Matthew 15:21-28

In Matthew chapter 15, it's on page 982, if you're using a church Bible.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 15, and we're going to read the whole of this chapter.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

So let's hear God's Word together.

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,

Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?

They don't wash their hands before they eat.

Jesus replied,

Jesus called the crowd and said,

Listen and understand.

What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean.

Then the disciples came to him and asked,

Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?

He replied,

If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.

Peter said,

Explain the parable to us.

Are you still so dull?

Jesus asked them.

Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

These are what make a man unclean.

But eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean.

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him crying out,

Lord, son of David, have mercy on me.

My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.

Jesus did not answer a word.

So his disciples came to him and urged him,

Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.

He answered,

I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.

The woman came and knelt before him.

Lord, help me, she said.

He replied,

It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.

Yes, Lord, she said,

But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.

Then Jesus answered,

Woman, you have great faith.

Your request is granted.

And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee.

Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

Then great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others,

and laid them at his feet, and he healed them.

The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,

the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.

And they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said,

I have compassion for these people.

They've already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.

I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.

His disciples answered,

Where can we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?

How many loaves do you have?

Jesus asked.

Seven, they replied, and a few small fish.

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,

and when he'd given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples,

and they in turn to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied.

Afterwards, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

The number of those who ate was 4,000 besides women and children.

After Jesus had sent the crowd away,

he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Amen.

But thinking about this,

so we're continuing to look at grace in the Gospel of Matthew.

And here is our theme for this morning,

that you and I are invited to the feast to enjoy God's grace.

In 19th century High Society New York,

there was a group that was simply known as the 400.

They were led by a lady called Mary Astor,

and they were very carefully ranked.

They were called the 400 because that's how many people she could fit into her ballroom.

That's how many people she would invite to her great banquets.

And she was very careful about who was in and who was out.

To be 401 in 19th century New York was to be a nobody,

to find yourself with no place at the party.

Different day, different era.

But do we recognize that mindset in our own day?

Jesus' day had barriers of division based on religion,

based on gender, based on geography.

We also, we have different labels,

but there are still divisions within society

based on economics or based on the work that we do,

based on our appearance perhaps.

There are still this tendency,

there's still this tendency to divide into insider and outsider.

It has been said, I think rightly said,

that we are by and large a graceless society.

We are so busy competing with one another,

we are so busy comparing ourselves,

sometimes jealous, sometimes proud,

that there is little or no room for mercy,

for apology, for forgiveness,

or to extend a welcome to somebody outside of our group.

I think we've seen that even this week in our national politics.

Maybe you come here today and that's your life.

You are exhausted because you're very aware

that there is a grade that you want to make.

You're looking for approval and you're finding that to be tiring.

Perhaps you may be in that state of despair.

I know I'm never going to be in that group.

I'm never going to be that person.

I'm never going to make it.

Or maybe we're just looking around thinking,

does life really have to be this way?

Or is there a better way?

Is there a way of grace?

Do you know when we think about

the way people tend to divide and label and judge?

It's really important for us to ask the question,

is this what God is like?

Does God label?

Does God have a 400 club

that we need to earn our way into?

Do we need to measure up

to make the grade?

That's why Matthew chapter 15 is good news for us.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

Because in Matthew chapter 15,

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

we find Jesus once again offering the greatest of all invitations.

We're going to see Jesus offering the invitation to life with God,

to enjoy in God.

And that comes not on the basis of performance or background.

It comes on the basis of God's grace,

God's free and undeserved kindness to sinners.

And that's something that's received, again,

not by working really hard to receive.

We get it through faith in Jesus.

So we're going to hear an invitation to God's feast.

In some of our readings, some of our singings,

we've heard of this theme that the kingdom of God

is pictured throughout the Bible as a feast.

It's a repeating theme.

We could see it, in fact, from the very beginning.

When Adam and Eve, the first people were made,

they were placed in the Garden of Eden,

which was this wonderful garden where there was plenty,

there was generous provision.

Or we could go to the story of the Exodus.

We can remember that God set the people free

from being slaves in Egypt.

They found themselves in the wilderness

and they had nothing to eat.

And what did God do?

God literally rained down food on them

so that they would be satisfied.

And they were heading towards the promised land,

which was described as a land flowing with milk and honey.

God's place was a generous place.

God wants to meet with His people to provide for them.

Even when things began to go wrong

in Old Testament Israelite history,

when they turned to other gods,

when they walked away from God's law,

there was still hope of restoration.

So you come to a prophet like Isaiah.

In Isaiah chapter 25,

Isaiah 25 · chapter mention

he gives this wonderful picture

of life at the end of the age

where there's no more death and pain and crying.

And God has laid out this great feast

so that He can provide for His people,

for those who have faith.

And then Jesus comes.

And if you know anything of the teaching of Jesus

and the parables of Jesus,

He spent a lot of time teaching at meals,

using meals and feasts

as a picture of the kingdom of heaven.

And two of His most famous miracles,

the feeding of the 5,000,

in this one that we read,

the feeding of the 4,000,

again, here is Jesus saying,

I am God.

And just like God did in the Old Testament,

I am here to provide a feast

so people can enjoy grace

and to enjoy it freely.

So that is a big theme

that you can trace all the way through the Bible.

And we can also see it

working its way through chapter 15.

So we met in the first 20 verses,

the Pharisees,

the religious leaders.

These were the guys

who considered themselves to be the insiders.

You know, we judge everyone else

who's not like us.

We are sure we are in God's team.

But what happens is

because they don't have faith in Jesus,

because they reject His authority,

because they are hostile to Him,

they won't sit and eat with Him

and with His friends.

That's a picture of being outside of,

receiving God's grace through Jesus.

But then by contrast,

we come to verses 21 to 28.

And we see Jesus in conversation

with a Canaanite woman.

And we see that proverb in verse 27,

from verse 26 rather,

it's not right to take the children's bread

and toss it to their dogs.

Jesus is using a proverb

based around the family table.

And what we discover is that this Canaanite,

this enemy by nature of God's people,

she has faith.

And so she gets to enjoy grace.

And then it moves,

Jesus moves from there towards the Sea of Galilee

and He feeds 4,000 people in great need

who are also outside of Israel,

outside of sort of the line of the covenant promises,

but they enjoy a feast in the wilderness.

So this is a really significant chapter for Matthew.

He's saying to us,

Jesus is God.

He is doing exactly what God did in the Old Testament.

He's come by grace to invite people to enjoy life with Him,

which is pictured as a feast.

And Matthew is telling us,

here is the way to enter into that,

and it's by faith.

Not by claiming our own goodness or self-righteousness like the Pharisees,

but coming aware of our need,

coming with faith.

And for those who do,

there is a feast of God's goodness to enjoy.

So the feast,

that's our theme for today.

So two questions for us.

First one is this,

who is invited to the feast?

And we can make that personal,

am I invited to the feast?

Look with me at verse 21.

Simple words,

but with great significance.

Verse 21 begins,

leaving that place.

So where has Jesus been?

He's been in Israel.

He's been with those religious insiders who reject Him,

who are hostile to Him.

So He's leaving that place.

Where does He go?

We're told Jesus withdrew

to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

Now that might not mean too much to us,

but to Matthew's first century readers,

there are alarm bells going off all over the place.

Because if you hear Tyre and Sidon,

you hear enemies of God.

Tyre and Sidon was one of those groups in the Old Testament

that made a habit of attacking Israel as the people of God.

They robbed the temple.

They took some of Israel away to be slaves.

These are not the good guys.

And yet here is Jesus,

and He's on a long walk,

50 to 60 miles.

He's walking here,

not to judge enemies,

but to show grace to enemies.

And so we're presented with this almost shocking contrast.

You've got the insiders,

the Pharisees,

and they reject Jesus.

They want nothing to do with God's Savior.

But by contrast,

this former enemy,

this Canaanite woman,

she receives the invitation,

and so she enjoys grace.

Jesus is on this mission of extravagant grace.

And the guest list,

just as was the case last week,

the guest list highlights that for us.

So we're told in verse 22 quite explicitly

that Jesus is dealing with a Canaanite woman.

And again,

the label that would have been attached to her

from a religious society would be,

this is a sinner.

This is somebody to avoid,

but not Jesus.

And once he's finished ministering,

helping her,

Jesus then moves on.

And look at verse 30 and 31.

We read,

Great crowds came to him,

bringing the lame,

the blind,

the crippled,

the mute,

and many others,

and laid them at his feet.

And he healed them.

The people were amazed

when they saw the mute speaking.

The crippled made well,

the lame walking,

and the blind seeing.

And they praised the God of Israel.

So here are some foreigners

in desperate situations.

We know they're foreigners

because in the end,

they turn and praise the God of Israel.

Implication,

that's not naturally who they belong to.

But here are some of the lowest in society.

Those who have,

as it were,

nothing to bring to the table

except their own need.

