A Woman of Faith
Matthew 15:21-28
Danny was born without ears. He could hear all right, but he didn’t have the outer folds of skin and cartilage of normal people. All his life, Danny endured ridicule and rejection because of his deformity. But he learned to live with it. Thankfully, he had loving parents and a strong family to sustain him.
When Danny was in high school, his doctor told him of a new procedure that made it possible to transplant ears from one person to another. That meant Danny could get new ears if someone who was compatible to him ever donated theirs. This was exciting news. After all, people donated body parts all the time—hearts, lungs, kidneys. But Danny soon found that donor ears were extremely scarce.
Danny didn’t give up hope, however. He knew that someday he would get new ears. He graduated from high school with honors and was accepted at a major university thousands of miles away. He kissed his parents good-bye and began his life as a college student. Again, though, he found it hard to make friends and fit in because of his lack of ears.
One day he got a phone call from his father. “Go to the hospital near your University tomorrow, Danny. A donor has been found.”
The very next day Danny checked into the university hospital where doctors were ready to perform the surgery. A few hours later, Danny had new ears. When the bandages came off, Danny gazed into the mirror for hours. He finally had ears like normal people. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t ashamed of the way he looked. He not only had new ears, he had a new life.
A few weeks later, Danny received another phone call from his father. “Son, your mother is very ill,” his father said. “She may not live through the night.” Danny was on the first plane home. When he arrived, his father gave him the sad news that his mother had died during the night.
Together they went to the funeral home, where Danny was able to see his mother for the last time. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. Brushing her hair back from her face, he noticed that her ears had been removed.
We are always amazed when we hear of the sacrificial love of a mother for her child. It reminds us of the amazing compassion and love that God has for each and every one of us. He is willing that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance and faith. He suffered and died in our place upon the cross. And through His death we have been given life.
Love drives men and women to attempt difficult things. When we love someone, we are willing to do anything to help them.
This morning, I want to look at an amazing woman of faith. We sometimes call our women’s ministry – Women of Faith – and I believe that is a wonderful name. But what does it mean to be a woman of faith? How is that demonstrated in our lives?
In order to help us understand this I want to look at a very confusing encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman found in Matthew 15:21-28. As we read this passage, I believe your first reaction will be to ask some difficult questions:
- Why did Jesus act this way towards this woman in need?
- Why would He use such harsh language to address her?
- What purpose was gained by His seeming indifference to her request for help?
Let’s begin by looking at the passage:
Matthew 15:21-28
Jesus then left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her."
But Jesus gave her no reply—not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to leave," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."
Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep—not the Gentiles."
But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!"
"It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," he said.
"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master’s table."
"Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
At first glance this encounter seems so harsh, so out of character for Jesus. He remains silent to her plea for help, He tells her that He was not sent to help Gentiles, and He calls her by the derogatory name used by the Jews when they spoke of the Canaanite people – dogs. Is this the same Jesus who would die for the sins of the world? Is this the same Jesus who never denied a request for help?
Of course it is, so we must study the scriptures to find the meaning behind this encounter. The first place to look is the passage that comes before this encounter and the passage that comes after. Both of them deal with food, and both of them deal with compassion.
In Matthew 15: 1- 20, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees who complain that the disciples do not wash their hands before they eat! They ignore the rules and rituals of cleanliness that they had established to the extreme.
Jesus turns this around on them and talks about how they ignore the commandments to honor your father and your mother by reinterpreting the Law to fit their bias. He calls them hypocrites, and then he challenges them with this thought:
It isn’t food that makes a person clean or unclean, but what comes out of a heart. Jesus again stresses the importance of a heart that is humble and broken before God.
In the passage that follows our encounter with the Canaanite woman, Jesus again uses food to teach His disciples. He has compassion on the crowd that has followed Him for three days without anything to eat, and He demonstrates that He is the Bread of Life by multiplying their loaves and fishes to feed the thousands.
In the midst of these two stories comes an encounter with a woman who was outside the covenant of Abraham, a woman who not only was a Gentile – a non-believer, but also a Canaanite – one of the hated enemies of Israel who had almost been destroyed because of their idol worship. And in this encounter with this woman, bread is once again used to illustrate God’s plan and provision for the needs of mankind.
There are many different sermons and lessons that could be pulled from this encounter, but this morning I want to preach this message:
The Bread of heaven is given when we believe!
Let’s take a closer look at this woman of faith.
Matthew 15:21-24
1. Faith is exhibited when we cry out to God for mercy!
Prayer is an act of faith. If we did not have faith, we would not pray. Because prayer demonstrates that we believe there is a God who is capable of answering our prayers and who is merciful enough to give us what we need. We believe He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
Notice the scene that is described for us. Jesus is withdrawing to unknown territory. He is taking time for refreshment and for preparation for the last days of His ministry. He has encounter opposition and now He goes into an area that belongs to the Gentiles and where the crowds would not be pressing in upon Him.
