An Example of Great Faith
Matthew 15:21-28
December 11, 2011
As you know we are in sort of an “Example section” of Matthew’s gospel.
Back in chapter 13
Matthew lumped together for us Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom.
And part of that teaching was to illustrate for us that not everyone who hears the gospel rightly responds to it.
Some are too hard.
Some are too shallow.
Some are too selfish.
And since that time Matthew has been giving us examples
Of those types of people.
We first saw an example of the ROCKY SOIL
Jesus went to His hometown and those people did initially receive Him with great joy, but the second He confronted them, they tried to throw Him off a cliff.
Then we saw an example of WEEDY SOIL
We looked at Herod and how fear of losing the pleasures of life actually caused him to reject the gospel and behead John the Baptist.
Then we saw more ROCKY SOIL
We saw the 5,000 who came to Jesus for healing and bread, but according to John 6 fell away the very next day because they couldn’t tolerate Jesus’ teaching on Him being from heaven.
From there we had an example of GOOD SOIL
The disciples were in the boat, and when Jesus walked to them on water, they worshiped Him. Their faith was little, but it was real.
And then came an example of HARD SOIL
We have spent the last two weeks examining the truth of Jesus versus the tradition of the Pharisees.
And so Matthew has been illustrating for us
Exactly what Jesus was talking about.
That when we go out spreading the seed of the gospel,
Everyone doesn’t always respond favorably.
They didn’t for Jesus, and they won’t for us.
Well, this morning Matthew gives us another positive example. Here we get a picture of GOOD SOIL.
We are allowed to see a woman with “Great Faith”
You will probably remember that this is actually the second example
Of great faith we have seen thus far in Matthew’s gospel.
The first time we learned of “Great Faith” was the Roman centurion,
Who had a sick slave, and when he came to Jesus,
He asked Jesus to heal his slave.
Matthew 8:8-10 “But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”
That Roman centurion was the first to exhibit “Great faith”.
Here we see ANOTHER GENTILE exhibiting “Great faith”.
Canaanite woman
And we will learn, this woman’s faith is great,
Because she was willing to endure to the end.
WE TALK ABOUT TRUE FAITH A LOT.
The Bible makes very clear distinctions between true faith and phony faith.
The Bible is not short on examples of people who say they believe,
But who really don’t.
And so it is important to distinguish the difference between
True faith and phony faith.
And many times we have talked about the difference.
True faith obeys and true faith endures.
If our faith does not possess obedience and endurance,
Then it is not true faith.
And this morning, this woman shows us
The endurance side of true faith.
You will remember one of the main problems with bad soil
Was its lack of endurance.
Matthew 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”
That false faith was actually revealed,
Not because it didn’t accept the truth,
But because it didn’t hold on to the truth.
Endurance is necessary!
And if our faith is to prove genuine, it must have that as well.
Matthew 13:23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
So this morning let me show you an example of great faith.
So we will see four characteristics of this woman’s experience with Jesus,
#1 SHE WAS IGNORED BUT NOT DISCOURAGED
Matthew 15:21-23
“Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.”
So Jesus is leaving those tradition oriented Pharisees behind.
“And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”
So first we recognize this woman was not a Jew,
She wasn’t raised under Jewish Law,
Her entire religious history would have consisted of nothing more
Than worship to idols and false gods.
We can only imagine what it would be like
To worship a god that has the power to do nothing,
Isaiah taught – Worshiping false gods puts the burden on the worshiper
Isaiah 46:5-7 “To whom would you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me, that we would be alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh silver on the scale hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; it cannot deliver him from his distress.”
You have to work to build it.
You have to work to move it.
It can’t do anything on its own.
All it can do is stand there.
Basically false gods are about the equivalent of a paper weight.
All the burden of a false religion falls to the worshiper.
That is nothing like Christianity, were our God lives.
We don’t make Him, He made us.
We don’t move Him, He moves us.
We don’t bare the burdens, He bares the burdens.
This woman has grown up in a pagan Canaanite culture,
All she has ever known is that of the worship of false gods,
I’m sure it has literally tired her out.
Perhaps she had spent time asking those false deities for help,
But of course it was to no avail. They could do nothing.
BUT THEN SHE HEARD OF JESUS.
• He had power to heal all diseases.
• He even had the power to cast out demons.
• He never turned anyone away.
He was the One she needed.
So when she notices Jesus in her region,
She takes full advantage of the situation.
She “came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”
FIRST SEE HER HUMILITY AND REPENTANCE
“Have mercy on me”
She reveals the repentance that must accompany true faith.
She knew she was not worthy to receive the touch of the Master,
But she appealed to His mercy.
She cried out for mercy, and healing for her daughter.
But little did she know, she was about to become an example.
The Lord was about to use her to show us something special.
You see, we know Jesus knows people before they ever come to Him.
John 2:24-25 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
And so Jesus certainly knew the type of faith that was in this woman,
And He is about to us her to show just how enduring true faith can be.
But it starts with her asking for mercy.
Now Jesus, saw people like that every single day.
He has seen His fair share of people who would cry for mercy,
Who would call Him the Son of David,
Who do whatever He wanted if He would work a miracle.
BUT MOST FAITH HE SAW WASN’T SINCERE.
SO THIS WOMAN WAS SELECTED, TO HAVE HER FAITH REVEALED.
So when she comes crying out for mercy and healing,
Jesus does a most remarkable thing.
HE IGNORES HER.
(23) “But He did not answer her a word.”
She came to Jesus, and begged Him,
But He didn’t even acknowledge her presence.
LET ME ASK WHAT YOU WOULD DO IN THAT SITUATION?
What Jesus just did for her,
Was what every false god she had ever prayed to did for her.
HE DIDN’T RESPOND.
Every time she prayed to one of her pagan gods,
She got the same result that Jesus had just given her.
He didn’t do anything. He just sat there, like she wasn’t there.
What is to keep this woman from saying,
“Well, You are just like all the rest.
You aren’t any different from all those other gods people told me could help me.
If I wanted a “do nothing” god, I could have stayed at home.
I guess you don’t have the power, thanks for nothing.”
It would have been very easy to say those words to Jesus.
But that is not what this woman did.
When Jesus didn’t respond, what did she do?
SHE KEPT ON SHOUTING.
(23) “But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.”
He wasn’t listening, so she just kept on shouting.
Why would she do that?
She had FAITH in Jesus.
She knew that Jesus was the only One who could help her,
So what good would it do to go somewhere else?
Had she thought He couldn’t do it, she would have left.
Had she thought someone else could, she would have left.
This woman had faith to continue to call on God,
Even when it seemed as though God wasn’t listening.
Have you ever been there in your life?
When you didn’t get an immediate response to your prayer?
I bet you have. God doesn’t always answer right away,
At those moments we find out if we really believe God can help us,
And if we really believe He is the only One who can help us.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Do you continue to trust God, or do you give up on Him?
This woman had found the only One who could help,
She had no place else to go.
Peter said it best in one of his responses to Christ.
John 6:60-69 “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Some didn’t like what they heard, and quit.
So Jesus asked if the rest wanted to leave too.
Peter said, “Yeah, and go where? Who else could save us?”
That is the same type of thinking that this woman had.
She could leave, but go where?
Who else could heal her daughter? That is a great faith.
She was ignored but not discouraged.
#2 SHE WAS REJECTED BUT ENDURED
Matthew 15:24-25
So Jesus was at first silent, but the woman wouldn’t accept silence.
She hounded Him until He had to answer.
But look at His answer.
“But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
As if the silence wasn’t bad enough,
Now Jesus put into words what His silence had implied.
He looks at her, and says, “I wasn’t sent to help you, I was only sent to help the lost sheep of Israel.”
(This, by the way, was the Jewish mindset)
That is why the disciples told Jesus in verse 23, “Send her away”
Instead of “Help her already”
He basically told her, I don’t have to help you,
Because it is not My mission.
I am the Messiah of the Jews.
Now, think about this for a second.
You’ve come to grips with the fact that only Jesus can help.
He is the only one who can do it, Him and no one else.
