Great Faith… vs. 24-30

• The Syro-Phoenician woman… vs. 24-25
  • Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon…
    • Tyre and Sidon were to the north of the region of Galilee (modern day Lebanon)
    • Jesus challenge of traditions really upset the Scribes and Pharisees – cool down time
    • So He went up into the Region of Phoenicia where the Pharisees had no influence
    • He did not want anyone to know He was there – but He could not remain hidden…
  • A Syro-Phonecian woman came to Jesus asking for help…
    • Syria (the same as Syria today) and Phoenicia (modern Lebanon)
    • All that just to make sure we understand – she was not in any way a Jew 
    • Which makes her greeting to Jesus all the more interesting – Matthew 15:22
  • Lord – Son of David – have Mercy…
    • She first submits to Jesus’ authority – she calls him Lord / fell at His feet
    • She then gives Him a Messianic Title – the Son of David
    • She was not a Jew – yet somehow she knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah
    • She recognizes Him as the Savior – and asks for His help…
  • Her daughter was demon possessed…
    • The problem she had – was actually a problem with her daughter – demon possessed…
    • We are not told how this came to be – only that she knew Jesus was the solution!
    • Often we make the mistake of focusing our problems (how did we get where we are)
    • But when we focus on the problem – we are not looking at the solution!
    • The solution to a dark room is not to focus on how dark the room is…
    • Turn on the light – that is the only solution to darkness
    • The moment we turn on the light – the darkness is no longer a problem
    • In the same way if we focus on our problems – we find we are still in darkness
    • The moment we look to Jesus – the light comes on – He is the only solution!
    • It does not matter what the problem is – He is the solution to every problem!

• Jesus’ gives 3 responces the woman – (2 recorded in Matthew / 1 one in Mark)… vs. 26-28
  • 1^st – Jesus did not answer her at all – Matthew 15:23
    • It would appear at first that perhaps Jesus did not hear her…
    • Or worse yet that He just was not listening – but as is it turns out – neither is the case…
    • Jesus is about to show something remarkable to His disciples… GREAT FAITH
    • The disciples (Imperfect) asked Him to send her away (Imperative)
      • The woman made such a scene that the Disciples were getting embarrassed
      • They were not asking that Jesus do what she was asking…
      • Just that He would send her away (they did not get the lesson yet)
    • But the woman kept asking – not afraid of what others said – Jesus was her only hope!
      • Do we have a tendency to follow Jesus – only when no one is looking…
        • Do we tend to blend into the crowd when others are around…
        • We are not called to look like the world – we are called to be a light in it
      • That means that others may not like us around…
        • If you are in darkness – and someone turns on a light – it hurts your eyes
        • If you are doing bad things in darkness – how much more you hate the light
        • We are a light – and those who are in darkness don’t like the light of Jesus
        • They want us (and Jesus in us) to go away so the darkness can return
    • The woman knew there was nowhere else to go – Jesus was the only answer…
      • Why is it that we try everything else first – then as a last resort – Jesus
      • Going to the Word – prayer – those seem like the very last option
      • Only once everything else has been tried…
      • Then we go to the only answer that is guaranteed to work!
  • 2^nd – I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel – Matthew 15:24
    • The lost sheep – Israel as a nation had lost its way – they had wandered far from God…
      • Luke 15:4 – “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety–nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”
      • Jesus had come to find those lost sheep – those whom were scattered
      • It’s easy for us to get distracted – to loose our focus on Jesus
      • We see something pretty in the world and wander off after it…
      • Getting carried away by the things in this world – we get lost
      • What comfort to think that our Lord never lets us go far
      • If we wander off – He is always right behind us looking to bring us back
      • Jesus is never farther away than simply turning around (repentance)
    • No just any lost sheep – the House of Israel…
      • Jesus came to give the message of Salvation to the Jews… first
      • The Bible is a Jewish book – written by all Jewish authors…
      • Every prophet in the Bible was Jewish – as were all the Disciples
      • So it was to the Jews that the Gospel was given first….
      • Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.”
      • But the Gospel was not meant for ONLY the Jews… (John 3:16)
    • The woman’s response – she worships Jesus (Imperfect) saying, Lord help me…
      • None of this dissuaded the woman – she continued to worship Jesus
      • She was persistent – she did not give up easily…
      • Luke 11:9 – “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
      • I fear far too often we give up to easily…
      • God says that we are to ask, seek, and knock – and so we do – once
      • But it really says that we are to be asking, seeking, knocking – constantly
      • We are not to just go to Jesus once – we are to be constantly seeking Him
  • 3^rd – It is not good to take the children’s bread – toss it to the little dogs “puppies”
    • In Jewish culture is was common to refer to unbelieving gentles as dogs
      • It was not a compliment – the reference was to wild, untamed savages
      • But this was not the word Jesus was using…
      • He used the word for puppies – it was a gentler comment
      • But it still carried the idea that what was meant for the Jews (children)
      • Should not be given first to the puppies (gentiles)
    • Even the little dogs…
      • The woman was not insulted by the comment… showing humility
      • Instead she took the comment and used it to her advantage…
      • Even the puppies eat from the scraps of the master’s (Jews) table
      • In other words she was not asking for much – she only needed the leftovers
      • It takes a lot of humility to come to Jesus for help
      • It means admitting that we are not the answer – and we need His help
      • It means being honest with ourselves– our inability to handle our problems
      • True humility is coming to the place where we realize that we can not
      • When we have humility we access the limitless riches of God’s grace!
      • James 4:6 – “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
  • Great is your faith…
    • Jesus answered her – for this saying go your way – and her daughter was healed
    • From the first – I don’t think that Jesus was un-willing to help this woman…
    • He was using this to teach his disciples about GREAT (megas) FATIH…
    • So what does GREAT FAITH look like – like the Syro-Phoenician/Gentile woman
    • GREAT FAITH – understand that there is no other answer – only Jesus
    • GREAT FAITH – does not give up – but consistently – persistently – seeks Jesus
    • GREAT FAITH – has humility – knows that we are not the answer
    • Do we desire to men and women who of GREAT FAITH
    • Hebrews 11:6 – “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith…” 
    • Let us be those who please God – who like this woman – have GREAT FAITH
      

