and many were healed who simply touched the edge of his cloak.  Remember the synoptic gospels...if we read them as a complete a narrative, we will find the demonic event of Legion and a quick departure.  So we need to fill in a few blanks by reading all the gospels...it brings it all together. Pretty amazing things are happening-some pretty horrible things as well. Here is what I see that caused Jesus concern over the state of heart... the intentions of the people... the weak faith of the people, including his own disciples.... As it was so often.... His irritation was trying to break through toThe pharisees and teachers of the law. Jesus was most upset with the religiosity of the Pharisees, quoting Isaiah, saying....You see Isaiah was right when he prophesied you.  "These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.... the teachers of the law were more worried about the disciples their unwashed hands, as it could defile them,.... meanwhile the pharisees heart is known to Jesus...evil thoughts, murder, sexual sin, theft, slander, etc.   Jesus made a point to say that "What comes out of a person's mouth is what defiles them....It's not the hand washing". This is where Jesus says, they are blind guides...the blind leading the blind... He says just leave them be....basically ignore them.... as they will both fall into a pit.... Can you imagine the emotion of Jesus during all of these events.    Remember, divine, but fully human.   Again the before and after events that help us bring troubling or unclear text into a better focus. 2 When we see that Jesus withdrew, I think we can understand why WHEN WE READ JESUS WITHDRAWING, IT WAS OFTEN A TIME OF REFLECTION OR TIME TO SPEND WITH HIS FATHER. Jesus left (JENESIRET) Genesaret. He ended up in the region of Tyre and Sidon. (use powerpoint map) VERSE 15:21departing from there..... Refers to Gennesaret (14:34). Tyre and Sidon are Powerful Gentile regions-states on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of Gennesaret.  Being near the sea it would be great trading centre and quite affluent.  Remember this is a Gentile region. The “Canaanites,” the lady is described as a Cannaanite- Our Biblical atlas, describes the area as containing great plains and valleys, the richest and most important parts of Palestine. (Isn't it incredible we are talking about Palestine-I can't help but think about global events-the focus of so much is Middle East-Where there is enormous conflict today, Jesus was there back then) Tyre and Sidon, their famous cities, were the centres of great commercial activity; the name “Canaanite” came to signify a “trader” (trader not like a Judas trader) a goods trader or “merchant” (Job 41:6; Prov. 31:24, lit. “Canaanites;” comp. Zeph. 1:11; Ezek. 17:4). The name “Canaanite” is sometimes used to designate the non-Israelite inhabitants of the land in general (Gen. 12:6; Num. 21:3; Judg. 1:10). I do wonder if Jesus needed a break to regroup from the Pharisees and the regular debates, or frustration over matters of legalism. This was not a region Jesus engaged in much ministry. —Matthew 15:29–31It's interesting to note that the tour into the region of Tyre and Sidon may have lasted several weeks, giving Jesus time with His disciples. Jesus enjoyed and set time aside to retreat and recover with his team.  This is something we must always keep in mind during the busy seasons of life and the busy seaons of ministry....JESUS MADE TIME!  From there He returned to the region of Galilee, as reported by Mark (7:31–8:9), evidently going to the east shore in the Hellenistic region. That this was a Gentile area is suggested by the words “they glorified the God of Israel. You wouldn't find many Pharisees in a wealthy Gentile region, so isn't it fascinating that out of nowhere a Canaanite woman, considered Gentile,  knows enough of Jesus to find Him, and Cry out....Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!  My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly! She calls Jesus, Son of David!  That in itself is amazing! 3 So, was Jesus being unkind, or rude....NO...He was setting the stage to create life altering moment for this women and all those who heard and saw LET'S WORK THIS OUT.... Jesus went there to provide opportunity for persons to hear and respond. Our Gentile was desperate, crying out for His help, addressing Jesus as Lord, and as Son of David. But Jesus ignored her, and consequently she kept crying after His disciples. She kept it up and became annoying to the disciples. They were so perturbed that they urged, if not begged, Jesus to send her away. But Jesus answered in a manner that caught my attention, He expresses the exclusiveness of the Jewish leaders with whom He had just recently been in conversation:  Remember, Jesus had been battling away with the Pharisees prior to this unusual trip to this region. It does make sense he was off on a road trip with his disciples to get away for awhile, yet—He says, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This