Immense Faith From An Insignificant Figure

January 10, 2010 Preacher: Randy Smith Series: Matthew

Scripture: Matthew 15:21–39

Transcript

Immense Faith From An Insignificant Figure

Matthew 15:21-39
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Pastor Randy Smith



In Christianity, our faith stands forefront and centralized. It is indispensable.

The Jews are rebuked in the Psalms because they, "Did not trust in [God's] salvation" (Psm. 78:22) and "did not believe in [God's] wonderful works" (Psm. 78:32) and "did not believe in [God's] word" (Psm. 106:24). Paul told the Galatians that it is all about "faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). Jesus said, "You will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He" (Jn. 8:24). We are called to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). The writer to the Hebrews could not make it any clearer: "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" (Heb. 11:6).

It is all about faith. "The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).

Since faith is so important, we should naturally expect our Lord to identify and categorize people based upon the extent of their faith. He does just that in the Bible. And we have witnessed it recently.

At the lowest end we have the Pharisees. They were the spiritual elites of the land. Raised within the Covenant (Rom. 9:4) and self-professed guides to the spiritually blind (Rom. 2:19). Yet they continually challenged Jesus (cf. Mt. 16:1-4) and orchestrated His execution (Mt. 12:14). As a whole, their actions revealed they had no faith in God.

Next were the disciples. They walked with Jesus over a course of years. They heard His teaching and witnessed His miracles firsthand (like the ones we see in verses 29-31 of chapter 15). Yet even these folks, though on the Lord's side, were routinely castigated as having "little faith" as we have seen in 6:30; 8:26; and 14:31.

Speaking of the disciple's faith, a good example comes within the context of our passage. They had already witnessed Jesus' miraculous feeding the 5,000 (Mt. 14:13-21) and verses 32-39 of our chapter testify that He fed another large multitude. You would think that that would be enough to convince even a skeptic, how much more the disciples! Yet what do we read immediately following this miracle? Chapter 16, verse 8, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?" Once again, "You men of little faith."

From no faith of the Pharisees to little faith of the disciples. Yet sandwiched in the midst of this faithlessness, we find a refreshing story. We find a religious misfit. A despised Gentile referred to in verse 22 as a Canaanite woman. An individual from a spiritually dark region with little understanding of the true God (cf. Mt. 11:21). A person who probably was just meeting Jesus for the first time. We are not even given her name. Yet to this unlikely candidate Jesus says in verse 28, "Your faith is great." Not at all what we would expect. What made her different? Why did here faith exceed the rest?

This morning we will examine this account and extract four principles that exemplify great faith. So let's compare ourselves with this woman on four points and determine if we have the great faith that pleases our Lord.

1. GREAT FAITH IS PROPERLY DIRECTED

First of all, great faith is properly directed.

Let's begin reading in verse 21. "Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon."

Most Commentators agree that this was again one of those occasions when Jesus sought to remove Himself and His disciples from the crowds. They went on a mini retreat that took them 30 to 50 miles north of Galilee into Gentile territory, specifically the districts of Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon).

According to verse 22 He is approached by a Canaanite woman. And this woman cries out to Jesus saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." The first thing I want you to see is that her great faith is properly directed.

This woman was a Canaanite. They are notorious in the Old Testament for being a corrupt and heathen people in the eyes of the Lord (Dt. 20:16-18). The Scripture records how they burnt their children to honor their gods (Lev. 18:21) and practiced sodomy, bestiality and other detestable sins (Lev. 18:3, 23-24; 20:2). And had Israel been obedient during the times of Joshua, they would have no longer even have been in existence.

This woman existed in this pagan culture. She grew up worshipping within the polytheistic pantheon of false gods, gods with names like El and Baal and Anath and Reshep. Gods appeased through the sensual behavior of their followers. Gods that produced apathy and degrading passions, and gods that were dead and offered no assistance whatsoever.

Yet this woman immersed in this culture came to the One that could make a difference in her life. She had a problem, and she placed her faith not in the dead deities of tradition and popularity, but in the living God who is able and willing to help.

There is a lot of talk about faith nowadays. In some senses, faith has become our god - "You've gotta believe, "Have some faith," but faith in what? My friends, we must realize that our faith is only the means to a greater end. Our faith is only as strong as the object to which we invest it. This woman could have all the faith in the world in her false gods, and it would have accomplished for her absolutely nothing. It is not about sheer belief. It is about belief in the living God. Faith is the rope that retrieves the treasure chest. God is our treasure chest of holy joy.

