Welcome to the Daily Plunge, we're in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 21 through 28. Jesus is, he's on the move, right? And he goes from the region of Galilee, and he goes over to Tyre and Sidon. Now, this is a pagan area.
Maybe he was going there, just get a break. I'm not sure, but he doesn't, because a Canaanite woman runs up to him and begs for healing. She cries out to him and she uses a messianic title. She calls him the son of David, and that's a title to say that he's the fulfillment of the promise of David, right?
And it's also a title that's used for healing. And she asks for, you know, she says, have mercy on me, my daughter is demon possessed, and suffers terribly. Now, one of the things we don't like to think about and don't like to talk about is how our sin, our brokenness bleeds over to affect others. And it's amazing how much brokenness often we'll be willing to put up within our own lives.
But when it begins to affect our children, we wake up. And that's exactly what happens here. This woman, you gotta wonder, you know, what happened that her daughter became demon possessed? Well, this woman is not, she's not Israelite.
She has been worshiping false gods. And there's all kinds of weird stuff that goes along with that, right? And she's been a part of that. And so she calls out to Jesus, and we don't meet the Jesus, meek and mild here, do we?
In fact, we meet the Jesus who chooses. And he says to her, well, actually doesn't say a word to her, he doesn't even answer her. Oh my gosh, why? Because he hasn't chosen her.
How can that be? We want God, what do you mean he doesn't choose her? Doesn't he choose everyone? Well, so it's a disciples come to him and they ask her, him, you know, send her away.
She's making all this racket. And he answers, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. And this woman cries out again, you know, help me. And Jesus says it's not right to give the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.
Now this woman would make Luther proud because she claims her status as a sinner. She doesn't try to assume that she has any status before Jesus Christ. My friends, you and I, we have no standing to make demands of Jesus. But we do have a standing and she makes it.
Listen, she says, yeah, you're right. I'm a dog, but even the dogs eat the crumbs. And what she clings to is not the law. And she doesn't even cling to the election, what she clings to is the promise.
You are the son of God and you make a promise to give healing. And Jesus can't help himself but respond. And he says exactly that. He said, he said, woman, you have great faith and your request is granted.
And so she demands that Jesus heal her daughter, not on the basis of her standing, not on the basis of how good she is, but precisely because she's a sinner and he comes for sinners. And she grabs hold of that promise. And that is a good news for each and every one of us. Well, thanks friends, have a blessed day.
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