The Excluded Become Included (Matthew 15 21-28)

I.             Introduction – Putting People in Boxes.

People love to put other people in boxes. I some countries the boxes are quite delineated and are called things like the class or the caste system. I know in countries like USA and Canada you don’t think you have a class system, but the truth of the matter is we really do because we divide people up into different groups based on ethnicity of earnings. In my estimation I thank every society includes people who feel left out, people who don’t get chosen or don’t feel they have access to all the society has to offer.

We sometimes exclude others because of pride or fear or ignorance or the desire to feel superior. You only have to fly on a plane to see people divided. The first-class people are given bigger comfier seats and are served gourmet food and drinks in crystal glass, with their own flight attendant. The rest of sit in 2nd class eating snacks served in paper bags with plastic wrappers. The first-class passengers had room to stretch and sleep and those of us in standard are within the proximity usually reserved for engaged couple. The first class passengers had flight attendants bring them moist towels for comfort and personal hygiene those of us in coach have to sit and Stew in our grubbiness. Once the plane is underway the curtain is usually drawn to emphasis the separation between the two compartments. The curtain is a reminder throughout the flight that some people are first class and some aren’t those who aren’t first class are not to violate the boundary they can’t even see what’s going on on the other side of the curtain. Let the curtain stand for the tendency deep inside the fallen human spirit the tendency to exclude other people. These acts of exclusion I should say we divide the world into us and them. These terms simply point out that we are different and reviles in the  differences between human beings.

These differences are as old as time itself; we love to put people in boxes. In the 1st century it was the Pharisees who put people in boxes, and they excluded most other people. Their main object of exclusion were the gentiles, so despised were the gentiles in the eyes of the Pharisees that the Pharisees called the gentiles dogs,  and that was not a complimentary term as I will explain in a minute.

When Jesus came along, he took exception to that attitude and that action on the part of the Pharisees and he taught his disciples to do something radically different. It’s a lesson he initially taught the 12 apostles and it’s the lesson that the Church of Jesus Christ particularly in the west needs to learn today.

Now we’ve been going through the Gospel of Matthew paragraph at a time, and I’ve pointed out that when we get to this section of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus has withdrawn from his public ministry in Galilee and he is now concentrating on training his 12 disciples.

We’ve looked at two different lessons and what is sort of been a disciple training camp. What is fascinating in the is that Jesus steps outside of the nation of Israel the opening verses tell us that he went to tire and sight and then in verse 29 we’re told he came back through Galilee he skirted the sea of Galilee, and he went into the mountains. Another passage parallel to this and the gospel of mark tells us that he went to Decapolis which was a gentile Pagan area and that’s reflected in this passage by the fact that in verse 31 they glorified the God of Israel not their God, the God of Israel.

In other words, this passage can be divided into two parts in the first part he’s dealing with a gentile mother and in the second part he’s dealing with a gentile multitude. I want us to look at these two sections of this single passage because there is an enormously important spiritual lesson let’s begin with the gentile mother.

II.            A Gentile Woman Demonstrates Faith

21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

(Matthew 15:24)

We need to have a little geography lesson to appreciate what’s going on here. Jesus has stepped outside of the nation of Israel and he’s gone to Phoenicia two of the real important cities of Phoenicia we’re tire and Sidon, now what would strike a reader of the 1st century immediately is that the significance of this is that Jesus has left the nation of Israel which in that day among the rabbis was unthinkable.

They would never do that as a matter of fact this is the only time that Jesus ever goes outside the nation of Israel but furthermore it’s just it’s not just that he went out of the nation of Israel over to the gentiles he went to a portion of the gentiles that was the most hated among the Jews as a matter of fact to see that/ Just look at verse 22.

 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 

(Matthew 15:24)

Matthew takes pains to point out that this a woman of Canaan. If you know anything at all about the Bible, you know that in the Old Testament the Canaanites were the arch enemies of the Israelites so Jesus is going to that despised hated portion of Phoenicia and tire was at the top of the list in that already despised region he’s going to the enemies of Israel. Some suggest that this was for a rest trying to get for the hub bub of Israel. Be all that as it may they left Israel they get into Phoenicia to the region of tyre and Sidon and this gentile woman, a Canaanite, cries out and says have mercy on me oh Lord son of David my daughter is severely demon possessed. What is deeply significant about that statement is the way she addresses him, look again at verse 22, Lord, Son of David.

If you have you been following me as we’ve been studying the Gospel of Matthew, you will recall that back in chapter 12 the people said is not this the son of David and the religious leaders of the day the Pharisees and they said no he did that miracle by the power of Beelzebub. In the flow of the story in the Gospel of Matthew what we have are the Jews especially the Jewish leaders who are rejecting him as the Messiah that’s clearly spelled out in chapter 12 that’s when he started to withdraw and now Matthew suddenly points out and here is this despised hated gentile from type of all places and he recognizes who he is remarkable and certainly the Jews of the 1st century would get the point because she cries out and says have mercy on me my daughter is severely demon possessed.

I think to really appreciate this you almost have to be a mother or no one but dearly cares for her children. It just seems to me this passage oozes with the deep care and concern a mother has for her children there’s nothing quite like the mother love of a parent. She has a daughter who is not just demon possessed with all of the attendant ills that go with that she’s severe demon possessed and this woman will not be denied she’s come hearing about Jesus as the Messiah and she thinks he can heal her daughter so she pleads for mercy. That’s understandable the shocking thing is what that the text says to us in verse 23.

