The 2nd Sunday in Lent

SERMON

INI

Text: Matthew 15:21-28

Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 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.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 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.

In Christ Jesus, the Lover of our souls, dear fellow redeemed

Feel free, any of you, to finish this Bible verse: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and… (a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). What does that Bible verse mean? It means that God’s word, the Bible, is clear, easily understood, and a sure guide for our faith and lives as Christians. Listen, however, to these words of Jesus: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:25b-27). What do those Bible verses mean? They mean that even though the Bible is clear and easily understood, its meaning remains hidden from those who consider themselves wise in this world, while it is revealed by the Holy Spirit to those whom the world considers quite simple. It means that our pre-schoolers and kingergarteners, who sang so enthusiastically for you at the beginning of this service, may well have greater insight into spiritual matters at times than many individuals possessing Ph.D.’s!

Feel free, now, to finish the first line of this children’s song: “Jesus loves me, this I know… (for the Bible tells me so!)” That simple song contains a profound truth, which speaks to many aspects of our Christian faith and lives. Let us consider this morning that simple yet profound truth—JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW! On the basis of that truth and in view of the experience of the woman in our text, I would encourage you to be persistent as you approach Jesus, to listen closely as Jesus speaks to you, and to be patient as you await Jesus’ response!

I.

Yes, be persistent as you approach Jesus! The “region of Tyre and Sidon,” mentioned in our text, is the present state of Lebanon, stretching along the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. Jesus, who by this time in His ministry was meeting stiff opposition from the scribes and Pharisees, had decided to withdraw from Galilee in order to instruct His disciples concerning His ultimate purpose and their eventual ministry. As they traveled in this region we are told that “a woman of Canaan came…and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’ But (we are told) He answered her not a word.”

The woman, however, did not let Jesus’ silence deter her. The fact that she addressed him not only as “Lord,” which could mean that she merely recognized Him as a person worthy of respect, but added “Son of David,” one of the key Old Testament titles for the coming Messiah, demonstrates that this woman had both an understanding of God’s Old Testament word and faith that Jesus was the coming Messiah. She, therefore, persisted in following Jesus and His disciples and continued to cry out to Jesus, because she knew from her study of the Old Testament that He would ultimately help her daughter!

The disciples, apparently somewhat embarrassed, urged Jesus to “send her away, for she cries after us.” Jesus, however, responded to their request by saying, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” What can we say about Jesus’ seeming callousness over against this woman? It was just that…“seeming” callousness, for Jesus wanted to test and to strengthen this woman’s faith—something that indeed occurred as we know from the rest of the story. The Bible tells us that Jesus had healed many people from this region earlier in His ministry (cf. Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17). We know from the words of John the Baptizer that Jesus was “the Lamb of God” who had come to take away “the sins of the world” (John 1:29), including those of this woman and her daughter. Consequently, even though Jesus’ earthly ministry was indeed dedicated to outreach among God’s chosen Old Testament people, this woman was still an object of His grace and mercy. His purpose was to teach her to be persistent in her prayer!

Has Jesus ever tested you in this way? Is Jesus testing you in this way right now? You pray, but you do not seem to receive an answer. You pray again, and again, and perhaps even again…and Jesus just does not seem to be listening. Perhaps the prayer is for yourself, or perhaps for a loved one, as was the case for the woman in our text, but your words seem to be uttered in vain. Then the temptation come from the evil one—the father of lies (cf. John 8:44)—Satan suggesting that God really does not care about you, that He has abandoned you, or perhaps that He does not even exist. It is then, dear friends that we must cling to the simple trust—JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW, for the Bible tells me so! Cling to the truths revealed about your Savior in the Bible. That is what the woman in our text did. She knew that Jesus was “the Son of David”—the world’s Savior, and that He ultimately would help her! She was persistent in her prayers—you, too, be persistent as your approach Jesus!

II.

Secondly, be sure to listen closely as Jesus speaks to you! Jesus continued to test this woman, for when she fell before him and “worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me,” He told her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” How cruel Jesus’ response sounds on the surface, but we know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8b) and, therefore, Jesus could not be cruel. What was He saying? What was the real meaning—the purpose of His words? What hope was He offering, for He must have been offering her some hope? Indeed, He was, and she by the grace of God and again clinging to the biblical promises concerning the Savior, responded: “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” The woman was not offended by Jesus’ words—by His comparison of her situation with that of the household lap-dogs of that day. She recognized, as must we all, that in view of her sins, she deserved nothing other than judgment from God. Yet, if Jesus had wanted to refuse her, He would have used the common and derisive term used by the Jews of that day for most non-Jews—a word perhaps aptly translated as “mongrel.” Rather, He had used a term for the beloved pets of children, which were often seen in the homes of the day and were fed from their master’s table. She listen closely to what Jesus said and grasped His underlying meaning and invitation!

My dear friends, as we meet the challenges of our lives today, and as we seek guidance from God’s word in the midst of those challenges, we may not always hear what we want to hear. What we hear may not always be easy to put into practice, but let us always listen closely to what our Savior is telling us. It is not always easy to forgive, for instance, nor is it ever easy to “turn the other cheek” (cf. Matthew 5:39). Sometime we may be tempted to give up our marriage vows, but Jesus urges us to remain faithful and to work matters out with our husband or our wife. Sin may not always seem so serious to us, but in order to stress how serious and damaging it is Jesus said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29). As we search for answers, remember that simple truth—JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW, for the Bible tells me so! Listen closely, therefore, as Jesus speak to you, for His words are intended to help and to heal, to guide and direct and, if accepted, will ultimately bring you blessing!

III.

Finally, be patient as you await Jesus’ response! We do not know how long the woman’s daughter had suffered from her demon-possession before she had an opportunity to approach Jesus. We do not know how long the woman followed Jesus, after she had the opportunity to approach Him. It was obvious, however, that she exercised a good deal of patience—patience that ultimately paid off. We are told that in response to this woman’s comment Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” We are then told in closing that “her daughter was healed from that very hour!”

You are all familiar with the old saying, “Patience is a virtue.” It is so difficult, is it not, to exercise patience! Our day is given to instant solutions. On television, after all, everything seems to be resolved in either thirty or sixty minute increments. But that is not real life. Real life takes time. What will help us be patient? We will grow in patience when we remember the simple truth—JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW! When we know that our Savior loves us, we know that He will hear our prayers. He will answer them, for He has promised to do so. He cannot and will not fail to keep His promises to us. Jesus will never stop loving us! Therefore, we would do well to follow the advice of King David who tells us in Psalm 27:14: “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”

In the end, we come back always to the simple fact that JESUS LOVES ME! Our pre-schoolers and kindergartens illustrated that truth when they sang at the beginning of our service—“He died for me…He cares for me…He’ll stay by me!” We will end our sermon today with another children’s song arranged by John A. Ferguson and sung by the church choir—“Jesus Loves Me.”

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting