Last week, we were reminded that every Christ follower is a minister and that most of our ministry takes place within our ordinary, day-to-day lives – in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and in the community. So we’ve begun a process to examine how Jesus ministered in very similar circumstances to see what we can learn from His example that will enable us to be more effective as we serve others.
Last week, we began with the example of the rich young ruler and discovered that Jesus loved people so much that He always told them the truth. Today, we’ll be able to glean several more very practical things we can do to be more effective ministers for Jesus from the account of a Syrophoenician woman. Both Mark and Matthew include that event in their gospel accounts and each of those accounts provide us with some important details so we’ll begin this morning by reading both accounts. Let’s start with Mark’s account:
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
Mark 7:24-30 (ESV)
And now let’s go ahead and turn to Matthew’s account of this same event in Matthew 15:
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:21-28 (ESV)
As I prepared the message this week and looked at how some other people have approached these passages, it seems that nearly everyone focuses on the woman here. In fact, this seems to be a really popular passage to use for a Mother’s Day sermon. And there is certainly much we can learn from this woman, so we’ll take a few moments briefly at the end of the message to do that. But since our focus is on how to become better ministers we’ll spend most of our time looking at how Jesus dealt with this woman and use His example to help us develop four important ministry principles:
Ministry principles:
Jesus ministered to all regardless of their background
There was really no reason for Jesus to withdraw to the region of Tyre and Sidon except for the express purpose of ministering to this woman and at the same time teaching His disciples a valuable lesson.
Tyre and Sidon were located northwest of Capernaum in present day Lebanon. This land had originally been settled by the Canaanites and God had instructed the Israelites to drive from the land when they entered into the Promised Land. We know from the Biblical accounts, though, that the Israelites had failed to do so. This whole region was known by its Greek name of Phoenicia. Later when this area was annexed into the Roman province of Syria it became known as Syro-Phoenicia. Thus, the woman who has an encounter with Jesus there is identified as a Canaanite by Matthew and a Syro-Phoenician by Mark.
The response of the disciples to the request of this Gentile woman really isn’t all that surprising. Earlier Jesus had sent those disciples out to minister in His name and He had given them specific instructions not to go to the Gentiles, but only to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). So when this woman comes to Jesus to seek his help with her daughter, the disciples urge Jesus to send her on her way.
Jesus clearly establishes His priorities here. In Mark’s account he says, “Let the children be fed first…”, obviously a reference to the Jews who considered themselves to be the children of Abraham. But it is not only the children who are to be fed. The implication is that once they are fed, others will also be able to be fed.
And the woman seems to understand that order. She says, “Yes, Lord…”, acknowledging that she understands that the Jews have first priority, but she also understands, unlike the disciples, that Jesus has come to minister to all, regardless of their background.
As we saw recently in our series on the “I am” sayings of Jesus, He is the good shepherd who cares both for the sheep that belong to the sheepfold of Israel and also for the other sheep – the Gentiles – who Jesus is also going to bring into His sheepfold. So although, Jesus first priority is to minister to the Israelites, He ventures into an area that is dominated by the Gentiles so that He can demonstrate to those who will carry on His ministry after His death that they are to minister to everyone – Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, slave and free, men and women.
That is a principle that we need to still apply today. The fact is that most of us are most comfortable ministering to those who are the most like us – the ones of the same race, the same social class, the ones who dress like us and talk like us and who have the same political views we have. But Jesus often calls us to go outside our comfort zone and minister to those who are different.
Perhaps James had this particular account in mind when He wrote these words to primarily Jewish Christians some years later.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-4 (ESV)
If Jesus didn’t show partiality in the way He ministered to others, then we need to follow His example and be willing to minister to everyone He brings into our lives.
Jesus never viewed ministry as a bother
One of the reasons that Jesus had retreated to this area was to get away from the crowds. We know from John’s gospel account that on at least one other occasion, Jesus had to withdraw because some of the people were ready to take Him by force and make Him king (John 6:15). Mark, in particular, points out that Jesus didn’t want anyone to know He was there.
But in spite of the fact that Jesus had retreated to the area to spend some time with His disciples and in spite of the fact that those same disciples urged Him to send this woman away, Jesus didn’t view her intrusion as a bother. As we continue through this series that is focused on the ministry of Jesus, we’re going to see that Jesus consistently refuses to view opportunities to minister to people as a bother, even though He knows He has only three years to accomplish all that His Father has in store for Him.
Let me be real honest with you and admit that this is an area where I really struggle. But I’m working, with God’s help, to better follow Jesus’ example. Interestingly enough, the time when I struggle with this the most is on Sunday mornings. I’m so busy getting ready for the worship service and thinking about the music and the message and all the other details that I know I can sometimes not be as attentive to people’s needs as I should be.