He does not enter the cities because His mission was to the people of Israel. He was sent as their Messiah.
God had made a covenant with the children of Abraham and they must be the first who are given a chance to repent and respond to Jesus. When their opportunity has passed and they have rejected Jesus as their own, and when He is crucified and resurrected – then and only then would He send His disciples out into the streets to make disciples of all nations and all peoples.
But Jesus also is responsive to those who genuinely seek Him in faith. He responds to the faith of people. Some have little or no faith and He touches and heals them without them even asking for it. Others have great faith, and He tests them to prove and show the greatness of their faith. It is interesting that the two who were commended the most by Jesus for their faith were a Centurion Soldier and a Canaanite woman who both received healing for their loved ones without Jesus even being present.
So now in the region outside the cities of Tyre and Sidon, a woman approaches Jesus with loud petitions. Like the blind man who continued to call out for Jesus to heal him, this woman prays fervently and passionately for the Lord’s help.
Notice too how she acknowledges who Jesus is. She calls Him Lord (the one who is Master, the one who has power, the one who is in control). And she calls Him Son of David (the promised Messiah for the chosen people of God, the Jews.) In using these names she acknowledges that He is Lord over all, but that He also has a special relationship with the children of Israel, of which she is not included. He is not her messiah. Is he?
Then she cries out her prayer of desperation and hope: Have mercy on me! This prayer exhibits several aspects of her faith:
- She must believe that Jesus in some way can dispense mercy! He must be powerful enough to deal with her problem, and He must be compassionate enough to care about her condition.
- Mercy also implies favor that is undeserved. She is in effect saying: I know I don’t deserve it. I know I am a sinner, and my people are not your chosen people. But please show us your mercy!
Her request is for herself, and the greatest thing Jesus could do for her would be to help her daughter. She so identified with her daughters suffering that a request for help, would be a request for both of them.
Her daughter is possessed by demons. The Canaanites dabbled into the occult. They worshipped spirits and gods that were not god, but of the devil. And the devil was harassing and tormenting this girl. And so she cries out for mercy!
But what does Jesus do? He remains silent. How many times have your prayed, and heaven has seemed silent to you? Does it mean that God does not hear your request? Jesus certainly heard the woman. Does it mean that God does not care about your need? At first it might appear this way, but remember Jesus knows the beginning from the end. He knows that He will grant this woman’s request and heal her daughter. But not yet!
We must not take silence as God’s indifference or inability. He is compassionate, and His timing is always best. Perhaps there is a work still to be done in our hearts.
The woman does not take Jesus’ silence as a reason to stop praying. She keeps crying out over and over and over again! She will not shut up! And so the disciples get a little frustrated with Jesus.
There are a couple of ways to interpret what they say here, but I think the way that makes the most sense is this: “Jesus, just give her what she wants and she leave us alone!” Not a lot of compassion or concern on their part. They just want the suffering to end so they can have peace. How many times do we turn a deaf ear to the cries of others, or give them what they want just to shut them up. I know as parents some times we don’t stop and take the time to think about what our children really need. We can give into their requests too easily at times just so we can have a little peace and quiet. But that quick response may not be the best one for the child.
And so Jesus gives the boys a little theology lesson – “I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” Do you forget how many of your fellow countrymen still have not accepted me? Do you have any compassion for them at all? Are you concerned for their salvation, or do you just want to walk around with me doing good deeds?
There was a lesson here both for the woman and the disciples.
The Bread of heaven is given when we believe!
Faith is exhibited when we cry out to God for mercy!
2. Faith is exhibited when we humble ourselves at His feet!
The woman doesn’t accept the silence of Jesus. She doesn’t listen to His words of exclusion. She runs up to Him and falls at His feet in humility and in worship!
The disciples had gotten used to being around Jesus. He was their Master, yes, but He had also become their buddy. Yes, He was the Messiah. Yes, He may even be the Son of God. But, hey, It’s Jesus.
This woman does not see Jesus as her cosmic buddy. She sees Him as Lord of All. She sees Him as her God. And so she throws herself at His feet in adoration and in supplication. And her prayer is the simplest pray anyone can pray.
Lord, help me!
There is a danger in walking with Christ for a long time. We can become casual and complacent in our relationship with Jesus. We even sing songs about it: “What a friend we have in Jesus!”
Yes, Jesus is our friend. He says that to His disciples in John 15. No greater love does a man have than He lays down His life for His friends.
But Jesus is so much more than our friend. He is God. He is your creator. He is your sustainer. He is your redeemer. He is your breath and life. He could speak the Word and you would cease to exist. He could take your life right now. He could withhold the blessings of food and shelter until you would acknowledge and worship Him.