23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.

(Matthew 15: 23)

Doesn’t feel like the compassion Christ does it, the one who went everywhere healing people, and yet he comes to this desperate mother, and she pleads with him have mercy. She recognizes who he is, and he doesn’t so much as say a word to help. Now that might strike you as cruel and immediately, we want to know why did he do that? Well, we don’t have to speculate a lot about this, and he tells in verse 24.

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

(Matthew 15: 24)

In order to appreciate this, you need to understand then in the Old Testament God said he would send the Messiah to Israel and then through Israel the other nations of the world would be blessed. As a matter of fact that’s embedded in the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis chapter 12, so God’s plan all along was to reveal his word to the Jews and they were to give it to the gentiles that’s why we have the expression in the book of Romans to the Jew first and also to the Greek what’s going on here is that Jesus has come to the Jew he started outside of the land for a moment but here are the gentile recognizing him as the Messiah but it’s not time for him to be declared the Messiah yet and if the gentiles start doing that it’s going to really cause problems in his primary ministry.

At this point he is just silent well, as you can imagine that provokes some reaction. But it says he answered, not a word and the disciples came and urged him saying send her away if she’s bothering us. There are several ways to take this encounter away without telling her to go . The disciples are saying just get rid of her she’s bothering us and then she speaks up and said to them what I mentioned a moment ago. 

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 

(Matthew 15: 25-27)

Notice she came and worshipped him and the word worship simply means that she bowed down before him saying Lord help me. Now he’s got to speak to her and when he does so he says, “it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs”. So, what does that mean. Bible experts believe the children are the children of Israel and the little dogs are the gentiles. If you feel that a bit of a strong way to refer to the gentiles but notice he says, “little dogs”. He doesn’t say, “dogs” he says, “little dogs”.

Let me explain, because that’s a critical little observation to make here. When the Pharisees called the gentiles dogs they meant dogs, they meant scavengers, but the term Jesus uses actually means , pets, We today have dogs as pets, but the term dogs used elsewhere in the New Testament means more like what we would call wolves. Wolves that coming down out of the hills and raid the garbage left in the street. He is deliberately using a different term that suggests a household pet. But what he is saying is you don’t take the children’s food and give it to the household pets, you feed the family first and then give leftovers to the pets. You feed the children first and then the pets get fed, yes, it is often even the same food the children got but what  was left over.

Jesus is saying to her the same thing he said to the disciples, I came to the Jew first and once I have fulfilled, in the sense the gospel has been offered, then we will go to the gentile. I’ve come to the Jews first, I got to feed the children first and then when the little dogs people get fed, but she comes back to him and says, and I love this, she comes back and says in verse 27, “Yes Lord, but even little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. She comes back and says OK let’s use your illustration I’m not suggesting I’m one of the children, I’m not asking for the main course, let the children be fed and satisfied, just give me a crumb .

Verse 28.

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

(Matthew 15: 28)

III.           The Excluded Become Included.

You got to appreciate the mother’s love of this lady and you got to appreciate her persistence she just wouldn’t give up. Think about all the obstacles that she had against her, for one thing as I pointed out she’s a gentile, Jews didn’t have any dealings with the gentiles or anyone from Samaria. 

Secondly, she was a woman and rabbis would not have anything to do with women on top of that the disciples tried to get rid of her and on top of that again  Jesus said I’ve come to the House of Israel. She wouldn’t be denied in the face of all of that opposition. No, she said, I’ll take a crumb I believe you’re the Messiah, I want you to heal my daughter and I will not be denied. I’m not going to let go until loose until you grant me my request. So, the point is this lady had great faith.

We will pause there but before we look at the rest of the passage tomorrow just point out that prior to this Jesus has been taking the disciples through a sort of discipleship course. The first lesson of this is the reminder that they have to walk by faith. When we at the rest of this passage over the next few days we’re going to see they still didn’t get it. So it becomes inescapable as we move through Matthew and see even uo to this point twice now he's tried to teach the disciples demonstrating it miraculously with the feeding of the 5000 and the calming of the storm, yet still they didn’t really get it. 

Then he goes over to Tire and Sidon and this gentile woman not only gets it she gets it, but she immediately also declares I believe you’re the Messiah and I believe you can heal my daughter and I’m not turning you lose until you do it so. 

One of the things that jumps off the page is the fact that she has faith and they don’t,  But I would also suggest that if you want to be included in God’s plan if you want to be included in God’s blessing then you must have faith. Just think about this, here is somebody who is excluded from the Jewish point of view and the Pharisees point of view, but she’s included in God’s plan because she has faith. This lady believed Jesus was the Messiah but she believed beyond that her salvation to see the spiritual  life is lived by faith as well. She not only trusted Jesus as the Messiah she came to him with a deathly ill daughter and wouldn't let go of him until he healed her.

I’d like to suggest That there is another way we can look at this story and perhaps the critical point for us is that here is a lady who is excluded, and the point of the story is those who are excluded are included in the plan of God in Christ. God’s mercy is as wide as the world and his mercy and love wants to include everyone, it doesn’t matter about your race, it doesn’t matter about your gender, it doesn’t matter about your social status. God says come, it’s free, you’re included, just come. That I believe is one of the points of this story this woman of faith who went from excluded to included. And we too are included, juts come in faith.