Living an Unwavering Faith
From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed. Mark 7.24-30
Also found in 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, “Yes, 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.
Introduction – Upward for the Answer
A temporary Sunday school teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn’t quite remember. Finally, she went to the pastor’s study and asked for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment, and then he looked serenely heavenward and while his lips moved silently. Suddenly he looked back at the lock and quickly turned to the final number, opening the lock. The teacher was amazed. "I’m in awe at your faith, pastor," she said. "It’s really nothing," the pastor answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."
Often as believers, others look at us as if we have a magic bullet or automatic answer for every problem. We really don’t have all the answers but we do have a Friend that we can turn to under every circumstance.
We discover ourselves struggling under the very best of life’s circumstances. Life can be challenging, satisfying and unbearable…all at the same time.
We find Jesus and His disciples traveling north through Galilee into Syria. Scripture states they were in the region of Tyre and Sidon which was gentile territory. Jesus and His disciples needed some R&R time and this seemed the place to get it. They had been ministering to masses of people, faced disrupting opposition and encountered a scarcity of time for rest.
While they deliberately moved into the northern area, notice that…
Jesus entered a Depraved society. 24
Just as He left the glory of heaven to take upon Himself human flesh, He left the glory of Israel to spend some quality and quantity time with the disciples. Jesus was entering into the last leg of His journey before He faced the cross.
Notice a couple of their external conditions and why they left Israel.
First, we note they needed rest. For quite awhile they had been on the go with little or no sleep. The days had begun to wear on them and Jesus knew they must stop for a time.
Second, they were also facing opposition from the religious bodies in Jerusalem. The last group of Pharisee’s and scribes were attacking Him through His disciples. They wanted to know why His disciples didn’t follow “tradition” concerning their ritualistic washing.
Then we observe an internal reality.
Jesus wanted this time to be an object lesson for the disciples concerning sin. Sin doesn’t enter us through the ritualistic washings of hands pots or anything else. Sin is already within us and we are defiled and degraded.
He also wanted them to recognize true faith. The faux faith the Pharisees exhibited was hypocrisy to Jesus. They trusted in their own works, not Christ’s work.
Finally, we sense there were some eternal decisions which needed to be made. Jesus had a divine appointment in Syria with a gentile woman. He wanted to show the disciples what true faith looked like.
And we also discern there were lessons Jesus wanted His followers to learn! These lessons would come back to Peter at the birth of Jesus’ church in Acts!
Illustration – Southern Polar cap
Years ago, William Edward Perry, a famous English explorer, mapped out most of the Southern Polar Cap. Many of his maps are still being used today by those who travel to that desolate, sub-zero continent. On one particular expedition, he and his crew having completed mapping an uncharted region were preparing to hike to another unfamiliar location. On the eve of their departure, they studied the stars and determined their exact coordinates. As the sun rose, they began a hard, lengthy journey north to this unmapped region. They marched through the ice and snow all day long with the freezing air burning their lungs. As the sunset, they made camp, totally exhausted from their trip. After their evening meal, Mr. Perry studied the stars again to determine their exact coordinates. He was stunned to learn that even though he and his crew had journeyed north all day, that they were now further south than when they begun in the morning. After struggling to solve this problem, they discovered that even though they had traveled north, they were on a giant ice flow that was moving faster south than they were moving north. While they thought they were going in the right direction, they were slip sliding away and did not even know it.
We live in a depraved and fallen society. We are instructed we are in the world but are not to become a part of it. We must be careful that we are not traveling faster with the worldly crowd than we are in our final destination.
Not only did Jesus enter a depraved society but…
He heard a Desperate mother. 25-26
This mother was in a frantic situation. Her young daughter was demonically possessed. There are no indications how long this had taken place but the Greek indicates that this demonization was an immoral one. Had the mother brought it home or were there other extenuating circumstances. We really don’t know but Jesus did.
Notice something about this scenario. Jesus is trying to avoid the crowds but His reputation as a miracle worker precedes Him. He was known even outside of Israel. Somehow, word on the streets was Jesus was "in the house."
This mom had a problem. She and her daughter were both Unclean. This uncleanness was a spiritual issue. They both were possessed by the world and it’s immorality.
