We’re in Matthew 15:21-28 this morning. The title of today’s message is: What Jesus Wants From You. Matthew 15:21-28

²¹ And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:21-28 ESV)

A few things I want us to notice before I continue on with the points I want to make today.

First, the context: Verse 21 says they “withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.” He goes there after he feeds five thousand, walks on water, heals the sick, and after making the Pharisees look like fools. He was totally hitting his stride doing the God on Earth thing right before this story. So the very fact that he’s withdrawing implies that he wanted a break. In fact, when Mark tells this story, he says that he went here because he didn’t want to be known by anybody.

Second, the location that Jesus and his disciples were in when this event happened. For those of us who are not Bible scholars, or ancient near east cartographers, the district of Tyre and Sidon is gentile territory—it is an area that should have been most hostile to Jews. That’s the perfect place for a break! Isn’t it? Jesus decides to “withdraw” to a place that should have been hostile to him. What that means is that the place Jesus is coming from was more hostile to him and his disciples. Tyre and Sidon aren’t supposed to be the place Jesus should have gone to catch a break. But that’s exactly where he goes. He “withdraws” to a place of hostility to retreat. In fact, Sidon is where Jezebel is from. Jezebel was a princess of Sidon, and institutes the worship of Baal in Israel as wife to Ahab, the king of Israel. She had the prophets of God persecuted and killed during the time of Elijah. Here’s why this is significant and I think Ligon Duncan, the chancellor for Reformed Theological Seminary, says it best: “Jesus goes to the places where his mission is not so the disciples can know his mission.” That’s going to make sense at the end of the sermon, I promise.

Third, I want you to notice who it was that came to Jesus asking for mercy. Verse 22 says the person seeking mercy was a “Canaanite”. Moreover, the Canaanite was a woman and a mother of a daughter. Here’s why this is important to notice: Canaanites were traditionally considered Israel’s pagan enemy. She was a gentile, not part of the chosen nation of Israel. Being a woman in the first century meant that she was part of the marginalized classes of people.

So think about this: a marginalized woman, from a despised people group, comes to a Jewish Jesus on behalf of her marginalized child, who was not a boy, but a girl. From the perspective Matthew’s readers would have had, there is this doubly marginalized woman seeking Jesus and asking for mercy for her child, who didn’t deserve the attention of a Messiah. Moreover, this marginalized woman was much more keen on who Jesus is than the Pharisees that Jesus contends with in the previous passage.

Okay, so now that you’re have these things in the back of your mind, I want us to place ourselves in the shoes of this woman. The problem this woman faces is the heartache of a mother seeing her child in agony. She tells Jesus, “my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

Whether you are a mom or not, this is something you can identify with: you need help, you need relief. Maybe it’s not you, it’s someone you love, that person is hurting deeply, how do they get help and relief? For some of us, the answer to that question is simple: bite my tongue, grit my teeth, and get to work. For others of us, it’s “ask everybody until something works.” In this story, it’s neither of those things. In fact, relief only comes from Jesus.

The woman in this story is showing us that Great faith hounds Jesus for his mercy… and receives it!

There are two ways we can hound Jesus for his mercy. One way works, the other doesn’t. So first, I want to demonstrate the way that doesn’t work.

Here’s my first point:

Don’t bank on yourself for relief.

Let’s go to verse 22. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

This woman has a desperate need, and sees that only Jesus the Messiah can help her. She realizes that unless Jesus is merciful, then her situation will not be changed; her daughter will continue to suffer. So the woman cries out for mercy.

From the very beginning of this story, this woman knew that she couldn’t bank on herself to get the help… she knew she needed Jesus! Look, the woman calls Jesus “Lord” three times in this single encounter. In verse 22, “O Lord, Son of David…” then again in verse 25, “Lord, help me…” and then again in verse 27, “Yes, Lord….”. She communicates her belief in the person and deity of Jesus. When she calls him “Lord” and “Son of David”, both Messianic and divine titles, her understanding of who Jesus is matches the understanding of the disciples. They only recently had called him the “Son of God” in chapter 14.

That is very different than most people in our self-reliant world. In some Christian circles, they can’t really buy into the fact that they can’t earn Jesus’ mercy. For them, it’s about the right church or group or status. You’re not really a worthy Christian if you don’t have the wealth that demonstrates you’ve been blessed and given favor. For others, they believe that God doesn’t intervene if we don’t say the right prayers or mantras, giving the right amount of self-sacrifice. The message that relief will come if we improve ourselves to such a degree that God finally sees us and says, “Wow! Let me put my resources at their disposal”, is a lie, it’s a farce. That is the main difference between Christianity and all other religions out there. As Christ followers we understand that nothing we do can impress God, so in His great love, He decides to intervene on our behalf and pursue His people. Isn’t that why many of us are here today? Because God intervened in our lives?

