Sunday's Message - It’s Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the Richmond United Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Ohio on Sunday, August 16.

Matthew 15:21-28           

Jesus left and went to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. Suddenly a Canaanite woman from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.

Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”

Jesus replied, “It isn’t right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”

“Lord, that’s true,” the woman said, “but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.”

Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.

It’s Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

Now, when you saw the title of the sermon, did it bring back any memories? Well, if it didn’t, that’s fine; it’s been a long time since it had meaning. You see, way back in the very early ‘70s, the Florida Orange Juice Growers created this slogan to expand the orange juice market, you know, moving it beyond morning meal consumers and screwdriver drinkers. And so, they came up with the phrase, “It’s Not Just For Breakfast Anymore.”

And the reason I mention this is because I believe something very similar is happening in the passage we just read. You see, in this story about Jesus and the Canaanite woman, I think Matthew is showing that scope of Christianity is broader than just one chosen group. Now I believe this is a major shift in the gospel and one that will impact everything that followed. And I’ll tell you, when we accept it, in other words, when we accept that the love of Christ and the Christian faith extends beyond what we may think or assume, that perspective is going to effect how we see both ourselves and others. And that’s going to be our focus for the next ten minutes or so.

And to see how this works itself out, we’re going to start by looking at the story itself and how it relates to what happened before and after. I mean, right before we even get to that woman with the demon-possessed daughter, we’ve got two pretty important and powerful stories, both of which occur in Jewish territory and have a particular meaning to God’s chosen people. For example, we’ve got the feeding of the 5,000, a pretty impressive miracle in its own right, but do you remember how many baskets were collected after the meal? Matthew wrote, “After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus’ disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.” [Matthew 14:20, CEV] Now think about the significance of what Jesus did and the number twelve, and remember that there were twelve tribes of Israel. You see what I mean? And you know, for the Jewish reader, this is powerful stuff. I mean, what Jesus offered not only satisfied everyone there, there were twelve baskets of leftovers, one for each tribe. This miracle was for them. That’s one story.

And then there’s that business of Jesus walking on the water, something that happened right after he fed the 5,000. And again, as a miracle, this is pretty spectacular. But for the Jews, man, it meant more. You see, for them, water was an image for chaos. In fact, it was there at the very beginning and it was within this watery confusion that God started creating. Just listen to the beginning of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.” [Genesis 1:1-2, CEV] And again, that’s important to what happened in Matthew. You see, when Jesus walked on the water and then stilled the storm, every Jewish schoolboy understood that Jesus was showing the same kind of divine authority that God had when he brought order out of chaos. Now, those were two of the stories that led up to our passage, and each one related in some way to the Jews.

And I’ll tell you, I believe this really helps us understand the importance of what’s going on right here. For example, while all this other stuff is happening in Jewish territory, where are we now? Matthew wrote, “Jesus left and went to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon.” [Matthew 15:21, CEV] In other words, Jesus and his disciples were on foreign soil, outside the Jewish homeland. And instead of Jews, with whom was Jesus dealing? “Suddenly a Canaanite woman from there came out shouting, ‘Lord and Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.’” [Matthew 15:22, CEV] Now, I’ve got to tell you, you couldn’t be more a Non-Jewish outsider than this person. I mean, first, she was a woman, not a position of power in first century Palestine. And second, not only was she a foreigner, she was a Canaanite for crying out loud, you know, the people God told the Israelites to wipe out when they took the promised land. And third, as the cherry on top of the sundae, she had a demonic child which had “bad parenting” written all over it, at least it did back then. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus sort of dissed her when she asked him for help, didn’t he? I mean, after ignoring her, “Jesus said, ‘I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.’” [Matthew 15:24, CEV] Well, isn’t that special. But did that stop her? Matthew wrote, “The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, ‘Please help me, Lord!’” [Matthew 15:25, CEV] Good night nurse, this Canaanite women just can’t take a hint. And so the time for subtly was over. “Jesus replied, ‘It isn’t right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.’” [Matthew 15:26, CEV] Now that’s what he said, and I’ll tell you, as Matthew shaped his story, I’m not sure he could have drawn a sharper line between the insiders and outsiders. The message, the work of Jesus was for the Jews. And I’ve got to tell you, this woman in no way looked Jewish.

