Matthew 15
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We're going to start reading from Matthew 15, verse 21, through to the end of the chapter.
Matthew 15, starting at verse 21, and we'll read to the end of the chapter.
Amen.
So his disciples came to him and urged him, send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.
He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.
The woman came and knelt before him.
Lord, help me, she said.
Jesus replied, it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.
Yes, it is, Lord, she said.
Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.
Then Jesus said to her, woman, you have great faith.
Your request is granted.
And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Jesus left there and went along to the Sea of Galilee.
Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others,
and laid them at his feet, and he healed them.
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well,
the lame walking, and the blind seeing.
And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said,
I have compassion for these people.
They have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.
His disciples answered,
Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?
How many loaves do you have?
Jesus asked.
Seven, they replied, and a few small fish.
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples,
and they in turn to the people.
They all ate and were satisfied.
Afterwards, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
The number of those who ate was 4,000 men,
not counting the women and children.
After Jesus had sent the crowd away,
he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
Well, let's keep our Bibles open there in Matthew's Gospel,
and we'll pray, and we'll ask for the Lord's help to understand his Word.
Let's do that now.
Father, again, we thank you for your Word.
Lord, we thank you for the Gospel of Matthew,
events and the life of Jesus written down,
recorded for us to hear,
to learn from today.
And we pray that we may encounter Jesus afresh,
that we may experience him,
that we may know and understand why he has come,
the response he looks for,
and the future that we can have with him.
So, Father, pour out your Spirit upon us generously.
May not one of us leave this building
without knowing Jesus more.
That's our desire,
and we ask for your help.
And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Well, this morning we're going to look at three things from the text.
We're going to see a shocking move,
a surprising response,
and a stunning vision.
So get ready to be shocked, surprised, and stunned.
First, a shocking move.
Jesus moves towards sinners and sufferers.
Jesus is always on the move,
as we've been reading through Matthew's Gospel,
declaring the good news in towns and villages.
But here in Matthew 15,
Jesus steps across a line,
one that shocks the disciples.
He crosses not just geographical and political borders,
but he crosses a spiritual and social barrier.
Jesus moves towards sinners.
Look at verse 21.
Leaving that place.
So Jesus is presently in Jewish territory
around the Lake of Galilee.
So he leaves that place,
and Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Tyre and Sidon are north of Galilee,
into pagan territory.
So you could imagine what the disciples are thinking
as Jesus makes his move.
You can't possibly go there.
They're outsiders and foreigners.
That's where the sinners live.
Now you may remember,
we've met these places before Tyre and Sidon.
Have a look back with me in Matthew's Gospel,
chapter 11.
Go back to chapter 11, verse 20,
where we come across Tyre and Sidon.
So again,
Jesus has been preaching in the towns and villages,
healing people.
Verse 20,
Then Jesus began to denounce the towns
in which he did most of his miracles,
because they did not repent.
Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida!
This was the heartland of Israel,
the religious Jewish folk.
For if the miracles that were performed in you
had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,
if they had had the opportunity
that you have had,
they would have repented long ago
in sackcloth and ashes.
Let's go back to chapter 15.
You see, Jesus' move is intentional
and provocative.
By crossing these borders,
Jesus is saying,
I have come for all people,
no matter what their background is
or what their history has been.
I am calling people to repentance.
I haven't come for those who think
they are good, rule-keeping religious folk.
But I've come for the irreligious people,
the ones who don't keep the rules,
the ones who cause chaos and mayhem,
the ones with messy, broken lives.
I've come to welcome sinners into my kingdom.
For no one is off limits,
no one is excluded,
and no one is outside of my reach.
So Jesus moves to sinners,
but he also moves to sufferers.
Because as Jesus enters this area,
look what happens, verse 22.
A Canaanite woman from that vicinity
came to him crying out,
Lord, son of David,
have mercy on me.
My daughter is demon-possessed
and suffering terribly.
Now everything about this event
is making the disciples
squirm uncomfortably.
She's a Canaanite,
a fierce enemy of the Jews.
The whole history of the Canaanites
has been about attacking
the nation of Israel.
And she's also a Gentile,
a pagan.
Religiously, she's unacceptable.
She's excluded.
And she's a woman.
Because you don't go talking
to such common people as women.
You see, the Jews had very strict
religious barriers
to keep such people out.
The kingdom, they thought,
is not open to your kind.
But rather than condemnation,
Jesus displays amazing compassion.
For Jesus, there is no line
or barrier.
He doesn't just see
their spiritual need,
but he sees their physical need.
He empathises with her suffering.
