A discussion came up in Sunday School about why Jesus tells the Syrophoenician woman and the disciples that He is come only to the lost sheep of Israel but then He went ahead and granted the Syrophoenician’s daughter. Someone said, “Didn’t He just contradict what He just said? So I went home and researched this topic, and I hope what I found can help someone!

Purpose statements Jesus gave of why he was here on earth:

• Luke 19:10– For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
• Matthew 20:28 – Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
• John 12:47-50 – Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
• Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (Die on the cross so that all could be saved) John 4:34
• For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. John 6:38

Why does it say salvation went to the Jews first and then to the Greek (Gentiles)?

We see Paul say in Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Why does Jesus say to the disciples, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15: 24).”

Why did He say this statement to the Samaritan woman?

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”  John 4:22

Jesus came to the Jews and salvation is from the Jews. What do those statements mean?

Jesus came to the Jews first with the salvation message as the promised Messiah come in flesh. They refused the message and the messenger (as a whole/as a nation). Those who did believe (such as His disciples and His apostles) took the message to the whole known world after Jesus ascended up into heaven; so therefore, salvation came from the Jews. (John 4:22 above) Also salvation came from the Jews because God had a covenant with Abraham. Jesus was the fulfillment of that covenant, He was a Jew and therefore salvation came from the Jews .

Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews had been anticipating for centuries (see Luke 2:25; 3:15). As such, He was born into a Jewish family and was reared according to Jewish law in a Jewish town (see Luke 2:27; Galatians 4:4). Jesus selected Jewish disciples, spoke in Jewish synagogues and the Jewish temple, and traveled mostly in Jewish areas. His mission, in fulfillment of the Jewish prophets, was to the Jewish people.

Jesus’ focus was on reforming Israel, not bringing his kingdom message to the rest of the world. His focus on Israel can be seen in his prophecies and pronouncements of judgment on the nation. Through symbolic, prophetic actions like cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25; Matt 21:18-22) and cleansing the temple (Mark 11:15-19; Matt 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48, John 2:13-16), as well as strong prophetic denunciations (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21, 13:6-9), Jesus made his particular focus on Israel clear.

None of this means that Jesus’ ministry was limited exclusively to the Jews. Anyone who had faith received salvation (even Gentiles – we see this with the Syophoenician woman and the centurion, and the Samaritan woman). As the Syrophoenician woman kept up her appeals, Jesus finally responded, but His words seemed to hold little hope: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (verse 24). Here he was just defining His focus to His disciples. He was training them. They needed to know His ultimate purpose. However, the woman did not give up, and Jesus eventually granted her request, based on her “great faith” (verse 28). Here they can see that He did love the Gentiles and that His salvation was for everyone – which the disciples would need to know as it was their purpose/mission to take the salvation message to everyone. (All the Great Commission verses in Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20 and more) He was here for 3 years; His mission was to present Himself as the Messiah and to die on the cross. The disciples’ mission was to take that news to everyone.

We see His love for Gentiles in the way He healed a Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1–10), traveled through the Gentile region of the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1), and ministered in a Samaritan city (John 4). Jesus came to save everybody (1 John 2:2).

I found some of this info at https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Jews-only.html

More good articles:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/why-did-jesus-say-he-came-only-for-israel/

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/to-the-jew-first-and-also-to-the-greek

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Next Thursday, I will still be in South Africa visiting my sister. I got this post up before I left, but I  will probably not have a post next week as I will not have much access to the internet. Maybe I will be able to do one there. If I do, I will send you an email. Thanks!

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“O woman, great is your faith!” Matthew 15:28

What caused Jesus to say these words to a Canaanite woman?

These words were not said directly to any other person by Jesus, although He did say the same thing about the centurion, another Gentile.

Let’s look at the faith of this woman and see what we can do to have the same type of faith!

We can find this story in Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:24-30. We learn that Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon to get away from the crowds. The passage says that He doesn’t want anyone to know He has there, but His fame has spread before He arrives. This is the only time that we know of where He went outside Jewish territory, but He had a divine appointment to meet the need of this woman of faith.

There are many obvious evidences of faith in these two passages:

• We see this woman’s faith right away in the title she gives Jesus.
  In Matthew 15:22, she says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David;” She understood who Jesus was. This was the title which the Jews used in speaking of the Messiah. She believed Him to not only be a miracle worker, but to be the Savior!
• Her persistence in her request showed her faith.
  In Matthew 15:23, it says that Jesus did not answer her a word. A Gentile had no right to approach Him as Lord, Son of David. After the disciples ask Him to send her away, He answers, “I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He made His mission known. But she did not give up. She kneels before Him and rephrases her question. She said, “Lord, help me.” She drops the title “Son of David”, and worships Him as her Lord.

  “If she couldn’t come to Him as a Jew to her Messiah, she would come as a creature to her Creator.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

• She shows her faith in her responses. Jesus tells her that it would not be right to take the children’s bread (He came to seek and save the Jews), and throw it to the dogs (the Gentiles). But she did not become discouraged or upset. Instead, she acknowledged His statement and used the faith-filled words, “Yet even!”

Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.

I like this quote from Poole about her perseverance:

She accepted Jesus’ description and asked for mercy despite it – or perhaps because of it. She would not give over, though he gave her three repulses. So as she said, like Jacob, I will not thee go, until thou bless me. And as he, like a prince, so she, like a princess, prevailed with God and obtained the thing which she desired.

I contemplated the fact that Jesus marveled at her faith. Why was her faith so amazing? Why did she, of all the people who asked Jesus for a miracle, get the answer, “O woman, great is your faith!”?

My conclusion was because she came to the Lord in the following manner:

1. Knowing He was the Lord.
2. Believing He could answer.
3. Persevering until He did answer.

Do I want my requests answered? Of course I do! Then I need to follow her model. I know He is my Lord. I believe He can answer. But I often give up. I don’t persevere. I forget to pray. Look at these verses:

• James 4:2 — Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
• Matthew 7:7-8 — Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
• John 14:3-14 — And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
• John 15:16 — Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
• John 16:23-24 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
• Luke 11:8-10, 13– I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Now I am not a “name it, claim it” Christian. I know God can answer, “No” or “Wait.” I know all things must be according to His will. But I also know that he told me to ask. And He wants me to go on asking. We see that her faith was commended and marveled at by Jesus Himself! So go on asking.

 It was faith that conquered over the silence of Jesus. It was faith that conquered over the seaming reluctance of Jesus. It was faith that won. Chuck Smith

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For the next two Thursdays, I will be in South Africa visiting my sister. I will not have much access to the internet, so if I do not get any posts scheduled before I leave, there will be no Thoughtful Thursdays, the next two weeks. If I do get them scheduled, I will schedule a reminder email as well. I will share my thoughts on my trip when I return!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

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