Great Faith in an Unlikely Place
The Message and Mission • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction: It was a day like any other when one California couple decided to take their dog for a walk. While doing so, the couple came across a rusty metal can sticking out of the ground on their property. No big deal, right? I guess it wouldn’t be except for the fact that this rusty can was filled with genuine gold coins. Naturally, this led the couple to investigate the rest of their property where they found various cans buried at different depths – all filled with golden coins. By the end of their investigation, this couple had located 1,400 $20 gold pieces, 50 $10 gold pieces, 4 $5 gold pieces, and one rare coin valued at $1 million all on its own. In all, this couple discovered buried treasure worth more than $10 million in what most people would consider being the most unlikely place of all – their own backyard.
As we come to our text tonight, I would imagine that Jesus’ disciples felt the same way. They had traveled with Jesus all over Israel, only to have Jesus commend the faith of, what seemed to them to be, a random Canaanite woman in the most unlikely of places.
Read
Refer to maps
The beheading of John the Baptist ()
The feeding of the 5,000 (14:13-21)
“. . . they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king. . .” ()
Jesus walks on water (14:22-23)
Miraculous healings at Gennesaret (14:34-36)
Debate over the tradition of the elders (15:1-20)
Jesus heals the Canaanite woman’s daughter (15:21-28)
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.
•Rahab
Rahab
Ruth
Ruth
Similar to the couple in California, Jesus finds a priceless treasure in the most unlikely of places. He discovers someone with great faith, and He wants us to learn the following three things from the great faith of this woman: great faith depends on Christ alone, great faith endures through silence, and great faith declares what it knows to be true.
Great Faith’s Dependence
Great Faith’s Dependence
Read
From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
As Jesus and His disciples came to the region of Tyre and Sidon, they entered a house, once again, hoping for rest from the crowds and the religious debating of the scribes and Pharisees, but Jesus could not be hidden. He is no ordinary man. Mark notes that this time Jesus did not want anyone to know where He was, yet this Canaanite woman found Him. She found Him because she was desperate, for her daughter was severely demon-possessed.
The Symptoms of Demon-Possession
The Symptoms of Demon-Possession
Violent convulsions (; )
Self-harm (; )
Mute, deaf, seizures, foaming of the mouth, gnashing of teeth (, )
Blind and mute ()
And she had reason to be desperate. Refer to symptoms of demon possession slide.
Not only was she desperate because she was a mother who had to watch her suffering daughter day in and day out, but she was also likely determined because she had exhausted all other options. Matthew identifies her as a Canaanite, a term used only here in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Canaanites were known for their false gods, false temples, and false worship, and she was likely a worshipper of Astarte – Baal’s female companion. Just as Baal was unable to answer the false prophets in , Astarte had failed to meet her need now.
However, she had heard of Jesus. She knew that the Jews believed that one day God would send His Messiah to the people of Israel. She had heard of his kindness and mercy to others, and one thing was clear – Jesus was able to answer her while her former gods could not.
In her desperation, she sought out Jesus and cried out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
Pause.
But he answered her not a word.
The early church Father Chrysostom wrote concerning Jesus’ silence here, “The Word has no word. The fountain is sealed. The Physician holds back his remedy.”
Just imagine. After nothing but silence from false deities, you come face to face with the One you believe is the answer, you ask Jesus for help, but not a word in return - silence. At this point, you and I might face the temptation to despair. I shared with the teens a week or so ago that one of my top pet peeves is being ignored. It drives me crazy. Sometimes one of the hardest things to do is wait, isn’t it? We must wait for God's mercy to be displayed, and all the while, remain confident that God always does what is right.
By all indications, this woman had limited theological knowledge, but she displayed great faith. Despite the silence, she continued to cry out for mercy.
And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
In her limited knowledge, she was whole-heartedly confident that God is a God of mercy and grace, and so she placed all of her faith entirely in Christ alone.
Undaunted by the silence, she continued to cry out for mercy to the point where the disciples came and urged Jesus, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
I wonder what exactly the disciples were thinking at this point. It must have been awkward; this woman finds Jesus and asks for help. Jesus says nothing; she continues to cry out. Jesus says nothing. Perhaps they remembered how willingly Jesus healed the servant of the Roman centurion () or how He sought out the Samaritan woman () or healed the maniac of Gadara (). It must have seemed odd that Jesus appeared to be ignoring this woman in need of help. So they propose, “why don’t you just help her so she will go away?”
We know that this is how Jesus understands their statement since he responds, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Despite Israel’s rejection of Jesus, God’s plan for redemption was still on track. The Lord was always going to keep His promises to Israel.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
As Paul put it in , the gospel was given to the Jew first.
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
Salvation was for all the nations but offered through the people of Israel and Israel’s Messiah.
Transition: This woman came and placed all of her dependence on Jesus. She knew that He alone could help her hurting daughter. Although it seemed like Jesus might not answer her or the fact that it sounded like Jesus might not be for her, she persisted in faith.
