This sermon can be listened to online by visiting:
http://www.cayafellowship.com/2007/08/12/let-it-out-part-3-not-worth-listening-to/
Dealing with tough scriptures
That’s what we’re doing with Matthew 15:21-28
That’s what we’re doing with “listening”
I’ve seen many church statements, visions, purpose statements, mission statements, etc, they all have love and something about living, but I’ve never heard about listening.
This is the most critical part – it bridges the “loving” to the “living”. It shows we love and paves way for sharing our lives and our “life” together.
I don’t have all the answers!
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A 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."
She’s not worth listening to – I don’t know what to say; Silence
I wonder for a moment if it happened like this: they get to a place to rest; the woman shows up somewhere along the way to the house, yelling in the background, they occasionally glance over the shoulder and get to the house finally glad that she’s out of the way; they open the door she’s still crying out; they listen to her a little; probably call Peter the bouncer to come and scare her away; doesn’t work; then their heads all turn to Jesus … and nothing. So they’ve got to say something.
[Just stop and say nothing]
23Jesus did not answer a word.
From the Lord we don’t like it; to others we don’t want to give it.
From Christ: He doesn’t always answer us; I think we’ve heard so many times that sometimes God responds in silence. Sometimes we need to let God have His way.
With others: We sometimes need to just shut up.
Sometimes others need to just let it all out – just shut up.
Sometimes others need to just take time and process – just shut up.
Sometimes others need to just cry it out – just shut up.
Sometimes others don’t want an answer – just shut up.
Story of when I spent time with Sister Dorothy in Lynchburg. Just sat there in silence.
Story of when we had our miscarriages, and people saying things like, “God stopped you from having to have a child with a birth defect,” or, “you weren’t ready yet,” etc.
I think Christ is playing the disciples; I think he’s using this woman as a test – how will you interpret the instructions! He won’t respond until the disciples answer back.
The Instructions
Matthew 10:6 10:6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. …
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ’The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. 11 "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
But …. Are we going to be willing to “break out” of the “plan”? Are we flexible enough to allow the Holy Sprit to mess us up a little. Think of how in the military, as a platoon leader I learned that you have to “learn the book knowledge”, then learn how to apply it in real life. Funny thing in how that works in the church, too.
She’s not worth listening to - She’s a dog!
Think of how my great grandmother, the sweetest woman who ever lived jacked me up for calling my brother a dog.
25The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
26He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs."
Are there times we see people as not worth it?
The disciples greatly disliked this form of public attention, a strange woman crying after them. They disliked a sensation. Did they wish the woman sent away with her daughter healed or unhealed?
What’s funny to me is that the disciples have more patience and respect for the Pharisees than this woman with her own hurts:
Clean and Unclean
1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!"
3Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? … 6b Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8" ’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’[d]"
10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ’unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ’unclean.’ "
12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"
13He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.[e] If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
15Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
16"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17"Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ’unclean.’ 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man ’unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ’unclean.’ "
Why are we more critical –or just mean – to those who are suffering than those who seem to exert some kind of power or authority? Why do we give grace to people on account of their stature? Why can’t we offer the same kind of grace to everyone?
She’s not worth listening to - She’s making too much noise; she’s embarrassing us
v. 23 So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
The woman continues to cry out, and scream, and beg for help for her child. But the disciples want nothing to do with it.
No one likes the feeling of not being heard. Have we stopped to think about “why” she keeps on crying out. I think it’s because she feels that no one care hear her.
If someone can’t hear you, it can be because they are actively not trying to listen. They are purposefully turning their back. I think somewhere along the way that mentality has been set into the minds of a lot of Christians and church folk. They don’t want to listen; they purposefully choose not to listen.
But more often than not if someone can’t hear you it’s because:
Something else is in the way:
Story of me answering Anne; but her sinuses are so blocked up that she can’t hear.
Is it an obstacle or something that’s just blocking the path?
Is it a pain or a hurt or something that’s pulling at their soul?
Is it a relationship or a person; is it me?
So we must turn around, engage, and focus on the other person.
It’s not them at all, we just choose not to listen!
The disciples are putting the blame on the woman, when it’s really them with the problem!
It’s not that she’s too loud; it’s that they aren’t listening.
Persistence, The woman
v. 22 She’s crying out
v. 23 She keeps crying out
v. 25 Lord help me
v. 27 Hard answer
v. 28 Faith
So here is the example, but let’s focus on us! Let’s be above the example.
