“Obstacles”

Introduction: A video was taken at a track meet and it captured a very peculiar race. The runners lined up at the starting line. In the usual manner there was the firing of the starters pistol and the runners were off. Fifty yards in to the race the runners were faced with the first of many hurdles. Most of the runners negotiated over the obstacles in their way with agile strides of strength and determination. One runner did not make it. In fact he failed miserably. Attempting to jump the first hurdle he caught the top of it, tripping his step, and he crashed in a heap on the ground. Amazingly, he got up as if nothing had happened and ran head long for the next hurdle. Again he crashed, an ugly sight he was. But again he got up and ran towards the next hurdle as if with confidence that he would make it. He didn’t succeed in jumping over a single hurdle instead he ran right into them and he completed the race.

Listen again to the Gospel lesson, “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Here is a woman that is faced with what would seem to be insurmountable obstacles. These obstacles were unworthiness, separation and rejection from God himself.

Jesus had tried to get alone with his disciples but large crowds followed Him. Then He fed the 5,000. After, the Pharisees and teachers from Jerusalem questioned Jesus. Now Jesus would really get away by going to the region of Tyre and Sidon. These were Gentile regions. The Jew wouldn’t be so likely to follow Him there. Plus, since Jesus ministry was for the Jews and not the gentiles, He could be guaranteed a break from ministry. That wasn’t the case though.

I. A Woman Faced With Obstacles

A. A Deaf Ear (Separation from God). A desperate woman, a loving mother with a sick child, learns that Jesus the Messiah of the Jews is near. Headlong she runs to Jesus and with the subtlety of a mother cow baying for her calf. She cries out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord. Bam! Like the runner, she crashes into the first hurdle, a deaf ear from God Himself. Our text says Jesus remained silent; He said not a word. Could she have addressed Him better? She called Him Lord. She confessed her faith that He was God. Was she wrong? Did she ask for the wrong thing? She came before Him pleading for His mercy. No, there was no better greeting, no better confession and no better request that she could offer. Still, she received a deaf ear.

B. Rejection (Punishment). She remained persistent in spite of the challenge. She was undaunted in her task of saving herself and her daughter. But Bam! She crashes into another hurdle, apparent rejection by both the disciples and Jesus. The disciples urge Jesus to send her away. “She keeps clamoring after us,” they say. We can’t get any peace. The disciples wanted to send the 5,000 Jews away, now they want to send the gentile woman away too. Left up to them it would be amazing that anyone be saved. Worse yet for the woman it seems like Jesus agrees. He says, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Crashing through this obstacle the woman falls to the ground…on purpose. On her knees she worshipped Jesus, saying, “Lord, help me. On her knees she continued to run towards the Lord, pleading for His help.

C. Unworthiness (Sin) Children’s Bread for the Dogs. Then it happens again, anther hurdle. Bam! Jesus speaks, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the household dogs.” She was unworthy because she was a gentile dog. That was what the Jews called gentiles and now Jesus was calling her. She was unworthy, not born a child of Abraham. By physical birth she was not numbered with the children of Israel and therefore not a child of God. By birth she was not an heir of blessing and promise. She did not deserve to sit at the banquet table of God.

II. A People Faced with Obstacles.

Obstacles and hurdles are a part of the Christian life. It is clear the Canaanite woman believed in Jesus as her Savior. She was a Christian, just as much as we are. As Christians we are often faced with the same obstacles. Running headlong toward Jesus, by faith we come to our Savior for help, trusting that He will. Then we crash and fall on our face as we run into the obstacles of our own unworthiness, God’s deaf ear, and rejection. How often does it seem that our prayers go unheard and unanswered? There don’t seem to be any quick fixes for our present problems. Day after day we call on the Lord and day after day we wait…for the answer that we want to hear. As we wait and God’s silence grows louder than our screams for help. It may seem that He has even rejected us. We may doubt that we are His children, that He has called us by name to be His own. After all, if we are honest with ourselves like the Canaanite woman, we too are unworthy dogs, not meriting the grace and mercy of God. Because of our sin we deserve God’s deaf ear. What right do we have to demand that he hear us? And ultimately we deserve His eternal rejection

III. A People Of Faith made Worthy

A. By Faith. The Canaanite woman was not put off by Jesus’ silence or the disciples’ lack of kindness. She trusted that Jesus would want to throw her at least a crumb. After all, even the little dogs get the crumbs from the master’s table. Jesus gave her more than crumbs. He raised her up and by her faith gave her a seat at the master’s table, His table. All people, who by faith trust in Jesus, join the Canaanite woman. Together Christians make confession of faith and trust in Him. This is true even when suffering tests faith, like the Canaanite woman. The Apostle Paul wrote “And therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard…what has been entrusted to me.” (2 Tim. 1:12). From God’s point of view what matters is whether faith exists or not. We may think that the Canaanite woman got what she asked for because of her great faith. It is not a matter of degree though. Our relationship with God stands on the basis of his promise to us. How we perceive our faith does not alter the nature or strength of our relationship to God. God is faithful even when we are not. (2 Tim. 2:13). When we are failing, he is faithful and strengthens us and guards us from evil (2 Thess. 3:3). Some days we may feel committed to the Lord. Other days we may not feel committed at all. We may not even feel Christian. Our various internal and external expressions of faith do not indicate that one believer is closer to, or further from, God. God stands by all his people all the time; no matter what expression their faith takes. For, as important and vital as faith is to our life as God’s children, it is God who equips us so that we may do his will. He is the one who works in us a faith that is pleasing in His. (Heb. 13:20–21) This was true of the Canaanite woman and it is true of us.

B. She is Worthy. By this treasured gift of faith the Canaanite woman was worthy in the sight of Jesus. She receives His mercy and His help. By faith she becomes what she could not by birth – a child of Abraham and an heir of God’s blessing. As a gentile believer she was a precursor of all gentiles who would come to believe through her witness. We too were Dogs and unworthy but God has made us His children born through the waters of baptism. We have been chosen by God and can trust in His good will towards us - even if circumstances seem to dictate otherwise. As God’s children we can be confident that our prayers will be heard and answered for the sake of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God hears. If Jesus gave up His life for us on the cross, how much more can we be sure that He will give us His ear? Since Jesus suffered the separation and rejection from God that we deserved because of our unworthiness. Now For Christ’s sake we are not rejected or turned away. By faith in Him we are made worthy to be called the children of God.

Conclusion: A poor woman stood at the gate of a vineyard. The owner came along and asked the woman if she would like some grapes. “I would be very thankful,” she replied. The owner said, “Give me your basket.” He took it and left for a very long time. The woman began to be discouraged, thinking that he would not come back again. At last he returned the basket bursting full of grapes. He said, “I have made you wait a good long while, but the longer you wait the better the grapes taste and the more you get.” So it is as we approach God with our prayers and requests. We may face many obstacle and hurdles as we come before the Lord. We may crash and fall on our faces. The Lord will not give us more than we can bear. He will be there to pick us up. Jesus approved of the Canaanite woman’s faith. Did she think that her faith was great? I don’t think so. What made it such was her persistence towards God. You have a great faith. How often do you come to church hoping that God will grant you your requests but not always seeing the answers? Over and over, year in and year out, you repeat the process. I call that persistence. The Lord calls it great faith. Through God’s gracious gift of faith, for the sake of His Son’s death on the cross, God hears you, accepts you, and makes you worthy. He has made a place for you at the banquet feast that will never end.

Matthew 15 21-28 (2)

“Obstacles”

I. A Woman Faced With Obstacles

III. A People Of Faith made Worthy