Healing the blind and deaf man… vs. 31-37

• Jesus left there and returned to the Sea of Galilee (to the south) – to the Decapolis…
  • The same place where Jesus healed the man with ‘legion’
  • A Greek area – likely Jesus was seeking to continue avoiding the religious leaders
• The crowds brought Jesus a man – deaf and mute – begged Jesus to heal him (5 things)…
• 1^st – Jesus took the man aside from the multitude…
  • The people had seen Jesus heal before – Mark 6:56 – but this was a tough case
  • The crowds might have been ‘testing’ Jesus – or thought of it as entertainment
  • So Jesus took the man aside – to remove all the distractions – get his full attention
  • Many times in life – the reason why we don’t ‘hear’ Jesus – is we are too distracted
  • We are so caught up in family / friends / business of life – we miss what’s important
  • Sometimes Jesus has to get us alone – away from everything else – so we can listen
• 2^nd – Jesus put His finger in His ear – and spat and touched his tongue…
  • This seems a rather ‘odd’ – and unsanitary – method in which to heal the man…
  • Jesus could have just said the word – and the man would have been made whole
  • It leaves you to ask why would Jesus touch and spit on the man – 2 reasons…
  • 1^st – The man was deaf & mute – Jesus touched his ear and tongue to show him…
    • Jesus could not tell them man He was there to heal him – he was deaf
    • So He touched the man’s ears to show him that He wanted to heal him!
  • 2^nd – Jesus does not always do things the same way – He is not bound to ritual…
    • If Jesus always did something the same way – we would think it was the only way
    • We would go around poking our fingers in deaf men’s ears – spitting on mouths
    • Rather than seeing it was not about how – but that Jesus can heal
    • It is easy for us to get caught up in methods – and forget it is all about knowing Jesus
    • If I go to church on Sunday God will bless me – rather than going to learn about God
    • If I give to those in need God will give to me – rather than giving out of love
    • It is not about how we read / pray / worship / give – it is about knowing our Lord
• 3^rd – Jesus looked up to heaven – sighed…
  • Certainly it was not harder to heal this man than any other – so why look up / sigh…
  • Perhaps it was not the lame man – but the multitudes – that cause the look/sigh
    • The people had brought this man to Jesus – but they also were deaf and mute
    • They couldn’t hear the Words of Jesus – they missed why He had come – the cross
    • They did not open their mouths – share the Gospel – with others who needed to hear
  • We might point others to Jesus – but do we listen to our own advice…
    • It is easy to say to others – go to Jesus – He is the answer to all your problems
    • But when we have problems ourselves – where do we go – who do we look to
• 4^th – Jesus said – ‘be opened’…
  • He spoke the words in Aramaic – Ephphatha – the common language of the day…
  • No one else was around – and the man could not hear – so why speak / why Aramaic
  • Because he would hear – Jesus knew it – and the first words he heard would be Jesus
  • We may have never ‘heard’ Jesus before – maybe our prayers seem unanswered 
  • When we take the time to get alone with Jesus – listen to Jesus – we will hear Jesus!
• 5^th – The people were astonished – ‘He makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak’…
  • Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone – but the more they proclaimed it!
  • Because this deaf & mute man was healed – the multitude ‘heard’ and ‘spoke’ too
  • As we take the time to hear the Lord – others will take notice…
  • They will also begin to listen to Jesus – and to boldly share about Him with others!