THERE IS BREAD ENOUGH FOR ALL
Matthew 15:21-28 - August 29, 2004 - Pentecost 13
MATTHEW 15:21-28
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."
23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
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."
27"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table."
28Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour
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Dearest Fellow-Redeemed and Precious Saints in the Lord:
During our lifetimes we learn many different things. Learning begins very early on in our society when we send our children off to school. We may recall those early days in school when we learned to write, to count, add and subtract and everything else that we needed to live in society. As life continues we discover that we also learn a lot from life. We learn as we look back at our life and as we look at the present, that the Lord is with us day after day after day. We remember that as we look back, the Lord has always been with his people year after year. When we examine Scriptures we discover once again from generation to generation the Lord provides for his people.
This is what our text reminds us of today. The Lord takes care of his people with the very simple needs. The Lord’s provisions begin with what we would call the bread of life. God’s word reminds us today that there is bread enough for all. Listen to the invitation of Isaiah and his question, as he says, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare" (ISAIAH 55:2). Our Lord says we will partake of the bread of life that renews our soul and strengthens our spirit, the richest of fare--which is the word of God.
As we come before the Lord today, we realize he provides us with exactly what our spirit, exactly what our souls need. THERE IS BREAD ENOUGH FOR ALL
I. for those who are outside. II. through faith in Jesus alone.
II. FOR THOSE ON THE OUTSIDE
In chapters 4 through 15 of Matthew, we learn about Jesus’ ministry in the region of Galilee, this is the area around the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had spent his ministry there preaching and teaching among the Jewish people. From time to time Jesus would run into the Scribes and Pharisees who stood opposed to him. Then Jesus would defend the teachings of the Gospel. From time to time Jesus would perform miracles. And now that was all going to change. Jesus was going to move to a different location. So it is towards the middle of Chapter 15, where our text begins, it says 21leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. So Jesus left Galilee and went up to the northwest of the Promised Land, an area called Phoenicia. In that country called Phoenicia was Tyre and Sidon. These are two of the cities of the day mentioned in our text. This area was also a place where there weren’t many Jewish people.
So not only was Jesus going to move his ministry and it’s location, we are going to find out that Jesus is also going to change the focus of his ministry. We notice this happens quickly in our text, 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, We are told a Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him. Now here is someone who wasn’t a Jew by birth. Here was someone who hadn’t learned the promises of God from very early on in childhood. This woman lived in the country of Phoenicia, and she was called a Canaanite, a non-Jew. Still, she came to Jesus looking for help because she saw in Jesus that he was indeed one that could help.
Listen to how she addresses him: A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me’. She recognized this Jesus as the Son of David. Now even his own people often only called Jesus the son of Mary and Joseph. Sometimes they called him the carpenter’s son. But it was hard for Jesus own people to recognize him as the Son of David. Here is this outsider who should not have known who Jesus was. But she recognized Jesus as the Son of David, saying Lord, Master have mercy on me.”
We are also given the reason for her request--My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. So she was demon possessed. We realize that during the time of Jesus, Satan used many of his angels, many of his evil demons to possess people so that he might sidetrack Jesus from his ministry. And yet he did not stop Jesus from doing what he came to do; to heal people and preach the message of salvation. Then we have Jesus response, Jesus did not answer a word. Jesus was silent, silent for a number of reasons. Silent so his disciples might learn. Silent so that the woman would show her faith and understanding and that the disciples would see her faith. Of course we have the natural reaction of the disciples, so his disciples came to Jesus and urged him ‘send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ Now she was a bothersome lady, an outsider. This Canaanite woman said “have mercy on me, help me.”
The disciples, of course, did not want to associate witth someone who wasn’t a Jew. They didn’t know what to do with this outsider and they ask Jesus to send her away. Jesus answers them: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. In one sense Jesus confirms the disciples feelings a little bit. But when we look closely at what Jesus says, Israel is called lost sheep. Jesus was sent for the lost. The disciples thought only of Israel thus Jesus referred to his mission to them. We are going to look at this phrase more closely in just a bit. Jesus is sent for the lost even those on the outside.
Today you and I, believers everywhere, gather knowing that the Lord has provided for us eternally. We know that as we read in our lessons today (JEREMIAH 23:23-29; HEBREWS 12:1-13) that we are full of sins and not worthy of any of God’s mercy. In spite of this God shows his mercies to us. Our Savior Jesus Christ provides us with the forgiveness of sin. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life eternal. We rejoice in simple saving fact of salvation. Sometimes, maybe not to often, or maybe not at all, but sometimes we might forget that Jesus also died for the sins of the whole world. That is God’s promise of his grace. In 1st John we are told: “Jesus Christ the Righteous One is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 JOHN 2:2).
It is good to remind ourselves of that, because at times we think those outside have no hope. We may think those outside don’t have a chance at all. And they don’t of course, unless they repent. But when they repent, their sins are forgiven. And in a sense even before they repent their sins are forgiven aren’t they? When Jesus died on the cross, he died for the sins of Pontius Pilot, he died for the sins of the soldiers who were there. Sadly, if they don’t see their need for forgiveness the effect of forgiveness is not theirs. But Christ came to offer his life as a ransom for those outside. And miracle of miracles, you and I are considered outsiders--because we are gentiles--we are not Jewish by birth. We are like the Canaanite woman who came and said Lord have mercy. And miracle of miracles, the Lord has paid the price for our sins. When Paul writes this in Ephesians he says: “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (EPHESIANS 3:6).