Maybe you’ve given up on yourself to get you relief and what you know is that Jesus is the only one that can change your situation.  But the fact remains, the attitude in our culture is that we have to make our own good fortune. If there is pain or needs in our lives that we long to experience relief from, then it’s our job to make it happen and secure our own relief. And if we’re not careful, this ideology that’s found in every self-help book: push aside anyone and anything that would stand in the way of you accomplishing what you desire starts to bleed into our own mindset. It’s another form of the American Dream that is insidious and damning. Just make your own future, work hard, put your head down, be smart and your life will be great. Those who suffer or are not as successful are the ones who made bad decisions, didn’t apply themselves in school, and didn’t hustle as hard as others and that’s their own fault.

Don’t misunderstand… a strong work ethic isn’t an issue.  Dreams and goals – if they are aligned with the gospel – are not an issue.  Accomplishing those dreams and goals is often the graciousness and blessing of God.

The issue is spiritual self-reliance and it has nothing to do with actual Christianity. Self-reliance and self-help isn’t the way to go as we follow Jesus. He isn’t impressed by our pedigree, our portfolios of righteousness, or our record of hard work. That’s not how we receive mercy from Jesus!

Here’s what’s interesting though: this woman didn’t bank on herself and in fact said all the right things. Yet, despite that, look at verses 23-24. But he [Jesus] did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

KRAZO

Annoyed by the persistent cries of this mother, the disciples “begged” Jesus to run her off. In your Bibles or in your notes somewhere you can circle that word “crying” because Matthew wanted us to know that it wasn’t just somebody crying quietly in the corner of a parking lot at a supermarket. That doesn’t “annoy” people enough for people to complain and say, “please send her away.” In fact, if it were that type of crying, they may have even felt bad and offered a shoulder. The type of “crying” that Matthew uses here is “krazo”. Her crying was loud, obnoxious, hysterical, shrill, and annoying. Krazo, like “crazy.” Why else would the disciples, beg Jesus to “send her away…” Have you ever done anything so obnoxious that you know by doing so will force somebody to do something? This woman is being krazo so she can get heard.

However, the way Jesus responds is staggering. Verse 23 says he didn’t answer her a word. It’s as if he didn’t blink. What’s more mindboggling is how he responds to his disciples about this woman’s needs. He’s almost hostile and ambivalent. This was intentional folks. Jesus is a master teacher, and the master was showing us that it’s not about how frenzied we must be to attract Jesus attention. Nor is it even about saying the right things as the woman proclaimed the identity of Jesus.

Attempting to get God’s mercy in our lives because we have great doctrine, or the right background, or the deepest of sincerity is doomed for failure.

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re tired, exhausted, frazzled and you can resonate deeply with this mother’s concern and request. You feel like her, wondering what it will take to get Jesus’ attention. Maybe you believe that you have to muster together enough greatness within yourself to get relief. Let the response of Jesus be a corrective to you this morning… he doesn’t give relief because you’ve made yourself impressive or loud or worthy or competent enough to warrant his help.

Thankfully the story doesn’t end here. Jesus’ statement is not passive-aggressive against the woman. Nor is it a comment of his lack of love for a hurting person. He’s teaching his disciples, and us, his mission! Remember, he went to a place his mission was not, that’s Tyre and Sidon, so he can show us his mission: to save those who do not deserve it and can’t do anything about it.

That brings me to my second point. To Receive Jesus’ mercy:

Bring what Jesus really desires.

Let’s look at verse 25: But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

proskyneō (pro-sku-na-yo)

I have a problem with that word “knelt” here in this text. My problem is that the word, “knelt” is too politically correct. You see, in the Greek, that word is “proskyneō (pro-sku-na-yo).” Proskyneo is more like the posture of a dog licking his master’s hand than it is of just kneeling. That’s how prostrate she was when she says, “Lord, help me.” The posture expresses an attitude of one’s complete dependence and submission to a high authority figure. Literally falling down and worshipping.”

Her words here are a simple but sincere repetition of her earlier cries, “Lord, help me.” We can feel the agony and heartache of this woman, as well as the trust she has in Jesus. She knows he is her only help to bring relief and healing to her daughter. This woman puts her whole hope in Jesus. It was a posture of prayerfulness that she was banking on. She recognized her need for him and in referring to Jesus as Lord and Son of David, she places her entire trust in Him.

kynarion (ku-nay-re-on)

Again, Jesus stuns us. It’s almost as if Jesus wants to offend and drive her away. Look how He answers her in verse 26, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” How insulting! In his metaphor Jesus is calling her a dog. How can he do that?