This reminds us, doesn't it,
of why Jesus has come.
He has come to renew
this broken world
and restore our disordered lives.
He sees the great need
of this woman.
Most likely,
she's without a husband.
And her daughter
is suffering
with a demon spirit.
And he moves out
towards her,
crossing all of the
spiritual social barriers
that there are.
Look down at verse 28.
Then Jesus said to her,
Woman, you of great faith,
your request is granted.
And her daughter
was healed
at that moment.
This is who Jesus is.
You see,
he is not repulsed
by our sin.
He's not immune
to the sufferings
that we go through.
The very things
that push people
away from us,
those who struggle,
we struggle to forgive,
those we find it hard
to care for,
these are the people
Jesus is drawn to.
The kind of people
we keep at arm's length
because of their sinful past
and their struggling life,
Jesus embraces them.
So whatever your sin
may be today,
whatever suffering
you may be experiencing,
let's understand this,
you are not
outside the reach
of God
or off limits
to the mercy
of God.
Jesus doesn't avoid
sinners and sufferers.
Jesus moves
towards
people like us,
people who sin
and people who suffer.
That is
good news.
So,
the shocking move.
second,
a surprising
response.
Jesus commends
those with
great faith.
He commends
those with
great faith.
Jesus'
interaction
with this woman
is full
of surprises
and we're just
going to focus
on two of them.
First,
Jesus responds
with silence.
We can imagine
the scene there
as this woman
comes to Jesus.
She's loud
and desperate.
She doesn't care,
does she?
Verse 22,
Lord,
son of David,
have mercy on me.
My daughter,
my daughter,
she's suffering
terribly.
How does Jesus
respond?
Verse 23,
Jesus didn't
answer
a word.
Silence.
Nothing.
I mean,
this isn't the
Jesus we know,
is it?
It's almost
as if Jesus
is ignoring
her.
But we
mustn't
interpret
the silence
as exclusion
and rejection.
Something that
the disciples
jumped to.
Look at the
rest of
verse 23.
So his
disciples
came to him
and urged him,
send her
away,
for she
keeps crying
out after
us.
They want
nothing to
do with
a pagan
outsider.
No,
Jesus is
silent
because he
wants to
teach the
disciples
and us
that this
woman is
not only
welcome,
but she's
an example
to us
all of
how we
should
respond
to
Jesus.
Of course,
Jesus
could have
answered
her
immediately.
He could
have healed
her daughter
straight away.
No problem.
His delay
is that he
doesn't care,
or is not
that he
doesn't care,
but his
concern is
that we
would learn.
So Jesus
responds with
silence.
And second,
Jesus responds
with
commendation.
You see,
when Jesus
does eventually
break his
silence,
look at what
he says,
verse 24.
He answered,
I was
sent only
to the
lost sheep
of Israel.
Well,
that was
true,
wasn't it?
Jesus came
for those
to whom
he was
sent,
the people
of Israel.
But Jesus
had also
come for
the nations,
for all
people.
And that's
what he
wants the
disciples to
learn.
He wants
them to
see how
this woman,
an outsider,
how she
responds.
So verse 25,
the woman
came and
knelt before
him.
Lord,
help me,
she said.
It's a face
that is
desperately
dependent on
Jesus.
It's a
recognition that
without the
intervention of
Jesus in
my life.
I am
lost.
I've got
no hope.
Lord,
help me.
But Jesus
is still
not ready
to act.
He wants
us to
grasp the
kind of
faith that
he commends.
Verse 26,
he replied,
it is not
right to
take the
children's
bread and
toss it to
the dogs.
Well,
what on
earth is
that about?
Well,
Jews referred
to outsiders
like this
woman as
dogs.
It was
insulting,
racist,
misogynistic.
That's why
the disciples
were so
quick to
tell Jesus,
send her
away,
we don't
want her
kind around
us.
We don't
want anything
to do
with her.
So Jesus
as if kind
of goes
along with
it and
confronts
her with
this view
as if to
say,
what are
you going
to do
about that?
Is it
not right
that you
take the
children's
bread and
toss it
to the
dogs?
Is it
right to
take the
Messiah who
came for
the Jews
and give
him to
the Gentiles?
Her
response is
just
brilliant.
Verse 27.
Yes it
is Lord,
it is
right.
Even the
dogs eat
the crumbs
that fall
from the
master's
table.
Just as
dogs get
to eat the
scraps from
their master,
so we
will receive
from the
Jews what
they don't
want.
I know
I don't
deserve
Jesus the
Messiah.
I know
I'm not
worthy.
I have
nothing to
offer.
