Opening Illustration: Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. Then began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, grabbing his gun, took careful aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go." And, on his arms, were the scars from the deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
We might have scars on our bodies from a battlefield or some other event that shows us that Jesus Christ would not let go of us. However, we do know that as Christians Jesus Christ will never let go of us. The marks are not on our bodies but on his. [1]
Today we will look at a mother’s passion to save her daughter and her faith in Jesus. We will look at the story as a whole then we will consider this mother in particular.
Matthew 15:21–28
Our story is about a woman who has no name. She was Gentile, she lived in an area that was generally hostile to the Jews, but what we know about her was that her faith was great. And here we are 2,000 years later reading about her.
Matthew 15:21 (CSB) 21 When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.
If you back read the previous 1½ chapters of Matthew you will see that Jesus had been ministering in the area around the Sea of Galilee. He had fed the 5 thousand, walked on the water, calling Peter to come out to Him. They end up in the area called Gennesaret on the NW shore of the sea of Galilee. There a delegation of Pharisees and Scribes from Jerusalem was testing him.
Jesus needed a break. He needed time alone with His disciples to instruct them, so they headed up the an area outside Jewish territory around the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon about 35 and 60 miles to the NW of Galilee. This is the only time in the Gospels that Jesus actually leaves Jewish territory.
They were not running away, they needed time alone. The parallel account in Mark 7:24-30 suggested Jesus didn’t want anyone to know where they were. Any self-respecting Pharisee or Scribe would not follow Jesus there. Tyre and Sidon were considered the bastion of Gentile sinfulness. Jesus even commented on this when He was rebuking the cities in Galilee.
Matthew 11:21 (CSB) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago.
As we will see, these cities were more open to the miracles of Jesus than the cities where Jesus centered His ministry.
Yes, Jesus was taking a break, we all need to take a break from time to time, but Jesus never took a break from people (in general). Never took a break from ministry – helping those that need help. Never took a break being who He was.
Many of us can’t wait for the country to open up from the coronavirus because as soon as it does, we’re heading out on vacation. On vacation, do you leave you Christianity behind? Do you leave worship behind?
While trying to get away, word gets out that Jesus is in town. This foreign territory had evidently heard about Jesus. They knew who He was.
Matthew 15:22 (CSB) Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”
A Canaanite woman – a race marked for extinction by God due to their sinfulness, their immorality. And as a woman – she was second class citizen in that culture. She came pleading to Jesus. Her daughter had something dreadfully wrong. Demon possession or a physical aliment? Many physical ailments in that day were described as being demon caused. The Scriptures does not tell us any more so we won’t explore this any further other than say something was terribly wrong and her mother was desperate.
“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David!” A messianic title – did she a gentile, have the right to use this title? It used by the blind men in Matt 9:27 and Matt 20:30.
Matthew 20:30 (CSB) There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
These blind men were Jewish. They understood the implications of the title “Son of David.” That was a title for the Messiah, and the religious elite in Jerusalem was put out by the use of that title, Now here is this Gentile woman calling out to Jesus, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah of the Jews.
Matthew 15:23 (CSB) Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.”
Why didn’t Jesus answer? I believe Jesus was testing her faith. Though It may seem cruel, but I wonder sometimes why God delays answering us? Is it because he is testing us to see how much we really need Him. It indicates here that the woman was not going to take silence for an answer.
It begs the question, do we really believe in prayer, or it is merely sometime we do because it might work? Then we quit praying and look for other solutions. We tend to be practical atheists – we pray only because we will try anything. With this woman, I believe that to her, Jesus was not just a possibility, but rather Jesus was her only hope. She had already tried everything else.
Look at the disciples, trying to get rid of her. She was quickly becoming bothersome as well as an embarrassment. And let’s not be too hard on the disciples- what they were probably saying or asking Jesus was just to help her so she will go away. In other words they were saying, “Just give her what she wants so she will leave us alone.”
Matthew 15:24 (CSB) He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Who was Jesus replying to? The Woman or His disciples? Jesus had said the exact same thing when he sent out the twelve to preach and heal and raise the dead and cast out demons:
Matthew 10:5–6 (CSB) Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
But this woman persisted. She was not going to accept “no” for an answer.
Matthew 15:25 (CSB) But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!”