And what we discover

is that Jesus feeds them.

Jesus shows grace.

To these two,

this woman and this group,

they know their place.

They know that they have no claim

on Jesus' love and mercy and kindness.

The Pharisees thought,

absolutely,

they earn it.

And so they get nothing.

But for those who see themselves

as needy,

with no claim,

Jesus instantly heals

the woman's daughter.

Jesus heals this vast crowd.

And then he provides a feast

in the wilderness,

just as God had done

in the Old Testament.

It's so that we're beginning to see

that life in God's kingdom

is about enjoying God's grace

as it comes to us in Jesus.

And we are invited to receive that

as a gift

with thankfulness,

with humility.

One of the truly unique things

about Jesus

and about Christianity

compared with every other religion

is this.

Your religion says,

climb the ladder up to God.

Work really hard.

Make merit.

Go on great walks

and make great sacrifices

in the hope that

you can do enough

that the gods

might be pleased with you.

The Bible reveals to us

that our God is perfect

and that He is holy

and that He is without sin

and that He hates sin.

And so Christianity

is very honest

in saying,

in the first place,

well, as sinful people,

we cannot ever be good enough

for a holy God

if our hope rests

on making our way up

to God's standard.

We have no hope.

But then there is

this wonderful news

that Jesus has come down.

Not that we go up,

that Jesus has come down

to be Emmanuel,

to be God with us.

And that He's come to do that

to bring us to God

as an act of undeserved grace.

Our King has come near

to save us

and to provide for us.

I watched a documentary

from Bhutan.

The former King of Bhutan

in 2016,

he was celebrating

his 60th birthday.

So his son,

who was the new king,

put on this lavish celebration.

It was a day

of national holiday.

And then there was,

I think,

30,000 tickets issued

so that you could go

to the national stadium

and you could watch

singing and dancing.

And then at one point,

the king came

and he sort of did

a walk around the pitch.

And the person

who was doing

the documentary,

he interviewed

one excited student

who'd spent two days

on a bus

to have the chance

to see the king.

And he was like,

this is the happiest day

of my life

to be able to see

the king.

He was very glad.

What Christianity offers

is much, much better

than that.

The amazing news

of the Bible

is that Jesus

is God's king

who invites us in

and not just to see him

at a distance

in a stadium,

Jesus invites us

to feast with him,

to enjoy grace from him,

to enjoy God's love

through knowing him,

to find peace and joy

and eternal security

in him.

He is inviting us

to a feast.

It's what makes Jesus

so different.

Jesus, the one who came

to break down barriers

in order to show grace

to people that don't earn it

and deserve it.

Here is Jesus

on a long walk

to Tyre and Sidon,

but we can think

of another long walk,

another long journey

of Jesus.

Think about Jesus

leaving the glory of heaven

to come,

to take on human nature,

to live among us

and think about the walks

that Jesus does

on his mission

to show compassion

and mercy

and love

to those who are rejected,

despised,

and hated by others

and then see Jesus'

long walk

to the cross.

Think of Jesus

there

being regarded

as the ultimate outsider,

rejected by the people,

feeling forsaken

by his father

so that you and I,

we might become insiders,

we might receive

that grace

that's promised.

Jesus has come

to die on the cross

to deal with

the greatest

of all walls

of division,

the barrier of sin

that separates us

from a holy God.

Jesus takes

the sin

of his people

on himself,

dying,

facing the penalty

that sin deserves

so that by faith

in Jesus

we might know

and enjoy

life with God.

This is our

good news message

and this is our

church mission,

this is the walk

we are to take

to tell people

of a God of grace

and love.

This explains

the work

of our global

mission partners.

We can think

of Manuel

and Patty

Rianno

in Colombia

as they work

with teens

who live

on the streets

in Colombia.

Or we can think

of Patrick Jock

in South Sudan

who's caring

for refugees.

We can think

of Hendro

from Indonesia

who's training

evangelists

to go and share

the gospel

with unreached

Muslim people groups.

Why?

Because our God

is a God

of grace

and a God

who wants

to break down

barriers of division

so that all people

can hear of

his great love

for them

seen in Jesus.

And this is

to motivate

our mission

to in our

day to day

that we would

pray,

please make me

an agent

of grace.

To ask God

for help

for us

to make

our long

walk of grace.

Perhaps to walk

across a room

to talk to

a student

who looks lonely

or looks

stressed.

Perhaps it's

crossing the street

to spend time

with a neighbour

that you know

is going through

hard times.