• She rightly identified Jesus as the Messiah and King.
• She relentlessly pursued him knowing that he is the only one who could meet her needs and heal her daughter.
• She humbled herself in worship and simply asked for help.

If these aren’t already displays of faith, then I don’t know what is. But Jesus knows her faith is far greater than just these actions, and it is a faith that is far greater than even his disciples would possess. It’s a faith that won’t be kept from God’s promises and Jesus knows this about her.

He wants to draw out and display this great faith to all of us so that we will be encouraged and imitate her faith. Look at how Jesus draws out her great faith.

Looking again at verse 26, it seems as if Jesus is acting like a typical Jew in the first century, calling a Gentile woman a “dog.” Some scholars have pointed to the word that Jesus uses for dog is actually, kynarion (ku-nay-re-on); or little dog, as a hint that Jesus is being playful with her and calling her a household puppy that everyone loves. While we can’t see Jesus’ face or hear his vocal inflection, I’m guessing, as a master teacher, he probably said all of this graciously and with a wink. Whatever the case, Jesus is ready to expose her great faith, and she’s willing to play along.

Her response demonstrates she won’t be deterred and that she indeed does have great faith. So, she says in verse 27, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” In other words, even those outside the bounds of your mission get to enjoy the overflow of your mission.

This is exactly what Jesus wanted to draw out by his metaphor. This woman has great faith and he affirms her faith. Her daughter was healed immediately as Jesus responds to her faith. She came with exactly what Jesus responds to; faith to trust in him. Great faith hounds Jesus for his mercy… and receives it!

You see people, Jesus isn’t looking for you to be all put together; all self-helped, confident, or strong. He’s looking for your absolute trust of him, even when it may seem he doesn’t have an interest in your needs.

• He responds to faith that sees him for who he is.
• He responds to faith that cries out to him for relief.
• He responds to faith that humbles itself in worship to his sovereign ways.
• He responds to great faith that hounds him until he answers.

Maybe you’ve believed you have to be perfect for Jesus to pay attention to your needs. Or you’ve placed your trust in Jesus before, but you’ve taken matters into your own hands. He is looking for your complete trust in him, not anything else. This is what Jesus desires.

If you’re like this mother in the story: tired, stressed, frazzled and wanting relief. I want to tell you that Jesus is full of this kind of relief for anyone who would humbly come to him and place their faith in Him. If all you can do is throw your faith at the mercy of Jesus because that’s all you have left, Jesus will respond. Stop relying on yourself, and trust Jesus in faith. In your need, in your heartbreak, in your anxiety– you can trust Jesus! He’s looking for your faith. Trust him! Take that trust right to him. He will bring relief!

Gospel

The gospel is that Jesus humbled himself and came to our broken world. He lived perfectly, in our place so that we don’t have to perform to get his approval. He was harassed, anxious, frazzled and suffered the pain of death on the cross. He came and beat death and freed us as he conquered his own death. This was Jesus’ mission. When we believe this, Jesus says death will have no victory over me, the world will have no victory over me because my savior conquered death and this world. Remember that when we are tired, stressed, frazzled, and need relief.

If you never placed your faith in Jesus, I want you to make the decision to place your faith in Jesus right now, trust him to bring you relief from death, the punishment of our sins and shortcomings. You don’t have to attempt to push back death by your own efforts. You can enjoy the relief and rest that Jesus provides by simply trusting in him.

I’m not going to ask you to stand or repeat after me, but if you did make the decision to trust in Jesus, I want you take the bulletin you received upon coming in, fill in the communication card and check off the square saying you want to put your trust in Jesus and hand it to one of our ushers on the way out or in the basket at our connect desk.  Our team would love to meet with you, pray with you and get to know you.

Let’s pray.

God, we are constantly amazed by your love and mercy for us. You are constantly trying to draw us closer to you. Lord, there are people in this room who are making a decision to place their faith in your Son today. I ask that you give them boldness, the same boldness that this woman has to step out in profound faith, and trust in your Son.

There are also people in this room who are struggling with an obstacle so great, so hard, that they feel unqualified to seek your assistance; I ask you give them relief and provide comfort because you have overcome all and nothing shall surpass it. Help all of us respond like this woman and place our identity and hope in your sacrifice on the cross, and your resurrection. We love you. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.