"The king has compassion on Gentiles" by Rod Bayley, 9 December 2007, Matthew 15:21 - 39

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Have you ever wanted to get away from the crowds and just have some
time to yourself or with another person, but ended up in contact with
people anyway? I remember when I proposed to Christine, that we had
left the restaurant we had eaten at, to walk along circular quay
towards the Opera House. I was hoping to find a quiet spot to
propose, but every time that it seemed we had found one, people would
suddenly appear and stand near us or sit on a bench near us. We kept
going as a result, and we walked around the back of the Opera house
where I thought it would be good - surely it would be quiet there
looking out over the water. But of course, the spot had couples
everywhere - it was beginning to get frustrating. I was thinking that
at this rate I would never get to propose. Sometimes a solitary spot
just eludes us.

Much like chapter 14, Jesus appears to be seeking some time alone with
his disciples. He is presumably seeking some solitude to pray, or
time with his disciples to teach them away from the gaze of the
Pharisees. However, he is recognised and followed even in foreign
territory. Look with me at verses 21 and 22, which set the scene:
“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’.”
The first phrase, “leaving that place,” is assumed to be a reference
to Gennesaret, an area on the north-west shore of Lake Galilee.
Remember that we saw a couple of weeks ago that this is where he and
the disciples landed at the end of chapter 14, after he had walked on
the water. So now Jesus heads in a north-westerly direction towards
the Mediterranean coast, toward the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon.
This journey took Jesus into Gentile territory. But we read that
while he was there a local Canaanite woman approached him regarding
her daughter. Of course “Canaanite” was a general term that applied
to all the inhabitants of Canaan or Palestine which had been used
since the time of Moses. The Canaanites had been Israel’s enemies as
they conquered the land under Joshua, and onwards. Although there was
no fighting in Jesus’ day under Roman rule, it’s fair to say that like
most of the surrounding Gentiles, they were considered traditional
enemies to Israel. Nothing has changed since.

In 2005 I was watching part of Andrew Denton’s show ‘Enough rope’, as
I occasionally do. If you have not seen it, it is like an Australian
version of the British Parkinson show, where famous guests are
interviewed in front of a live audience. In June of that year, one of
his guests was a Palestinian woman who had written a book about the
long drawn-out Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She lived in the
Palestinian town of Ramala, which is not far from Jerusalem. Amongst
various stories, she shared how her dog needed treatment from a vet at
one point. In the Palestinian territories there are no vets or no
real facilities for them to practice, so she was forced to seek help
from an Israeli vet, those who are considered their foes. She had to
swallow any pride about this, and seek help in Israel where she was
considered an enemy to be watched, because she desperately needed
help. She talked of travelling into the Israeli areas, which was a
very difficult process because they are not allowed to move freely
around but have to get various entry permits. She eventually got to a
vet and her dog was given the best treatment. She received the help
she needed, but it was not a simple process and she had to pay up-
front for the dog’s treatment as a non-Jew.

In our passage we see Jesus interacting with a non-Jew, a Canaanite
woman, who came desperately seeking his help. But in this instance,
it was Jesus who had traveled into foreign territory, into her
region. It shows her desperation on behalf of her daughter, that she
even approaches Jesus for help. We are told as much by the woman’s
own words, when she cries out “have mercy on me”, and speaks of her
daughter suffering terribly from demon-possession. However, her words
not only show desperation, but also some appreciation of who Jesus
is. Notice how she addresses him: “Lord, Son of David.” By
addressing Jesus as “Son of David” she shows an awareness of Jesus
being seen as the possible Jewish Messiah. It indicates that: 1) she
knows about the prediction of a coming Jewish Messiah from the line of
David, and that 2) she has heard something about Jesus and his
miraculous powers.

Well, other than being a Gentile in Gentile territory, there is
nothing unusual about a person approaching Jesus for help,
particularly with regard to healing. But Christ’s response to this
situation does appear to be unusual. In verse 23 we learn that Jesus
did not answer her, at least not initially. The woman continues to
desperately cry out, presumably following them and constantly pleading
for attention. The disciples are either annoyed or embarrassed at
this situation and as a result ask Jesus to send her away. Now as we
read this story we get increasingly uncomfortable or critical of
Jesus’ response. He seems to show a lack of compassion here, simply
ignoring a woman obviously desperately concerned for her daughter.
And to make matters worse, when he finally responds to her in verse 24
it is in a very detached manner: “He answered, ‘I was sent only to the
lost sheep of Israel’.” He gives the reader the impression at least,
that he really doesn’t think she does deserve help - his mission is
primarily to Israel, and so the inference is ‘why should I help you?’
Undaunted by what might have seemed a cool reply, the woman responds
in verse 25 by kneeling before him and pleading, “Lord, help me!” If
the slow response and first comment were not enough, Jesus responds in
verse 26 with what seems like a particularly harsh word:
“He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it
to their dogs’.”