So even though He ignores you, you keep on asking,
But what happens when He looks at you
Acknowledges the fact that He can help,
But says, He doesn’t have to help you?
Now do you leave?
Now do you say, “Well, I’m not worthy to be helped, I’ve spent my life worshiping false gods, I deserve to be rejected by Israel’s God.
“Sorry to take up your time Jesus, I guess I’ll be going.”
But that isn’t what she did. Look at what she did.
(25) “But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
Earlier when Jesus responded like all her false gods.
She maintained faith in His power.
This time she reveals her faith in His compassion.
The first time she believed He COULD help her.
This time she believed He WOULD help her.
So instead of leaving, she just cries out harder.
Do we have faith like that?
Do we believe God and God alone can help us,
Do we believe God will help us?
This woman exercised that tremendous faith.
There is another Canaanite woman like that in the Bible.
Hebrews 11:31 “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.”
SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE IN A PAGAN CITY.
What in the world would make her think that God would spare her?
SHE BELIEVED GOD TO BE MERCIFUL
That was faith in the mercy of God, just as this woman had here.
We must be the same way.
Not just faith in God’s POWER, But faith in God’s MERCY.
Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
We must believe that God is merciful,
And that if I cry out to Him, He will come.
Now, I know we are those who believe in God’s sovereign plan,
And we understand that sometimes God allows
Bad things to happen to His children.
But don’t let that throw you into some doubt about God’s mercy.
I’m talking about trusting the promises He makes.
He promises that if you call on Him He will be merciful.
BELIEVE THAT!
This woman had faced down two barriers,
And we see that her faith was great.
She was ignored but not discouraged
She was rejected but endured
#3 SHE WAS INSULTED YET HUMBLE
Matthew 15:26-27
So the woman has endured great struggles already.
And now she has humbled herself to the point
Of coming and bowing before Jesus.
Picture the scene.
She is prostrating herself before Him.
And look at what He says:
(26) “And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
OUCH!
It was common that Jews believed Gentiles were unclean.
It was no doubt that the disciples even smirked at such a statement.
(No doubt Jesus was teaching His disciples a lesson here too. i.e. Good Samaritan)
Jesus apparently insults this woman.
If you are this woman, what would you have done?
Jumped up and said, “You don’t have the right to talk to me that way.
I’m a human being. I don’t have to take this from you.”
“Who do you think you are?”
But that woman didn’t do that.
You see, she knew who He was, and she believed in His goodness.
(27) “But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
TALK ABOUT HUMILITY!
Would we be willing to exhibit that kind of faith, even if it meant taking a dose of humility?
Many never come to Jesus,
Because they are never willing to realize who they really are before Him.
Some never come in humility to the Master.
AND YET HUMILITY IS REQUIRED.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This woman had learned that.
She had come to a conviction in her own mind
Jesus was the only One who could help,
And nothing could turn her away.
Faith that is real, is faith that endures.
Silence can’t stop it. Rejection can’t stop it. Pride can’t stop it.
Ignored but not discouraged
Rejected but endured.
Insulted yet humble, and because of that.
#4 SHE WAS EXALTED AND REWARDED
Matthew 15:28
Her great endurance proved her great faith.
It is our endurance that not only perfects our faith,
But it is endurance that proves our faith.
Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
When we persevere, it produces hope,
Because it proves that our faith is real.
UNLIKE PETER (“little faith”) – nothing could stop her. “GREAT FAITH”
How is your faith?
Do you trust Jesus?
Hebrews 11:6a “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is…”
Do you believe that God is?
Do you believe that He is the Savior?
Do you believe that He is the Deliverer?
Do you believe that He is the Protector, and Provider?
Goes on to say
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Do you believe that God is a rewarder?
Do you believe that He will Save you?
Do you believe that He will Deliver you?
Do you believe that He will Protect you and Provide for you?
That is what great faith is, and that is what this woman has.
Charles Spurgeon summed up this story like this.
“The Lord of glory surrendered to the faith of the woman.”
He will surrender to your faith as well.
Remember this story?
Luke 18:1-8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘ Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
It is no different.
Give God faith like this woman.
Matthew 13:23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