The word “knelt” implies worship. Other Bible translations say she worshipped Him. Look at this woman’s prayer. She drops the formality of titles and her prayer is worship and pleading. Jesus is her only hope. It’s Jesus or nothing. There is no plan B. She worships in her pleading. We can learn from this woman. Do we worship when we plead with God?
Matthew 15:26 (CSB) He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
It sure sound like Jesus is being harsh, implying this woman is a dog. Well, yes and no. Yes, the Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs, an unclean animal to the Jews. Dogs were lean, roamed the refuge piles and often viscous.
The Greek word that Jesus used for "dog" means a small dog or even a puppy, perhaps a pet dog. Children here are obvious reference to the Jews. Jesus’ first mission was to the Jews, why should He give this Gentile woman anything? Why was Jesus doing this? To test her faith. Look at the woman’s answer. The woman takes no offense, she even identifies herself as the dog.
Matthew 15:27 (CSB) “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Look at her humbleness. She did not contradict Jesus. She merely added to His remark. Doing so she identified as a dog, not worthy to come to the Master’s table, not asking for a meal, but begging only for the crumbs. She cast herself, as someone totally unworthy, for His mercy, love, and grace. She worshipped him, casting herself on Jesus as utterly helpless, acknowledging Him as her only hope, the only source of help. There was no plan B.
Matthew 15:28 (CSB) 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 healed.
Jesus commends this gentile, Canaanite woman, for her faith. "Great is your faith" – same thing was said to the Centurion, another non-Jew (Matthew 8:5-13). Like the Centurion’s servant, this woman’s daughter was healed without Jesus ever seeing her. This was the kind of faith Jesus was looking for in Israel, but could not find. Contrast this with the religious leaders who had rejected Jesus.
Now let’s go back and examine this woman. Why are we calling her a Godly Mother?
(I borrowed the following from another Pastor, Randy Bataanon. It was too good to pass up.) [2]
1. A GODLY MOTHER DOES NOT NEED A NAME.
• She is poor woman -Humble, not looking for recognition.
• She is outcast Canaanite Gentile.
• She was never given a name in the story,
• Yet she was elevated among the greats of Scripture and we are reading about her 2,000 years later.
2. A GODLY MOTHER IS EMPOWERED BY LOVE
• Her love is more powerful than her fear
• Her love is more powerful than her shame
• Her love is more powerful than all her hardship and sacrifice combined. She would not leave anything undone to help her daughter.
3. A GODLY MOTHER OVERCOMES ALL BARRIERS
• She overcome the wall of inferiority (She is woman)
• She cross the sea of anonymity (She is a gentile speaking to a Jew)
• She climb the mountain of diversity (She is of the Canaanites, natural enemy of the Jew)
4. A GODLY MOTHER IS ARMED WITH DETERMINATION
• She conquered the test of patience in divine silence (Jesus did not answer)
• She conquered the test of doubt and discouragement (the disciples send her away)
• She conquered the test of rejection (I was sent only to...Israel)
• She conquered the test of humbleness (It is not right.... to dogs)
5. A GODLY MOTHER KNOWS THE POWER OF PRAYER
• She acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus (Worship)
• She know from whom she can get the answer for her great need (Jesus the Messiah of the Jews)
• She admits she can’t manage her life without God’s help.
• She confessed that she needs God personally.
6. A GODLY MOTHER KNOWS HER OWN SPIRITUAL NEED
• She admits that she is unworthy, being a sinner before God
• She was humble enough to acknowledge her hopelessness without God (she was a dog, dependent on crumbs)
• She only ask for grace and mercy at the Master’s table (crumbs)
7. A GODLY MOTHER TRIUMPHS BECAUSE OF FAITH
• She received great commendation (you have a great faith)
• She received great approval(Your request is granted)
• She received great miracle (her daughter was healed)
This unnamed woman, forever honored in the page of Scriptures, Leaned on Jesus in her time of need. She loved her daughter and she went right to the source.
The question for us this morning, do we know Jesus? Do we desperately seek out the only one who can save us for there is no plan B
The fact is, Jesus is the answer for all of us. Jesus is not “a way” but He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, (John 14:6)
[1] Davon Huss. www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/20890/some-years-ago-on-a-hot-summer-day-in-south-by-davon-huss?ref=TextIllustrationDetails
[2] From Randy Bataanon: www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/seven-marks-of-the-great-mothers-randy-bataanon-sermon-on-mothers-146842?ref=SermonSerps