At this point, we tend to be very uncomfortable about Christ’s
response, even knowing the ending of the story. For example, is he
effectively calling her a dog and so being derogatory here? Well no -
we are dealing with a proverbial statement by which Jesus is again
pointing out no more than that his mission is directed to his own
people at this stage. Dog was a common Jewish term for Gentile based
on them not making any distinction between clean and unclean foods,
and it wasn’t necessarily derogatory. It is picking up a meal scene
whereby the Jews would eat at a table, but their dogs could gather any
scraps which fell to the ground. You certainly wouldn’t give the
children’s food to the dogs though - they just got the leftovers. The
Greek word used here for “dog” refers to ‘house dogs’ or ‘little
puppies’ - another word for ‘dog’ also exists which refers to wild
dogs and would be used if the intention was to humiliate. And we need
to remember that the tone in which something is said and the look that
accompanies it makes all the difference. We can only go on the
woman’s response, which seems to indicate that she was well aware of
the saying, rather than being shocked or offended. We read that she
even had a ready response to press her claim further. Notice what she
states in verse 27: “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She recognises that
Christ’s point is again to emphasise that Israelites are his priority
at this point of God’s redemptive plan. But her retort is direct -
she is effectively saying, ‘I am not asking for what belongs to others
- I am simply asking to be treated like little house dogs that get to
enjoy the leftovers.’

Despite this explanation, we might still feel that Jesus is somehow
acting out of character, that he is failing to show his usual
compassion on those in need - why is he making it hard for this poor
woman? Well, the answer to this continuing tension in the story is
ultimately given in verse 28: “Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have
great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed
from that very hour.” Here we learn from Jesus’ assessment of her
faith, that what preceded was a test of her faith. The apparent
insensitivity to suffering on the part of Jesus can be explained by
the lesson in faith - Jesus is testing whether this woman truly views
him as the ‘Son of David,’ and will therefore patiently persist in her
trust. She passes the test with flying colours and evokes Christ’s
compliment in verse 28, “Woman, you have great faith!”

Well how does this first section apply to us? I think that there is a
application with regard to the testing of our faith. Some Christians
find this a difficult concept in itself, that God would test our
faith, but the bible affirms it. In James 1:2-4, we have these words:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Testing of our faith is
part of the Christian experience, and it can come in small ways, or in
very difficult situations.

In her book “It’s my turn”, Ruth Graham (Billy Graham’s wife) tells a
story about her childhood in Tsingkiang, China, where her father was a
missionary doctor. There was a well known Christian man who also
worked at the local hospital, whose name was Mr Kao Er. One day as he
attended a prayer meeting, bandits broke into his house and kidnapped
his two children, an eight year old son and a baby daughter. Never
one to miss an opportunity to witness, Mr Er had a large sign painted
and posted in front of the hospital gate. It said: ‘The bandits have
kidnapped our children and have demanded a thousand yuan ransom. I am
not a wealthy man. I cannot pay a thousand yuan. I cannot even pay
fifty yuan. But I believe God. If it is his will, He is able to
bring my children back without any ransom.” Passerbys were amazed by
his message and it was widely expected that the children would be
quickly killed. Weeks passed, and in the course of time a band of
soldiers broke in upon a group of the bandits, and as they pursued
them they found a skeleton-like child lying in the ditch where the
bandits had hastily thrown him. It was Mr Er’s son - he was on the
brink of starvation but he was alive and he later recovered. Later
there was another battle, and this time the wife of the bandit-chief
was captured, and she was found nursing two babies, too near in age to
both be her own. Ruth Graham recalled not long after, ‘Sitting one
Sunday in the little gray-brick Chinese church, I watched as Mr Er
carrying his still-too-weak-to-walk son, and his wife carrying the now
healthy baby girl, walked forward to publicly give thanks to God.’

Well, that is a huge test of faith. But I raise it to put our own
tests and trials as Christians into perspective, and to point out that
many have gone before us who have persistently trusted in God’s
goodness and provision, regardless of the outcome in a particular
situation. Genuine disciples are seen over time as they face the
inevitable tests of our faith that will come. We must persevere and
realise that trials bring spiritual growth.

In the second section of our passage we have a second miraculous
feeding of thousands of people, this time four thousand men, with
presumably an equivalent number of women and children again. Notice
firstly though, that we again have a change of setting in verse 29.
Jesus has returned from the Mediterranean coastal areas of Tyre and
Sidon to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he goes up on a
mountain. In verses 30 and 31 we learn that huge crowds gathered and
that Jesus healed their sick on the mountain, and that the people
present were amazed at the healings, and the clear demonstration of
his authority.

Now we might be forgiven for thinking that we have heard it all before
from this point on - two weeks ago we looked at the feeding of the
five thousand in the previous chapter. Has Matthew just repeated the
story - is it just a confused variation of the same story? Well, the
short answer is ‘no’ - this account of the feeding of the four
thousand is also repeated in Mark’s gospel, and in Matthew 16:9-10
Jesus himself says: “Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five
thousand ... or the seven loaves for the four thousand?” And the
details of this second account makes this clear, by bringing out
several differences. Though the two accounts have some points in
common - desolate location, lack of food except for a few loaves and
fishes, and a large crowd - they also diverge. The number of people
fed, the loaves available and the baskets of fragments remaining are
all different. It is another amazing demonstration of Christ’s
sovereignty over all things.

But this still leaves us with a legitimate question - why does Matthew
include this similar account only a chapter later? What are we to
learn from this account which we have not already learnt from the
feeding of the five thousand in chapter 14? Well, the lesson to learn
is different because the crowd is different. In the previous chapter,
Jesus was feeding a Jewish crowd, and here he is feeding a Gentile
crowd. We know this partly from Mark’s account, where he states Jesus
went to “the region of the Decapolis” (7:31) which is a Gentile area
on the eastern shore. We also know this from the crowd’s reaction to
the healings on the mountain in Matthew’s account - notice at the end
of verse 31 that “they praised the God of Israel.” So this whole
section of chapter 15 is focussed on Christ’s ministry to the
Gentiles.

The lesson Jesus teaches is different as a result. In the first
instance where he feeds the Israelites, he demonstrates their need to
utterly depend on God’s Son, and his clear claim to be the Christ. In
the second, Jesus is demonstrating his concern for the Gentile world.
This is brought out in Jesus’ words in verse 32 - have a look at them
with me again now. “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’.” Although Jesus is obviously
providing for an immediate physical need, he is also signalling that
the kingdom of God that is breaking in through his ministry, is for
all people, just as the last interaction with the Canaanite woman
shows. Notice how he involves the disciples in his miracle so that
they might grasp this point. Yes, his mission had the Jews as first
priority - he was sent as the Jewish Messiah in fulfilment of the
scripture’s predictions, but his concern is ultimately for the whole
world. And this is seen in various interactions with Gentiles within
Israel, and through the occasional trips outside the borders, such as
to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. And we, like Christ’s
first disciples, have been commissioned as Christ’s ambassadors to
have compassion on all and to take the gospel to all people. The
apostle Matthew of course, famously ends this biography of Jesus’ life
in chapter 28 with the Great Commission, where Jesus stated his last
words after his resurrection: “All authority in heaven on earth has
been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations ...” (v18-19a).

Well, we might not struggle with the concept of showing compassion for
the physical needs of Gentiles, or the need to share the gospel with
Gentiles as the Jews did - we are Gentiles! But we can struggle all
the same with going beyond our own comfort zone, whether that is here
in Australia or overseas. We can easily be out of our comfort zone in
Australia when we think of our struggles to offer practical help for
Aboriginal communities, such as we have at Bellambi Point, or the
Muslim community to name two examples. Aid organisations talk about
compassion fatigue, and it is a very real phenomenon, one that you can
probably identify with as you see calls for financial help for one
disaster after another overseas. I think it’s even harder to fully
grasp and contribute to the problems in Australia, where there is
often less publicity and where we often believe that our governments
have replaced the role of the church in showing compassion. As a
result, we might give something to the Red Shield appeal, but our
expressions of compassion often stop there. It is not unfair to state
that evangelicals often have a blind spot when it comes to such
issues. We are very focused on sharing the gospel, as we should be,
but often there is a lack of involvement in meeting physical needs.

Then there are the massive needs overseas, both physically and
spiritually, that overwhelm us. If we go overseas to seek to meet
them in some small way, we are often out of our comfort zone. But,
you have a role in God’s salvation plan for all people - are you
willing to consider how that might disrupt your life and career? See,
it would be much easier to stay in Wollongong and pursue a career then
go and live in a country town where there are far fewer Christian
resources, or live in a city suburb dominated by another culture. It
would be far easier to stay in our own country with a Christian
heritage of sorts then to go to somewhere difficult where there are
very few Christians. We prayerfully support the Dunkleys who serve in
Bahrain in the Middle East, and the Gravitis’ who left to serve in
Thailand. We have committed to support Lisa DeRooy who will leave for
Thailand next year. You might think they are crazy - it is too hard
to step outside our comfort zone. But they are committed to the
mission to the Gentiles, a mission which has been going for 2,000
years, which was anticipated by Jesus’ own ministry and commissioned
by him.

Maybe God is challenging you to go and think about how He might place
you, with your gifts, your language skills, etc, to serve his
kingdom. He may keep you here, but if you are developing Christ’s
compassion for the Gentiles, He might have other plans. Jesus
prepared the disciples by taking them out of their comfort zone -
might he do that with you?