This week’s reading: Matthew 15:21-39
Hi Friends,
Last week, we touched on the topic of clean vs unclean. The Old Testament goes into great detail in distinguishing between these two, and why? Because God was trying to teach them, and now us, that there is a huge difference between belonging to God, and not belonging to Him. The Jews were considered clean because they were His children, under God’s protection and provision. While all the other nations were thought of as unclean, because they did not belong to God, and lived their lives on their own. The term Gentile is what the Jews called anyone who is not a part of their nation. This week, we are going to talk about Gentiles and see what Jesus thought about us. Hear this interaction between Jesus and the Gentile woman who came pleading for His help:
“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 the masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Women you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Mt 15:25-28 NIV
Jesus knows us. He knows exactly how to draw us into His Presence so that we can, not only have our requests granted, but experience an encounter that will leave us changed for the better, forevermore. Here, and also in Mark 7:24-30, this Gentile woman approaches Jesus because of her desperate need to help her daughter. Boy, do I know how that feels! How many times did I fall on my knees because Beckie was in a desperate situation, and I had nowhere else to turn but to Him. And that is exactly where I needed to be, and so too this woman. At first, perhaps gingerly, since she was not of the Jewish Faith, she begins making her request known to Jesus. And what does He do? Nothing. The beginning of Mt 15:23 says, “Jesus did not answer a word.” Have you ever been there? I know I have. We cry out to God with some kind of desperate need, and we hear…crickets. This does not mean He did not hear us. This certainly does not mean He does not care. This most definitely does not mean He doesn’t know how to handle our problems. But what it does mean is that He desires to stretch our Faith. It is one thing to ask and get a quick response. This does not require much Faith at all. It is a whole other belief when we continue to pursue Him even when we do not sense an answer. And many times, like here with this woman, Jesus will stay silent to see what we will do. It is a small Faith, if any at all, if we choose to walk away from Him. A growing Faith will continue to cry out…as well as to believe He hears, cares and knows the answer to our need. This woman displays her “great Faith,” as Jesus Himself calls it, by continuing to courageously and boldly seek His help.
Children and their dogs. As I said last week, how we read the Red Letters depends on how we view Jesus. For those of you not familiar, many versions of the Bible will use red ink when Jesus speaks in the Bible, thus the “Red Letters.” If I think Jesus is being cruel here to this woman, I will read His words harshly. But if I know Jesus to be kind and loving, wanting to help everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, then I will almost hear His humor as He eggs this woman on. Most likely with a glint of encouragement in His gentle eyes, Jesus draws this woman to answer Him wisely. The “children” He refers to would be the Jews, while way too many in those days, and let’s be truthful in these too, would call those they did not like “dogs.” And so the Gentiles were viewed and not being worthy to even eat like a human at a table, but only get the crumbs that might fall. Jesus knows this, does not approve of it, but uses this disparity here to see if this woman trusted Him. If she did not, she would have walked away angry. But since she did, she gives Jesus the answer He was looking for, she did indeed trust Him and had Faith that He could, and would help her daughter. Impressed with her tenacity, Jesus laughs as He says, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” (v28a) He did not need to physically go to the daughter, and the woman had Faith in this. She knew that she only had to ask and the miracle would reach her daughter, and it does. “And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (v28b) It is Faith that brings the clean and unclean together, making us one and the same in God’s eyes.
Jew and Gentile. With God there are no favorites. We are all His children if we come to Him and desire to follow Him. As I did my research, what I found was that many scholars believe there was a specific point to why there are two accounts of Jesus feeding a massive group of people. The Feeding of the 5000 that we talked about a couple of weeks ago, is believed to have occurred on the side of the Galilee Sea where the Jews lived, while this Feeding of the 4000, (also found in Mark 8:1-10) is thought to be on the other side of the Galilee, where the Gentiles resided. This makes so much sense when we see the reaction from his disciples. We do not know how much time elapsed since the feeding of 5000, but three things can be possible here. 1- We all have such short memories. I used to think, “How in the world could these guys forget that Jesus fed the 5000?! So why are they questioning Him here?” But do I forget the past blessings and miracles God has performed in my life too? Sometimes I get myself all anxious about a situation, but God lovingly reminds me, “Didn’t I work it all out together before? Why would you think I would just leave you hanging now?” But this is the reality of children, we forget… then we cry. I am not sure this is what was happening here with His disciples, but it’s a good lesson for us to learn, right? 2- If these were Gentiles, could His disciples not be expecting Jesus to provide for these unclean people like He provided for the Jewish nation? After all, the Messiah was supposed to come to free the Chosen children of God, not the rest of the world, right? Jesus, Himself, just told the Gentile woman that He was “sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (v24) So would Jesus help these hungry and tired Gentiles too? Again, I do not think that this is what was happening here, especially since these disciples did not tell Jesus to send the group away to fend for themselves. So, 3- most likely, these followers of Jesus did remember the Feeding of the 5000. I mean how can anyone forget that, right?! Most likely, they knew the compassionate heart of their Rabbi and trusted Him to provide even for these unclean “dogs.” They knew He loved all people and would gladly lift these lowly people to the table and nourish them…after all, He had been with them for three days at this point. Three days! What an amazing conference they must have been experiencing that they would not leave His side the whole time! Yes, most likely what was happening is that, these disciples were merely seeking the wisdom and guidance of Jesus. They knew He would provide, but did not know how. Would He multiply their meager rations like before, or would He perform some other kind of miracle right before them. When Jesus asks them, “How many loaves do you have?” (v34), I can almost sense their excitement! “He is going to do the same miracle again, just watch,” their hearts may have been proclaiming…and He did. Jesus feeds these 4000 Gentiles just like He fed the 5000 Jews. I say again, we are all the same in God’s eyes.
God loves all humans. In both stories, Jesus is blessing Gentiles. God’s Grace is not only reserved for the Chosen people of Israel, but for everyone alike. With Him, there are no favorites. He wants all hearts, in whatever shape they are in, whether we have history with Him, such as being raised in a church, or not. God loves each human and desires we each come to Him in Faith, so He can provide for all our needs, but especially for our greatest need. Salvation is a must, my Friends. While God has done all the work to provide Salvation, we each must receive this gift or we will stay hungry…forever. What if one of those 4000, decided they were too hungry to stay with Jesus? What if they turned away from this Miracle Worker, not trusting Him to fill their stomach ache? What if they walked away and thought they could provide for themselves? What if some humans do this now, and refuse to trust and receive Salvation? They are risking so much more than just a good meal. My Friends, as we grow in Christ, let it be our mission to bring them to Jesus so He can still perform the greatest miracle and save them for all eternity. Do not pick and choose who to bring. It is not our job to know who is who. Like Jesus, we are to have no favorites, but to simply feed whoever is before us. No prejudgment. Just loving them and trusting God to do what only God can do: make them clean. I know this is one of the things I am working on right now. “Just love them, Child,” is what I hear, so just loving is what I am attempting to do. How about you? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
