{"id":41,"date":"2018-11-06T16:20:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T00:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/migrate.bettersermons.org\/?p=41"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:41:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T18:41:33","slug":"dogs-are-people-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/dogs-are-people-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Dogs Are People Too"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dogs Are People Too<\/span><\/div>\n

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Key Passage:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 15:\u00a0Yes, Lord,\u2019 she said, \u2018but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters\u2019 table.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0Then Jesus answered, \u2018Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.\u2019 And her daughter was healed from that very hour.\u201d
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\nKey Thought:<\/strong>\u00a0Sometimes Christianity has its high levels and its low, its exalted leaders and then those who don\u2019t get much but crumbs. But are we willing to take a low position, a place of diminished glory, if it means that we will get the blessing of our Savior?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Media Illustration:<\/strong>\u00a0It abruptly derailed a promising political career. Trent Lott, the leading U.S. Senator for his party, was at a 100th birthday party for longtime political friend, crony\u2014and segregationist\u2014Strom Thurmond. Thinking that microphones were not paying attention, or that YouTube would ever know, he made what he thought was this innocuous statement: \u201cI want to say this about my state [of Mississippi]: when Strom Thurmond ran for president we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had of followed our lead we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the dust settled, Lott had to turn over the office of Senate Majority Leader to his colleague, Bill Frist. There are some things you simply cannot say!<\/p>\n

Does Jesus have conversational \u201cskeletons\u201d in His closet too?\u00a0<\/strong>As we read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are a number of times where the Jesus, our Savior and the Redeemer of the world, says some rather controversial things as well. He was a popular political figure; in fact, the leader of His \u201cparty.\u201d And people have debated ever since it happened why He would say such a thing. Had He completely lost His \u201cpolitical antenna\u201d? Didn\u2019t He realize that times had changed? Maybe He was just \u201cwinging it\u201d that day. Maybe He thought He was among friends and close associates and could let His true feelings show. But somehow a transcript leaked out. There it was in black and white: this well-known public figure invoking the coded language of the segregated past: Us Vs. Them. We\u2019re the chosen people, enjoying our punch and birthday cake, and out there\u2014well, \u201cthose people\u201d are all Out There, threatening the heritage of our way of life.<\/p>\n

Scandal In Matthew 15:<\/strong>\u00a0Jesus has strayed onto \u201cDemocratic\u201d turf\u2014meaning He\u2019s left the safety of Israel and gone into the region of Tyre and Sidon, where the Gentiles hung out. \u201cA Canaanite woman from that vicinity [Tyre and Sidon] came to [Jesus], crying out, \u2018Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.\u2019 Jesus did not answer a word.\u201d<\/p>\n

The twelve disciples of Jesus, all ardent nationalists, determined defenders of the old way of life, speak up as one.\u00a0\u201cSo His disciples came to Him and urged Him, \u2018Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Oops!<\/strong>\u00a0Now Jesus, realizing that He\u2019s among friends, among 12 political cronies who think like He does, lets His feelings slip.\u00a0\u201cHe answered, \u2018I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0In other words, Us. Vs. Them. \u201cI\u2019m not going to help \u2018them.\u2019\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to be seen with \u2018them.\u2019\u00a0 I don\u2019t have enough miracle power to help \u2018us\u2019 AND \u2018them.\u2019\u201d And one of the 12 disciples picks up a ram\u2019s horn and begins to play \u201cDixie\u201d on it. Well, almost. But this is what happens next:\u00a0\u201cThe woman came and knelt before Him. \u2018Lord, help me!\u2019<\/em>\u00a0she said.\u201d Now brace yourself: \u201cHe [Jesus] replied:\u00a0\u2018It is not right to take the children\u2019s bread and toss it to their dogs.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

YouTube??<\/strong>\u00a0What would today\u2019s Internet reporters have done with a line like that? CNN\u2019s\u00a0Inside Politics\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>would have looped it over and over. Did He really say \u201cdogs\u201d? Did Jesus, leader of this messianic movement, the founder of the Christian faith, look right into the face of a foreign woman, a member of the Canaanite culture, and call her a dog? And say that His miracle-working power, His \u201cgift,\u201d could only be doled out, rationed out, to the chosen people?<\/p>\n

