Inclusion/Exclusion

Matthew 15:21–38 HCSB

When Jesus left there, He withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.” Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.” He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!” Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was cured. Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there, and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them. So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel. Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.” The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to fill such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them. “Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.” After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.

Division is a fact of life. D’s and R’s, evangelical’s and Christian’s who aren’t; men or women (or now, at least in our world any letter of the alphabet), children or adults, mature or immature; white, or black, or brown, or yellow or....

There is no end to the ways we are divided. The divisions seem to grow deeper every day.

In our arrogance we believe that no other people group has struggled like us with divisions among us. We can actually trace back some of this sense of difference to Cain, after he killed his brother -

“But Cain answered the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! Since You are banishing me today from the soil, and I must hide myself from Your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”” (Genesis 4:13–14, HCSB)

Today we still experience the fear and anxiety that divisions create.

Fortunately for us the writers of the gospels did not shy away from portraying how the existing divisions among the people of Jesus’ day created anxiety, and yes, even fear

As Jesus travelled north, which was predominately Gentile, and to the south east side of the Sea of Galillee, a region known for anti-Jewish bullying and behavior.

Several observations:

Everyone Has Needs

Jesus is still trying to get some away time after the death of John the Baptist (see Matt 14:1-ff.) Having been pursued by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, Jesus heads north. the cities of Tyre and Sidon aren’t just inhabited by non-Jewish people, they are synonomous for Jews with the Canaanites that their ancestors failed to eliminate from the land.

The divisions between Israelites and Canaanites go back thousands of years.

Yet, as we see in vs 21-31, these people - enemies as far as Jews were concerned - had the same needs as did the Jews.

A Desperate Mother’s Plea

This mother has been driven to despair by her daughter - who is being severely tormented by a demon.

The mother’s approach to Jesus is striking: “Son of David” is a Jewish designation for the Messiah. How would a woman - a Canaanite - have the ability to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Messiah who would rule on David’s throne?

There is no answer given. As a matter of record, Jesus ignores her. The mother refuses to give up.

The disciples are so annoyed by the persistence of the woman they challenge Jesus: Send her away! It’s impossible to rest with this woman constantly calling out to Jesus about her daughter.

Finally Jesus replies: Matthew 15:24

Matthew 15:24 HCSB

He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

This statement is filled with significance. First, Jesus affirms His connection with David - who was a shepherd.

Next, Jesus reminds the woman that His primary task was to go after the people of God, the nation of Israel, who like sheep that have lost their way, needed one to guide them to safety and security.

The woman’s desperation knows no bounds. “Lord, help me.”

There are fewer prayers recorded in Scripture that are more powerful than those three words: Lord, Help Me!

Again, Jesus reminds her of His role - one she has clearly acknolwedged.

Her response, perhaps tempered by an unspoken knowledge of God’s purposes as expressed to Abraham :- Genesis 12:3

Genesis 12:3 HCSB

I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

She recognizes that when children - that is the people of God are satisfied - there is enough left over to meet the needs of all!

Multitudes of Needs

Jesus heads south. Jesus is still seeking some time away from the crowds, some time to mourn the passing of John, some time to help His disciples make sense of all that is happening.

When Jesus sits in order to teach, crowds gathered. These crowds brought their family members who were desperate.

Matthew 15:30 HCSB

and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them.

He healed them.

These Gentiles, those people by accident of birth, had no claim on Jesus, recieved healing.

Healing is not just something Jesus does.

Healing is who He is. Isaiah, sho spoke often of a promised Messiah centuries prior to Jesus’ birth, often reminded God’s people that when the Messiah came ...

Isaiah 35:5–6 HCSB

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

This crowd, 4,000 men and their families, had been with Jesus and the disciples for several days. If they had brought supplies, they had run short. They were hungry. Not only did they seek Jesus for the healing, now they needed food so they could take their families back home!

The Need of the Disciples

Matthew 15:33 HCSB

The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to fill such a crowd?”

