COMPASSION FOR THE UNCLEAN

One of the interesting things about the Gospel of Matthew is the prominent position certain Gentiles played. Matthew’s account was written to a Jewish audience, and yet it purpose seems to be to encourage the Jewish believers to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ beyond the borders of Israel and unto the Gentiles, that they might find salvation through the Messiah.

Beginning with the genealogy of Jesus, certain Gentiles were emphasized. Apart from Mary, the only women to be mentioned in this record were Gentiles.

Tamar was a Canaanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah

Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho who aided the spies and the scouted out the land

Ruth was a Moabites who married a man from the tribe of Judah

All of these Gentile women were ancestors of Messiah Jesus.

In it was Gentiles who came to Jerusalem seeking to find the child who was born King of the Jews. Later on in that same chapter the child Jesus was taken by Joseph to a Gentile nation (Egypt) to protect Him from Herod the Great who was seeking to kill Him.

In it was a Roman Centurion who came to Jesus to have his servant healed. On that occasion Jesus marveled at this man’s great faith. And then alluded to the salvation of Gentiles.

In , the apostle quoted from Isaiah and referred to the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles.

Matthew 12:18 NASB95PARA

“Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

In our passage today, , we find Jesus and the apostles leaving the land of Israel and traveling to a foreign country, to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And while there they are approached by a lady from the area who has a request of Jesus.

This episode in Matthew is the third straight episode which deals with the topic of ceremonial uncleanness. The closing verses of provide a setting in which Jesus would have been seen by the Pharisees as being ceremonially unclean because He allowed those who were sick and diseased to touch the fringe of His garments. And as many as touched it were healed of their infirmities. In the opening verses of Jesus is questioned by a delegation of Pharisees sent from Jerusalem in regards to ceremonial washing of hands before eating. And now, most scandalous of all, Jesus ventures into Gentile territory, to a people who were considered to be absolute filthy in the perspective of most Jews.

It is important for us to note that Jesus was not afraid of associating with those whom the religious leaders sought to keep separate from. He was on a mission to find His lost sheep wherever they may be. He came to seek and save the lost. He came to call sinners to repentance.

As we go through this passage this morning we will look at Jesus’ withdrawal, His encounter with the Canaanite woman, the place of Gentiles in redemptive history, and the exclamation of Jesus concerning great faith.

JESUS’ WITHDRAWAL

Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities that were located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, in the area that is now part of Lebanon. At the time of David and Solomon there was a mutual relationship between them and Israel. But later on that relationship was destroyed as apparently they sided with Edom in fighting against Israel. The prophet Amos condemned them for this action.

Jesus mentioned these cities as He rebuked the towns of Galilee for not embracing the gospel.

Matthew 11:21 NASB95PARA

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Let’s consider why it was necessary for Jesus to withdraw from the region of Galilee.

A Three-Fold Reason:

Withdrawal from conflict

Withdrawal for the purpose of some rest and relaxation

Withdrawal for the purpose of Divine Appointment

Let’s turn our attention now to:

JESUS’ ENCOUNTER WITH THE CANAANITE WOMAN

Mark informs us that this whole episode took place in someones house.

Mark 7:24 NASB95PARA

Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.

As we consider this encounter we will look at four distinct petitions of Jesus, three of the by the Canaanite woman, and one by the disciples of Jesus.

Petition No. 1 — A Plea for Mercy

First we see in this plea for mercy the tender love of a mother

Second we see in this plea for mercy a recognition and acknowledgement of who Jesus is

The term Lord refers to a master, ruler, or owner

The title Son of David refers to Jesus as Messiah

Third we see in this plea a petition for spiritual deliverance

Whether this woman who was raised in a pagan land understood this or not, we understand that only God can bring about spiritual deliverance. Only God, and those whom His Spirit empowers to do so, can exercise authority over demonic forces. And of course, only God, through Christ Jesus, can save.

Note Jesus’ response in verse 23: He did not answer her a word. This whole episode may seem callous to the casual reader, but remember that this lady was in the presence of Jesus by divine appointment. Warren Wiersbe wrote:

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Twelve: The King’s Concern (Matthew 15)

Keep in mind that our Lord responded to this woman as He did, not to destroy her faith, but to develop it. Her own replies showed that she was growing in faith and unwilling to let Him go without getting an answer.

How do we respond when we don’t seem to get an answer to our prayers? Remember that God always has a plan, and sometimes a part of that plan is for us to wait patiently in prayer.

Let’s turn our attention now to:

Petition No. 2 — The Disciple’s Plea for Jesus to Take Action

Look at .

This petition was from the disciples, and it seems that they were imploring the Lord to take action. There is little doubt that this lady’s presence and actions were bothersome to the apostles.

“Send her away”can be understood two ways:

First they could simply be asking Jesus to get rid of her

Second they could be asking Jesus to grant her request so that she would leave them alone

Kind of like the squeaky wheel which gets the grease

The Lord did respond to this petition. It is probably best to understand that the Lord was addressing the disciples at this point and not the woman, though I’m sure that she heard his response.

