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A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

JJ. Christ’s Example Of Selective Divine Blessing

(Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30)

I. Introduction

A. Jesus was sent by God the Father in His earthly ministry only to Israel (Matthew 15:24), for God planned in the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:3 that the Gentiles would be blessed through believing Hebrews.

B. However, opposition from Israel’s religious leaders became so intense that Jesus had to withdraw from Israel to Gentile territory to give some time for tensions with these leaders to abate (J. D. Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 1991, p. 243-244), and there He exampled selective divine blessing to a Gentile.

C. We view this example in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30 for our insight, application and edification:

II. Christ’s Example Of Selective Divine Blessing, Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30.

A. Jesus withdrew from Israel’s religious leaders without blessing them because of their opposition to Him:

1. Jesus withdrew from Israel to Tyre and Sidon, “the Gentile coastal region of Phoenicia” to “get away from the questionings of the religious leaders” (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24a; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 55).

2. The hand washing with meals tradition of Israel’s religious leaders had been so sharply critiqued by Jesus that even His disciples felt tense about it and told Christ how it offended these leaders, Matthew 15:10-12.

3. To ease this tension with Israel’s religious leaders, Jesus temporarily “withdrew to a Gentile area where the religious leaders would not follow Him” (Ibid., p. 243).

4. So, due to the unbelief and enmity of Israel’s leaders, Jesus could not bless them but withdraw from them.

B. In vast contrast, Jesus richly blessed a Gentile woman of Phoenicia for her great faith in Him:

1. While sojourning in Gentile Phoenicia, Jesus entered a house and wished to remain unknown to its people there since His earthly ministry was not to Gentile nations, but to Israel, Mark 7:24a with Matthew 15:24.

2. However, He could not hide even there: A woman with a daughter with a demon heard He was there and came calling out His Messianic titles of “Lord” and “Son of David,” asking for help, Matthew 15:22.

3. Since Jesus was in Gentile territory outside the realm of ministry that the Father had assigned Him, Christ initially did not answer the woman a single word, Matthew 15:23a.

4. The disciples asked Jesus to send her away since she constantly cried out after them (Matt. 15:23b NIV) and He explained that He had been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Matthew 15:24.

5. Not to be deterred, the woman came and knelt before Jesus, saying, Lord, help me, Matthew 15:25 NIV.

6. Christ replied, using a figurative expression, claiming it was not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs, Matthew 15:26 NIV. The Hebrews often called Gentiles “dogs,” so He was saying that “it was inappropriate for Him to bring blessings on Gentiles before blessings fell on Israel” (Ibid., p. 56).

7. “The Gentile woman saw herself” as “not a child in the family (of Israel) eligible for the choicest morsels of food. But she saw herself as a household dog . . . eligible to receive crumbs that might fall from the master’s table,” Ibid. “She was not wanting to deprive Israel of God’s blessings. She was simply asking that some of the blessings be extended to her in her need,” Ibid. Therefore, she said that though the bread was meant for the master’s children, the dogs still ate of the crumbs that fell from the master’s table, so all she wanted was for some of Messiah’s crumbs of blessing to fall to her for her daughter, Matthew 15:27.

8. She used the usual Messianic titles of “Lord” and “Son of David” for Jesus, so she was aware of His Isaiah 35:5-6 Messianic predicted healings as taught by Hebrews to Gentiles in their public reading of Scripture (Acts 15:21), and she hoped Messiah Jesus would bless her as a Gentile as predicted in Isaiah 11:10.

9. Her words to Jesus precisely fit God’s Biblical plan that through Abraham’s seed, all of the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3), so this Gentile woman exhibited faith not only in Jesus, but in what the Old Testament had predicted Israel’s Messiah would do for Gentiles like her. Jesus thus said, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt,” Matthew 15:28a. Her daughter was thus instantly relieved of her demonic spirit and its terrible torment of her, Matthew 15:28b.

Lesson: Jesus withdrew from Israel’s religious leaders without blessing them due to their lack of faith in Him that led them to an externalism that Jesus critiqued, what in turn made them hostile toward Him. However, Jesus helped a Gentile woman’s daughter be freed from demonic oppression because of the woman’s great faith in Him.

Application: Since unbelief in God leads one into an artificial spirituality that leaves him hostile toward God and His messengers, alienating him from the Lord and His blessing, may we trust God for His blessing and fellowship.