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“Winning an Argument with Jesus”
Categories: M. W. Bassford, Sermons
In all of human history, there never has been a more devastating debater than Jesus. He knew the Bible like He’d written it—because He did. He could read hearts, and He had more wisdom than any mere human being could possess. As a result of these attributes, He routinely wiped the floor with His adversaries.
This was no mean feat! We might read the record of Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees and scribes and conclude that He was up against the clown squad, but these were no clowns. These were the smartest men in the Jewish nation. They had been trained in the Law and the subtleties of argument. They presented Jesus with conundrums that, if we didn’t already know the answer, we wouldn’t be able to solve. These were no clowns, but Jesus made them look like clowns.
However, there is one person in the gospels who bested Jesus rhetorically, who won their point over Him. It wasn’t a scribe, Pharisee, or lawyer. In fact, it was the last person we might have expected to succeed. However, their success tells us a great deal about them and about Jesus too. This morning, then, let’s turn to the story of how somebody won an argument with Jesus.
The first segment of our study concerns Jesus’ antagonist, THE CANAANITE WOMAN. Look at Matthew 15:21-22. Even though Mark’s account of this story is generally shorter, it offers some additional information here. Jesus and His apostles haven’t come to the region of Tyre and Sidon because they wanted to enjoy the beautiful views of the Mediterranean. Instead, they came because it was a Gentile area, and they wanted to get away from all the Jews who believed Jesus was a prophet and were pestering Him for healing. This should remind us that it wasn’t easy to be Jesus. His ministry was about as serene and peaceful as the Nashville rush hour!
We see, then, that Jesus and His apostles came to this region to escape all the people who were bugging them. However, they find that their troubles have followed them. The Jews have been left behind, but now one of the Canaanite locals has started pleading for help. We’ve talked before about how the Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. How much more did they shun the Canaanites! These were the people they were supposed to have destroyed 1500 years ago. This woman’s very existence is a reminder to the disciples of their ancestors’ failure to obey God.
However, even though this woman is not a Jew, she uses Jewish language as she approaches Jesus. She calls Him the Son of David and appeals to Him to cast a demon out of her daughter.. I hope I’m not spoilering anybody here, but one of the most important lessons of this story is that anybody can seek the Lord. Make no mistake: 2000 years ago, this woman was the lowest of the low, yet she comes to Jesus and calls on His name. So too today, whoever you are, whatever your background, whatever you’ve done, call on the Lord, and He’ll listen. His compassion is the same for everyone.
Next, we’re treated to a display of THE WOMAN’S PERSISTENCE. Matthew 15:23-25 tells the tale. Jesus starts off by giving her the silent treatment. This should strike us as strange. Isn’t this the One who said, “Come unto Me, all you who labor?” Interestingly, though, neither here nor at any other point in this story does Jesus tell her that He’s not going to help her. He’s not giving her any encouragement, but He’s not shutting her down either.
This, I think, tells us something important about prayer. Sometimes God says “Yes,” sometimes God says “No,” but sometimes God says “Not yet,” and waits to see what we will do with that. Why this is, I don’t know. Maybe He wants us to grow through our trials before He rescues us. Maybe He wants to see the proof of our faith. However, I do know that whenever we don’t immediately get the answer we want, we should keep praying.
Notice, though, that the disciples have no compunction about getting rid of the Canaanite woman. They tell Jesus to send her away so that she’ll leave them alone. Their motivations are obvious. In addition to being a woman and a Canaanite, she’s filling their quiet retreat with obnoxiousness. She’s about as welcome as a work email in the middle of a two-week vacation!
The lesson here for us, I think, is that we need to beware of discouraging those who are seeking Jesus. We can do this in any number of ways. We can glare at the woman who visits our assembly in a miniskirt or the man who comes in with a Diet Coke. We can icily inform the visitor that they are sitting in our pew. We can tell our friend who is asking us about our church that they wouldn’t like it where we go. We need to be careful, brethren! A tiny action may have eternal significance.
Notice, though, the response that Jesus gives to the disciples. He makes a statement that appears forbidding but still leaves a crack for the woman to squeeze through if she wants. Yes, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but that still leaves open the possibility that He might help a sheep who isn’t from that house.
The final act of the story is about BREAD FOR DOGS. It unfolds in Matthew 15:25-28. Despite this apparently indifferent treatment from Jesus, the woman is not deterred. She kneels before Him and pleads for His help.
For the first time, Jesus directly addresses her. Again, He still doesn’t straight-out say no, but His words are crushing nonetheless. Piggybacking off His comment about being sent to the Jews only, He says that it isn’t right to take the bread meant for the children and give it to the dogs instead. As if being a woman and a Canaanite weren’t bad enough, now she’s a dog! She’s not even human anymore!
However, the woman takes that on the chin and counterpunches. Until she gets that final, definitive “No,” she’s going to keep hammering. Indeed, her counterargument is a good one. Dogs might not get the bread, but they get the crumbs, and if Jesus is willing to give her crumbs, she’s willing to be a dog.
Before this combination of humility and refusing to quit, Jesus concedes the point, or, rather, He does what He had intended to do all along. He casts the demon out of her daughter before she gets home. Even a Canaanite woman can find help and healing in Jesus!
Really, this story gives us all we need to know about seeking the Lord. It boils down to two simple rules: be humble, and don’t give up. Be humble. Recognize that God is in heaven, and you are on earth. Admit that you have to follow His word rather than your own bright ideas.
Then, don’t give up. Seek Him passionately, relentlessly, every waking hour. Come after God like a bill collector. If you do, He will honor your faith, and He will lead you to blessing.