This is a mystery that God had chosen the children of Israel to be saved and the rest seemed to be on the outside. But when God sent His Son, when God sent his son to die for the sins, it wasn’t just for the sins of the children of Israel, but for the sins of the world. Now you and I as gentiles are brought into that family of God. We are considered as God’s children, his chosen. We have a right to declare spiritually that we are the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. We are the children of promise. Now that is the mystery of salvation, that God would save any of mankind who destroyed his perfect creation with sin. An even greater mystery is that we are saved. This is all by God’s divine, free grace.
But we also know when we look at Jesus, moving his ministry from Galilee up to the area of Phoenicia, a non-Jewish area, that there still were other people on the outside. These other people on the outside who need to hear the message of salvation. There are other people on the outside of God’s kingdom of grace that need to be brought in. Jesus said: “I have other sheep who are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (JOHN 10:16). Jesus is speaking about the invisible Christian church. The Christian church is made up of all believers who confess Christ is the Savior of the world = one flock and one shepherd.
Jesus says today that there is bread enough for all. There is bread enough for everyone on the outside that they might come inside and become members of the Kingdom of God. And the only way to become members of the Kingdom of God is II. through faith in Jesus Alone.
II. Through faith in Jesus alone
We go back to the example of that Canaanite woman who was considered an outsider. An outsider whom the disciples were not sure how to handle. Even Jesus answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”. But if you look closely you discover out that Jesus already knew that some in Israel were lost sheep. Israel who had been the chosen had rejected Jesus. And if they were able to be lost, if they were able to deny the message of salvation, what of those even farther outside? There was bread enough for any who would believe in Christ.
What does this woman do? Does she give up? No. Our text continues: The woman came and knelt before him, and “Lord help me” she said. The original means, she came and worshiped him. This Canaanite woman, an outsider, who had probably never been in the temple of God, came and worshiped Jesus as the Son of David. She came and worshiped Jesus as the Messiah. She came and did this in a place where not many were going to worship Jesus. She came and did this after Jesus had left Galilee, where not even many of his own worshiped him. And she said: “Lord help me”. Jesus replied: “it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs”. The word for dogs here is the meaning for a pet. This is not a mongrel or wild dog, but a pet. And Jesus stated the obvious practice of the day. It was not right to take food off the table that was set for the children and give it to the pets, to the dogs. That was a common Jewish tradition, the family would be fed first. The children had far more value than any pet or a dog. This woman replies: “Yes Lord, she said, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She used the words--little dogs eat the little bread, the little morsels that fall. She realized that the meal needed to be served to those to whom it was intended. But she could live and she would survive on just the crumbs that would fall from Jesus’ table as the bread of life.
What faith she had!! She had faith to believe that Jesus could provide for her with just a small portion of his power. This would be enough to help. She realized she was not worthy but like a sinner, like a little dog, would still benefit from God’s abundant grace. Jesus realized it also. He said to her “’Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Jesus’ disciples also saw and they understood the great faith of this woman, a Canaanite. They realized that faith wasn’t necessarily being at temple every Sabbath Day. They realized that faith wasn’t just bringing offerings out of compulsion or out of a habit. Faith was believing--believing in Christ the Savior, the Son of David.
When you and I look at faith, we sometimes we talk about great faith and big faith and little faith, and small faith. Those aren’t real accurate terms as we look at them closely in connection with saving faith. Saving faith really can’t be measured. Saving faith is saving faith, whether we might look at it as a strong faith or a weak faith, it makes no difference. If one believes in Christ as their Savior, they are saved. The Lord said that too. Jesus said it only takes a little bit of faith; just a saving faith he says is enough for salvation. From Luke we read: “Jesus replied, ‘ If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you’” (LUKE 17:6). In another Gospel Jesus says you can cast mountains into the sea with faith. This saving faith can be small in comparison to everything else. This woman would survive on crumbs, knowing that saving faith was sufficient.
Now how do we define that saving faith? Well throughout the ages people have put their trust and confidence in many different things for saving faith. Some have even trusted in their own works to get them into heaven. Some have tried to buy their way into heaven. As Christians we believer there is only one way into heaven. That one way to heaven and into eternity is not through works, not through wealth, but through Christ and Christ alone. This is the simple, saving fact of Scripture not matter what others may try to teach. This was the message that the disciples and the apostles, after Jesus lived and died and rose again, had to stress over and over again. People had been so used to doing something to try to save themselves, it was hard for them to put their trust and confidence in Christ alone. In Acts: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (ACTS 4:12). Eternal salvation, saving faith is found only in Christ alone. This is the simple, saving faith that provides bread for those on the outside to live inside the kingdom of God.
Now throughout the years, you and I have been blessed with even more than just a simple saving faith. We have learned through our studies what God teaches to us concerning his word and his salvation. We learn the preciousness of what it means to stand firm in the Christian faith. We learn that there are things that are right and wrong according to what God’s word teaches us. We have learned that the Law shows us our sins and the Gospel saves us from our sins. We also learn and we know and we believe in our hearts the power that God has to change us from just plain old sinners, into sinners who are forgiven and saved forever—by God’s free grace and divine mercy. Paul describes it in the first chapter of Romans: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (ROMANS 1:16). Our Lord speaks again about those on the inside (Jew) and those on the outside (Gentile) being brought into the kingdom of God. All of this happens by the gospel of God through faith in Christ Jesus alone.
So it is, you and I learn many things in our living of life here in this world. We learn our ABC’s; we learn our counting, for earthly knowledge. In our spiritual life we learn that we are saved by faith through the Bread of life. We have also learned over the years that we do not like to miss any of our meals. We get hungry day after day – and even more than once each day. Today our Lord also wants to remind us that we are to daily hunger for the bread of life, which is the word of God. In Matthew 4 Jesus tells us: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (MATTHEW 4:4). There is bread enough for all – for those still on the outside and by faith in Christ alone. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