could imply that Jesus must first go to the Jews, and then he will move on to the Gentiles (cf. the use of “first” in Mark 7:27). but  since Jesus has actually left Israel already, is the interpretation that takes these words as a test,??? or prompt of some kind designed to draw out the woman into further discussion.???? (UP) Jesus was a master at debate and engaging discussion, that would lead to dramatic events or discourse everyone remembers. Perhaps Jesus wants to see just what kind of belief this woman has. 15:25–28 The woman continues in her plea for help but she also kneels. The scene changed when the woman came and worshiped Jesus, continuing her plea. There are four interacting scenes in the account: (1) her request, (2) Jesus' rejection, (3) her reaction, and (4) Jesus' response. Jesus expressed the common Jewish attitude toward Gentiles, saying, “It is not good to throw the children’s bread to the little dogs.” I BELIEVE THIS WAS THE MOMENT JESUS WAS WAITING FOR: HER RESPONSE WITH EVERYONE WATCHING IN ANTICIPATION! She responded by saying in essence, “Yes, Master, what you say is true, but the little dogs still eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Even if she was not privileged to sit at Messiah’s table, she would be satisfied with the crumbs! Jesus responded, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed. Why does the description of dogs bring this passage alive for everyone: Jesus pursues the question of the distinction between Jews and Gentiles (v. 26). Jews frequently insulted Gentiles by calling them “dogs,”—the wild, homeless scavengers that roamed freely in Palestine.  But in this case the Greek suggests that the odds referred to would be a family dog, loved by the family...hanging around at the table like many do....it suggests a more affectionate term for domestic pets, particularly since these dogs eat under the children’s table. Even at best, Jesus’ remarks still strike the modern reader as condescending. Jesus wasn't acting in an intentionally rude manner, but apparently wants to demonstrate and stretch this woman’s faith. There is a correlation. The “children” must refer to Israel and the “bread” to the blessings of God on the Jews, particularly through Jesus’ healing ministry. What's is incredible is this:  "The woman disputes none of Jesus’ terms but reinforces that even the crumbs are of value." This is also a message of evangelism and kindgom building. Everyone has access to the kingdom...all are welcome, when we welcome Christ and put our trust in Him. All that Jesus has been pressing in the last while has been FAITH!!!! Her faith, as a Gentile, exceeded so much of what He saw among the Jewish leaders and even his disciples.  He was thrilled to make this a highlight moment. Her faith moved beyond ethnic and cultural obstacles, bypassed the forms of ritual religion, and humbly confessed the Master’s lordship.  This resulted in a wonderful measure of His grace poured over her... Matthew makes a point of the people coming to Him, of their bringing the sick, lame, and blind and placing them at His feet. There is no other answer for our problems than to place them at the feet of Jesus. The feet that walked upon the water as Lord of creation are now symbolic of His power over creation to minister in compassion and wholeness. Remember as we move through our Christian walk, even the breadcrumbs, can become GREAT loaves of FAITH,  FRESHLY BAKED, even if you think your prayers feel like, God might be showing you the hand....MAKE SURE TO LOOK CAREFULLY  FOR THE CRUMBS....THEY ARE POWERFUL!  INCREDIBLE FAITH CAN COME BY THE LEAST LIKELY, INCLUDING THE BITS AND PIECES OUR PETS MIGHT JUMP ON UNDER THE TABLE. God bless you church! Let's Pray: Father, thank you for the faith of this Caananite woman who showed incredible faith without the knowledge and information the religious leaders of the day could muster. May we remember that you are always listening, and sometimes we need to look and continue to be persistent in prayer-When we find the bread crumbs, often described as a method to find our way....leaving a bread crumb path....A just a little bit from the Messiahs table can lead to a feast.  Lord, help us to find faith, even when it seems hidden or difficult.  May the posture of this woman in scripture be an example to us....In reverance, respect and awe, we kneel before you... Thank you Lord for answering prayer and we are so grateful for you Word where can find so much, in even small portions of scripture.  May we all be neverending students of your Word. God bless this faithful congregation, who truly demonstrate faith, and continue to pray with consistency and persistence. Thank you for your son....Because of Jesus we have faith and hope in the resurection of life. In His precious name we pray, Amen. BENEDICTION May the strength of God sustain you; may the power of God preserve you; may the hands of God protect you; may the way of God direct you; may the love of God go with you this day, and forever. Amen