Perhaps

like Jesus

we can share

a meal

as a way

to extend

something of the

grace of God

to others.

To buy a coffee

to invite someone

into a deeper

friendship.

To welcome

someone into

our family

meals.

For those of us

who have received

grace

it is then

to motivate us

in our mission

to share

Jesus

with the hope

that anyone

who will trust

in Jesus

is invited

to this

feast.

Second question

to think about

and this is where

we're going to

concentrate on the

faith of the

Canaanite women

here.

How does

someone

enter this

feast that

Jesus

provides?

How do I

enter the

feast of

God's

grace?

You know

so we're

saying that

King Jesus

has come

to do

all that

God had

done in the

Old Testament

to give us

this wonderful

access into

his kindness

into his love

into his joy.

That's only

good news

if we see

that that's

something that

we need.

That's only

good news

if we will

come to him

in faith.

And so we're

going to think

about the

faith of

this Canaanite

woman for a

few moments.

Let's think

about her

situation.

Verse 22,

a Canaanite

woman from

that vicinity

came to him

crying out,

Lord, son

of David,

have mercy

on me.

My daughter

is suffering

terribly from

demon possession.

Here is a

desperate parent.

I met a

friend this

week whose

child years

ago now had

been seriously

ill and he

was speaking

about living

with that

trauma still.

And so it's

important for us

to think how

is this woman

feeling as she

sees day after

day her

daughter who

she loves

controlled by

the forces of

evil.

What's she going

to do in that

helpless situation?

She comes to

Jesus.

And as she

comes to Jesus

we're presented

with one of the

most, on one

hand, fascinating

on the other

hand, difficult

conversations that

Jesus has with

another person.

It can seem like

Jesus is being

harsh with his

silence.

He can seem

like he is

perhaps unwilling

to help if we

read it at a

surface level.

And so it's

important for us

to do our

background work

to think what

do we know,

what have we

discovered about

Jesus?

So remember

we've already

been told he's

coming to Tyre

and Sidon, he's

leaving behind

those who are

hostile, he wants

to show grace

and kindness to

outsiders.

So we know

that, that's why

he's on the

move and we

see that because

he feeds a

great crowd of

people who

aren't Jew.

And that ties

in with all

that we know

of Jesus'

mission.

Jesus said it's

not the healthy

that need a

doctor but it's

the sick.

He's not come

to call the

self-righteous but

those who know

that they are

sinners to repent

and to come to

him.

We also saw a

couple of weeks

ago in Matthew

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 we

were clued into

this fact in

Jesus' family

tree, family

history where

you discover here

are women who

are outsiders who

have surprising

sometimes shocking

stories and they

are brought into

the family line

of Jesus.

A few chapters

back we also

meet another

person who's said

to have great

faith.

Two times Jesus

said in Matthew's

gospel somebody

had great faith.

One was this

woman from Canaan,

the other was a

Roman soldier,

an enemy

centurion who

is also said to

have great faith

and he too

receives help.

So we understand

at least in part

something of the

heart of Jesus

and the mission

of Jesus and the

disciples know that

as well.

They have never

seen Jesus turn

anyone away who

comes to him

for help.

So let's think

about how this

goes and especially

let's think how

do we see her

faith?

First of all I

think we can see

it in the posture

that she adopts.

Verse 22, what

does she look for

from Jesus?

She cries out

for mercy.

She wants Jesus

to look on her

in her helpless

misery and to

act.

She's not claiming

any right or

merit.

And then in

verse 25 is she

draws near to

Jesus.

What's her

posture there?

The woman came

and knelt

before him.

She is humble.

She is begging

for help.

Faith is humble.

Faith sees

our needs

and recognizes

that by rights

we have no claim

on God

and his love.

But faith

comes.

We also see

that faith

in this woman's

case is extremely

persistent.

So we hear her

crying out for

help in verse 22

but then in verse

23 perhaps

surprisingly Jesus

did not answer a

word.

She keeps on

going.

And again Jesus

says to his

disciples,

I was sent only

to the lost

sheep of Israel.

So he's been

silent and he said

I'm only sent to

the lost sheep of

Israel.

Then as she

continues to beg

Jesus then says

it's not right to

take the children's

bread and toss it

to their dogs.

Which again sounds

on a surface level

like Jesus is being

harsh or being

unwilling.

What's going on

here?

Well two things I

think.

First of all

Jesus is making

a point that his

first priority is

to the people

of God to

Israel because

he has come to

fulfill all the

promises of the

Old Testament.