The Message Paraphrase:\u00a0<\/strong>It gets even more colorful the way Eugene Peterson renders it in Mark 7:\u00a0\u201c[Jesus] said, \u2018Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. IF there\u2019s any left over, the dogs get it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHard Saying\u201d:<\/strong>\u00a0Did Jesus think this woman was a dog? Or that her entire nation could be casually placed in a canine category just like that? F. W. Beare comments: \u201c[This is] an atrocious saying, expressing incredible insolence and based on the worst kind of chauvinism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Woman\u2019s Reply:\u00a0<\/strong>Jesus has just looked at this woman who so desperately needs His help\u00a0 and said to her: \u201cLady, it\u2019s not right to take the food that belongs to the royal family, to the kids in the palace, and toss it under the table to the dogs down there.\u201d She answers Him in verse 27: \u201c\u2018Yes, Lord,\u2019 she said, \u2018but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters\u2019 table.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0Then Jesus answered, \u2018Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.\u2019 And her daughter was healed from that very hour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What Are the \u201cGivens\u201d?<\/strong>\u00a0We begin with several bedrock \u201cgivens\u201d that we can\u2019t negotiate away. And in a sense, that doesn\u2019t make us the most reliable of investigators. But as a believer, we begin with the following premises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1.<\/td>\nWhat Jesus says is right<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\nJesus is not unkind; He is kind.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\nHe is not a racist; He plainly taught and believed in and died for all mankind.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\nHe intends for all peoples to be in His kingdom. He gave His servant Peter a rooftop dream, helping Him to learn that God loves all His children. He inspired Paul to write to the Galatians that there\u2019s no such thing as \u201cJew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.\u201d God is no respecter of persons.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

So we have to stack up this strange \u201cdog\u201d statement against the powerful testimony of the entirety of Jesus\u2019 life and ministry and say to ourselves: \u201cWhat did we miss here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gentle Disagreement:\u00a0<\/strong>The same\u00a0Message<\/em>\u00a0paraphrase appears to miss Jesus\u2019 true character in this Matthew 15 story. See if you agree:\u00a0\u201cThe disciples came and complained, \u2018. . . She\u2019s bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She\u2019s driving us crazy.\u2019 Jesus refused, telling them, \u2018I\u2019ve got My hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.\u2019 Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees and begged, \u2018Master, help me.\u2019 He said, \u2018It\u2019s not right to take bread out of children\u2019s mouths and throw it to dogs.\u2019 She was quick: \u2018You\u2019re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master\u2019s table.\u2019 JESUS GAVE IN. \u2018Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!\u2019 Right then her daughter became well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No Conflict:\u00a0<\/strong>That is a very colorful rendering of the story, but we just do not believe Jesus is conflicted that way. He doesn\u2019t plan to do \u201cA,\u201d but then relent and do \u201cB\u201d just because He\u2019s tired of the hassle. He doesn\u2019t \u201cgive in\u201d and save people, or \u201cgive in\u201d and works a miracle or \u201cgive in\u201d and answers a prayer. Jesus and His Father are always in perfect unity of purpose. God never changes His mind, never has to alter His course, never has to backtrack or give in to political pressure. And neither does His Son.<\/p>\n

Media Illustration #2:<\/strong>\u00a0If you heard the words \u201cYou\u2019re so stupid,\u201d you would assume ill motives. But in the movie,\u00a0Titanic<\/em>, the heroine, Rose, jumps\u00a0out<\/em>\u00a0of her secure lifeboat and rushes into the arms of her new boyfriend, Jack. Overwhelmed by her act, his heart bursting with teenage angst and love, he embraces her and cries out: \u201cWhy\u2019d you do that, Rose?\u00a0You\u2019re so stupid!\u00a0<\/em>Why\u2019d you jump?\u201d Everything depends on the tone, on what the twinkle in the eye says, what the nonverbal message of the heart expresses. And we know that Jack is really responding to the grand, sacrificial\u00a0stupidity<\/em>\u00a0of her generous act.<\/p>\n

Morris Venden,\u00a0How Jesus Treated People<\/em>:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cHave you ever been ignored when you asked for help, and then when you persisted in your request, been insulted? Have you ever been called a dog? It\u2019s surprising that this woman didn\u2019t give up long before Jesus got to the \u2018dogs\u2019 part. But Jesus must have had a twinkle in His eye during the whole conversation, and this Canaanite woman must have seen it. And now she found the opening she\u2019d been waiting for, because she answered, \u2018That\u2019s true, sir, but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their master\u2019s table.\u2019 In other words, if I\u2019m a dog, then at least I\u2019m entitled to some dog food! And Jesus answered her, \u2018You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Greek Explanation:<\/strong>\u00a0Linguists and experts discuss about the word\u00a0kynaria<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0kunaria<\/em>, and some feel that it\u2019s almost an affection term for \u201clittle dogs\u201d or even \u201cfamily pets.\u201d But Dr. R. T. France, author of the Matthew section of the\u00a0Tyndale NT Commentaries<\/em>, remonstrates that, no, dogs are dogs. \u201cDogs<\/em>\u00a0was a current Jewish term of abuse for Gentiles.\u201d But he agrees that this woman surely saw the kindly twinkle in Jesus\u2019 eyes, and knew that if she pressed ahead, her faith was going to get a rich reward.<\/p>\n