But I want to assure you that your needs are important to me and that I don’t view them as a bother, even though I know that it might seem that way at times. But am I going to ask you to help me out here. If you have a need that I can assist you with, can you do me a favor and give me a brief note or even send me an email? That way I can be sure to devote my full attention to that need when I have more time to do that.
But I also find that I can be pretty selfish with my time and when someone intrudes into that time, I get annoyed. Maybe that is at the end of a long day when I just want to relax. Or it’s on my day off on Saturday when I just want to spend some time with Mary.
Now I know that none of the rest of you have any problems with this principle, but just for my own good, I need to be reminded of these relevant words from Paul:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)
Every time that God brings someone into my life for the purpose of ministering to them, that may be the only chance I’ll ever have to serve that person, so I need to make sure that I make the best of that time and not view that person as a bother, but rather as someone who Jesus wants to love through me.
Jesus’ ministry was attractive to outsiders because of His good reputation
We’re not sure exactly how it occurred, but it seems pretty clear from this account that this woman had a pretty good understanding of who Jesus was, perhaps even better than some of His disciples at this point. She calls Him “Lord” and “Son of David”, a clear reference to the fact that he was the Messiah.
Perhaps she was part of the great crowd that heard Jesus speak on the shore of Galilee one day. In Mark 3, we find that there were people from the area around Tyre and Sidon present that day. Or maybe one of the people who had been there that day had told her about Jesus. But in any case, she wasn’t about to be deterred from seeking out help from the one person who could heal her daughter.
So even though Jesus was a Jewish man and she was a Gentile woman, she was willing to seek Jesus’ help because the way that He lived His life was attractive to outsiders.
As we progress through this series, we’ll see how Jesus ministered to both those who were “insiders”, as well as those, like this woman, who were “outsiders”. The same thing is true of our ministry. Some of it will take place in the lives of those who are part of the body of Christ and other times it will involve those who are outside of the body. And many of the principles we’ll develop are equally applicable to both groups. However this particular principle primarily applies as we minister to those outside the body.
Although Jesus obviously never “watered” down His message to make it more palatable to outsiders or refrained from condemning the religious leaders who opposed Him when necessary, it is also true that He always treated people in a way that didn’t detract from His ability to minister to people of all kinds. We never see Jesus standing on the street corner condemning people for their sins and telling them that they will go to hell if they don’t believe in Him. And even when He does confront sin in private, He does it in a respectful and gentle manner.
If we want to follow Jesus’ example here, we would do well to heed the words of Peter:
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)
I find it quite ironic that Peter, of all people, would write these words. As we see him in the gospel accounts, he is hardly what we would describe as gentle or respectful. And yet, once he is empowered with the Holy Spirit we see that his life is completely transformed. And since we know that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to remind us of the life and words of Jesus, we, too, have the ability to become gentle and respectful as we deal with others, particularly those outside the church.
As most of you know, I officiate high school volleyball and basketball. And one of the main reasons I do that is for the opportunity to develop relationships with unbelievers. And in doing so, I’ve learned over the years how important this principle is. Although it is quite tempting at times to condemn my fellow officials for the language they use or the lifestyle that they engage in, my goal has been to treat every one of them with gentleness and respect. And as a result of that, God has blessed me with a number of opportunities to minister in the lives of some of my fellow officials when they have faced some kind of difficulty in their lives.
Jesus often tested people’s faith before he invested in their lives
Before we go any further, let me ask you a question: How many of you have ever heard a sermon on the account of this Gentile woman before? [Wait for answers]. That’s what I thought. And if you did, my guess is that the focus was on the faith of the woman rather than on what Jesus does here. I’m convinced that is because we have a really hard time with Jesus’ approach here. It seems really out of character for Jesus to be so hard on the woman.
But as I began thinking about many of the times Jesus ministers to other people, one of the common threads is that Jesus often tests a person’s faith before He chooses to invest more of His time in their lives. We saw this occur with the rich young ruler, didn’t we? Jesus tested the depth of his faith by asking him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. And when the young man couldn’t bring himself to do that, Jesus didn’t invest any more of His time in his life.
In this case, when the woman asked for Jesus’ help with her daughter, Jesus could have easily just granted her request and gone on His way. In Matthew’s account you get the sense that is exactly what the disciples wanted Him to do. But for her own good, Jesus first probes a bit to determine the depth of this woman’s faith.
And the woman passes the test with flying colors. She isn’t deterred when Jesus calls her a dog. By the way that term isn’t quite as degrading as it may appear. There are actually two words for “dog” used in the New Testament. The first is a word that refers to the wild dogs that were prevalent in Palestine. Jesus, Paul, Peter and John all use that term to describe those who are evil.
But the word Jesus uses here refers to a lap dog or house dog – one which would sit under the table while the family ate and be fed with the scraps the children dropped on the floor.
In effect, she acknowledges that she is a dog. She is not one of the lost sheep of Israel who deserves to have Jesus help her daughter. She isn’t asking Jesus to do anything special for her. She just wants to be one of those dogs – those non-Israelites – who God promised to bless when He promised Abraham that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through his seed.
For this woman, she has a deep enough faith in Jesus to understand that even the “leftovers” from the Master’s table are adequate to meet all her needs. And once Jesus sees the depth of her faith, He acts immediately to heal the woman’s daughter.
Now obviously I’m not suggesting there that every time we have an opportunity to minister to someone that we have grill them about their faith before we can act. Just as the last principle primarily applied to our ministry to those outside the body, this principle primarily deals with our ministry to those within the body and to those who at least claim to be Christians.
This week I ran across an article about a church in Ft. Lauderdale that offers drive in prayer on Friday afternoons. The headline for the article read “Church offers drive-thru prayer for shy, lazy believers”. While I certainly applaud the effort of that church to reach out to their community, the idea of ministering to “shy, lazy believers” just doesn’t seem to fit with how we see Jesus deal with this woman.
And this is not the only place in the New Testament where Jesus encourages His followers to invest in the lives of those who truly desire to know Him. Perhaps you’ll remember this verse from the Sermon on the Mount:
Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Matthew 7:6 (ESV)
When we looked at that verse in our sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, we discovered that the principle Jesus established here is that we need to be good stewards of the gospel by concentrating our efforts where the soil is most fertile.
Jesus certainly did that all throughout His ministry. He invested his time in a woman caught in adultery, a Samaritan woman who was a serial adulterer and a tax collector named Zacchaeus because they demonstrated that they really did want to know Jesus better and were willing to humble themselves in order to follow Him. Conversely, He didn’t waste much of His time on the religious leaders who were smug in their own self-righteousness but failed to recognize the problem with their hearts.
So far, we’ve focused on how Jesus ministered to this Gentile woman, but let’s close our time by briefly focusing on the woman herself and see what implications her faith in action has for us personally.
Personal implication:
If I want Jesus to minister to me, I must be:
• Seeking
This woman wasn’t just casually waiting around and hoping that Jesus might happen to wander into her life. She had to go to great lengths to seek Him out. Even though Jesus had come to the area to get away from the crowds and didn’t want anyone to know he was there, this woman was resourceful enough to find Him.
We need to be careful here not to go so far as to picture God playing a game of hide and seek with us and making it difficult or impossible to find Him. But at the same time, the Bible is clear that God is found only by those who are seeking after Him. Let’s look at one Old Testament and one New Testament verse that illustrate that truth.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
A while back we were over at Pam and Derek’s house and Haley wanted to play hide and seek. So when it was my turn to hide, Haley told me where to hide and then she went and counted and of course had no problem finding me since I was exactly where she told me to be. But the thing was even though she knew where I was hiding, she still had to come and seek me out.
In a sense, God has told us where He’s hiding – certainly in His creation, but primarily in His Word. So if we want to find Him so he can minister in our lives, then we need to make sure we’re seeking Him where He is.
• Humble
This Gentile woman certainly demonstrated humility. When Jesus called her a dog, she didn’t get offended and say, “How dare you call me a dog!” Instead, she humbly acknowledged that she was indeed a dog and really didn’t deserve to have Jesus work in her life. She begged for mercy from the one that she recognized as the Messiah.
Jesus delights in working in the lives of people who are willing to humble themselves like that and admit their unworthiness and their neediness. Here’s how James summarized this principle:
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:6 (ESV)
• Persistent
This woman was not easily deterred in her desire to have Jesus heal her daughter. As we’ve already mentioned, she had to seek Jesus out and then when she finally found Him, she had to persist when the disciples urged Jesus to send her away. She had to persist when Jesus called her a dog and questioned her faith.
I’m reminded once again of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (ESV)
Hopefully you’ll remember that the verbs there are present tense verbs, so we could accurately translate Jesus’ words:
Keep on asking…keep on seeking…keep on knocking…
Again, Jesus doesn’t encourage us to persist just to keep us waiting for no good reason. He wants us to persist because He knows that in the process our faith in Him will be deepened.
Aren’t you glad this woman didn’t give up on Jesus and turn to something or someone else to meet her need? Because she understood that Jesus was the only one who could meet that need, she persisted even in the face of some roadblocks that were thrown in her way. We would do well to follow her example.
If you’re a Christ follower then I can almost guarantee that God is going to bring some people into your life this week so that you can minister to them. There’s a good chance that they won’t be a lot like you in one or more ways. There’s a good chance that they’ll come into your life at an inconvenient time. But Jesus calls you to serve them nonetheless. Will you follow His example?