He has come to

be the true king

in the line of

David, the one

who will reign for

God forever.

And he's also

come to be the

seed of Abraham

that will bring

blessing not just

to Israel but to

the nations and

that's significant.

So Jesus is

talking about his

priority and we

see Jesus is very

focused in his

mission.

He makes

occasional forays

into sort of

outsider or enemy

territory but most

of his time he is

on this mission to

fulfill the promises

that God had made

in the Old Testament

that he had come to

be their saviour.

But there's one other

thing I think that

Jesus is doing and we

see him do it in other

places.

He's wanting to see

this woman's faith,

to exercise faith.

Will she keep on

asking?

Will she trust that

Jesus has grace

sufficient to meet

her needs?

And her faith is

amazing.

So even after that

family table proverb

verse 26 where

Jesus is saying you

know if you had

children and you

have a dog in the

family home it is

natural that you feed

the children first and

that's what we do if

we have dogs.

But here her

persistent faith in

verse 27.

Yes Lord she said

but even the dogs

eat the crumbs that

fall from the

master's table.

She says yes I

agree absolutely

that Israel has

priority but remember

you've given that

that family proverb

and there's a dog in

there.

I'm happy to be

considered a dog if

you would just give

me even a scrap so

that I can get help

for my daughter.

I know this isn't my

time perhaps until

after Jesus' death and

resurrection that when

when the gospel goes

global but she says

please feed me anyway.

Please give me grace

and mercy anyway.

And what we see is

that her faith is in

line with the message

of Matthew and the

mission of Jesus.

Very beginning we have

that genealogy that

reminds us that God's

people has always just

been wider than

simply national Israel.

We get to the end of

Matthew 28 and we come

to the Great Commission

and we see go and make

disciples of all nations.

And so her faith stands

in that line that says

God's kingdom is bigger

and wider than we

imagine and that's good

news.

Does the woman get

scraps?

Verse 28.

Woman you have great

faith.

Your request is granted.

And her daughter was

healed from that very

hour.

She don't get scraps.

She gets a feast of God's

kindness.

She has faith.

She's part of the family

of God.

And so Jesus lovingly

provides for her.

The crucial thing about

her faith is that it

rests in the person of

Jesus.

Look at how she talks

about Jesus in verse 22.

She calls him Lord.

There's honor.

There's respect.

But then she calls him

son of David.

And son of David is

savior language.

That she understands that

this man standing in front

of her is God's promised

king.

God's promised savior.

And so she knows by faith

to come to him with her

needs.

And that's the wonderful

lesson that we receive

from her story.

You and I,

we need to come hungry

to Jesus.

To see our need

of his grace

in our lives.

And when we do,

we will discover

that he can

and he does

truly satisfy

our deepest needs.

Whatever that might be.

So you might be here

and you feel

burdened by

sin

and guilt

and you

want to be

right with God.

You know that all

is not well

between you

and God

and you know

that you can't

fix it.

So you need to come

to Jesus

in faith

and recognize

that his work

on the cross

is for you.

That he has died

so that you might

be forgiven.

That you might

be reconciled

to God.

That you might

be adopted

into the family

of God.

But perhaps

we're here today

and our need

is different.

Perhaps burdened

by responsibilities.

Perhaps caring

for family

and friends.

Perhaps working

through some

difficult situations

and we feel

empty

or we feel

tired

and again

in faith

we need to

invite Jesus

in there too.

To invite him

to be

our strength

when we feel

weak.

To be our

wisdom

when we feel

like we don't

necessarily

have the

answers.

To be that

friend that

we need

as we seek

to be a

friend to

others.

Because grace

doesn't just

sustain,

doesn't just

save us,

it also

sustains us.

And so every

day as Christians

we also need

to put our

faith in God

to receive

grace from

him day

by day.

Truth is

whoever we

are today,

whatever our

story coming

into this place

today,

grace is on

offer to

each one

of us

and grace

is what

we need.

And so all

of us,

whoever we

are,

we are called

like this

woman to

come to

Jesus,

to trust

in him.

If we are

here today

and we're

tired of

the graceless

culture that

we see,

tired of

division and

separation and

competition and

rivalry and

you want a

new way,

you find it

in Jesus.

If you're

aware of

guilt and

wanting rescue,

you find that

in Jesus.

If we're

spending ourselves

on others and

we feel empty,

we find grace

through Jesus.

So the message

to all of us

is the same.

Come to

Jesus in faith

and feast on

the grace that

he longs to

provide for us.