A Humble Plea For Mercy

Read: Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus has spent most of his time within the borders of Israel. We most recently saw him in the region of Gennesaret along the sea of Galilee. Now, he goes in a direction that may have shocked the disciples at first. He withdrew to the Canaanite district of Tyre and Sidon, outside of Israel’s borders. It was about a 35 mile journey to Tyre, and an additional 25 to Sidon.

Tyre and Sidon are pagan cities. This is gentile territory. Why is Jesus going there?

The disciples would probably be a little leery at this point. There were cultural and religious boundaries between Jews and Gentiles. Jesus is changing that, but it’s going to take longer in the minds of these Jewish disciples to embrace the reality that God has a plan to save people from all nations, tribes, and tongues.

You can also imagine the difficulty of being a non Jewish nation at this time. While crowds of Israelites are being miraculously fed by Christ out in the wilderness, it would be easy to think “what about us?”, Is God’s love only for Israel?

Here, Jesus has gone out of his way by days worth of travel, and he’s there for gentiles.

In this particular case, he’s there for a Canaanite woman, who as far as she can tell, doesn’t stand much of a chance.

heading #1 - A cry for mercy

v22 says a Canaanite woman came out of that region and was crying out “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.

Here, we learn a few things about this woman.

She calls him Lord, which could have been just out of cultural respect, but the title “Son of David”…that was not just something you say out of respect. That’s a title deserved by only one, the Messiah of Israel.

News of Jesus’s power and miracles had spread 40 to 60 miles by word of mouth. Who else could do such things if He is not the one who was promised, the one who would take the throne of David, and reign as King forever?

But what is she to do in this situation? She’s a woman, a gentile, a Canaanite (who historically were enemies of Israel), he daughter is oppressed by a demon, physically sick, and needs healing. You could’t have more against you when approaching a group of Jewish men with their rabbi.

She asks for His mercy.

There are many societal outcasts who are prideful, and some who are humble. Combine needy and outcast with pride and entitlement, and you have something quite repulsive.

But, notice that this is not what we see in her. From where God has placed her, geographically, economically, and spiritually, she’s looking up from the bottom and knows that she has only mercy to plea.

On the other hand, those in places of position, and power, but lack humility, become ensnared in their self-sufficiency. And this, too, is a sad state.

Application:

The truth of the matter is that the only basis on which any sinner can come to God is Mercy. There is not a single thing we can bring to God, either in the form of wealth, or poverty, that puts us in a place of deserving Him. And SHE knew this.

So, consider…you go to him and you plead mercy, bringing him that thing that you want fixed in your life. What do you expect a God of love to do?

Heading #2 - Confusing Answers

We have every reason to expect a loving God to be loving, especially when what we ask is on behalf of someone else we love. But often times we think one attribute of God is able to nullify another if we favor a particular attribute at the time. That’s not how God works.

For instance, you know God is loving and kind, so maybe he won’t need to be truthful this time, because to you the most loving thing would be for Him to grant you what you want or think you need. You want something from God, a car that runs well, a better house, better health, no pain in life, or less pain in life, a child to be saved, a little more ease, maybe total freedom from some temptation…and all of these things have a way of bringing us to the edge of decision about God.

But we know a few things about God too...

God wants your surrender, your faith, your worship, your trust, and a soul at peace with him despite the circumstances.

So, when Jesus is silent, and on top of that the disciples urge him to send her away, we are shocked by this. What’s he doing?

I don’t believe the disciples were encouraging him to send her away without any help, necessarily. That’s certainly possible. The Canaanites are Israel’s ancient enemies. It could also be that they’re just wanting him to do whatever he’s going to do quickly, because they’re uncomfortable with the situation they are in.

Lord, just do something here and send her away.

His answer?… “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

First the silence, then a cold answer. But it doesn’t end there. She’s still coming, despite that first answer…and this time she kneels, and says “Lord, help me.”

Surely he’s going to do it now...

Nope… he says… “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

What in the world is Jesus doing? Let’s deal with these things, and then we’ll move on to both of their final responses.

This will be heading #3 Jesus Sees it Correctly

Remember who she is....she’s a Canaanite woman. Her nationality and religion raise a cultural wall that Jesus WILL, and is beginning even now, to tear down by the redemptive work of His life, and eventually the cross and His resurrection. But that doesn’t erase the reality that in that moment she is separated from God because of her sin, AND outside of the advantage of Israel’s covenant.

Jesus tells her the truth about His plan for Israel first… But we know that it does not stop with Israel. God’s plan includes all nations.