Why are we so casual about worship? Why are we so flippant in the way we approach almighty and Holy God? Why do we get more passionate about baseball and chocolate shakes than we do about entering into the throne room of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
We need to come back to a true heart of worship. We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face. We need to weep over our sins and the sins of our people. We need to cry out to Him for help in life. We need to be desperate for Jesus once again!
Jesus warned the Laodiceans of their lukewarm approach to Christianity. They weren’t hot. They weren’t cold. They were just there! And He wanted to spit them out of His mouth.
If we recognize this same lukewarm attitude in our lives, then perhaps the first thing we should begin crying out to God about is our own apathy. Oh Lord, give us a heart that is hungry for you! Give us a heart of humility, a heart of worship!
The Bread of heaven is given when we believe!
- Faith is exhibited when we cry out to God for mercy!
- Faith is exhibited when we humble ourselves at His feet!
And so this woman cries out: “LORD, HELP ME!”
Certainly Jesus can’t refuse her now. She is so sincere. She is so passionate. She is so broken. But he gives her one more test.
“It isn’t right to give the children’s lunch to the puppies.”
3. Faith is exhibited when we refuse to give up until He has blessed us!
What is Jesus saying to her?
Think for a moment about the logic of His comment. Of course if you are a loving parent, you aren’t going to take your babies lunch and feed the dogs. You will make sure your child has enough to eat, and then when he is satisfied – you will feed the dogs with the leftovers.
This makes perfect sense. Jesus was sent to the Jewish people. They were to be given the first opportunity to eat from the Bread of Life. When they have eaten, or if they have refused to eat, then their will be more than enough to go around.
He is direct, but tender in His words. And He knows that this woman will not give up so easily.
And she doesn’t. Like the woman who refused to give up until her neighbor gave her bread for her unexpected guests, this woman will use the analogy Jesus has given and expand upon it.
She begins by agreeing with Jesus. Yes, Jesus – You are the Jewish Messiah. Yes, Jesus – salvation is from the Jews. Yes, Jesus – compared to the chosen people of God, we are but dogs. But even the puppies that gather under the table get to eat the leftovers.
In one amazing answer she demonstrates for Jesus several things:
- she acknowledges her own bankruptcy (she needs the crumbs from the Master’s table)
- She admits her own unworthiness (I am not a child of the Master, yet)
- She appeals to the Master’s generosity.
- And she demonstrates her unwillingness to quit until the Master feed her what she wants.
Like a dog sitting beside the table waiting for a scrap, she isn’t going to take her eyes off of the Master’s hand until he throws her a bone.
Is this what our faith looks like? Is this characteristic of our prayer lives? Do we have this kind of perseverance?
Don’t forget that it was always Jesus’ intention to give her what she wanted. He never turned anyone away. But it was also important for her to acknowledge her own sin, her own need for mercy, her own need for a savior. And it was crucial to both her and the disciples that they see what faith can do!
Her message to us is this: Never give up!
A teenager frustrated with school had decided to quit. He was fed up with the studies and didn’t believe it would do him any good to continue. His mother was pleading with him and trying to convince him to stick with it. She said: “Son, you just can’t quit! All the people who made a difference in the world didn’t quit. Abraham Lincoln didn’t quit. Thomas Edison didn’t quit. General MacArthur didn’t quit. Winston Churchill didn’t quit. And what about Elmo Cringle?”
The teenager scratched his head and said: “Mom, I don’t remember ever hearing about Elmo Cringle? What did he do?”
To which his mother replied: “See, he quit!”
When we really want something, we will never give up. How badly do you want it?
Recently there was a story about a young 18 year old boy who had multiple sclerosis. He desperately wanted to become an eagle scout, but part of the requirement was a 16 mile hike. His friends and family tried to convince him that it wasn’t worth it, but he wouldn’t listen. The first 10 miles of the hike he completed in his wheel chair. When his arms became too sore to continue, he fell out of his wheelchair and crawled the remaining 6 miles to finish the requirements of an eagle scout.
How persistent are we in our prayers? How determined are we to see God bless us?
The Bread of heaven is given when we believe!
- Faith is exhibited when we cry out to God for mercy!
- Faith is exhibited when we humble ourselves at His feet!
- Faith is exhibited when we refuse to give up until He has blessed us!
4. Faith is always commended by God!
Jesus declares to this woman and in front of his disciples whom He always was seeking to teach:
“You have great faith! Your request is granted!”
And without going to her home or seeing her daughter, at that moment her daughter was delivered.
Jesus has said: “You don’t need a lot of faith. You just need a little faith in a big God. Just a mustard seed of faith is all it takes. And when you have that, you can say to a mountain – be moved – and it will move!”
Has Jesus seemed silent in your prayers? Have you given up on believing in Him? Have you stopped praying for His blessing? He says to us all: “You have not, because you ask not”
He invites us to ask, ask and ask again.
Seek, knock and keep on knocking until the door is open.
But we must be willing to keep at it. And we must be willing for God to answer us in a way that is in accordance with His will.
So start praying!