Remember, these disciples had experienced Jesus feeding 5,000 men and their families with just a handful of supplies. They have watched Jesus confront demons - Legions of them; they have assisted crowds of lame, blind, maimed, mute, and many others to received healing.

And they were totally overwhelmed with the need to find food for this crowd.

They finally scraped up a few loaves and fish, and once again were astounded as Jesus, in whose presence all needs will be met, did as Jesus does: meet the needs of the crowd.

CONCLUSION

A few weeks ago an opinion writer in the New York Times offered an opinion piece titled,”How Much Does How Much We Hate Each Other Matter?” (Thomas Edsall, Sept 29, 2021). The title captures the current climate in our country.

Edsall concluded his column with this observation: “Figuring out what is driving us apart and what we can do about it was never going to be easy.”

The divisions we are experiencing are not new.

The divisiveness that threatens our community and our society are not religious or political in nature.

The divisiveness which threatens to destroy us is embedded in each and everyone of us here today.

Like the disciples, we are often less aware of the needs of others than the needs of our own.

“Send he away.” “She is annoying us.” Yes, she was a Canaanite, part of ancient enemies. Yes, she was not of the ‘lost sheep of Israel.’

But the life of her daughter and her own life were threatened by the torment of an adversary only Jesus could confront.

Just like those whom Jesus had already set free (Matthew 4:24-25

Matthew 4:24–25 HCSB

Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

this daughter could be set free. Her past was not the obstacle. Her mother’s faith was the key. It was the faith of all those who brought their ill and maimed and demon possessed family members to Jesus that moved Jesus to respond.

Those closest to Jesus were the ones who were annoyed by this mothers persistent faith.

Multitudes of Needs

Those closest to Jesus were the ones unable to see the needs of the crowd for food after several days. All they could see was their inability, their lack of resources.

Like those disciples, how often have we missed the very simple truth: Jesus is sufficient?

Stuart Weber shares the following incident from the life of Hudson Taylor, a man powerfully used by God to open the interior of China to the gospel:

In the Biography of James Hudson Taylor by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor (London: China Inland Mission. 1965), we find a story about a man who truly trusted God for provision. As a young man Taylor was preparing to go to China to be a missionary, but he had determined to learn to live by faith alone while he was still in England. His resolve was to use prayer alone.

At the time he worked for a doctor and was paid a wage quarterly. As the time to receive his salary drew near, Taylor was disturbed that his employer said nothing about it. Taylor was nearly broke, but would not break his resolution and ask for the salary. While visiting a needy home on the Lord’s Day. Taylor felt led of God to give his last coin to the needy family. The next day he received an anonymous gift through the mail, four times what he had given to the poor!

The following Saturday, the doctor finished up his work and said, “Taylor, is not your salary due again?” Taylor confirmed that it was and became disappointed when he learned that the doctor had completely forgotten about Taylor’s salary and sent all his funds to the bank! He prayed about the matter (for he had bills of his own to pay) and left it with the Lord. That evening, the doctor visited him and said that one of his richest patients came over after hours to pay his bill! He gave the money to Taylor, who rejoiced. He had learned he could trust God for the provision of his needs, both in England and China.

Weber, S. K. (2000). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 235). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.Jesus is sufficient - only He can defeat the adversary;

Jesus is sufficient - only He holds the power of healing - which often is unleashed in doctors, medicines, surgeries, and other remedies;

Only Jesus is sufficient - when we have reached the end of our ability is when His ability shines brightly.

If it had been up to the disciples, Jesus would have pushed the woman and her daughter away - and they would have missed what the so desperately needed.

If the disciples had been ‘in charge’ those less than healthy, those less than ritually pure, would have been ignored, and many who needed healing would have missed the powerful move of God

If the disciples had relied on their ability, many in that crowd may have collapsed on their way home from hunger and all would have missed the miraculous power of God, who in His sufficiency takes our inability and creates abundance.