Sermon notes

INTRODUCTION

Jesus again withdraws from Israel (cf. 14:13 ), and this time, following the trail of Elijah (1 Kings 17:9), goes into the notorious region of Tyre and Sidon ( 15:21 ). There He heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter and feeds four thousand.

THE TEXT

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon . And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word . . . .” (Matthew 15:21-39).

BREAD FOR DOGS

Sidon was the first-born son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15 ), and in the region of Sidon Jesus encounters a “Canaanite” woman ( 15:22 ). Like the widows whom Elijah and Elisha helped, she cries out for healing for her daughter. Jesus and the woman have three exchanges: First, he ignores her (v. 23), then He says that His ministry is limited to Israel (v. 24), and then he denies her request by assigning Canaanites the status of scavenger dogs (v. 26). Like the Twelve, Jesus is limited His ministry to the “lost tribes” (v. 23; cf. 10:5-6). Matthew is so fond of telling stories in triads that we anticipate the story is over after three tries. But she won’t let it rest, and her response wins approval from Jesus (vv. 27-28). To call Gentiles “dogs” is an insult, but ultimately the story gives hope to Gentiles. If they show the persistent faith of the Canaanite woman, they will gain a share of the children’s bread.

FOUR THOUSAND

The feeding of the four thousand is like the feeding of the five thousand. The two stories are companion pieces. Again, Jesus goes to a mountain ( 15:29 ; cf. 14:23 ). Again, Jesus spends time healing ( 15:30 -31; cf. 14:14 ). Again, Jesus feels compassion and instructs the disciples to feed the crowd ( 15:32 ; cf. 14:15 -16), who again wonder where they’re going to get enough food ( 15:33 ; cf. 14:15 , 17). Jesus again anticipates the actions of the Last Supper ( 15:36 ; cf. 14:19 ). Both events are associated with the sea in some way ( 15:29 ; cf. 14:13 , 22), and both are followed by a sea-crossing ( 15:39 ; cf. 14:22 -33). Jesus is again re-enacting a Passover-exodus sequence. According to Mark, this second feeding took place in the Decapolis , a predominantly Gentile region (Mark 8:31 ). Jesus does provide bread to the dogs.

NUMBERS

The numbers of loaves, people, and baskets of leftovers are all significant, but to get the point we need to read the two miraculous meals together. Jesus uses five loaves to feed 5000 men, and there are twelve baskets of leftovers ( 14:17 , 21). Twelve is obviously the number of Israel , but the number 5 also links with Israel , who left Egypt “five in a rank” (Exodus 13:18 ). “Four” is often a numerical symbol of the earth as a whole, and so the four thousand represent the nations that spread to the four corners. In the two incidents together, Jesus has broken twelve loaves and fed nine thousand. Perhaps we need to look ahead to Pentecost, where another 3000 begin to break bread with the apostles (Acts 2:41 ). Twelve loaves for 12,000: A new Israel formed when Jews and Gentiles share in the loves Jesus gives.