(Matt. 15:21-28)
Since it is Mother’s Day, we are going to look at this mom who has come to seek out Jesus. The Bible says her child was demon possessed and after hearing about Jesus she comes to where He is and asks Him for His divine help. Today, we are going to look at this mom and her short conversation with Jesus and how her encounter with Jesus changed her world. We will see today this mother’s faith.
I. This Mother’s Trouble (v.22)
The verse says that this woman’s daughter was demon-possessed and I imagine she was at her wit’s end; she was in great desperation and in need of the power of God. This lady was not a Jew and we see that she was a gentile (v. 22 says ‘a woman of Canaan’). She was not a woman of the Jewish faith but she had heard of Jesus. Someone around her cared enough to tell her about Jesus. She heard about how Jesus was the Messiah and could heal the sick and cast out devils. In fact it says in Mark 7:25, ‘For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet’; In trouble, this mother turned to Jesus. Our need, like the prodigal son (starving and broke, at the lowest point, the only way to look is up), that kind of need is often the means of bringing us to the Father’s house, to the feet of Jesus, to seek His presence. This mother turned to Jesus. It is always wise to turn to the Savior in the hour of trouble. In v. 22, we can almost hear her desperate cry, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David’, it seems unusual that a Canaanite woman would call out to the Messiah of the Jews. But I believe she had a greater understanding of who Jesus was than the disciples or the nation of Israel. Here she cries out to Him in faith; from her desperation running to Him, falling before Him, and asking, begging for her daughter’s deliverance. This truly is a good mom who loves her daughter and would do anything to help her. This mom did the greatest and wisest thing she could do, she came to Jesus. This mother was interceding on behalf of her child; it is no telling how many godly mother’s have prayed great prayers of faith on behalf of their children. I’ve heard testimonies of people who would say how when everyone else had gave up on someone there was still a Christian mom who never gave up praying for them; never stopped praying for the salvation of their souls. I have personally seen hardened criminals that have no one but Mom faithfully coming to see them on visitation days at the prison. A good mom stills love their child regardless and never gives up; this mom did the best thing she could ever do for her daughter, she came to the Lord of All on her behalf. She had heard about this Messiah Jesus and she came believing He could change her hopeless situation. She was doing the best possible thing in her trouble.
II. This Mother’s Test (vv.23-26)
Prayer isn’t always immediately answered. Troubles and trials sometimes last a little longer than we think they should. Sometimes we are tested in our faith. But we are to be as persistent in our prayers, in seeking out an answer from God. This mother had a great faith, but she faced great testing. She made her cry to Jesus, but the answer did not come at once. There were many things to test her faith.
A. The Lord’s silence (v.23a)- she cried, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil’ and it says v.23, ‘But he answered her not a word’. How many times have you prayed and it seems that no one has heard you and there is no answer from God. His silence was not unconcern. He was testing her faith, as the Lord sometimes does. Remember how He put clay on the blind man’s eyes and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus could have healed with a word, but He believed in giving a test to their faith. The Lord sometimes delays His answers to our prayers in order to test, then to establish our faith. It was so with Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died. Jesus delayed, and they wondered at His absence and silence. But finally He appeared, even though Lazarus was dead, He called him out of the grave to life again, and brought a great blessing.
B. The disciples discourteousness (v.23b)- "And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us."
Between the silence of Jesus and the bad attitude of His followers, her faith was severely tested. The conduct of many of the Lord’s disciples is more likely to drive away than to attract. Most of us are sad representatives of the gracious Savior. The disciples did not understand the Lord's silence, and they thought that He did not care. Though they had been with Him for three years, they still did not know much about Jesus. It seems the ‘Gentile’ had a better grasp of who He was.
C. The Lord's apparent refusal was a testing of this mother’s faith (v.24)- Jesus answered and said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." She did not belong to the house of Israel; therefore, as a heathen Gentile she had no claim on Him as the Son of David. Jesus answered her in the same manner as she had addressed Him. It seemed that His words formed a positive refusal. What does that mean? Jesus was not there outside of Israel on a whim, He was there for a purpose and this lady and her trouble was to show that purpose. Jesus was talking to her, which He didn’t have to do but did so anyway because of just who He is. Still, she persists in seeking His help and doesn’t give up. This mom is a woman of faith and knows that her faith has reality in Jesus alone.
D. His rebuke (v.26)- As she continued to cry unto Him, He said, "It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs." This seemed a very sharp thing to say, but this mother understood and accepted the place in which Jesus put her. The ‘children’ here means Jews (Israel) and ‘dogs’ means Gentiles. The word used for dogs does not mean scavengers or wild beasts but “little dogs or pets”. His refusal and rebuke were even better than His silence. As He talked with her, she knew she was in touch with Him; and there was a possibility of receiving a positive answer. Though her faith was tested, she did not give up. This brings us to our third part of the story.
III. This Mother’s Triumph (vv.27-28) - 1 John 5:4, ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.’
Faith gives victory. Nothing stopped this mother. She had faith in Christ and persistence to keep knocking at the door. She was not stopped by the silence of Christ, the discourtesy of the disciples, the refusal of the Lord or His rebuke.
When Christ said, "It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs," she snared Him with His own words: "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table." She knew her place before Jesus and she did arrogantly demand anything from God but graciously and humbly in faith ask and believed in her Savior was right there before her and could answer her prayer. She simply understood who He was and who she was before Him; her answer simply said that the Master's pet dog (Gentiles) ate only what the children (the Jews) refused to eat. His own people rejected Him and this encounter bought it to light even more, the Jews rejected Him and thus would begin the ministry to the Gentiles. Jesus had to answer her because of her knowledge of truly who He was but mostly because of her great faith in Him. It says there in verse 28, ‘Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour’. This great mother of faith received her answer from Jesus because Jesus is in the habit of rewarding faith. This woman possessed two wonderful characteristics: humility and faith. She was willing to take a humble place, and her faith was unwavering. "A broken and a contrite heart" He will not despise, and faith is the victory that overcomes the world. In the end she received more than she asked for. She was commended by the Lord for her faith: "0 woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. . . ." Her story of faith is written down for the whole world to read. Jesus did not commend her for her arguments, her patience nor her love, but for her faith. Finally, she was rewarded by the healing of her daughter: "And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Her prayer was answered, her faith in Christ rewarded. We need more mothers who will bring Him their troubles and needs, then there would be more sons and daughters saved. Here is real encouragement for mothers who have prayed long and earnestly for their children. Though the years have gone by, be not dismayed—silence is not unconcern. Jesus kept this mother waiting, but His answer was above her expectations. Faith in Christ was the key that unlocked the store of blessing which she needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment