Sermon(Mt 15:21-28): Jesus' real heart

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025256577

 

>> 21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Mt 15:21-28) <<

 

We see, in the biblical text today, a shocking scene that Jesus treated a woman like a dog! We see here Jesus' heartless and rude attitude that is different from that of the usual Jesus. We see the like in the Old Testament. God intended to kill Moses on his way to Egypt. I don't know the specific behind story, but perhaps it was due to his child's uncircumcision. Jesus departed from Israel to the district of Tyre and Sidon. There were Canaanites thought to be cursed by God in the district. And Jesus' reputation reached to the region, so a Canaanite woman came to Jesus and asked him to heal her daughter possessed by a demon. Following Jesus, she in tears besought him, "Lord, heal my daughter!" So his disciples suggested to him that he should answer her supplication, because she was too noisy. And Jesus said that he couldn't heal the daughter because she was not one of the chosen people, Israel. But the mother besought him again. And Jesus said that he couldn't grant the valuable grace of God to 'the woman and her daughter who were like dogs'. Nevertheless the mother said, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." Now Jesus returned to his usual mind(!) and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire. (v. 28)”

 

My brethren, are you willing to buy a birthday present for a child next door who does not respect you? You need not do that, sacrificing your precious money. My brethren, will God bless the Buddhists who serve idols? Will he bless them if they bow to him 3,000 times? No, and never! I can affirm: All the words of Jesus in the text today are extremely just and right! Why? Why did Jesus take a somewhat heartless stance with the poor Canaanite woman? Because Jesus is now preaching the gospel to the godless Canaanites, and his goal is to save the souls, not the healing of diseases itself.

 

What did Jesus mean by the saying, "I (Jesus) was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (v. 24)"? His message is that anyone who wants to receive God's grace and to be saved must first become an Israelite. Here, an Israelite is not an Israelite according to the flesh or the land but an Israelite by nature, or a spiritual (inner) Israelite. A spiritual Israelite believes in God the Creator and lives according to his commandments. Jesus is saying to the gentile woman, "I, who am sent by God, will not in the least bless you as long as you, with the state of mind serving idols, would not believe in God." My brethren, what a saying just and right! You are a betraying servant of God if you proclaim God's blessings to a man who serves not the God but the idols, aren't you? God's servant should never do that! Of course, you can bless gentiles if God permits. But it's a very special case. My brethren, please serve God as God if you really want to be blessed by God. Do you want help from Jesus? Then serve Jesus as your Lord. My brethren, do you want to live in the power of the Holy Spirit? Then be the temple of the Holy Spirit by keeping your body and spirit clean and holy. If you don't try to be a man that God wants you to be, but only are absorbed in prayer for several hours a day in order to obtain God's blessings, the blessings won't come upon you. Did Jesus give any good answer to the Canaanite woman though the idolatrous Canaanite woman earnestly besought him with a loud voice? 'The lost sheep of the house of Israel (v. 24)' at least do not serve idols but believe in God the Creator. Jesus is saying that she must have at least such a faith so that she can receive God's grace.

 

“It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. (v. 26)” By this saying Jesus teaches that he will never grant grace to him who has dog's faith. What is the characteristic of a dog? If anyone throws something to eat to the dog, it will eat it, wagging its tail. No matter how loyal a dog may be to its owner, it will gladly wag its tail and eat the meat which a stranger, or even a thief, throws to it when it is barking at him. And a dog accepts as its owner him who gives it food every day. There are many who have dog's faith in the world. A Christian having dog’s faith goes to a fortune teller and gives him money to hear a friendly prophecy of the future. You have dog's faith as a Christian if you serve a man who can offer you a worldly assistance, bribing him as your lord, flattering him, and even daring to break the law at his command. Fortune tellers and mediums are people having the dog’s faith who willingly serve the Devil and demons if such dirty spirits give them blessings. Why did Jesus deal with the Canaanite woman like a dog? That's because she, still keeping her idol, her god, in her heart, tried to heal her daughter by Jesus, a powerful man for her makeshift. She is pretending to respect Jesus now for her purpose, for a while smiling and wagging her tail at him, who perhaps will throw a lump of meat to her. My brethren, Jesus has come here from afar for the ministry of the salvation of the souls. He is a sincere One. So he never grants God's grace to this woman who has dog's faith, because he can't deliver a person of dog’s faith by giving grace and working miracles. Once the meat has come into the mouth, almost all men of dog’s faith depart and vanish. It may break her heart, but Jesus, a sincere Lord, cannot help but say the truth frankly, "I'll never show favor to you who have a dog's faith!" My brethren, do not be disappointed when the blessing of God does not come upon you however much you shout to God for help, but please reflect whether you have a dog's faith before God now. You have dog's faith if you will take anything good by all means, even in giving up your faith. But the Scripture says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Mt 6:33)"

 

Then when does Jesus bless people? When they have 'son's (or child's) faith'! "“It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. (v. 26)” The saying that the blessing of God can't be allowed to people having dog's faith means that God will bless those who have the faith of the children of God. The core of the children's faith is their determination not to have gods other than the God. My brethren, can it be possible for a man to have two fathers? He who thinks so must be a depraved son. Child's faith first refers to the faith that acknowledges the only father and his authority. The only father is God the Father who created the world. The father is God the Father who sent his only begotten Son Jesus to the world. He who has this faith of child absolutely obey the words and will of the Father. God the Father wants you to receive his only begotten Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and to serve and follow him. "... that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (Jn 5:23)" God makes those who receive and believe in Jesus his children. "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. (Jn 1:12)" My brethren, do you want to be a son or a daughter of God and to be blessed? Then receive God's only begotten Son Jesus as your Lord and honor him. The blessing of God the Father comes to us through the Son Jesus, because God the Father gave the Son the power to rule over all humans (Jn 17:2), and all Jesus' are Father's and all Father's are Jesus' (Jn 17:10). "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. (Jn 14:13-14)" My brethren, all attempts to receive blessings and helps directly from God apart from Jesus will come to nought. It may sound complicated, but you can never have child's faith and sonship or daughtership as well if you do not receive Jesus as your Savior and honor him. Of course, nor can you be blessed with the blessing of children then.

 

After hearing shocking cold reply from Jesus twice, at last the woman realized Jesus' true heart that was saying to her, "You must change your faith!" >>She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” (v. 27)<< This woman declares herself as a dog, and Jesus as her new master. This Canaanite woman must have confessed that Jesus was her master, seeing that she didn't say, "The dogs can eat something thrown by some people other than their owners." Her confession means that she will abandon powerless idols she has served until now, instead, from now on, will serve as her master Jesus who has power to expel the evil spirits and can work miracle for her. Finally she changed her faith, and the evangelism of Jesus was a great success. Do you think the woman had dog's faith because she compared herself to a dog? It's never true! The object of her faith was holy God the Son, so she had child's faith if she thought him to be her lord and followed him. A man with dog's faith is he who serves a wicked one as his lord. Anyone who rejects idols and demons and follows Jesus calling him 'Lord' is one who has child's faith.

 

He who has child's faith gladly accepts God the Father's discipline when God the Father punishes him to teach him correctly. A man of dog's faith departs the church when he gets rebuked and punished by God, while a man of child's faith reveres him the more then. There is no reason why a dog should wag its tail to a stranger when he does not give it meat but beats it. A man with dog's faith is unpleasant and growls when others are blessed by God, while a man with child's faith rejoices with them because he thinks they are children of God, too. A man of dog's faith swallows up what tastes sweet to his tongue but spits out what tastes bitter, while a man of child's faith sacrifices himself for the kingdom of God and the church, because he thinks the good to the kingdom of God is the good to himself.

 

>>Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” (v. 28)<< Look, my brethren! Jesus blesses only one who has a right faith. He makes his or her wish come true. God says to a man who importunes God with loud prayers day and night but without a right faith, "Oh man! I'm not deaf!" How many people, without a right faith, are just crying, "Lord, help me just this time!" sadly and shamefully as the Canaanite woman before she had a right faith? My brethren, first be a spiritual Israelite. First give up your dog's faith and have child's faith. Don't waste your time and energy. You must grasp Jesus' ulterior intention or his true mind first.

 

I pray that the Holy Spirit may touch your heart so that you can always have child's faith. May Jesus grant your wishes.

 

Chong Tack Kim

                               - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -