Time to build this

How is your faith? Do you have great faith? What does great faith look like? What if your life was like a multiple choice test on faith, would you ace it? Get average grade? Bomb it?
In Matthew 15:21-28 we get a picture of great faith contrasted with not so great faith…who do identify with as you read the passage?

"Leaving 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." Jesus did not answer a word. 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.
He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:21-28)

First read of that passage and you think, “Wow! Jesus was a racist.” After all He uses the term “dog” to describe a woman. I haven’t recalled that term being ever used positively and back then it wasn’t… at first read.

At second read we see Jesus as the master teacher who creates experiences for people. Jesus deliberately induces frustration to teach a lesson that the disciples and this woman and hopefully you will never forget.

This is only one of the two times Jesus tells someone they have “great faith.” What makes her faith great and what do the disciples and often times us need to learn?

First, great faith is not indifferent. Can you picture this lady coming to Jesus crying and yelling and Jesus did not respond? Many men do this to their wives; it still doesn’t make it right. To the disciples though it made sense after all she was a Canaanite. The disciples could recall detailed battles Israel had with Canaan coming into the Promised Land. Ignore her, understandable…get her out of here; absolutely…she is not worth their time.

Yet the master teacher Jesus knew this was a fantastic teaching moment, you can feel Him play their game. The disciples fed up finally ask “send her away, she keeps crying out for us." Actually she is crying out for Jesus but they include themselves. They want some “me” time. And even though it seems so cruel Jesus is acting this way not for her sake but for theirs. Notice Jesus doesn’t speak to her until the disciples speak what they are thinking. He is exposing this attitude of indifference. Not one of them pulled her aside and said “we will pray for you, let me see what we can do to get you to Jesus”…pure indifference.

Thank God we are not indifferent to the needs around us. Thank God we don’t get focused on our little world, our clique, our family, our friends, etc. You want to sink a ship, you want to drop a team, you want to let a family just slide apart… just be indifferent. Let’s kick into apathy mode and turn our minds, hearts, and actions into neutral.

Put yourself in the story- would you have reached out to her or been a liaison between her and Jesus? Or would you have shrunk back and hope someone else would take care of it or just get her out of here?

As so often is the case the one you least expect is set up to be the hero in the passage. Her GREAT faith is set as a back drop for the disciple’s indifference.

Contrary to indifference, she knew something had to be done. Rather than just thinking about the problem, her great faith moved her out of apathy, sympathy, and neutrality and moved her to Jesus.

She shows great faith because she is so stinkin’ (used in a good way) persistent. Here she is crying out for Jesus to come heal her daughter and even though He can clearly hear her He ignores her (I guess I do sometimes ignore my kids that cry out to me for this and that but I think my motive may be quite different then Jesus). Ignored by Jesus and rejected by the disciples. With caller id’s we are gracefully able to do it but she was flat out rejected. Most would walk away…leave it alone, but not her. She refuses to be discouraged or quit but keeps on crying out all the more.

Ignored by Jesus but then resisted “I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” Notice the woman persists, “Lord help me.” I wonder if He hoped the disciples would disagree with Him. They still had much to learn.

"But He answered and said, ’It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." Matthew 15:26. The Greek word employed by Jesus was “kynarion” which is best translated “little dogs” (household pets). What might at first appear as highly derogatory was, in reality, tenderly uttered by our Lord.

With humility and submission she continues, like she knows Jesus is going to honor her request.
Today, people would say that unanswered prayer is a sign of a lack of faith but that is not always true. Faith is not proven true by answered prayer but by unanswered prayer that does not make us waver or give up on God.

See her example points to one thing that Jesus knew all along, but now He makes very public for the disciples to see, "Woman, you have great faith."

I like what one football coach said, “Press on, nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are important.” (Living Above Mediocrity, Charles Swindol)

So who do you relate to in the story? Perhaps some of both. Hope you will continue to pursue a great faith….

To be a Christian means we have incredible purpose. Unfortunately, many aren't embracing it and instead are finding themselves wandering or pursuing "lesser things". Jesus tells a crowd of ordinary disciples that they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world, that also applies to us. He doesn't make a suggestion or give an option, rather He tells us this is what you are (if we are in Christ).



Like many verses in the Bible it is easy to read things and blow it off or pass the buck thinking "hey I will let those zealous Christians be that, or the super saints, or the government, etc." But Jesus point is clear- You are the salt and the light to the world. He says let your good works shine for all to see....the word good used here in the Greek means winsome, attractive, beautiful works be seen.


This is interesting because as you look forward to chapter six Jesus says:



“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.



How do we reconcile that…

I think it challenges us to ask the question why do we do good works?


Some do good works rooted in insecurity….

"I need to do these things to keep the people loving me,"

"to keep people happy," "to win approval"


The religious people in that day did this, whatever would earn them praise.

We do it too. We work extra hard to please that demanding boss. We do those good works to please that unsatisfied spouse.

The problem is when we do good works out of insecurity, we are looking to people to fill a need. We think, "when will that spouse finally give me what I need, when I do all this for them." "That friend I am constantly calling, writing, reaching out to, all they do is take, when are they going to appreciate me." "When is the boss going to finally give me what I deserve."


In the end it is really rooted in selfishness and lots of people are doing good works with this motivation.


Others do good works to feel better about themselves, some do good works to help them earn God’s approval….instead Jesus says do it quietly so your Father will see them.

However, Jesus says we can know we are doing good, winsome, beautiful, attractive works if the work that is done brings glory to God...draws people to Him (Matthew 5:16).

End the wandering and embrace and pursue who you are....the salt of the earth (the flavor, creating spiritual thirst, preservative from the onslaught of wickedness) and the light of the world(reflecting the glory of the Lord).