I have found that many problems in people’s lives are spiritual issues. We often look for all the underlying reasons but for many it is unresolved spiritual rebellion.
The stench was unbearable. Their uncleanness as gentiles would have permeated the nostrils of these godly Jews. But Jesus was there for a reason. He was there only way to be cleansed.
Illustration – Jeff’s comments about smelling so badly
My eldest son, who lives in Virginia, recently moved to a new residence. He spent Friday and Saturday moving and unloading his stuff. He made a comment about the inability to take a shower both days because the shower did not have a shower curtain. He remarked, “You know dad, it gets pretty bad when you can smell your own stink!”
We usually do not smell our spiritual stink. But God does and He provides us the way to remedy our spiritual smell. We are unclean and He loves us in spite of it.
Notice too, that both were Unfit.
They were idol worshipers in a pagan religion in the Tyre-Sidon region. Idolatry was a way of life and religion for many. The mother was Greek speaking non-Jew which denotes both their language and culture. Most Jews would have considered them incapable of knowing God. We also find that she is described as a Syro-Phoenician woman. This belied their nationality and non-Jewishness. Because she was a Canaanite woman, they were known to be bitter enemies of Israel. Many of the people in that region would have considered themselves economically, religiously and militarily superior to the Jews.
And finally, notice that both were Unworthy.
What a lesson Jesus is presenting to His disciples! All of us are unclean, unfit and unworthy! We must come to Him on His terms by repenting of our sins and turning to Christ! We really like working for our salvation but God opposes the proud and none of us will approach His throne in our own works!
Illustration – The Whisper
A young man once lost his job, and growing somewhat desperate about his plight, went to see an old preacher that he knew. As he poured out his heart to the preacher he angrily declared "I’ve begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t He answer?" The old preacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke a reply so quietly the young man was unable to make it out. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, again in a soft tone. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "So we will move closer to hear him."
God doesn’t want to just speak to you. He cherishes your fellowship. He wants you to draw closer to Him that you may hear and discern what He is saying.
Not only did He hear a desperate mother but…
He Detected a Determined Woman 27-30
She cried out to Him. In Matthew, she called Him “Oh Lord, Son of David.” This was a messianic plea that she may have heard regarding Him in healing His people in Israel. It did not apply to her since she was a gentile.
Notice His Silent response.
Jesus was silent because she was not one of the lost sheep of Israel. The time would come when the gentiles would be given the opportunity to respond but it wasn’t time yet.
She continued to cry for help. In fact, the disciples were extremely agitated at this woman; they begged Jesus to please send her away! She kept asking repeatedly for His help!
Observe His Simple reply.
He stated that the spiritual food and blessings should be given to the Jews first, not to the little puppies (gentiles) sitting at the table. These were not the ravenous wild dogs which ran in packs but a household pet sitting at the table waiting for the scraps.
In the households of that day, the people would take bread and use it as a dishcloth to wipe the food off and clean the table. They would rub it over the table absorbing the remains and wipe them on the floor for the little dogs. She responded that His statement was true but even the puppies received the table scraps!
Be awed by His Surprising reaction.
Jesus was amazed by her faith! She showed a faith that even the Jews did not exhibit! This object lesson was a clear teaching to the disciples that it was not the “washing” of the hands which made them clean or unclean but the washing of the heart in faith that revealed their faith righteousness.
Illustration – Premature Death
Scientists studied a native tribe in South America whose people have been dying prematurely for generations. After thorough investigation, the cause of premature death was determined. The disease was transmitted by an insect that lived in the walls of their adobe homes. This new information presented several options. They could move to another area where such insects don’t exist, tear down their homes and rebuild them, use insecticide to rid their homes of the bugs, or, continue as they have and die early. Surprisingly, these people have opted to remain as they are and do nothing about their problem. Many people behave similarly. To save themselves, they know what they must do; instead, they opt to remain unchanged. (McHenry’s Quips, Quotes, and Other Notes, p. 23).
We find that many people would rather live in their lost state of “premature dying” than to eradicate their “bugs” or change their home “status”. The wages of sin is STILL death. Some things have never changed. God expects a faith which trusts in Him and is as radical as this Canaanite woman’s faith!
