Gentile Dogs

Date: 2022-07-03

Audience: Grass Valley Corps ONLINE

Title: Gentile Dogs

Text: Matthew 15:21-39

Proposition: The King rewards faith with citizenship

Purpose: Become a citizen of the Kingdom

Grace and peace

Ever been to Costco? Warehouse store – members only

Special membership levels. Exec gets to go in an hour before everyone else.

Lots of reasons – business members can get stuff w/o being blocked up by guy just getting a gallon of milk. Regular members can go get that gallon of milk w/o having to wait in line behind the guy w/50 loaves of bread.

Hours are part of the member agreement that gets signed when you join.

Membership and contracts – important to us all

Family – Friend circle – Tribe – State – Nation – Planet

Saw this last week in the Pharisee’s complaint that disciples weren’t following traditions – are they in or out of the circle? Obviously, Jesus, you’re OUT!

But Jesus told them God’s circle is bigger than they imagined, and in the stories we are going to look at today, he lives that out so his followers can’t miss the truth of it.

They still do, at least at first, but we should be used to that kind of lapse from them by now, right?

Start today at Matthew 15:21…

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.[1]

Couple of quick notes:

- Jesus withdrew (4th time he has demonstrated leaving conflict behind)

- Tyre and Sidon – about 40 miles away and outside of what is properly Israel. Which Matthew makes explicitly clear.

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.”[2]

Canaanite – bitter enemies of Israel. The people who had taken possession of Promised Land while God’s people slaves in Egypt. The people who misused land and worshipped foreign gods. Who fought to keep Israel out. Who worked to corrupt the people of God by leading into false worship.

Outside the tribe.

Daughter possessed – suffering – Jesus is obviously going to help out, right?

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.” [3]

She asks for help – Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge her.

Followers – “Send her away – she’s really getting on our nerves.”

So compassionate, right?

Some people think you can read this as they asking him to just do what she says to get rid of her. Others think they just want him to tell her, “No. I don’t help your kind.”

But instead of speaking to her, Jesus speaks to his disciples and says:

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” [4]

Why is Jesus being so mean?

Maybe.. he’s not?

Two things to think about here. First, the Messiah’s mission is to bring a new salvation and new covenant to God’s people, Israel. He is literally and truly sent to Israel. Israel is his focus, his goal, the purpose for which the LORD has sent him. He is here to fulfil the covenant which God had set up through Moses. There was no covenant with Canaan. Canaanites could become part of Israel. There was a whole process of conversion. Then they would be part of the tribe. Then they would be IN and not OUT.

Second, isn’t Jesus just playing out the response of his followers here? They are annoyed by this woman and they want her to leave. Why? Because she’s not part of their tribe. Why should they care about her daughter’s suffering? She’s an OUTSIDER – why should her pain matter to them?

The woman then stops appealing to them as a group and goes to Jesus with a much more personal plea.

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. [5]

What’s she doing? She’s on her knees! That’s a position of vulnerability. It’s the position of worship, of subjugating yourself to another. And she’s calling him Lord again, placing herself in his hands, under his control.

And Jesus looks at her and drops this on her:

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”[6]

Ouch.

We can push and pull at the words used here and try to soften what he said. The word for “dogs” refers to a pet or something like it rather than a wild dog, but even if it isn’t a slur, it’s a harsh designation, telling someone they are like a dog trying to steal food from the children of the family.

There is no question he is pointing out that his own people are IN and she is OUT.

No, I’m going to ask you to remember for a moment who Matthew’s audience is.

He’s writing to a group that is primarily made up of Jewish people. Those who have been born into the tribe and religion of the people of Israel. They have grown up in the traditions of the covenant of Moses which drew some pretty distinct lines to help people from this nation know that they were God’s children. Like I said, there were ways for others to convert, but for the most part people were either IN or they were OUT.

That’s not so different now, is it?

I was born in the USA, so I’m an American, which makes me part of a very particular group of people. Canadians may seem similar, but they aren’t the same, are they? We’re us, they’re them, and even if a Canadian comes to live and work here they are never really part of the American tribe, are they?

People coming to America to make a new life here aren’t really Americans, are they? They come from a different culture and may have a different way of speaking or acting that doesn’t really fit in. They are from OUTSIDE the tribe. Why would we take the food our children need and give it to these OUTSIDERS just because they are hungry, right?

Isn’t that what Jesus is saying?

Isn’t that what his followers want? For him to tell this woman to get lost? To leave them alone, because her pain doesn’t matter?

26 He replied, “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.”[7]

Wait, what?

Look, lady, Jesus just told you that those INSIDE the tribe of God’s people take precedence! And you’re now asking for… for what, exactly? Crumbs?

What is she saying?

Hmm… think on this… What she’s saying – what she’s acknowledging, is that God’s children should be served first, but any leftovers could come to the rest. To her.

She’s suggesting that there might be some who refuse the bread being offered to them. That there might be enough to feed the dogs after the children have eaten.

Now, before I go on, look back at everything she has said so far.

She called him Lord – master, owner, one who holds authority over her. And she called him Son of David, the title of the Messiah, that King of Kings God promised would come to heal his people. She made herself subject to him by kneeling. Where the NIV translation I am reading from has her say, “Help me, Lord,” the original language of the text says, “Have mercy on me,” or “Show mercy to me, Lord!”

So… what? Well, she’s recognized and publicly declared Jesus to be the Lord and Messiah of his people, worthy of worship, and a source of mercy. He pointed out that the people who have the covenant needed to be served first and she was not only fine with that, but trusted that he would be able to provide all that was needed even after those folks had all they needed.

She’s treating him like Costco. “Hey, I know you have a special contract to let those business owners in an hour before opening to the rest of us. But I know you’ll still have a gallon of milk for me after you’ve served them, so I’d like to get a membership, please. My family needs milk.”

She’s saying, “I don’t need to be the first one into the Kingdom, but you can make room for me to come in.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. [8]

Here’s the thing about the Covenant that established who the People of God were. Jesus had come to fulfil it, not to destroy it. There was a whole NEW covenant which would be born out of his blood at his execution, but that hadn’t happened yet. The people who were a part of that contract needed to have the full opportunity to claim the benefits it offered. They were like Costco business members – able to come in before others. But that didn’t mean others couldn’t come in or that Costco couldn’t create new ways for others to come in.

The King rewards faith with citizenship in his Kingdom.

As I’ve said several times this morning, there was even a path for that to happen under the old covenant. The new Covenant made it more obvious. Everyone can become part of the tribe. Everyone can be a citizen of the Kingdom. Everyone can recognize Jesus as the King of Kings and acknowledge him publicly and ask for his mercy. Everyone can trust that the King can and will provide what they need. Maybe some may seem to get their rewards or benefits earlier, but don’t worry – there’s still plenty of milk for you, if you’ll just come in.

To make sure his followers have gotten the point, Jesus takes them to another meeting.

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. [9]

I wish Matthew had been a little more clear about where Jesus led them. Mark tells us it was the area of Decapolis – ten Greek cities outside of Israel on the far side of Galilee. Which accounts for many things in the story as Matthew tells it, including praising “the God of Israel.” While it certainly is a way that people IN Israel might have referred to praising their God, it makes more sense if it is people OUTSIDE of Israel saying it that way.

Think about what Jesus has been showing his disciples.

He’s been telling them that it isn’t following a set of rules that matters. It is the things you do that matter. It isn’t being a part of a traditional tribal unit that matters. It’s being part of God’s Kingdom. You don’t get into the Kingdom by making the right donation or by following seven simple steps to salvation. You get into the Kingdom by faith in the King and the King’s mercy. You live in the Kingdom by trusting that the King will care for you.

They’ve seen those who were supposed to be the People of God watch miracles of healing and providence and hear teaching about what it means to live in the Kingdom, then turn and complain that it was different than they expected, that it didn’t make them more important than others, that it was open to the whosoever instead of the elite.

They’ve seen the people of the Covenant reject the bread Jesus was offering them and cast it down. And they’ve seen people from outside scramble to claim those scraps.

They’ve seen that faith matters and that trust in the King leads to citizenship and salvation from suffering.

They’ve seen people respond to this by praising the God of Israel.

The writings about the prophet Ezekiel had warned that this was coming. If you’ve got some spare time this week, look through Ezekiel chapters 34 and beyond and you’ll see. It starts by calling out the leaders of God’s people, saying:

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?[10]

He goes on to say

11 “ ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.[11]

He says he will gather them in and care for them, discarding those who devour the others around them instead of living together with them. First Israel, and then the nations.

First the Covenant that was, as Jesus fulfils it, and then the Covenant that is, which Jesus initiated by sacrificing himself to pay our debts and which God proved to be true by resurrecting him.

First for the Business members, and then for the rest.

I’m pushing the Costco thing too hard, aren’t I?

To show that God cared and provide for all of Israel, Jesus had done a miracle recently, turning a few loaves and fish into tuna sandwiches for 5,000 men and another 10,000 women and children, give or take. It was a moving and startling thing which left his followers wondering.

And here, in the wilderness of a foreign land, as people came to him to hear his teaching and obtain his healing and to praise the name of the God Jesus taught them to trust, something happened which his followers wouldn’t have expected.

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” [12]

Anyone else want to just smack your forehead and question what is wrong with these guys?

Well, maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on them. They are having trouble getting away from the idea that there is an US and a THEM and that God loves and cares for US and not for THEM. Sure, God used Jesus to provide food for a huge group of people INSIDE our tribe, but what does that have to do with anything here OUTSIDE of Israel? With people who are OUTSIDE our tribe?

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.[13]

Wait… Jesus fed OUTSIDERS?

So they aren’t just slaves and second-class citizens in the Kingdom? They are recipients of the King’s care and providence too? Just like people from our own tribe?

And if there was symbolism in the twelve basketsful of leftovers picked up after the children of Israel ate their fill of the feast Jesus provided – twelve baskets for the Twelve Tribes, for example – then how much more is wrapped up in these seven baskets of scraps? Seven being the number of completeness, of wholeness.

The People of Israel, joined together in eating the bread provided by Jesus the King, by the Gentiles who had previously been outsiders, are now together as one COMPLETE WHOLE. And even with all of them satisfied, there is still more left.

And verse 39 says

39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan. [14]

Which will sail him into a story we aren’t going to look at until next week.

For right now, I want you to consider that citizenship in the Kingdom of God is granted to those who have faith in the King.

No matter who they are.

No matter what they have been.

There is no US and THEM.

There is no one who is OUTSIDE.

At least, not to Jesus.

He’s got a free Costco membership waiting for you.

As it were.

Do you want to claim your place in the Kingdom?

Because you can. Right now.

Start by praying this prayer with me.

Jesus, I acknowledge that you are Lord and I ask that you be the Lord of my life. Show me your mercy and take me into your tribe Thank you for caring about the pain in my life and for supplying the comfort and healing I need. Please teach me to live as a citizen of your Kingdom and make me your agent so that I can be part of bringing people together as ONE under your banner. Give me pieces of bread and fish and teach me to feed the world.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen.

[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:21. [2] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:22. [3] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:23. [4] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:24. [5] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:25. [6] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:26. [7] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:26–27. [8] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:28. [9] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:29–31. [10] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eze 34:2. [11] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eze 34:11. [12] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:32–33. [13] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:34–38. [14] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 15:39.