Pentecost 13

Matthew 15:21–28 (NIV): 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He rep lied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus spent most of his three ministry in the province of Galilee with a headquarters of Capernaum. However, at times he would make a journey to Jerusalem especially at the end of his ministry because he knew that it would be in Jerusalem that he would be arrested and put to death in fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. On this occasion in our text, he withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

The opening words of Matthew’s account point to an important change in the way Jesus conducted his ministry: “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon” (Matthew 15:21). We have already mentioned this change in connection with John 6:15 (page 314). Let us briefly restate the purpose of Jesus’ withdrawal, or retirement. The opposition to Jesus in Galilee had not only sharpened, but had come to a head, as it had much earlier in Judea. Even “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). When Jesus now chose more remote areas for his ministry, he was not taking cowardly flight from his enemies. He was exercising prudence and wisdom in order to avoid any attempt by his enemies in Judea or Galilee to kill him. As a result, his enemies would not be able to bring about his death until “his hour” (“the right time”—NIV) had come. And that divinely appointed hour was the Passover of the next year.

We can relate to what he is doing. We still tend to spend most our time centered on where we live and where we work. But at times we do choose to make a trip somewhere else. Why? It may be to visit people we know who live far away. It may be work related. Or it may be just to get away from what we are doing where we are. Several years ago (well, decades now) the Wisconsin Tourism motto was “Escape to Wisconsin”. It encourage people from Illinois and Minnesota to head to Wisconsin to get away from it all. Most likely renting a cabin on what our many wonderful lakes or visiting the shrine in Green Bay that is known as Lambeau Field. At the same time, people in Wisconsin may withdraw to Florida or Arizona in the winter to escape from Wisconsin. We just need a break from our routine and hope that some new scenery will energize us. Or we may avoid certain places and people because of conflict. Just why Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon at this time we are not told in our text. But in further reading it appears that this was more than a short vacation. We are told that he withdrew from his normal circle of activity to get away from some pressure being put on him. (Research)

While in this more remote area, he discovers that people still sought him out for help. His reputation had preceded him and when a Canaanite woman who had a daughter who was afflicted found out he was there, she boldly approached him seeking help.

So in this story and the next we see Jesus active in two regions quite far removed from the heavily populated shores of the Sea of Galilee. First, Jesus went to “the region of Tyre and Sidon.” This region bordered on Galilee. But from the next words we see that Jesus did not cross the border: “A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him.” Literally, it reads: “came out from those borders.” Matthew merely calls her “a Canaanite woman,” in other words, a descendant of the original pagan people that inhabited Palestine. It was a race Israel was to exterminate but did not. Thus Matthew emphasizes that she was a Gentile.

Mark adds: “a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia” (Mark 7:26). “Greek” here does not designate a Greek by birth, but anyone who was under the influence of Greek or pagan culture, and therefore a pagan or Gentile, in contrast to the Jews. “Syrian Phoenician” is simply a more modern name for “Canaanite,” since the Gentile Christians for whom Mark wrote would not readily understand the ancient “Canaanite.”

What was wrong with her daughter? She was demon-possessed. In another case of demon-possession (See Luke 4:33), the author of the Bible History Commentary has this to say.

“ We shall not spend a great deal of time on the contention of some that the demon-possessed were simply the mentally disturbed or the insane or even epileptics, and that the idea of possession by devils originated in the superstitions of the day. We shall very briefly make several points.

First of all, Scripture makes a clear distinction between demoniacal possession and ordinary diseases. Note that in this case, as in others, Jesus addressed, not the person dominated by the evil spirit, but the demon who had taken possession of the sufferer. He did not address a mere disease, but a personal being.

This evil, personal being knew things concerning Jesus which the person afflicted by him could not possibly have known. Note also that the demons often did physical violence to the body of the person they possessed. In verse 26 we hear that “the evil spirit shook the man violently.” (For another example, see Luke 8:29.)

Another point we should observe is that often those who want to reduce demoniac possession to insanity or epilepsy do so in the interest of taking the miraculous out of Jesus’ healing of the demon-possessed. But the healing of the insane would be a miracle too. So what do they gain by their contention?

Now we take up the most serious aspect of this matter. If Jesus did not know that the people he healed were mere mental cases, then our Savior was as ignorant and superstitious as the people of his time are alleged to have been. If Jesus really did know the true condition of the afflicted people, and yet acted as though they were demon-possessed, then we are asked to believe in a Savior who was a deceiver. We reject either conclusion. We have a Savior who knows all things and in whose mouth there is found no deceit. (1 Peter 2:22)”

Jesus’s response is not common. At first, he seems to ignore her. But she is persistent.

Then he seems to rebuff her.

Application: We may feel at times as though Jesus ignores our repeated prayers to him asking for help. Even so, Jesus urges us to be persistent (See parable). St. Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn in the flesh. We are to keep on praying.

At times it may seem as though we are rebuffed. We find out how others have their prayers answered positively but we receive no answer or the answer is “Wait” or even “No”.

Jesus seems to have every intention of helping this woman but responds in this way to show to his disciples the genuineness of this woman’s faith.

At first it seems as though he is being racist. Racism is when you treat individuals based on the group they belong to and not who they are as individuals. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “judging people on the color of their skin and not the content of their character.” We are being alerted more and more to the injustices of such a viewpoint. Right now in our nation the rioting, the 57th anniversary march on Washington DC, the boycotts in Major League Sports all bring our attention to the fact that at times individuals are allegedly not treated fairly by those in power. Unfortunately, these are remnants of a much more systemic conflict between races which has been going on since the Tower of Babel.

Was Jesus a racist? Was he saying that because this woman was a Canaanite (define), he refused to help her daughter? You have to consider this in the larger context.

Limited time forces priorities (reword and expand). “I can’t deal with you now but a time is coming when I will so be patient until then. (Example of prioritizing patients in an ER or victims injured during war.)

Jesus is teaching an important truth. There would be a progression in the expansion of the spread of the Gospel. In a world where communication and travel was much more limited than it is now, it would not be practical to divert his attention to the immedate work of fulfilling the Messianic prophecies and revealing himself to those to whom God had given the promises of a Savior in the written Word. In time, his message would be spread throughout the world but that would be in time.

Acts 3:26 (NIV): 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Acts 13:44–52 (NIV): 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:7–12 (NIV): 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” 10 Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

This Canaanite woman accepted this. And yet, she wanted help for her daughter. In faith she completed Jesus’ statement about the children’s bread and the dogs and applied it to her situation. She persisted in seeking help believing that Jesus would grant her request.

Jesus commended her faith.

Application: What type of faith does our God commend? When the Jews claimed they deserved God’s help just because they were Jew, John the Baptist condemned their sense of entitlement. Matthew 3:8–10 (NIV): 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

When the people of Capernaum claimed the centurion deserved to have Jesus help his servant, Jesus did not openly agree but rather commended his trust in Jesus. Luke 7:4–5 (NIV): 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”

Luke 7:6–9 (NIV): 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

Commendable faith is a humble trust in Jesus which leads us to come to him seeking his help in any and every situation and graciously accepting what he does for us. It is the attitude that say, “Lord, not my will but your will be done.”

And so when we need help, or help for others whether we know them or not, we can approach the throne of grace in time of need and trust our God’s promise to hear and answer our prayers because of who Jesus is and not because of who we are. Amen.