Jesus’ response was to given a statement regarding His mission — “I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” There is an order of things as it relates to the gospel message. Salvation of to the Jews first and then also to the Gentiles. Just as, after the resurrection the Jesus commissioned the church to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. But they were to start in Jerusalem, then move on to the rest of Judea, then to Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth.

There is a divine order in place. At the time of the encounter with this beleaguered mother it was not yet “the times of the Gentiles.” But that time would soon come.

Even now, I firmly believe that our first responsibility is to our Jerusalem.

Our Jerusalem includes our homes

Our Jerusalem includes our community

This should be our highest priority in terms of the Great Commission focus

This should be our highest priority in terms of the Great Commission focus.

Our Judea spreads out a little further.

Our county and State are our Judea

We could also think about in terms of folks who are of a similar background as we are — in our case it might Blue Collar workers

Our Samaria spreads even further.

Geographically it maybe Ohio or even Ontario

Conceptually it may be ministering to those whom we think of as being unclean

Let’s turn our attention now to:

Petition No. 3 — An Act of Worship

Look with me at verse 25. The term that is translated “bow down” in the NASB is the same term that is translated “worshipped” in . It literally means to prostrate oneself before someone of a higher degree.

This pictures this mother as kneeling before Jesus and begging Him to answer her prayer. She not only believed that Jesus was able to cast the demon out of her daughter, but she also believed that in His goodness and kindness He would do so.

God is good all the time. And, all the time God is good!

How often do we approach prayer with such boldness. The writer of Hebrew exhorted his readers

Hebrews 4:16 NASB95PARA

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Let’s consider now:

Petition No. 4 — Acknowledgment of Understanding

Look at verse 27. This mother acknowledge the truth of what Jesus had just stated. The gods that she served had not power to grant her requests. She had most likely tried them out. She understood well that she was not a Jew and had no claim on the God of Israel, nor on the Son of David.

Using Jesus’ own analogy regarding bread she stated that even dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Carson points out that she does not argue that Jesus should make an exception based on her extreme need. Nor does she argue that she has a right to Israel’s covenanted mercies. Nor does she argue against divine election or state that the election of Israel is unfair. She simply asks for help. She just request that she be allowed to glean from the uncovenanted mercies of God.

Let’s once again consider

THE DISCIPLE’S PETITION

JESUS’ STATEMENT REGARDING GENTILES PLACE IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY

Notice verse 26 once again. This reference to dogs was a common way for Jews of Jesus day to refer to Gentiles. This particular term references a household pet, rather than the wild dogs that were rampant at that time. In either case, however, the Jewish folks would have considered the dog to be unclean. It would seem from this statement that Jesus did not have compassion on those who were unclean. And yet we know from other passages that He did. It seems best to understand this statement in the light of redemptive history.

D.A. Carson wrote:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke a. The Canaanite Woman (15:21–28)

What this explains to Matthew’s readers (Matthew’s “church,” though this designation may give the wrong impression of a group hermetically sealed off from other churches) is not what attitude they ought to adopt toward Gentile evangelism, whether opposition or occasional acquiescence, but rather “how we got from there to here”—i.e., how the development of redemptive history changed the position of God’s people from late OT concepts to the full Christian concept.

What I am most thankful about redemptive history is that there is a place for you and for me within this history. As Paul wrote to the

Ephesians 2:11–16 NASB95PARA

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Ephesians 2:11–14 NASB95PARA

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

Or as he wrote to the

Romans 15:8–12 NASB95PARA

For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Your name.” Again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.” Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.”

Finally, let’s consider

JESUS’ EXCLAMATION REGARDING GREAT FAITH

Look at verse 28. Why was it that this mother had great faith? Was her faith greater in degree than that of the disciples?

I believe that the measure of her faith must be viewed in the measure of spiritual light from which she came. In other words, she was from a very dark place spiritually speaking. She did not have the light of the Scriptures to bring her to the knowledge of salvation. She did not have the advantage of the Jewish heritage of worshiping the one and only true God.

You know if you light a lone candle in a bright and sun-filled room that candle does not seem to have much effect. But if you light a candle in a dark room it is very effect. Somehow this woman saw a sliver of light in the midst of her darkness and she used that light to bring her to Jesus.

As we close today may we learn a lesson from this mother:

In faith, we must persevere in prayer

We must

May we also learn a lesson from Jesus:

We, like Jesus, must have compassion for those who are unclean

We must share with them the life-saving message of the Gospel of Christ

Let’s pray.

Closing Song: Blessings

The LORD bless you, and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine on you,

And be gracious unto you, look with favor on you;

And give you peace, and give you peace.

The LORD bless you, and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine on you,

And be gracious unto you, look with favor on you;

And give you peace, and give you peace.