But right here, things changed, didn’t it? I mean, right after he called her a dog, Matthew wrote: “‘Lord, that’s true,’ the woman said, ‘but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.’” [Matthew 15:27, CEV] Now, given the fact that we, the reader, know that Jesus had just fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish, that’s a pretty good come-back. And Jesus must have thought so too. “Jesus answered, ‘Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.’ At that moment her daughter was healed.” [Matthew 15:28, CEV]

Now that’s what happen, and I’ll tell you, right here everything changed. You see, not only did he heal her daughter, Jesus said the woman had great faith, something very different than what he said to Peter in the last chapter. Remember, after Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water, “Peter replied, ‘Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water. ‘Come on!’ Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him. But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, ‘You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?’” [Matthew 14:28-31, CEV] I’m telling you, in the faith department, this woman had Peter beat on two counts. I mean, first, unlike Peter, she didn’t challenge Jesus to heal her daughter; she simply asked him. She didn’t say, “If it is really you, heal my child.” Instead, “...she knelt down and begged, ‘Please help me, Lord!’” [Matthew 15:25b, CEV] That’s one. And second, even when it appeared that it wouldn’t happen, she was persistent. She wasn’t distracted. And she stayed focused, even calling Jesus “son of David” and “Lord,” titles that, according to Matthew, reflect genuine faith. I’m telling you, right here, the ministry of Jesus was broadened to include even Canaanite women with demonic children. And to emphasize that point, in another story a little bit later in this same chapter, Jesus would feed another huge crowd, this time 4,000. But rather than having twelve baskets of left-overs, this was what Matthew wrote: “Everyone ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.” [Matthew 15:37, CEV] Now that’s really important, because seven was a considered a perfect number. And so while twelve baskets would have been meaningful to the twelve tribes of Israel, seven baskets would show that when looking at what Jesus offers, man, there’s enough for everybody. In other words, based on what Matthew wrote, the message of Jesus and the scope of Christianity wasn’t just for the Jews, the insiders any more.

And you know, I think that’s important for us to remember, and I say that for two reasons. You see, first, I believe it challenges us to be more humble as we consider ourselves. But I’ll tell you, I think this kind of humility sort of goes against human nature and maybe that’s why it’s one those virtues that’s not particularly popular in our world. I mean, although we’re probably not going to admit it, I believe a lot of folks, even Christians, would agree with what the Mordren said when he was singing about the “Seven Deadly Virtues” in the musical Camelot: “It's not the earth the meek inherit, it’s the dirt.” No, humility will probably never be popular. But it should be, because a lack of humility leads to arrogance and arrogance leads to ignorance and ignorance leads to destruction. And if you don’t believe me, just think about how we’ve dealing with COVID-19. Maybe if we’d been more humble six months ago, we might not have over 160,000 Americans dead. If that doesn’t speak to what happens when there’s a lack of humility, I don’t know what will. And deep down, I think we know this. But a story in which a person who could be the poster girl for an outsider is praised for demonstrating a faith greater than the guy who’ll be getting the keys to the kingdom in the very next chapter, that’s a humbling experience. As a matter of fact, it could mean that life-long church members who sing all the right hymns and who follow the correct order of worship and who’s family has been one of the frozen chosen for generations, well, maybe we’re not as special as we think we are. I’m telling you, when we’re able to see that the love of the Father and the grace of the Son and the inspiration of the Spirit also includes folks who are very different from us, well, that may challenge us to be a little more humble. And that’s the first reason I think the story is important.

And second, I believe it also challenges us to be more open as we consider others. Now, let me be clear, I’m not one of those guys who says that everything we do is wrong. I’ll tell you, in my book, that’s just as arrogant as saying everything we do is right. Still, I believe there’s more than one way to worship and to serve God. And there’s more than one way to follow and to share Jesus Christ. And there’s more than one way to claim and to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And doesn’t it make sense to find out what those different ways are, especially given the fact that a Canaanite woman showed a greater faith than the big twelve, and I’m not talking about the conference? Of course, if we’re not open, that’s not going to happen. In fact, we can pretty much guarantee that we won’t learn a thing. And as a result, we’ll become more separated from the world around us, more isolated from trends and ideas, and more detached from what the folks are thinking on the other side of the stained glass are thinking and how they’re communicating and what they value and fear. And even though that might make us feel all safe and secure, how will that help us accomplish the very thing Jesus called us to do: “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:19-20, CEV] That’s going to be pretty tough to do, if we’d made the conscience decision not to leave our pews, but not if we don’t respond to the challenge in this story and become more open.

Now remember how we started the sermon with that slogan from the Florida Orange Juice Growers, “It’s Not Just For Breakfast Anymore.” Well, I’m not sure how well the campaign worked, but the slogan sure survived. But even if it didn’t sell more orange juice, it sure can help us if we apply it to the Christian faith. You see, when we consider this story about a Canaanite woman with a demon-possessed daughter, we can see how it broadens the focus of Jesus’ ministry from just the Jews to the whole world. And then, with that in mind, we can claim this truth and use it to become more humble and more open. In other words, we can leave here this morning understanding that, as it relates to the Good News, it’s just not for us anymore.