Ruth 1:1-5, 15-21 Psalm 44:13-26 Eph. 6:10-20 Matthew 15:21-28 April 6, 2008

Community of Hope Easter 3 Intro to Global Day of Prayer David Drum

Series: Jesus Said What?

Part 2: About Answering Cries for Help

Here’s the scene. You’ll want to have your Bibles open to Matthew 15, so you can see for yourself. (Page 693 in our Bibles here) Jesus has just gotten into a tiff with some guys who are more talk than walk, more focused on the details than the big picture. The same religious folk we talked about last week. People who make it hard for God’s kids to find the truth make Jesus mad. The specific issue at hand was that the religious leaders wanted to know why Jesus didn’t teach his disciples to wash their hands before they ate. Seriously! Imagine me sitting down to dinner with Anne Marie’s cell group and hearing about the incredible things God has been doing in their group. As we start to eat, I interrupt and turn angrily to Anne Marie and accost her, “Why didn’t you teach Arlo and Patti to wash their hands before they eat? What are you doing over here, anyway?” Missing the forest for the trees, wouldn’t you say? Now it’s a little more complicated than that, but the point is the same.

So, Jesus set the religious leaders straight. Remember, part of the reason Jesus got so angry with the religious types is that he loved and died for them, too. Apparently, most of the disciples liked conflict about as much as we do, because they said to Jesus, “Did you know that you offended them with what you said?” Jesus came to bring peace, but truth is the only way to get there.

Our story today picks up with the narrator’s note that after this scene, they withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now, if we didn’t know better, that could sound like they left and went to the Bahamas for some R & R. But what you need to know about Tyre and Sidon is that these were bad places – notoriously bad places. The region of Tyre and Sidon was where the enemy lived. When Jesus wanted to make a point about people messing up, he used Tyre and Sidon as an example. As in, “You’re going to be in more trouble than the people of Tyre and Sidon.” So, this verse is like telling us, “After a rough week, Pastor Dave and the staff withdrew to Tempe.”

Next verse, verse 22. A Canaanite woman from Tempe came to him… stop there. Who were the Canaanites? Well, if you’ve been doing one of those read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year programs, you recently read the book of Joshua. The Canaanites were the people God called the Israelites to replace. Jews and Canaanites were like oil and water – they didn’t mix. Think Jews and Arabs. So, this Canaanite woman comes up to Jesus and says, “Help! Help! Lord of the Jews, help me! Have mercy on me! My daughter is possessed by a demon. I need your help!”

And Jesus says… nothing. Not a word. Doesn’t even acknowledge her. His always-helpful followers noticed her, though. They heard her cries for help, and so they came over to talk to Jesus. “Help is on the way, right?” Not. Give the disciples credit for one thing – at least they knew who was in charge, and that it wasn’t them. Now telling your boss what to do may not be the wisest thing, but at least they went to him first – this time. They tell Jesus, “Jesus, she’s really annoying us. She keeps crying out, “Help me, help me,” and it’s really getting old. We talked about it, and we think you should send her away.”

I’m here to tell you this morning, if you think you’ve got Jesus pegged, and always know exactly what he’s going to do next, you must be talking about a different Jesus than the one I know, because he surprises me more often than not. I might have expected at least a gentle rebuke to his sidekicks, but at first glance, he seems to agree with them. He finally speaks to the woman, and says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Rather than being put off by this answer, the Canaanite woman from Tempe comes straight up to him and kneels before him. For her, even an apparent rejection is better than no answer at all. She’s been acknowledged now. That’s progress. “Lord, help me. Help me!”

Jesus answers, “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” He said what? “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” There’s no way to soft-pedal Jesus’ answer. It’s harsh, and it hurts to read it. Can’t imagine hearing it cross his lips. Jesus said what?

So, what do you make of this? Is this an example of a kick-the-cat scenario? Jesus was frustrated from his long day of work with the Pharisees. He wants to go home, but the donkey does something weird and he ends up in Tempe. And then someone else wants his help, and he’s just had it. Takes his anger out on the easiest target. Is that what this is?

Or worse, is Jesus buying in to the prejudice his people had developed over nearly two millennia? “Never did like those dirty Canaanites. They’re dogs, every one of them.” Is that what this is?

If you know Jesus, you know it can’t be either of those. But they’re fair questions. And this whole story may bring up some pretty raw memories for some of us, too. Times when you prayed for something and it seemed like nobody was home. Times when you tried to do the right thing and got kicked in the shins as a result of it. What do you make of this? Can we just write it off to a poor translation? Even if we could, would that really help? Even if we could explain this story away, what about our own experiences when we prayed for healing and our loved one died? Or when we finally took some significant steps toward God only to see the bottom fall out of our job, our marriage, our kids? If we can face the real-life tougher-than-nails questions when someone else is the one going through it, maybe it will help us when it’s us.

So let’s finish the story and see where we come out. As offended as we might be by Jesus’ answer, the woman in need still doesn’t give up. She takes Jesus’ answer at face value, and has a perfect response – “You’re right Lord. It wouldn’t be right to feed the children’s food to the dogs. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. That’s all I want – just a few crumbs, because I know that crumbs from your table will be more than enough to satisfy me.” Jesus is amazed at her great faith, says so, and her daughter was instantly healed. End of story. She got what she came for.

Now, let’s put this whole thing under a magnifying glass. Did she get the healing she requested in spite of Jesus, or because of him – against his will, or in line with it? What do you think? Can you think of an instance, ever, when someone forced Jesus’ hand, made him do something he didn’t want to do? I can’t. Jesus is in charge. Even his disciples got that part right. Even on the way to the cross, not once do you get the impression that others are having their way with Jesus. He could have put a stop to things with a simple raise of his hand. You don’t make the Lord of the universe do anything. The woman’s daughter was healed because Jesus wanted to heal her.

Okay then, did she get what she came for, but ended the day with a bad taste in her mouth over the way things went? Or did she get even more than she came for, in a positive sense? I’d bet the house that it’s the latter. It all depends on what facial expression you paint on Jesus as you picture the story. I don’t believe for an instant that Jesus was annoyed with her. Nor do I accept the idea that he came for some people and not for others. He died for his enemies. This isn’t about racism or prejudice. I think he was rooting for her. Cheering her on every step of the way. Praying for her, praying that she’d press on when he initially didn’t answer her, praying that she’d see his deepest intentions, see into his heart, even while his words seemed to point in the opposite direction. Think of Jesus in this story like an athletic trainer. “Keep going – one more lap.” “No, I can’t, I can’t run another step.” “Of course you can – don’t be a girly-man. You can do it.” “I’ve got nothing left.” “What – are you gonna quit? Be a loser? Of course it hurts, but take that next step.” And even though the athlete vows revenge on the trainer during the workout, afterwards, the two go for out for drinks.

Jesus did more than grant the healing this woman requested. He strengthened her faith muscles. Resistance is the only thing that makes muscles grow stronger. And it’s the only thing that makes faith muscles grow stronger, too.

The woman was desperate, no doubt. And people who are desperate have a huge advantage when it comes to prayer. When the going gets tough, they keep on praying, because they really have no alternatives. That’s a huge advantage. One of the reasons Global Day of Prayer is such a powerful experience is because we get to pray alongside people who understand desperation better than we do. Block out the time now, as much of it as you possibly can, because the more you invest in this unprecedented global movement of God, the more you’ll get out of it. But I’m completely convinced that there’s more going on here than this woman’s desperation outlasting Jesus’ reluctance.

If you want to know Jesus’ character, if you want to understand what he’s really thinking when you pray, go straight to the cross. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Go straight to the cross. At the cross, there can be no doubt whether Jesus is for us or against us. At the cross, there can be no doubt about how far Jesus will go to get us what we need. He wants what’s best for us, always, and an empty tomb proves that his power is limitless.

The Old Testament story of Ruth, especially from Naomi’s perspective, is the same story, with the disadvantage that Naomi couldn’t look into Jesus’ eyes. Naomi played by the rules, and lost everything. She knocked on heaven’s doors, and heard nothing. But to her credit, she hung in there with God. She wasn’t saying pretty things to Him, but she was at least still talking to Him. And as a result, she experienced joy yet again. We could spend months on that story – as a matter of fact, we did, about two years ago. But for now, we’ll have to go straight to the punch line. Naomi’s shattered dreams led to better dreams. Naomi’s faith in the temporal, the parts of this life that no matter how wonderful, are still in the end, temporary (like family) – her faith in the temporary was replaced by a better faith, faith in something eternal.

And Jesus was doing the same thing for this woman. He did eventually heal her daughter. But he also helped her faith grow in the face of resistance. Didn’t you see how her faith seemed to grow with every interchange? That’s because Jesus was giving her faith even as he was seeking it. He had a sparkle in his eye, coaxing her on during the entire encounter, I’ll bet my life on it. Because her daughter would encounter other problems in life, as would she. She needed her sights set on something bigger than just the desired outcome of a specific prayer. She needed to know that she could trust Him even when the circumstances didn’t look that way.

Jesus wanted to heal her daughter from the outset. There’s no question about it. So when you read the dialogue, don’t ever forget the motive. Jesus gave his life for this woman, and for you and me, too.

God is for us. Never forget that. When it seems otherwise, which it sometimes does, run straight to the cross. Don’t look to the left or the right. And trust that any obstacles in your path that God has allowed, no matter how painful, are only because He’s building something bigger and better than you asked for. You may not want it at the time, but in the end, it will be worth the struggle. You don’t have to understand what He says or doesn’t say, to trust the One who’s saying it. When the going gets tough, it’s best to get going… straight to the cross.

God is for us. Never forget that. Amen.