Gospel Timing:<\/strong>\u00a0There is an element here of timing. The gospel was to go to the entire world, Jews and Gentiles both: Jesus Himself said so. But for these 3\u00bd years of painfully local ministry, leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus did confess that His ministry was essentially to \u201cthe lost house of Israel.\u201d Dr. France: \u201cThe time for the Gentile mission was later. The emphasis of the saying\u201d\u2014I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel<\/em>\u2014\u201clies not primarily on the prohibition of a wider mission, but on the priority of the mission to Israel. To call Israel to repentance was the primary focus of Jesus\u2019 ministry; the call was urgent and demanded total concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slow Expansion:\u00a0<\/strong>We can look back over the tumultuous history of Christianity over the past 2000 years, and plainly see how the horizons have steadily expanded. New people groups converted, new countries entered and evangelized, new truths being discovered or uncovered. Our own Adventist denomination wasn\u2019t birthed until the middle of the 19th century. God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that the time wasn\u2019t right before then for the theological perspectives and contributions we feel called to embrace and share.<\/p>\n

Teaching Moment:\u00a0<\/strong>The moment Jesus saw this sad, desperate foreign woman, He knew He was going to do something incredible and generous for her. But He wanted to do it in just the right way, and for maximum teaching effect.<\/p>\n

We have to give credence to the \u201ctwinkling eye\u201d concept, because there\u2019s no way Jesus Christ ever said anything that was deliberately unkind. His entire ministry was one of selfless love. Racism and any semblance of a \u201ccaste system\u201d were abhorrent to Jesus. Jesus would gladly have died for that desperate foreign-born woman and her demon-possessed daughter; in fact, He soon did exactly that.<\/p>\n

Twelve Students:<\/strong>\u00a0Yet on this day He was walking and ministering with 12 stubborn disciples who had pasted \u201cdog\u201d bumper stickers on their chariots their entire lives. They surfed the Internet every weekend, looking for web sites emblazoned with swastikas and hate speech. And is it possible that Jesus here indulged in a bit of divine \u201ctheater,\u201d parroting the tired clich\u00e9s His disciples embraced, the failed Pharisaical gospel of separatism, and then turning everything upside-down by going ahead and answering this Gentile woman\u2019s request?<\/p>\n

SDA Bible Commentary:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe Jews felt the blessings of salvation would be wasted if given to the Gentiles, who, according to the opinion of the Jews, lacked the capacity to appreciate those blessings or to benefit by them. Christ\u2019s\u00a0assumed<\/em>\u00a0attitude of disdain for the woman might conceivably have discouraged her, but undoubtedly He had confidence that her faith would not fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good Cop, Bad Cop:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a common script device on TV programs. One person momentarily adopts a negative persona just to make a point or elicit a certain response. Perhaps Jesus gives this woman a little wordless glance, unnoticed by the disciples, which said: \u201cWork with Me here, lady. I want to teach these selfish guys a lesson; I want to demolish their selfish facade of nationalism. So don\u2019t be shocked; don\u2019t give up; don\u2019t walk away from Me. Just hang in there while I let them hear just how cruel and foolish their \u2018party line\u2019 really sounds, but in about 60 seconds, I\u2019m going to give you the very thing your heart is crying out for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conclusion:\u00a0<\/strong>This is conjecture because we weren\u2019t there. But even if we read this story as \u201cstraight up,\u201d is there still a lesson for us? Sometimes Christianity has its high levels and its low, its exalted leaders and then those who don\u2019t get much but crumbs. But are we willing to take a low position, a place of diminished glory, if it means that we will get the blessing of our Savior? Are you willing to stand by while others seem to get the good places at the banquet table, and say to Jesus: \u201cI trust You. If others should have priority right now, that\u2019s all right. But Jesus, be sure to give me at least the crumbs of Your presence and Your love. Even a crumb from You, Jesus, is better than all the cake, pie, and ice cream in the world served up by the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyndale Commentary<\/em>\u00a0by R. Alan Cole: \u201c[This woman] not only persisted when the Lord refused to answer, she now accepted this humble position gladly, and showed that, even on those terms, she still claimed healing for her daughter. God\u2019s abundance for His children was so rich that even the rank outsider could share in it.\u201d Really, when you get to the end of most of Jesus\u2019 stories and miracles, there\u2019s plenty of food for everybody.
\n______________________________<\/p>\n

Submitted by David B. Smith. Better Sermons \u00a9 2005-2009. Click here for\u00a0<\/span>usage guidelines<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0Thumbnail image by Sanja Gjenero, of Stockxchng<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dogs Are People Too Key Passage:\u00a0\u00a0Matthew 15:\u00a0Yes, Lord,\u2019 she said, \u2018but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters\u2019 table.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0Then Jesus answered, \u2018Woman, you have great faith! …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}