Let’s look at what Paul says this in Romans 11:11 Regarding the Jews Paul asks... “did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 20 They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.”

This Canaanite woman is not a natural branch. She’s not a child of Abraham through birth…which is why Jesus says “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

The children here are Israel. That’s His first mission. And the dogs? Well, that’s her.

The gentiles were considered a class of lower status, and often referred to as dogs, specifically the kind you’d find roaming the streets and eating trash. But Jesus chose a different word. He used the word for a pet, or a small puppy you’d find in a home…and she understood this to be the case too. It would still sting, but definitely shows that the intent was not to crush her, but rather remind her of the reality of the world she lives in.

Application:

Entitlement is a big issue isn’t it? Entitlement to own, to have, to succeed, to be equal to someone in every way. It’s a struggle for sure, and with woke and liberal ideologies it’s an even bigger deal that we understand this.

The gospel is our only hope in understanding this. Nobody ‘deserves” good. Being at a disadvantage in life does not make you more deserving of God’s grace and goodness. Having advantages in life doesn’t make you more or less deserving of God’s goodness and grace. Advantages and disadvantages in someone’s life, whether cultural or otherwise, does not give anyone the excuse to slander, be bitter against, discriminate, or even worse, turn from God.

All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. All are in need of His mercy.

Jesus see it correctly, and calls her life accurately. She’s a gentile, she’s outside of Israel, and does not deserve the bread of life. Is that true, or is it not? It’s true, but it’s true of all people.

It’s true of you, and it’s true of me. It’s true of Jews and Gentiles.

And that’s why her humble approach and her plea for mercy really stand out in this story, and why Matthew considered it worth making record of, because we need to know that Christ is the Savior of sinners, Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, who humbly come to Him for mercy.

But not only does she come humbly in her physical approach. The true test of her humility is in the fact that she has no argument, no disagreement, and no complaint about any of what Jesus says to her.

She agrees with God…and that’s our final heading.

Heading #4 Agreeing with God

Look at her response in v27. She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

How easily are we offended by words, and how rarely do we just agree with God when he reminds us of our nature!

Jesus just likened her to a little dog eating scraps below the table, while the children enjoyed the bread above. Does she get offended?

She’s happy simply to be in the house at all, and she pleads that her request for mercy be granted, not because she is worthy, or even her child, but by the mere fact that even dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from the table.

She acknowledged and agrees with Jesus that His mission, at that moment in time, was for Israel. She knows that she is a Gentile, and that in the eyes of the people of Israel she should’d be in the house at all, but outside on the street like a dog, eating scraps. But Jesus, in His story, has her inside the house. She’s not Israel by blood. She’s not one of the children yet, but God was making a way for gentile adoption, and she’ll take the crumbs.

Her reply, her persistence, her humility, and willingness to be there exactly as she is as a sinner in need, pleading no merit of her own, yet knowing that Jesus can do this thing she asks, was remarkable to Jesus. So he says, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

What is it about her that pleased Christ? her faith. What are we expecting Christ to be pleased with today, our accomplishments, our lack, desperation by itself, our intellect, or our strength? We have been reminded this morning what a humble plea for mercy looks like. Even when God seems to say nothing. Even when the answer is confusing. This woman was reminded over and over of her unworthiness, her sin, and no doubt it lead to discouragement…she accepted her lowly place, leaned on undeserving grace and mercy, and recieved from Christ by faith alone. In the end, he commends her: a gentile, a Canaanite, an outcast, as having great faith - and her daughter was healed instantly.

We all deserve the fires of hell and God’s righteous wrath this morning, because we have all sinned against a holy God. We have nothing, no qualities that earn us righteousness, no gifting that we can bring to God in order to deserve his kindness and love. The truth for us is just as it is here in our story this morning, that only by faith can we stand in His presence. God has chosen that faith is the way to Him, and not just any faith, but faith in the Son of God, because faith is trust. Faith is all cards on the table, all money in, no strings attached, no where else to go, and the end of self sufficiency - and a full reliance on God’s goodness to save utterly sinful people.

In her state of need and desperation, she agreed with God, and Christ was all the more precious to her. May it be so with each of us, that Christ is precious to us when we consider who we are, where we’re from and how undeserving we all are. Look to his mercy today, and humbly come. No matter the state you are in, do not argue with God, simply come as a beggar, because even crumbs from Christ’s table are enough for the one who has faith, and humbly pleads for His mercy.

Let’s pray