In verse 22 she addressed Jesus as "Lord" which denotes sovereignty, deity and supernatural power, and "Son of David" which denotes Messiahship and kingship. She is commended as having great faith because her faith was in a great God.

Before we are too tough on the world, we need to look at the attitudes from God's people. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard Christians say "Good Luck" or "Knock on Wood" or "Cross Your Fingers." Or how many times I have received e-mails that promise a blessing if I send it to 7 other people within the next 24 hours. Think about it, such superstitious actions deny the supremacy and sufficiency of our God. If we belong to God, our faith like this woman's must cling exclusively to Him. Not to Him and tarot cards, Him and horoscopes, Him and money, Him and government or Him and human wisdom. Anything plus God is idolatry (Ex. 20:3). Anything plus God is stupidity (Jer. 10:8, 14). Where is your trust? Psalm 91:2, "I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!'" Psalm 56:4, "In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust."

2. GREAT FAITH IS HUMBLE

So great faith trusts solely in the true God. Second, great faith is humble.

Still in verse 22 we read that this woman "began to cry out." It takes a lot of humility to cry out to God because it reveals an insufficiency and vulnerability. Let me ask you, when is the last time you cried out to God in desperation? Maybe in our prayers we ought to be a little less concerned about the sophistication of our words and a little more concerned about the passion of our hearts.

This is the beatitude attitude that brings our Lord much glory. It is the heart we learned about in chapter 5: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 5:3). God's people are those who come to Him spiritually bankrupt, trusting solely in His resources (2 Cor. 1:9), knowing only He can provide the help needed for the burden He has placed on our hearts. Believing this will transform our dead and lifeless prayers to ones of earnest desperation with childlike dependency.

I ask you again, when is the last time you have demonstrated great faith by really crying out to God? Crying out for the salvation of a lost one or the end of abortion or the maturity of the church or the building project or repentance from a known sin or God to be glorified? When is the last time you acted like the Israelites in Egypt who "cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God" (Ex. 2:23). Or Moses in Numbers 12 who "cried out to the Lord (Num. 12:13). Or the Psalmist who said, "O LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You" (Psm. 88:1). And "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears" (Psm. 18:6). Or David when He said, "In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears" (2 Sam. 22:7).

It really takes humility to empty yourself of all adequacy and self-reliance and place this kind of faith in God. It is trusting in His mercy. It takes an attitude of unworthiness and one that falls at the foot of the cross like that repentant tax-collector in Luke 18 who "was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'" (Lk. 18:13). Opposite of the ugly spiritual pride of the Pharisees and akin to this dear lady who simply said in verse 22, "Have mercy on me, Lord." In other words, "Though You owe me nothing and I bring no merit of my own, I appeal to You because I am confident that You are a merciful God." What humility!

Think about it this way. When we come to God initially for redemption, we come in humility knowing there is nothing we can contribute to our salvation, and we come for mercy knowing that we as sinners dare not plea for justice. So should this attitude of humble trust in God's mercy decrease or increase as we walk with the Lord? I would submit to you that as we become more aware of God's character and our sinfulness, our humility and understanding of His mercy will increase (cf. 2 Thes. 1:3). And as we grow in dependence on Him is it not natural to expect that we will pray and pray with greater passion? And will not this dependent surrender of our hearts bring Him much glory? Will it not reveal great faith?

3. GREAT FAITH IS PERSISTENT

So great faith is properly directed to God through Jesus Christ. Great faith is humble, asking only for God's mercy. And third, great faith is persistent.

So this woman cries out to the Lord. How does the Lord respond? Not in a way we might expect. Verse 23, "But He did not answer her a word." He ignored her! Now that does not sound like Christ! But yet it does if you have walked with the Lord and have petitioned Him with prayer. By faith we know that God hears our prayers, but how many of us have felt He has at times turned a deaf ear? Be honest!

Why did Jesus not answer this woman? I cannot say because the passage is silent. We do know from verse 28 that it was His will to heal her daughter. So why the delay? Why the apparent indifference? What does He not answer our prayers instantly?

Maybe it is to give us a deeper desire on our heart. Paul requested the removal of the thorn in his flesh (2 Cor. 12:7), and God gave Him something greater. God gave Him contentment (2 Cor. 12:10). Sometimes God delays in order to better prepare us for His answer. No doubt the longer we prayer for something, the more we will praise the Giver and not the gift when it arrives. Some delays are to test our faith. Do we want it for our glory or God's? Is it according to the will of God? Are we willing to persevere in our prayer or do we give up after a few token petitions? How much do we really want it? How much do we really believe God is able to deliver? God also delays in answering prayer in order that He might greater cultivate our relationship with Him. Through prayer He teaches us about Himself. He helps us realize that the greatest treasure is the joy of fellowship with Him.

I can keep going, but the main point of our story is whether or not this woman will be persistent. Would she maintain her great faith? Would she stay humble? Or would she get frustrated and give up. It seems the disciples were reaching this point. Look at verse 23, "And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, 'Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.'" "Just give her what she wants already, Jesus. She's driving us nuts! After all we are supposed to be on a peaceful retreat, right!" This dear woman had great faith. She kept believing. She was persistent!

So Jesus responds this time not with silence, but with theological indifference. Verse 24, "But He answered and said, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'"

Would God include Gentiles in His plan of salvation? Absolutely! (Mt. 10:18). The Bible is clear that heaven will be filled with the redeemed from "every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). But for now in His earthly ministry, His primary purpose during His limited time and contact was Israel. To the Jew first, was the Father's will (Jn. 4:22; Rom. 1:16; 2:9-10). Jesus already helped a Roman Centurion (Mt. 8:13) and a Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:10), so healing this woman's daughter was in the realm of possibility. So again, why the delay? I believe His primary purpose was to further test her faith. Would she persist in prayer?

Yes she would! The genuineness of her faith is evident. Despite the apparent barriers and roadblocks, we read in verse 25, "But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!'" That verse speaks for itself. Mark's account says she "fell at His feet" (Mk. 7:25). She "bow[ed] down before Him." Prospipto , literally we can translate that "worship." What dependence on the Lord! What humility!

Yet still no answer to her prayer. Out Lord responds in verse 26, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

At this point in salvation history, the Jews were the priority. Do parents neglect their children to feed the pet dog first? So why should Jesus neglect the Jews to help a Gentile?

This thing is starting to get painful! First Jesus gives her the silent treatment, then He pulls this dispensational thing and now He compares her to a dog. What a test of her faith! Would she give up? Was her request really that important to her? Would she be persistent?

Verse 27, "But she said, 'Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

She is still at it! Great faith is marked by persistence in our prayers.

When I was learning CPR as a lifeguard we were told that we must continue the action on a victim until medical help arrives or a trained expert pronounces the individual dead. People are too important. Don't give up even when intuition and circumstance appear contrary. Your persistence might just save a life.

There is much to deter us from persevering in prayer too. Yet our persistence might just get the answer we desire or something we need even more.

J.C. Ryle once said, "Every cross is a message from God, and intended to do us good in the end… He may sometimes keep us waiting…but He will never send us away empty" (Commentary, Matthew 15).

4. GREAT FAITH IS THANKFUL

Lastly, great faith is thankful.

We all know about the pet that waits under the table. With a new baby our dog knows exactly where to place herself. A small cheerio can drop and she'll act as it were a Lobster Tail. As far as "people food" goes, she's thankful for whatever she can get.

Verse 27 again, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

Great faith trusts in the goodness of God. Whatever He gives His children is good (Jas. 1:17). And if we can get it into our minds that we do not deserve anything except hell, we will be thankful for anything we receive. The woman was willing to settle for a few crumbs of God's benevolence with a grateful and content heart. "I'll be thankful for whatever You give me."

Verse 28, "Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed at once."

Why was her faith described as "great." Because she directed it toward the right Object, she was humble, she was persistent and she was thankful.

I believe many Christians have this impression that the Lord's will is always easy, and they translate that belief to their prayer life. We sometimes believe that if it is the Lord's will that everything will simply fall into place without any effort, delay, obstruction…or testing. Sometimes it does happen that way. But today's account teaches quite the opposite.

As I was sick a couple weeks ago, I was waiting in the Pharmacy at A&P for my medicine. I was reading a book by Bill Thrasher entitled: "A Journey to Victorious Praying." These words comforted my heart: "Many times great difficulties precede special works of God. You can even say that God wins His greatest victories in the midst of apparent defeat" (p. 34).

So with whom do you identify when you consider the essence of your spiritual life, your faith? The Pharisees, the disciples or this dear Gentile woman? Would the Lord say of you, "Your faith is great" based upon your devotion, your humility, your persistence and your gratitude?


More in Matthew

May 1, 2011

The Great Conclusion

April 24, 2011

Resurrecting Hope (2)

April 17, 2011

The First Prerequisite To Resurrection