Great Faith’s Endurance
Great Faith’s Endurance
Read Matthew 15:25-26
After what must have seemed like a devastating rejection, she came and worshipped Him. The word translated worshipped here could be better translated – prostrated. Her faith did more than endure – it doubled down just as any good mother’s would, and she simply said, “Lord, help me.”
Jesus was her only hope, and she knew it. Again, He put her off, saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” What?! That statement seems odd to us. Is this some anti-Gentile racial slur? No, that’s not Jesus’ meaning, and I will tell you why. However, before I do, Jesus’ statement does playfully recognize the hypocrisy of Jewish racism. It was common for Jews to refer to themselves as the children of Abraham while referring to the Gentiles as mangy, dirty, vicious dogs. I am sure that this woman had heard such language before, but Jesus did not mean it that way.
Refer to dog pictures
The word dog(s) appears in the New Testament 9 times.
5 of those times the Greek word κύων is used
• of those times the Greek word κύων is used •4 of those times the Greek word κυνάριον is used •Example: Dan Pero’s dog •
4 of those times the Greek word κυνάριον is used
Example: Dan Pero’s dog
Jesus does not mean this as an insult. He is not saying anything inappropriate about this woman. He is, however, metaphorically making a point. As this mother persists in asking for help, Jesus reaffirms that His primary mission is to the Jews. Just as it is unreasonable to make a steak dinner and give it to the beloved household pet while your children go hungry, so it is unfit for Jesus to abandon the Jews in service of the Gentiles. It is not that you dislike your household pet, but it wouldn’t make sense to take your child’s chicken nuggets and give them to the dog.
Transition: If you were this woman, how would you be feeling at this point? Maybe a better question is, how have you responded in the past when you weren’t sure the Lord heard you or that he was for you? How are you responding to those things in your life right now? Are you responding in great faith? “I don’t know how to respond,” you might say. But that is what is so special and so beautiful about this passage. This woman’s great faith shows us exactly how to respond when all hope seems lost.
Great Faith’s Declaration
Great Faith’s Declaration
Read
Let me be transparent with you for a moment. If it were me, and the well-being of someone I love was on the line, I’m not sure how well I would be doing at this point. Jesus has seemingly ignored her. Notice that He hasn’t answered her at all at this point. Every time the word answer appears in this text, Matthew has purposefully left out the object of the verb. The only time the word answer has had an object up to this point is in v. 23, but that is to point out that Jesus didn’t answer her. In vv. 24 and 26, the word answer has no object. By all outside indications, Jesus has completely ignored her. You might expect her to star venting, “I have prayed to the gods of Phoenicia, and they cannot answer me, so I sought you out, Jesus! I sought you out because I have heard of your mercy and kindness. I know you have healed other Gentiles. I know you can answer me! Why won’t you?! It is said, Jesus, that you have gone everywhere, healing everyone in Israel. Some in my country wonder whether or not there will be one sick Israelite left when you are finished. Why not my daughter?! I need help!”
But she doesn’t respond that way. This woman’s faith does not falter, and like any good mom, she does not miss a beat. She understands Jesus’ metaphor, and she immediately picks it up and carries it to its conclusion. She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
Example: Dan Pero’s dog
One commentator noted: “She said in effect what Peter had said not long before: “Lord, to whom shall we go?”
Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
She was saying, “Yes, Lord. I know your coming is for Israel. God’s covenants are with Israel. They are the children of Abraham, but even the household pet can enjoy the crumbs from the master’s table. I know who you are. I know of your mercy, your kindness, and your power. I am 100% confident that just a small leftover of your great power and steadfast love can heal my daughter. Lord, that is all I ask.”
Pause
This passage has been working up to this beautiful moment. Jesus then turned directly to her, and I can’t help but imagine that as He did, He made eye contact with the disciples – as if to say, “I hope you are all taking notes here.” And then His attention rests on her for the first time. For the first time, the word answer has an object. He now answers her, “O woman, great is your faith!”
Her great faith stands in stark contrast to the faith of the Jewish religious leaders. There was nothing Jesus could do to encourage their faith, but neither was there anything He could do that would discourage hers. In all of the gospels, this is Jesus’ strongest commendation of faith, and He found this treasure in the most unlikely of places – the region of Tye and Sidon. Jesus had spoken truly and literally in .
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
Great faith, it turns out, isn’t about keeping the tradition of the elders, or ceremonial cleanliness. It is not about how much offering you place in the plate on a Sunday morning, or how many worldly things you isolate yourself from. It is about unwavering trust in who you know God to be.
Jesus then affirms that he had heard her all along. “Let it be to you as you desire.” You see, He did not despise her, He was not ignoring her, but He was waiting for her to make that beautiful declaration of unwavering faith. Jesus had gone way out of His way to find this treasure, and it was well worth the trip.
Conclusion: I wonder: how great is your faith? Are you frustrated because it seems like your prayers are going unanswered? Are you weary because you aren’t sure if God is on your side? Hope in God.
Like this Canaanite woman, you are called to an unwavering faith in the power, mercy, and character of God.
Spurgeon put it this way, “The Lord of glory surrendered to the faith of the woman.”
Does your faith depend on Christ, does your faith persist through silence, and does your faith declare what you already know to be true about God? Do you have great faith?