Biblical Discipleship Pt. 9 At Work or Rest, Be Ready to Minister!

We have seen Jesus' manner of discipleship as He prepares them for apostolic ministry that will carry on His mission on earth, after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Every Pastor, Parent, Parishioner and lay leader will benefit from sitting in the school of Jesus Christ as His disciples. 

Matthew 15:21  Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 

[Mark 7:24-25  And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25) For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:] 

Jesus was initially silent to her pleas.

Matthew 15:22,23  And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23) But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 

These two cities lay on the coast of Galilee, and were really conquered by the Israelites, though the land was allotted to the tribe of Asher. There was no exact boundaries between Phoenician  and Jewish land, but there was a great moral distinction. 

Take note of a certain detail recorded in Mark's gospel. 

Jesus reached that area of Israel near the borders of Tyre and Sidon and He entered into a certain residence, seeking rest and privacy. Jesus and His disciples needed a brief respite from the daily burdens of kingdom  ministry. 

The woman of Canaan was descended from the ancient Canaanites since the Phoenicians were also descended from them. The Phoenicians practiced gross idolatry by worshiping Baal and Ashtaroth. Their religion was full of depravity and debauchery. 

God commanded Moses to utterly destroy the Canaanites and to show them no mercy. Israel was not to intermarry with them because God knew that the Canaanites would turn their hearts to idolatry (Deuteronomy 7:1-6). 

Our text indicates that Jesus headed in that direction, but did not leave the borders of Israel. This unnamed woman had heard of the works of Jesus and she came seeking help for her demon possessed daughter. 

Remember, that our Lord entered this home seeking rest and tried not to broadcast His presence. Nevertheless, word got out that Jesus was present and reached this woman.

She first addressed Jesus as "Son of David" which is exclusively a title for the Messiah of the Jews. Living among a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, she had heard of the hopes of the Hebrew nation. 

She knew that the Jews were expecting a Messiah, son of King David, who would preach to the poor and heal the sick, as she heard all of the things that Jesus had done. The Bible tells us that the fame of Jesus had spread into these parts, and that people sought Him out for healing (Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17).

But as a Gentile woman, she had no claim on Jesus Christ as Messiah because all non Jewish people were cut off from the promises of God at that point in history (See Ephesians 2:11-17). Thus, Jesus did not respond to her cries. 

Notice the disciples' response to the Canaanite woman. 

They made an urgent plea for Jesus to send this wailing woman away. They did not want to hear her cries. It would seem that they were annoyed with this woman and since she was not Jewish, and perhaps they felt she was not worthy of Christ's attention. (Compare with Jonah's prejudice against the inhabitants of Nineveh).

The word "besought" can mean either to dismiss a person by sending them away or it can mean acquitting someone of a crime and setting them at liberty. 

However, the word "crieth" means to make loud screeching noises like a raven with clamorous shrieks. Therefore, it seems that the disciples were annoyed with her wailings and they wanted Jesus to send her away. 

Jesus reminded her that Gentiles were not heir to God's promises. 

Matthew 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

Jesus reminded the Canaanite woman that His ministry was specific to the nation Israel and the Jewish people (See Jeremiah 50:6; Matthew 10:6).

Matthew 15:25  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 

This dear woman then addressed Jesus as Lord which is His title of universal authority and rulership.  The word "worship" means to fall upon the knees to the ground with the forehead down as an expression of profound reverence. It means she fell down to the ground, kneeling before Christ to make her supplication.

Jesus drew out her faith. 

Matthew 15:26  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 

She uttered but the one cry, ‘Lord, help me!’ With more intense agony and fewer words she pleads with prayers from her heart.  She flings herself in desperation on His pity, with cries for her daughter wrung from her heart, as she sees the hope of help fading away. 

Jesus, the Bread of Life (John 6) reminded her that He was only sent by the Father to Israel and that it was not right to take bread intended for the children of Israel and to cast it to dogs (Gentiles).  His words to her may sound harsh but they simply express the limitation of His ministry to Israel. 

The ‘bread’ is the blessing which Christ brings.  The ‘children’ are the ‘lost sheep of the house of Israel’ and the ‘dogs’ are the Gentile world. The word for "dogs" literally means a puppy or small dog and in this text it refers to domesticated family pets. 

Her faith was strong and she was persistent.

Matthew 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 

This woman was persistent and took note of the Lord's use of the word for a family dog of small size. In essence, she said, "It is true, Lord that I am one of the dogs but since I am one this means I am domesticated and in the family, fit to eat any crumbs that fall to the floor."  

She does not ask a place at the children's table, nor for anything to be taken from the children of Israel. A crumb is enough for her, which the children will never miss.

This is a truly remarkable picture of a loving mother in the greatest need of a miracle for her daughter. She cared not for herself but only for her daughter. She was content to take the crumbs from the Master's table if it would help her daughter. She had strong faith in what she had heard about the Words and Works of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus proclaimed the depth of her faith and granted her request. 

Matthew 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. 

Jesus knew before this woman ever found Him what He would do. He wanted to draw her faith out in the open that it might blossom and produce fruit in her life. 

Her faith, perseverance and humility were on display and this was certainly a stark contrast to the arrogant boasting of the Pharisees and religious leaders of Israel that Jesus frequently encountered.   

She demonstrated that she was one of the household of faith just like Rahab and Ruth. Her faith in Christ was firm and fixed and her meekness of character led her to plead unashamedly for her daughter's needs. 

Jesus joyfully commended her faith and granted her petition. Matthew tells us that her daughter was healed in that same hour. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We have some more sound principles that Pastors can use in their ministry, parents can use in training up their children in the ways of God and parishioners in the church may follow to become more like Christ. 

First, discipleship may require us to seek respite in a quiet place. 

The beginning of this narrative finds Jesus and His disciples resting in a home located in a secluded area hoping for some peace from the hectic demands of ministry. Pastors and parents in particular will find that the demands of ministry within the church and in our homes is full of unexpected challenges. 

There are times when we become physically tired or mentally stressed out. Our Lord often provided times of solitude for His disciples because the pressures were great. It is important to get away periodically in order to recharge and be refreshed by the Lord. 

Second, even while resting or relaxing from the strains of ministry, God may send ministry opportunities our way. 

The unnamed woman in this account somehow heard that Jesus was nearby and she sought Him out. There are many hurting, struggling people in the world today who have a life without meaning or purpose. They are all around us whether in our neighborhoods or where we are vacationing. We must be ready to minister even as Jesus patiently ministered to the woman in this account. 

Third, we must never view people we minister to as annoying or aggravating. 

The disciples were annoyed by this woman's cries for help. They just wanted her to go away so they could have some peace and quiet. 

Pastors can become annoyed at Parishioners when they detect apathy or lethargy in their church family. 

Parents can become annoyed with their children when they have to correct them multiple times for the same act of disobedience. 

Parishioners can become annoyed when their Pastor comes alongside them, seeking their spiritual welfare. 

Lay leaders can become annoyed or frustrated when their Pastor does not give the same weight of importance to something that they do. They may also become annoyed with their church family not "getting with the program and living for God's glory."

Let us be honest before the Lord and admit that there is still enough "old man" in us that we can have wrong feelings toward others, or we might say things out of frustration that we do not really mean to say. 

It is the Spirit of God who has to deal with each one of us, to renew our thinking, revive us from lethargy and to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. Thus, all of us need to constantly have our thoughts brought into subjection of Jesus Christ. 

May the Holy Spirit of God show us our shortcomings so we might repent and forge ahead with renewed minds, revived hearts and a willing spirit seeking to be a faithful disciple of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bob