Are There Any Gospel Crumbs for Me?

13th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/30/20
Matthew 15:21-28


Are There Any Gospel Crumbs for Me?
I. Not if you think they’re your right
II. Only if you believe they’re yours by grace


Even if you’re only a casual fan of golf, you know that Augusta National Golf Course is a special place. In fact, it’s the most famous and storied golf course in the United States and one of the most famous in the world. But did you know that, up until recently, it was a very exclusive golf club? Membership was by invitation only. As a privately run business, it didn’t disclose its financial situation or its membership list. That probably doesn’t raise your eye brows.

But this might: It didn’t allow African-American members until 1990. And up until 2012, it was a golf club for men only.

And while we live in a free country and a business has a right to do as it pleases, as long as it’s in keeping with the law, you’re probably pleased today that the club made those two changes. In fact, if those two exclusions from membership still existed, you’d probably be uncomfortable with it at best and bristle at it at worst. That’s just not our world anymore in which people can be excluded from something based on their race or gender.

It appears that we run into something very similar in today’s sermon text from Matthew 15. Race and gender are involved. Jesus and his disciples encounter a Gentile woman and there seems to be a problem with that. We’re just thankful that it all turns out well. The event has a happy ending.

As it should have, because the gospel of Jesus—the good news that Jesus is the Savior—is for all people. But there is something here for you and me to ponder, something for all of us to take to heart. When guilt over your sins is crushing you, you wonder if the gospel of Jesus is really for you. And there are plenty of times when all of us think that the gospel belongs to us—that it’s our right—for all the wrong reasons.

So, let’s examine this account this morning under a question that reflects the verbiage this woman used in her short conversation with Jesus. Are there any gospel crumbs for me? Let’s see how our Lord Jesus answers us.

Part I.

Borders of countries and the interaction of races of humans. Those are some of the issues that occupy the news, and usually with a good deal of tension. Those are not feel-good stories.

Matthew begins this account so matter-of-factly that we might miss the potential for an explosive situation. He states, “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him.” Jesus withdrew. Why would he leave the friendly confines of Galilee? Because things there had not been so friendly. In the previous chapter Matthew relates how Jesus received the horrific news that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded. After feeding the 5,000 his fellow Jews wanted to make him their Bread King. And then the Pharisees and teachers of the law made the 3-day trip from Jerusalem to Galilee on foot just to hassle him. So, he decided to withdraw for a while and let things settle down.

But as he walked along near the border between Galilee and Phoenicia, that didn’t happen. He and his disciples were immediately met by a Canaanite woman who had a horrific situation on her hands—her daughter was demon-possessed. Can you imagine how terrible that would be for her daughter? For her as a parent? She cried out to Jesus for help and she kept it up.

But “Jesus did not answer a word.” So, the disciples became involved and urged Jesus to send her away. This woman was calling attention to the group of thirteen men who were trying to withdraw from people. What’s more, it was probably causing them some embarrassment. Imagine how you would feel if you were a disciple of Jesus on this day.

So, Jesus responded. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” What he states is the truth. The Old Testament foretold that the Savior would preach and teach among the Jews, not the Gentiles. That’s what the Father had sent him to do. But his words sound so harsh to us, so exclusive, almost rude, heartless even.

But his words highlighted the sad situation he had been experiencing. It was true. He had been sent to the lost sheep of Israel. And look how they responded. When he first began his ministry, the Jewish crowds loved him. But lately, the tide of Jewish opinion had turned against him. When he declared that the way into God’s kingdom was solely through faith in him, they flat out rejected that suggestion and continued to defend their opinion that life in God’s kingdom was their inherent right as sons of Abraham.

But not this Canaanite woman. She was keenly aware that she had no right to any good news from the only true God. Centuries earlier God had ordered the Children of Israel to exterminate the Canaanites because of their immoral, child-sacrificing idolatry. This woman was keenly aware that she was still under God’s condemnation because of her sins, but she also, by the grace of God, had come to know and believe that Jesus was also her Savior from sin. She declared that faith by calling Jesus, “Lord, Son of David,” an unmistakable messianic title.

So, when Jesus stated, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs,” her faith in Jesus as her Savior moved her to declare, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She knew she had no right to claim anything good from Jesus, not even the crumbs of the gospel.

So, now, back to our question. Are there any gospel crumbs for me? Not if you think they’re your right.

As citizens of the United States of America, we’re used to talking about and hearing about our constitutional rights. But what about in your spiritual life? Do you ever approach your relationship with your God on the basis of what you deserve? You probably wouldn’t be so crass, but we often look at things from the flip side of that. We wonder why we’re the ones suffering, while others aren’t, especially when we’re the ones trying our best to live a Christian life and they obviously aren’t. We’re not being treated like we think we deserve to be. Or how about this one? What’s your attitude towards the good news of Jesus as your Savior from sin? Is it something that you cherish every day? Or, is it off on some side portion of your life and you expect it will always be there and you’ll pay attention to it when you choose? In other words, that gospel is your rightful possession. Do you see how easy it is to adopt an attitude towards the gospel that closely resembles the attitude that Jesus withdrew from in this event of our text? May he never withdraw from us! May we always be as keenly aware of our sins as this Canaanite woman was! And then look to the Son of David, as she did, for your forgiveness. That Son of David died for you and rose again for you not because that was your right, but because he loves you.

Part II.

Jesus had been sent to the lost sheep of Israel. He spent almost all of his ministry preaching and teaching among the Jews. Almost all of his miracles were done in front of Jewish people. You would think that multitudes of his fellow Jews would put their faith in him. But it didn’t happen.

Instead, when his feet cross the border into Gentile territory and before he even preaches a word, a Gentile woman approaches him and she possesses an extraordinary faith.

In the Bible we have only two accounts of Jesus expressing his amazement over the saving faith in the individual in front of him. He never stated that about his disciples, even though they spent the majority of three years with him, hearing his word and witnessing his miracles. Instead of praising them, he often chided them for their lack of faith.

And he certainly never praised the Jewish people in general for their faith. In fact, just days before his death, he bemoaned the fact that he wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they refused.

But he does state his amazement twice, and both times that faith resided in the heart of a Gentile person, not a Jewish person. How could that have happened? Solely by the grace of God. This Canaanite woman and a Roman army officer both possessed tremendous faith. They believed that the crumbs of the gospel were for them.

Out of the billions of people on the face of the earth, you possess saving faith in Jesus. Do you understand what an amazing blessing that is? How did it happen that you would be hearing these words of your Lord Jesus today with saving faith in your heart? Solely by the grace of God.

And now we have the high privilege of sharing that saving faith with others, with a world full of people, every one of them a soul for whom Jesus died and rose again. With all the trouble in our world right now, I’m sure more than one of you has wondered if we’re near the time of Jesus’ return. I certainly hope so. But if so, our time is short. So, let’s work together to do what we can to share the saving gospel of Jesus with as many people as we can.

Are the gospel crumbs for me, for you? Indeed, they are, by God’s grace! They’re for everyone! Let’s get busy sharing the gospel! Amen.