I have
nothing to
bring.
I'm a
sinner and
a sufferer,
but I
desperately
need you.
Her
faith is
urgent,
but it's
humble.
She sees
not how
great she
is,
but how
great and
gracious
that Jesus
is.
And so
verse 28,
Jesus said
to her,
Woman,
you have
great faith.
Far from
ignoring her,
Jesus
commends
her,
this is
the kind
of faith
that I
seek from
all people,
people who
see their
desperate need
and run
to Jesus
urgently,
but humbly.
Now we've
got to be
careful how
we interpret
this great
faith.
It's not
the size
or measure
of her
faith that
Jesus
commends,
but the
greatness of
the one in
whom she
trusts.
You see,
it's not
about how
great I
am,
but seeing
how great
my sin
is,
and how
great Jesus
is to
forgive.
It's not
about my
great ability
or strength
to get
through
things in
life,
but seeing
how helpless
and hopeless
we are.
It's running
to Jesus
as our
saving king
and crying
out urgently
but humbly,
Lord,
help me.
This is
the right
response for
sinners and
sufferers.
This is the
kind of faith
that Jesus
commends.
of the
kingdom.
So we
have a
shock,
we have
a surprise,
and we
have a
stunning or
spectacular
vision.
Jesus
gives us
a foretaste
of heaven.
You see,
as Jesus
moves out
towards
sinners and
sufferers,
as he
welcomes
those with
faith,
so Jesus
is giving
us a
foretaste
of the
kingdom to
come.
And the
feeding of
the 4,000
shows us
this.
First,
look at the
crowds that
come.
Once again,
verse 29,
Jesus is
on the
move.
And verse
30,
great crowds
come to
him.
Now,
you may
remember we've
come across a
similar event
like this,
haven't we?
Just last
week in
chapter 14,
there it
was the
feeding of
the 5,000.
But apart
from some
minor differences,
what we
read in
chapter 14
and chapter
15 are
almost
identical.
Both have
large crowds,
both is
about an
event where
people have
no food,
Jesus
miraculously
feeds
everyone
who's
there,
there's
plenty
left over
in the
baskets,
and they
all go
home
satisfied.
The same
kind of
story.
However,
there's one
significant
difference.
The crowds.
Not the
number of
people who
are present,
but the
identity of
the people
who are
present.
You see,
in chapter
14,
it was all
about Jesus
down by
the lake
in Jewish
territory.
But here
in chapter
15,
they're all
from a
Gentile
pagan
background.
They're
still
outsiders.
Look at
the response
of the
people as
they gather.
Look at
the end
of verse
31.
They
praised
the God
of Israel.
They're
obviously
outsiders,
but they've
come to
have an
encounter
with Jesus,
God's
king.
So in
praising
the God
of Israel,
they are
declaring
that he
is their
God too.
Once again,
Jesus is
showing that
he's come
for all
people,
regardless
of what
their
background
or social
situation
is.
His
desire is
to bring
people from
all nations
to himself,
that they
might worship
him.
In fact,
the sheer
number of
people who
are gathered,
look at
verse 38,
which doesn't
include all
the women
and children
who are
there,
is a
foretaste
of heaven.
It's a
picture of
the crowds,
the thousands
that are
beyond number
of sinners
and sufferers
who've
responded in
faith and
will be
gathered
together
in God's
eternal
kingdom.
Well,
you say,
how is there
a vision
there about
God's
eternal
kingdom?
Well,
let's
look at
the feast
that is
to come.
You see,
as the
crowds
gather,
Jesus
begins to
feed them,
doesn't he?
He takes
a bit of
bread and
a few
fish and
he feeds
these thousands
of people
before him
and they're
all satisfied.
But Jesus
isn't just
showing off.
He isn't
just being
generous.
Jesus
is giving
us a
vision
of what
is to
come.
You see,
one of the
ways the
Bible looks
forward to
heaven
is a
feast,
a
celebratory
meal that
includes people
from all
nations
rejoicing in
their salvation.
Isaiah
the prophet
gives us a
foretaste of
what this is
like.
Keep your
finger in
Matthew 15
and let's
go back to
Isaiah
chapter 25.
Isaiah
chapter 25.
Here the
prophet Isaiah
is giving
a foretaste,
a picture
of the
eternal kingdom
to come.
Let's pick it
up, chapter
25 and
verse 6.
let's read
from verse 6.
On this
mountain,
the Lord
Almighty will
prepare a
feast of
rich food
for all
peoples,
a banquet
of aged
wine,
the best
of meats
and the
finest of
wines.
On this
mountain he
will destroy
the shroud
that enfolds
all people,
the sheet
that covers
all nations.
What's that?
Well,
verse 8,
he will
swallow up
death
forever.
The
sovereign
Lord will
wipe away
the tears
from all
faces.
He will
remove his
people's
disgrace
from all
the earth.
The
Lord has
spoken.
In that
day they
will say,
surely this
is our
God,
we trusted
in him
and he
saved us.
This is
the Lord,
we trusted
in him.
Let us
rejoice and
be glad
in his
salvation.
Let's
go back
to Matthew
15.
Isaiah's
vision
is of a
mountain.
Picture it
in your
minds,
where people
from all
nations are
gathered and
people are
healed and
death is
destroyed.
Their
relationship
with God
restored and
they celebrate
with rich
food.
it's a
spectacular
vision.
And now
look what we
have here in
Matthew 15.
Look carefully
at what Jesus
does.
Look at
verse 29.
Where does
Jesus go?
Up the
mountain.
What happens
in verse 30?
great crowds
come to
him.
Verse 31.
People are
healed and
restored.
The lame
walk, the
blind see.
Verse 36.
What does
Jesus do for
them?
He provides
a meal.
Okay, it's
just fish and
bread.
It's a long
way off the
best of meats
and finest
of wines.
but,
verse 37,
they are
all
satisfied.
Jesus is
not only
highlighting the
spectacular
vision of
Isaiah,
Jesus is
saying, I
am the one
who's come to
fulfil this
vision.
I am the
one who
makes all
of this
possible.
What I am
doing on the
mountain is
just a
foretaste
of my
glorious
eternal
kingdom.
You see,
for sinners
and sufferers,
the best is
yet to
come.
Yes, Jesus
healed all
these people,
but what
would happen
to them?
Well, they
would all die
at some
stage,
wouldn't
they?
Probably
through another
disease or
sickness.
Yes, Jesus
fed all of
these thousands
of people,
but within a
couple of
days they
would wake
up with
hungry
bellies
needing to
be fed
again.
You see,
what Jesus
was doing
was,
was just
temporary.
Jesus
came for
something
greater,
something
eternal.
He came
to deal
with all
of my
sin and
to destroy
the pain
of death.
He died
on the
cross and
he rose
from the
grave so
that I
might share
in his
eternal
kingdom.
Don't
settle for
what is
past.
Set your
eyes on
the vision
to come.
God
will
come.
You see,
here we
are being
shown
Jesus who
moves out
towards
sinners and
sufferers.
He welcomes
all who
respond in
urgent but
humble
faith.
And he
promises us
a seat
at the
table in
his eternal
kingdom.
A kingdom
where sin
and suffering
will be
no more.
and he
will wipe
the tears
from our
eyes and
we will
be satisfied
forever.
No longer
living by
faith but
feasting
forever with
the king.
What a
shock.
What a
surprise.
What a
stunning vision
for all
who run
to Jesus.
Let's pray
together.
our
Father God,
we come
just as we
are today.
You see
into our
hearts,
you know
our sin,
you know
our mess,
some of
it is
public,
some of
it is
desperately
secret.
You see
our lives
and you
see our
suffering.
Some of
that is
very public
too and
people know
how we
hurt and
how we
struggle.
But yet
we know
that some
of our
suffering
is deep
down
and no
one knows
the torment
that we
may face.
How
wonderful
to know
today
that Jesus
welcomes us
as we
are.
Come to
Jesus,
receive
forgiveness,
receive that
healing,
that
restoration.
salvation.
Come to
him and
know a
glorious
future,
urgently
and humbly
depending on
him in
faith.
Father,
help us
to go,
knowing that
it is you
alone who
will satisfy
us completely.
Help us
to walk
by faith
and not
by sight
as we
look forward
to that
wonderful
feast,
being seated
at the
king's
table,
served by
the Lord
Jesus
himself,
sharing
in a
wonderful
meal
to celebrate
our
homecoming,
our
salvation.
Thank you
for what we
have in
Jesus today.
Amen.
But we're
going to
sing a
celebratory
song.
There's a
higher throne
than all
this world
has known
where
faithful
ones
from every
tongue
that welcome
from every
nation
those who
have faith
in Christ.
I invite
you to
stand and
sing and
if you
are trusting
in the
Lord,
you will
want to
sing this
out in
praise and
thanksgiving.
Let's
sing together.
Amen.
口 dele's
water
There is a
higher throne
That all
thoughts
of us
And never
overcome
through
His
heart
That earth
You will
come to
gak
deeds
Into
pits
We
will
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